JULY 1, 2019
THEY COULD HAVE NAMED HER ANYTHING | Young Adult
by Stephanie Jimenez (Little a)
Every morning, seventeen-year-old Maria Anís Rosario takes the subway an hour from her boisterous and close-knit family in Queens to her private high school on the Upper East Side, where she struggles to fit in as one of the only Latina students—until Rocky welcomes her into this new life. White, rebellious, and ignored by her wealthy parents, Rocky uses her money toward one goal: to get away with anything. To Maria, it’s a dazzling privilege.
As a bond develops between these unlikely friends, neither can see what they share most—jealousy and the desire for each other’s lives. But crackling under the surface of their seemingly supportive alliance, the girls begin to commit little betrayals as they strive to get closer to their ideals regardless of the consequences.
Told from the perspectives of Maria, Rocky, and their fathers, They Could Have Named Her Anything explores the heartfelt expectation of what it means to live up to the name you’ve been given and the more rewarding discovery of what really matters.
JULY 9, 2019
KNITTING THE FOG | Adult
by Claudia D. Hernández (The Feminist Press at CUNY)
Weaving together narrative essay and bilingual poetry, Knitting the Fog is the complex self-portrait of a young Chapina girl who wakes up to find her mother gone. When her mother returns three years later, they begin a month-long journey to El Norte. Once settled in California, Claudia has trouble assimilating—she doesn't speak English, and her Spanish is "weird"—but when back in Guatemala, she is startled to find she no longer belongs there either.
A harrowing story told with the candid innocence of childhood, Hernández’s memoir depicts the struggle and resilience inherent to immigration today.
LA PRIMERA REGLA DEL PUNK (SPANISH EDITION) | Middle Grade
by Celia C. Pérez (Vintage Español)
There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
The real Malú loves rock music, skateboarding, zines, and Soyrizo (hold the cilantro, please). And when she assembles a group of like-minded misfits at school and starts a band, Malú finally begins to feel at home. She'll do anything to preserve this, which includes standing up to an anti-punk school administration to fight for her right to express herself!
Black and white illustrations and collage art throughout make The First Rule of Punk a perfect pick for fans of books like Roller Girl and online magazines like Rookie.
THE CUBAN COMEDY | Adult
by Pablo Medina (The Unnamed Press)
A love story steeped in political satire, poetry, and the lightest touches of magical realism, Medina has created a bold, funny narrative with an uncanny heroine at its core: Elena of Piedra Negra, Cuba.
Piedra Negra is an isolated village, whose citizens consist mainly of soldiers injured in the revolution who pass the time drinking a firewater so intense, all hallucinate, and most never recover. The firewater distiller's daughter Elena longs to be a poet, and after a chance encounter with Daniel Arcilla, Cuba's most important poet, Elena wins a national poetry prize and leaves Piedra Negra behind for Havana.
There she encounters a population adjusting to a new way of life, post-revolution: there are spies and secret meetings, black marketeers, and censorship. Full of outlandish humor and insights into an often contradictory and kafkaesque regime, Medina brings 1960s Cuba to life through the eyes of Elena.
JULY 23, 2019
SKIP | Young Adult
by Molly Medoza (Nobrow)
A colorful, unpredictable postapocalyptic world comes alive in Skip, when two unlikely friends, Bloom and Gloopy, find themselves tossed from dimension to dimension. Gloopy is running toward adventure, and away from their home and friends who don't understand their creative talent. Bloom is desperately trying to return home to their lake, and avoid the terrible violence of the city. Instead, both Bloom and Gloopy find what they need in each other, and bravely return home to challenge their fears and create beauty in their own worlds.
JULY 30, 2019
LETY ALZA SU VOZ (SPANISH EDITION) | Middle Grade
by Angela Cervantes (Scholastic en Español)
Can Lety find her voice before it's too late?
Lety Muñoz's first language is Spanish, and she likes to take her time putting her words together. She loves volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter because the dogs and cats there don't care if she can't always find the right word.
When the shelter needs a volunteer to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance. But grumpy classmate Hunter also wants to write profiles -- so now they have to work as a team. Hunter's not much of a team player, though. He devises a secret competition to decide who will be the official shelter scribe. Whoever helps get their animals adopted the fastest wins. The loser scoops dog food.
Lety reluctantly agrees, but she's worried that if the shelter finds out about the contest, they'll kick her out of the volunteer program. Then she'll never be able to adopt Spike, her favorite dog at the shelter!
MARIA M. (LOVE & ROCKETS) | Graphic Novel
by Gilbert Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
This brutal, original crime thriller tells the story of femme fatale Maria M., whose life south of the border is a sordid tale of sex, drugs, violence, and power. When she comes to America for a better life, she marries a drug kingpin, whose son learns Maria’s darkest secret, leading to the most violent gangland bloodbath in organized crime history. Maria M. collects 2013’s Maria M. Book One (now out of print), and the never-before-published Book Two, presenting the complete graphic novel for the first time.
TONTA | Graphic Novel
by Jaime Hernandez (Fantagraphics)
Hot off the heels of Hernandez's last graphic novel masterpiece, Is This How You Seem?, comes Tonta, a stand-alone graphic novel that shines a light on the family tree of one of Hernandez's most memorable characters of the past several years, the teenaged Tonta. Though a self-styled loner, Tonta is forced to confront her fractured and damaged family history during a weekend stay with her half-sister, Vivian. While visiting, Tonta's stepfather is shot a home during a botched burglary, which leads to the discovery of family secrets that require Tonta to confront some unpleasant truths that she's previously managed to suppress or remain ignorant of.
JULY 31, 2019
RED PANDA & MOON BEAR | Middle Grade
by Jarod Roselló (Top Shelf Productions)
Red Panda and Moon Bear are the defenders of their community! Together, these brave siblings rescue lost cats, scold bullies, and solve mysteries, all before Mama and Papa get home. But lately... the mysteries have been extra mysterious. All of RP and MB’s powers may not be enough to handle spooks, supervillains, alien invaders, and time warps! It’ll take all their imagination—and some new friends—to uncover the secret cause behind all these events before the whole world goes crazy.
