Hurricane Dancers

Bibliography
Engle, Margarita. 2011. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 9780805092400

Plot Summary

Hurricane Dancers is a fictional verse novel set in Cuba during the Spanish expeditions to the New World. The story revolves around Quebrado, a boy-slave who is half Spanish and half Indian, a mean pirate captain (Bernadino de Talavera), and the cruel conquistador turned captive of the pirate captain (Alonzo de Ojeda). They begin on a ship that soon sinks during a hurricane. Quebrado is rescued by Naridó, a young Indian fisherman. Naridó takes Quebrado to meet his tribe and the chieftan’s daughter,  Caucubú. She longs to marry Naridó instead of having an arranged marriage. Eventually both Talavera and Ojeda find their way to the village where they pose a threat. Ultimately, Talavera, Ojeda, and Quebrado are banished by the tribe. Quebrado helps Naridó and Caucubú run away together to escape the arranged marriage and he embraces total freedom for the first time. Eventually, Naridó, Caucubú, and Quebrado return and are welcomed by the tribe. 

Critical Analysis

This book had a lot of adventure, drama, and exploration. This book was also very emotional. It contained three plot lines, including a story of love and longing between Naridó and Caucubú; oppression, loss, and rebirth for Quebrado; and glory and cruelty for Talavera and Ojeda. It is an engaging book. Engle does an excellent job of using strong figurative language to immediately set the scene out at sea. One can almost feel the salt air and wind on one’s face. However, the illustrations are almost nonexistent. There is only one black and while illustration of a palm tree at the beginning of each chapter to support the text. The cover shows a Spanish ship in a blustery wind near land.

The use of poetic verse allows the story to be told in a way that would not be possible with normal prose. The organization of the book is unique because each stanza is labeled at the top with the person’s name who is speaking. This helps to identify the changing perspectives because there is no direct dialogue except people’s internal thoughts and reflections. The passive voice is used often. Each person usually “speaks” for only two to four stanzas. 

Even though this book is written in a poetic narrative, it is still very accessible. Engle uses a lot of figurative language in the free verse, especially in the use of simile and personification of the ship and the land. Also, because this is written as a verse novel, the pacing is slowed. Engle also uses the poetic structure of the book to highlight the different layers and to place emphasis on the last line of the stanza. For example, “wild men who beat me / and taught me how to sail, / and how to lose hope.” These lines lay the foundation to understand Quebrado’s recent past and his current reality. Most of the lines in the stanza are shorter, but it does not hinder the flow of the narrative. 

This story is also about setting Quebrado free in a way he never knew was available to him. He learns that “hope is stronger than fear.” Once the pirate and conquistador find the Indian village, the author juxtaposes their need for wealth and their fear of their natives with Quebrado’s need to have peace and to live respectfully off the land with the naturales. Ojeda is constantly speaking about being plagued by ghosts, but he still wants to “[sell] the islanders / as curiosities / at market fairs / in Sevilla.” He clearly continues to be selfish, cruel, and out for glory. The lines in this stanza create a dark reflection.

I enjoyed reading this book. This poetic verse form was novel and was a fresh way to tell a story. I also really enjoyed that it was an accurate historical narrative. Engle obviously spent a lot of time researching the topic. This was apparent in the additional features such as a description of the cast of characters, historical notes, and references. 

Review Excerpts

This book is a:

  -  Pura Belpré Honor Book

  -  Booklist starred review

Kirkus

“Engle continues to explore issues of captivity and freedom in the historical setting of her ancestors…Taken individually the stories are slight, but they work together elegantly; the notes and back matter make this a great choice for classroom use.” 

Booklist

“Once again, Engle fictionalizes historical fact in a powerful, original story.”

Horn Book

“Like intersecting rip tides, several first-person narratives converge in this verse novel of the sixteenth century.”

Connections

-  This book would be easily adapted into a dynamic skit.

-  This would be a beneficial supplement to a unit on Conquistadors or exploring the New World.