Review and Author Q & A: Skeletina and The In-Between World by Susie Jaramillo

Skeletina and The In-Between World by Susie Jaramillo is a story about overcoming fears and finding comfort in moments of sadness. It takes place in the in-between world, where monsters, creatures and ghosts are friendly and the dead and living can come together.

Skeletina is a little girl who lives in the in-between world and loves to visit her friends, whom are filled with wise words and are lots of fun. Her favorite friends are the children who visit the in-between world; who she is able to help confront their fears and find the peace that they need, when they miss a loved one that has passed.

Throughout the pages of this book, both kids and adults will find powerful words surrounded by beautiful illustrations. The story is a reminder that anything is possible, when we believe in ourselves.

I had the opportunity to ask Susi Jaramillo a few questions about Skeletina and The In-Between World. She spoke about her childhood and the inspiration for the story, her creative influences and about future projects.

Tiffany Gonzalez (TG): What inspired you to write Skeletina and The In-Between World?

Susie Jaramillo (SJ): As a child, I suffered from intense nightmares until one night, I figured out that if you manage to let go as you dream and not fight the nightmares, they dissipate. Now, I’m a mom and my daughter also suffers from intense nightmares. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there were a little girl, who lived in the in-between world, who could help kids like my daughter deal with their nightmares? And, I imagined this little girl to be like my alter-ego: Funny, friendly, irreverent, and knowledgeable about all things in the in-between world!

TG: I loved how each character in the story held a message to push through fears, uncertainty and worries. Señor Tic Toc and his message of possibility resonated with me the most, which is your favorite character or message from the story?

SJ: My favorite character would have to be Spider Grandma. Both of my grandmothers did so much with their hands. They were constantly making, crafting, cooking, and crocheting. It’s a big part of the culture. In general, Latin culture is very crafty, we love to make things - and we like our little espresso cups too!

TG: Could you talk a bit about culture and how it is represented in this story? I see a lot of elements of El Día De Los Muertos, which derives from Mexico and their homage to deceased loved ones.

SJ: I love to draw and I’ve had this world in my head for a long time. Skeletina has Calavera markings on her face because it’s a shorthand way to show that she’s from the in-between world. She’s not like the kids that visit her in their dreams. She’s from another time completely which makes it more magical. I’m a huge admirer of the work of Jose Posada and I wanted to marry his sensibility with that of Tim Burton and Edward Gorey - both artists I loved growing up. There’s also quite a bit of MC Escher to Skeletina’s world as space and time function in a completely different way. It’s a vibrant place with lots of nostalgic details and hopefully the humor and the energy of the place comes through.

TG: The lessons in the story very much apply to adults as well, was that something you intended to do?

SJ: Yes! Most of us don’t realize that we are having the same nightmares, and these all come from similar experiences. With the Skeletina books, I’ve distilled a given nightmare into the work of a particular monster who can be easily diffused, once you get the hang of what it responds to. The trick is to remember that NOTHING can hurt you in the in-between world. You are truly in control of everything, and once you crack that - amazing things can happen. This definitely applies to both kids and adults alike.

TG: Do you have advice for parents with children who have nightmares frequently?

SJ: My best advice is to talk to your children about their dreams and see if you can get at what’s bothering them. If they can identify this and talk about it, chances are the bad dreams will go away. Empathize with them, and make sure they know you believe them. See if you can come up together with the way the dream should end. That will help children go back to sleep with confidence.

TG: Can we expect to see more of Skeletina and The In-Between World? Any other projects on the horizon that we can expect?

SJ: Skeletina will continue to help kids, one nightmare at a time! With our next book, we will take a deep dive into a dream that is super common, find out who’s behind it, and how we diffuse it. It’s one of the most common and strange dreams that we all have… and it’s all because of a greedy tooth fairy!

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Susie Jaramillo is an artist, a storyteller, an entrepreneur and a mom. An eternal student of cultures from around the world, she was born in Venezuela and raised between Caracas and Florida. At the age of 17, she moved to New York to study art at Pratt Institute where she honed her crafts in painting and printmaking, and she now resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. As a kid, she had nightmares frequently until she discovered that she was in control of her dreams. She created Skeletina to empower children like her to take control of their fears and be brave.

Tiffany Gonzalez is the Marketing Manager at Astra House and the Communications Co-Director for Latinx In Publishing. She previously worked in Production at HarperCollins Publishers. She has worked on the Publicity and Marketing campaign for Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva and on the Marketing campaigns for Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnell, The Sex Lives of African Women by Nana Darkoa Sekiyamah and The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela. She has earned her Bachelors and Master's degrees from Rutgers University - NB. She is Dominican-American and fluid in Spanish. She is a Publisher’s Weekly 2022 Star Watch Honoree. You can follow her on Instagram @wandering_tiff_ or visit her website at wanderingtiff.com

It's Just a Plant: A Children's Story About Marijuana Written and illustrated by Ricardo Cortés

A beautifully illustrated picture book that gives parents a way to discuss marijuana with children without encouraging them to use it.

It’s Just a Plant is a children’s book that follows the journey of a young girl as she learns about the marijuana plant from a cast of characters including her parents, a local farmer, a doctor, and a police officer.

Marijuana can be hard to talk about. Many parents have tried it, millions use it, and most feel awkward about disclosing such histories (often ducking the question), for fear that telling kids the truth might encourage them to experiment too. Meanwhile, the “drug facts” children learn in school can be more frightening than educational, blaming pot for everything from teenage pregnancy to terrorism. A child’s first awareness of drugs should come from a better source.

It’s Just a Plant is a story for parents who want to discuss the complexities of pot with their kids in a thoughtful, fact-oriented manner. The book also features an afterword by Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD, founder of the Safety First Project for drug education and director emerita of the San Francisco office of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation’s leading organization working to end the war on drugs.

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RICARDO CORTÉS is the #1 New York Times best-selling illustrator of Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach, and Party: A Mystery, by the acclaimed author Jamaica Kincaid. Cortés has written and illustrated books including Sea Creatures from the Sky and A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and on CNN, Fox News, and the Late Show with David Letterman. You can see his work at Rmcortes.com, or on Twitter and Instagram at @Rmcortes.

October 2022 Latinx Releases

on sale October 4, 2022

Mariana and Her Familia by Monica Mancillas | Picture Book

Mariana is visiting her abuelita and extended family in Mexico for the first time. Her tummy does a flip as she and Mami cross the frontera.

There are all new sights, smells, and sounds. And at Abuelita's house, Mariana is overwhelmed by new faces and Spanish phrases she doesn't understand.

But with a story, some kindness, and a few new words from Abuelita, Mariana discovers that the love of family knows no cultural divide.

On This Airplane by Lourdes Heuer | Picture Book

On this airplane . . .

Someone travels solo,
two travel as one,
three return
and four set out.

In this simple and moving book, a young family takes a plane to their new home. While onboard, they encounter all the people you meet on a plane: a bookworm, a businessperson, tourists, crying babies, and daydreamers . . . all with their own stories and all heading somewhere special.

The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera | Young Adult

It's the night before Death-Cast goes live, and there's one question on everyone's mind: Can Death-Cast actually predict when someone will die, or is it just an elaborate hoax?

Orion Pagan has waited years for someone to tell him that he's going to die. He has a serious heart condition, and he signed up for Death-Cast so he could know what's coming.

Valentino Prince is restarting his life in New York. He has a long and promising future ahead and he only registered for Death-Cast after his twin sister nearly died in a car accident.

Orion and Valentino cross paths in Times Square and immediately feel a deep connection. But when the first round of End Day calls goes out, their lives are changed forever--one of them receives a call, and the other doesn't. Though neither boy is certain how the day will end, they know they want to spend it together...even if that means their goodbye will be heartbreaking.

Told with acclaimed author Adam Silvera's signature bittersweet touch, this story celebrates the lasting impact that people have on each other and proves that life is always worth living to the fullest.

The Lords of Night (a Shadow Bruja Novel) by J. C. Cervantes | Middle Grade

Fourteen-year-old Renata Santiago is the most powerful godborn of them all, a bruja with a unique combination of DNA. The Mexica blood from her dad's side gives her the ability to manipulate shadows. Her mom Pacific, a Maya goddess, gifted her a magical rope that controls time, and Ren recently used it to save a few gods from getting stuck forever in 1987. She brought them back to the present, but her BFF Ah Puch, the once fearsome god of death, darkness, and destruction, is now a teenager with no divine powers.

Ren is also a girl with ordinary hopes and dreams. She wishes, for example, that her blog about alien sightings would garner more respect. She's always been absolutely convinced that there's a connection between aliens and the Maya civilization. Plenty of online haters feel differently, and they call her a fake, a liar, and a loser.

When Ren receives an email about an alien sighting in Kansas, she thinks it may support her theory. She also suspects that the cinco--five renegade godborns--are up to no good. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a quest to prevent the troublemakers from awakening the nine Aztec Lords of Night. Problem is, none of Ren's friends are available to help her hunt down the cinco and the dangerous gods they are resurrecting. Ren has no choice but to team up with two strangers recruited by Ah Puch: Edison, a teen hybrid demon, and Montero, an eleven-year-old Aztec hunter. Succeeding in this quest will prove that Ren is no fake, liar, or loser. But it isn't just another challenge. It could well be an impossible one that leaves Ren questioning her very existence.

on sale October 11, 2022

Undercover Latina by Aya De Leon | Middle Grade

A Latina teen spy goes undercover as a white girl to stop a white supremacist terrorist plot in a fast-paced middle-grade debut from a seasoned author of contemporary crime fiction.

In her debut for younger readers, Aya de León pits a teen spy against the ominous workings of a white nationalist. Fourteen-year-old Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín hails from a family of spies working for the Factory, an international organization dedicated to protecting people of color. For her first solo mission, Andréa straightens her hair and goes undercover as Andrea Burke, a white girl, to befriend the estranged son of a dangerous white supremacist. In addition to her Factory training, the assignment calls for a deep dive into the son's interests--comic books and gaming--all while taking care not to speak Spanish and blow her family's cover. But it's hard to hide who you really are, especially when you develop a crush on your target's Latino best friend. Can Andréa keep her head, her geek cred, and her code-switching on track to trap a terrorist? Smart, entertaining, and politically astute, this is fast-paced upper-middle-grade fare from an established author of heist and espionage novels for adults.

What the Jaguar Told Her by Alexandra V. Mendez | Middle Grade

Jade is starting eighth grade in a new city--Atlanta. She just wants to go back to Chicago, where her friends are. Where her Abuela lives.

But Jade does like walking to her new school on the trail that winds through the woods behind her house, where lush flowers bloom and soft leaves rustle beneath her feet. In the forest, Jade feels protected. Sometimes, it's as if it's listening to her.

There, Jade meets Itztli, an elderly storyteller who exists between dreams and reality. In the golden afternoons when Itztli appears, he steps out of the forest as a lithe, agile jaguar. But when he speaks to Jade, he is a wise old man who makes intricate works of art and tells her ancestral stories of Mexico. At first, Itztli's stories feel far removed from Jade's life. But as her Abuela suddenly falls ill, two towers come crashing down in New York City, and Jade becomes someone or something she doesn't yet understand, Itztli's stories take on new meaning. Jade must learn to have patience and strength to become who she was always meant to be, as the stirrings of an ancient power awaken within her.

What the Jaguar Told Her is a lyrical debut about growing up in the midst of change, and a magical cultural homecoming.

Someday Mija, You’ll Learn the Difference Between a Whore and a Working Woman by Yvonne Martinez | Non Fiction

At eighteen, Yvonne Martinez flees brutal domestic violence and is taken in by her dying grandmother . . . who used to be a sex worker. Before she dies, her grandmother reveals family secrets and shares her uncommon wisdom. “Someday, Mija,” she tells Yvonne, “you’ll learn the difference between a whore and a working woman.” She also shares disturbing facts about their family’s history—eventually leading Yvonne to discover that her grandmother was trafficked as a child in Depression-era Utah by her own mother, Yvonne’s great-grandmother, and that she was blamed for her own rape.

In the years that follow her grandmother’s passing, Yvonne gets an education and starts a family. As she heals from her own abuse by her mother and stepfather, she becomes an advocate/labor activist. Grounded in her grandmother’s dictum not to whore herself out, she learns to fight for herself and teaches others to do the same—exposing sexual harassment in the labor unions where she works and fighting corruption. Intense but ultimately uplifting, Someday Mija, You’ll Learn the Difference Between a Whore and a Working Woman is a compelling memoir in essays of transforming transgenerational trauma into resilience and post-traumatic growth.

Brown Enough by Christopher Rivas | Non Fiction

At a time when disinformation, hate crimes, inequality, racial injustice, and white supremacy are on the rise, Brown Enough, part memoir and part social commentary, emerges, asking readers to proudly put their bodies, their identities, into the conversations of race. Brown Enough is a roller coaster of finding one's true self while simultaneously having a racial awakening amidst the struggle to be "perfectly" Latinx, woke, and as Brown as possible to make it in today's America.

Its pages are full of honest explorations of love, sex, fake-it-till-you-make-it ambition, bad Spanish, color, code-switching, white-washing, scandal, Hollywood, and more. This memoir navigates these necessary and often revealing topics through fourteen chapters, each a distinct moment where Rivas explores his Brownness and how to own it.

Brown Enough opens with a moment that forever changed Christopher Rivas's life, the night Ta-Nehisi Coates shared, in an intimate gathering in downtown L.A., the Brown man's role in the race conversation.

"All I hear is black and white. As a Brown man, a Latin man, where does that leave me?" Coates took a short breath and responded, "Not in it."

Like a reprimanded child, Rivas took his seat and remained silent for much of the event. But the effects didn't end there. This conversation pushed Rivas to contemplate and rethink how whiteness and Blackness had impacted his sense of self and worth.

"Why is Brown not in it?" became the unspoken question for the rest of his life and a thread moving through this collection. Eventually, in every conversation, during every date, at every job, Rivas began to ask, "What are the consequences of not being in the conversation?" "What does it take to be in it?"

Brown Enough is the quest to find an answer.

on sale October 18, 2022

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega | Graphic Novel

A middle grade graphic novel about Marlene, a young girl who stops straightening her hair and embraces her natural curls.

Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But according to her mother, Paola, the only thing she needs to focus on is school and growing up. That means straightening her hair every weekend so she could have presentable, good hair.

But Marlene hates being in the salon and doesn't understand why her curls are not considered pretty by those around her. With a few hiccups, a dash of embarrassment, and the much-needed help of Camila and Tia Ruby--she slowly starts a journey to learn to appreciate and proudly wear her curly hair.

on sale October 25, 2022

A Touch of Moonlight by Yaffa S. Santos | Fiction

Larimar Cintrón works hard at three things: her job as brand manager for Beacon Café, a New York based corporate bakery chain; taking care of her parents and her abuela; and hiding that she's a ciguapa--a mythical creature of Dominican folklore with long, straight hair and backwards-facing feet. Larimar may only be a ciguapa on full moons, but she feels like an outsider in her family the rest of the month too. Her love of '90s punk rock music and style further sets her apart. But when her best friend introduces her to Ray, a bakery owner and fellow punk rock lover, Larimar thinks she may have finally found someone with whom she can be her true self.

As Beacon's brand manager, Larimar oversees all new location openings, including its newest store in New Jersey, which could be the project that finally lands her a coveted promotion. But when she discovers the location is right across from Ray's bakery, Borrachitos, Larimar is torn between impressing her boss and saving Ray's business.

As Larimar continues to grow closer to Ray and the new store's opening looms, she struggles to hide the truth about herself and her job. But embracing her magical nature may be the only way Larimar can have everything she wants. Witty and poignant, A Touch of Moonlight is a celebration of heritage, culture, and identity--of embracing yourself and finding your place in the world.

A Seed in the Sun by Aida Salazar | Middle Grade

Lula Viramontes aches to one day become someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in a Mexican traveling circus. But between working the grape harvest in Delano, California, with her older siblings under dangerous conditions; taking care of her younger siblings and Mamá, who has mysteriously fallen ill; and doing everything she can to avoid Papá's volatile temper, it's hard to hold on to those dreams.

Then she meets Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong, and other labor rights activists and realizes she may need to raise her voice sooner rather than later: Farmworkers are striking for better treatment and wages, and whether Lula's family joins them or not will determine their future.

On Sale October 27, 2022

Santiago's Dinosaurios by Mariana Rios Ramirez | Picture Book

Santiago finds a way to connect to his classmates--through dinosaurios!

Santiago is new to the United States, and he doesn't speak English. On his first day of school, how will he connect with his peers? Santiago learns that even when you don't speak the same language, some interests--like dinosaurs--are universal.

8 Authors to Read This Hispanic Heritage Month

¡Feliz Hispanic Heritage Month a todos!

All year long, we here at Latinx in Publishing are committed to promoting literature by, for, and about Latinx people, but we find it especially important during this month. …. ….

Read on for our list of 8 authors that should be on your radar this Hispanic Heritage Month!

MAYRA SANTOS FEBRES | Puerto Rican

Our Lady of the Night

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CARMEN RITA WONG | Dominican and Chinese

Why Didn’t You Tell Me

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CARLOS YUSHIMITO | Peruvian and Japanese

Lessons for a Child Who Arrives Late

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MIA SOSA | Brazilian and Puerto Rican

The Wedding Crasher

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OLIVIA ABTAHI | Iranian and Argentinian

Perfectly Parvin

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MARIE VIEUX-CHAUVET | Haitian

Love, Anger, Madness: A Haitian Triptych

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REV. DR. ROBERT CHAO ROMERO | Chinese and Mexican

Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/O Social Justice, Theology, and Identity

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NAIMA COSTER | Afro-Dominicana

What’s Mine and Yours

Review: A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande

A Ballad of Love and Glory takes place in 1846. After Texas has been annexed, the US army begins to head south to start a war with Mexico over the Río Grande border. The novel follows Mexican army nurse, Ximena Salomé Benítez y Catalán and Irish soldier, John Riley. To honor the memory of her deceased husband, Ximena uses her skills in healing to tend to those injured in the war. After John Riley deserts the US Army, he forms a group within the Mexican Army called the Saint Patrick’s Battalion or El Batallón de San Patricio. As tensions rise between Mexico and the US, so does the love and passion between Ximena and John.

Ximena Salomé Benítez y Catalán is a gifted healer and has learned her skills from her grandmother, Nana Hortencia, a renowned curandera in the area. She lives on her ranch with her husband, Joaquín, but when the infamous Texas Rangers make their way onto her home, she is left a widow. This incident, on top of the impending war, sparks the drive for Ximena to be on the frontlines by using her healing skills to tend to patients, on both sides of the war. Upon meeting a new Irish soldier, Ximena begins an affair with him and finds a new reason to fight for the fate of her nation.

John Riley is a soldier for the US army but becomes frustrated with the mistreatment that he, along with his other Irish and European comrades, faces at the hands of the Yankees. When the final straw takes shape in the death of a good friend, he swims across the Río Grande to join ranks within the Mexican army. He quickly finds better treatment as well as better opportunities to rise in the ranks. When he does, he forms the Saint Patrick’s Battalion. Riley has a wife and son back in Ireland but begins an affair with the army nurse. After a number of taxing battles, he soon faces the greater consequences of this war.

“Grande’s thorough research of the Mexican-American War, or the U.S. Intervention in Mexico, as Mexico calls it, brings forth a significant part of history that is often forgotten.”

Grande’s thorough research of the Mexican-American War, or the U.S. Intervention in Mexico, as Mexico calls it, brings forth a significant part of history that is often forgotten. John Riley and his battalion are seen as traitors to Americans and as heroes to Mexico – to this day, they are praised as such in the country they fought for. Something I appreciate is that she includes the various texts that she read to learn more about this war and group. Like Grande, I did not learn about the Mexican-American War until taking my first Chicano/a/x history class. I have been drawn to the history of this battle and to the heroes in Saint Patrick’s Battalion, and I am happy to see that their history continues to live on. Vivan Los San Patricios! Erin Go Bragh!

Book content warnings: Murder, violence, sexual assault, NSFW

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Reyna Grande was born in Mexico and arrived in the United States at a young age. She attended Pasadena City College, received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an M.F.A. from Antioch University. She has been the recipient of various awards, appeared on many prestigious media outlets, and her books are part of reading selections in educational institutions across the country. To be awarded and praised for one’s writing while also being included in educational readings is an incredible feat. It is evident that Grande’s writing is a force to be reckoned with.

Melissa Gonzalez (she/her) is a UCLA graduate with a major in American Literature & Culture and a minor in Chicana/o & Central American Studies. She loves boba, horror movies, and reading. You can spot her in the fiction, horror/mystery/thriller, and young adult sections of bookstores. Though she is short, she feels as tall as her TBR pile. You can find Melissa on her book Instagram: @floralchapters

Book Review: More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez

A stunning portrait of human morality, More Than You’ll Ever Know by Katie Gutierrez is simultaneously a love letter and a critical analysis of the true crime genre. Set in 2017, Cassie, a struggling crime writer, learns of the story of Lore Rivera—a woman who in the mid-1980’s was secretly married to two men—until one husband murdered the other. Now an older woman living alone, Lore agrees to allow Cassie to write a book on Lore’s life with one rule: Cassie cannot ask Lore about the day Fabian killed Andres.

Gutierrez wonderfully captures the complexities of human morality, specifically in women. Cassie, Lore, and many of the other characters are multi-dimensional in their feelings of love and hate, selfishness and self-sacrifice. Cassie reflects the modern intricacy of the true crime genre, with her empathy towards Lore’s story often fighting against her exploitation of it. Each chapter switches back and forth from Cassie’s and Lore’s perspectives, with Lore’s point of view switching from present day to the past, beginning when she first met her second husband. The backdrop of the 1980’s Mexican Peso crisis fuels Lore’s situation, with the financial strain creating tension in her home life with her husband Fabian and their twin boys. Her job as an international banker has her traveling back and forth between Texas to Mexico City, where she meets and falls in love with a single father, Andres. The story plays out in tandem with Cassie and Lore’s interviews in 2017, as well as with Cassie’s struggle to open up with her fiancé, Duke, about her abusive childhood and strained relationship with her alcoholic father.

“A stunning portrait of human morality...”

As Cassie, a true crime lover, is forced to contend with her one dimensional views of crime and morality–Lore pushes towards seeking closure for the tragedy that was brought upon by her decisions. While Lore’s story with Fabian and Andres shines as the novel’s major focus–Cassie’s storyline of her and Duke’s strained relationship often feels like the novel’s weak spot. Duke, the only character with a happy family background, feels the least fleshed out, more so than characters who appear less, yet are shown to be more complex individuals.

More Than You’ll Ever Know is filled with refreshingly human characters whose separate struggles seem unmatched on the surface yet are weaved seamlessly together through Gutierrez’s clean writing and intricate plotting. Beautiful and fast paced, the story culminates in a twist both shocking and achingly perfect.

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Katie Gutierrez has an MFA from Texas State University, and her writing has appeared in Harper's Bazaar, The Washington Post, Longreads, Texas Monthly, and more. She was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and now lives in San Antonio, with her husband and their two children. More Than You'll Ever Know is her first novel.

Nikkia Rivera is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She has previously been published in Thriller Magazine and Scarlet Leaf Magazine.

Exclusive Excerpt: Charlie Hernández & the Golden Dooms by Ryan Calejo

Inspired by Hispanic folklore, legends, and myths from the Iberian Peninsula and Central and South America, this third book in the Charlie Hernández series follows Charlie as he fights against an army of the dead.

After hitchhiking across Central and South America to rescue the Witch Queen and face off against La Mano Peluda, Charlie Hernández is pretty much grounded for life. But after all he's been through, some quiet time at home with his parents might be nice. Though it would be better if he didn't have to share his room with his obnoxiously perfect cousin Raúl, who's staying with them.

But quiet is hard to come by when you're the fifth and final morphling, and it's not long before death walks back into Charlie's life. Or at least, the dead do, starting with a mysterious young calaca who corners him at school, dropping cryptic hints about trouble brewing in the 305. With the League of Shadows focused on repairing fractured alliances and tracking gathering armies, this one's up to Charlie to solve.

Following the clues only leads to more questions, and not even teenage investigative journalist extraordinaire Violet Rey can figure out how a sudden rooster infestation, earthquakes, missing persons, and a pet-napping gang of lizard-men--whom Charlie doesn't recognize from any legend--are all connected. Most concerning of all is when they learn a map has been stolen that reveals the locations of the Golden Dooms, the twelve ancient calaca watchmen who form the magical barrier between the realms.

To stop the impending invasion, Charlie and Violet must outwit an ancient evil and unravel the most sinister of schemes. That is, unless they'd rather watch the Land of the Living get overrun by the dead.

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Exclusive excerpt from Charlie Hernández & the Golden Dooms:

V and I stashed our bikes between the pair of big, stinky, rusted-out dumpsters at the corner, and then all three of us slipped into the trees, edging our way through saw grass and shadows until we were about twenty yards from the back of Pierre’s. A large green cargo truck with a canvas top and huge mud tires was backed up maybe five yards from the small loading bay door. The suspicious-looking dude we’d seen inside the shop was helping two other suspicious-looking dudes (these with a little less neck and a lot more hair) load something like boxes into the rear of the truck. Thick black cloths were draped over the boxes, which made it impossible to tell what they were or what was inside. The whole thing practically screamed ILLEGAL ACTIVITY UNDERWAY— AVERT YOUR EYES! 

“We have to get a closer look,” Violet whispered. And so we crouched in the tall grass, swatting at mosquitoes and moths, waiting for the three dudes to finish. 

When they finally did and had disappeared back into the store, we snuck up alongside the truck—on the opposite side—then quickly climbed into the back. The canvas curtains were so thick that they blocked out every scrap of moonlight, but Violet already had her phone out, the harsh white cone of her flashlight app illuminating the boxes we’d watched them load in. There were about ten of them, stacked two high and five deep. But the weirdest part? They seemed to be making the strangest sounds: I could just make out faint panting and sniffing, and some small, soft scratching sounds. 

“What do you think’s in ’em?” asked Raúl, sounding very much the part of a soon-to-be victim in some scary movie. 

“Let’s find out,” answered Violet, sounding like the very first victim. But when she lifted one of the covers, all we could do was gape. 

“A . . . golden retriever?” whispered Raúl, frowning. 

“And a Russian blue,” said V, peeking underneath another. 

So we peeked under maybe five or six more, and that was exactly what we kept finding: more dogs and cats. (Oh, and a hamster the size of a turkey.) 

Raúl, his eyes all big and round and shiny, glanced up at me. “Can we keep one?” he whispered. 

“What? No. Well—” I glanced at Violet. “Maybe?” 

“They’re not ours to keep,” she said. “Check it out. . . . They’re all wearing collars. They’re all somebody’s pets.” 

“But why would those guys have so many pets?” I rasped. I mean, I’m a huge animal lover and all. In fact, I’m part animal. But geez . . . 

“I don’t think they do,” Violet said. “Look at the collars again. All different owners.” 

She was right. In the glow of her phone, I could see five different tags, and all five had different addresses and different phone numbers. 

“So, what, then?” I said. “They’re a petnapping ring posing as an antique shop? These people are sick!” Honestly, that was the only thing that made any sense to me. The question was: What could any of this possibly have to do with Esperanza’s sister? 

Next thing, Violet was opening one of the cages. A cat’s. Its collar read Kitty Purry in swirling golden letters. 

The blue-furred kitty blinked and its eyes sparkled, and it purred appreciatively as Violet brought it out of the cold shadows of the cage.

“Hey, what are you doing?” I whispered, and Violet said, “I know this address. . . .” 

I shook my head. “Whose is it?” 

“Not sure, but I’m positive I’ve seen it before. Like, onehundo.” The cat purred again, louder this time. And now I watched Violet’s lips pull down into a frown. “Where’s Raúl?” she hissed. 

“Huh?” I glanced left, right, left, spun all the way around, in fact—and realized my cousin had flat vanished on us. Like poof! “Where the heck did he go?”

Just then I heard a click. Somewhere close by, a door banged open. Then came the sound of voices. And then of footsteps—approaching footsteps! 

“Someone’s coming!” whispered Violet. “Go, go!” 

We hurried out the rear of the truck, climbing backward down the tailgate, and had barely started to turn around when we ran into something—or rather, someone. 

And, unfortunately, it wasn’t my cousin. . . . 

“Hello, snoopers,” a voice whispered by my ear.

I didn’t need to turn around. 

I recognized it. 

And I recognized it because I’d just heard it. 

Then Mr. Sospechoso—aka the suspicious weirdo from inside the shop—wrapped me up in his bulky arms, lifting me off my feet even as I kicked and twisted, trying to wiggle free. 

Next to me, one of the other goons we’d seen helping him grabbed Violet. She struggled and screamed, and the cat leapt from her arms with a loud meoooow! to scamper underneath the truck.

“VIOLET!” I shouted. Then, yanking one arm free, I twisted around, already rearing back to pop this petnapping punk square on the nose— 

Only what I saw when I finally got all the way around nearly made me swallow my tongue! (And a couple of teeth, too . . .) 

What I’d expected to see—duh—was a human face. But what I actually saw was something else entirely. Up close, the best (and kindest) way to describe it was humanish . . . except there was waaay more ish mixed in there than I was completely comfortable with. The skin on the sides of his face and under his chin was scaly, greenish, and bonedry, like a crocodile’s. His nose, which had just looked a little busted from across the shop, was, in fact, upturned, U-shaped, and rounded at the end, sort of like a shovel. A few long, crooked teeth (too big to be human, too sharp and serrated to be fake) stuck down over his lower lip, and I could hear this totally creepy, rattlesnake-like hiss rising from deep inside his throat. But the freakiest thing about him? No doubt about it, his eyes! They were greenish, yellowish, and black, with dark vertical slits for pupils. Those are the eyes of a reptile, I thought numbly. The eyes of a PREDATOR! 

Resisting the temptation to go all Little Red Riding Hood and shout, “GRANNY, WHAT FREAKY EYES YOU HAVE!” I swung my head around and saw that his buddy (the one who’d grabbed Violet) had the same weird skin and the same reptilian eyes! Call me thick, call me slow—call me whatever you wanna call me!—but it was slowly beginning to dawn on me that these guys weren’t exactly human . . .

Panic rose like a hot-air balloon in my throat. But not just because we were outmuscled, outarmed, and completely outsized. But because I didn’t have the slightest clue what the heck these things even were! When I was growing up, my abuelita had taught me hundreds, if not thousands, of myths from all over the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world. She’d taught me them in order to protect me, knowing that one day I’d probably run into a few. And it had worked, too. Her stories had saved my life more times than I’d ever admit. (Especially to my mom, because she freaks out about stuff like that . . .) But now, as I took a panicky nosedive into the ocean of my hippocampus, searching through murky memories for stories of croc people, of walking, talking alligator monsters, I came back up with a big fat nada burger. Nothing! Which of course begged the question: Had my grandma never heard of these things? Had she forgotten about them? Or—and maybe most concerning of all—had she not told me about them on purpose? 

“What are we gonna do with ’em?” asked one of the goons—er, croc things. ‘

“Exactly what Mr. C would want us to . . . ,” answered the croc thing currently squeezing me like his favorite stuffed teddy. “Make ’em disappear.”

---

Ryan Calejo is the author of the Charlie Hernández series. He was born and raised in south Florida, where he graduated from the University of Miami with a BA. He teaches swimming to elementary school students, chess to middle school students, and writing to high school students. Having been born into a family of immigrants and growing up in the so-called “Capital of Latin America,” Ryan knows the importance of diversity in our communities and is passionate about writing books that children of all ethnicities can relate to.

Latinx Titles for Back To School

Back-to-school season means new backpacks, new classes, and, most importantly, new reading lists! Scroll on to see books for all age groups penned by Latine authors, and consider adding them to your back-to-school shopping list!

Preschool & Elementary

Pablo's Tree by Pat Mora

A multi-generational story that follows young Pablo on his birthday as he anticipates seeing how his abuelito (grandfather) has decorated a tree planted on the day Pablo was adopted.

Each year on his birthday, a young Mexican American boy looks forward to seeing how his grandfather has decorated the tree he planted on the day the boy was adopted. A charming story about a sweet tradition a boy and his grandfather share.

"Lang's clever cut-paper collages fill each page like a photo album with picture after picture of a family history that sparkles with love and a sense of belonging."--Booklist

Areli Is a Dreamer by Areli Morales, illustrated by Luisa Uribe

When Areli was just a baby, her mama and papa moved from Mexico to New York with her brother, Alex, to make a better life for the family--and when she was in kindergarten, they sent for her, too.

Everything in New York was different. Gone were the Saturdays at Abuela's house, filled with cousins and sunshine. Instead, things were busy and fast and noisy. Areli's limited English came out wrong, and schoolmates accused her of being illegal. But with time, America became her home. And she saw it as a land of opportunity, where millions of immigrants who came before her paved their own paths. She knew she would, too.

This is a moving story--one that resonates with millions of immigrants who make up the fabric of our country--about one girl living in two worlds, a girl whose DACA application was eventually approved and who is now living her American dream.

Across the Bay by Carlos Aponte

Author-illustrator Carlos Aponte takes readers on a journey to the heart of Puerto Rico in this enchanting picture book set in Old San Juan.

“A lively and honest story about filling voids and exploring what defines a family--as well as a love letter to a childhood home.”--Horn Book

Carlitos lives in a happy home with his mother, his abuela, and Coco the cat. Life in his hometown is cozy as can be, but the call of the capital city pulls Carlitos across the bay in search of his father. Jolly pirag eros, mischievous cats, and costumed musicians color this tale of love, family, and the true meaning of home.

Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Feeling different, especially as a kid, can be tough. But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.

In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges--and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.

Middle School

Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael López

Musician, botanist, baseball player, pilot--the Latinos featured in Bravo!, by author Margarita Engle and illustrator Rafael López, come from many different countries and from many different backgrounds.

Celebrate their accomplishments and their contributions to a collective history and a community that continues to evolve and thrive today!

Biographical poems include: Aida de Acosta, Arnold Rojas, Baruj Benacerraf, César Chávez, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca, Félix Varela, George Meléndez, José Martí, Juan de Miralles, Juana Briones, Julia de Burgos, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Paulina Pedroso, Pura Belpré, Roberto Clemente, Tito Puente, Ynes Mexia, Tomás Rivera.

Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres

A heartwarming and charming debut novel about family, friends, and finding your voice all wrapped up in a warm tortilla.

Estefania Stef Soto is itching to shake off the onion-and-cilantro embrace of Tia Perla, her family's taco truck. She wants nothing more than for Papi to get a normal job and for Tia Perla to be a distant memory. Then maybe everyone at school will stop seeing her as the Taco Queen.

But when her family's livelihood is threatened, and it looks like her wish will finally come true, Stef surprises everyone (including herself) by becoming the truck's unlikely champion. In this fun and heartfelt novel, Stef will discover what matters most and ultimately embrace an identity that even includes old Tia Perla.

Lola Levine Is Not Mean! By Monica Brown 

Lola Levine likes writing in her diario, sipping her mom's cafe con leche, eating her dad's matzo ball soup, and playing soccer with her team, the Orange Smoothies. So what if she doesn't always fit in?

Lola is fierce on the field, but when a soccer game during recess gets too competitive, she accidentally hurts her classmate Juan Gomez. Now everyone is calling her Mean Lola Levine! Lola feels terrible, but with the help of her family, her super best friend, Josh Blot, and a little pencil power, she just might be able to turn it all around.

In this first book in a series, young readers will be inspired by Lola's big heart and creative spirit as she learns to navigate the second grade in true Lola style!

Freddie Ramos and the Meteorite by Jacqueline Jules

When Freddie and Mr. Vaslov see something fall from the sky, Freddie learns it could be a meteorite. He's determined to find it! Will Freddie find the rock from outer space before someone else does?

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)?

When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn't under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal's office for the third time in three days, and it's still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany's locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared.

Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he's capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken--including his dead mother--and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There's only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes-sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous-Sandra Cisneros' masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers. 

Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera 

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.

High school

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga's role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it's not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend, Lorena, and her first love (first everything), Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister's story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

This classic love story takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy. While still in her mother's womb, her daughter to be weeps so violently she causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices and fixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes a way of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef, using cooking to express herself and sharing recipes with readers along the way.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevado

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers--especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami's determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school's slam poetry club, she doesn't know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can't stop thinking about performing her poems.

Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.

The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves

David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. When a video of him getting knocked down by a bully's slap goes viral at the end of junior year, David vows to use the summer to bulk up-- do what it takes to become a man--and wow everyone when school starts again the fall.

Soon David is spending all his time and money at Iron Life, a nearby gym that's full of bodybuilders. Frustrated with his slow progress, his life eventually becomes all about his muscle gains. As it says on the Iron Life wall, What does not kill me makes me stronger.

As David falls into the dark side of the bodybuilding world, pursuing his ideal body at all costs, he'll have to grapple with the fact that it could actually cost him everything.

College

How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez 

Uprooted from their family home in the Dominican Republic, the four Garcia sisters - Carla, Sandra, Yolanda, and Sofia - arrive in New York City in 1960 to find a life far different from the genteel existence of maids, manicures, and extended family they left behind. What they have lost - and what they find - is revealed in the fifteen interconnected stories that make up this exquisite novel from one of the premier novelists of our time.

Just as it is a feature of the immigrant experience to always look back, the novel begins with thirty-nine-year-old Yolanda's return to the island and moves magically backward in time to the final days before the exile that is to transform the sisters' lives. Along the way we witness their headlong plunge into the American mainstream. Although the girls try to distance themselves from their island life by ironing their hair, forgetting their Spanish, and meeting boys unchaperoned, they remain forever caught between the old world and the new. With bright humor and rare insight, Julia Alvarez vividly evokes the tensions and joys of belonging to two distinct cultures in a novel that is utterly authentic and full of irrepressible spirit.

Almost a Woman: A Memoir by Esmeralda Santiago

Following the enchanting story recounted in When I Was Puerto Rican of the author's emergence from the barrios of Brooklyn to the prestigious Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, Esmeralda Santiago delivers the tale of her young adulthood, where she continually strives to find a balance between becoming American and staying Puerto Rican. While translating for her mother Mami at the welfare office in the morning, starring as Cleopatra at New York's prestigious Performing Arts High School in the afternoons, and dancing salsa all night, she begins to defy her mother's protective rules, only to find that independence brings new dangers and dilemmas.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different--and far more satisfying--than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

One of the most influential literary works of our time, One Hundred Years of Solitude remains a dazzling and original achievement by the masterful Gabriel Garcia Marquez, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendiá family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad and alive with unforgettable men and women--brimming with truth, compassion, and a lyrical magic that strikes the soul--this novel is a masterpiece in the art of fiction.

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Most Anticipated September 2022 Releases

Fall is finally just around the corner and with it some great reads. From retellings to The Parent Trap level antics, there is something for everyone being released this month from Latine authors. Here are the four books I am most looking forward to. 

---

Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore | On sale September 6, 2022 

Ever since The Great Gatsby became public domain at the end of 2020, there has been an influx of retellings of the dazzling 1920s classic. None of which have grabbed my attention quite like this one. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Wisconsin travels to New York for the summer to establish himself as a young professional to set up his life as a man. When he arrives, he sees his cousin Daisy has erased her Latine heritage to pass as a white woman and befriends Jay Gatsby, a trans man who wants nothing more than to reconnect with Daisy. And is Nick developing feelings for Gatsby?!  Blending the themes of the original, with Latine culture and queerness, this has been one of my most anticipated books of the year!

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas | On sale September 6, 2022

Ever since reading his debut novel Cemetery Boys, I have been obsessed with everything Thomas releases and I doubt this one will be any different. The first book in The Sunbearer Duology, combines Mexican fantasy with teens competing in a fight to the death for glory and honor. And in true Aiden Thomas fashion, the characters are queer, complex, and just a little (okay.. A lot) flawed. Comped to “Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games”, this book is poised to be the next YA obsession. 

Meet Me Halfway by Anika Fajardo | On Sale September 13, 2022

I love seeing middle-grade novels and immediately saying, “younger me would have loved this!” then remembering that I can still read it and love it as an adult! In a Parent Trap-esque adventure, Mattie and Mercedes discover that they have the same Columbian father that neither of them has ever met. While the two are polar opposites (and don’t really like each other), they must work together to find this elusive shared dad. This sounds like a perfect coming-of-age story and just look at the cover! Beautiful!

How Not To Drown In A Glass of Water by Angie Cruz | On sale September 13, 2022

Critically acclaimed for her 2019 novel Dominicana, Cruz is back with another strong female character we can’t help but root for. The story of late 50s, recently laid-off Cara Romero is told through her conversations with her job counselor. Over the course of their twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification, and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. I can’t wait to read these conversations that Kirkus Reviews said were “A poignant portrait of one fallible, wise woman and a corner of one of New York’s most vibrant immigrant communities.”

---

Sabrina Moorer (she/her) is a senior at Towson University double majoring in English and Mass Communications. Even though she works at the library, she still spends all her free time there, searching for the next 5-star read to obsess over.

September 2022 Latinx Releases

On Sale September 6, 2022

Our Shadows Have Claws Edited by Yamile Saied Mendez and Amparo Ortiz | Young Adult

Fifteen original short stories from YA superstars, featuring Latine mythology's most memorable monsters.

From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology offers something for every monster lover. In Our Shadows Have Claws, bloodthirsty vampires are hunted by a quick-witted slayer; children are stolen from their beds by "el viejo de la bolsa" while a military dictatorship steals their parents; and anyone you love, absolutely anyone, might be a shapeshifter waiting to hunt.

The worlds of these stories are dark but also magical ones, where a ghost-witch can make your cheating boyfriend pay, bullies are brought to their knees by vicious wolf-gods, a jar of fireflies can protect you from the reality-warping magic of a bruja--and maybe you'll even live long enough to tell the tale. Set across Latin America and its diaspora, this collection offers bold, imaginative stories of oppression, grief, sisterhood, first love, and empowerment.

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas | Young Adult

"Only the most powerful and honorable semidioses get chosen. I'm just a Jade. I'm not a real hero."

As each new decade begins, the Sun's power must be replenished so that Sol can keep traveling along the sky and keep the chaotic Obsidian gods at bay. Sol selects ten of the most worthy semidioses to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser has the greatest honor of all--they will be sacrificed to Sol, their body melted down to refuel the Sun Stones, protecting the world for another ten years.

Teo, a seventeen-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of the goddess of birds, isn't worried about the Trials . . . at least, not for himself. His best friend, Niya is a Gold semidiós and a shoo-in for the Trials, and while he trusts her abilities, the odds of becoming the sacrifice is one-in-ten.

But then, for the first time in over a century, the impossible happens. Sol chooses not one, but two Jade competitors. Teo, and Xio, the thirteen-year-old child of the god of bad luck. Now they must compete in five trials against Gold opponents who are more powerful and better trained. Worst of all, Teo's annoyingly handsome ex-best friend and famous semidiós Hero, Aurelio is favored to win. Teo is determined to get himself and his friends through the trials unscathed--for fame, glory, and their own survival.

Abuela, Don’t Forget About Me by Rex Ogle| Young Adult

In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle's abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on--to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela's red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life.

Abuela, Don't Forget Me is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn't yet know how to believe in himself.

Me Gusta by Angela Dominguez | Picture Book

A stunning bilingual picture book that celebrates Latinx families by highlighting moments of connection and delight and feelings of safety and home, even through challenges and difficult times.

Me gusta your smile, tu sonrisa,
and your hugs, tus abrazos.

Me gusta when we explore this spectacular world, el mundo,
and gaze at all the stars, las estrellas.

But most of all, me gusta that no matter where we are, I feel at home, en casa, when I'm with you.
In the affirmative and encouraging Me Gusta, acclaimed author and illustrator Angela Dominguez combines Spanish and English in a poetic and touching story of family, reminding us that through the adventures and the heartbreak, love conquers all and transcends language.

They Call Her Fregona by David Bowles | Middle Grade

A companion to the Pura Belpré Honor book They Call Me Güero

"You can be my boyfriend." It only takes five words to change Güero's life at the end of seventh grade. The summer becomes extra busy as he learns to balance new band practice with his old crew, Los Bobbys, and being Joanna Padilla's boyfriend. They call her "fregona" because she's tough, always sticking up for her family and keeping the school bully in check. But Güero sees her softness. Together they cook dollar-store spaghetti and hold hands in the orange grove, learning more about themselves and each other than they could have imagined. But when they start eighth grade, Joanna faces a tragedy that requires Güero to reconsider what it means to show up for someone you love.

Honoring multiple poetic traditions, They Call Her Fregona is a bittersweet first-love story in verse and the highly anticipated follow-up to They Call Me Güero.

Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by Loris Lora | Children

In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman in America. How did this young Puertoriqueña become an unstoppable force in politics? Find out in this accessible and engaging book for young readers.

AOC's remarkable story begins in her childhood Bronx home and comes full circle the moment AOC became America's youngest Congresswoman. Ocasio-Cortez's empowering journey reminds us that everyone, regardless of their age, race, creed, wealth, or zip code, is capable of being a voice for change.

A glossary and resources for changemakers are included at the end of the book.

Self Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix by Anna-Marie McLemore | Young Adult

New York City, 1922. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Wisconsin, has no interest in the city's glamor. Going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his future--and his life as a man--and benefit his family.

Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé, Tom--and Nick is shocked to find that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, has erased all signs of her Latine heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.

Nick's neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for parties so extravagant that they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all meant to impress a girl from Jay's past--Daisy. And he learns something else: Jay is also transgender.

As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends more time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick's feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay's openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream.

On Sale September 13, 2022

Meet Me Halfway by Anika Fajardo | Middle Grade

When new classmates Mattie and Mercedes meet and realize they have the same Colombian dad, the two team up in a Parent Trap-inspired misadventure to meet him for the first time in this sharp and poignant middle-grade novel about the bonds that make a family.

Mattie Gomez feels directionless after being uprooted from her beloved Minnesota and forced to move in with her new stepfamily in California. So when she meets a girl at her new middle school who looks exactly like her, she's not sure what to make of it.

But her doppelganger, the popular Mercedes Miller, doesn't like it one bit.

Mercedes is used to getting what she wants, when she wants; Mattie would rather be invisible and blend into the background. Mercedes lives in a big empty house with her nanny; Mattie's new home is packed-to-the-gills, twenty-four/seven chaos. Mercedes has a short fuse; Mattie is a planner. Though they may look alike, the two of them couldn't be more different.

Soon enough, however, Mattie and Mercedes learn that they have at least one thing in common: a dad from Colombia that neither of them has ever met. Determined to meet the father they've never known, these polar opposites suddenly have to work together to fake sleepovers, evade their friends, and plot daring escapes from school field trips in an effort to track down him down.

If only they could stop bickering long enough to get the show on the road.

Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango | Middle Grade

Listen up:
The end of elementary school?
Worst time of my life.
And the start of middle school?
I just wasn't quite right.
But this year?
YO VOY A MI.

Seventh grade is going to be Iveliz's year. She's going to make a new friend, help her abuela Mimi get settled after moving from Puerto Rico, and she is not going to get into any more trouble at school. . . .

Except is that what happens? Of course not. Because no matter how hard Iveliz tries, sometimes people say things that just make her so mad. And worse, Mimi keeps saying Iveliz's medicine is unnecessary--even though it helps Iveliz feel less sad. But how do you explain your feelings to others when you're not even sure what's going on yourself?

Powerful and compassionate, Andrea Beatriz Arango's debut navigates mental health, finding your voice, and discovering that those who really love you will stay by your side.

How Not To Drown In A Glass of Water by Angie Cruz | Literary Fiction

Write this down: Cara Romero wants to work.

Cara Romero thought she would work at the factory of little lamps for the rest of her life. But when, in her mid-50s, she loses her job in the Great Recession, she is forced back into the job market for the first time in decades. Set up with a job counselor, Cara instead begins to narrate the story of her life. Over the course of twelve sessions, Cara recounts her tempestuous love affairs, her alternately biting and loving relationships with her neighbor Lulu and her sister Angela, her struggles with debt, gentrification and loss, and, eventually, what really happened between her and her estranged son, Fernando. As Cara confronts her darkest secrets and regrets, we see a woman buffeted by life but still full of fight.

Structurally inventive and emotionally kaleidoscopic, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water is Angie Cruz's most ambitious and moving novel yet, and Cara is a heroine for the ages.

On Sale September 20, 2022

El Eclipse Total de Néstor López / The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez (Spanish Edition) by Adrianna Cuevas and Translated by Alexis Romay | Spanish Middle Grade

Después de que el papá de Néstor se marcha a otra misión, el muchacho y su mamá se mudan a un nuevo pueblo a vivir con su abuela. Néstor planea pasar desapercibido, y de ninguna manera quiere que nadie sepa su secreto más profundo: que puede hablar con los animales.

Pero cuando los animales del pueblo comienzan a desaparecer, la abuela de Néstor se convierte en la principal sospechosa después de ser vista en el mismo bosque donde fueron vistos los animales por última vez. A medida que Néstor investiga la fuente de las desapariciones, descubre que los animales han sido capturados por una criatura misteriosa cuyo poder crece durante los eclipses de sol. Y el próximo eclipse está a la vuelta de la esquina...

Les toca a Néstor con su extraordinaria habilidad y a sus amigos, atrapar al culpable y salvar el sitio que tal vez podría llamar su hogar.

On Sale September 27, 2022

The Turquoise Room/ El Cuarto Turquesa by Monica Brown and Adriana M. Garcia | Picture Book

Esther paints a map and dreams of exploring the world.

Esther's daughter Isabel paints pictures and dreams of becoming an artist.

Isabel's daughter Monica paints with words and dreams of telling stories.

From the turquoise room in Peru, Esther, then Isabel, then Monica draws the strength to trust her imagination and fly into the world of dreams and possibilities. Over mountains and the sea, along rivers of paint, or among the swirl of words on a page, each girl, then woman, finds her creative path.

In this loving memoir, Monica Brown has created an homage to her grandmother and mother and a legacy for her daughters. Accompanied by luminous illustrations by Adriana M. Garcia, this warm, lyrical story invites you to close your eyes, open your mind, and imagine your life!

Our Day of the Dead Celebration by Ana Aranda | Picture Book

A family honors their living and dead relatives as they celebrate this holiday with shared food and stories.

The Day of the Dead is a happy day when Mar's family gathers together. There are favorite dishes to enjoy, games to be played, and most importantly, stories to tell. No one in the family is forgotten because this is the day of the year when the dead come to visit the living--and for this holiday it is almost as if they're alive again, as the family takes great joy in celebrating the things that made them special. Mar realizes she is just like her Grandpa Ramón, who kept a journal. And her sister, Paz, plays accordian, just like their great-grandfather. There are so many things that connect them all--and at dinner, Abuelita spins even more stories that make them feel close to the ones they will love forever. Ana Aranda's tender text and vibrant art make the joy felt on this sweet day totally palpable.

Dream With The / Sueña Con Las Latinitas by Juliet Mendez | Picture Book

Meet the Latinitas, whose big dreams paved the way for your little feet! With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Juliet Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.

Omega Morales & The Legend of La Lechuza by Laekan Zea Kemp | Middle Grade

Omega Morales's family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena. But over the years, the town's reputation for the supernatural is no longer one the people carry with pride. So Omega's family keeps to themselves, and in private, they're Empaths--diviners who can read and manipulate the emotions of people and objects around them. But Omega's powers don't quite work, and it leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own family.

When a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl--known in Mexican folklore as La Lechuza--shows up unannounced, Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend.

Suddenly Omega's magic begins to change, and the key to understanding her powers is more complicated than she thought. Omega will have to decide what's more important--trusting the instincts of others or learning to trust in herself.

Viva's Voice by Raquel Donoso | Picture Book

Viva's Papi is a bus driver and Viva loves going to work with him. The sounds of the traffic and the voices of the passengers are music to Viva's ears. When she finds out that Papi's union is going on strike, she convinces Papi to take her along to the picket line. When quiet Papi is too nervous to give his speech, Viva uses her powerful voice to give him the confidence to find his own. A first introduction to labor unions, strikes, picket lines, and workers' rights, this powerful picture book is both educational and endearing.

Debut author Raquel Donoso has crafted a beautiful story about courage, family, and using your voice to help others. Viva's story is based on Donoso's own childhood experience, in which her father's union went on strike.