Erika Meza Confronts Fear in ‘As Brave as a Lion’

As Brave as a Lion opens to a beaming little girl with wild dark hair. She rides a bicycle, chases birds, and jumps on a bed. By her side is a lion about five times her size, with a fiery orange-red mane.

“No matter how fast I go or where I end up,” the girl narrates, “my brave lion sticks with me—my lion’s always there!”

The girl believes the lion helps her find her voice when she’s too shy or too nervous. He helps her feel brave. He’s on her team.

Then one day, the duo set out to try a new “rocket-fast” slide at the playground. The giant cat follows the girl up the ladder. But once atop the slide, she learns that lions, too, can be afraid. Can she find her own bravery to become her lion’s lion this time?

Erika Meza, the author and illustrator of As Brave as a Lion (out now by Candlewick Press), brings readers a touching picture book about fear, friendship, courage, and how to show up for others. Meza’s expressive artwork and color choice add tremendous warmth. Valiente como un León, the Spanish edition, is also available.

“For me, the book was all about fear, and how you face fear when you’re that little—and even when you’re a grown-up,” said Meza, who was born in Mexico and now resides in North London. “It’s all about how, anytime that you’re afraid, you basically have to hold your fear by the hand and go, ‘You know what, fear? I know you’re there, and it’s OK. We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do this together.’”

“Erika Meza, the author and illustrator of “As Brave as a Lion” brings readers a touching picture book about fear, friendship, courage, and how to show up for others. Meza’s expressive artwork and color choice add tremendous warmth. ”

Meza explained that, in a way, this is what happens with her main character and the girl’s furry companion. “Throughout the book, the lion is kind of this embodiment of bravery,” she said. “But once they’re on top of this slide, it is actually the lion that is completely afraid.”

As an example, the artist brought up the magic feather in Dumbo, the 1941 Disney animated fantasy film about a circus elephant with far-oversized ears. In the film, Dumbo believes that a feather will allow him to fly.

“He thought it was the thing that made him fly, but actually the feather was a feather all along. And he had it in him,” Meza said. “It’s kind of the same (in As Brave as a Lion). At first, you think that the lion is the thing that is making her brave, or making her able to pretend that she’s brave. But actually she’s been brave all along.”

As Brave as a Lion is Meza’s first book as an author-illustrator. But at one point, there wasn’t a story—not even a lion. Initially, Meza’s watercolor pencil illustration was of a little girl and a huge bear. The artist thought it would be a nice game of contrast. According to Meza, her agent suggested making the bear a lion instead.

So Meza started over.

“And funnily enough, a lot of the stuff that had felt like it was good in the first one, came out better. I think it was because I had already done it once, and I knew what had worked and what hadn’t,” she said. “Then when I repainted it, it kind of became a little bit more free and a little bit more expressive. And I love that.”

Earlier this year, Meza offered a behind-the-scenes look into the making of As Brave as a Lion on Instagram. It took her several years and hurdles to create the book, including when Storm Eunice damaged her original artwork when water flooded her London studio.

““But at the end of the day, if you don’t move and do something about it, then it’s not going to happen because you’re not actually taking action. You’re standing still...””

One of the most intriguing elements to this story is the lion itself. It’s unclear whether the lion is real to others, or if it’s derived from the girl’s imagination. Growing up, Meza said she read a lot of Gabriel García Márquez, and recalled a story by the Colombian author about an angel who appears in a town and is caged. People come from all over to see him. Meza said there was never any kind of explanation by García Márquez of how the angel appeared.

“You never really have to explain the rules of the magic,” she said. “It just is.”

So when it came time to discuss with her editor whether the lion in her picture book was real or not, Meza came to a realization.

“Putting an explanation behind it kind of confined the imagination of the reader, and so I quite like the idea of: ‘It just is.’ The lion just is,” Meza said. “Why should we question that? Why should we put an explanation? And if you want to give it an explanation, then why not make your own? Why not have your own take of how this lion came to be? On that part, I quite like the idea of ambiguity, just to give the reader—both the adult and the child—the space of interpretation.”

Meza said it’s taken her about 30 years to learn what she hopes young readers will take away from As Brave as a Lion.

“We see people and we think, ‘They’re so impressive. How did they manage to do that? How have they gotten to where they are?’” she said.

The author-illustrator said it can be anything from overcoming shyness, to moving to another country, or daring to do something you’re passionate about. And in the case of her character in As Brave as a Lion, it can look like pushing through fear to go down a very tall slide.

“But at the end of the day, if you don’t move and do something about it, then it’s not going to happen because you’re not actually taking action. You’re standing still,” she said. “If you dare, maybe sometimes it’ll backfire and you’ll know that it was a horrible idea. But more often than not, the one thing that you can get is a ‘yes’ or a positive result. So, for me, it would be a matter of just not letting fear control your life, and keep it still and stationary.”

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Erika Meza was born in Mexico, fell in love with animation on the border with California, and developed a taste for eclairs in Paris before moving to the UK to teach at Nottingham Trent University. She is the illustrator of My Two Border Towns by David Bowles, Salsa Lullaby by Jen Arena, and Arthur Wants a Balloon by Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia. She lives in north London.

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family and dog, Brooklyn.

Book Review: Borderless by Jennifer DeLeon

Borderless, by Jennifer De Leon is a young adult book that explores life in the writer’s South American homeland of Guatemala. The book follows the day-to-day life of Maya, our main character. Maya, a young woman of seventeen, is an inspiring fashion designer who creates unusual fashion out of the unexpected. Maya uses her talent to make her dreams a reality.

Having come from immigrant parents myself, I felt that I was quickly going to relate to the story. However, I was unprepared for the twists and turns that Maya and her mother experienced. The mix of characters within Maya’s retelling of the book’s events gives the overall story interesting layers. The major points in the story are alluded to, but are only revealed when necessary; leaving the reader wishing to know more.

The school that Maya is attending is a very prestigious design school. Maya is entered into a contest, sponsored by the school, that could change her life forever. To complicate matters, her best friend doesn’t make it into the contest. She then meets a boy, and though this should be an exciting time for Maya, it is anything but that. So much happens in this story in such a short span of time, that the reader is left wondering what comes next with each turn of a page. Borderless will have you running alongside Maya and her mother, both whom are just trying to find a home away from gang violence in Guatemala.

“Those who read “Borderless” will find solace and create an intimate connection to Maya and her journey. ”

De Leon has Maya and her supporting characters share some very authentic moments, which build the story up to its climatic events. The reader watches Maya’s life turn upside down. She is no longer able to hide behind her youth or naïveté and is forced to grow up quickly. From her first crush, to her first kiss, and ultimately, her first time witnessing a murder. We see Maya flee from her home with nothing but the clothes on her back, and cross the Rio Grande, which leads her to a detention center and finally to the realization that there are many challenges that she will have to overcome.

As I read Borderless, I started to understand why so many people seek asylum in the United States. The events of the book, at times, only give us a glimpse of the treatment that many people experience when entering the U.S.; enduring dehumanizing situations. These scenes are heart-wrenching. They heavily resemble events that are taking place in today's world; events that are not receiving the attention that they deserve in the media.

Those who read Borderless will find solace and create an intimate connection to Maya and her journey.

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Jennifer De Leon is an author, editor, speaker, and creative writing professor who lives outside of Boston. She is the editor of Wise Latinas: Writers on Higher Education, the 2015-2016 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library, and a 2016-2017 City of Boston Artist-in-Residence. She is also the second recipient of the We Need Diverse Books grant. She is the author of Don't Ask Me Where I'm From and Borderless.

Angela “Angie” Ybarra is a senior student enrolled in the Nontraditional Degree Program (NDP) at Northeastern Illinois University. She hopes to work as a grant writer to assist local nonprofit organizations that address the issues of gentrification within Chicago's NorthWest side and help them find funding for their work. Angie loves to give her audience the opportunity to formulate their own views by presenting the facts or points of interest with the hope to move her audience into action.

“Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” —Andrew Vachss, Author

September 2023 Latinx Releases

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 5

Warrior Girl by Carmen Tafolla | MIDDLE GRADE

Celina and her family are bilingual and follow both Mexican and American traditions. Celina revels in her Mexican heritage, but once she starts school it feels like the world wants her to erase that part of her identity. Fortunately, she’s got an army of family and three fabulous new friends behind her to fight the ignorance. But it’s her Gramma who’s her biggest inspiration, encouraging Celina to build a shield of joy around herself. Because when you’re celebrating, when you find a reason to sing or dance or paint or play or laugh or write, they haven’t taken everything away from you. Of course, it’s not possible to stay in celebration mode when things get dire—like when her dad’s deported and a pandemic hits—but if there is anything Celina’s sure of, it’s that she’ll always live up to her last name: Guerrera—woman warrior—and that she will use her voice and writing talents to show the world it’s a more beautiful place because people like her are in it.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass: The Graphic Novel by Meg Medina | Illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas | GRAPHIC NOVEL

It’s the beginning of sophomore year, and Piedad “Piddy” Sanchez is having a hard time adjusting to her new high school. Things don’t get any easier when Piddy learns that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Rumor has it that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latina enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first, Piddy is more concerned with learning about the father she’s never met, navigating her rocky relationship with her mom, and staying in touch with her best friend, Mitzi. But when the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang takes over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off from those who care about her—or running away? More relevant than ever a decade after its initial publication, Mel Valentine Vargas’s graphic novel adaptation of Meg Medina’s ultimately empowering story is poised to be discovered by a new generation of readers.

I Love You Mucho Mucho by Rachel Más Davidson | PICTURE BOOK

Rosie is so excited to see her abuela and tell her everything that's been going on—but Abuela doesn't speak English, and Rosie doesn't speak Spanish. They quickly learn over lunch, though, that hunger has no language—and neither does love!

Veo, Veo, I See You by Lulu Delacre | PICTURE BOOK

Marisol’s mami is the best cook at Rosita’s Cafe! But now, the restaurant is closed. A bad virus—too easy to catch in small, crowded places—is going around.

Marisol, Pepito, and Mami still need to go out to bring Mami’s arroz con pollo to housebound Tía Olga and Cousin Johnny. As Marisol and Pepito watch the people working around the neighborhood, who their mother explains have essential work, Marisol thinks of the perfect game to play:

Veo, veo...
¿Qué ves, Marisol?
I spy...a trash collector. Essential work. Those bins were full!

By the time they get home, Marisol has another idea: a way to show the people in her neighborhood that she sees them!

Alma and Her Family/Alma Y Su Familia by Juana Martinez-Neal | PICTURE BOOK

I play with my cousins. / Juego con mis primas.
I sing to Pajarito. / Le canto a Pajarito.

How much does little Alma love her family? She kisses her daddy, squeezes her mommy, laughs with her grandma, and . . . paints on her artist grandpa (such a good sport!). Juana Martinez-Neal’s bilingual board book brings back familiar characters and introduces new ones in a conversational narration (shown in both languages on every spread) as well as gentle illustrations exuding whimsy and warmth.

Alma, Head to Toe /Alma, de Pies a Cabeza by Juana Martinez-Neal | PICTURE BOOK

I have two eyes, one nose, and a mouth. / Tengo dos ojos, una nariz y una boca.
I see you, Pajarito! / ¡Te veo, Pajarito!

Alma is known for her iconic stripes—but there’s more she’d like to show you! She has arms, hands, and fingers for patting a pet bird—as well as legs, feet, toes, and one adorable belly, below her ever-present heart. Juana Martinez-Neal’s bilingual board book teaches body parts while sharing moments in a little girl’s world, in a conversational narration (shown in both languages on every spread) combined with gentle, inviting illustrations.

¡1, 2, 3 Merengue!: English-Spanish Instruments & Sounds Book by Delia Ruiz | Illustrated by Graziela Andrade | PICTURE BOOK

This bilingual English-Spanish book explores merengue instruments and the fun and sometimes silly sounds that they make. The musicians also practice their lefts and rights while marching in the band with friends. Vamonos! Learn about merengue instruments and their sounds in English and Spanish.

Children, caretakers, and educators will love the rhythmic text paired with bright and colorful illustrations showcasing characters of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

¡1, 2, 3 Cumbia!: English-Spanish Manners Book by Delia Ruiz | Illustrated by Graziela Andrade | PICTURE BOOK

This bilingual English-Spanish book teaches common manners through a dance class setting. The dancers also practice consent, learning how to say no and set boundaries with others. ¡Vamonos! Learn to use manners with cumbia in English and Spanish.

Children, caretakers, and educators will love the rhythmic text paired with bright and colorful illustrations showcasing characters of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

¡1, 2, 3 Salsa!: English-Spanish Counting Book Book by Delia Ruiz | Illustrated by Graziela Andrade | PICTURE BOOK

This bilingual English-Spanish book teaches how to count to 10 using salsa. ¡Vamonos! Learn to count with salsa in English and Spanish.

Children, caretakers, and educators will love the rhythmic text paired with bright and colorful illustrations showcasing characters of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

Creep: Accusations and Confessions by Myriam Gurba | ADULT NONFICTION

A creep can be a singular figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog does—it lurks into place to do its dirty work, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, and providing cover for those prowling within it.

Creep is Myriam Gurba’s informal sociology of creeps, a deep dive into the dark recesses of the toxic traditions that plague the United States and create the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes. Through cultural criticism disguised as personal essay, Gurba studies the ways in which oppression is collectively enacted, sustaining ecosystems that unfairly distribute suffering and premature death to our most vulnerable. Yet identifying individual creeps, creepy social groups, and creepy cultures is only half of this book’s project—the other half is examining how we as individuals, communities, and institutions can challenge creeps and rid ourselves of the fog that seeks to blind us.

With her ruthless mind, wry humor, and adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from Joan Didion to her former abuser, everything from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Braiding her own history and identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, and she does it with her signature blend of bravado and humility.

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 12

First Gen: A Memoir by Alejandra Campoverdi | ADULT NONFICTION

Alejandra Campoverdi has been a child on welfare, a White House aide to President Obama, a Harvard graduate, a gang member’s girlfriend, and a candidate for U.S. Congress. She’s ridden on Air Force One and in G-rides. She’s been featured in Maxim magazine and had a double mastectomy. Living a life of contradictory extremes often comes with the territory when you’re a “First and Only.” It also comes at a price.

With candor and heart, Alejandra retraces her trajectory as a Mexican American woman raised by an immigrant single mother in Los Angeles. Foregoing the tidy bullet points of her resume and instead shining a light on the spaces between them, what emerges is a powerful testimony that shatters the one-dimensional glossy narrative we are often sold of what it takes to achieve the American Dream. In this timely and revealing reflection, Alejandra draws from her own experiences to name and frame the challenges First and Onlys often face, illuminating a road to truth, healing, and change in the process.

Part memoir, part manifesto, FIRST GEN is a story of generational inheritance, aspiration, and the true meaning of belonging—a gripping journey to “reclaim the parts of ourselves we sacrificed in order to survive.”

fox woman get out! by India Lena González | Foreword by Aracelis Girmay | POETRY

Traveling from the corporeal to the cosmic, from life to death and back again, fox woman get out! is a full-throated performance of humanity in search of truth, ancestry, and artistic authenticity. Moving through themes of lineage, twinship, femininity and masculinity, reclamation of Indigeneity, dance, gender roles, and longing, González’s poems are a crescendo on the page. Part ecstatic elegy, part spell, this is a betwixt poetics, a kaleidoscopic, disruptive, and meditative work.

The Devil of the Provinces by Juan Cárdenas | Translated by Lizzie Davis | ADULT FICTION

When a biologist returns to Colombia after fifteen years abroad, he quickly becomes entangled in the trappings of his past and his increasingly bizarre present: the unsolved murder of his brother, a boarding school where girls give birth to strange creatures, a chance encounter with his irrevocably changed first love. A brush with a well-connected acquaintance leads to a biotechnology job offer, and he’s gradually drawn into a web of conspiracy. Ultimately, he may be destined to remain in the city he’d hoped never to see again―in The Devil of the Provinces, nothing is as it seems.

As Long as You Love Me by Marianna Leal | ADULT FICTION

Catalina Diaz Solis needs just a few things to achieve her dream: her student visa, a full-time job, and to get Gabriel Cabrera out of her head. Since leaving Venezuela after her brother was killed in a political protest, Cata has been working to finish her Engineering degree, and now she’s in line for a full-time job that will allow her to stay in the United States. A major wrinkle in her plans is Gabe, the campus babe. He’s always in Cata’s way, competing for top grades and poised to take the job at their internship.

Gabe seems to have it all; he succeeds without trying and is extremely good-looking. It makes hard-working Cata endlessly frustrated. But when Gabe needs a plus-one for his brother’s wedding, he strikes a deal: Cata will be his fake date, and he’ll step out of the running for the job she desperately needs. As they attend events together, Cata discovers there’s more to her nemesis than she ever imagined. It’s all fun and games until Cata’s visa renewal is rejected, and Gabe complicates things with a new proposal that might either solve all her problems or destroy her dreams. Cata will have to put everything on the line to follow her heart.

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 19

Colorful Mondays: A Bookmobile Spreads Hope in Honduras by Nelson Rodríguez and Leonardo Agustín Montes | Illustrated by Rosana Faría and Carla Tabora | Translated by Lawrence Schimel | PICTURE BOOK

A beautiful, empowering story about the impact of literacy in underprivileged communities, based on a real bookmobile program in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Luis’s favorite day of the week is Monday, the day the bookmobile comes to his neighborhood. In Villa Nueva, sad stories can gather like dark, stormy clouds. But at the bookmobile, Luis hears stories that burst with life, laughter, and color. Maybe today will bring a song or a puppet show! He might even get to pick a book to read on his own. Every new Monday fills Luis and his neighbors with a joy they can’t help but bring back home.

Candelaria by Melissa Lozada-Oliva | ADULT FICTION

Your granddaughters are lost, Candelaria. Bianca, the brainy archaeologist, had to forfeit her life's work in Guatemala after her advisor seduced and deserted her. Paola, missing for over a decade, resurfaces in Boston as a brainwashed wellness cultist named Zoe. And Candy, the youngest, is a recovering addict who finds herself pregnant by a man she's not even sure ever existed. None of this concerns you of course, until a cataclysmic earthquake hits Boston. Now you must traverse the crumbling city to reach the Watertown Mall Old Country Buffet—for a reason you still cannot disclose—battling strange entities and your own strange past to save your granddaughters and possibly the world.

A sweeping, mystical novel following three generations of women as they grapple with muddled pasts and predetermined futures, Candelaria is a story of love that eats us alive.

ON SALE SEPTEMBER 26

Undiscovered by Gabriela Wiener | Translated by Julia Sanches | ADULT FICTION

Alone in a museum in Paris, Gabriela Wiener finds herself confronted by her complicated family heritage. Visiting an exhibition of pre-Columbian artifacts, she peers at countless sculptures of Indigenous faces each nearly identical to her own and recognizes herself in them – but the man responsible for pillaging them was her own great-great-grandfather, Austrian colonial explorer Charles Wiener. Wiener’s “grand” contribution to history: the near rediscovery of Machu Picchu, nearly 4,000 plundered artifacts, a book about Peru, and a bastard child.

In the wake of her father's death, Gabriela begins to unpack the legacy that is her birthright. From the brutal racism she encounters in her ancestor Charles's book to her father's infidelity, she traces a cycle of abandonment, jealousy and colonial violence, in turn reframing her own personal struggles with desire, love, and race. As she explores the history of two continents, her investigation brings her closer and closer to the more intimate realm where both colonizer and colonized ultimately converge– the body– and her own desire to free it. Guided by a penetrating eye and fearsome wit, Undiscovered embarks the reader on a quest to pick up the pieces of something shattered long ago in the hopes of making it whole once again.

A British Girl's Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey | YOUNG ADULT

Winchester, England, has always been home for Flora, but when her mother dies after a long illness, Flora feels untethered. Her family expects her to apply to university and take a larger role in their tea-shop business, but Flora isn’t so sure. More than ever, she’s the chaotic “hurricane” in her household, and she doesn’t always know how to manage her stormy emotions.

So she decides to escape to Miami without telling anyone—especially her longtime friend Gordon Wallace.

But Flora’s tropical change of scenery doesn’t cast away her self-doubt. When it comes to university, she has no idea which passions she should follow. That’s also true in romance. Flora’s summer abroad lands her in the flashbulb world of teen influencer Baz Marín, a Miami Cuban who shares her love for photography. But Flora’s more conflicted than ever when she begins to see future architect Gordon in a new light.

Skyscraper Babies by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre | Illustrated by Juliet Menéndez | PICTURE BOOK

This perfectly poetic story is an ode to family and nature in the big city. Squirrels and humans alike rush to get from place to place, all returning to their nooks and nests at the end of the day atop skyscrapers, amidst the stars. This gentle text is sure to lull little ones to sleep as well as instill the importance of coexisting with the natural world.

Salsa Magic by Letisha Marrero | MIDDLE GRADE

Thirteen-year-old Maya Beatriz Montenegro Calderon has vivid recurring dreams where she hears the ocean calling her. Mami’s side of the family is known as “Los Locos,” so maybe she actually is going crazy. But no time for that; the family business is where it’s at. Whenever Maya, her sister Salma, and her three cousins, Ini, Mini, and Mo, aren’t at school, you can usually find three generations of Calderones at CaféTaza, serving up sandwiches de pernil, mofongo, and the best cafés con leche in all of Brooklyn.

One day, an unexpected visit from the estranged Titi Yaya from Puerto Rico changes everything. Because Yaya practices santeria, Abuela tells Maya and the other Calderon children are told to stay away from her. But If la viejita is indeed estranged from the family, why does Maya feel so connected to this woman she has never met before? And who is this orisha named Yemaya? On top of figuring all this out, Maya has a budding soccer career to consider, while fending off the local bully, and dealing with nascent feelings toward her teammate. But through it all, there’s that alluring connection to a forbidden ancient practice–filled with a pantheon of Yoruban gods and goddesses–that keeps tugging at her, offering her a new perspective in life, tying her past to her present and future. Which path will Maya choose to fulfill her destiny?

Review and Author Q & A: Infested by Angel Luis Colón

“I can’t remember a time I hated my mother and my stepfather more than the summer before my senior year.”

Anger boils in the opening of Angel Luis Colón’s young adult debut novel, Infested (out now by MTV Books). Manny Rivera is seething over his parents’ decision to uproot him and his baby sister, Grace, from San Antonio to the Bronx. He’s now without friends, without a car, and to make matters worse: he’s been tasked with helping out in his family’s new home—a luxury condo building his stepfather, Al, is managing. Al’s job is to get the Blackrock Glen ready for tenants—and there’s a tight deadline.

One small light in this new gloomy chapter for Manny is a budding friendship with Sasha, an outspoken Afro-Latina who is protesting Blackrock Glen even as she and her family plan to move there. And he meets Mr. Mueller, an exterminator hired to rid the building of roaches, and who seems to take a liking to Manny. Mr. Mueller looks to be in his seventies, with a messy mop of hair and sunken eyes.

As Manny starts to address issues in different apartments throughout Blackrock Glen, he finds cockroaches—“creepy, crawly, little shit-born roaches with twitching antennae and creepy legs.” Then comes the nightmares, followed by more incidents with the insects. And even more sinister, Manny notices that contractors hired to do jobs in the new building are missing.

After some digging, Manny and Sasha come to the paralyzing realization that the Mr. Mueller they see around the neighborhood is no longer alive. He actually died decades ago in a fire, in the same exact location where Manny’s new building is. And it was one that Mr. Mueller himself set.

Colón’s graphic body horror descriptions paired with commentary on themes like gentrification, race and class, make Infested not only a deeply entertaining story, but an important one. Readers new to horror may also get a thrill out of the major ick factor moments in the book. And threaded throughout expertly is food for thought about the navigation of Puerto Rican identity, and one’s place in Latinx culture.

Will Manny be able to save his family from an unhinged ghost determined to repeat history?

On behalf of Latinx in Publishing, I spoke with Colón about the inspiration behind Infested, the horror subgenre of body horror, and more.

“Colón’s graphic body horror descriptions paired with commentary on themes like gentrification, race and class, make “Infested” not only a deeply entertaining story, but an important one.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo (AC): Congratulations on Infested! This is your YA debut novel. What inspired you to tell this story?

Angel Luis Colón (ALC): Initially I had been thinking about YA for a little while. I was coming from the adult crime fiction scene, and I wasn’t getting a lot of fulfillment out of it. I was very hesitant to write about my experience as a Puerto Rican from New York in that space, because of a lot of the negative stigmas that are perpetuated about Puerto Ricans—especially in crime fiction. You see TV, you know, all those things.

So I thought about: How do I write about these things I want to write about, in a different space that maybe is a little safer—that’ll let me explore things? My agent came to me with the news that MTV Books was coming back, and they were looking for ideas. We were having beers, and something just kind of struck me as an idea I wanted to look into. I pitched it to him, and then we pitched it to MTV, and it kind of blew up from there.

At first, it was like an interesting idea, right? But I think YA lets you explore things a little more allegorically. You can kind of go a little crazier. When that clicked, I was like, well, wait a second. There’s a lot of things we can talk about the Puerto Rican experience, at least in New York, and also bridge my upbringing in with it. As most Nuyoricans will know, you’re blanquito growing up. There’s a level of privilege that comes with that. There’s a level of issues that come with it, as well. But I decided I wanted to write a story about that point a white Latino has where you got to decide: Are you going to embrace the privilege? Or are you going to think about your place within your culture, and what role you can play to help it?

AC: Your main character, Manny, starts off feeling like he hates his mother and stepfather for moving their family from Texas to the Bronx, in the summer before his senior year. At first I chalked this up to teen angst, but there are other dynamics at play when it comes to his relationship with his parents. What message were you hoping to send by highlighting this tension between a child and his parents?

ALC: I found an opportunity with that because I thought about my own tensions with my family coming up. It goes back to what it is to be Nuyorican, Puerto Rican. On paper, however you would describe it, I guess I’m third-generation American. Being Puerto Rican makes it funny to describe it like that, right? Because we were made American on paper, and whatever that means, too, but I digress.

But there are very stark differences between generations. And I realized a lot of my own angst came from how much more Americanized I was from my mother, versus how much more Americanized she was from her mother. You think about all these milestones we look at culturally. And, like you said, a senior in high school is so important, right? But really, is it? It’s important because we’ve been told it’s important. And there are reasons for it being important, like college and all that. But to a teen’s mind, they look at it as important because they’ve been told all of their lives. When I thought about all that (older) generation, my mom never cared. That wasn’t something that she had to care about. For her and her generation, senior (year) in high school was the end. There was no college. There was no thought beyond that. You went straight to work. So I wanted to play around with that.

I thought hard about how I had the privilege of being like, ‘Well, this is such a pivotal time in my life. I’m going to have college.’ And the people older than me are like, ‘What are you talking about? You gotta live.’ It helped me with that balance between how his mother and stepfather were just kind of like ‘We’re moving. This is an opportunity. Why are you so upset?’ They don’t grasp it, because, to them, they’re doing the right thing based on where they’re coming. In their minds, providing for family and working are the two most important things. But to Manny, he has had the privilege to be able to have a little more long-term thinking. So for him, he’s like, ‘Well, I hadn’t started yet. What are you talking about?’

AC: Your book definitely has the ick factor by way of body horror. There are moments that had me looking around to make sure there are no roaches near me. What was it like for you to bring this subgenre of horror to a younger audience?

ALC: That was really important to me. I actually thought about that a lot, and I wrote about it recently for CrimeReads. My first horror movie was the 80s remake of The Thing. I was only five years old, and my uncles thought it would be hysterical to show it to us—me and my three cousins. I ran out of the room. I was mortified and just completely traumatized.

I was not a fan of horror until maybe five or six years later, and we saw this movie called The Gate. It was awful, but it made me realize that you can find different types of horror. And then I would go back to the crazier stuff but I realized, when you’re young, that stuff is very scary. I look at my own kids and see how they react to certain things, and I’m like, ‘Oh, OK.’

I wanted to think about it that way—what can I write for somebody who is kind of like a gateway? Isn’t too extreme, but isn’t too nice either. Something that one reader out there will be like, ‘I want to check out some other stuff.’ I got a kick out of that.

AC: When Manny meets Mr. Mueller, the building’s exterminator seems friendly. Manny and his new friend, Sasha, later discovers that Mr. Mueller is a specter who espouses certain beliefs about their Bronx neighborhood. Can you share how you landed on this paranormal aspect while writing the novel?

ALC: Initially I wasn’t going to, but then I felt like that was a little too real. I grew up in the Bronx. I was actually born in Texas—where I pulled the Texas thing for Manny from—but I was only there for a couple years. My parents divorced, and I kind of grew up solo and I was raised by my grandparents and different men throughout my life. A lot of them served as mentors, but also were very entrenched in their way of thinking. So I pulled a lot of that into Mr. Mueller—it’s having this person that you can bond with that is problematic. That was very common when I was growing up in the Bronx, because you have this very weird melting pot of folks. And a lot of the older folks would have incredibly antiquated views, and they were very stuck in their ways.

There was one guy I grew up with, the father of my mother’s best friend. He was an incredibly racist old man. It was a very complicated relationship with him, because he had a charm about him. You can get along with him and he would make you laugh, but then he would say something that was just insane. It was easy for him. It wasn't even awkward. So I wanted to channel into how that hate becomes like an infestation. It’s something that you can’t just scrub out.

At first, we were gonna keep Mueller pretty grounded, but I felt like that was just way too real. And I really wanted to go into the paranormal things. So we decided: How do you create a character that’s allegorical to that, and is kind of like this physical manifestation of that grime that grows on people’s souls? It clicked: We’ll make him make him a ghost, and we can loop in Bronx history into that.

AC: In Infested there’s an added storyline about gentrification, class, and this question of who belongs where. Can you talk about your decision to anchor your book in these themes?

ALC: If you’re not from the Bronx, there’s always a stigma around the Bronx. Growing up, when people would meet me, they’d be like ‘You’re tough. You’ve seen people explode or die.’ Lots of nonsense. And that all stems out of the 70s, when the Bronx was on fire and you had the influx of lots of Latino and Black people that were leaving the island when Harlem was being gentrified, actually. I grew up with that stigma, and at the tail end of the worst times that the Bronx had.

Yeah, I saw some things, but there’s still humanity to the neighborhood. There’s still a very proud culture to it. I think the Bronx had this distinction of having that stigma working for them, in a way that gentrifiers avoided the Bronx. So when Brooklyn was really getting built up, people just ignored the Bronx. Then that changed, and when I’d visit I started seeing new buildings, things were shifting, and rents were going up. And for a while, I kind of deluded myself into thinking ‘Well, we’ll never let this happen. We’re too in here. We’re too strong.’ You can tell yourself that, but money at the end of the day is always going to beat you if you don’t have it to fight back. And I began to see real changes in the neighborhoods I grew up around.

At first you’re like, ‘A new building can’t be a bad thing. New businesses can’t be a bad thing, right?’ But you begin to realize these businesses aren’t meant for the people there. And that’s where the real problem starts. I thought a lot about that, and realizing that the Bronx is changing now. And it’s a bummer to me. Growing up in the neighborhood I grew up in, you don’t want to see what made that neighborhood so special to you change. I always felt like I was a very fortunate person growing up in the Bronx. I was able to be around Latino people, I was able to be around Black folk, Asian folk. It was really cool. And it’s such a bummer to think about that going away. I wanted to really get into that, and I thought it would be an interesting thing to have the main character of the story be part of the problem. Maybe not by choice, but he’s there and he’s living in this building.

AC: What are you hoping young readers take away from Infested?

ALC: When I really got into things, I realized I was putting a book together that I wanted to read at that age. I wanted to write a book for a blanquito who is out there, maybe in the same situation I was at that age and other white Latinos are—where you’re at that impasse. You can embrace your privilege and be the token of a white group, and continue on some weird path. Or you can sit back and begin to think about your culture and what you can do for it, and how you can be a better ally to the Black folks in the Latine culture. They’re consistently written-off people who are part of you as well. And that first step to decolonization. I really was invested in that.

I didn’t want to be another Latin writer who was just playing around in the marginalized space to make white people feel comfortable. That was a big concern of mine, especially thinking about my own privileges. Because, very often, white Latine writers, white Latine performers, and other creators are used, to be tokens—to make that check, where it’s like, ‘We got the representation.’ So I very much wanted to call that out. And I wanted the book to be about colorism and gentrification because of that.

I wanted to push back against those two pieces. The two pieces that I always see are either using us for our pain, or using us as a filler to provide safe stories. It’s tough to navigate, and you never know if you get it quite right. That’s the hard part about it, because it’s complex. But my hope is that readers take that, and that readers like that. I want everyone to be able to see maybe a little of themselves in the story through Sasha, or through someone else like Manny. And see the things that they grew up around, at least represented somehow.

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Angel Luis Colón is a Derringer Award and Anthony Award-nominated author writer of HELL CHOSE ME, the Blacky Jaguar novella series, NO HAPPY ENDINGS, and the short story collection MEAT CITY ON FIRE AND OTHER ASSORTED DEBACLES. His fiction has appeared in multiple web and print publications including Thuglit, Literary Orphans, and Great Jones Street. His debut YA novel, INFESTED, comes out in July 2023. Keep up with him on Twitter via @GoshDarnMyLife.

Amaris Castillo is a journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family and dog, Brooklyn.

Q & A: Elizabeth Santiago, author of The Moonlit Vine

The Moonlit Vine follows Taina Perez, a young girl who begins a journey of self-discovery when her abuela tells her that she is a direct descendant of Anacaona, a beloved Taino leader. Spurred by a history class project, trouble at school, and unrest in her local community, Taina is lead down a path to find her strength and the magic of her ancestors.

I was given the opportunity to read The Moonlit Vine from debut author Elizabeth Santiago and as someone who is Puerto Rican, I was drawn to this book because of its focus on Puerto rican history and ancestry. This young adult novel touches on many themes like family, culture and feminine power. It was a heart warming story that made my inner child feel seen.

On behalf of Latinx in Publishing, I had the lovely opportunity to ask Elizabeth Santiago some questions about her story. I hope that her answers move you as much as they moved me, and that you find yourself reaching for this incredible book.

“This young adult novel touches on many themes, like family, culture and feminine power. It was a heart warming story that made my inner child feel seen.”

Tereza Lopez (TL): Where did you get the inspiration to write this book? Could you talk a bit about your writing process for your debut novel?

Elizabeth Santiago (ES): I wrote The Moonlit Vine when I was in a doctoral program at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. I wrote it because after a number of years of researching educational outcomes of Latinx students, I ran up against symptoms and not root causes. Why were some of us struggling in school? For me, it was not a question I could answer without going back to colonialization. I wanted to write about how the past still affects us in present day, yet the doctoral research and dissertation process didn’t give me the freedom I needed to present a more sweeping narrative. The creative part of my soul urged me to write The Moonlit Vine and that story allowed me to present a more complete picture of the challenges some of us have faced in present-day educational systems. Writing this novel awakened a deep desire to tell stories and diminished my desire to be an academic researcher to be honest. While I completed the doctoral program and am proud of what I accomplished, I will always look to storytelling as a way to present a complete picture of reality.

(TL): Mourning, grief, and community are large themes throughout this book for many different characters. Could you touch on what it was like writing those themes? What does community mean for you and how it relates to your book, especially for Juana?

(ES): With The Moonlit Vine, I wanted to represent generational trauma, colonialism, fighting for survival, and how all of those things mix to create a person, a family, a community, and a culture. For me, my story begins with the native people of Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico because that’s when certain seeds got planted that have grown into the messy weeds we have today. That’s what The Moonlit Vine is about. The artifacts depicted in the book are symbols of the knowledge they had that got handed down generation after generation. Instead of perpetuating this narrative that the Taíno did not survive, I wanted to present that we are, in fact, still here. Our ancestors knew what they were up against and ensured their survival through the tools they had in their possession.

Much of our culture, traditions and history get passed down from our elders, in particular our abuelas. I have always had a strong connection to the women in my family – the ones I know and the ones that have passed on. It’s hard to explain, but I feel their presence. I feel women, in particular, walking with me through life. I have always felt that and writing The Moonlit Vine gave me the opportunity to express the appreciation, love and awe I have for our ancestors.

I’m so glad you asked about Juana because she was one of my favorite characters to write! She is a compilation of all my Puerto Rican aunties who always showed up ready to act and help. Juana loves her family and her community, and she is much beloved in Puerto Rico where she lives. I have written a complete backstory for Juana and one day I’m going to write a story from her perspective. There’s a bit of Juana in all of us Boricuas!

(TL): Who do you think the ideal reader for this book is? What can readers expect to gain from reading The Moonlit Vine?

(ES): As I wrote this book, parts of me began to heal. I had a better handle on the historical forces and situations that made me, me. I can’t say whether others will walk away feeling the same, but I sincerely hope readers will take away the message of love – love of our ancestors and hope for the future. That communities are better together, and that young people can change the world for the better. I wrote the book as a love letter to Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, but I think anyone who is interested in the universal themes of the book will enjoy it.

(TL): I have family from Puerto Rico but was raised in the States, so I did not have access to a lot of Puerto Rican culture growing up. Reading this book was a very magical experience for me and I feel like I learned a lot about Puerto Rico and its ancestral culture. Could you talk about research you did on the generations of strong female ancestors that are mentioned throughout this book?

(ES): Thank you for sharing your experience! A lot of our history hasn’t been documented, so I listened to my mother’s stories and tales from my family who lived on the island. A common thing people say is that Puerto Ricans are made up of Taíno, African, and Spanish ancestry. Growing up I knew a lot about the Spanish and a little less about my African ancestors, but very little to nothing about my Taíno ancestors. And I looked for many years! What is documented comes from early journal writings, letters, and stories shared by Spanish (and other) colonizers—stories that have created the dominant narrative that the Taíno did not survive.

That false narrative has been debunked through the prevalence of DNA testing. (Well, our elders already knew the narrative was false, but science finally caught up). With renewed excitement, I continued to research and learn. I read all I could on the Taíno, and I continued to listen to stories from family members. When I was writing the historical vignettes, I let my imagination fill in the blanks. I was determined to present the Taíno as strategic—a people who understood that genocide was happening and fought in ways that ensured their survival even if not necessarily on their own terms. I thought about all of the wonderful women in my life and how the past is connected to the present. I searched for books that described all these connections, but I couldn’t find a work of fiction or nonfiction that shared what I hoped to understand or express.

At a 1981 speech to the Ohio Arts Council, the late amazing literary genius Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” I took those words seriously, which is what set me on the journey to write The Moonlit Vine. A book to name how vital the Taíno were to not only my survival, but also the survival of my family and many, many others. How much their joy, intelligence, and love continue to shape me and others to the present day. This novel is my way of sharing my deep gratitude and respect for them.

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Elizabeth Santiago grew up in Boston, MA with parents who migrated from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico in the 1960s. The youngest of nine, Elizabeth was entranced by the stories her mother, father, aunts and uncles, and community elders told her. Later, she sought to capture and honor those narratives and share them with the world. She earned a BFA in creative writing from Emerson College, a master’s in education from Harvard University, and a PhD in education studies from Lesley University. She still lives in Boston with her husband Kevin and son Ezekiel, but travels to Puerto Rico as often as she can to feel even closer to her ancestors, culture, and heritage. Find her @liznarratives

Tereza Lopez (she/her) is a recent graduate from Clark University with a double major in English and history. She attended Clark University again in Fall 2021 and obtained a Master’s in communication. When she is not studying, you can find her obsessively reading or taking care of her new kitten.

Most Anticipated August 2023 Reads

August is almost ending but what better way to make the best of the remaining sunny summer days than with a few new additions to our ever-growing TBR’s! Below are my most anticipated reads for the month, expect to find lots of magic, female empowerment, and self-discovery.

Family Lore: A Novel by Elizabeth Acevedo | On Sale August 1

National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo has graced us with her first adult novel—a much anticipated read on my list this year! Acevedo is a great storyteller and has a way of writing such lyrical and intimate stories that have made me a huge fan, no doubt Family Lore will be another emotional and unforgettable read. In her newest novel, Acevedo unravels the family history of the Marte women, weaving the past and present, from Santo Domingo to New York City, spanning the three days before a living wake requested by Flor, the Marte sister with a gift for predicting death. Family secrets, magic, and sisterhood are just some of the elements you can expect from this novel.

Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel | Translated by Rosalind Harvey | On Sale August 8

When I think of women’s fiction, I think of books like Still Born. When friends, Alina and Laura, find themselves at opposite ends of parenthood—while Laura makes the decision to have her tubes tied, Alina pursues her desire to be a mother—both are forced to confront their notions of childbirth, family, and friendship. Nettel is "one of the leading lights in contemporary Latin American literature" (Valeria Luisell, author of Lost Children Archive) for a very clear reason, her novel explores one of the most lived experiences for women: the societal pressures and expectations of motherhood. Human experiences are universal no matter the language and thanks to translators like Rosalind Harvey, we get to explore stories like this one.

Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Writing by Latine Women Edited by Sandra Guzman | On Sale August 15

I love anthologies, especially ones that feature such a diverse set of contributors. The talented multimedia storyteller Sandra Guzman brings together 140 literary voices to form a strong collection of poems, speeches, letters, essays, memoirs, short stories, songs, chants, and novels to highlight and celebrate the work of Latine women of our past, present, and future. I’m excited to read works from some of my favorite writers like Elizabeth Acevedo (see above), Jamaica Kincaid, and Karla Cornejo Villavicencio; I’m equally excited to discover and familiarize myself with new voices and genres. 

Contributors also include Julia Alvarez, Norma Cantú, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Angie Cruz, Edwidge Danticat, Lila Downs, Conceição Evaristo, Sonia Guiñasaca, María Hinojosa, Celeste Mohammed, Cherrié Moraga, Angela Morales, Nancy Morejón, Anaïs Nin, Julia Wong, and many more.

A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban | On Sale August 29

Initially, it was the purple and pink of the cover that drew me in, but it was the synopsis that sealed the deal. Set throughout two timelines, one in contemporary Miami and the other in 1980s Cuba, we witness how magic and family secrets have intertwined the lives of Lela, Delfi, and Anita. When they receive premonitions of a killer targeting brujas, twins Lela and Delfi, are forced to defy the order from their mother to stay away from magic; meanwhile, in Cuba, Anita is desperate to escape the magic that surrounds her thanks to her mother’s cult. This exciting YA fantasy is set to be a promising page-turner I can’t wait to get a hold of.

Book Review: How to Speak in Spanglish by Mónica Mancillas, illustrated by Olivia de Castro

I know that I am not the only one who speaks Spanglish, but when you are younger, you feel like you are.  I am what you would call “middle-aged”, however, the woman staring back at me from the mirror is my mother and not me.  As I read How to Speak in Spanglish by Mónica Mancillas, I was transported back to a different time and place. I remembered my mom and dad saying that they sent me to a private school hoping that I would learn to speak “perfect” English, in order to and fit in.  This story is a reminder of what growing up in two worlds can be like.

“This story is a reminder of what growing up in two worlds can be like. . .You will fall in love with Sami and his vibrant, Spanglish filled, world. ”

How to Speak in Spanglish is beautifully written, lighthearted, and able to address what it is like to grow up with two languages in your head, while trying to make sense of it all. You will fall in love with Sami and appreciate how he can make the two languages work together. Mixing two worlds is not easy but Sami does an excellent job of it and even conveniences his Abuela to give speaking Spanglish a try. The feel of this book touches you from the very first scene and captivates you with the familiarities of the two worlds that Sami can artfully craft together. Despite the opposition that Sami faces he can convince others to give Spanglish a try.  You will love and appreciate this story even if you do not speak Spanish, Spanglish or even English.  You will see how being caught between two worlds can be as interesting as you make it.

The illustrations from Olivia de Castro are also beautiful. They add to the color and flare of this heartwarming story. You will fall in love with Sami and his vibrant, Spanglish filled, world.

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Mónica Mancillas writes picture books, along with middle-grade nonfiction and fiction, that center on identity, culture, and mental health. She was born in Ensenada, Baja California, and then moved to the United States at the age of two. She is an alumna of the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts and has a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Angela “Angie” Ybarra is a senior student enrolled in the Nontraditional Degree Program (NDP) at Northeastern Illinois University. She hopes to work as a grant writer to assist local nonprofit organizations that address the issues of gentrification within Chicago's NorthWest side and help them find funding for their work. Angie loves to give her audience the opportunity to formulate their own views by presenting the facts or points of interest with the hope to move her audience into action.

“Journalism is what maintains democracy. It’s the force for progressive social change.” —Andrew Vachss, Author

Review and Author Q & A: Saving Chupie by Amparo Ortiz and Illustrated by Ronnie Garcia

Saving Chupie opens to a beaming Violeta Rubio, who has just landed in Puerto Rico. She is thrilled to be on the island for the first time ever. And she’s here with her parents on a mission: to help her Abuelita get resettled.

Hurricane María—the deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the island in 2017—had forced Violeta’s grandmother to leave behind her apartment and beloved restaurant for Violeta’s home in Florida.

“I’m gonna help Abuelita get everything back to normal so she can stay for good,” Violeta narrates. “She’ll never ever be sad again.”

There’s just one problem. Violeta’s parents and grandmother won’t let her help with anything, and now she’s bored here without friends. But that quickly changes when she meets Diego, the son of a butcher who used to sell meat to Abuelita for her restaurant. Violeta learns then of rumors that the chupacabra is to blame for recent attacks on animals belonging to a local meat supplier.

The belief in the creature’s existence is laughable to Violeta. “I won’t believe until I see one with my own eyes,” she thinks to herself. When Diego and his best friend, Lorena, ask for help in capturing the chupacabra, Violeta sees a chance to develop true friendships on the island. So while searching for the creature alone, Violeta is shocked to stumble into one. And she discovers that he’s not the monstrous beast others have painted him to be. This chupacabra is adorable, even. She names him Chupie.

Now Violeta finds herself in a web of secrecy as she tries to keep Chupie out of sight. And soon there’s a new threat she and her friends must navigate—protecting the creature from an international network of smugglers and monster hunters.

Author Amparo Ortiz and illustrator Ronnie Garcia have brought readers an irresistible middle grade graphic novel filled with heart, adventure, and friendship. It also does not shy away from the harsh realities that Puerto Ricans had to face in the aftermath of Hurricane María. Garcia’s illustrations, paired with Amparo’s text, breathe vibrancy and warmth to this story. The Eisner Award-winning artist also did a wonderful job in reimagining a familiar legendary creature in Puerto Rico’s folklore.

“Author Amparo Ortiz and illustrator Ronnie Garcia have brought readers an irresistible middle grade graphic novel filled with heart, adventure, and friendship.”

On behalf of Latinx in Publishing, I spoke with Ortiz about the chupacabra, what it was like to work on this unique story with Garcia, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo (AC): Congratulations on Saving Chupie! This is your first middle grade graphic novel, and I read that you auditioned for the opportunity. What attracted you to this project?

Amparo Ortiz (AO): Indeed it is my very first middle grade, and my very first full-length graphic novel by myself. I’m very much used to writing short story comics, so this was a challenge and also an item on my bucket list—which is why I was initially attracted to the idea of auditioning. But I was heavily intimidated with the idea as well. And that’s precisely my formula for why I should do things in this industry: Does it challenge me? Is it intimidating? Good, let’s go.

AC: Your main character, Violeta, is visiting Puerto Rico for the first time with her family to help Abuelita revive her restaurant. We learn almost immediately that this takes place after Hurricane María. Why was it important for you to set the story during this period of recovery?

AO: When the story pitch came to me, it was already set during this period, and in a town that feels like my hometown because it’s my neighbor. I felt like this was a piece of home that I, of course, could have left someone else to write, but I just felt called to it because it was familiar. It was real. It was something that didn’t gloss over those post-María lifestyles, mindsets, and harsh realities. I felt like I could tackle that in a way that still honored what makes us beautiful, which is yes, our resilience.

But I think that’s kind of a cliche—saying Puerto Ricans are about resilience, or anyone in the Caribbean is about resilience. That sense of community stems from always being there for each other, but within these cultures and these separate countries, there are realities that are not shared. Seeing it from the perspective of someone who still lives here and is aware of things that maybe someone who is either diaspora, or who has never been to Puerto Rico don’t see as closely, is an added special touch that I could bring forth.

AC: I remember when chupacabras were all over the news. There were reported sightings in Puerto Rico and other countries, and there was some fear—as well as speculation. In Saving Chupie, the beast that Violeta finds does not appear to be the dangerous threat her friends think it is. What was it like to reimagine the chupacabra for this story?

AO: It was such a blast, honestly, because I have always been a horror fan, but through film and television. So when it came time to develop what Chupie was like, and the lore behind what Chupie is or what Chupie could be, I felt like this was a twist on something that I grew up actually hearing about. I was born in the 80s, and in the 90s we had a resurgence of the myth or the scares in Puerto Rico. The mayor of my hometown constantly went on hunting trips to find the chupacabra. So I felt like it was a nod to my past and something that I grew up with, but that I never really took seriously, not even as a child.

I do relate to Violeta when she is just super anti-believing this is real. Having a child question fantasy is something that I also had no experience with, in the fiction that I was consuming, because children are often quicker to believe that fantastical things are real. And so she was like, ‘Well, that’s ridiculous. Why would there be a monstrous creature roaming around town? It makes no sense. Y’all are just weird.’ It’s something that stems from the fact that she is not an islander herself. Most islanders in the book—and in reality—would be a little bit more partial to honoring whatever lore they’ve grown up listening to, or they’ve actually encountered in some way. And in this case, she simply is just straight out straddling that line between ‘Well, I grew up in Florida and I feel like gators are our worst nightmares there. There’s no monster here.’

AC: There’s another storyline here about the adults in Violeta’s life, particularly her Abuela, not wanting to accept her help. What message were you hoping to send by highlighting this tension?

AO: This is twofold, because as Latinas we live in what is considered a patriarchal society, a lot of which is evidenced through our daily conversations, how we live our lives, and the consequences of our choices. When it comes to how Abuelita reacts to accepting help, she is saying ‘no’ out of survival. She has to basically carry weight on her shoulders that isn’t hers, but she accepts it as hers simply because she knows she is lightening the load for others. And that is a very Latina thing to do.

It’s generational, because I feel like now you would speak to grandchildren who maybe don’t have any weight on their shoulders. They might have other loads.. They’re trying to figure out how to live, how to provide, how to survive. With an Abuelita and a Violeta, we have two very different people who approach life differently, but what they share is a love for each other and a love for their community. That’s something that is going to propel both of them into making compromises.

One of the main things I want readers to take away from Saving Chupie—whether they are Violeta’s age or Abuelita’s age—is for them to look within, and see where am I burdening myself? Where am I choosing to lighten someone else’s load, but I’m actually just making life harder for myself? And not honoring rest, not honoring compassion, not honoring mercy for what I really want to be.

AC: The illustrations by artist Ronnie Garcia are vivid and filled with so much expressiveness. What did you think of the job they did in helping to tell this story visually?

AO: I cannot properly explain how I felt when I first opened an email from my editor, Carolina Ortiz, with Ronnie’s art. For the audition, I actually saw Ronnie’s art first before I ever saw anything regarding the script because Ronnie had been hired first. Their designs were the ones that I saw as inspiration for the rest of the work. When I saw the initial sketches, I felt like I knew where it was going in terms of the humor, the heart. I knew what kind of person Violeta was. I knew what kind of creature Chupie was.

And then when I saw my first pages that I specifically scripted with Ronnie’s art, I literally lost all sense of control and I kind of squealed. I can’t remember the noise I made, but it’s definitely not a human noise. I remember emailing everyone back, like ‘I am not alive anymore. This is not real life.’ Because it’s the first time that I’d ever seen my art illustrated, and in that way. It was a full-length work, and everything was already sketched. I DM Ronnie all the time, like ‘You are not even real to me.’

AC: What are you hoping readers take away from Saving Chupie?

AO: The main goal is for them to truly enjoy a story set somewhere that maybe they’re not too familiar with, and that they can appreciate the high jinks, humor and heart through someone who is just as unhinged as I was as a child, but who is also as loving, and caring, and selfless as I want to be every single day. Violeta is mostly what I was and who I wish to be, or continue to be. Maybe that will capture the attention of the reader—this sense of adventure and magic in our world. At the same time, I want them to see someone who truly does put others first, but never gives up on her values and what she stands for.

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Amparo Ortiz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and currently lives on the island’s northeastern coast. While Blazewrath Games is her debut novel, Saving Chupie is her first book for middle grade readers. Her short story comic, “What Remains in the Dark,” appears in the Eisner Award-winning anthology Puerto Rico Strong. She holds a master of arts in English and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Puerto Rico’s Río Piedras campus. When she’s not teaching ESL to her college students, she’s streaming K-pop music videos, vlogging for her eponymous YouTube channel, and writing about Latinx characters in worlds both contemporary and fantastical. Follow her shenanigans at www.amparoortiz.com.

Eisner Award-winning artist Ronnie Garcia is a queer Puerto Rican illustrator with experience in comics and visual development. With a range of storytelling experience from middle grade to young adult, their signature talent involves designing creatures of the tooth variety. They have illustrated for several independent anthologies and books, and currently teach young artists in their community. When they’re not drawing pictures or working with young artists, they can be found huddled in a blanket fort working on puzzles and eating fruit snacks.

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family and dog, Brooklyn.

Review and Author Q & A: Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera

Barely Floating begins with a splash—both literally and figuratively. Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago (also known as Nat) dares her brother’s friend, Beto, to a race at her local Inglewood pool. The 12-year-old proud gorda is certain that she can out-swim him, and she’s willing to bet money on it. Ten bucks, to be exact.

“From here to the full length of the pool,” Nat tells Beto as a crowd grows around them. “C’mon. What are you afraid of?”

In this forthcoming middle grade novel, the image of a self-assured Latina girl in Los Angeles came early to Pura Belpré Honor Award-winning author Lilliam Rivera. “I love this character,” Rivera said. “She is aware of her power, and that is because she grew up in this kind of environment where they really are about teaching that.”

It’s at this same pool where Nat bet Beto that she learns about synchronized swimming. When a local team, called the L.A. Mermaids, does a demonstration in the water, Nat immediately falls in love. But her activist mom and professor dad feel the sport is too body-conscious. Their no-for-now does not stop Nat, who devises a plan to join the team anyway. She enlists the help of her older cousin, Sheila, and soon dives into the world of synchronized swimming all while telling herself she’ll be able to convince her parents to let her stick with it.

Out on August 29, 2023, by Kokila Books, Barely Floating is a heartwarming and hilarious middle grade novel about a girl with an unforgettably fierce spirit who goes after what she wants. It’s a bumpy ride, but filled with moments both tender and funny. For her book, Rivera drew from personal experience as a synchronized swimming mom to expertly depict the world of synchronized swimming. Readers are also drawn close into issues related to class and the different tensions between girls and their mothers. There’s also an important lesson here in balance, on how sometimes we can’t do it all alone, instead we can seek community in helping us juggle what we need, to get the work done.

““Barely Floating” is a heartwarming and hilarious middle grade novel about a girl with an unforgettably fierce spirit who goes after what she wants. It’s a bumpy ride, but filled with moments both tender and funny. ”

On behalf of Latinx in Publishing, I spoke with Rivera about her new book, Barely Floating. She shared the inspiration behind the middle grade novel, what it was like to anchor Nat’s story in this sport, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo (AC): What inspired you to write this book?

Lilliam Rivera (LR): Barely Floating is inspired by my life as a synchronized swimming mom. My oldest daughter is in college now, but when she was about seven years old we would take her to the local public pool. She was just learning how to swim and (one day) a Latina coach there was like, ‘Do you wanna learn how to dance in the water?’ She wanted to, so then I looked for a team out here in LA that was inclusive. I found one team that’s in the city proper. It’s Black-owned, and she joined that team. I lived in that world with her for a few years, and this was before I even started writing books. But I would be known as the mother who would bring a laptop to the competitions because I would just spend a lot of time writing and observing that world.

It’s also inspired by young children; people that I know who fall in love with something and maybe they’re unable to voice why they love it, or maybe their parents don’t think it’s going to work out. Kids start and stop a lot of things at that age. I wanted to write about this character, Nat, who is very much grounded in what she believes in and lives in a family that’s so outspoken, politically active, and about community. And yet, they still have their own blind side when it comes to their own children. I really wanted to explore that aspect of growing up in that kind of environment.

AC: One thing I loved about your book is the confidence and grit Natalia has. She’s out here daring other kids into swim bets to make money. She’s also a proud gorda and knows she’s beautiful. What was it like crafting this character who, from the first page, seems so empowered?

LR: Nat came to me very early on. The first image was really that first chapter of her out-swimming somebody. She was ready. She knew she could beat whoever. I love this character. She is aware of her power, and that is because she grew up in this kind of environment where they really are about teaching that. I love this family, but I also love that they still fall short, even when they’re doing their very best.

Nat is very business-oriented. She is ready to get paid. To her, it’s like ‘I can do this. No one can tell me not to.’ That’s why she went on to join this team, and to negotiate who she could convince to help her in that: her cousin and her brother, and all the people involved to help her achieve her dream. I feel that is a reflection of her mother, who is also that person who is community-oriented. She’s (Natalia) learned that. That’s why she’s so fully formed in that way.

AC: From the moment Natalia falls in love with synchronized swimming and secretly tries out for a local team, much of her life is turned upside down. The L.A. Mermaids is Black-owned and diverse, but Natalia laters learns that as a whole the sport is white-dominated. Can you talk about your decision to anchor your book in this sport, and what Natalia’s story says about kids of color who may be in a similar situation?

LR: When we were going to these teams, I was really aware of the discrepancy between those who come from affluent neighborhoods and others who don’t. Being on a team itself is a lot of money, and even Nat notices. She sees all the fees. And this is the key: As a parent or guardian, you have to really figure out ways to offset these costs. It’s almost another job, trying to find ways of navigating these kinds of systems that are not meant to be inclusive. With Nat, she just tries. To me it’s all about a community. It’s the community that could try to figure out a way of making things happen. Nat relies on her cousin and her brother, but she’s also relying on her best friend, and her teammates, as well: ‘How can I go to this competition if I don’t have a ride?’ These are aspects of my own experience when I had my daughter involved (in artistic swimming) because it was a huge commitment. But I leaned on a lot of people.

With young people, you’re not doing this alone. It’s like, ‘How can I go about accomplishing a dream or whatever it is I want to do? If I want to do art, maybe someone I know is an artist. Maybe I could see them.’ Facilitating those kinds of conversations is such a white privilege thing. They say, ‘An overnight success,’ it’s not when you realize they knew somebody. They were able to get this job somehow, because they had a connection to someone. And that’s a skill set that we all have to do. It’s like, who do you know who could help you? I think that’s a goal for our community. Because that’s all we ever do, is help each other. That’s how we survive. Even young people can do that. That is the one thing that I would love readers to take away, that community doesn’t start with just adults. A community starts with your schoolmates, with your friends, with those around you. They can help you problem-solve in a way that maybe you didn’t think about.

AC: There’s a tension throughout your book between Natalia and her activist mom. Natalia is keenly aware of all the things her mom is against, which include synchronized swimming and the beauty standards in fashion magazines. Natalia has different views. What message were you hoping to send by highlighting this tension between a child and her parent?

LR: Relationships are all so complicated. It’s not just black and white. We’re really living in a kind of gray. I wanted that relationship between Nat and her mom to reflect that—in the sense that they both needed to grow. Their relationship needed to shift.

There’s this moment when you’re in that age group, and you’re trying to really place your feet firmly on the ground in the world. You want to be seen and heard as the person that you are for that moment. And all that can change, but for this moment, look at me. Sometimes as parents, we overlook that because we’re busy just trying to protect our children at all costs, and that never changes as they grow older. But I really wanted this idea of: It’s not yes, or no, or right, or wrong. It’s more like, this is where I am. This is where I am standing, and can you meet me in this spot? Can we have a conversation about where we go from here? What path do we take from here that we can take together? And I love that, that forces her parents to just stop and see that their biases are really clouding their vision of their daughter, that their wanting to protect her is messing with her creativity. You could look into the history of things and maybe find a way of enjoying it, or reclaiming it as your own.

AC: What are you hoping readers take away from Barely Floating?

LR: First, I hope that they fall in love with Nat because I love her. And not only Nat, but even her cousin, and her (best friend) Joanne and her teammates and their group chats. I hope that they enjoy the humor because I think there’s a lot of really funny moments. Nat has a very unique sense of humor and is very honest when it comes to what she says and does.

And I hope that they get to enter a world that maybe not that many people know about. Synchronized swimming is called artistic swimming now. It’s such a hard overall sport. It’s amazing the stuff that they do underwater—doing flips and kicks. I’m just always in awe of anyone who dedicates time and effort to do a sport. This book is part of that conversation, of all these kinds of great sport books. And love that it’s based here in Los Angeles and these characters are very relatable. It’s a really fun and funny, enjoyable read—even if you don’t like swimming.

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Lilliam Rivera is an award-winning author. Her many books include young adult novels The Education of Margot Sanchez, Dealing in Dreams, Never Look Back (a Pura Belpré Honor book), as well as the Goldie Vance series for middle grade readers and the forthcoming, stand-alone middle grade book Barely Floating. Her latest novels We Light Up the Sky and Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story were named “Best Books of 2021” by Kirkus Review and School Library Journal.

The Pushcart Prize winner has also received fellowships and grants from PEN America, the Elizabeth George Foundation, Clarion Workshop, and the Speculative Literature Foundation. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Elle, among others.A Bronx, New York native, Lilliam currently lives in Los Angeles.

Amaris Castillo is an award-winning journalist, writer, and the creator of Bodega Stories, a series featuring real stories from the corner store. Her writing has appeared in La Galería Magazine, Aster(ix) Journal, Spanglish Voces, PALABRITAS, Dominican Moms Be Like… (part of the Dominican Writers Association’s #DWACuenticos chapbook series), and most recently Quislaona: A Dominican Fantasy Anthology and Sana, Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice. Her short story, “El Don,” was a prize finalist for the 2022 Elizabeth Nunez Caribbean-American Writers’ Prize by the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival. She is a proud member of Latinx in Publishing’s Writers Mentorship Class of 2023 and lives in Florida with her family and dog, Brooklyn.

August 2023 Latinx Releases

ON SALE AUGUST 1

Family Lore: A Novel by Elizabeth Acevedo | ADULT FICTION

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come.

Saving Chupie by Amparo Ortiz | Illustrated by Ronnie Garcia | GRAPHIC NOVEL

Violeta Rubio only has one goal in mind for her first-ever trip to Puerto Rico: help Abuelita reopen her beloved restaurant. The only problem is that Violeta’s whole family thinks they can do it without her. Now Violeta doesn’t have anyone to hang out with or anything to do. But when best friend duo Diego and Lorena need help capturing the rumored chupacabra, Violeta sees her chance to change all that.

What she isn’t expecting is to run straight into the beast! Only…he isn’t as monstrous as everyone assumes. Sure, he’s got some scales and spikes, big red eyes, and pointy fangs—but he’s a totally puppy and loyal to a fault. Violeta must find a way to keep Chupie hidden and convince her newfound friends that he isn’t anything to be scared of.

And if that isn’t hard enough, a new threat lurks around the corner that is dead set on capturing Chupie for their own nefarious means. Will Violeta be able to save Chupie from the danger that surrounds them without sacrificing everything else in the process?

Saving Chupie captures the resilience of a young girl, a family, and an island in face of nearly impossible odds and proves that love and friendship conquers all in this timely new adventure inspired by Puerto Rican culture and lore.

Paloma's Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898 by Adriana Erin Rivera | Illustrated by Eugenia Nobati | MIDDLE GRADE

It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mami, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the chickens and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music―the song of the coquí frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi’s tiple guitar. But Paloma’s world begins to change when war arrives on Puerto Rico’s shores. What will happen to their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can’t control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences.

Sordidez by E. G. Condé | ADULT FICTION

Vero has always felt at odds with his community. As a trans man in near-future Puerto Rico, he struggles to gain acceptance for his identity and his vision of an inclusive society. After a hurricane decimates the island and Puerto Rico is abandoned by the United States, Vero leaves his home to petition the centralized government for aid and seek the truth about new colonists arriving on the island. But in the Yucatan, Vero finds a landscape ravaged by an ecological disaster of humanity's own making-the Hydrophage, a climate technology warped into a weapon of war and released onto the land by the dictator Caudillo. Amidst the destruction, Vero finds both desperation and hope for regrowth as he documents the lives of the survivors. Details about the colonists' intentions emerge when Vero meets the Loba Roja, an anti-Caudillo revolutionary who imagines the renewed power of the Maya. Intrigued by her vision of the future and her unapologetic violence, Vero is faced with life-changing questions: can an Indigenous resurgence protect his beloved island? And what must he sacrifice to support it?

ON SALE AUGUST 8

Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel | Translated by Rosalind Harvey | ADULT FICTION

Alina and Laura are independent and career-driven women in their mid-thirties, neither of whom have built their future around the prospect of a family. Laura is so determined not to become a mother that she has taken the drastic decision to have her tubes tied. But when she announces this to her friend, she learns that Alina has made the opposite decision and is preparing to have a child of her own.

Alina's pregnancy shakes the women's lives, first creating distance and then a remarkable closeness between them. When Alina's daughter survives childbirth - after a diagnosis that predicted the opposite - and Laura becomes attached to her neighbor's son, both women are forced to reckon with the complexity of their emotions, their needs, and the needs of the people who are dependent upon them.

In prose that is as gripping as it is insightful, Guadalupe Nettel explores maternal ambivalence with a surgeon's touch, carefully dissecting the contradictions that make up the lived experiences of women.

ON SALE AUGUST 15

The Border Simulator: Poems by Gabriel Dozal | Translated by Natasha Tiniacos | POETRY

In Gabriel Dozal’s debut collection, the U.S.-Mexico border is redefined as a place of invention; crossing it becomes a matter of simulation. The poems accompany Primitivo, who attempts to cross the border, an imaginary boundary that becomes more real and challenging as his journey progresses; and his sister, Primitiva, who lives an alternate, static life as an exploited migrant worker in la fabrica.

The tech world and bureaucracy collide, with humanity falling by the wayside, as Primitiva endures drudgery in la fabrica. “In the past our ID cards were decorative. Now we switch off with someone else, another worker who will wipe the serenade from our eyes.” With no way to escape the simulation, Primitivo and Primitiva must participate in it, scheming to gain its favor. To win, you must be the best performer in the factory, the best imitation of a citizen, the best machine.

Featuring a bilingual format for English and Spanish readers, The Border Simulator explores physical and metaphysical borders, as well as the digital divide of our modern era. With inventive imagery, spirited wordplay, and thrilling movement, these energetic poems oscillate between the harrowing and the joyful, interrogating, innovating, and ultimately redefining binaries and divisions.

Daughters of Latin America: An International Anthology of Writing by Latine Women by Sandra Guzman | ANTHOLOGY

Daughters of Latin America collects the intergenerational voices of Latine women across time and space, capturing the power, strength, and creativity of these visionary writers, leaders, scholars, and activists—including 24 Indigenous voices. Several authors featured are translated into English for the first time. Grammy, National Book Award, Cervantes, and Pulitzer Prize winners as well as a Nobel Laureate and the next generation of literary voices are among the stars of this essential collection, women whose work inspires and transforms us.

An eclectic and inclusive time capsule spanning centuries, genres, and geographical and linguistic diversity, Daughters of Latin America is divided into 13 parts representing the 13 Mayan Moons, each cycle honoring a different theme. Within its pages are poems from U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and celebrated Cervantes Prize–winner Dulce María Loynaz; lyric essays from New York Times bestselling author Naima Coster, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Guggenheim Fellow Maryse Condé; rousing speeches from U.S. Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Lencan Indigenous land and water protector Berta Caceres; and a transcendent Mazatec chant from shaman and poet María Sabina testifying to the power of language as a cure, which opens the book.

More than a collection of writings, Daughters of Latin America is a resurrection of ancestral literary inheritance as well as a celebration of the rising voices encouraged and nurtured by those who came before them.

ON SALE AUGUST 22

How to Speak in Spanglish by Mónica Mancillas | Illustrated by Olivia de Castro | PICTURE BOOK

Sami loves to speak both English and Spanish. But he doesn't just speak them one at a time. He speaks in Spanglish! Sometimes, he makes brand-new words—like "lonche"—and sometimes, he puts the languages together in one sentence, like when he's hungry for jamberguers con papas fritas.

But not everyone likes Spanglish. Abuela thinks that Spanish should be spoken at home and English at school. And to make matters more complicated, Sami's not allowed to write his homework in Spanglish.

At first, Sami feels confused and frustrated. But with the support of his family, friends, and neighbors, Sami soon realizes that his unique identity should be celebrated. Hooray, muy bien, Sami!

Water Day by Margarita Engle | Illustrated by Olivia Sua | PICTURE BOOK

Water days are busy days,
grateful, laughing,
thirsty days.

A small village no longer has a water supply of its own, but one young girl and her neighbors get by with the help of the water man. When he comes to town, water flows like hope for the whole familia, and everyone rejoices.

ON SALE AUGUST 29

Barely Floating by Lilliam Rivera | MIDDLE GRADE

Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Inglewood pool when her life changed. The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart.

The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks--on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest in a house full of boys, so she knows how to fight for what she wants, often using her anger to fuel her. People often underestimate her swimming skills when they see her stomach rolls, but she knows better than to worry about what people think. Still, she feels more like a submarine than a mermaid, but she wonders if she might be both.

Barely Floating explores what it means to sparkle in your skin, build community with those who lift you up, and keep floating when waters get rough.

A Tall Dark Trouble by Vanessa Montalban | YOUNG ADULT

In contemporary Miami, twins Delfi and Lela are haunted by a family curse that poisons any chance at romantic love. It’s no wonder their mother forbids them from getting involved with magic. When Lela and Delfi receive premonitions of a mysterious killer targeting brujas, however, the sisters must embrace their emerging powers to save innocent lives. Teaming up with their best friend Ethan and brooding detective-in-training Andres, Delfi and Lela set out to catch a murderer on a dangerous hunt that will force them to confront the dark secrets of their family’s past.

Meanwhile, in 1980s Cuba, Anita de Armas whispers to the spirits for mercy—not for herself, but for the victims of her mother’s cult. She’s desperate to rid herself of her power, which manifests as inky shadows and an ability to speak to the dead. As political tensions rise and Anita’s cult initiation draws near, she must make a decision that could change not only her fate, but the fate of the nation.

Lela, Delfi, and Anita’s stories intertwine in a thrilling fantasy that spans oceans and generations as each woman steps into her power, refusing to be subdued by any person or curse.

Remembering by Xelena González | Illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia | PICTURE BOOK

A child and their family observe the customs of Día de los Angelitos, one of the ritual celebrations of Día de Muertos, to celebrate the life of their beloved dog who passed away. They build a thoughtful ofrenda to help lead the pet's soul home and help the little one process their grief in this moving reminder that loved ones are never really gone if we take the time to remember them.

Where There Was Fire by John Manuel Arias | ADULT FICTION

Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, and her husband disappears, the future of Teresa’s family is changed forever.

Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Teresa, haunted by a missing husband and the bitter ghost of her mother, Amarga, is unable to reconcile the past. What unfolds is a story of a mother and daughter trying to forgive what they do not yet understand, and the mystery at the heart of one family’s rupture.

Brimming with ancestral spirits, omens, and the anthropomorphic forces of nature, John Manuel Arias weaves a brilliant tapestry of love, loss, secrets, and redemption in Where There Was Fire.