Sonia Ocampo is a wonderful heroine in an evocative story with a rich South American setting and a touch of magic. When Sonia is born she is thought to have special powers of healing. While 16 year old Sonia knows that she is not so blessed, she is still willing to help people but, when a school friend dies, despite Sonia’s help, she knows she must leave and abandon the pretence. Sonia’s story is full of romance and adventure, shot through with magical realism.
On the night Sonia Ocampo is born, the village folk of Tres Montes survive the most horrific storm they have ever seen. Immediately they believe Sonia must possess a special gift to heal and protect. But after a young boy dies despite her prayers, sixteen-year-old Sonia is filled with shame and a sense of utter powerlessness. The hundreds of tiny gold symbols pinned to her shawl now only seem like empty, superstitious charms. At once she longs to escape a life built on lies. With the help of her aunt, Sonia takes a train to the city to begin a post in the household of a wealthy woman. Perhaps all their fortunes will now improve? However, a short time later Sonia hears the devastating news that her brother has gone missing from the village. It is not the first time a young man has disappeared in the region, and everyone knows all too well what his fate may be. Sonia must now risk absolutely everything to find him, and find a way to bring him home.
'The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind is an enticing blend of fantasy, folklore, and traditional Latin American reality. Adventurous and romantic, a lovely book.' - Margarita Engle, Newbery Honour-winning author of The Surrender Tree
Author
About Meg Medina
Meg Medina is the author of Tia Isa Wants a Car, illustrated by Claudio Munoz. The daughter of Cuban immigrants, she grew up in Queens, New York, and now lives in Richmond, Virginia.
