Until the Day Arrives

Gr 5–8—In a brief but sweeping 17th-century tale, acclaimed Brazilian children's author Machado intertwines compelling stories of two exiled Portuguese orphans, an enslaved African family, and an aboriginal boy who meet in Brazil. Survivors of the plague, siblings Bento and Manu live on the streets of Lisbon. After Bento is arrested in a tavern brawl and sentenced to exile, distraught Manu is aided by a wealthy couple who arrange safe passage and haven for both boys in Brazil. Far away, on the African savanna, Odjidi and his family are captured and forced onto a slave ship bound for Brazil. Jesuit priests help Bento find work as a carpenter and place Manu, who reveals her true girl identity, in the home of a kind widow. At school, Manu befriends a native boy, Caiubi, and these two get to know a young slave, Didi, who dreams of finding his family and escaping to a deep forest quilombo or village for runaway slaves. Meanwhile Bento falls in love with Rosa, a young slave girl, and is determined to marry her. Realizing the desperate plight of their enslaved friends, Bento, Manu, and Caiubi hatch a plan to help them find family and freedom. Concise, vivid descriptions of chaotic Lisbon streets, colorful markets in Brazil, and the expansive African savanna create a rich cultural backdrop. References to the Inquisition and the plague, Portuguese and Catholic colonization of Brazil, importation of slaves, and struggles of indigenous people provide historic context. Characters are intentional but appealing. Action is steady, and lives intersect. The dilemmas and passion of a broad cast of characters will engage and inform middle-grade readers.—Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC