The Surrender Tree by Engle

The next time your history teacher says you need to read historical fiction, read this book. The Surrender Tree tells the story of Cuba's three wars for independence, starting in 1868 and ending in 1899. Centered around real-life healer Rosa, this book of short poems shows how different characters deal with issues like slavery, guerrilla warfare, betrayal, medicine, and surrender. I'm a history geek, so I liked it for the history itself and learned a lot about a new topic. Teens will like it because it's short, interesting, and very readable.