Although this book is fictional, the historical events that serve as backgrounds for the story were real. It's about an Igorot girl visiting the infamous World's Fair in America in 1904.
The board of judges for the award had the folllwing to say about the book's inclusion as one of the winners:
"Not many Filipinos know that in 1904, a world fair was opened in the United States of America and among its exhibits were indigenous people from the Philippines. Wild Song revolves around this dark period in our history.
Narrated by a young woman from Bontoc who finds herself at the cusp of finding her identity in a village steeped in tradition, this narrative gives readers a glimpse into possible reasons why one would be lured into becoming a museum piece in a fair set in a foreign land.
This historical fiction seamlessly juxtaposes the characters' dilemma between going on an adventure to what is thought to be a land of opportunity vis-a-vis staying in a village that has always been one's home.
Wild Song deserves to be read by children all over so they could understand, empathize, and hopefully be changed after gaining a more in-depth knowledge of this period in Philippine history."
