Best Books of the Year (So Far) According to Latinx in Publishing.

The halfway mark of 2024 is here! So many great books have come out this year, and we are excited to share some of our top picks as we approach summer. Be sure to add these to your TBR!

The Things We Didn't Know by Elba Iris Pérez | ADULT FICTION

"Pérez's debut novel will resonate with readers who grew up in two worlds and tried to find stability in both.  From Massachusetts to Puerto Rico and back again, her young heroine Andrea struggles with identity, gender roles, and the angst of growing up.  Not to mention family dramas galore, betrayals and prejudice for being a brown family in a white town. The writing is authentic and engrossing."

--Maria Ferrer, Events Director

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez | ADULT FICTION

"Anita de Monte is a talented Latina artist breaking through the white, male-centered New York art world of the 1980s (inspired by the true tragic story of Cuban-born artist Ana Mendieta). Raquel Toro is a first gen Puerto Rican college student at Brown nearly two decades later. With two timelines and multiple POVs, readers will connect with these  two women facing parallel questions about who belongs and who gets to tell their stories."

--Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel, Fellowship Director

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez | ADULT FICTION

"This is a gorgeous, important historical novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, but more deeply about progress and humanity and where the two meet. Henríquez's prose swept me up and her characters enthralled me to the very end."

--Toni Kirkpatrick, Board Secretary

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James | ADULT FICTION

"There are various hard-won lessons I learned in reading this sprawling family saga in the dead of winter (for Los Angeles standards), though I mentally spent most of it in the oppressive desert heat of Mexico and Texas with El Tragabalas, strapped onto a horse of some kind. This is a book that pointedly asks how -- and when -- do we pay for our ancestral sins? The Bullet Swallower almost has you believe you can outrun fate, just because there are so many close calls."

--Andrea Morales, Fellowship and Writers Mentorship Director

Author Q&A: Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park by María Dolores Águila

In Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park, a girl named Elena is walking with her mom to their local tiendita for some masa and corn husks. On the way, they bump into a neighbor who has sketched the Coronado Bridge stretching over the bay from Barrio Logan – one of San Diego’s older Mexican American communities. A diesel truck passing by leaves behind clouds of dust.

Later, as they pass by a junkyard and get barked at by dogs, Elena’s mother stops and says, “Be brave, Elena – sé valiente.”

It’s this bravery that Elena and her community must later channel when they discover that the park they had been promised by the city would instead become a California Highway Patrol station. Barrio Rising is a historical fiction picture book about one community’s twelve-day land occupation and resistance in April 1970 that led to the creation of a colorful park below criss-crossing freeway overpasses. Written by debut author María Dolores Águila and illustrated by Magdalena Mora, the duo beautifully captures the fight and tremendous heart of an often-ignored community. Barrio Rising will be released on June 18 from Dial Books for Young Readers. Its Spanish version – El barrio se levanta: La protesta que construyó el Parque Chicano – was translated by David Bowles and will be released simultaneously.

Águila, a Chicana poet and writer from San Diego, grew up a few miles from Chicano Park – which features Chicano murals, sculptures, picnic tables and playgrounds. “And I always passed by the murals (in the park), but I never connected how and why they got there,” she told Latinx in Publishing. “It just never occurred to me.”

Then one day, a mural caught Águila’s eye. What followed was a years-long obsession to learn everything she could about Chicano Park. The fruits of that research and curiosity would eventually form Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park.

Ahead of the book’s release, Latinx in Publishing spoke with Águila about the inspiration behind Barrio Rising, what it was like to portray an ignored community on the page, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Amaris Castillo (AC): Congratulations on Barrio Rising. What inspired you to write this story?

María Dolores Águila (MDÁ): That’s one of the questions that I get the most and I think it’s one of the hardest to answer, because I can’t tell you a singular reason of why I wrote the story. The short answer would be that I live less than five miles away from Chicano Park and I’ve lived here for the majority of my life. I’ve driven by Chicano Park thousands of times. My father worked in the tuna canneries when they were there in Barrio Logan. I used to go to the community health center there. And I always passed by the murals, but I never connected how and why they got there. It just never occurred to me. 

My mother-in-law lives in Barrio Logan and one day we were driving by (the park). And for some reason, the mural of Laura Rodriguez caught my eye. I don’t know why. It sparked something. I looked up her story, which was incredible by the way. Her entire story is like a real-life Cinderella, mariposa del barrio story. After that, it became like an obsession. For close to half a decade, I chased down every scrap of information that I could find about Chicano Park by visiting the park, going to the events, listening to speakers, watching movies. When I finally had a full understanding, it was like, Oh, my God. I have to write about this. People should know what happened here.

In a lot of ways, I wrote it for myself, because I’m a Chicana kid that grew up next to Chicano Park that didn’t know how to get there. After I figured out what had transpired, I was like, No. This has to be a story. People have to know. The world has to know what happened. Because I feel so often, as Latinas in the United States, we’re made to seem like we don’t have a history – that we’re very recent arrivals. But that’s not true. We have a very long history, and there have been a lot of things in our community that people have fought for but they’ve been buried.

AC: In your book we meet two Barrio Logan residents -- a mother and daughter -- walking near the Coronado Bridge. Almost immediately, readers can detect that this area is neglected. What was it like to portray an ignored community on the page for young readers?

MDÁ: For me, it was just portraying my own lived experience. I live in National City, which is directly south of Barrio Logan, and we have many of the same issues. We have the same issues of air pollution and heavy industry mixed in with residential areas. And even though I live in a bayfront community and Barrio Logan is a bayfront community – we’re literally on the bay – we really don’t have beach access. So this is something that I’ve lived. It wasn’t something that I had to really dig deep to find.

“Our stories are still meaningful, still beautiful, and still worthy, even if the institutions around us have not been supporting us the way that they should have. ”

When I see other people that haven’t lived that kind of experience, they tend to portray those communities as just simply downtrodden – like there’s no glimmer of hope. The one thing that I did want to portray is that these communities have grown roses in concrete. Our stories are still meaningful, still beautiful, and still worthy, even if the institutions around us have not been supporting us the way that they should have. There’s still a lot of joy and beauty. Even though the area and the schools might not be great, there’s still a lot of really great things about where I live and about Barrio Logan. I think Magdalena did a lot of the heavy lifting with the illustrations in that aspect.

AC: You beautifully capture a close-knit Mexican American community throughout the book with your text with Spanish sprinkled in, and illustrator Magdalena Mora, like you just mentioned, with her gentle illustrations featuring parts of the culture like food. What was it like working with Magdalena? Were there specific suggestions you had for her to portray this time in the community’s history accurately?

MDÁ: I was actually really hands off because I wanted Magdalena to bring her own vision without me influencing it, as much as possible. I was beyond honored that Magdalena agreed to collaborate on Barrio Rising with me because her body of work is really incredible. I think the amazing thing about picture books is how two artistic mediums come together – the words and the art – to tell a singular story. My editor, Rosie Ahmed from Dial, did ask me if there were any particular images that I liked. And I did send her some. There was one of a girl holding a pickaxe. She was a young girl. And I don’t know why that image stuck with me. I sent it to Rosie, who sent it to Magdalena.

I just stayed hands off as much as possible because I wanted her to do her thing, and bring what she has to bring to the story. I pretty much wrote the story without outside influence, and I wanted Magdalena to have that freedom without me hovering around. When I finally saw the art, I knew that I had made the right decision because she brought in things that I hadn’t even thought of – things that would have never occurred to me because my brain doesn’t work that way. I was just so happy when I saw the illustrations.

AC: Even though this is a fictionalized account of the story behind San Diego's Chicano Park, you feature real residents and even a local councilman who played key roles in its creation. What was your research like while working on this book?

MDÁ: I love to do research, so for me it’s always like the most enjoyable part of the process. I did the usual things: I hunted down newspaper articles, I read academic articles, I read books. I read the applications that they filled out to make Chicano Park a cultural heritage site. And Chicano Park themselves have a website, so I read all that. 

In my research, I had come across this thesis entitled “Singing the Great Depression: Mexican and Mexican American Perspectives Through Corridos” by Michelle Salinas, where she describes how Mexican and Mexican American communities have traditionally expressed information and history through alternative mediums like songs and art. So I did all the usual things, but I also listened to songs. There’s a song called “Chicano Park Samba” by Los Alacranes Mojados and they sing about the history of Chicano Park. There’s also two murals at the park called La Tierra Mia and Chicano Park Takeover, and that has the history in images. So I studied those as well.

AC: What are you hoping readers take away from Barrio Rising?

MDÁ: More than anything, I want young readers to find power within themselves and their communities. I want them to know that Latine communities have a long history of resistance and resilience, and that together we can accomplish our wildest dreams. I want them to see themselves in Elena and I want them to be inspired to make the changes that we need in our communities.

---

María Dolores Águila is a Chicana poet and writer from San Diego, California. Deeply inspired by Chicane history and art, she seeks to write empowering and inclusive stories about everything she learns. She also loves drinking coffee, browsing the bookshelves at her local library, and spending time with her family.

Magdalena Mora is an illustrator, designer, and art educator based in Minneapolis and Chicago. Her work has been recognized by The New York Times, The American Library Association, and The Chicago Public Library, among others.

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.

Book Review: Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

V. Castro is a Chicana from San Antonio, Texas, who now lives in London, England, and is a two-time Bram Stoker award nominee. Being fascinated by Mexican folklore and Texas urban legends, it’s no surprise her writing reflects these inspirations while also putting her own edgy twist on such legends. 

Immortal Pleasures follows Malinalli, otherwise known as La Malinche, the Nahua translator for Hernan Cortés. History has her name and actions written down in infamy, but this novel tells her side of the story. She’s reborn as an immortal vampire and travels the world as an avenger for her people by reclaiming stolen artifacts to return them to their rightful home. However, she’s also in search of satisfying her desire for pleasure and love through two captivating men. In her travels to Dublin, Ireland for Aztec skulls that hold a personal history to her, enemies from her past begin to emerge. 

“History has her name and actions written down in infamy, but this novel tells her side of the story. ”

When two people, or even items, whose side of history are overlooked by the majority, a bond between them becomes inevitable. It’s no wonder why Mali is in the line of work to find and return stolen artifacts to their home county, as she and these items have something in common: they are both misunderstood. How can the history and significance of a stolen artifact be appreciated and understood in foreign hands? How can anyone understand the hardships that she’s endured when she’s seen as a traitor first and a human second? Or understand her vampire self and all of its difficulties when she meets so few like her? Since Malinalli and these items are so misunderstood, a yearning for something familiar grows within them. If anything, it’s natural that they gravitate toward each other. Just as the artifacts receive what they’ve been looking for, so does Mali. When she meets a mysterious vampire and learns that his name is also written in infamy, she finds solace, and love, in another misunderstood person. 

Despite the many evils and atrocities of the world around her, Malinalli never loses her capacity for love, kindness, and desire. These affections can be seen as an act of resilience and rebellion but it’s simply that she never lost her humanity. Her romantic relationships, fleeting and not, show how she has evolved in her opinions on giving and receiving love and desire. Her human self was always under the order of the Spanish, “My only duty at this point in my life was to serve and never receive.” Now that she doesn’t have to fear the hands of her oppressors, she takes charge of her sexuality and allows herself to feel affection at its purest and in multiple ways. Being romantically involved with humans and vampires in various forms of commitment, she gets to explore the feelings that were once not an option for her. Mali gives and receives love and sex with whoever and however she pleases. 

V. Castro illustrates a wonderful twist and perspective on Doña Marina. When so many voices screamed La Malinche and traitor, Castro shines light on her name: Malinalli. Mali, who has endured many tragedies of history, who never fails to honor those who were kind to her, and who continues to retain her humanity in a world that tries to strip her of it. 

---

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

June 2024 Latinx Releases

On Sale June 4

Into the Mighty Sea by Arlene Abundis |Illustrated by Cynthia Alonso |PICTURE BOOK

Mariel's family is a big POP of color! But when her tíos, tías, and cousins arrive for her hermanito's birthday party, their many besos, noises, and colors start to feel overwhelming. As Mariel's tears grow into an ocean, she paints a boat to stay afloat and dives into the mighty sea.

When an island calls to her through the swells, she discovers sights, smells, and sounds on its shores that bring back memories of the people she loves the most to guide her back home.

Beautifully illustrated and lyrically written, Into the Mighty Sea is about a girl with big emotions who learns that sometimes taking a step back can be exactly what you need.

Isabel and The Rogue by Liana de la Rosa | ADULT FICTION

Isabel Luna Valdés has long since resigned herself to being the "forgotten" Luna sister. But thanks to familial connections to the Mexican ambassador in London, wallflower Isabel is poised to unearth any British intelligence hidden by the ton that might aid Mexico during the French Occupation. Though she slips easily from crowded ballrooms into libraries and private studies, Isabel's search is hampered by trysting couples and prowling rogues--including the rakish Captain Sirius Dawson.

As a covert agent for the British Home Office, Sirius makes a game of earning the aristocracy's confidence. He spends his days befriending foolish politicians and seducing well-born ladies in order to learn their secrets. But after he spies a certain sharp-tongued Luna sister lurking in the shadows where no proper debutante should venture, it's clear Sirius is outmatched, outwitted, and soon to be outmaneuvered by the one woman he can't resist.

Their mutual attraction is undeniable, but when Isabel discovers private correspondence that could turn the tide of political turmoil in Mexico, she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect her country--even if this means ignoring her heart and courting danger...

Malas by Marcela Fuentes | ADULT FICTION

In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family.

More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father's moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.

Their unexpected kinship picks at the secrets of Lulu's family's past. As the quinceañera looms--and we move between these two strong, irascible female voices--one woman must make peace with the past, and one girl pushes to embrace her future.

Sumo Libre by Joe Cepeda | PICTURE BOOK

Max loves to wrestle, and thinks lucha libre is the best sport ever!
Kenji loves to wrestle, and thinks sumo wrestling is the best sport ever times 1000!

What was an enjoyable day showing off their favorite wrestling moves has now turned into a nasty disagreement. But when Max and Kenji go their separate ways, they quickly learn that wrestling is no fun by yourself. With apologies exchanged and a friendship restored, Max and Kenji turn their love of wrestling into a magical day for their neighbors.

In this exciting mash up of lucha libre and sumo wrestling, Sumo Libre teaches how to overcome differences and work together to create something special.

London on My Mind by Clara Alves | Translated by Nina Perrotta | YOUNG ADULT

Sixteen-year-old Dayana has always dreamed of visiting London -- to walk along the Thames, take pictures outside Buckingham Palace, and maybe even get a glimpse of Arthur, Prince of Wales, whose marriage has been all over tabloids. But the trip of her dreams turns into a royal nightmare when her mother passes away. Now, Day must leave Rio de Janeiro to live with her estranged father and his new family in London.

As it turns out, the U.K. isn't exactly Day's cup of tea. She struggles to forgive her father for walking out on her and her mom all those years ago; fights with her stepsister constantly; detests her stepmother; and she can't even see One Direction in concert because they've been broken up for ages. All she wants to do is trade the rainy skies of London for the sun and beaches of Rio.

That's when she runs into the girl of her dreams -- literally: The coincidentally named Diana, a witty, funny, redhead who was in the middle of . . . escaping Buckingham Palace? Something isn't right here, but it makes Diana all the more alluring. As time passes, and the two girls grow closer, Day can't help but wonder if there is more than a little truth to the rumors surrounding Prince Arthur -- and if Diana might be involved somehow. Is it all in her head, or could Day be caught up in a real-life royal scandal?

Desert Song by Laekan Zea Kemp | Illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández | PICTURE BOOK

As the blush of sunset gives way to night in the desert, coyotes, cicadas, and barn owls emerge, each calling out to the moon. Watching from their porch, the family joins the song. One by one, each relative offers their drums, flute, maracas, strings, and voices.

They sing with the insects, birds, snakes and toads; and they sing with their ancestors, an audience glittering in the stars overhead. With each strum of passed-down instruments, memories renew, and those gone are alive and near again.

Desert Song hums and chimes with all the music a front porch and the desert beyond can hold. Pura Belpré Honor author Laekan Zea Kemp's masterfully stirring text dances through Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez's enchanting and dynamic artwork. Readers will be left with the soothing sense that when creativity flourishes, the past is never out of reach, and the bonds that matter never break.

Also available in Spanish

Cesaria Feels the Beat by Denise Rosario Adusei |Illustrated by Priscila Soares | PICTURE BOOK

Cesaria is going to perform for the seaside Carnival. She skips past the beach barefoot, dressed in her favorite peacock leotard.

But when her dance director tells her she must put on her shoes to go on stage, Cesaria signs, "Peacocks don't wear shoes!"

You see, Cesaria hears the music through the soles of her feet, but no one seems to understand...

...That is, until all the dancers take off their shoes, and learn to feel the music, just like Cesaria.

Cesaria Feels the Beat is a lyrical and heartfelt story about deafness, community, and Carnival.

Abuelo's Flower Shop by Jackie Morera | Illustrated by Deise Lino | PICTURE BOOK

Elena is finally old enough to sell flowers with her abuelo in his shop. But she notices that many of the people who visit have tears in their eyes. Abuelo tells her the shop is the last stop before people visit the garden beyond the gate. A place for telling the ones you've loved and lost, "Te recuerdo y te extraño," I remember you, and I miss you.

Tender and insightful, Abuelo's Flower Shop celebrates the beauty of intergenerational love while gently teaching readers about grieving the loss of a loved one. Grandparents and grandchildren will delight in Elena and Abuelo's heartfelt relationship, and readers of all ages will be inspired to find their own ways to say, "I remember you, and I miss you." This thoughtful story is the perfect resource for navigating difficult conversations about grief.

My Body Is Paper: Stories and Poems by Gil Cuadros | SHORT STORIES AND POETRY

Since City of God (1994) by Gil Cuadros was published 30 years ago, it has become an unlikely classic (an "essential book of Los Angeles" according to the LA Times), touching readers and writers who find in his work a singular evocation of Chicanx life in Los Angeles during and leading up to the AIDS epidemic, which took his life in 1996. Little did we know, Cuadros continued writing exuberant prose and poems in the period between his one published book and his untimely death at the age of 34. This recently discovered treasure, My Body Is Paper, is a stunning portrait of sex, family, religion, culture of origin, and the betrayals of the body. Tender and blistering, erotic and spiritual--Cuadros dives into these complexities which we grapple with today, showing us how to survive these times, and beyond.

Blood in the Cut by Alejandro Nodarse | ADULT FICTION

Iggy Guerra is out of prison, but his homecoming is anything but smooth. His beloved mother is gone, his grief-stricken father Armando is deep in debt, and they are about to lose the butcher shop that has been in their family for generations.

Iggy must earn his father's lost trust in order to save La Carnicería Guerra from the threats imposed by a new rival business, a vigilante activist, and big-game hunter Orin, who has dragged Armando into his dangerous money-making schemes deep in the Everglades, where more than secrets are buried. Iggy will wrestle with the beauty and the danger of the place he calls home as he tries to save his family--without losing himself forever.

Sharp as a butcher knife gleaming in the Miami sun, Alejandro Nodarse's Blood in the Cut opens onto a deeply personal vision of the streets and swamps of Miami, where the roots are crooked but strong as mangroves.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron | ADULT FICTION

In the tumultuous town of Yáquimo, Santo Domingo, Jacquotte Delahaye is an unknown but up-and-coming shipwright. Her dreams are bold but her ambitions are bound by the confines of her life with her self-seeking French father. When her way of life and the delicate balance of power in the town are threatened, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa.

Jacquotte and her band become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive his brutality, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But she discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all.

Role Play by Clara Drummond | Translated by Daniel Hahn | ADULT FICTION

Vivian is a curator, not just at her gallery gig in Rio de Janeiro, but in every aspect of her life. Her apartment has designer armchairs. Her wallet is Comme des Garçons. Everything is selected and arranged, even her lovers and friends. In Vivian's world, everything comes in excess, including her own caustic selfawareness. As she informs us, "I'm a misandrist and a misogynist," but she is fond of gay men, "the one type of human you can properly get along with as equals."

Role Playexamines the superabundances of Brazilian elites-- their art, ethics, and monied ambivalence in the face of social inequality, machismo, and violence. As sharp and sparkling as broken champagne flutes, Clara Drummond's prose is seductively frank and unflinching in its depiction of wealth's power to warp the self.

The Truth about Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers by Zeke Hernandez | ADULT NONFICTION

In The Truth About Immigration, Wharton professor Zeke Hernandez draws from nearly 20 years of research to answer all the big questions about immigration. He combines moving personal stories with rigorous research to offer an accessible, apolitical, and evidence-based look at how newcomers affect our local communities and our nation. You'll learn about the overlooked impact of immigrants on investment and job creation; realize how much we take for granted the novel technologies, products, and businesses newcomers create; get the facts straight about perennial concerns like jobs, crime, and undocumented immigrants; and gain new perspectives on misunderstood issues such as the border, taxes, and assimilation.

Most books making a case for immigration tell you that immigration is good for immigrants. This book is all about how newcomers benefit you, your community, and your country. Skeptics fear that newcomers compete economically with locals because of their similarities and fail to socially assimilate because of their differences. You'll see that it's exactly the opposite: newcomers bring enduring economic benefits because of their differences and contribute positively to society because of their similarities. Destined to become the go-to book on one of the most important issues of our time, this book turns fear into hope by proving a simple truth: immigrants are essential for economically prosperous and socially vibrant nations.

On Sale June 11

Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance by Victoria Blanco

The Rarámuri people of Chihuahua, Mexico, make up one of the largest Indigenous tribes of North America. Renowned for maintaining their language and cultural traditions in the face of colonization, they have weathered numerous hardships--climate disaster, poverty, cultural erasure--that have only worsened during the twenty-first century.

Based on more than a decade of oral history and participatory field work, Out of the Sierra paints a vivid and vital portrait of Rarámuri displacement. When drought leaves the Gutiérrez family with nothing to eat, they are faced with the choice many Rarámuris must make: remain and hope for rain and aid, or leave their sacred homeland behind. Luis, Martina, and their children choose to journey from their home in the Sierra Madre mountains toward a new and uncertain future in a government-funded Indigenous settlement.

Victoria Blanco considers Indigenous identity with tenderness and intelligence, demanding recognition and justice for the Rarámuri people as they resist assimilation and uphold traditional knowledge in the face of broken systems. In a narrative of unprecedented access and intimacy, Out of the Sierra offers a groundbreaking testimony to human resilience and the power of community.

Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramírez by Belen Medina | Illustrated by Natalia Rojas Castro | PICTURE BOOK

From the copper canyons of Mexico, her swift footsteps echo. Clip clap, clip clap.

Experience a sixty-mile run with Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramírez. She runs in the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri, "the light-footed people," to show that her people and their way of life are alive and thriving--outpacing runners in modern, high-tech gear and capturing the world's attention. Lorena's career as an athlete is an inspiring real-life example of the power of perseverance that will encourage young readers to follow their own dreams.

Brownstone by Samuel Teer | Illustrated by Mar Julia | GRAPHIC NOVEL

Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met.

Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip without her, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish--which she doesn't speak.

As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in.

But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer.

The Sons of El Rey by Alex Espinoza | ADULT FICTION

Ernesto Vega has lived many lives, from pig farmer to construction worker to famed luchador El Rey Coyote, yet he has always worn a mask. He was discovered by a local lucha libre trainer at a time when luchadores--Mexican wrestlers donning flamboyant masks and capes--were treated as daredevils or rock stars. Ernesto found fame, rapidly gaining name rec-ognition across Mexico, but at great expense, nearly costing him his marriage to his wife Elena.

Years later, in East Los Angeles, his son, Freddy Vega, is struggling to save his father's gym while Freddy's own son, Julian, is searching for professional and romantic fulfillment as a Mexican American gay man refusing to be defined by stereotypes.

With alternating perspectives, Ernesto and Elena take you from the ranches of Michoacán to the makeshift colonias of Mexico City. Freddy describes life in the suburban streets of 1980s Los Angeles and the community their family built, as Julian descends deep into our present-day culture of hook-up apps, lucha burlesque shows, and the dark underbelly of West Hollywood. The Sons of El Rey is an intimate portrait of a family wading against time and legacy, yet always choosing the fight.

As the Seas Rise: Nicole Hernández Hammer and the Fight for Climate Justice by Angela Quezada Padron | PICTURE BOOK

As a baby, Nicole survived an earthquake in Guatemala. She grew up in Guatemala's beautiful jungles. Throughout her life, Nicole witnessed the power and wonder of nature. But she soon realized nature was in trouble. Her own community in Florida was struggling. And everyone needed to become resilient.

In this lyrical biography, readers will meet environmental scientist and climate activist Nicole Hernández Hammer and hear the message she's spent her career sharing: As we look to the future, we can empower and protect our communities. But that will only be possible if we all work together--including the smallest of us.

Abuela's Library by Lissette Norman | Illustrated by Jayri Gómez | PICTURE BOOK

Alfonso and Abuela love to spend Saturday afternoons finding books at the library and reading them together beneath their favorite oak tree. But when their beloved tree is cut down, can Alfonso transform the stump into something magical for their whole community--their very own neighborhood library?

This uplifting story from award-winning poet Lissette Norman and illustrator Jayri Gómez shows us how to turn an unexpected setback into a happy ending: one with a beautiful sky-blue door and shelves filled with books for everyone to enjoy.

Vega's Piece of the Sky by Jennifer Torres | MIDDLE GRADE

A meteorite comes crashing down on the lives of three middle schoolers changing everything they know about family, friendships, and community in this charming and heartfelt novel with a light STEM touch.

The space rock is just the latest thing to land, uninvited, in Vega Lucero’s road-stop hometown. But when she discovers how much a chunk of the meteorite might be worth, she realizes it’s exactly the treasure she’s been hoping to find—and maybe a way to convince her mom not to sell the family store to big city developers to help pay for her grandpa Tata’s medical expenses. 

Determined to find more pieces of the sky somewhere in the perilous desert wilderness, stubbornly independent Vega must set aside her distrust of outsiders to team up with Jasper, a would-be rival—and her own tagalong cousin Mila—on an overnight adventure to find more meteorites before the professional hunters who have descended on Date City do. But along the way, she realizes that she’s not the only one with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Jasper and Mila have secrets and worries of their own that has brought them on this journey.

Hearts of Fire and Snow by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall | YOUNG ADULT

Blanca Montes wants to make a difference in the world, to do more than her wealthy godfather and spoiled boyfriend think her capable of. So when Greg Chan shows up as a new student at her Nevada school, she is more than intrigued by this handsome, brilliant stranger.

But Greg and Blanca are drawn to each other by something stronger--their fates entwined centuries ago. In his first life, Greg was Captain Popoca, and Blanca is the reincarnation of Princess Iztac, who took her own life after believing her beloved Popoca was sent to his death in battle. Greg has spent a thousand years searching for his lost love, and now the fates have given them one more chance to reunite. Will their hearts finally beat as one?

The Mango Tree (La Mata de Mango) by Edel Rodriguez | PICTURE BOOK

In a quiet village on a small island, two boys spend their days in a mango tree. High above the rest of the world, they play, take naps in the shade, and eat mangoes together. But after a huge storm sweeps one boy out into unknown waters, he finds himself alone in a strange new land, where everything is different and unfamiliar.

In this poignant, personal story, internationally celebrated Cuban American artist Edel Rodriguez brings to life his childhood experience as an immigrant to the US. Taking readers on a fantastical journey into the unknown, The Mango Tree (La mata de mango) is a tale of new experiences, the bonds that connect us to home, and a friendship that endures across time and borders.

The Afterlife of Mal Caldera by Nadi Reed Perez | ADULT FICTION

Mal's life is over. Her afterlife is only just beginning...

By turns irreverently funny and deeply moving, this debut contemporary fantasy is perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Mal Caldera--former rockstar, retired wild-child and excommunicated black sheep of her Catholic family--is dead. Not that she cares. She only feels bad that her younger sister, Cris, has been left to pick up the pieces Mal left behind. While her fellow ghosts party their afterlives away at an abandoned mansion they call the Haunt, Mal is determined to make contact with Cris from beyond the grave.

She enlists the help of a reluctant local medium, Ren, and together, they concoct a plan to pass on a message to Cris. But the more time they spend together, the more they begin to wonder what might have been if they'd met before Mal died.

Mal knows it's wrong to hold on so tightly to her old life. Bad things happen to ghosts who interfere with the living, and Mal can't help wondering if she's hurting the people she loves by hanging around, haunting their lives. But Mal has always been selfish, and letting go might just be the hardest thing she's ever had to do.

My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales | Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza | PICTURE BOOK

In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and community, friendship, discovery, and pride. Seeing her city from a new vantage point and feeling seen in a new way, the child discovers that she too is a cowboy--strong and confident in who she is.

Thoughtfully and lyrically written by debut author Stephanie Seales, with vibrant illustrations from award-winning artist C. G. Esperanza, this beautiful picture book is a celebration of Black joy, outdoor play, and quality time spent between child and parent.

On Sale June 18

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima | ADULT FICTION

At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.

Lima lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil where they'll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of people who are not dead. Once there, she speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences-of ambition, fear, longing, and belonging--and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.

Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park by María Dolores Águila |Illustrated by Magdalena Mora | PICTURE BOOK

Barrio Logan, one of San Diego's oldest Chicane neighborhoods, once brimmed with families and stretched all the way to the glorious San Diego Bay. But in the decades after WWII, the community lost their beach and bayfront to factories, junkyards, and an interstate that divided the neighborhood and forced around 5,000 people out of their homes. Then on April 22, 1970, residents discovered that the construction crew they believed was building a park--one the city had promised them years ago--was actually breaking ground for a police station. That's when they knew it was time to make their voices heard. Barrio Rising invites readers to join a courageous young activist and her neighbors in their successful twelve-day land occupation and beyond, when Barrio Logan banned together and built the colorful park that would become the corazón of San Diego's Chicane community.

On Sale June 25

Who Is Bad Bunny? by G. M. Taboas Zayas and Who Hq series | Illustrated by Andrew Thomson | PICTURE BOOK

Bad Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is one of today's most popular artists. He made his start posting his music on Soundcloud, and in 2016, his song "Diles" got him signed to a major record label. Since then, Bad Bunny has performed at Coachella and collaborated with superstars like Cardi B, J Balvin, and Drake. Breaking language barriers, Bad Bunny is now one of the top streamed artists internationally on Spotify. Bad Bunny is just getting started with his music takeover, having won 3 Grammys and 10 Billboard Music Awards. Not only that, Bad Bunny is heavily involved in activism spaces and even wrestles professionally! Learn more about Bad Bunny and his diverse career in this illustrated biography for young readers.

Also available in Spanish.

Hombrecito by Santiago Jose Sanchez | ADULT FICTION

In this groundbreaking novel, Santiago Jose Sanchez plunges us into the heart of one boy's life. His mother takes him and his brother from Colombia to America, leaving their absent father behind but essentially disappearing herself once they get to Miami.

In America, his mother works as a waitress when she was once a doctor. The boy embraces his queer identity as wholeheartedly as he embraces his new home, but not without a sense of loss. As he grows, his relationship with his mother becomes fraught, tangled, a love so intense that it borders on vivid pain but is also the axis around which his every decision revolves. She may have once forgotten him, disappeared, but she is always on his mind.

He moves to New York, ducking in and out of bed with different men as he seeks out something, someone, to make him whole again. When his mother invites him to visit family in Colombia with her, he returns to the country as a young man, trying to find peace with his father, with his homeland, with who he's become since he left, and with who his mother is: finally we come to know her and her secrets, her complex ambivalence and fierce love.

Loose Threads by Isol | Illustrated by Lawrence Schimel | PICTURE BOOK

Young Leilah lives in an idyllic village, where everything has its place. It's as beautiful and perfect as the scenes in her grandmother's embroidery. But some believe that just on the flipside of this orderly town lies the Other Side--a messy and wild world, filled with merry inhabitants and strange beasts, a peculiar world that Leilah often visits in her dreams.

So when Leilah's mom has had enough of her daughter constantly losing her things, Leilah comes up with a plan: her lost possessions must be falling down into the Other Side, and so all she has to do to fix things is mend the holes appearing in her world. It's a genius idea, and nothing will ever go missing again! But Leilah will soon learn that some loose threads don't need to be sewn up, and that keeping things in can also mean shutting things out...

Inspired by Palestinian embroidery and one of her favorite shawls, Isol spins a tale that celebrates the different sides that are all part of life's rich tapestry.

Saudade: Our Longing for Brazil by Ana Crespo |Illustrated by André Ceolin | PICTURE BOOK

Saudade is a Portuguese and Galician word with no perfect translation to English; it's a strong, melancholy longing for something you once had. Hiking in the hills, a little girl and her Brazilian immigrant mother contemplate what makes them feel saudade. A cool salty breeze miles from the ocean; the smell of Mamãe's perfume; memories of playing with cousins under trees or waterfalls, riding waves with grandparents who are now stuck in the square of a video call.

Though deeply woven through Brazilian music and literature, saudade is a familiar companion to us all. Readers who live far from loved ones or have adopted new homes will especially connect with this exploration of nostalgia and yearning.

The Tyranny of Flies by Elaine Vilar Madruga | Translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn | ADULT FICTION

Growing up on a Cuba-esque Caribbean island, Casandra, Calia, and Caleb endure life under two tyrannies: that of their parents, and the Island's authoritarian dictator, Pop-Pop Mustache. Papa was the dictator's former right-hand man. Now, he's a political pariah and an ugly parody of a tyrant, treating his home as a nation which he rules with an iron fist. As for Mom, his wife and hateful second in command, she rules from the mind. Obsessed with armchair psychoanalysis, she spends her days reading self-help books and seeks to diagnose the kids, and perhaps even herself.

But within these walls, a rebellion is fomenting. Casandra, a cynical, self-important teenager with the most unlikely of attractions, recruits Caleb, meek yet gifted with a deadly touch, to join her in an insurrection against their father's arbitrary totalitarianism. Meanwhile, Calia, the silent, youngest sibling who just wants to be left alone to draw animals, may be in league with the flies--whose swarm in and around the house grows larger as Papa's violence increases.

Book Review: Mamá's Panza

A mother’s panza is special, unique, and powerful. It creates life and protects it. It’s a child’s first home and safe space. It’s playful, fun, and, of course, filled with love.

Mama’s Panza (also available in Spanish) celebrates all these aspects and more. It beautifully encapsulates the strong love and bond between a child and their mother. The book showcases the young narrator having fun with his mother, like playing the drum on her panza and tumbling onto her during their lucha libre games. It also shows her protecting him from strangers at the store and scary monsters from his stories. Mama’s Panza becomes a third character of the story; an extension of the mother’s love and protection.

The young and playful narrator introduces the topic of body positivity in an accessible way. This book teaches children the importance of loving their bodies, which should be appreciated and celebrated for all the wonderful things they can do. It can run up hills, swim in the oceans, and keep us alive. It urges the reader to think: How could I not love my body? Additionally, the portrayal of a strong mother will resonate with new Latine mothers as they learn to accept their changing bodies and reject Euro-centric beauty norms. She offers affirming and inspiring words that teach readers an important lesson of body acceptance, such as her declaration, “This panza is a part of me. I cannot love all of me without loving it too.”

Filled with lively and colorful illustrations that leap off every page, the book is as visually beautiful as it is well-written. The incorporation of Latine cultural aspects–such as the house decorations, the grocery store, and the bedtime stories– into the design makes this a refreshing addition to children’s literature.

Mama’s Panza is an endearing book that celebrates a child’s love for their mother and her panza, making it a perfect gift for expecting and new mothers who want to teach their children about body love.

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Ilse Alva is a proud first-generation Mexican-American from South San Diego. She holds a BA in English from UCLA and an MS in Publishing from NYU. Ilse was a 2023 We Need Diverse Books Internship grantee, placed at Hachette Book Group for the summer. Previously, she worked with the Independent Book Publishers Association and at the UCLA Bookstore, where she learned she loved talking about books. She enjoys reading thrillers, sipping iced coffees, and hiking with her dog and cat.

5 Books to Read for AAPI Heritage Month

Happy Asian American Pacific Islander and Heritage Month! Celebrate with us by reading one of these five amazing books by Asian Latinx authors.

Between Words: A Friendship Tale by Saki Tanaka

Kai is used to following the seasons with Pa, from place to new place where people speak languages unfamiliar to his ears. When they finally settle in a valley full of pools, Kai tries to invite the other children to join in his play, but the strangeness of his words drives them away. Frustrated, he kicks his most treasured stone into one of the pools and in his search for it, finds something even more valuable.

Between Words is a whimsical tale of unexpected friendship by Mexican-Japanese author-illustrator Saki Tanaka.

Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee

Theo Mori and Gabriel Moreno have always been at odds. Their parents own rival businesses—an Asian American café and a Puerto Rican bakery—and Gabi’s lack of coordination has cost their soccer team too many games to count.

Stuck in the closet and scared to pursue his own dreams, Gabi sees his family’s shop as his future. Stuck under the weight of his parents’ expectations, Theo’s best shot at leaving Vermont means first ensuring his parents’ livelihood is secure. 

So when a new fusion café threatens both shops, Theo and Gabi realize an unfortunate truth—they can only achieve their goals by working together to cook up an underground snack operation and win back their customers. But can they put aside their differences long enough to save their parents’ shops, or will the new feelings between them boil over?

Café Con Lychee is the perfect next read by a Black, Asian, and Latinx author for all rom-com lovers.

Twice a Quinceañera by Yamile Saied Méndez

One month short of her wedding day—and her thirtieth birthday—Nadia Palacio finds herself standing up to her infuriating, cheating fiancé for the first time in . . . well, ever. But that same courage doesn’t translate to breaking the news to her Argentinian family. She’s hyperventilating before facing them when she glimpses a magazine piece about a Latina woman celebrating herself—with a second quinceañera, aka Sweet 15! And that gives Nadia a brilliant idea . . .

With a wedding venue already paid for, and family from all over the world with plane tickets, Nadia is determined to create her own happily-ever-after. Since the math adds up perfectly, she’ll celebrate her treintañera, her double quinces. As the first professional in her family, raising a glass to her achievements is the best plan she’s had in years. Until she discovers that the man in charge of the venue is none other than her college fling that became far more than a fling. And he looks even more delicious than a three-tiered cake . . .

From an Argentinian American author of Syrian Lebanese descent, Twice a Quinceañera is a fun story about what it really means to come into your own.

El verano largo by Sui Kam Wen

In El verano largo, an author’s alter ego looks back on his memories as a college student – the street; the dictatorship; the friendships; the love; the silence; the loneliness; the discovery of a new world; the changes in Lima, Peru brought by migration; the social upheaval that changed Peru; family; and love again. 

Originally in Spanish, Peruvian-Chinese author Sui Kam Wem explores how a life without love is like a year without summer.

The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez

The Vulnerables offers a meditation on our contemporary era, as a solitary female narrator asks what it means to be alive during the COVID-19 pandemic and considers how our present reality affects the way a person looks back on her past.

Humor, to be sure, is a priceless refuge. Equally vital is connection with others, who here include an adrift member of Gen Z and a spirited parrot named Eureka. The Vulnerables reveals what happens when strangers are willing to open their hearts to each other and how far even small acts of caring can go to ease another’s distress. A search for understanding about some of the most critical matters of our time, Nunez’s novel is also an inquiry into the nature and purpose of writing itself.

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Elizabeth Cervantes is a proud Mexican book lover. She has a bachelor’s in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso and is currently working on obtaining her master’s in Publishing at Pace University. When she is not studying and reading for her classes, you can find her crying, swooning, or locking her doors while reading children’s books, romance novels, and mysteries/thrillers.

Review and Author Q&A: The Dream Catcher by Marcelo Verdad

In The Dream Catcher by author-illustrator Marcelo Verdad, a young boy is awakened by his grandfather who lets him know it’s time for work. Soon they will head out for the day to sell cold coconuts and macrame dream catchers along México’s Oaxaca coast.

“Look how many coins I have already, Abuelito,” Miguelito says, holding up a jar of coins to his white-haired abuelo. “Do you think this is enough to buy an airplane?”

His grandpa tells him they’re getting closer.

At home, Miguelito has been hard at work on his dream catchers. His mom taught him how to weave them. The knotted textile creations make him feel close to his parents, he confesses to his abuelo.

 The Dream Catcher (out on May 14 from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) is a poignant story about a boy with a big dream: to make enough money to buy an airplane someday so he could reunite with his parents. Miguelito’s story is rooted in a photo Verdad saw years ago of a young boy selling dream catchers on a beach. The image stayed with him. “In a sense, I wanted to honor all of our kids living under unfavorable circumstances and create a space for them to feel seen,” said Verdad, who was born and raised in México and now resides in Los Angeles.

In his tender picture book, Verdad brings readers into the direct and deep conversations between Miguelito and his grandfather as they work, daring his audience to question what a dream means to them. At one point, the young boy peers up at his grandfather and asks if dreams come true. 

With themes of poverty and class, readers of The Dream Catcher may feel compelled to pause and reflect on the stark differences in the dreams held by people from different circumstances. This is done very effectively through Verdad’s text and illustrations, the latter of which include people of even lesser means than his young protagonist. Even with the heaviness that comes with realizing that not all dreams happen for everyone, there’s a ray of hope that emanates from Miguelito and Abuelito’s story.

Ahead of The Dream Catcher’s release, Verdad spoke with Latinx in Publishing about the inspiration behind his book, dreams, and more.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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

Marcelo Verdad (MV): Years ago, I found this picture of a young kid selling his dream catchers on the beach, and that image just got stuck in my head. I felt the urge to draw it myself. And as soon as I finished the piece, I knew that this kid had a story to tell. It took me some years, but eventually I was able to listen to him and to write the story that he wanted to tell.

 AC: In your book, Miguelito has big dreams to sell enough art to buy an airplane and reunite his family. It is both beautiful yet heartbreaking to read this. How did you decide on this dream for him?

MV: I’m an art teacher, and I work with kids – which I love. What I value the most about being close to my kids is learning from their innocence and their imagination. They really help me reconnect with my inner child, and remember my own innocence and imagination. In this case, Miguelito’s wish needed to represent that innocence and imagination that I find so pure in kids, and that I love. 

Another key aspect about Miguelito was his background. I’m born and raised in México, and that’s exactly how I feel a lot of times when I think of my country. It’s beyond gorgeous. It’s so rich and so beautiful, but yet heartbreaking at times. But also life itself, in that it can be both beautiful yet heartbreaking. And that’s the story that I wanted to tell this time, about life on Earth. I’m not very into fairy tale happy endings, but I wanted to do something honest and full of life and heart.

AC: The entire book consists of direct quotes – conversations between Miguelito and his Abuelito. You don’t see that often in picture books. Why did you structure the story in this way?

MV: I’m both an author and illustrator, but I went to college to study art and design so I’m naturally more of a visual storyteller. I enjoy meaningful minimalism, so I heavily rely on my illustrations to tell the story. And anything that I can’t show visually, that’s when I tell. There’s this thing that authors and illustrators always say: “Show, don’t tell.” So that’s what I try to do first: show through my images. And anything that I can’t show, I just tell it.

I love, love, love keeping a text to a minimum. I’m a bit of an edit freak, so anytime me, my agent, or my editor suggests getting rid of lines and it works, I get really, really happy lowering the word count. In my first book, The Worst Teddy Ever, I used a mix of dialogue and an omnipresent narrator trying to play with the reader by giving them more information than what the main character knew as the story progressed. And that resulted in a fun and engaging tiny book. But this time, what I was trying to do with the dialogue in The Dream Catcher was to make it feel more intimate and personal. And the reader, in my mind, gets to experience a personal and deep conversation between a kid and his guide and protector, in his realm. And I wanted it to feel almost as a conversation with the universe, with life, or a caring and loving being from a higher realm – offering support, wisdom, and guidance throughout Miguelito’s consciousness and spiritual journey.

“...I see this book as an homage to their innocence, their resilience, and generosity in a beautiful and respectful way. ”

AC: There is so much you do visually in The Dream Catcher. We see the beauty of Oaxaca coast, and the harsh reality of people of lesser means. What was it like to bring this all to the page?

MV: To me, it just feels honest. And me being born and raised in México and then coming to LA, where I live currently, that’s just a part of the reality that I experienced. In a sense, I wanted to honor all of our kids living under unfavorable circumstances and create a space for them to feel seen. And I see this book as an homage to their innocence, their resilience, and generosity in a beautiful and respectful way. I also wanted to share visually my favorite place from my country, and showcase all the magic, beauty, richness and culture that inspire me so much. It makes me feel extremely proud of being mexicano and Latino.

AC: What are you hoping readers take away from The Dream Catcher?

MV: I think that it’s human to have dreams and plans and hopes for the future. I think that we all have them. But at the same time, I feel it’s really important not to get lost in those so we can stay present and be grateful for what’s already here and now. I believe the dream called ‘today’ is the one thing that’s real, and everything else is an illusion. I’d love (it) if The Dream Catcher worked as a tiny reminder to stay grateful in the present moment, and to always keep faith even under difficult circumstances.

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Photo: Ximena Verdad

Marcelo Verdad is an author and illustrator from México who likes to tell stories from unconventional perspectives. He graduated from ArtCenter College of Design, where he came upon the Children's Book Illustration class and immediately fell in love with kids' books. He is a member of SCBWI, and was one of the recipients of the Mentorship Award at SCBWI’s 2019 Summer Conference. The Worst Teddy Ever is his picture book debut. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

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.

Most Anticipated May 2024 Releases

From fun and playful picture books to moving memoirs, May has brought us a wide variety of new releases with something for all readers. Check out the titles we are most excited about below and make sure to add them to your TBR list.

Oye by Melissa Mogollon|On Sale May 14

As the youngest in her Colombian American family, Luciana is often relegated to the sidelines. But when Abue refuses to evacuate despite a hurricane heading straight to her and Mami, Luciana seems to be the only voice of reason. As crazy as Abue drives Luciana, she is the only person who truly understands her. So, when Abue receives a shocking medical diagnosis, Luciana’s life is completely disrupted. Soon after, Abue moves into her room, leaving Luciana to step up to the roles of caretaker, translator, and keeper of the family secrets Abue has started to share with her.

Told through one-sided phone call conversations between Luciana and her older sister, Mari, Oye is the perfect coming-of-age story for those of us who can’t resist eavesdropping while in public. 

10 Things I Hate About Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose|On Sale May 14

If you love the classic rom-coms of the 90s like I do, this is the book for you!

Ivelisse and Joaquin have had each other’s backs since they were little. At least, that’s what Ive thinks, until Joaquin decides to ask Tessa Hernandez, the girl who stole Ive’s boyfriend, to prom instead of going with her. The worst thing, though, is Joaquin asks Ive to help him create the greatest promposal ever. 

She would say no in a heartbeat, but with high school graduation looming over them, Ive can’t help but agree to spend all that quality time with Joaquin. Even if that means watching Joaquin fall in love with someone who isn’t her. 

Perla the Mighty Dog by Isabel Allende; illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez|On Sale May 28

Known for magical realism and historical fiction for adults, Isabel Allende is making her debut in a new category: children’s books!

Perla has two superpowers: making people love her and roaring like a lion. So when she finds out that her human brother, Nico Rico, is being bullied at school, she decides to teach him how to channel his superpowers and stand up to his bullies.

Paired with watercolor illustrations that bring this small but mighty dog to life, Perla the Mighty Dog is a must-read for all pet lovers.

Hurdles in the Dark: My Story of Survival, Resilience, and Triumph by Elvira K. Gonzalez|On Sale May 28

Hurdles in the Dark is the powerful memoir of Elvira Gonzalez, a former collegiate track and field athlete, author, activist, and entrepreneur who rose against all odds.

From having to give a drug cartel $40,000 within 24 hours to save her kidnapped mother to being sent to one of South Texas’s worst juvenile detention centers and then experiencing a sexual relationship with a 30-year-old high school coach as a student, Elvira’s race seemed endless. But despite the obstacles, she carried on and became one of the top-ranked hurdlers in the USA and the first in her family to go to college.

A true story of resilience and grit, Hurdles in the Dark will push you to reflect on racism, sexual abuse, and violence, as well as inspire you to face your own obstacles.   

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Elizabeth Cervantes is a proud Mexican book lover. She has a bachelor’s in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Texas at El Paso and is currently working on obtaining her master’s in Publishing at Pace University. When she is not studying and reading for her classes, you can find her crying, swooning, or locking her doors while reading children’s books, romance novels, and mysteries/thrillers.

Book Review: Raiders of the Lost Heart By Jo Segura

If something sounds too good to be true, it's probably because it is—at least that’s what Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has always heard from her abuela. Still, when she is suddenly presented with the opportunity of a lifetime—the opportunity she has been working for her entire career— Corrie can’t help but get her hopes up. To find the remains of the great Aztec warrior, Chimalli, and his tecpatl sacrificial knife, would prove what Corrie has always known: that despite her reputation (though she really is a total badass), she is in fact a respectable and knowledgeable archeologist, and that Chimalli is her ancestor. Though the offer comes shrouded in mystery, Corrie takes a leap of faith and heads to the Mexican jungle, prepared to lead the expedition that will change her life.

Upon arriving Corrie realizes her intuition was correct and she has made a horrible mistake. Not only is she not leading the expedition, which started months before she even received an invitation, but the lead is her dangerously handsome and totally hateful long-time nemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews. Adding this to the list of things Ford has mercilessly taken from her, Corrie is ready to take the next flight back home, but after some convincing, Corrie agrees to join the team.

“Raiders of the Lost Heart is a perfect romcom; the conversation between these enemies-turned-lovers is adorable and heartfelt and the subplots are just as exciting. I was especially surprised by the thoughtful, and even playful, approach Segura takes on some deep and serious topics. ”

For Ford, having Corrie around isn't much better, he knows just how much he’s hurt her in the past, and how much more hurt she’d be if she found out just how easily he stole this project from her. But with his mother in the hospital, he has little choice but to lean on Corrie to make the dig work. After a rocky start, they begin to open up and learn to trust each other. From there, it isn't long before they give in to the mutual attraction that has always driven the hate and constant competition between the two. As if hiding a budding relationship is not enough pressure—not that either of them is sure this could be called a relationship—they soon realize artifacts are missing, and now they must find the thief and keep their discoveries safe.

Raiders of the Lost Heart is a perfect romcom; the conversation between these enemies-turned-lovers is adorable and heartfelt and the subplots are just as exciting. I was especially surprised by the thoughtful, and even playful, approach Segura takes on some deep and serious topics. Throughout the novel, Corrie and Ford have some meaningful conversations on the loss of a parent, the patriarchal practices of a male-dominated field, and the effects of embracing one’s sexuality. 

This novel is definitely a must-read. Personally, I hope to see more of the Adventures of Badass Mejía and Weak Sauce Matthews, as Corrie would call it.

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Photo: © Sean Hoyt

USA Today bestselling author Jo Segura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and doggo, who vies for her attention with his sweet puppy dog eyes whenever she’s trying to write (her dog, that is… though sometimes her husband, too). Her stories feature strong, passionate heroines and draw upon aspects of her life, such as her love of good food, her Mexican heritage, and her fascination with archaeology. When she’s not writing you can find her practicing law, shaking up a mean cocktail, or sitting out on the patio doing Buzzfeed quizzes (though she doesn’t care what the chicken nugget quiz said–her favorite fruit is not banana).

Alejandra Cid is a proud Angeleno, a product of Southeast LA. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California from which she earned a B.A. in Narrative Studies and a M.A. in Literary Editing and Publishing. Alejandra loves all things fiction, but is especially drawn to romance, women's fiction, and short stories. She is interested in storytelling, the (positive) power of social media, and creating accessible, inclusive, and engaging spaces.. 

May 2024 Latinx Releases

On Sale May 6

The Harvest by Diego Rauda | ADULT FICTION

After a nightmare about a disembodied, skinless head calling him from under the bed, Daniel woke with a jolt, but managed to fall asleep again with little effort. He was used to these hellish visions-- while asleep. Now the visions have started to cross over to his waking life, and it's game over. As he tries to bury the feeling that he's being stalked by an unseen force, one of his closest friends takes their own life in front of Daniel, but only after blaming him and " the dragon he carries." While he races to elucidate a mystery that recedes before him, the people closest to Daniel continue to die in perverse circumstances. Against his better judgment, Daniel follows the thread which connects these deaths in order to discover the truth.

Bad Seed: Stories by Gabriel Carle | SHORT STORIES

The visceral, wildly imaginative stories in Bad Seed flick through working-class scenes of contemporary Puerto Rico, where friends and lovers melt into and defy their surroundings--night clubs, ruined streets, cramped rooms with cockroaches moving in the walls. A horny high schooler spends his summer break in front of the TV; a queer love triangle unravels on the emblematic theater steps of the University of Puerto Rico; a group of friends get high and watch San Juan burn from atop a clocktower; an HIV positive college student works the night shift at a local bathhouse. At turns playful and heartbreaking, Bad Seed is the long overdue English-language debut of one of Puerto Rico's most exciting up-and-coming writers.

American Abductions by Mauro Javier Cardenas | ADULT FICTION

American Abductions opens in a near-future United States whose omnipresence of data-harvesting and algorithms has enabled the mass incarceration and deportation of Latin Americans--regardless of citizenship. After their father is abducted by immigration officials before their eyes and deported to Colombia, Ada and her sister Eva are left to contend with a United States as all-seeing as it is hostile. Now adults, Ada remains in San Francisco while Eva has joined their father in Colombia, tending him in his ailing health. When his condition worsens, Eva asks Ada to come see them: a nearly impossible feat, given the United States' restrictions on Latin Americans' movements. Ada, terribly alone, must come to terms with the violence of American society and the grief of lost community. Exploring the role of technology, mass society, and American expectations on how Latin American deportees should tell their stories, the novel delves into the ties, memories, and lines of code binding communities together.

The Mango Chronicle by Ricardo José González-Rothi | MEMOIR

He leaves his birthplace during a nuclear missile crisis. As a refugee in a foreign land he struggles to adjust to a new set of life circumstances. The author recollects his childhood in his Cuban barrio from the eyes of a child, and then decades later, from the vantage of a grown adult. From stealing a rowboat and being nearly capsized by a Russian tanker, to befriending an old fisherman who tells him a haunting tale, to being bullied by a neighborhood thug, to cockfights gone wrong, to witnessing the plight of political prisoners during an invasion, to dealing with the injustices of growing up in a machismo and homophobic culture, he had led a Cuban Huck Finn childhood. Arriving in an at-times unwelcoming culture, he struggles to assimilate while preserving his native soul. Eventually he finds redemption upon circling back to his roots when he returns to the island.

The Perfect Place by Matt de la Peña | Illustrated by Paola Escobar | PICTURE BOOK

Lucas goes to the perfect school in the perfect neighborhood. But life at home is not so perfect. His dad's old work truck stalls in front of the school. The electricity is out when he gets home, and he doesn't even have time to show his mom his report (on which he received a perfect score) before she rushes off to her night job.

That night, Lucas dreams of a strange light, which he follows down the fire escape, into the alleyway, clear out of his neighborhood, all the way to the place where the perfect people live. Everything there is more beautiful than he could have imagined. But is it possible things aren't as perfect as they seem?

This lyrical, richly illustrated picture book highlights the beauty to be found in even the humblest of homes and in a family that may not be materially rich but is rich in love.

La Guitarrista by Lucky Diaz | Illustrated by Micah Player | Translated by Carmen Tafolla |PICTURE BOOK

Strum! Strum! Strum! Get ready to rock with la guitarrista!

When Canta finds a guitar in the trash, she is one step closer to becoming a rock star. Even though the guitar is broken and she doesn't know how to play, nothing can stop Canta from going after her dreams!

Perfect for fans of Because and We Will Rock Our Classmates, La Guitarrista, The Rock Star will have readers rocking out to this empowering tale of resilience, community, the power of music--and never giving up on your dreams.

Includes an author's note from Lucky Diaz and a link to the Lucky Band's song inspired by the book. Also available in Spanish.

Los Monstruos: Rooster and the Dancing Diablo by Diana López | MIDDLE GRADE

The magical town of Tres Leches, home to the figures of Texas-Mexico border lore, has been through a lot. Most recently, the town was released from a curse that kept La Llorona, the wailing woman, haunting the shores of their river. But just when the townsfolk were preparing to return to sunny riverside picnics and barbecues, the children of Tres Leches mysteriously began to go missing. The town suspects another monstruo, the Dancing Devil, is luring kids to El Camarón Dance Hall & Arcade. The Dancing Devil's son, Rooster, who has a foot in both the human and monster worlds, feels compelled to lead the search for the missing children with the help of his friends, Ava (the daughter of La Lechuza) and Felice (the daughter of La Llorona). Their journey takes them to an old gothic mansion with a twisted family history and a pull so powerful that it's nearly impossible to resist.

Picking up where Felice and the Wailing Woman left off, Rooster and the Dancing Diablo brims with magic, adventure, and Mexican folklore, and is perfect for fans of fantasy adventure series like Paola Santiago by Tehlor Kay Mejia and the Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste.

América del Norte by Nicolás Medina Mora | ADULT FICTION

Sebastián lived a childhood of privilege in Mexico City. Now in his twenties, he has a degree from Yale, an American girlfriend, and a slot in the University of Iowa's MFA program.

But Sebastián's life is shaken by the Trump administration's restrictions on immigrants, his mother's terminal cancer, the cracks in his relationship, and his father's forced resignation at the hands of Mexico's new president. As he struggles through the Trump and López Obrador years, Sebastián must confront his father's role in the Mexican drug war and navigate his whiteness in Mexican contexts even as he is often perceived as a person of color in the US. As he does so, the novel moves through centuries of Mexican literary history, from the 17th century letters of a peevishly polymathic Spanish colonizer to the contemporary packaging of Mexican writers for a US audience.

Split between the US and Mexico, this stunning debut explores whiteness, power, immigration, and the history of Mexican literature, to wrestle with the contradictory relationship between two countries bound by geography and torn apart by politics.

Queerceañera by Alex Crespo | YOUNG ADULT

oaquin Zoido is out and proud of it. And while he knew his dad and sister, Carmen, would be super supportive, he wasn't quite ready for them to surprise him with a queerceañera, a coming out party to celebrate him. Between all the talks of tastings and venues, and the chirping of his family's RSVP texts, the question of who will be his chambelán is on everyone's minds.

What Joaquin is decidedly trying to not think about is whether his mom is going attend or if she's finally replaced him with her favorite godson, Felix--the boy who made Joaquin realize he was gay and who was his first kiss. But when an impromptu lie snowballs into a full-fledged family-group-chat rumor, every Zoido from Texas to Mexico starts believing that Felix is not only Joaquin's chambelán but also his brand-new boyfriend.

To avoid the pity and sympathies of an ill-timed breakup, Joaquin and Felix strike a deal--they'll stay fake boyfriends until the party. Yet, as the day draws nearer and old feelings spark anew, Joaquin will have to decide whether a picture-perfect queerceañera with a fake boyfriend is worth giving up the chance of something real.

Death's Country by R.M. Romero | YOUNG ADULT

Andres Santos of São Paulo was all swinging fists and firecracker fury, a foot soldier in the war between his parents, until he drowned in the Tietê River... and made a bargain with Death for a new life. A year later, his parents have relocated the family to Miami, but their promises of a fresh start quickly dissolve in the summer heat.

Instead of fists, Andres now uses music to escape his parents' battles. While wandering Miami Beach, he meets two girls: photographer Renee, a blaze of fire, and dancer Liora, a ray of sunshine. The three become a polyamorous triad, happy, despite how no one understands their relationship. But when a car accident leaves Liora in a coma, Andres and Renee are shattered.

Then Renee proposes a radical solution: She and Andres must go into the underworld to retrieve their girlfriend's spirit and reunite it with her body--before it's too late. Their search takes them to the City of the dead, where painters bleed color, songs grow flowers, and regretful souls will do anything to forget their lives on earth. But finding Liora's spirit is only the first step in returning to the living world. Because when Andres drowned, he left a part of himself in the underworld--a part he's in no hurry to meet again. But it is eager to be reunited with him...

Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America by Luis A. Miranda with Richard Wolffe | ADULT NONFICTION

A veteran of New York and national politics, Luis Miranda embodies the relentless spirit of progress of American immigrants.

There is no one on the Latino, New York, and national political scene with the breadth of experience, passion, and storytelling charm of Luis Miranda. In Relentless, he shares a fascinating narrative of his life and career--from his early days as a radically minded Puerto Rican activist to his decades of political advice and problem-solving.

Miranda recounts the thrill of the ascendency of Hamilton, created by his son Lin-Manuel, and he details the suffering after the devastation of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. Amid the triumphs and challenges, Miranda examines what his experience reveals about our ever-changing politics, demographics, and society.

One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience by John Quiñones and María Elena Salinas | ADULT NONFICTION

Uvalde: 365 was a continuing ABC News series led by the network's Investigative Unit. As part of the initiative, ABC News opened a local satellite news bureau in Uvalde, Texas, in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, that hosted a rotating crew of correspondents, producers, writers, and technical staff. Their gripping, vital reporting has been featured across all programs and platforms, from Good Morning America to World News Tonight with David Muir.

Award-winning journalists John Quiñones and María Elena Salinas became immersed in the Uvalde community, as their field reporting brought them ever closer to the people of this Texas city. Quiñones, Salinas, and other ABC reporters and producers on the ground documented the lives of victims' families; covered local community events; followed city council, school board, and Texas Legislature meetings; and attended congressional hearings in Washington, D.C., where victims' families have been advocating for gun reform.

One Year in Uvalde synthesizes this year-long story into a timely, humane, and important look at a community's activism and resiliency, as it follows several families and residents while events continue to unfold in the community. The intimate, sensitive reporting of Quiñones, Salinas, and the ABC News team examines a specific time and place in American life, thereby highlighting challenges that we face as a nation.

Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez | YOUNG ADULT

Mac has never really felt like he belonged. Definitely not at home--his dad's politics and toxic masculinity make a real connection impossible. He thought he fit in on the baseball team, but that's only because he was pretending to be someone he wasn't. Finding his first gay friend, Cammy, was momentous; finally, he could be his authentic self around someone else. But as it turned out, not really. Cammy could be cruel, and his "advice" often came off way harsh.

And then, Mac meets Flor, who shows him that you can be both fierce and kind, and Mikey, who is superhot and might maybe think the same about him. Over the course of one hot, life-changing summer, Mac will stand face-to-face with desire, betrayal, and letting go of shame, which will lead to some huge discoveries about the realness of truly belonging.

Told in Mac's infectious, joyful, gay AF voice, Hot Boy Summer serves a tale as important as hope itself: four gay teens doing what they can to connect and have the fiercest summer of their lives. New friendships will be forged, hot boys will be kissed...and girl, the toxic will be detoxed.

The Dead Don't Need Reminding: In Search of Fugitives, Mississippi, and Black TV Nerd Shit by Julian Randall | MEMOIR

The Dead Don't Need Reminding is a braided story of Julian Randall's return from the cliff edge of a harrowing depression and his determination to retrace the hustle of a white-passing grandfather to the Mississippi town from which he was driven amid threats of tar and feather.

Alternatively wry, lyrical, and heartfelt, Randall transforms pop culture moments into deeply personal explorations of grief, family, and the American way. He envisions his fight to stay alive through a striking medley of media ranging from Into the Spiderverse and Jordan Peele movies to BoJack Horseman and the music of Odd Future. Pulsing with life, sharp, and wickedly funny, The Dead Don't Need Reminding is Randall's journey to get his ghost story back.

Trippy: The Peril and Promise of Medicinal Psychedelics by Ernesto Londoño | ADULT NONFICTION

When he signed up for a psychedelic retreat run by a mysterious Argentine woman deep in Brazil's rainforest in early 2018, Ernesto Londoño, a veteran New York Times journalist, was so depressed he had come close to jumping off his terrace weeks earlier. His nine-day visit to Spirit Vine Ayahuasca Retreat Center included four nighttime ceremonies during which participants imbibed a vomit-inducing plant-based brew that contained DMT, a powerful mind-altering compound.

The ayahuasca trips provided Londoño an instant reprieve from his depression and became the genesis of a personal transformation that anchors this sweeping journalistic exploration of the booming field of medicinal psychedelics. Londoño introduces readers to a dazzling array of psychedelic enthusiasts who are upending our understanding of trauma and healing. They include Indigenous elders who regard psychedelics as portals to the spirit world; religious leaders who use mind-bending substances as sacraments; war veterans suffering from PTSD who credit psychedelics with changing their lives; and clinicians trying to resurrect a promising field of medicine hastily abandoned in the 1970s as the United States declared a War on Drugs.

Julián Es Una Sirena by Jessica Love |Translated by Georgina Lázaro | PICTURE BOOK

Traducido por la poeta puertorriqueña, Georgina Lázaro. Un día, tras salir de la piscina, mientras regresa a casa en tren con su abuela, Julián ve a tres mujeres vestidas con unos trajes espectaculares. Sus cabelleras flotan en el aire con brillantes colores, sus vestidos tienen colas de pescado y su regocijo inunda el vagón del tren. Cuando Julián llega a casa, hechizado por la magia que acaba de ver, solo piensa en vestirse como ellas con su propio fabuloso disfraz de sirena: se pone una cortina amarilla color mantequilla como cola y las frondas de una planta de helecho como tocado de la cabeza. ¿Pero qué pensará su abuela del desorden que ha hecho--y más importante aún--qué pensará de la imagen que tiene Julián de sí mismo? Cautivante y genuino, el libro de Jessica Love, galardonado con el premio Stonewall, es una jubilosa y radiante celebración del amor por uno mismo y de la individualidad.

On Sale May 14

Cast Away by Kate Johnstun | ADULT FICTION

What would you do for your shot at the American Dream? Veronica Chavez and her great nephew Chuy immigrate from Mexico to the US, their journeys seventy years apart, each willing to do whatever it takes to build the life of their dreams. In 1922, Veronica's romantic expectations are crushed by the dangers of living alone in a foreign country. Young and determined, she finds community in Utah's desert railroad towns. Decades later, Chuy comes with his family to Salt Lake City, but his parents are soon sent back to Mexico. Out of place but together, Chuy and Veronica manage to connect across generations--hatching a plan to finally win it big on reality TV.

The Dream Catcher by Marcelo Verdad | PICTURE BOOK

Some people dream of perfect waves, fancy castles, or piloting a plane. Others dream of someone to laugh and play with all day long. Some just dream of having a meal for the next day.

And little Miguel? As he and Abuelito work in the hot Oaxacan sun, selling cold coconuts and macrame dream catchers to earn a few coins, Miguel has only one simple wish--to have his parents by his side. But how can he keep the faith when the truth is that dreams don't always come to pass?

Marcelo Verdad's poignant tale of hope and resilience shows how living in the here and now can be a journey every bit as beautiful as a dream. Also available in Spanish.

Oye by Melissa Mogollon | FICTION

Structured as a series of one-sided phone calls from our spunky, sarcastic narrator, Luciana, to her older sister, Mari, this wildly inventive debut "jump-starts your heart in the same way it piques your ear" (Xochitl Gonzalez). As the baby of her large Colombian American family, Luciana is usually relegated to the sidelines. But now she finds herself as the only voice of reason in the face of an unexpected crisis: A hurricane is heading straight for Miami, and her eccentric grandmother, Abue, is refusing to evacuate. Abue is so one-of-a-kind she's basically in her own universe, and while she often drives Luciana nuts, they're the only ones who truly understand each other. So when Abue, normally glamorous and full of life, receives a shocking medical diagnosis during the storm, Luciana's world is upended.

When Abue moves into Luciana's bedroom, their complicated bond intensifies. Luciana would rather be skating or sneaking out to meet girls, but Abue's wild demands and unpredictable antics are a welcome distraction for Luciana from her misguided mother, absent sister, and uncertain future. Forced to step into the role of caretaker, translator, and keeper of the devastating family secrets that Abue begins to share, Luciana suddenly finds herself center stage, facing down adulthood--and rising to the occasion.

As Luciana chronicles the events of her disrupted senior year of high school over the phone to Mari, Oye unfolds like the most fascinating and entertaining conversation you've ever eavesdropped on: a rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly unique novel that celebrates the beauty revealed and resilience required when rewriting your own story. Also available in Spanish.

Magical/Realism: Essays on Music, Memory, Fantasy, and Borders by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal | NONFICTION

Upon becoming a new mother, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal was called to Mexico to reconnect with her ancestors and recover her grandmother's story, only to return to the sudden loss of her marriage, home, and reality.

In Magical/Realism, Villarreal crosses into the erasure of memory and self, fragmented by migration, borders, and colonial and intimate violence, reconstructing her story with pieces of American pop culture, and the music, video games, and fantasy that have helped her make sense of it all.

The border between the real and imagined is a speculative space where we can remember, or re-world, what has been lost--and each chapter engages in this essential project of world-building. In one essay, Villarreal examines her own gender performativity through Nirvana and Selena; in another, she offers a radical but crucial racial reading of Jon Snow in Game of Thrones; and throughout the collection, she explores how fantasy can help us interpret and heal when grief feels insurmountable. She reflects on the moments of her life that are too painful to remember--her difficult adolescence, her role as the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrants, her divorce--and finds a way to archive her history and map her future(s) with the hope and joy of fantasy and magical thinking.

Magical/Realism is a wise, tender, and essential collection that carves a path toward a new way of remembering and telling our stories--broadening our understanding of what memoir and cultural criticism can be.

10 Things I Hate about Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose | YOUNG ADULT

Ivelisse Santos has had Joaquin Romero's back since their first playdate. Not just next-door neighbors, they're platonic soulmates.
At least, that's what Ive thinks, until Joaquin decides to ask Tessa Hernandez, the same girl who stole Ive's boyfriend, to prom. Sure, the head cheerleader and the star baseball player going to prom together makes more sense than Joaquin and Ivelisse--leader of tech crew--would. But that doesn't mean it should actually happen.
What's worse, Joaquin wants Ivelisse's help planning an elaborate promposal. As much as she wants to say no, she'll take all the quality time with Joaquin she can get before graduation. Even if it means watching her best friend fall for somebody else. Somebody who isn't her.

Nothing's Ever the Same by Cyn Vargas | MIDDLE GRADE

Itzel's 13th birthday party starts in just about the unluckiest way possible-with her dad having a heart attack. In those frantic moments, the piñata and the frosted sheetcake and the Styrofoam cups of orange soda are forgotten; the day's highlights end up being CPR, an ambulance ride, and angioplasty. But when her father gets home from the hospital, his problems are far from over--and Itzel's are just getting started.

Nothing's Ever the Same chronicles a young girl's coming of age in Chicago--growing up as her family grows apart. In masterful fashion, Cyn Vargas gives us a touching and memorable and universal story about a marriage on the brink and a teenager looking for love. It's a short book that packs a wallop; it's also a beautiful meditation on dysfunction and forgiveness, and all the times in life to which we can never return.

En Estas Tierras Mágicas by Yamile Saied Méndez | MIDDLE GRADE

Ya a los doce años, Minerva Soledad Miranda está decidida a alcanzar sus metas, a pesar de asumir más responsibilidades que los demás niños de las escuela--como cuidar a sus dos hermanas mientras su mamá maneja dos trabajos. Pero una noche, la mamá de Minerva no regresa a casa y Minerva tiene que decider qué hacer. Fue Mama secuestrada por ICE? Serán las niñas enviadas a hogares de acogida o centros de detención para niños inmigrantes?

Minerva y su hermanas no pueden dejar que nadie sepa que mamá ha desparecido. Simplemente fingirán que todo sigue normal hasta que ella regrese. El plan de Minerva se desmorona la primera tarde, cuando su hermanita hace un berrinche durante la audición de Minerva para la obra de Peter Pan.

Pero a medida que pasan los días y Minerva se preocupa cada vez más por su madre, algo mágico parece estar cuidándolos: dejándoles pastelitos, ayudándolos a encontrar dinero, e incluso dirigiéndolos a amigos y familiares lejanos que pueden ayudarlos. Eventualmente, Minerva debe tomar la decision más dificil de su vida. Y cuando lo haga, estará preparada para enfrentar los desafíos de la vida, con amistad, esparanza y un poco de magia de hadas.

Good Monster by Diannely Antigua | POETRY

Diannely Antigua's Good Monster grapples with the body as a site of chronic pain and trauma. Poignant and guttural, the collection "voyage[s] the land between crisis and hope," chronicling Antigua's reckoning with shame and her fallout with faith. As poems cage and cradle devastating truths--a stepfather's abusive touch, a mother's "soft harm"--the speaker's anxiety, depression, and boundless need become monstrous shadows. Here, poems dance on bars, speak in tongues, and cry in psych wards. When "God [becomes] a house [she] can't leave," language becomes the only currency left. We see the messiness of survival unfold through sestinas, a series of Sad Girl sonnets, and diary entries--an invented collage form using Antigua's personal journals. At the crux of despair, Antigua locates a resilient desire to find a love that will remain, to feel pleasure in an inhospitable body and, above all, to keep on living.

Future by María José Ferrada Ferrada | Illustrated by Mariana Alcántara | Translated by Kit Maude | PICTURE BOOK

Future takes young readers on a fun and clever journey of wonderment, exploring the uncertain yet exciting possibilities of tomorrow. Through whimsical prose and charming illustrations, this silvery book introduces children to enchanting, otherworldly ideas by incorporating a touch of science fiction with robots, rocket ships, and other fantastical concepts that may await them. Highlighting the limitless power of imagination, the authors foster a bright outlook on the future and world we live in. Future captivates as it celebrates creativity, instills hope, and underscores the boundless potential each child possesses as they carve their unique path in this world.

Future marks one more thrilling venture with the award-winning Chilean author, Maria José Ferrada, and the brilliant Mexican illustrator, Mariana Alcántara. Their first collaboration was the compelling book Swimmer, and with Future, they gift us another stunning tale. Maria José's poetic narrative and Mariana's magical illustrations create an extraordinary atmospheric journey brimming with imagination.

Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use Edited by Justice Rivera | ADULT NONFICTION

Body Autonomy: Decolonizing Sex Work and Drug Use is a bold and timely collection that confronts these charged issues at the intersection of social justice and public health. It reveals the histories behind the United State's ideological wars and illustrates their costs to all of us. It is a primer on healing-centered harm reduction, which presents a visionary framework and set of practical strategies to advance unity and care while working to transform conditions for communities that bear the brunt of interpersonal and systemic violence, overdose deaths, and health inequities. In the words of leading advocates, service providers, and the scholars whose lives and communities have been harmed by American neo-colonial policies, Body Autonomy offers promising, healing-centered interventions that represent a critical culture shift.

This collection features trusted voices on health and social policy reform, including Kate D'Adamo, Justice Rivera, Ismail Ali, Paula Kahn, and Sasanka Jinadasa, as well as respected healers like Richael Faithful, Amira Barakat Al-Baladi, and Mona Knotte. The articles, interviews, worksheets, and poems within are an offering to expand our collective understanding of survival, healing, and embodied freedom. Body Autonomy is a must read for anyone with a compassionate worldview, people seeking to know more about underground economies, and those who know that punishment doesn't lead to security. It is a liberatory design and a prayer for what's possible.

On Sale May 21

The Plant Rescuer by Matthew Rivera | PICTURE BOOK

Manny comes from a long line of gardeners, and to him, the greatest gardener of all is his dad. Dad always knows what plants need. Even with no yard to garden in, he tends their small apartment into a lush jungle.

One day, the time comes for Manny to get his very own first plant! Dad trusts Manny to care for his new amigo, and Manny is determined to rise to the challenge. But watching Dad's masterful work isn't the same as knowing everything he knows, and Manny's amigo keeps wilting, no matter what he tries! Dad would know what to do, but this is Manny's plant, and he wants to be the one to save it.

Luckily, before his new amigo, Manny had another friend: the library! A day of research and a stack of books gets him back on track in no time. Manny's plant grows bigger and bigger, until his room overflows with beautiful, healthy leaves, plentiful enough for Dad to share cuttings with the whole neighborhood. Now Manny can proudly say that he is the youngest in a long line of gardeners. Also available in Spanish.

Sobremesa: Easy Mexican Recipes for Every Day by Susana Villasuso | COOKBOOK

75 quick, easy and delicious recipes for Mexican weeknight meals, sharing plates, drinks, and desserts to make and enjoy together.

Sobremesa means "relaxing at the table after a heavy meal," usually after getting together with family and friends. Mexican-born chef and recipe developer Susana Villasuso is on a mission to bring the flavors of Mexico to your table, and share her culture with the world. Inspired by the dishes she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother, this debut cookbook brings together authentic, modern, simple, and tasty recipes for feeding the whole family and for all occasions, made with everyday supermarket ingredients. It's a real taste of Mexico, with a modern twist.

Try some of Susana's family classics, such as: Crispy bean and ricotta taquitos with crema verde, Brown miso and porter carnitas, Salmon Ceviche with yellow beets and lime marinade, Mexican blood orange vanilla cake, and more.

Between Words: A Friendship Tale by Saki Tanaka | PICTURE BOOK

Kai is used to following the seasons with Pa, from place to new place where people speak languages unfamiliar to his ears. When they finally settle in a valley full of pools, Kai tries to invite the other children to join in his play, but the strangeness of his words drives them away. Frustrated, he kicks his most treasured stone into one of the pools and in his search for it, finds something even more valuable.

Dive into a whimsical tale of unexpected friendship, told with compassion and warmth. With every brushstroke, Saki Tanaka paints a radiant world where bonds are formed beyond language barriers.

American Diva: Extraordinary, Unruly, Fabulous by Deborah Paredez | ADULT NONFICTION

What does it mean to be a "diva"? A shifting, increasingly loaded term, it has been used to both deride and celebrate charismatic and unapologetically fierce performers like Aretha Franklin, Divine, and the women of Labelle. In this brilliant, powerful blend of incisive criticism and electric memoir, Deborah Paredez--scholar, cultural critic, and lifelong diva devotee--unravels our enduring fascination with these icons and explores how divas have challenged American ideas about feminism, performance, and freedom.

American Diva journeys into Tina Turner's scintillating performances, Celia Cruz's command of the male-dominated salsa world, the transcendent revival of Jomama Jones after a period of exile, and the unparalleled excellence of Venus and Serena Williams. Recounting how she and her mother endlessly watched Rita Moreno's powerhouse portrayal of Anita in West Side Story and how she learned much about being bigger than life from her fabulous Tía Lucia, Paredez chronicles the celebrated and skilled performers who not only shaped her life but boldly expressed the aspiration for freedom among brown, Black, and gay communities. Paredez also traces the evolution of the diva through the decades, dismayed at the mid-aughts' commodification and juvenilizing of its meaning but finding its lasting beauty and power.

Abuelo, the Sea, and Me by Ismée Williams | Illustrated by Tatiana Gardel | PICTURE BOOK

When this grandchild visits her abuelo, he takes her to the ocean. In summer, they kick off their shoes and let the cool waves tickle their toes. In winter, they stand on the cliff and let the sea spray prick their noses and cheeks. No matter the season, hot or cold, their favorite place to spend time together is the beach.

It's here that Abuelo is able to open up about his youth in Havana, Cuba. As they walk along the sand, he recalls the tastes, sounds, and smells of his childhood. And with his words, Cuba comes alive for his grandchild.

Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas by Alexandra Alessandri | Illustrated by Anastasiya Kanavaliuk | PICTURE BOOK

Kindness can be shown during even the harshest of storms.

Shutters rattled. Wind howled. As a ferocious hurricane descends upon her town, Lupita finds two baby birds who have fallen out of their nest and brings them inside to shelter them from the storm. While Lupita and her family wait out the tempest, she focuses on protecting the palomitas to alleviate her own fears and hopes she can soon reunite them with their mother.

Perfect for families living in hurricane-prone states or with children who have storm-related anxieties, Lupita's Hurricane Palomitas offers a gentle, soothing story about extending a hand of kindness to others even while facing fears of our own. The book includes Spanish-language vocabulary words and a glossary in the back.

On Sale May 28

Emergency Quarters by Carlos Matias | Illustrated by Gracey Zhang | PICTURE BOOK

Ernesto has waited his whoooole life to become a niño grande. A big boy. Now he's finally old enough to walk the six blocks to school without his parents.

Every morning, his mom hands him a shiny new quarter and reminds him they're for emergencies. If Ernesto needs her, she's only a pay phone call away. But each day reveals a tempting new treat to enjoy with his friends: crisp packs of baseball cards, arcade games, hot tamales, and fresh juices! Ernesto has the coins jingling in his pocket, so how will he choose to spend them?

Sea of Constellations by Melissa Cristina Márquez | Illustrated by Rocío Arreola Mendoza | PICTURE BOOK

Maren the whale shark loves her life as the biggest, brightest fish in the sea. She spends her days exploring the water around her and finding fresh new snacks as she travels. But one day, the ocean goes dark and Maren's adventures come to a halt. With only the glow from the scales on her back and her best friend, Remy the remora, by her side, Maren sets out on her greatest quest yet--to cross the ocean and ask the Aztec goddess Huixtocihuatl about the darkness and to figure out how to bring back the light. Along the way she meets new friends and exemplifies the power of sharing!

The Quince Project by Jessica Parra | YOUNG ADULT

Castillo Torres, Student Body Association event chair and serial planner, could use a fairy godmother. After a disastrous mishap at her sister's quinceañera and her mother's unexpected passing, all of Cas's plans are crumbling. So when a local lifestyle-guru-slash-party-planner opens up applications for the internship of her dreams, Cas sees it as the perfect opportunity to learn every trick in the book so that things never go wrong again.

The only catch is that she needs more party planning experience before she can apply. When she books a quinceañera for a teen Disneyland vlogger, Cas thinks her plan is taking off... until she discovers that the party is just a publicity stunt--and she begins catching feelings for the chambelán.

As her agenda starts to go way off-script Cas finds that real life may be more complicated than a fairy tale. But maybe Happily Ever Afters aren't just for the movies. Can Cas go from planner to participant in her own life? Or will this would-be princess turn into a pumpkin at the end of the ball?

Hurdles in the Dark: My Story of Survival, Resilience, and Triumph by Elvira K. Gonzalez | ADULT NONFICTION

Twenty-four hours: that's how long fourteen-year-old Elvira Gonzalez is given to come up with the $40,000 she needs to save her kidnapped mother from a drug cartel. It's 2006 and Elvira's hometown of Laredo, Texas, has become engulfed by the Mexican Drug War. Elvira's life is unraveling around her--setting her on a harrowing path that leads her to being locked up in one of South Texas's worst juvenile detention centers.

After Elvira's released from juvie, she's resolved to never go back. That's when her unexpected salvation arrives in the form of 33-inch-high plastic hurdles. Determined to win a track scholarship out of Laredo, Elvira begins breaking into the school, alone, at 5:30 in the morning to practice hurdling. Soon, she catches the attention of a renowned high school coach, an adult man in his 30s. As they train, their coach-student relationship begins to change, becoming sexual. At just seventeen years old, Elvira experiences the dangers many young athletes face, especially those who are marginalized. In spite of these towering obstacles, Elvira eventually propels herself to become one of the top ranked hurdlers in the USA and the first in her family to go to college.

Perla the Mighty Dog by Isabel Allende | Illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez | PICTURE BOOK

Perla is a mighty dog who has two superpowers--making people love her, and roaring like a lion. When she finds out her human brother, Nico Rico, is being bullied at school, she knows she has to step in! But what will Perla do?

In a charming and poignant story about the bond between child and pet, Isabel Allende makes her children's literary debut. Also available in Spanish.

Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore | YOUNG ADULT

The Soler sisters are infamous in polite society--brazen, rebellious, and raised by their fashionable grandmother who couldn't care less about which fork goes where. But their grandmother also knows the standards that two Latina young ladies will be held to, so she secures them two coveted places at the Alarie House, a prominent finishing school that turns out first ladies, princesses, and socialites.

Younger sister Isla is back home within a day. She refuses to become one of the eerily sweet Alarie girls in their prim white dresses. Older sister Renata stays. When she returns months later, she's unfailingly pleasant, unnervingly polite, and, Isla discovers, possibly murderous. And the same night she returns home, she vanishes.

As their grandmother uses every connection she has to find Renata, Isla re-enrolls, intent on finding out what happened to her sister. But the Alarie House is as exacting as it is opulent. It won't give up its secrets easily, and neither will a mysterious, conniving girl who's either controlling the house, or carrying out its deadly orders.

Accordion Eulogies: A Memoir of Music, Migration, and Mexico by Noé Álvarez | ADULT NONFICTION

Growing up in Yakima, Washington, Noé Álvarez never knew his grandfather. Stories swirled around this mythologized, larger-than-life figure: That he had abandoned his family, and had possibly done something awful that put a curse on his descendants. About his grandfather, young Noé was sure of only one thing: That he had played the accordion. Now an adult, reckoning with the legacy of silence surrounding his family's migration from Mexico, Álvarez resolves both to take up the instrument and to journey into Mexico to discover the grandfather he never knew.

Álvarez travels across the US with his accordion, meeting makers and players in cities that range from San Antonio to Boston. He uncovers the story of an instrument that's been central to classic American genres, but also played a critical role in indigenous Mexican history. Like the accordion itself, Álvarez feels trapped between his roots in Mexico and the U.S. As he tries to make sense of his place in the world--as a father, a son, a musician--he gets closer to uncovering the mystery of his origins.

Summer's Magic by Kaitlin B. Curtice | Illustrated by Eduardo Marticorena | PICTURE BOOK

An Indigenous boy invites new friends to share in beloved traditions as he celebrates the joy of summer and his love for Earth and Creator in this picture book that revels in the warmth, light, and fun of the longest days of the year.

Bo, a proud Potawatomi boy, is excited to enjoy long summer days tending his garden, walking his dog, and playing in the river with his big sister, Dani. When he discovers that his family's favorite spot has been polluted with garbage, Bo realizes that caring for Earth is part of what makes summer special. And when he overcomes his shyness and invites others to join in, he discovers that summer's magic has even more surprises in store.

A Last Supper of Queer Apostles: Selected Essays by Pedro Lemebel | Edited and Translated by Gwendolyn Harper | ADULT NONFICTION

"I speak from my difference," wrote Pedro Lemebel, an openly queer writer and artist living through Chile's AIDS epidemic and the collapse of the Pinochet dictatorship. In brilliantly innovative essays--known as crónicas--that combine memoir, reportage, fiction, history, and poetry, he brought visibility and dignity to sexual minorities, the poor, and the powerless. Touching on everything from Che Guevara to Elizabeth Taylor, from the aftermath of authoritarian rule to the daily lives of Chile's locas--a slur for trans women and effeminate gay men that he boldly reclaims--his writing infuses political urgency with playfulness, realism with absurdism, and resistance with camp, and his AIDS crónicas immortalize a generation of Chileans doubly "disappeared" by casting each loca, as she falls sick, in the starring role of her own private tragedy. This volume brings together the best of his work, introducing readers of English to the subversive genius of a literary activist and queer icon whose acrobatic explorations of the Santiago demimonde reverberate around the world.

I'm a Fool to Want You: Stories by Camila Villada | Translated by Kit Maude | SHORT STORIES

In the 1990s, a woman makes a living as a rental girlfriend for gay men. In a Harlem den, a travesti gets to know none other than Billie Holiday. A group of rugby players haggle over the price of a night of sex, and in return they get what they deserve. Nuns, grandmothers, children, and dogs are never what they seem...

These 9 stories are inhabited by extravagant and profoundly human characters who face an ominous reality in ways as strange as themselves. I'm a Fool to Want You confirms that Camila Sosa Villada is one of the most powerful and original voices in contemporary literature. With her daring imagination, she can speak the language of a victim of the Mexican Inquisition, or create a dystopian universe where travestis take their revenge. With her unique style, Sosa Villada blends everyday life and magic, honoring the oral tradition with unparalleled fluency.

On Sale May 31

A Bridge Home by Mona Alvarado Frazier | YOUNG ADULT

Jacqueline Bravo can't understand why she's being called to the principal's office and is shocked to learn her mother hasn't paid her tuition at St. Bernadette High School in three months! Now Sister Mary Grace is threatening to kick her out and even recommends a vocational school until she gets married. Finances have been tight ever since Jacqui's father was killed in Vietnam. She is determined to win the alumni scholarship to UCLA, and there's no way she will transfer to a public or vocational school in her senior year--never mind get married! But she doesn't want her younger siblings to have to leave St. Patrick's either; her sister is already hanging out with unsavory boys and Jacqui knows it would only get worse at the local school. So, she starts looking for a way to earn money and help make ends meet. Without telling her mom, Jacqui gets a job at a local restaurant.

Vincent Ventura and the Curse of the Donkey Lady / Vincent Ventura Y La Maldición de la Mujer Burro by Xavier Garza | MIDDLE GRADE

Vincent and his dad are on a bus in Mexico, headed to his late mom's village of Nagual, when he hears a loud animal roar! Oddly, no one else seems to have heard it. Looking out the window, he is surprised to see a girl running alongside the bus; he's even more amazed when she turns into a jaguar! And then he sees a sinister sight: a woman with a cadaverous-looking donkey's head whose glowing red eyes burn as if on fire! Even in a different country, there's another monster mystery to solve.