Margarita Engle: 'I just can't imagine living without libraries'

In this interview, author Margarita Engle credits libraries with shaping her as a writer.

She said her mother took her to the library at least once a week. Not only did she read books in the children’s section, but she also explored the travel section.

“It opened me up to wanting to explore the world,” she said.

As a writer, she uses libraries constantly, especially relying on interlibrary loans.

According to her website, "Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American winner of the first Newbery Honor ever awarded to a Latino. Her award winning young adult novels in verse include The Surrender Tree, The Poet Slave of Cuba, Tropical Secrets, and The Firefly Letters.

"Engle’s most recent book is The Wild Book.