October 2020 Latinx Releases

October 1, 2020

AND THE MOON FOLLOWS | Young Adult

by Cyn Bermudez (Rosen/West 44 Books)

Luna has nowhere to go. She leaves home after her stepfather sexually assaults her. Now her only option is to run as far and as fast as possible. Luna takes to the streets, where she survives by sleeping in parks, cars, and an abandoned house. But how long can she survive on the run? Where can she go if she can't go home?

FELIZ NEW YEAR, AVA GABRIELA! | Picture Book

by Alexandra Alessandri; Illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda (Albert Whitman & Co.)

Ava Gabriela is visiting her extended family in Colombia for the holidays. She’s excited to take part in family traditions such as making bunuelos, but being around all her loud relatives in an unfamiliar place makes Ava shy and quiet. How will Ava find her voice before she misses out on all the New Year’s fun?

October 6, 2020

111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl | Picture Book

by Rina Singh; Illustrated by Marieanne Ferrer (CitizenKid)

This is the story of Sundar Paliwal, who is from a small Indian village ruled by ancient customs. As he grows to be a man, Sundar suffers much heartbreak and decides it is time for change to come to his village. Sundar is determined to live in a place where girls are valued as much as boys and where the land is not devastated by irresponsible mining. Sundar's plan? To celebrate the birth of every girl with the planting of 111 trees. Though many villagers resist at first, Sundar slowly gains their support. And today, there are over a quarter of a million trees in his village, providing food, water and opportunities for women to earn a living. His efforts have turned a once barren and deforested landscape into a fertile and prosperous one where girls can thrive.

ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER | Picture Book

by Tami Charles; Illustrated by Bryan Collier (Scholastic)

Lyrical, personal, and full of love, All Because You Matter is for the picture book audience what The Hate U Give was for YA and Ghost Boys was for middle grade: a conversation starter, a community touchstone, and a deep affirmation of worth for the young readers who need it most.

BLAZEWRATH GAMES | Young Adult

by Amparo Ortiz (Page Street)

Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance, and when Puerto Rico’s Runner—the only player without a dragon steed—is kicked off the team, she’s given the chance.

But when she discovers that a former Blazewrath superstar has teamed up with the Sire—a legendary dragon who’s cursed into human form—the safety of the Cup is jeopardized. The pair are burning down dragon sanctuaries around the world and refuse to stop unless the Cup gets cancelled. All Lana wanted was to represent her country. Now, to do that, she’ll have to navigate an international conspiracy that’s deadlier than her beloved sport.

THE CHILEAN KITCHEN | Cookbook

by Pilar Hernandez, Eileen Smith, Araceli Paz (Skyhorse Publishing)

The Spanish phrase quédate un poquito, or “stay a while,” is the essence of Chilean hospitality—one does not “stop by for a quick bite” in Chile. Comprised of more than seventy authentic Chilean recipes, organized seasonally for maximum freshness, and tweaked ever-so-slightly to fit neatly into the US market, this book creates an accessible, authentic, and uniquely Chilean cooking experience. It marries Pilar’s family recipes and Eileen’s astute writings, which make even those who have never visited Chile feel like they have found home.

Seasonality is the backbone of the Chilean table—each of the four seasonal sections will include a short opening essay to prepare the reader for the bounty of the season. A unique fifth section is included for La Once, or tea time, which transcends the seasons but is quintessentially and irrevocably Chilean.

GRABBED | Anthology

Edited by Richard Blanco, Caridad Moro, Nikki Moustaki, and Elisa Albo (Beacon Press)

The #MeToo movement, the infamous Access Hollywood tape, and the depraved and hypocritical actions of celebrities, politicians, CEOs, and other powerful people have caused people all over the nation to speak out in outrage, to express allegiance for the victims of these assaults, and to raise their voices against a culture that has allowed this behavior to continue for too long.

The editors asked writers and poets to add to the conversation about what being "grabbed" means to them in their own experience or in whatever way the word "grabbed" inspired them. What they received are often searing, heart-rending works, ranging in topic from sexual misconduct to racial injustice, from an unwanted caress to rape, expressed in powerful, beautifully crafted prose and poetry.

GRIEVING: DISPATCHES FROM A WOUNDED COUNTRY | Nonfiction

by Cristina Rivera Garza; Translated by Sarah Booker (The Feminist Press at CUNY)

Grieving is a hybrid collection of short crónicas, journalism, and personal essays on systemic violence in contemporary Mexico and along the US-Mexico border. Drawing together literary theory and historical analysis, she outlines how neoliberalism, corruption, and drug trafficking—culminating in the misnamed “war on drugs”—has shaped her country. Working from and against this political context, Cristina Rivera Garza posits that collective grief is an act of resistance against state violence, and that writing is a powerful mode of seeking social justice and embodying resilience.

I Am! Affirmations for Resilience | Board Book

by Bela Barbosa; Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez (Rise x Penguin Workshop)

This brightly hand-lettered board book empowers young readers to lift themselves up! Ten relatable emotions are each followed by a centering exercise and a positive affirmation to be recited, as a practice in mindfulness. Young readers are encouraged to find their inner strength by recognizing and addressing their emotions, instilling a sense of power and self-confidence.

AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF NAMES | Poetry

by Michael Torres (Beacon Press)

Who do we belong to? This is the question Michael Torres ponders as he explores the roles that names, hometown, language, and others' perceptions each play on our understanding of ourselves in An Incomplete List of Names. More than a boyhood ballad or a coming-of-age story, this collection illuminates the artist's struggle to make sense of the disparate identities others have forced upon him.

JUBILEE | Fiction

by Jennifer Givhan (Blackstone Publishing)

When Bianca appears late one night at her brother's house in Santa Ana, she is barely conscious, though not alone. Jubilee, wrapped in a fuzzy pink romper, is buckled into a car seat. Jubilee, who Bianca feeds and clothes and bathes and loves. Jubilee, who Bianca could not leave behind. Jubilee, a doll in her arms.

Told in alternating points of view, Jubilee reveals both the haunting power of our lived experiences and the surreal possibility of the present to heal the past.

LA TIERRA AL VUELO | Young Adult

by Margarita Engle; Translated by Alexis Romay (S&S/Atheneum)

Margarita Engle’s childhood straddled two worlds: the lush, welcoming island of Cuba and the lonely, dream-soaked reality of Los Angeles. But the revolution has transformed Cuba into a mystery of impossibility, no longer reachable in real life. Margarita longs to travel the world, yet before she can become independent, she’ll have to start high school.

Then the shock waves of war reach America, rippling Margarita’s plans in their wake. Cast into uncertainty, she must grapple with the philosophies of peace, civil rights, freedom of expression, and environmental protection. Despite overwhelming circumstances, she finds solace and empowerment through her education. Amid the challenges of adolescence and a world steeped in conflict, Margarita finds hope beyond the struggle, and love in the most unexpected places.

ROXY THE LAST UNISAURUS REX | Picture Book

by Eva Chen; Illustrated by Matthew Rivera (Feiwel & Friends)

Join Roxy in all her sassy, steak-loving, glittery glory as she learns about the importance of staying true to yourself, celebrating your differences, and finding friends who love you for who you are.

UNTIL WE’RE FISH | Fiction

by Susannah R. Drissi (Propertius Press)

Elio longs for freedom from the dreary home he shares with his mother. He spends his days and nights fantasizing about an American bike and Maria, his vivacious next-door neighbor. Two obstacles stand in his way: the 1959 Cuban Revolution and Maria’s dream of moving to Chicago. Yet Elio is steadfast in believing that somehow, some way he will get both the girl and the Schwinn. When an injury leaves him terrified of the sea, he’s faced with an impossible choice: to overcome his fear and do whatever it takes to realize his vision, or to stay safe, and risk losing everything he’s been living for. 

WHAT WERE WE THINKING: A BRIEF INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF THE TRUMP ERA | Nonfiction

by Carlos Lozada (Simon & Schuster)

As a book critic for The Washington Post, Carlos Lozada has read some 150 volumes claiming to diagnose why Trump was elected and what his presidency reveals about our nation. Many of these, he’s found, are more defensive than incisive, more righteous than right.

In What Were We Thinking, Lozada uses these books to tell the story of how we understand ourselves in the Trump era, using as his main characters the political ideas and debates at play in America today. He dissects works on the white working class like Hillbilly Elegy; manifestos from the anti-Trump resistance like On Tyranny and No Is Not Enough; books on race, gender, and identity like How to Be an Antiracist and Good and Mad; polemics on the future of the conservative movement like The Corrosion of Conservatism; and of course plenty of books about Trump himself.

Lozada’s argument is provocative: that many of these books—whether written by liberals or conservatives, activists or academics, Trump’s true believers or his harshest critics—are vulnerable to the same blind spots, resentments, and failures that gave us his presidency. But Lozada also highlights the books that succeed in illuminating how America is changing in the 21st century. What Were We Thinking is an intellectual history of the Trump era in real time, helping us transcend the battles of the moment and see ourselves for who we really are.

October 10, 2020

¡TODOS AL RODE! | Picture Book

by Dr. Ma. Alma González Pérez (Del Alma Publications)

Third in our series of popular bilingual alphabet books, this picturesque children's book highlights the life and the history of the vaquero (cowboy). It includes many concepts like rodeo and lasso that emerged with the arrival of the Spaniards in the New World. Written by award-winning author and professor of bilingual education, Dr. María Alma González Pérez, this book is sure to delight and educate young children. Additionally, it is intended as a resource for the bilingual / dual-language classroom.

October 13, 2020

CAT NINJA | Middle Grade

by Matthew Cody; Illustrated by Yehudi Mercado (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Raised from a kitten by a kindly old ninja master, Claude now spends his days as the pampered house cat of an eleven-year-old boy. But when trouble arises, Claude dons his mask and springs into action as Cat Ninja—Metro City's secret protector! In Book 1 of the series, follow our feline hero’s early exploits as he tries to keep his secret identity under wraps while thwarting the evil plans of slimy thugs, rampaging robots, and a certain rodent nemesis who lives under the same roof!

COME ON IN: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home | Anthology

Edited by Adi Alsaid (Inkyard Press)

With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands…who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL…who give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question “where are you from?” and so much more… Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience, from authors who have been shaped by the journeys they and their families have taken from home—and to find home.

CONCRETE KIDS | YA Nonfiction

by Amyra León (Penguin Workshop)

Concrete Kids is an exploration of love and loss, melody and bloodshed. Musician, playwright, and educator Amyra León takes us on a poetic journey through her childhood in Harlem, as she navigates the intricacies of foster care, mourning, self-love, and resilience. In her signature free-verse style, she invites us all to dream with abandon–and to recognize the privilege it is to dream at all.

EAT THE MOUTH THAT FEEDS YOU | Literary Fiction

by Carribean Fragoza (City Lights Publishers)

In visceral, embodied prose, Fragoza’s imperfect characters are drawn with a sympathetic tenderness as they struggle against circumstances and conditions designed to defeat them. A young woman returns home from college, only to pick up exactly where she left off: a smart girl in a rundown town with no future. A mother reflects on the pain and pleasures of being inexorably consumed by her small daughter, whose penchant for ingesting grandma’s letters has extended to taking bites of her actual flesh. A brother and sister watch anxiously as their distraught mother takes an ax to their old furniture, and then to the backyard fence, until finally she attacks the family’s beloved lime tree.

Victories are excavated from the rubble of personal hardship, and women’s wisdom is brutally forged from the violence of history that continues to unfold on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

THE GIRL WITH THE SELF-ESTEEM ISSUES | Memoir

by Rosie Mercado; Translated by Jose Reyes Rivera (Harper One)

When Rosie was only nineteen, the father of her newborn walked out with no warning. With no college degree, no career, and an addiction to emotional eating, Rosie was overwhelmed. How could she take care of a child when she could barely care for herself? Yet despite her lack of self-confidence, the courageous young woman rose from the ashes—only to fall again . . . and again. The journey included three husbands, three divorces, three children, and years of abuse, infidelity, broken promises, and sleepless nights. Rosie's life was anything but easy, especially when her weight ballooned to 400 pounds. Yet she never, ever gave up. When one door closed in her face, she picked herself up and knocked on another one. Despite the pain, the rejection, and the disappointment, there were small victories and successes. Each one gave her the strength to keep on going. Eventually, she found the courage to take control of her life, lost 240 pounds, and found the life she’s always wanted.

LIA & LUÍS: WHO HAS MORE? | Picture Books

by Ana Crespo; Illustrated by Giovana Medeiros (Charlesbridge)

Twins Lia and Luís argue over who has more of their favorite snacks. Can the siblings use math--and a little sharing--to pick the winner? A playful exploration of measurement, counting, and estimation, featuring Brazilian American characters and a glossary of Brazilian Portuguese words.

MERCI SUÁREZ SE PONE LAS PILAS | Middle Grade

by Meg Medina (Candlewick)

Merci Suárez sabía que el sexto grado sería diferente, pero no tenía idea alguna lo diferente que resultaría. En primer lugar, Merci nunca se ha parecido a los otros niños de su escuela privada en la Florida, porque tanto ella como Roli, su hermano mayor, son estudiantes becados. Ellos no tienen ni una casa grande ni un yate elegante, y tienen que desempeñar servicios comunitarios adicionales para compensar por su matricula gratis. Así que cuando la mandona de Edna Santos se fija en el nuevo niño que la escuela le ha asignado a Merci como su “amigos de arco iris,” Merci se convierte en el foco de los celos de Edna. Las cosas no andan muy bien en su casa tampoco: Lolo, el abuelo de Merci, su aliado de mayor confianza, ha estado actuando un poco raro últimamente: se le olvida cosas importantes, se cae de la bicicleta y se enoja por cualquier cosa. Nadie en la familia le ha dicho a Merci qué es lo que le aflige, así que Merci tiene que lidiar sola con sus preocupaciones, a la vez que se siente aislada en la escuela. En una historia sobre los ritos de la pre-adolescencia, llena de humor y sabiduría, la galardonada autora Meg Medina llega al fondo del desconcierto y del cambio continuo que caracterizan el último año de la escuela elemental, así como de los lazos inquebrantables de la familia.

QUIET NO MORE | Young Adult

by Nikki Barthelmess (Flux)

College freshman Victoria Parker is trying to move on with her life after surviving sexual assault by her father and six months in foster care. She's focusing on the positives--attending college, living on her own, repairing old relationships and making new ones, and getting involved with an abuse survivors activist group on campus. But everything's thrown into disarray when a strange woman shows up, claiming to be Victoria's aunt and asking Victoria to lie about what happened to her. With her father's sentencing in a few months, she's nervous about having to share the truth of what happened with a judge. She's not even sure if she has the strength to go through with it. But when her fellow club members begin pressuring her to speak out, Victoria has to decide how to share her story while remaining true to herself. 

RIGHT/WRONG: HOW TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS OUR ETHICS | Nonfiction

by Juan Enriquez (The MIT Press)

Most people have a strong sense of right and wrong, and many of us are not reluctant to argue with someone who disagrees. But when we take an unyielding stand on something we regard as an eternal truth, we forget that ethics evolve over time. What was once broadly acceptable is now completely unacceptable. For example, burning heretics is no longer considered a just punishment. Child marriage is not applauded as a family value. Many shifts in the right vs. wrong pendulum are affected by advances in technology. In Right/Wrong, Juan Enriquez reflects on the evolution of ethics in a technological age.

TINY NIGHTMARES | Horror

Edited by Lincoln Michael & Nadxieli Nieto (Catapult)

In this playful, spine-tingling collection, leading literary and horror writers spin unforgettably chilling tales in only a few pages.Tiny Nightmares brings to life broken-hearted vampires, Uber-taking serial killers, mind-reading witches, and monsters of all imaging, as well as stories that tackle the horrors of our modern world from global warming and racism to social media addiction and online radicalization. Writers such as Samantha Hunt, Brian Evenson, Jac Jemc, Stephen Graham Jones, Kevin Brockmeier, and Rion Amilcar Scott expand our understanding of horror fiction with inventive and blood-curdling new tales. We suggest reading with the hall light on and the bedroom door open just a crack.

October 20, 2020

THE 5 DISCIPLINES OF INCLUSIVE LEADERS | Nonfiction

by Andrés Tapia & Alina Polonskaia (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)

In this book, Tapia and Polonskaia draw on Korn Ferry's massive database of 3 million leadership assessments to reveal the essential qualities of inclusive leaders. They discuss the personality traits these leaders share and detail how to develop what they call the five disciplines of inclusive leadership: building interpersonal trust, integrating diverse perspectives, optimizing talent, applying an adaptive mindset, and achieving transformation.

FINDING LATINX: IN SEARCH OF THE VOICES REDEFINING LATINO IDENTITY | Nonfiction

by Paola Ramos (Vintage)

In this empowering cross-country travelogue, journalist and activist Paola Ramos embarks on a journey to find the communities of people defining the controversial term, “Latinx.” She introduces us to the indigenous Oaxacans who rebuilt the main street in a post-industrial town in upstate New York, the “Las Poderosas” who fight for reproductive rights in Texas, the musicians in Milwaukee whose beats reassure others of their belonging, as well as drag queens, environmental activists, farmworkers, and the migrants detained at our border. Drawing on intensive field research as well as her own personal story, Ramos chronicles how “Latinx” has given rise to a sense of collectivity and solidarity among Latinos unseen in this country for decades.

October 27, 2020

PLANT WITCHERY: DISCOVER THE SACRED LANGUAGE, WISDOM, AND MAGIC OF 200 PLANTS | Nonfiction

by Juliet Diaz (Hay House)

Indigenous seer, gifted plant whisperer, and Witchery author Juliet Diaz invites you to walk the path of the Plant Witch. Journey far beyond the basic medicinal and magical properties of plants, deep into Mother Earth's drumming heart. Drawn from ancestral practices passed down by generations of teachers, the lessons in this book will awaken your intimate connection with nature, your ancestors, your guides, and to your true self through the powerful magic of plants.

PULPO GUISADO | Picture Book

by Eric Velasquez (Holiday House)

The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. "¡Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be careful!" But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma! Ramsey must use both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela.

Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real.

HOLIDAY HOME RUN | Romance

by Priscilla Oliveras (Zebra Books)

Event planner Julia Louisa Fernandez dreams of a life in Chicago. But her family in Puerto Rico expects her to take over the catering business. Former pro baseball player Ben Thomas knows what that’s like—and when they meet, he might be the one to inspire a winning strategy, just in time for the holidays . . .

October 31, 2020

VINCENT VENTURUA AND THE DIABOLICAL DUENDES | Chapter Book

by Xavier Garza (Arte Público)

Another family has moved into the house at 666 Duende Street across from Vincent Ventura's, and once again there's something mysterious going on. There's a boy who constantly argues with himself. "You can't tell me what to do," Vincent hears him say, but there's no one around. Who could he be talking to? When Vincent sees a green creature with glowing red eyes and needle-sharp teeth terrorize the boy into vandalizing a neighbor's car, he knows there is another monster mystery to solve! His cousin, Michelle, is one of the smartest kids around, and she quickly finds information in a library book on Latin American monsters. She's sure the creature Vincent saw is a duende, which is similar to an evil troll or gnome. Is Sayer Cantú really a target of these wicked beasts?! Everyone at school knows he's a troublemaker to avoid. Could duendes be forcing him to misbehave? Once again Vincent Ventura recruits his cousins and gathers his monster-fighting tools crosses, holy water, packs of salt, silver metal beads and slingshots for the upcoming showdown.

THE NUMBER ON MY FATHER’S ARM | Middle Grade

by Rodolfo Alvarado (Arte Público)

A young boy seeks to unravel the mystery of his father’s nightmares and the number tattooed on his arm in this short bilingual novel that will acquaint readers ages 10-15 with the Holocaust and the expulsion of Mexicans and Mexican Americans from the United States in the early part of the twentieth century.

September 2020 Latinx Releases

September 1, 2020

CEMETERY BOYS | Young Adult

by Aiden Thomas (Feiwel & Friends)

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

FEATHERED SERPENT AND THE FIVE SUNS: A MESOAMERICAN CREATION MYTH | Picture Book

by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams BFYR)

Long ago, the gods of Mesoamerica set out to create humans. They tried many times during each sun, or age. When all their attempts failed and the gods grew tired, only one did not give up: Quetzalcóatl—the Feathered Serpent. To continue, he first had to retrieve the sacred bones of creation guarded by Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the underworld. Gathering his staff, shield, cloak, and shell ornament for good luck, Feathered Serpent embarked on the dangerous quest to create humankind.
 
Award-winning author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life the story of Feathered Serpent, one of the most important deities in ancient Mesoamerica. With his instantly recognizable, acclaimed art style and grand storytelling, Tonatiuh recounts a thrilling creation tale of epic proportions.

GABI, FRAGMENTOS DE UNA ADOLESCENTE | Young Adult

by Isabel Quintero (Vintage Español)

Gabi aún no entiende quién es. Escribir la ayudará a juntar sus pedazos.

Gabi Hernández está en su último año de la preparatoria. Para entretenerse, escribe todo lo que le pasa en su diario: las solicitudes a las universidades, el embarazo de Cindy, cuando Sebastián salió del clóset, los chicos guapos de su clase, la adicción de su padre a la metanfetamina, y toda la comida que se le antoja. Pero lo mejor de todo lo que escribe es la poesía que la ayuda a ser quien es.

MAÑANALAND | Middle Grade

by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Scholastic)

Maximiliano Córdoba loves stories, especially the legend Buelo tells him about a mythical gatekeeper who can guide brave travelers on a journey into tomorrow.

If Max could see tomorrow, he would know if he'd make Santa Maria's celebrated fútbol team and whether he'd ever meet his mother, who disappeared when he was a baby. He longs to know more about her, but Papá won't talk. So when Max uncovers a buried family secret — involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety — he decides to seek answers on his own.

With a treasured compass, a mysterious stone rubbing, and Buelo's legend as his only guides, he sets out on a perilous quest to discover if he is true of heart and what the future holds.

This timeless tale of struggle, hope, and the search for tomorrow has much to offer today about compassion and our shared humanity.

PUNCHING THE AIR | Young Adult

by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (Balzer + Bray)

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. 

The story that I think

will be my life 

starts today

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? 

With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.

RISE OF THE HALFLING KING | Middle Graphic Novel

by David Boowles; Illus. by Charlene Bowles (Cinco Puntos Press)

Sayam has always been different from other kids―he’s very short for his age, his best friend is a monkey, and most curious of all: he was born from an egg! His grandmother, a witch, found him and taught him all the ancient magic she uses to help her people. So when a giant snake starts terrorizing a nearby city, Sayam decides it’s time for him to use his knowledge to help others, and steps into action. But the beast might not be Sayam’s biggest problem: the ruthless King Kinich Kak Ek sees Sayam as a threat to his throne. Prophecy declares that whoever succeeds at three impossible tests will be king. Monstrous snakes and impossible tests are a lot for a boy to handle, but Sayam is brave and has a loyal monkey, a wise grandmother, and magical knowledge on his side!

SANCTUARY | Young Adult

by Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher (Putnam Books)

It’s 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked–from buses to grocery stores. It’s almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant, but that’s exactly what sixteen-year-old Vali is doing. She and her family have carved out a stable, happy life in small-town Vermont, but when Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, they are forced to flee.

Now on the run, Vali and her family are desperately trying to make it to her tía Luna’s in California, a sanctuary state that is currently being walled off from the rest of the country. But when Vali’s mother is detained before their journey even really begins, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country to make it to safety before it’s too late.

THE SHADOW CROSSER | Middle Grade

by J. C. Cervantes (Disney Hyperion)

Zane Obispo has been looking forward to his training at the Shaman Institute for Higher Order Magic, and not only because it means he'll be reunited with his best friend, Brooks. Anything would be better than how he has spent the last three months: searching for the remaining godborns with a nasty demon who can sniff them out (literally). But when Zane tracks down the last kid on his list, he's in for a surprise: the "one" is actually a pair of twins, and they're trying to prevent a mysterious object from falling into the wrong hands.

After a shocking betrayal, Zane finds himself at SHIHOM sooner than expected. Even more shocking is the news that the Maya gods have gone missing. The bat god, Camazotz, and Ixkik' (aka Blood Moon) have taken them out of commission . . . and the godborns are their next target. The only thing the villains need now? The object that the twins possess.Zane knows the godborns aren't strong enough yet to stand up to Zotz, Ixkik', and their army. There might be a way to save the gods, but it involves locating a magical calendar that can see across time and space . . . not to mention traveling more than thirty years into the past. In The Shadow Crosser, Zane and his friends embark on their most treacherous mission yet--a mission that, with one blunder, could change history as we know it, and worse, destroy the universe.

UNFORGETTING | Memoir

by Roberto Lovato (Harper)

In Unforgetting, Roberto interweaves his father’s complicated history and his own with first-hand reportage on gang life, state violence, and the heart of the immigration crisis in both El Salvador and the United States. In doing so he makes the political personal, revealing the cyclical ways violence operates in our homes and our societies, as well as the ways hope and tenderness can rise up out of the darkness if we are courageous enough to unforget.

WAYWARD WITCH | Young Adult

by Zoraida Córdova (Sourcebooks Fire)

Rose Mortiz has always been a fixer, but lately she's been feeling lost. She has brand new powers that she doesn't understand, and her family is still trying to figure out how to function in the wake of her amnesiac father's return home. Then, on the night of her Deathday party, Rose discovers her father's memory loss has been a lie.

As she rushes to his side, the two are ambushed and pulled through a portal to the land of Adas, a fairy realm hidden in the Caribbean Sea. There Rose is forced to work with a group of others to save Adas. Soon, she begins to discover the scope of her powers, the troubling truth about her father's past, and the sacrifices he made to save her sisters. But if Rose wants to return home so that she can repair her broken family, she must figure out how to heal Adas first.

September 8, 2020

BRONX SHAPES | Picture Book

by Alex Rivera (Kokila)

Take a walk through the Bronx and what do you see? CIRCLE wheels on a classic tricycle, a vast DIAMOND where the Yankees play baseball, colorful TRIANGLE flags above the bodega, and more! Bronxshapes, the second board book in a new series, teaches young readers about shapes through Bronx native Alex Rivera’s eye-catching photographs and creative design. The small square trim (7″ x 7″) and sturdy pages are a perfect format for toddlers, and the content inside promotes language acquisition and concept learning in both English and Spanish. Curl up with your little one for a bilingual story time that helps them reach important developmental milestones.

BRONX TONES | Picture Book

by Alex Rivera (Kokila)

Where can you find your best friend playing with a RED balloon, tamales from your favorite GREEN cart, or YELLOW pineapple raspados? The Bronx! Bronxtones, the first board book in a new series, teaches young readers about colors through the vibrant palette of the Bronx, as captured by Bronx native Alex Rivera’s eye-catching photographs and creative design. The small square trim (7″ x 7″) and sturdy pages are a perfect format for toddlers, and the content inside promotes language acquisition and concept learning in both English and Spanish. Curl up with your little one for a bilingual story time that helps them reach important developmental milestones.

CARMEN SANDIEGO: SECRETS OF THE SILVER LION | Middle Grade

by Emma Otheguy (HMH)

From the bustling streets of New York City to the cobblestones of Seville and the silver mines high in the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Carmen is off on another quest to stop VILE in this heart-pounding caper full of twists and turns!

For centuries, the magnificent Throne of Felipe has stood with two empty spaces beside its famous silver arrow—spaces where the silver castle and lion should have been. And now, with the recent discovery of the silver castle within a secret vault in Seville, Spain, the hunt is on for the third silver icon. With all three pieces in the place, the throne will be enormously valuable—making it a hot item on VILE’s radar. Now it’s up to Carmen and crew to find the silver lion before VILE does, and protect the throne from winding up in the wrong hands.

DIGGING FOR WORDS: JOSÉ ALBERTO GUTIÉRREZ AND THE LIBRARY HE BUILT| Picture Book

by Angela Burke Kunkel; Illus. by Paola Escobar (Schwartz & Wade)

In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José́. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder.

EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY | Picture Books

by Meg Medina; Illus. by Sonia Sánchez (Candlewick)

Evelyn Del Rey is Daniela’s best friend. They do everything together and even live in twin apartments across the street from each other: Daniela with her mami and hamster, and Evelyn with her mami, papi, and cat. But not after today—not after Evelyn moves away. Until then, the girls play amid the moving boxes until it’s time to say goodbye, making promises to keep in touch, because they know that their friendship will always be special. The tenderness of Meg Medina’s beautifully written story about friendship and change is balanced by Sonia Sánchez’s colorful and vibrant depictions of the girls’ urban neighborhood.

LILLYBELLE: A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS | Picture Book

by Joana Pastro; Illus. by Jhon Ortiz (Boyds Mills Press)

At the School for Damsels, LillyBelle enjoys many damsel-in-training classes, like cake baking and vocal training, but the rule that a damsel must be in distress . . . not so much. When she's captured by one villain after another, LillyBelle will need to use her charm and her wit to save herself and prove once and for all that damsels don't have to be in distress--all in time for tea!

LUPE WONG WON’T DANCE | Middle Grade

by Donna Barba Higuera (Levine Querido)

Lupe Wong is going to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues.

She's also championed causes her whole young life. Some worthy…like expanding the options for race on school tests beyond just a few bubbles. And some not so much…like complaining to the BBC about the length between Doctor Who seasons.

Lupe needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, who's Chinacan/Mexinese just like her. So when the horror that is square dancing rears its head in gym? Obviously she's not gonna let that slide.

PRIME DECEPTIONS | Science Fiction

by Valeri Valdes (Harper Voyager)

Captain Eva Innocente and the crew of La Sirena Negra find themselves once again on the fringe of populated space—and at the center of a raging covert war. When Eva’s sister asks for help locating a missing scientist, promises of a big paycheck and a noble cause convince Eva to take the job despite lingering trust issues.

With reluctant assistance from her estranged mother, Eva and her crew follow the missing scientist’s trail across the universe, from the costume-filled halls of a never-ending convention to a dangerous bot-fighting arena. They ultimately find themselves at the last place Eva wants to see again—Garilia—where she experienced her most shameful and haunting failure. 

To complete her mission and get paid, Eva must navigate a paradise embroiled in a rebellion, where massive forests and pristine beaches hide psychic creatures and pervasive surveillance technology. Can she find her quarry while avoiding the oppressive local regime, or will she be doomed to repeat past mistakes when her dark deeds come to light?

THE ROCK THROUGH THE LENS: HIS LIFE, HIS MOVIES, HIS WORLD | Biography

by Hiram Garcia (St. Martin’s Press)

Hiram Garcia, who has known Dwayne Johnson since college, is a longtime collaborator, producing partner, and talented photographer. As a film and television producer as well as in his role as the President of Production at Seven Bucks Productions, Garcia has unprecedented access to capture images on the sets of Seven Bucks’ films including such blockbuster hits as Jumanji: The Next Level, Jungle Cruise, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and more.

As one of his closest friends, Garcia knows Johnson inside and out, and that deep relationship informs the photographs he shares in this book. Whether it’s an action-packed photo snapped during an intense film take, or a relaxed and candid shot of Johnson with his daughters, Garcia focuses his lens on the qualities he most admires in his friend: his extraordinary work ethic, his infectious smile, his empathy and sense of humor, and the joy and determination Johnson brings to everything he does.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH| Literary Fiction

by Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead Books)

In What Are You Going Through, Nunez brings wisdom, humor, and insight to a novel about human connection and the changing nature of relationships in our times. A surprising story about empathy and the unusual ways one person can help another through hardship, her book offers a moving and provocative portrait of the way we live now.

September 15, 2020

EACH OF US A DESERT | Young Adult

by Mark Oshiro (Tor Teen)

Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village's stories into its arid winds. Her only companions are the blessed stars above and enigmatic lines of poetry magically strewn across dusty dunes.

Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit.

One night, Xo's wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town's murderous conqueror. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match... if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

EIGHTEEN INCHES: THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE HEART AND MIND | Poetry

by Mirtha Michelle Castro Mármol (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

This book is one woman’s account of her longing to know herself fully. Her mind, body, and soul. This book might make you cry, fill you with nostalgia, empower you, or even give you hope. You might not see eye to eye with every idea inside, but with any luck you’ll see your soul reflected in its pages. You will question things. You will remember your past. You will be thankful for your present. You will dream a new dream. Above all, you will feel. Welcome to the journey of Eighteen Inches, a battlefield between a woman’s beat-up heart and her complex mind.

FURIA | Young Adult

by Yamile Saied Méndez (Algonquin Young Readers)

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. 
 
At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. 
 
On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
 
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

LAND OF THE CRANES | Middle Grade

by Aida Salazar (Scholastic)

Nine-year-old Betita knows she is a crane. Papi has told her the story, even before her family fled to Los Angeles to seek refuge from cartel wars in Mexico. The Aztecs came from a place called Aztlan, what is now the Southwest US, called the land of the cranes. They left Aztlan to establish their great city in the center of the universe — Tenochtitlan, modern-day Mexico City. It was prophesized that their people would one day return to live among the cranes in their promised land. Papi tells Betita that they are cranes that have come home.

Then one day, Betita's beloved father is arrested by Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) and deported to Mexico. Betita and her pregnant mother are left behind on their own, but soon they too are detained and must learn to survive in a family detention camp outside of Los Angeles. Even in cruel and inhumane conditions, Betita finds heart in her own poetry and in the community she and her mother find in the camp. The voices of her fellow asylum-seekers fly above the hatred keeping them caged, but each day threatens to tear them down lower than they ever thought they could be. Will Betita and her family ever be whole again?

ONCE I WAS YOU: A MEMOIR OF LOVE AND HATE IN A TORN AMERICA | Memoir

by Maria Hinojosa (Atria Books)

In Once I Was You, Maria shares her intimate experience growing up Mexican American on the south side of Chicago and documenting the existential wasteland of immigration detention camps for news outlets that often challenged her work. In these pages, she offers a personal and eye-opening account of how the rhetoric around immigration has not only long informed American attitudes toward outsiders, but also enabled willful negligence and profiteering at the expense of our country’s most vulnerable populations—charging us with the broken system we have today.

OUR SUBWAY BABY | Picture Book

by Peter Mercurio; Illus. by Leo Espinosa (Dial Books)

“Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway.”

So begins the true story of Kevin and how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete. Written in a direct address to his son, Pete’s moving and emotional text tells how his partner, Danny, found a baby tucked away in the corner of a subway station on his way home from work one day. Pete and Danny ended up adopting the baby together. Although neither of them had prepared for the prospect of parenthood, they are reminded, “Where there is love, anything is possible.”

NEVER LOOK BACK | Young Adult

by Lilliam Rivera (Bloomsbury)

Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria--and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there's this boy . . .

Pheus is a golden-voiced, bachata-singing charmer, ready to spend the summer on the beach with his friends, serenading his on-again, off-again flame. That changes when he meets Eury. All he wants is to put a smile on her face and fight off her demons. But some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, Eury and Pheus must fight for each other and their lives.

Featuring contemporary Afro-Latinx characters, this retelling of the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice is perfect for fans of Ibi Zoboi's Pride and Daniel José Older's Shadowshaper.

RESISTENCIA: POEMS OF PROTEST AND REVOLUTION | Poetry

Edited by Mark Eisner & Tina Escaja (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Included in English translation alongside their original language, the fifty-four poems in Resistencia are a testament to the art of translation as much as the act of resistance. An all-star team of translators, including former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera along with young, emerging talent, have made many of the poems available for the first time to an English-speaking audience. Urgent, timely, and absolutely essential, these poems inspire us all to embrace our most fearless selves and unite against all forms of tyranny and oppression.

A WORLD TOGETHER | Picture Book

by Sonia Manzano (National Geographic Children’s Books)

This lovely picture book from a first-generation American affirms our common humanity as it presents the glorious similarities and differences that connect us all. It’s a charming book to share with friends and family and to read aloud with little ones. It has an inspiring message: With laugher and love, we can help bring a world together.

September 21, 2020

LIVING COLOR: ANGIE RUBIO STORIES | Literary Fiction

by Donna Miscolta (Jaded Ibis Press)

We first meet Angie Rubio at age five, being scolded by her kindergarten teacher for not knowing how to skip properly.
Set in California in the 1960s and '70s, Living Color: Angie Rubio Stories takes Angie year by year from kindergarten through high school, offering a portrait of the artist as a shy, awkward Mexican-American girl.

September 22, 2020

FLYING FREE: MY VICTORY OVER FEAR TO BECOME THE FIRST LATINA PILOT ON THE US AEROBATIC TEAM | Memoir

by Cecilia Aragon (Blackstone Publishing)

Flying Free is the story of how Cecilia Aragon broke free from expectations and rose above her own limits by combining math and logic with her passion for flying in unexpected ways. You don’t have to be a math whiz or a science geek to learn from her story. You just have to want to soar.

GOD-LEVEL KNOWLEDGE DARTS: LIFE LESSONS FROM THE BRONX | Nonfiction

by Desus & Mero (Random House)

Who could have predicted that, after a fateful meeting in a Bronx summer school in the 1990s, Desus & Mero would turn their friendship into an empire of talking to each other. And it’s no surprise—tuning in to them is like listening to the funniest, smartest people you know dissect a topic and then light it on fire. Now they’ve written the most essential guide to life of this century*, in which all the important questions are asked: How do I talk to my kids about drugs if I do them, too? What are the ethics of ghosting in a relationship? How do I bet on sports? How should I behave in jail? How much is too much to spend on sneakers? Is porn really that bad for me?
 
As they put it: “We want to share all we’ve learned, after years in the Bronx streets, with you: the people. So with a lifetime spent building up a plethora of information from trials and tribulations and a handful of misdemeanors, we decided to write this book—a sequel to the Bible, or maybe to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, depending on how big a nerd you are. Let this book be your North Star.”

IF DOMINICAN WERE A COLOR | Picture Book

by Sili Recio; Illus. by Brianna McCarthy (Denene Millner Books)

The palette of the Dominican Republic is exuberant and unlimited. Maiz comes up amarillo, the blue-black of dreams washes over sandy shores, and people’s skin can be the shade of cinnamon in cocoa or of mahogany. This exuberantly colorful, softly rhyming picture book is a gentle reminder that a nation’s hues are as wide as nature itself.

THE MAPS OF MEMORY: RETURN TO BUTTERFLY HILL | Middle Grade

by Marjorie Agosin; Illus. by Lee White (Atheneum Books)

During Celeste Marconi’s time in Maine, thoughts of the brightly colored cafes and salty air of Valparaíso, Chile, carried her through difficult, homesick days. Now, she’s finally returned home to find the dictatorship has left its mark on her once beautiful and vibrant community.

Celeste is determined to help her beloved Butterfly Hill get back to the way it was and to encourage her neighbors to fight to regain what they’ve lost. More than anything, Celeste wishes she could bring back her best friend, Lucilla, who was one of many to disappear during the dictatorship. Celeste tries to piece together what happened, but it all seems too big to fix—until she receives a letter that changes everything.

When Celeste sets off on her biggest adventure yet, she’ll uncover more heartbreaking truths of what her country has endured. But every small victory makes a difference, and even if Butterfly Hill can never be what it was, moving forward and healing can make it something even better.

MISS METEOR | Young Adult

by Tahlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore (HarperTeen)

There hasn’t been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who looks like Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla in all its history.

But that’s not the only reason Lita wants to enter the contest, or her ex-best friend Chicky wants to help her. The road to becoming Miss Meteor isn’t about being perfect; it’s about sharing who you are with the world—and loving the parts of yourself no one else understands.

So to pull off the unlikeliest underdog story in pageant history, Lita and Chicky are going to have to forget the past and imagine a future where girls like them are more than enough—they are everything.

MÁS ALLÁ | Literary Fiction

by Julia Alvarez (Vintage Español)

Poco después de jubilarse de la universidad donde enseñaba literatura, Antonia Vega, una escritora latina, pierde a su adorado esposo y su vida parece desmoronarse de repente. Hasta entonces parecía haber encontrado consuelo en la literatura que ama—las palabras de sus autores preferidos dan vueltas en su cabeza como plegarias—, pero la desaparición de su hermana, con su personalidad impredecible y su gran corazón, junto con la aparición de una inmigrante ilegal en el garaje de su casa, devuelven a Antonia a la dura realidad. En estas circunstancias, el mundo requiere más que palabras. 

Mas allá es una novela ágil y de prosa depurada. En momentos en los que reinan la confusión y el caos, la protagonista se plantea: ¿Le debemos algo a los que sufren, sean inmigrantes desconocidos o familiares cercanos? ¿Cómo podemos mantener la fe en los demás y en nosotros mismos en una realidad destrozada? Y, sobre todo, ¿cómo honramos a las personas que amamos y hemos perdido?

THE RESURRECTION OF FULGENCIO RAMIREZ | Literary Fiction

by Rudy Ruiz (Blackstone Publishing)

A work of magical realism, The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez weaves together the past and present as Fulgencio strives to succeed in America, break a mystical family curse, and win back Carolinais love after their doomed youthful romance. Through enchanting language and meditations about the porous nature of borders -- cultural, geographic, and otherworldly -- The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez offers a vision of how the past has divided us, and how the future could unite us.

VAMPIRES NEVER GET OLD: TALES WITH FRESH BITE | Young Adult

Edited by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker (Imprint)

In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out—and going out for their first kill—and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.

WHITE FOX | Young Adult

by Sara Faring (Imprint)

After their world-famous actor mother disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Manon and Thaïs left their remote Mediterranean island home—sent away by their pharma-tech tycoon father. Opposites in every way, the sisters drifted apart in their grief. Yet their mother's unfinished story still haunts them both, and they can't put to rest the possibility that she is still alive.

Lured home a decade later, Manon and Thaïs discover their mother’s legendary last work, long thought lost: White Fox, a screenplay filled with enigmatic metaphors. The clues in this dark fairytale draw them deep into the island's surreal society, into the twisted secrets hidden by their glittering family, to reveal the truth about their mother—and themselves.

September 25, 2020

TERMINAL 3 | Science Fiction

by Illimani Ferreira (Möbius Books)

It is the dawn of the 22nd century, and Earth is on the “Fabulous Side of the Galaxy.”

Imagine the future. Not the flossy-glossy one that feels like riding a Tesla driven by a coked out Ayn Rand. No. Imagine instead... a future somewhere between a white cishet libertarian’s wet dream with sexbots and a nightmare Greta Thunberg had during a nap after eating expired tofu chimichangas. Can you picture that? No? Try this:

Los Angeles has become a main hub of the Galactic Confederation – a relay outpost for extra terrestrial travelers coming from and going to the Norma and Scotus-Centaurus arms of the Milky Way, also known as ‘The Effed Up Side of the Galaxy.’

After his mom disappeared during a quantum terrorist attack when he was a boy, Gabe Chagas decided to follow in her footsteps and become a member of the LAX Security force, where he spends his time deporting aliens for a living.

Gabe isn’t particularly fit. As a matter of fact, he’s a total wimp. What he lacks in courage, he also lacks in brains. But when Gabe receives a cryptic message directing him to a non-existent gate in LAX’s infamous Terminal 3 promising answers for his mother’s disappearance – and her presumed status as an undocumented time traveler – his own terrestrial residency falls under scrutiny.

Welcome to Terminal 3.

Your flight WILL be delayed.

September 29, 2020

HISTORICALLY INACCURATE | Young Adult

by Shay Bravo (Wattpad Books)

After her mother’s deportation last year, all Soledad “Sol” Gutierrez wants is for her life to go back to normal. Everything’s changed―new apartment, new school, new family dynamic―and Sol desperately wants to fit in. When she joins her community college’s history club, it comes with an odd initiation process: break into Westray’s oldest house and steal . . . a fork?

There’s just one problem: while the owners of the house aren’t home, their grandson Ethan is, and when he catches Sol with her hand in the kitchen drawer, she barely escapes with the fork intact. This one chance encounter irrevocably alters her life, and Sol soon learns that sometimes fitting in isn’t as important as being yourself―even if that’s the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.

LORD HELP ME: INSPIRING PRAYERS FOR EVERY DAY | Picture Book

by Emme Muñiz; Illus. by Brenda Figueroa (Crown Books for Young Readers)

We all have moments every day where we can use a little help. Some are small, like waking up for school or getting along with a sibling. Others are big, like helping to save the planet and all its creatures—especially sloths! But asking God for help always brings us the strength to get through anything. Emme Muñiz shares her own daily prayers to offer families a way to embrace the peace and power of everyday faith.

August 2020 Latinx Releases

August 4, 2020

G.O.A.T. - SERENA WILLIAMS: MAKING THE CASE FOR THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME | Nonfictin

by Tami Charles (Sterling Children’s Books)

G.O.A.T. is an acronym that stands for Greatest Of All Time—and it takes lifelong dedication, nonstop hard work, and undeniable, unbelievable talent even to be considered for that honor. Serena Williams is the most decorated female tennis player of all time. She’s been ranked #1 by the Women’s Tennis Association countless times since 2002, and no one holds more Grand Slam titles—not just as a single’s player, but also, with her sister Venus, in women’s doubles. Find out all about this powerhouse player and her dozens of amazing victories in this entertaining book that’s packed with stats, sidebars, and details about the athlete’s journey. Sports-crazed kids will love it.

GUILLOTINE | Poetry

by Eduardo C. Corral (Graywolf Press)

Guillotine traverses desert landscapes cut through by migrants, the grief of loss, betrayal’s lingering scars, the border itself—great distances in which violence and yearning find roots. Through the voices of undocumented immigrants, border patrol agents, and scorned lovers, award-winning poet Eduardo C. Corral writes dramatic portraits of contradiction, survival, and a deeply human, relentless interiority. With extraordinary lyric imagination, these poems wonder about being unwanted or renounced. What do we do with unrequited love? Is it with or without it that we would waste away?

THE HOLLOW ONES | Graywolf Press

by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan (Hachette)

Odessa Hardwicke's life is derailed when she's forced to turn her gun on her partner, Walt Leppo, a decorated FBI agent who turns suddenly, inexplicably violent while apprehending a rampaging murderer. The shooting, justified by self-defense, shakes the young FBI agent to her core. Devastated, Odessa is placed on desk leave pending a full investigation. But what most troubles Odessa isn't the tragedy itself -- it's the shadowy presence she thought she saw fleeing the deceased agent's body after his death.
Questioning her future with the FBI and her sanity, Hardwicke accepts a low-level assignment to clear out the belongings of a retired agent in the New York office. What she finds there will put her on the trail of a mysterious figure named Hugo Blackwood, a man of enormous means who claims to have been alive for centuries, and who is either an unhinged lunatic, or humanity's best and only defense against unspeakable evil.
From the authors who brought you The Strain Trilogy comes a strange, terrifying, and darkly wondrous world of suspense, mystery, and literary horror. The Hollow Ones is a chilling, spell-binding tale, a hauntingly original new fable from Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro and bestselling author Chuck Hogan featuring their most fascinating character yet.

ILLEGAL | Young Adult

by Francisco X. Stork (Scholastic)

Life in Mexico is a death sentence for Emiliano and his sister Sara. To escape the violent cartel that is after them, they flee across the border, seeking a better life in the United States and hoping that they can find a way to bring their pursuers to justice. Sara turns herself over to the authorities to apply for asylum.Emiliano enters the country illegally, planning to live with their father.
But now Sara is being held indefinitely in a detention facility, awaiting an asylum hearing that may never come, finding it harder every day to hold on to her faith and hope. Life for Emiliano is not easy either. Everywhere he goes, it's clear that he doesn't belong. And all the while, the cartel is closing in on them...Emiliano sets off on a tense and dangerous race to find justice, but can he expose the web of crimes from his place in the shadows?

LOBIZONA | Young Adult

by Romina Garber (Wednesday Books)

Some people ARE illegal.

Lobizonas do NOT exist.

Both of these statements are false.

Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.

Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.

Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past—a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it’s her entire existence.

LUCI SOARS | Picture Book

by Lulu Delacre (Philomel Books)

Luci was born without a shadow. Mamá says no one notices. But Luci does. And sometimes others do too. Sometimes they stare, sometimes they tease Luci, and sometimes they make her cry. But when Luci learns to look at what makes her different as a strength, she realizes she has more power than she ever thought. And that her differences can even be a superpower.

From three-time Pura Belpré Award honoree Lulu Delacre comes a heartfelt and uplifting story with a timeless message: what sets you apart is often what makes you great.

MY TIME TO SPEAK: RECLAIMING ANCESTRY AND CONFRONTING RACE | Memoir

by Ilia Calderón (Atria Books)

As a child, Ilia Calderón felt like a typical girl from Colombia. In Chocó, the Afro-Latino province where she grew up, your skin could be any shade and you’d still be considered blood. Race was a non-issue, and Ilia didn’t think much about it—until she left her community to attend high school and college in Medellín. For the first time, she became familiar with horrifying racial slurs thrown at her both inside and outside of the classroom.

From that point on, she resolved to become “deaf” to racism, determined to overcome it in every way she could, even when she was told time and time again that prominent castings weren’t “for people like you.” When a twist of fate presented her the opportunity of a lifetime at Telemundo in Miami, she was excited to start a new life, and identity, in the United States, where racial boundaries, she believed, had long since dissolved and equality was the rule.

Instead, in her new life as an American, she faced a new type of racial discrimination, as an immigrant women of color speaking to the increasingly marginalized Latinx community in Spanish.

Now, Ilia draws back the curtain on the ups and downs of her remarkable life and career. From personal inner struggles to professional issues—such as being directly threatened by a Ku Klux Klan member after an interview—she discusses how she built a new identity in the United States in the midst of racially charged violence and political polarization. Along the way, she’ll show how she’s overcome fear and confronted hate head on, and the inspirational philosophy that has always propelled her forward.

PAOLA SANTIAGO AND THE RIVER OF TEARS | Middle Grade

by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Disney Hyperion)

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

SHE WAS THE FIRST!: THE TRAILBLAZING LIFE OF SHIRLEY CHISHOLM | Picture Book

by Katheryn Russell-Brown; Illus. by Eric Velasquez (Clarion Books)

Even as a young child growing up in the 1920s, Shirley Chisholm was a leader. At the age of three, older children were already following her lead in their Brooklyn neighborhood.

As a student at Brooklyn College, Shirley could outtalk anyone who opposed her on the debate team. After graduating, she used her voice and leadership to fight for educational change. In community groups, she stood up for the rights of women and minorities. Her small stature and fiery determination often took people by surprise. But they listened.

In 1964, Shirley took her voice and leadership to politics, becoming the first Black woman elected to the New York State Assembly, and in 1968, the first Black woman elected to Congress. Then in 1972, she became the first Black woman to seek the presidency of the United States. She pushed for laws that helped women, children, students, poor people, farm workers, Native people, and others who were often ignored. She fought for healthcare. She spoke up for military veterans. She spoke out against war

Shirley Chisholm, a woman of many firsts, was an unforgettable political trailblazer, a candidate of the people and catalyst of change who opened the door for women in the political arena and for the first Black president of the United States.

POE DAMERON: FREE FALL | Young Adult

by Alex Segura (Disney Books)

Learn more about the dashing hero from the new Star Wars films! Telling a story hinted at in The Rise of Skywalker….

It’s been a few years since Poe’s mother passed away, and Poe and his father, who was a pilot for the Rebellion, have had more and more trouble connecting. Not sure what he wants to do with his life, teenage Poe runs away from home to find adventure, and to figure out what kind of man he is meant to be.

YOU HAD ME AT HOLA | Romance

by Alexis Daria (Avon)

Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers. 

After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez. 

Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy. 

After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had. 

Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars. 

With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.

August 7, 2020

FUSSY FLAMINGO | Picture Book

by Shelly Vaughan James; Illus. by Matthew Rivera (Sourcebooks)

Meet Lola, the "no, no" flamingo. Lola will NOT eat shrimp, thank you very much. She does NOT care that it will turn her feathers pink. It is just plain yucky. But when Lola sneaks other snacks, she discovers that you really are what you eat. Each time Lola tries a new food, she turns that color, with hilarious results! This very silly story will delight even the pickiest of young readers and resonate with parents eager to see just one bite.

August 11, 2020

AOC: THE FEARLESS RISE AND POWERFUL RESONANCE OF ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ | Nonfiction

Edited by Lynda Lopez (St. Martin’s Press)

From the moment Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat a ten-term incumbent in the primary election for New York’s 14th, her journey to the national, if not world, stage, was fast-tracked. Six months later, as the youngest Congresswoman ever elected, AOC became one of a handful of Latina politicians in Washington, D.C. Just thirty, she represents her generation, the millennials, in many groundbreaking ways: proudly working class, Democratic Socialist, of Puerto Rican descent, master of social media, not to mention of the Bronx, feminist—and a great dancer.

AOC investigates her symbolic and personal significance for so many, from her willingness to use her imperfect bi-lingualism, to the threat she poses by governing like a man, to the long history of Puerto Rican activism that she joins. Contributors span a wide range of voices and ages, from media to the arts and politics.

HATEMONGER: STEPHEN MILLER, DONALD TRUMP, AND THE WHITE NATIONALIST AGENDA | Nonfiction

by Jean Guerrero (William Morrow)

Radicalized as a teenager, Miller relished provocation at his high school in liberal Santa Monica, California. He clashed with administrators and antagonized dark-skinned classmates with invectives against bilingualism and multiculturalism. At Duke University, he cloaked racist and classist ideas in the language of patriotism and heritage to get them airtime amid controversies. On Capitol Hill, he served Tea Party congresswoman Michele Bachmann and nativist Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

Recruited to Trump’s campaign, Miller met his idol. Having dreamed of Trump’s presidency before he even announced his decision to run, Miller became his senior policy advisor and speechwriter. Together, they stoked dystopian fears about the Democrats, “Deep State” and “American Carnage,” painting migrants and their supporters as an existential threat to America. Through backroom machinations and sheer force of will, Miller survived dozens of resignations and encouraged Trump’s harshest impulses, in conflict with the president’s own family. While Trump railed against illegal immigration, Miller crusaded against legal immigration. He targeted refugees, asylum seekers and their children, engineering an ethical crisis for a nation that once saw itself as the conscience of the world. Miller rallied support for this agenda, even as federal judges tried to stop it, by courting the white rage that found violent expression in tragedies from El Paso to Charlottesville.

NACHO’S NACHOS: THE STORY BEHIND THE WORLD’S FAVORITE SNACK | Picture Books

by Sandra Nickel; Illus. by Oliver Dominguez (Lee & Low Books)

Ignacio Anaya was born in Mexico in 1895, and like a lot of Ignacios, he was nicknamed Nacho. Young Nacho loved to eat and cook, and when he grew up, he found a job in a restaurant. Eventually he became head waiter at the Victory Club, a popular restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico, right across the Rio Grande river from Eagle Pass, Texas.

One afternoon in 1940, during the Victory Club's quiet hours between lunch and dinner, Mamie Finan, a regular customer from the US, walked in with three friends. They wanted a snack--something new, something different. Nacho rushed to the kitchen and improvised with what was on hand: corn tortillas, cheddar cheese, and jalapeño peppers. In that moment, Nacho's Special, the dish that later became known simply as nachos, was born!

Word of this delicious new snack spread quickly. Soon restaurants all over Mexico, the United States, and later the world, were serving nachos. Little did Nacho know that his name would one day be a household word around the globe!

SIA MARTINEZ AND THE MOONLIT BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING | Young Adult

by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (Simon Pulse)

It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”

Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.

Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.

As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe.

WHAT IF A FISH | Middle Grade

by Anika Fajardo (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Half-Colombian Eddie Aguado has never really felt Colombian. Especially after Papa died. And since Mama keeps her memories of Papa locked up where Eddie can’t get to them, he only has Papa’s third-place fishing tournament medal to remember him by. He’ll have to figure out how to be more Colombian on his own.

As if by magic, the perfect opportunity arises. Eddie—who’s never left Minnesota—is invited to spend the summer in Colombia with his older half-brother. But as his adventure unfolds, he feels more and more like a fish out of water.

Figuring out how to be a true colombiano might be more difficult than he thought.

August 15, 2020

TÍTULO / TITLE | Poetry

by Legna Rodriguez Iglesias; Translated by Katherine M. Hedeen (Kenning Editions)

TÍTULO / TITLE is a book of poems by the Cuban poet, prose writer, and playwright Legna Rodríguez Iglesias, published here for the first time in Spanish, and in English translation by Katherine M. Hedeen. Rodríguez Iglesias belongs to the so-called Generation Zero in Cuba, those born after 1970 and who publish after 2000. After the fall of European socialism, Generation Zero grew up with little opportunities or future and its poetry embodies the crisis. TITLE does so by affirming a poetics of ugliness--the quotidian ugliness of poverty. Material need signals spiritual need. In an experimental, asphyxiating rush of repetition and enjambment, TITLE chronicles separation, alienation, unease, madness, illness while it presents readers with a unique vision of queerness, humanity, poetry. None of it is exceptional. These poems do not fall back on exotifying stereotypes. Instead, they offer a critical perspective of all sides. There is a brilliant grayness to this poetry that rejects how Cubans are supposed to write their reality, on either side of the Gulf.

August 18, 2020

DON’T ASK ME WHERE I’M FROM | Young Adult

by Jennifer De Leon; Illus. by Elena Garnu (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books)

Liliana Cruz is a hitting a wall—or rather, walls.

There’s the wall her mom has put up ever since Liliana’s dad left—again.

There’s the wall that delineates Liliana’s diverse inner-city Boston neighborhood from Westburg, the wealthy—and white—suburban high school she’s just been accepted into.

And there’s the wall Liliana creates within herself, because to survive at Westburg, she can’t just lighten up, she has to whiten up.

So what if she changes her name? So what if she changes the way she talks? So what if she’s seeing her neighborhood in a different way? But then light is shed on some hard truths: It isn’t that her father doesn’t want to come home—he can’t…and her whole family is in jeopardy. And when racial tensions at school reach a fever pitch, the walls that divide feel insurmountable.

But a wall isn’t always a barrier. It can be a foundation for something better. And Liliana must choose: Use this foundation as a platform to speak her truth, or risk crumbling under its weight.

FINISH THE FIGHT!: THE BRAVE AND REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN WHO FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE | Middle Grade Nonfiction

by Veronica Chambers and The Staff of The New York Times (Versify)

This exciting collaboration with the New York Times will reveal the untold stories of the diverse heroines who fought for the 19th amendment.   On the 100th anniversary of the historic win for women’s rights, it’s time to celebrate the names and stories of the women whose courage helped change the fabric of America.

SHARUKO: EL ARQUEÓLOGO PERUANO JULIO C. TELLO | Picture Book

by Monica Brown; Illus. by Elisa Chavarri (Lee & Low)

Growing up in the late 1800s, Julio Tello, an Indigenous boy, spent time exploring the caves and burial grounds in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Nothing scared Julio, not even the ancient human skulls he found. His bravery earned him the boyhood nickname Sharuko, which means brave in Quechua, the language of the Native people of Peru.

At the age of twelve, Julio moved to Lima to continue his education. While in medical school, he discovered an article about the skulls he had found. The skulls had long ago been sent to Lima to be studied by scientists. The article renewed Julio's interest in his ancestry, and he decided to devote his medical skills to the study of Peru's Indigenous history.

Over his lifetime, Julio Tello made many revolutionary discoveries at archaeological sites around Peru, and he worked to preserve the historical treasures he excavated. He showed that Peru's Indigenous cultures had been established thousands of years ago, disproving the popular belief that Peruvian culture had been introduced more recently from other countries. He fostered pride in his country's Indigenous ancestry, making him a hero to all Peruvians. Because of the brave man once known as Sharuko, people around the world today know of Peru's long history and its living cultural legacy.

August 25, 2020

HERE TO STAY | Romance

by Adriana Herrera (Harlequin/Carina Press)

Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year.

She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive—by NYC standards, anyway—apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling…except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals.

It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South.

The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block.

When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

THE LAST GREAT ROAD BUM | Fiction

by Héctor Tobar (MCD)

Joe Sanderson died in pursuit of a life worth writing about. He was, in his words, a “road bum,” an adventurer and a storyteller, belonging to no place, people, or set of ideas. He was born into a childhood of middle-class contentment in Urbana, Illinois and died fighting with guerillas in Central America. With these facts, acclaimed novelist and journalist Héctor Tobar set out to write what would become The Last Great Road Bum.

A decade ago, Tobar came into possession of the personal writings of the late Joe Sanderson, which chart Sanderson’s freewheeling course across the known world, from Illinois to Jamaica, to Vietnam, to Nigeria, to El Salvador―a life determinedly an adventure, ending in unlikely, anonymous heroism.

The Last Great Road Bum is the great American novel Joe Sanderson never could have written, but did truly live―a fascinating, timely hybrid of fiction and nonfiction that only a master of both like Héctor Tobar could pull off.

LETTERS FROM CUBA | Middle Grade

by Ruth Behar (PYR/Nancy Paulsen Books)

The situation is getting dire for Jews in Poland on the eve of World War II. Esther’s father has fled to Cuba, and she is the first one to join him. It’s heartbreaking to be separated from her beloved sister, so Esther promises to write down everything that happens until they’re reunited. And she does, recording both the good–the kindness of the Cuban people and her discovery of a valuable hidden talent–and the bad: the fact that Nazism has found a foothold even in Cuba. Esther’s evocative letters are full of her appreciation for life and reveal a resourceful, determined girl with a rare ability to bring people together, all the while striving to get the rest of their family out of Poland before it’s too late.

Based on Ruth Behar’s family history, this compelling story celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the most challenging times.

ME & MAMA | Picture Book

by Cozbi A. Cabrera (Denene Millner Books)

On a rainy day when the house smells like cinnamon and Papa and Luca are still asleep, when the clouds are wearing shadows and the wind paints the window with beads of water, I want to be everywhere Mama is.

With lyrical prose and a tender touch, Mama and Me is an ode to the strength of the bond between a mother and a daughter as they spend a rainy day together.

QUEEN OF TEJANO MUSIC: SELENA | Picture Book

by Silvia López; Illus. by Paola Escobar (Little Bee Books)

Selena Quintanilla's music career began at the age of nine when she started singing in her family's band. She went from using a hairbrush as a microphone to traveling from town to town to play gigs. But Selena faced a challenge: People said that she would never make it in Tejano music, which was dominated by male performers. Selena was determined to prove them wrong.

Born and raised in Texas, Selena didn't know how to speak Spanish, but with the help of her dad, she learned to sing it. With songs written and composed by her older brother and the fun dance steps Selena created, her band, Selena Y Los Dinos, rose to stardom! A true trailblazer, her success in Tejano music and her crossover into mainstream American music opened the door for other Latinx entertainers, and she became an inspiration for Latina girls everywhere.

THE WRONG MR. DARCY | Romance

by Evelyn Lozada with Holly Lorinez (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Hara Isari has big ambitions and they won’t be sidetracked by her mother’s insisting that she settle down soon. She dreams of leaving her small-town newspaper behind, as well as her felon father, and building a career as a sports writer, so when she is chosen to exclusively interview a basketball superstar, she jumps at the chance. It’s time to show the bigwigs what she’s truly made of.

At the same time, she meets a rookie on the rise, Derek Darcy. Darcy is incredibly handsome, obnoxiously proud, and has a major chip on his shoulder. Hara can’t think of a man more arrogant and infuriating. However, fate keeps bringing them together—from locker rooms to elegant parties, to the storm of the century—and what begins as a clash might just be more complicated than Hara anticipated. When she begins to see Darcy in a new light, Hara is not quite sure if she should drop the ball or play the love game.

July 2020 Latinx Releases

July 1, 2020

SILVER VEINS, DUSTY LUNGS: MINING, WATER, AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN ZACATECAS | Nonfictin

by Rocio Gomez (University of Nebraska Press)

In Silver Veins, Dusty Lungs, Rocio Gomez examines the detrimental effects of the silver mining industry on water resources and public health in the city of Zacatecas and argues that the human labor necessary to the mining industry made the worker and the mine inseparable through the land, water, and air. Tensions arose between farmers and the mining industry over water access while the city struggled with mudslides, droughts, and water source contamination. Silicosis-tuberculosis, along with accidents caused by mining technologies like jackhammers and ore-crushers, debilitated scores of miners. By emphasizing the perspective of water and public health, Gomez illustrates that the human body and the environment are not separate entities but rather in a state of constant interaction.

July 7, 2020

13TH STREET #1: BATTLE OOF THE BAD-BREATH BATS | Chapter Book

by David Bowles; Illus. by Shane Clester (HarperCollins)

Cousins Malia, Ivan, and Dante are visiting their aunt Lucy for the summer. But on their way to Gulf City’s water park, they get lost on 13th Street. Only it’s not a street at all. It’s a strange world filled with dangerous beasts! Will the cousins find their way back to Aunt Lucy’s?

Each story in this hilarious and scary new series from award-winning author David Bowles is designed to set independent readers up for success—with short, fast-paced chapters, art on every page, and progress bars at the end of each chapter!

13TH STREET #2: THE FIRE-BREATHING FERRET FIASCO | Chapter Book

by David Bowles; Illus. by Shane Clester (HarperCollins)

Cousins Dante, Malia, and Ivan are happy to be back in their home town. But then their school bus takes a wrong turn and they end up on 13th Street! There are new monsters to fight, but at least they have their friend Susana and their bus driver to help them. Will the gang ever make it to their first day of class?  

Each story in this hilarious and scary new series from award-winning author David Bowles is designed to set independent readers up for success—with short, fast-paced chapters, art on every page, and progress bars at the end of each chapter!

13TH STREET #3: CLASH OF THE CACKLING COUGARS | Chapter Book

by David Bowles; Illus. by Shane Clester (HarperCollins)

Ivan, Malia, and Dante are excited about their ski trip. There’s no chance they’ll stumble onto 13th Street in the mountains, right? WRONG! After being sucked through a portal, the cousins come face-to-face with joke-telling cougars that are more dangerous than they seem. How will the kids get out of trouble this time?

Each story in this hilarious and scary new series from award-winning author David Bowles is designed to set independent readers up for success—with short, fast-paced chapters, art on every page, and progress bars at the end of each chapter!

ALL THESE MONSTERS | Young Adult

by Amy Tintera (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Seventeen-year-old Clara is ready to fight back. Fight back against her abusive father, fight back against the only life she’s ever known, and most of all, fight back against scrabs, the earth-dwelling monsters that are currently ravaging the world. So when an opportunity arises for Clara to join an international monster-fighting squad, she jumps at the chance.
 
When Clara starts training with her teammates, however, she realizes what fighting monsters really means: sore muscles, exhaustion, and worst of all, death. Scrabs are unpredictable, violent, and terrifying. But as Clara gains confidence in her battle skills, she starts to realize scrabs might not be the biggest evil. The true monsters are the ones you least expect.

FREEDOM, WE SING | Picture Book

by Amyra León; Illus. by Molly Mendoza (Flying Eye Books)

As powerful as it is beautiful, Freedom, We Sing is a lyrical picture book designed to inspire and give hope to readers around the world. Molly Mendoza’s immersive, lush illustrations invite kids to ponder singer/songwriter Amyra León’s poem about what it means to be free. It’s the perfect book for parents who want a way to gently start the conversation with their kids about finding hope in these very tense times we are living in.

MUSE SQUAD: THE CASSANDRA CURSE | Middle Grade

by Chantel Acevedo (Balzer + Bray)

Callie Martinez-Silva didn’t mean to turn her best friend into a pop star. But when a simple pep talk leads to miraculous results, Callie learns she’s the newest muse of epic poetry, one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology tasked with protecting humanity’s fate in secret.

Whisked away to Muse Headquarters, she joins three recruits her age, who call themselves the Muse Squad. Together, the junior muses are tasked with using their magic to inspire and empower—not an easy feat when you’re eleven and still figuring out the goddess within.

When their first assignment turns out to be Callie’s exceptionally nerdy classmate, Maya Rivero, the squad comes to Miami to stay with Callie and her Cuban family. There, they discover that Maya doesn’t just need inspiration, she needs saving from vicious Sirens out to unleash a curse that will corrupt her destiny.

As chaos erupts, will the Muse Squad be able to master their newfound powers in time to thwart the Cassandra Curse . . . or will it undo them all?

OYE, MURO (HEY, WALL): UN CUENTO DE ARTE Y COMUNIDAD (SPANISH EDITION) | Picture Book

by Susan Verde; Illus. by John Parra; Translated by Alexis Romay (Paula Wiseman Books)

Hay un muro en el vecindario de Ángel. A su alrededor, la comunidad es un bullicio de vida: música, baile, risa. El muro, no. Es lúgubre. Un niño decide cambiar eso. Pero no lo puede hacer solo.

Narrado en la prosa elegante de Susan Verde e ilustrado con los tonos vibrantes de John Parra, este formidable libro celebra el poder del arte y su capacidad de contar historias y de unir a las comunidades.

July 14, 2020

RUNNING | Young Adult

by Natalia Sylvester (Clarion Books)

In this authentic, humorous, and gorgeously written debut novel about privacy, waking up, and speaking up, Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes–style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.

But how do you find your voice when everyone’s watching? When it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? Will Mari get a chance to confront her father? If she does, will she have the courage to seize it? 

July 21, 2020

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF NESTOR LOPEZ | Middle Grade

by Adrianna Cueva (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

All Nestor Lopez wants is to live in one place for more than a few months and have dinner with his dad.

When he and his mother move to a new town to live with his grandmother after his dad’s latest deployment, Nestor plans to lay low. He definitely doesn’t want to anyone find out his deepest secret: that he can talk to animals.

But when the animals in his new town start disappearing, Nestor's grandmother becomes the prime suspect after she is spotted in the woods where they were last seen. As Nestor investigates the source of the disappearances, he learns that they are being seized by a tule vieja—a witch who can absorb an animal’s powers by biting it during a solar eclipse. And the next eclipse is just around the corner…

Now it’s up to Nestor’s extraordinary ability and his new friends to catch the tule vieja—and save a place he might just call home.

July 28, 2020

IT IS WOOD, IT IS STONE | Fiction

by Gabriella Burnham (One World)

Linda, an anxious and restless American, has moved to São Paulo, with her husband, Dennis, who has accepted a yearlong professorship. As Dennis submerges himself in his work, Linda finds herself unmoored and adrift, feeling increasingly disassociated from her own body. Linda’s unwavering and skilled maid, Marta, has more claim to Linda’s home than Linda can fathom. Marta, who is struggling to make sense of complicated history and its racial tensions, is exasperated by Linda’s instability. One day, Linda leaves home with a charismatic and beguiling artist, whom she joins on a fervent adventure that causes reverberations felt by everyone, and ultimately binds Marta and Linda in a profoundly human, and tender, way.

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM IS A VERB! | Picture Book

by Veronica Chambers; Illus. by Rachelle Baker (Dial Books)

Shirley Chisholm famously said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” This dynamic biography illuminates how Chisholm was a doer, an active and vocal participant in our nation’s democracy, and a force to be reckoned with. Now young readers will learn about her early years, her time in Congress, her presidential bid and how her actions left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire, uplift, and instruct.

LA TRAVESÍA DE SANTIAGO | Middle Grade

by Alexandra Diaz (Paula Wiseman Books)

Las monedas en la mano de Santiago son para el boleto del autobús para regresar a la casa de su abuela abusiva. Pero él rehusa regresar. No lo van a extrañar. Su futuro es incierto hasta que se encuentra con María Dolores, cariñosa y maternal y su joven hija, Alegría. Este encuentro ayuda a Santiago a decidir lo que va a hacer. Va a acompañarlas hasta el otro lado, hasta los Estados Unidos de América.

Emprenden el viaje con muy pocas cosas, solo mochilas con agua y un poquito de comida. Viajar juntos requiere que confíen unos en los otros y Santiago está acostumbrado a ir solo. Ninguno de los tres viajeros se da cuenta de que la travesía a través de México hasta la frontera es solamente el comienzo de su historia.

June 2020 Latinx Releases

June 2, 2020

LA LUNA DENTRO DE MÍ | Middle Grade

by Aida Salazar (Scholastic En Español)

La vida de Celi Rivera es un torbellino de preguntas... por los cambios en su cuerpo, por sentirse atraída por un chico por primera vez y por la exploración que hace su mejor amiga de lo que significa ser género fluido.

Pero, sobre todo, por la insistencia de su madre en hacerle una ceremonia lunar cuando le llegue su primer periodo. Se trata de un ancestral ritual mexica que Mima y su comunidad han rescatado, pero Celi se promete a sí misma que NO participará en él. ¿Encontrará dentro de sí la fortaleza necesaria para defender quién quiere ser?

THUNDER RUN | Middle Grade

by Daniel José Older (Scholastic)

Magdalys's connection with the dinosaurs has led the US Army to some important victories, but the Civil War's not over yet and the squad members find themselves fighting deep in the Louisiana bayou. Then General Ulysses S. Grant himself entrusts Magdalys with a top secret mission -- one that the very success of the Union depends on. Because as the friends will soon find out, the United States has more than one enemy.

Imperial troops are gathering along the Mexican border, forming an alliance with the Confederates in pursuit of spreading slavery, and suddenly the Union is facing battles on two fronts. But they are barely holding their own against one army -- how can they possibly defeat two?

As New Orleans is surrounded and desperate battle plans laid, Magdalys and her friends set off to disrupt a scheme that would destroy everything she cares about. But to do it, she'll have to push her dinowrangling skills further than she's ever been able to before. Can Magdalys defeat the fiercest rival she's ever faced and save the fractured nation?

THE WAY TO RIO LUNA | Middle Grade

by Zoraida Córdova (Scholastic)

Eleven-year-old Danny Monteverde believes in magic. He knows that pixie dust is real, that wardrobes act as portals, and that rabbit holes lead to Wonderland. Most of all, he believes that his older sister, Pili, is waiting for him somewhere in Rio Luna, the enchanted land in their favorite book of fairy tales.

Danny doesn't care what the adults say. He knows that Pili isn't another teen runaway. When the siblings were placed in separate foster homes, she promised that she'd come back for him, and they'd build a new life together in Rio Luna.

Yet as the years pass, Danny's faith begins to dim. But just when he thinks it might be time to put foolish fairy tales behind him, he finds a mysterious book in the library. It's a collection of stories that contain hints about how to reach another world. A map to Rio Luna . . . and to Pili.

As his adventure takes him from New York to Ecuador to Brazil, Danny learns that meeting your favorite characters isn't always a dream come true. But nothing will stop him from finding his sister . . . even if it means standing up to the greatest threat the magical realm has ever known.

IMAGINARY BORDERS | Young Adult

by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez; Illus. by Ashley Lukashevsky (Penguin Workshop)

Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today's leading activists and artists. In this installment, Earth Guardians Youth Director and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez shows us how his music feeds his environmental activism and vice versa. Martinez visualizes a future that allows us to direct our anger, fear, and passion toward creating change. Because, at the end of the day, we all have a part to play.

CATEGORY FIVE | Young Adult

by Ann Dávila Cardinal (Tor Teen)

The tiny island of Vieques, located just off the northeastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico, is trying to recover after hurricane Maria, but the already battered island is now half empty. To make matters worse, as on the main island, developers have come in to buy up the land at a fraction of its worth, taking advantage of the island when it is down.

Lupe, Javier, and Marisol are back to investigate a series of murders that follow in the wake of a hurricane and in the shadow of a new supernatural threat.

June 9, 2020

CURSE OF THE NIGHT WITCH | Middle Grade

by Alex Aster (Sourcebooks)

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it.

Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year's Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power.

The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin...the symbol of a curse that has shortened his lifeline, giving him only a week before an untimely death. There is only one way to break the curse, and it requires a trip to the notorious Night Witch.

With only his village's terrifying, ancient stories as a guide, and his two friends Engle and Melda by his side, Tor must travel across unpredictable Emblem Island, filled with wicked creatures he only knows through myths, in a race against his dwindling lifeline.

ON THESE MAGIC SHORES | Middle Grade

by Yamile Saied Méndez (Lee & Low)

Minerva Soledad Miranda is determined to reach her goals, despite shouldering more responsibility than the other kids at school--like caring for her two sisters while her mom works two jobs. But one night, Minerva's mom doesn't come home, and Minerva has to figure out what to do. Was Mamá snapped up by immigration enforcement? Will the girls be sent to foster homes or holding centers for migrant kids? Minerva and her sisters can't let anyone know Mamá has disappeared. They'll just pretend everything is normal until she comes back.

Minerva's plan to go it alone falls apart the first afternoon, when her baby sister throws a tantrum during Minerva's audition for Peter Pan. But as the days pass and Minerva grows ever more worried about her mother, something magical seems to be watching out for them: leaving them cupcakes, helping Minerva find money, even steering them to friends and distant family who can help. Eventually, Minerva must make the hardest choice of her life. And when she does, she'll be prepared to face life's challenges--with friendship, hope, and a little bit of fairy magic.

June 16, 2020

ALREADY A BUTTERFLY | Picture Book

by Julia Alvarez; Illus. by Raúl Colón (Holt Books for Young Readers)

With so much to do in so little time, Mari is constantly on the move, flitting from flower to flower, practicing her camouflage poses, and planning for migration. She’s the busiest butterfly around. But does being productive mean she is happy? Mari couldn’t say. The only way she feels like a butterfly is by acting like one. Little does Mari know, the secret to feeling like herself is simply to focus her breath, find her quiet place, and follow her instincts. With the guidance of a thoughtful flower bud, Mari soon learns to meditate and appreciate that she was a butterfly all along.

IT’S NOT A SCHOOL BUS, IT’S A PIRATE SHIP | Picture Book

by Mickey Rapkin; Illus. by Teresa Martinez (Imprint)

The first day of school means the first ride on the school bus. But who will I sit with? What if no one talks to me?

Luckily this isn’t a school bus, it’s a pirate ship!

And this crew has one motto: “One for all and all for FUN!” So set sail on a voyage across the high seas! And prepare to make some pirate buddies along the way in this adventure about overcoming your anxiety.

JULIET RESPIRA PROFUNDO | Young Adult

by Gabby Rivera (Vintage Español)

Juliet Milagros Palante es una adolescente lesbiana puertorriqueña, nacida en el Bronx.  
 
Aún está “en el clóset”, aunque no tanto como ella cree. Una noche antes de viajar a Portland, Oregón, donde ha logrado conseguir un trabajo de verano con su escritora feminista favorita, Juliet le confiesa la verdad a su familia. Pero cuando su anuncio oficial no sale como esperaba, está convencida de que su madre no le volverá a hablar.
 
Pero, Juliet tiene un plan. Bueno, más o menos. Su trabajo con la legendaria autora Harlowe Brisbane, la autoridad suprema en el feminismo, en la anatomía de las mujeres, y en temas “gay”, seguramente le ayudarán a descifrar cómo funciona esto de ser lesbiana y puertorriqueña. Excepto que Harlowe es blanca. Y no viene del Bronx. Y definitivamente no tiene todas las respuestas…
 
En un verano rebosante de fiestas queer, rematado por una aventurilla romántica con una bibliotecaria motociclista y mezclado con intensas exploraciones de raza e identidad, Juliet aprende lo que significa salir del clóset y encajar en el mundo, en su familia y dentro de sí misma.

A SILENT FURY: THE EL BORDO MINE FIRE | Nonfiction

by Yuri Herrera (And Other Stories)

The alert was first raised at six in the morning: a fire was tearing through the El Bordo mine. After a brief evacuation, the mouths of the shafts were sealed. Company representatives hastened to assert that “no more than ten” men remained inside the mineshafts, and that all ten were most certainly dead. Yet when the mine was opened six days later, the death toll was not ten, but eighty-seven. And there were seven survivors.

A century later, acclaimed novelist Yuri Herrera has reconstructed a workers’ tragedy at once globally resonant and deeply personal: Pachuca is his hometown. His work is an act of restitution for the victims and their families, bringing his full force of evocation to bear on the injustices that suffocated this horrific event into silence.

June 23, 2020

THE DREAM WEAVER | Middle Grade

by Reina Luz Alegre (S&S Books for Young Readers)

Zoey comes from a family of dreamers. From start-up companies to selling motorcycles, her dad is constantly chasing jobs that never seem to work out. As for Zoey, she’s willing to go along with whatever grand plans her dad dreams up—even if it means never staying in one place long enough to make real friends. Her family being together is all that matters to her.

So Zoey’s world is turned upside down when Dad announces that he’s heading to a new job in New York City without her. Instead, Zoey and her older brother, José, will stay with their Poppy at the Jersey Shore. At first, Zoey feels as lost and alone as she did after her mami died. But soon she’s distracted by an even bigger problem: the bowling alley that Poppy has owned for decades is in danger of closing!

After befriending a group of kids practicing for a summer bowling tournament, Zoey hatches a grand plan of her own to save the bowling alley. It seems like she’s found the perfect way to weave everyone’s dreams together...until unexpected events turn Zoey’s plan into one giant nightmare. Now, with her new friends counting on her and her family’s happiness hanging in the balance, Zoey will have to decide what her dream is—and how hard she’s willing to fight for it.

SHARUKO: EL ARQUEÓLOGO PERUANO JULIO C. TELLO | Picture Book

by Monica Brown; Illus. by Elisa Chavarri (Children’s Book Press)

Growing up in the late 1800s, Julio Tello, an Indigenous boy, spent time exploring the caves and burial grounds in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Nothing scared Julio, not even the ancient human skulls he found. His bravery earned him the boyhood nickname Sharuko, which means brave in Quechua, the language of the Native people of Peru.

At the age of twelve, Julio moved to Lima to continue his education. While in medical school, he discovered an article about the skulls he had found. The skulls had long ago been sent to Lima to be studied by scientists. The article renewed Julio's interest in his ancestry, and he decided to devote his medical skills to the study of Peru's Indigenous history.

Over his lifetime, Julio Tello made many revolutionary discoveries at archaeological sites around Peru, and he worked to preserve the historical treasures he excavated. He showed that Peru's Indigenous cultures had been established thousands of years ago, disproving the popular belief that Peruvian culture had been introduced more recently from other countries. He fostered pride in his country's Indigenous ancestry, making him a hero to all Peruvians. Because of the brave man once known as Sharuko, people around the world today know of Peru's long history and its living cultural legacy.

June 30, 2020

JULIETA AND THE DIAMOND ENIGMA | Middle Grade

by Luisana Duarte Armendariz (Tu Books)

Nine-year-old Julieta is finally about to put a purple pin in her family's world traveling map! She's off to Paris to help her art-handler dad collect pieces for a new exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Sadly, they must leave Julieta's very pregnant mother behind, but they're sure they'll be back before the baby is born. Julieta sees the best of Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur, and plenty of great art. But things go awry when she and Dad walk in on a thief stealing the Louvre's most prized piece--a priceless cursed diamond with a shady history. When Julieta runs for help, she accidentally frees the thief instead! Now Dad's job is in danger and he's become a suspect. Can Julieta determine who the thief really is before it's too late?

CHICANO EATS: RECIPES FROM MY MEXICAN-AMERICAN KITCHEN | Cook Book

by Esteban Castillo (Harper Design)

Esteban Castillo grew up in Santa Ana, California, where more than three-quarters of the population is Latino. Because Mexican food was the foundation of his childhood, he was surprised to see recipes for dishes on popular food blogs that were anything but the traditional meals he grew up eating. He was inspired to create the blog, Chicano Eats, to showcase his love for design, cooking, and culture and provide a space for authentic Latino voices, recipes, and stories to be heard.

Building on his blog, Chicano Eats is a bicultural and bilingual cookbook that includes 85 traditional and fusion Mexican recipes as gorgeous to look at as they are sublime to eat.

MEXICAN GOTHIC | Fiction

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey)

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

ODIN DOG HERO OF THE FIRES | Picture Books

by Emma Bland Smith; Illus. by Carrie Salazar (West Margin Press)

One October night in 2017, when wildfire raged in Sonoma and Napa counties, the Hendel family was suddenly evacuated from their homes and farms to escape to safety and forced to leave behind their Pyrenees dog, Odin. Odin refused to leave his nightly post of guarding the family’s eight young goats, despite the family’s desperate attempts to lead him away. Brokenhearted, the Hendels were sure they would never see their dog again.

But when the fire calmed and the family returned home, to their shock they found Odin singed yet safe, along with all the goats and several orphaned deer the dog had protected as well. Odin, Dog Hero of the Fires is a touching and inspirational true tale that honors the bravery and strength of Odin as well as commemorates the stories of those affected by the Tubbs Fire.

May 2020 Latinx Releases

May 5, 2020

BUDDHA TAKES THE MOUND: ENLIGHTENMENT IN 9 INNINGS | Nonfiction

by Donald Lopez Jr. (St. Martin’s Press)

Buddha Takes the Mound: Enlightenment in 9 Innings is The Tao of Pooh for baseball. Funny, moving, and enlightening, this is a read that will engross, enrich, and charm any baseball fan.

At once a love letter to the sport and an engaging introduction to Buddhism, it shows how the Buddha invented baseball to teach us deep truths about the world, about ourselves, and about each other. Lopez believes that Buddhism provides a lens for us to see baseball in a new way, a way that makes us love the game even more, a way that makes us ponder profound questions about winning and losing, about who we are, about finitude and infinitude, about birth and death.

As Lopez reveals, not only is Buddhism integral to baseball; but baseball is Buddhism, and baseball is ourselves.

OUR FRIEND HEDGEHOG | Chapter Book

by Lauren Castillo (Knopf)

Hedgehog lives on a teeny-tiny island with only her stuffed dog, Mutty, for company. When a great storm carries Mutty away, she embarks on a quest to find her friend. Following the trail of clues Mutty left behind, brave Hedgehog meets a wiggly Mole, a wordy Owl, a curmudgeonly Beaver, a scatterbrained Hen and Chicks, and a girl who's new to the neighborhood, Annika May. With bravery and teamwork, there's nothing that can stop these seven from finding Mutty, but along the way they discover something even more important: each other.

SANTIAGO’S ROAD HOME | Middle Grade

by Alexandra Diaz (Paula Wiseman)

The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story.

SAL & GABI FIX THE UNIVERSE | Middle Grade

by Carols Hernandez (Disney Hyperion)

Sal Vidon doesn't want to live a Mami-free life. Pulling different versions of his mother from other universes is how he copes with missing his own, who died years ago. But Sal's father, a calamity physicist, is trying to shut down all the wormholes Sal creates, because Papi thinks they are eroding the very fabric of our world. All of Papi's efforts are in vain, however, because a Gabi from another universe has gone rogue and is popping up all over the place, seeking revenge for the fact that her world has been destroyed. While Sal and Gabi work together to keep both Papi and Rogue Gabi under control, they also have to solve the mystery of Yasmany, who has gone missing from school. Could it have something to do with the wormhole in the back of his locker? Readers who enjoyed Sal and Gabi Break the Universe will relish being back in the world of Culeco Academy and the Coral Castle along with such unforgettable characters as American Stepmom, the Gabi-Dads, Principal Torres, and the sassy entropy sweeper. With multiple Sals and Gabis in charge, it's no wonder this sequel offers even more hilarious weirdness and love than the first book.

SWASHBY AND THE SEA | Picture Book

by Beth Ferry; Illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal (HMH Books for Young Readers)

Captain Swashby loves the sea, his oldest friend. And he loves his life by the sea just as it is: salty and sandy and serene.

One day, much to Swashby’s chagrin, a young girl and her granny commandeer the empty house next door. All Swashby wants is for his new neighbors to GO AWAY and take their ruckus with them.

When Swashby begins to leave notes in the sand for his noisy neighbors, however, the beach interferes with the messages that are getting across. Could it be that the captain’s oldest friend, the sea, knows what Swashby needs even better than he knows himself?

CLAP WHEN YOU LAND | Young Adult

by Elizabeth Acevedo (Quill Tree Books)

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. 

May 12, 2020

BIG SEXY: IN HIS OWN WORDS | Memoir

by Bartolo Colón & Michael Stahl (Abrams Image)

Bartolo Colón—also known as Big Sexy—is a baseball icon and one of the most beloved players to ever play the game. In a career spanning 21 years, Colón has won the Cy Young Award and won more games than any other Latin American–born pitcher. But more importantly, Big Sexy has captured the hearts of fans of the game as well as the stars he has played against. Colón plays the game the way it was meant to be. In Big Sexy: In His Own Words, Bartolo Colón opens up as never before. The result is a touching and deeply personal story of a truly unique baseball life.

THE MADRE DE AGUAS OF CUBA | Middle Grade

by Adam Godwitz & Emma Otheguy; Illus. by Hatem Aly (Dutton)

In Cuba, it is believed that a mysterious water serpent--the Madre de aguas--is responsible for providing and protecting the fresh water of the island. But the serpent is missing, and a drought has gripped the island. Uchenna, Elliot, and Professor Fauna fly to Cuba and endeavor to rescue the Madre de aguas. Unfortunately, it tries to kill them. Meanwhile, the Schmoke Brothers' goons are driving around Havana, dumping pink sludge into the sewers. What is going on? Can Elliot and Uchenna end the drought? Stop the Schmokes? Or will the creature they are trying to save just eat them instead?

SERPIENTE EMPLUMADA, CORAZÓN DEL CIELO | Fiction

by David Bowles (Vintage Español)

Las leyendas mitológicas reunidas en Serpiente emplumada, corazón del cielo trazan la historia del mundo desde sus inicios en los sueños del dios dual, Ometeotl, hasta la llegada de los conquistadores españoles a México y la caída de la gran ciudad Tenochtitlán. En el transcurso de esta historia sabremos de los Héroes Gemelos, la Serpiente Emplumada y el Corazón del Cielo, y de cómo construyeron el mundo sobre la espalda de un leviatán; del nahualli que cambia de forma; y de los aluxes, aquellos seres con forma de elfos conocidos por ayudar a los vagabundos. Y finalmente, hallaremos cuentos aztecas sobre la llegada de los extranjeros barbudos provenientes del otro lado del mar, que buscan aniquilar el gobierno de Montezuma y destruir las historias que estamos leyendo.

May 18, 2020

STARCROSSED | Romance

by Allie Therin (Carina Press)

Psychometric Rory Brodigan’s life hasn’t been the same since the day he met Arthur Kenzie. Arthur’s continued quest to contain supernatural relics that pose a threat to the world has captured Rory’s imagination—and his heart. But Arthur’s upper-class upbringing still leaves Rory worried that he’ll never measure up, especially when Arthur’s aristocratic ex arrives in New York.

For Arthur, there’s only Rory. But keeping the man he’s fallen for safe is another matter altogether. When a group of ruthless paranormals throw the city into chaos, the two men’s strained relationship leaves Rory vulnerable to a monster from Arthur’s past.

With dark forces determined to tear them apart, Rory and Arthur will have to draw on every last bit of magic up their sleeves. And in the end, it’s the connection they’ve formed without magic that will be tested like never before.

May 19, 2020

FEDERICO AND THE WOLF | Picture Book

by Rebecca J. Gomez; Illus. by Elisa Chavarri (Clarion)

With his red hoodie on and his bicycle basket full of food, Federico is ready to visit Abuelo. But on the way, he meets a hungry wolf. And now his grandfather bears a striking resemblance to el lobo. Fortunately, Federico is quick and clever—and just happens to be carrying a spicy surprise! Federico drives the wolf away, and he and Abuelo celebrate with a special salsa. Recipe included.

A TASTE OF SAGE | Romance

by Yaffa S. Santos (Harper Perennial)

Lumi Santana is a chef with the gift of synesthesia—she can perceive a person’s emotions just by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a single mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she decides to take a chance and puts her heart and savings into opening a fusion restaurant in Inwood, Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines that have been a source of culinary inspiration to her.

When Lumi’s eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as a sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant in midtown owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. Lumi and Julien don’t get along in the kitchen--to say Lumi is irritated by Julien’s smug attitude is an understatement, and she secretly vows never to taste his cooking. Little does she know that her resolve doesn’t stand a chance against Julien’s culinary prowess.

As Julien produces one delectable dish after another, each one tempting Lumi with its overwhelming aromas and gorgeous presentations, she can no longer resist and samples one of his creations. She isn’t prepared for the feelings that follow as she’s overcome with intense emotions. She begins to crave his cooking throughout the day, which throws a curveball in her plan to save up enough money and move on as soon as possible. Plus, there’s also the matter of Esme, Julien’s receptionist who seems to always be near and watching. As the attraction between Lumi and Julien simmers, Lumi experiences a tragedy that not only complicates her professional plans, but her love life as well...

WE ARE NOT FROM HERE | Middle Grade

by Jenny Torres Sanchez (Philomel)

Pulga has his dreams.
Chico has his grief.
Pequeña has her pride.

And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Even with the love of family, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the trio knows they have no choice but to run: from their country, from their families, from their beloved home.

Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico, they follow the route of La Bestia, the perilous train system that might deliver them to a better life--if they are lucky enough to survive the journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and desperation drumming through their hearts, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know there is no turning back, despite the unknown that awaits them. And the darkness that seems to follow wherever they go.

In this striking portrait of lives torn apart, the plight of migrants at the U.S. southern border is brought to light through poignant, vivid storytelling. An epic journey of danger, resilience, heartache, and hope.

May 31, 2020

JUNIOR’S DREAM | Middle Grade

by Rebecca J. Gomez; Illus. by Elisa Chavarri (Arte Público Press/Piñata Books)

For generations, Junior s family traveled to West Texas to pick cotton. The work was demanding, but the money earned was a blessing. For Junior, a teenager on the cusp of manhood, the annual trip offers a chance to reflect on love of family, tradition and his parents courage. The kids always help pack the 1951 Chrysler station wagon fondly known as La Blanca. It takes seven hours to make the drive from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to the fields, and this year Junior s youngest sister is old enough to join in the work. Her siblings are excited to show her the ropes, but they worry too. The farmers had a bumper crop and they expect the Mexican workers adults and children to work seven days a week, from sunup to sundown. Can eight-year-old Espy drag a heavy bag of cotton up and down the rows all day long? But an unexpected event shakes the family to its core, leaving them in fear for Junior s life and worried they may not be able to earn the money needed to see them through the coming year. Based on the author s experiences, this short, bilingual novel for teens follows a boy s journey of self-discovery and continued faith in a dream born of his father s tears, his mother s determination and his ancestors hopes.

SAND AND SONG: THE ABCS OF THE RIVER | Picture Book

by Alma Flor Ada; Illus. by Gabhor Utomo (Arte Público Press/Piñata Books)

These poems brim with the beauty of the natural world and the joy found in the great outdoors. There are stars that bathe in the river, the sun that hides behind the mountain and a stream that wraps itself in shadows. In one verse, the authors note there’s only a short distance from the river to the freeway leading back to the crowded, noisy city, “yet those few kilometers / allow us to dwell / in a very different world.”

Reflecting time spent with family enjoying nature, these poems were conceived while Alma Flor Ada camped along the Yuba River with her daughter, Rosalma Zubizarreta-Ada, who created the English-language versions. With gorgeous illustrations by Gabhor Utomo depicting the countryside and kids playing at a river, this bilingual picture book introduces children to both the joy of poetry and spending time outside.

THE HERO OF CINCO DE MAYO IGNACIO ZARAGOZA SEGUÍN | Picture Book

by José Angel Gutiérrez; Illus. by Stephen Marchesi (Arte Público Press/Piñata Books)

This bilingual picture book recounts the story of the Battle of Puebla and the Mexican army’s unexpected win against a much stronger foe. Today this victory is celebrated in the United States as Cinco de Mayo, a day to commemorate the Mexican roots of many US citizens. This non-fiction picture book for older elementary school students contains realistic illustrations depicting the Mexican general and his times.

WISHBONE | Young Adult

by Anna Garcia Schaper (Arte Público Press/Piñata Books)

Pilar’s mother has been extra vigilant about her fifteen-year-old daughter’s diet after she came home from school in tears. The truth is, Pilar wouldn’t mind losing some weight. She dreams of becoming an actor and wants to try out for the school production of “Our Town,” but she’s reminded constantly that she’s too ugly, too fat, too Mexican.

With the encouragement of some new friends and her feisty grandmother who thinks she’s perfect just the way she is, Pilar works up the nerve to try out for the play—in spite of continued harassment by Becca Barlowe and her posse. But when a handsome high school jock plays a mean trick on her that becomes a social media sensation, Pilar once again finds herself using food to anesthetize her pain.

This appealing novel for mature teens juxtaposes Pilar’s story with her grandmother’s when she was married to a male chauvinist years earlier in Laredo, Texas. Both women must struggle to find their own voice in a world where others insist on defining them as “less than.”  Capturing the heartache of seeking—and accepting—one’s true self, Anna Garcia Schaper movingly explores the strength of family bonds and their importance in overcoming difficult and sometimes tragic circumstances.

HOLLY HERNANDEZ AND THE DEATH OF DISCO | Young Adult

by Richie Narvaez (Arte Público Press/Piñata Books)

Holly Hernandez, voted “Miss Bright of ’79” and valedictorian at her previous school, is excited to start fresh at Flatbush Technical High School, one of the most competitive public schools in New York City. She’ll be one of thousands; anonymous. But her dreams of a normal school life disappear when her mother, a homicide detective, has to investigate the murder of Mr. Friedman, the social studies teacher.

One of her classmates, Xander Herrera, quickly becomes the primary suspect. The tall, awkward boy is socially inept, but Holly doesn’t think he’s a murderer. She is intent on exonerating him—but he wants nothing to do with her. To Xander, Holly is the overly enthusiastic student who always sits in the front row and answers all the teachers’ questions—correctly. He hates perky people!

Eventually cleared of the crime, Xander is determined to find the killer before Holly. As they race to solve the case, their separate investigations lead to a slew of suspects, including another teacher seen arguing with Friedman and a mysterious person named Steve who met with him several times before his death. Could it have been a disgruntled student? Ultimately, a trophy for a disco-dancing contest leads the intrepid young detectives to the Mission Venus nightclub and a murderer intent on killing again!

Carolina de Robertis Delves into the Lives of Queer Uruguayan Women in Her New Novel ‘Cantoras’

In an NPR interview, Carolina de Robertis asks, in regard to the writing of Cantoras, "How do you live radiantly in a time and place where the world seems bent on your erasure?" Of course, the question is dependent on its context. In the novel, we read about a particular repressive era in Uruguayan history at the height of its military dictatorship with its kidnappings, tortures, and killings. The dictatorship lasted twelve years, from 1973 to 1985. The marginalized among us may draw comparisons to the repressive state of our nation's affairs and ask ourselves that same question in our respective contexts. And, in doing so, we may find a bit of hope in this novel. Following the stories of five queer women who found kinship on a remote beach, we witness progress that seemed so improbable, it seemed impossible.

Cantoras is a slow-burner novel in the best way. If we're gathering five different queer women on a South American beach, I want to spend time with them. The book’s narrative style switches between character perspectives, which means it switches tone, as no woman is alike another. Flaca, often regarded as the leader of the group, brings Romina, Anita, Paz, and Malena together for a beach trip as a reprieve from the oppressive city where everyone is on edge under the dictatorship. Tentatively, they reveal themselves to each other as cantoras, the term women would use at the time to signal queerness. The identity binds them together in Polonio. There, they can be themselves with their chosen family – y con bikini. It sounds like paradise. One of the most beautiful things in this book (besides, in what is a unanimous vote, La Venus) is the way they make a home for themselves, however small. They just need a place, and the significance of "place" in its meanings across time and space is demonstrated in a novel that spans across decades.

de Robertis bases the novel on things that actually took place, found through her research and friendships with older queer Uruguayan women. Knowing this is both heart wrenching and inspirational; often real progress costs us. de Robertis shows us this by developing queer women protagonists of different ages, from different social classes, with different familial circumstances, all affected by the homophobia and misogyny rampant in the culture, but having each of them challenge their oppression in their own way. A valuable and unforgettable read, Cantoras is a book you’ll keep returning to.

Andrea Morales is a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and from Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Psychology. She now works at Macmillan Publishers as a Junior Contracts Associate for the adult trade division. Her book reviews and recommendations can be found on Instagram at @nastymuchachitareads and she lurks on Twitter as @nastymuchachita.

Nona Fernández's SPACE INVADERS is an Abstract Dive into the Pinochet Regime

National Book Award Nominee for Translated Literature 2019. Image by Andrea Morales.

SPACE INVADERS by Nona Fernández, at about one hundred pages, is a slim little book translated from its original Spanish. Where it seems to lack in pages, the novella dispels underestimations with its packing of emotions and tension during the violent Pinochet regime. Augusto Pinochet came into power after the coup in 1973, backed by the United States government, which overthrew the elected socialist, Salvador Allende, the military dictatorship lasting until 1990. Pinochet was responsible for kidnappings and executions of people who posed any inconvenience or resistance to his rule, numbering in the thousands. Torturings were at numbers even higher than that, more than three times as much. It was a violent and precarious time in Chile. What does this look like to a child?

Told from the perspectives of a group of kids, we read about their dreams and musings. They are kids being kids; some with crushes on each other, some enjoy playing video games. Eventually, things get odd ─ particularly with Estrella, whose father is a government officer who has a wooden prosthetic hand he removes when he gets home from work. He would drive his daughter to school in the mornings, but soon stops doing so and it becomes the task of her "Uncle," a man who works with Estrella’s father. Each friend remembers something different about her: her letters, her hair, her kisses. SPACE INVADERS is difficult to read this with any childlike innocence because you know something is fundamentally wrong, even if you don’t know what that something is. There is confusion, and with confusion there is fear. The lack of concrete answers makes this fear all the more palpable, as does the inability to openly talk about it. Some of the kids' families are political activists, upending their relationships. Because we revisit this time through memory, with emotion filling us in, it may seem as if we cannot rely on these children. I think the opposite is truer: the feelings that permeated this time are a testament to the dictatorship's tormenting violence.

Fernández writes SPACE INVADERS in fragments, invoking uncertainty and disjointedness. Memories that dissolve into dreams further question reality, and it's quite masterfully done in such little space. And that, too ─ the title, the name of the video game the kids play by shooting guns, makes me think of the way brutality occupies space, whether physical or temporal. Nominated for the National Book Award for Translated Literature 2019, this novella from Graywolf Press is a must-read.

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Andrea Morales is a daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and from Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in Psychology. She now works at Macmillan Publishers as a Junior Contracts Associate for the adult trade division. Her book reviews and recommendations can be found on Instagram at @nastymuchachitareads and she lurks on Twitter as @nastymuchachita.