On Sale October 1
Alma at Home/Alma En Casa by Juana Martinez-Neal | PICTURE BOOK
Good morning! I am Alma. / ¡Buenos días! Yo soy Alma.
At home, I sleep in my bedroom. / En casa, duermo en mi dormitorio.
Follow little Alma as she washes up in the bathroom, puts on her striped outfit and bow, and eats breakfast with her family in the kitchen. There's just enough time for Alma's brother to sit on the couch and read her a book before school--then Alma can go outside to play with her feathered friend Pajarito! In a new entry in this joyful board-book series, award-winning author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal looks in on the adorable Alma and her loving family at home, with words and simple phrases in English and Spanish on every spread.
Not Far from Here by Nydia Armendia-Sánchez |Illustrated by Devon Holzwarth | PICTURE BOOK
Mamá tells her children a story that began when their papá was a niño, not far from here. Their abuelitas told stories of their antepasados, and their abuelo, a blacksmith, taught their papá how to make art from earth and fire. When abuelo died, papá took all those lessons to heart and crossed la frontera to el norte to follow his sueños. There, he worked and overcame barriers, known to many immigrants alike, to forge his own obra maestra: a familia and a future in which anything is possible. Debut author Nydia Armendia-Sánchez relays a story of immigration, creativity, and comunidad through a translanguage text that moves naturally from English to español and back in a manner that will be familiar to many second and third generations of Latine families--and evocative to immigrant families of any heritage. Brilliantly brought to life by Devon Holzwarth's rich, imaginative illustrations, this warm abrazo of a book features a glossary of Spanish words.
Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown by Xochitl Dixon | Illustrated by Sara Palacios | PICTURE BOOK
From new school desks to freckles and moles, from fresh pastries to cedar canoes, brown is everywhere around us. It's a color that describes the giant California redwoods and the Grand Canyon walls, busy beavers building dams and great horned owls hoo-hooing.
Illustrated by Pura Belpré Honor Award artist Sara Palacios, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown takes kids on a tour of the U.S. to seek and find all the brilliant and beautiful shades of brown--from ivory to ebony--that God used in creation, including humans! Through the rhythmic text and repeating refrain, children of all races, ages, and abilities will be encouraged to love the skin they're in as they observe how it's reflected in their communities and the world around them.
The Only Sound Is the Wind by Pascha Sotolongo |SHORT STORIES
In the tradition of narrativa de lo inusual (narrative of the unusual), The Only Sound Is the Wind combines the fantastic with the everyday, weaving elements of magical realism and surrealist twists to sharpen our view of human (and animal) connection. In the title story, the arrival of a mail-order clone complicates a burgeoning romance; a lonely librarian longing for her homeland strikes up an unusual relationship in the award-winning "The Moth"; when humans start giving birth to puppies and kittens in "This New Turn," a realignment of the natural order ensues. With a playful tenderness and satirical bent, The Only Sound Is the Wind explores solitude and communion, opening strange new worlds where characters try to make their way toward love.
Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store by Paola Velez | COOKBOOK
Growing up in the Bronx, Paola Velez's happy place was the bodega, a unique world full of color and flavor where the shelves were stocked with everything from M&M's to Muenster cheese to majarete (Caribbean corn pudding)--and, of course, its own cat (IYKYK). Before she was the James Beard-nominated chef, Cherry Bombe cover girl, social media darling, and cofounder of the grassroots social action network, Bakers Against Racism, Paola was a bodega kid with a taste for Warheads, Hostess cupcakes, ice pops, and Malta soda.
Paola's debut cookbook, inspired by these treasures and other ingredients available at corner stores everywhere, is a love letter to both her Dominican heritage and her New York City roots; its more than 100 recipes burst with distinctive flavors, inviting you to enjoy new takes on her childhood favorites and yours. Paola's combination of classical training and self-taught pastry skills means her recipes are accessible no matter your skill level.
Jasmine Is Haunted by Mark Oshiro |MIDDLE GRADE
Jasmine Garza has a problem: a ghost has been following her for years, ever since her Papi died. Not that Mami will admit anything supernatural is going on. But even the ghost she won't acknowledge makes real trouble, so Jasmine and her mami are moving (again) to a new apartment in East Hollywood. This time Jasmine is committed to living a normal life with normal friends.
Enter: Bea Veracruz and Jorge Barrera. They're the only two members of Jasmine's middle school's Gay Straight Alliance and they're already obsessed with all things supernatural. Bea wants to prove herself to her paranormal investigator parents and Jorge is determined to overcome his fear of the beyond. And when Jasmine confesses she's been tormented by a ghost for years, they not only believe her, they're thrilled!
Together they set out to prove that Jasmine's not just acting out after her father's death-ghosts are real and Jasmine is haunted
If You Ever Need a Friend: An Alebrije Story by Nadine Fonseca | Illustrated by Lourdes Villagomez | PICTURE BOOK
Joaquin is having a hard day at school. He struggles to speak up in class even though he knows the answers, he doesn't feel included when trying to play soccer with his friends, and he ends up sitting alone during recess--feeling invisible.
But when he investigates a strange shimmery light by the playground slide, he is transported to a special forest filled with fantastical creatures known as alebrijes, or magic companion animals.
His friend, Imogen, introduces Joaquin to several alebrijes, and the special creatures share the ways they help people manage their emotions. One creature roars like a lion with Imogen when she feels angry and needs to let it out. Another one helps Noemi blend into the background like a chameleon when she is feeling nervous and needs a moment to herself. A third alebrije has big ears to hear all of Tío Andres's worries.
La Enchilada Completa / The Whole Enchilada by Glenda Galván-García| RECIPE BOOK
Recetas mexicanas llenas de historia y tradición!
Acompaña a la Chef Glenda a descubrir las delicias de la cocina mexicana! Este libro bilingüe que abarca desde aperitivos hasta platos fuertes, postres y bebidas, es la manera perfecta de que jóvenes chefs conecten con sus raíces.
Mexican recipes full of history and fun!
Join Chef Glenda as she shares the tasty wonders of Mexican cuisine! Covering everything from snacks to main dishes, desserts and drinks, this bilingual book is the perfect way for young chefs to connect with their roots.
The Great Zoo: A Bilingual Edition by Nicolás Guillén |Translated by Aaron Coleman |POETRY
Born in Cuba to parents of African and European ancestry, Nicolás Guillén worked in printing presses and studied law before moving into Havana's literary scene. A virtuosic maker and breaker of forms, Guillén rose to fame by transforming a popular form of Cuban music into poetry that called attention to the experience of Afro-Cuban people, and he continued to interweave his artistic and political commitments as he traveled the world.
Originally published in Spanish in 1967, The Great Zoo is a humorous and biting collection of poems that presents a fantastical bestiary of ideas, social concerns, landscapes, phenomena, and more. The "animals" on view in this menagerie include the Mississippi and Amazon Rivers, clouds from different countries, a singing guitar, a temperamental atomic bomb, blue-pelted police, a hurricane, the KKK, and the North Star, among many others.
In Praise of Mystery by Ada Limón Illustrated by Peter Sís | PICTURE BOOK/POETRY
As part of her tenure as U.S. poet laureate, Ada Limón has written "In Praise of Mystery," which will be engraved on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that launches to Jupiter and its moons in October 2024. Published here as Limón's debut picture book, this luminous poem is illustrated by celebrated and internationally renowned artist Peter Sís.
In Praise of Mystery celebrates humankind's endless curiosity, asks us what it means to explore beyond our known world, and shows how the unknown can reflect us back to ourselves.
On Sale October 8
Tamales for Christmas by Stephen Briseño |Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez | PICTURE BOOK
When the weather changes, but way before the Christmas tree is decorated, Grandma begins her preparations. With so many children and grandchildren in her family, she finds a way to put gifts under the tree-- she sells as many tamales as she can! Masa in one hand, corn husks in the other, Grandma's just getting started. 15 dozen tamales. As Halloween passes, and Thanksgiving, Grandma is still toiling away in the kitchen: 150 dozen tamales, 700 dozen tamales, 850 dozen tamales. When it's time to string the lights for Christmas, she's inching closer to 1000 dozen tamales! Enough to give some to those in need and enough to sell to earn money for Christmas gifts.
Based on the author's own grandmother, who was the heart of the familia, here is a warm story about Christmas, generosity, and, yes, tamales.
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo | ADULT FICTION
If you call to the witches, they will come.
1943, El Paso, Texas: teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters, while longing for a life of freedom and adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she'll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.
In the present day, Nena's grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta's own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed.
Childish Literature by Alejandro Zambra |Translated by Megan McDowell |SHORT STORIES, ESSAYS, POETRY
From the author of My Documents and Chilean Poet, a wise, humorous, and captivating literary exploration of the delights and absurdities of childhood, fatherhood, and family life
Childish Literature is a charming and wide-ranging collection of short stories, essays, and even a couple of poems produced under the influence of fatherhood, a transformative experience that reshapes and enlivens the author's relationship to aging, intimacy, and time. Written in Alejandro Zambra's brilliantly warm, playful, and philosophical voice, these pieces explore the lives of families and their stories through a wide variety of topics--from screen time and "soccer sadness" to personal libraries, fishing, and psychedelics. Throughout, Zambra captures the texture of daily life and deep truths about how we feel and live, with particular insight into the ways parents and children challenge, enrich, and entertain each other.
Solis by Paola Mendoza and Abby Sher | YOUNG ADULT
The year is 2033, and in this near-future America where undocumented people are forced into labor camps, life is bleak. Especially so for seventeen-year-old Rania, a Lebanese teenager from Chicago. When she and her mother were rounded up by the Deportation Force, they were given the brutal job of digging in the labor camp's mine in search of the destructive and toxic--but potentially world-changing--mineral aqualinium. With this mineral, the corrupt and xenophobic government of the New American Republic could actually control the weather--ending devastating droughts sweeping the planet due to climate change. If the government succeeds, other countries would be at their mercy. Solidifying this power comes at the expense of the undocumented immigrants forced to endure horrendous conditions to mine the mineral or used in cruel experiments to test it, leaving their bodies wracked in extreme pain to the point of death. As the experiments ramp up, things only get worse. Rania and her fellow prisoners decide to start a revolution; if they don't, they know they will die.
Amor Entre Aguaceros/Love Between Downpours by Jean-Pierre Rueda | POETRY
Amor entre aguaceros/Love between downpours is a bilingual poetry collection dedicated to all those who use their imagination to return to their countries of origin when migratory circumstances prohibit them from doing so.
Zones of Encuentro: Language and Identities in Northern New Mexico by Lillian Gorman | ADULT NONFICTION
Working at the intersection of Latina/o/x cultural studies, sociocultural linguistics, and Chicana feminist studies, Lillian Gorman's Zones of Encuentro takes an in-depth look at the cultural and linguistic interactions between two distinct Latina/o/x communities in the region: Nuevomexicanos (Hispanic people who trace their presence in the region to colonial times and whose families have historically spoken Traditional New Mexican Spanish, or TNMS) and first-generation Mexicano immigrants (who tend to speak Mexican Spanish). Gorman examines the everyday lived language experiences and ethnolinguistic identities of Mexicanos and Nuevomexicanos together, specifically through the case of mixed Mexicano-Nuevomexicano families. Through an interdisciplinary critical reading of ethnographic data, pláticas (informal conversations that gather family and community knowledge), interviews, articles, and historical memoirs, Gorman analyzes language ideologies, identity formations, and language practices by exploring complex spaces of encounter within Mexicano-Nuevomexicano families. Zones of Encuentro complicates homogeneous notions of language and identity and contemplates what a shared cultural and linguistic homeplace looks like for Mexicanos and Nuevomexicanos in northern New Mexico.
On Sale October 15
Blue Light Hours by Bruna Dantas Lobato | ADULT FICTION
In a small dorm room at a liberal arts college in Vermont, a young woman settles into the warm blue light of her desk lamp before calling the mother she left behind in northeastern Brazil. Four thousand miles apart and bound by the angular confines of a Skype window, they ask each other a simple question: what's the news?
Offscreen, little about their lives seems newsworthy. The daughter writes her papers in the library at midnight, eats in the dining hall with the other international students, and raises her hand in class to speak in a language the mother cannot understand. The mother meanwhile preoccupies herself with natural disasters, her increasingly poor health, and the heartbreaking possibility that her daughter might not return to the apartment where they have always lived together. Yet in the blue glow of their computers, the two women develop new rituals of intimacy and caretaking, from drinking whiskey together in the middle of the night to keeping watch as one slides into sleep. As the warm colors of New England autumn fade into an endless winter snow, each realizes that the promise of spring might mean difficult endings rather than hopeful beginnings.
Lightning in Her Hands by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland | ADULT FICTION
Teal Flores is desperate for two things--control over her gift of weather, and a date to her ex's wedding. The first isn't possible until she finds her long-lost mother, but the second has a very handsome last-ditch solution: Carter Velasquez.
Carter needs Teal too. His chance at receiving an inheritance is dependent on him being married by age thirty (blame his traditional Cuban grandmother), so who better to pose as his wife than Teal? But fake marriage and cohabitation prove tricky when mutual attraction charges the atmosphere--quite literally for Teal, whose volatile emotions cause lightning strikes.
Together, Teal and Carter embark on a quest to find her mother and the answers she's searching for. But along the way, they'll discover something even better: a love that can weather any storm.
The Life Audit: A Step-By-Step Guide to Discovering Your Goals and Building the Life You Want by Ximena Vengoechea | ADULT NONFICTION
A life-changing and empowering guide to discovering your personal and professional passions, goals, and dreams so you can create a life full of joy and purpose.
Welcome to the Life Audit, an exercise in self-reflection that helps you clear the cobwebs of noisy, external goals and distractions, and revisit or uncover the real themes and core values that drive and inspire you. Think of it as spring-cleaning for the soul.
For anyone looking to find fulfillment in every aspect of life--love, friendship, career, finances, and beyond--this encouraging handbook offers the tools to prioritize your goals and turn personal insights into action to create a beautiful, meaningful future.
The Plains by Federico Falco | Translated by Jennifer Croft | ADULT FICTION
'In the city the notion of the hours of the day, of the passage of time, is lost. In the countryside that is impossible, ' our narrator tells us. In this remote house and garden, time is almost palpable; it goes by without haste and brings into sharp relief even the tiniest details: insects, the sound of the rain, a falling leaf, the smell of damp earth. Past and present are equally weighted and visible here, revealing themselves slowly with every season and turn of the spade.So a year unfolds. A garden takes shape as his connection deepens to this place, becoming a shelter from everyone and everything, perhaps even from himself. We see the ants devouring the chard, we hear the tales his grandmother told, perhaps real, perhaps taken from a movie, and we learn about his great love, Ciro. The humid sheets in the country, the carefully renovated apartment in the city and the painful, inexplicable break-up that prompted him to take refuge in this patch of now-carefully tended land.
Clean by Alia Trabucco Zerán |Translated by Sophie Hughes | ADULT FICTION
A young girl has died and the family's maid is being interrogated. She must tell the whole story before arriving at the girl's death.
Estela came from the countryside, leaving her mother behind, to work for the señor and señora when their only child was born. They wanted a housemaid: "smart appearance, full time," their ad said. She wanted to make enough money to support her mother and return home. For seven years, Estela cleaned their laundry, wiped their floors, made their meals, kept their secrets, witnessed their fights and frictions, raised their daughter. She heard the rats scrabbling in the ceiling, saw the looks the señor gave the señora; she knew about the poison in the cabinet, the gun, the daughter's rebellion as she grew up, the mother's coldness, the father's distance. She saw it all.
After a series of shocking betrayals and revelations, Estela stops speaking, breaking her silence only now, to tell the story of how it all fell apart.
Mamá Didn't Raise a Pendeja: Anti-Affirmations Inspired by Tough-Love Abuelas by Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia | ADULT NONFICTION
Tired of the same old sugarcoated self-help advice? Mamá Didn't Raise a Pendeja serves up a bracing dose of truth straight from the mouths of Latin elders. With its wit, edge, and no-nonsense advice on everything from dating to careers, this compilation offers a tool kit of motivational mantras to tackle modern struggles--with plenty of humor and comedic smacks of perspective along the way.
Inspired by their own no-nonsense abuelitas, first-generation Latinas Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia share the tough love and bold wisdom passed down from generations of resilient women.
Brutal Companion by Ruben Quesada | POETRY
Ruben Quesada is the editor of the award-winning anthology Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry. His poetry and criticism appear in The New York Times Magazine, Best American Poetry, Lambda Literary Review, Harvard Review and elsewhere. His collection of poetry, Brutal Companion, is the winner of the Barrow Street Editors Prize.
On Sale October 22
Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers by Steena Hernandez | Illustrated by Melissa Castillo | PICTURE BOOK
Everyone deserves to shine.
Lupita's big ballet recital is approaching. The music is perfect. Her ballet moves are strong. But her peachy pink ballet slippers don't match her skin tone. Lupita searches for the right pair only to discover it will take hard work--and messy measures--in order for her shoes to dance with her.
Inspired by the author's own experiences as a Latina dancer, Lupita's Brown Ballet Slippers is a charming story filled with determination. The final few spreads teach readers about the history of ballet slippers as well as the crucial changes the industry has seen for dancers of all races and ethnicities.
All Our Wars by Stephanie Vasquez | ADULT FICTION
Twelve years have passed since Sofia De Luna's mother was murdered. Sofia now leads a quiet life in Chicago, far from the cartel violence she was raised amidst. But when her narco father's retirement catapults her to head of the family, that peaceful existence is upended.
Unhappy with this changeover of power, Sofia's brothers and cousins are wary of her desire to legitimize the family and her insistent questions about her mother's mysterious death. Meanwhile, in Mexico's uncertain political climate, Andres Herrera, the ex-sicario accused of Sofia's mother's murder, sees the opportunity for his exit from the drug business. He just needs Sofia, his first love, to uphold the truce between the cartels before the war brewing at the border trickles down to Mexico City, marring the upcoming election.
After a chance meeting with a disenfranchised DEA agent reveals the true depths the Torres will go to keep their power, Sofia decides she must stop the war her cousins have put in motion. But if she sacrifices her family for the dream of peace, will she meet the same fate as her mother?
Impossible Possums by Justin Colón |Illustrated by James Rey Sanchez| PICTURE BOOK
Carl is bad. Bad to the bone. The only thing that would make being this bad even better would be someone to share it with. Cue the Possum Populator and a whole bunch of bad guys.
Perfect for fans of Despicable Me and Lilo & Stitch, this exceptionally goofy picture book stars aspiring villain Carl the possum, who is on a mission to create a like-minded conspirator.
Life as an aspiring villain is lonely for Carl the possum, so he's on a mission to create a like-minded conspirator. But when his Possum Populator arrives, it requires assembly (and villains don't have time for that). So, Carl tosses the instructions, leading to a series of outlandish mishaps and mounting frustration as the contraption pops out all the wrong creations.
Ay Tú!: Critical Essays on the Life and Work of Sandra Cisneros Edited by Sonia Saldívar-Hull and Geneva M. Gano | ESSAYS
A comprehensive volume on the life and work of renowned Chicana author Sandra Cisneros. Sandra Cisneros (b. 1954), author of the acclaimed novel The House on Mango Street and a recipient of the National Medal of the Arts, a MacArthur "Genius Grant" and the PEN/Nabokov Award for International Literature, was the first Chicana to be published by a major publishing house. Ay Tú! is the first book to offer a comprehensive, critical examination of her life and work as a whole. Edited by scholars Sonia Saldívar-Hull and Geneva M. Gano, this volume addresses themes that pervade Cisneros's oeuvre, like romantic and erotic love, female friendship, sexual abuse and harassment, the exoticization of the racial and ethnic "other," and the role of visual arts in the lives of everyday people. Essays draw extensively on the newly opened Cisneros Papers, housed in the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, and the volume concludes with a new long-form interview with Cisneros by the award-winning journalist Macarena Hernández.
On Sale October 29
Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña | ADULT FICTION
Leo Vega's love life has been on life support since long before the gunshot wound that put him on leave from the fire department. Now, a year after his injury, he's hoping to both return to work and fix things with Sofi, the woman he's had a secret on-again, off-again relationship with for years.
Sofia Santana may be ready to mend fences with her best friend, Leo's sister, but she has no plans of letting Leo back into her bed or her heart. She's charting a new path for her future, and past mistakes have no place in it. Then circumstances push Sofi and Leo into a tense roommate situation. It's almost impossible to move on when Leo is there, reminding her what they had, every day.
With the help of Leo's mischievous grandfather, Sofi's equally devious grandmother and an adorably sweet rescue dog, Leo's determined to get the stubborn woman of his dreams to finally see that they belong together--for good this time.
Mother Archive: A Dominican Family Memoir by Erika Morillo | MEMOIR
A family murder kept secret, the mysterious disappearance of her father, the systematic erasing of family photographs, a turbulent relationship with her mother, layers of trauma and abuse. In Mother Archive, Erika Morillo reconciles these demons of her past by searching for and seeking out the roots of her family. Intertwining memories with archival family photographs, news clippings, film stills, and artistic images, Morillo revisits her childhood growing up in the Dominican Republic, a place and time riddled with a history of violence and a tradition of erasure.
Spanning three generations across three different countries, this memoir works as a map in which the author traces incidents in her family history to help her understand herself and her own experience as a mother.
Bindle Punk Jefe by Desideria Mesa | ADULT FICTION
Prohibition is in full swing, and the glamorous life of upper-class Kansas City is everything Rose (Luna) Lane ever hoped it would be. Being married to her best friend isn't so bad either, considering their agreement to keep their real love lives out of the public eye. However, try as she might to continue her life of anonymity, her popularity as a land developer's wife--and as a successful club owner--draws even more attention to her personal endeavors. Soon, the balancing act between the life of Luna and Rose becomes a full-time job itself, making visiting home harder than ever before.
However, her haven, which once offered a place of acceptance, is growing more hostile. Her community of brujas criticizes her methods of using magic for economic and social gain while consorting with nefarious witches of the North. Meanwhile, the Pendergast Machine is running at full force, pushing his will and money all over the city. Keeping her true identity and powers a secret while posing for the society papers gets all the more dangerous as new enemies start to question her origins...and old ones creep up from dark realms.
My Mexican Kitchen: 100 Recipes Rich with Tradition, Flavor, and Spice by Eva Longoria | COOKBOOK
While hosting Searching for Mexico on CNN, Eva Longoria reconnected with her Mexican roots and tasted iconic Mexican dishes like meat-stuffed Chiles en Nogada draped in a creamy walnut sauce and the Yucatán classic Pollo Asado, made with an aromatic garlic-citrus-achiote paste. In My Mexican Kitchen, she embraces the techniques and flavors she discovered and brings them home to her Southern California kitchen. From dishes based on long-heeded Aztec traditions like Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde to her Tia Elsa's Pork and Red Chile Tamales and Conchas that remind her of Mexico City, each recipe offers a delicious tribute to Mexican food and flavors.
On Sale October 31
El Empacho de Isabel / Isabel's Tummy Ache by Julio Molinete | Illustrated by Claudia Navarro |Translated by Gabriela Baeza Ventura | PICTURE BOOK
"I went to Cuba to meet my grandma Macurí," Isabel tells her classmates when asked about her summer. It was a long trip that involved two planes, a guagua--or bus, a train that carried everything from sugarcane to calves, and even a horse-drawn cart. Finally hugging her Abuelita was the most beautiful moment of her life! Grandma made a cake to celebrate her birthday--and all the others she had missed--and Isabel ate three pieces! The party continued the next day with lots of delicious food, including a mango, oranges, watermelon and an entire pineapple! No wonder that by nightfall, Isabel's tummy hurt! But her grandmother's special jar of hugs and kisses, combined with a gentle massage, healed the girl's aching belly. Drawing on his own memories, Julio Molinete writes about traveling to a rural village in the mountains of Cuba and the natural healing methods practiced there. Lively illustrations by Claudia Navarro depict the joy of reuniting with far-flung family. This bilingual book for children ages 5-9 will surely encourage them to write about their own summer adventures and time spent with family--while also serving as a cautionary tale against overeating!
¡Celebremos El Día de Las Brujas Y El Día de Los Muertos! / Let's Celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead! by Gustavo Ruffino |Illustrated by Olga Barinova | PICTURE BOOK
Two best friends enjoy dressing up for their Halloween party at school; Mía is a monarch butterfly and Camila is a leaping frog! The girls live in the same building so Camila goes home with Mía after school and eats dinner with her family. But when they invite Camila to help set up their Day of the Dead altar, she is afraid of the skulls. Mía teaches her friend that the altar is a way to remember and honor loved ones who have passed. "It's like a party," she says. Decorated with flowers, photos and the departed person's favorite things, it's full of beautiful memories. Camila wonders if she can prepare one for her mother--whom she misses terribly--even though she is Colombian and not Mexican. Camila's father likes the idea and helps his daughter make her mom's favorite food, arepas with lots of cheese, to put on the altar and share with Mía's family at dinner the next night.
Una Nueva Ciudad, Un Nuevo Hogar / A New City, a New Home by Elías David | Illustrated by Claudia Delgadillo | PICTURE BOOK
ELÍAS DAVID, a native of Reynosa, Mexico, is the author of a picture book, Mis días con Papá / Spending Time with Dad (Piñata Books, 2023), and two for adults, Instantes (Alja, 2017) and Una lucidez aturdida (UANL, 2022). He is the associate editor of Suburbano Ediciones (SED), a magazine on culture. He lives with his family in Houston, where he is pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing in Spanish at the University of Houston. CLAUDIA DELGADILLO was born in Mexico City and graduated from UNAM with a degree in graphic communication. She is the illustrator of Mis días con Papá / Spending Time with Dad (Piñata Books, 2023) and she wrote and illustrated Biodiversidad (UNAM, 2011).
Racing at Devil's Bridge and Other Stories / Carreras En El Puente del Diablo Y Otros Cuentos by Xavier Garza | Translated by Alaíde Ventura Medina | MIDDLE GRADE
In the title story, a boy breaks his mom's rule against staying out after dark because he is intent on training for the big state track meet. When his younger sister turns up and challenges him to a race across Devil's Bridge, he taunts her--but is ultimately stunned when she beats him. But more shocking is the sudden appearance of a terrifying figure sporting a goat's head and wielding a rusty ax! The stories in Xavier Garza's new collection feature creepy creatures from Latin American lore, but with a contemporary twist!
Trini's Magic Kitchen by Patricia Santos Marcantonio | MIDDLE GRADE
Trini has just started seventh grade when her mom loses her job. She finds another one working nights in Denver but must sleep on her cousin's couch until she saves enough money for a new apartment. Since there's no room for Trini, the girl is forced to go live with her grandparents in Alamosa. She has always considered her grandparents' house a second home, but the day her mom leaves her there she feels homeless. Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Frank, who ride motorcycles and listen to rock, are the best, but Trini misses her mom and dreads being the new kid at school, especially since she is now two weeks behind. Gradually she adjusts to her new life, making another best friend and setting her sights on a cute boy. And when her grandmother discovers Trini can't cook, she begins teaching her granddaughter how to make traditional Mexican dishes. Through the cooking lessons, the girl begins to learn more about her family, including her dad, who died when she was young, and why her mom doesn't cook. This warmhearted and entertaining novel about overcoming challenges will resonate with tweens facing their own problems with family and friends.
Ghost Brother by Sylvia Sánchez Garza | YOUNG ADULT
Carlos and his twin brother Cris were looking forward to their school dance, but an encounter with a pair of bullies on a slick road during a terrible thunderstorm leads to a horrific auto accident and the deaths of two people--including Carlos. Cris, who was driving the car, is overcome with guilt, and their mom is devastated at the loss of her son. The hazy details of the crash and its fallout are narrated in the alternating voices of the brothers, one a survivor and the other a ghost. No one can see or hear Carlos despite his efforts to let them know he is still there, so he is able to listen in on numerous conversations. One of the bullies that died in the crash was the son of the local sheriff, and the ghost learns the lawman intends to place the blame for the accident on his brother! As Cris navigates his sorrow, he is intent on getting to know his father, who has been absent all their lives. To complicate matters, he meets and falls head-over-heels in love with Selena, who has secrets of her own, including knowing more about the crash than she lets on. Exploring death and grief from a young person's perspective, this absorbing novel for teens set in South Texas brims with the cultural traditions and beliefs of the Mexican-American community.
