Book Review: 'On the Wings of la Noche' by Vanessa L. Torres

Jamie Anderson said, “Grief, I've learned, is really just love. It's all the love you want to give, but cannot.” Naturally, a story that revolves around grief is also one that revolves around love. On the Wings of la Noche draws this connection between these two very intense emotions wonderfully, introducing us to a character who tragically lost her first love and must navigate a world without her person. 

Estrella Villanueva, best known as Noche, witnesses the death of her girlfriend Dante on a cold winter night at Lake Superior. Since then, Noche doesn’t know how to adapt to a life without Dante, especially since she is not entirely gone. Dante’s spirit still roams the earth, and Noche knows this because she is the one responsible for it. 

Noche is a Lechuza, a young woman who transforms into an owl at night and delivers souls to the afterlife; however, her duty becomes more complex after the love of her life requires her services. Noche is incapable of saying goodbye to Dante’s soul, so they spend their nights by the lake that swallowed her lover’s body, conversing in their ethereal forms. During the day, Noche must go back to school and experience life without Dante, but she is able to withstand it because of the promise of seeing her love again at night. Unfortunately, Dante’s soul is more and more dispersed with every encounter, and Noche doesn’t know how to stop her from fading. 

Besides the one with Dante, Torres introduces the reader to other relationships pivotal to Noche’s life. The one with her childhood best friend, Julien, who carries many secrets and is affected by Dante’s death too; the one with her new biology class’s lab partner, Jax, who makes her heart flutter in ways she had forgotten; and the one with her parents, who know about her Lechuza-self but can’t understand much of what she is going through. Every single connection is fundamental for our main character’s growth and navigation through grief. Torres develops each of Noche’s interactions organically, even with the awkwardness of a 17-year-old, making readers feel immediately drawn to all the characters. 

“With this, the author reminds readers of the importance of allowing ourselves to grieve and surrender to the things we cannot change. ”

The most crucial connection, however, is between Noche and her Lechuza persona. The immense loss she faces makes her question her own identity. Noche is Dante’s girlfriend, Julien’s best friend, Jax’s lab partner, and her parent’s daughter, but who is she outside all these relationships? Noche can’t ignore how alone she feels inside her feathers, knowing nobody in her circle could fully understand her experience. Besides, the lines between her owl and human self begin to blur, and Noche can’t tell where Estrella ends and her Lechuza begins. This conflict of identity is a great device that Torres uses to show us that our main character is not only grieving Dante but also her life before becoming a Lechuza, creating a beautiful exploration of self-acceptance. With this, the author reminds readers of the importance of allowing ourselves to grieve and surrender to the things we cannot change. 

On the Wings of la Noche is a conversation about forgiveness, identity, and reconciliation, explored by a 17-year-old shapeshifter facing a heartbreaking tragedy. Torres will make you believe in love again while holding your hand through a journey of immense grief. It aches, it makes you blush, it makes you cry, it makes you laugh. Her prose drives you through all the inevitable and necessary emotions one feels when one loves, the ones that make us human—the same ones that make Noche human even when spreading her wings at night. 

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

10 Encouraging Titles for the Child in Your Life

Children can light up our days and teach us about patience. We wouldn’t change them for anything. As they grow, kids learn about themselves and their surroundings, and sometimes they need the company of a good book to help them on their journey. Check out these ten encouraging titles for the little light(s) of your life.

Llamando a mamá by Anya Damirón | Illustrated by César Barceló

Max calls his mother every time he wants something. He calls her when he feels bad, or sleepy, or whenever he drops something on the ground. He calls her shouting with all his might “Moommmm!”. His mother lives in constant fear, but one day she decides not to respond to his call and finds that Max is quite capable of doing things on his own.

Brown Girl, Brown Girl by Leslé Honoré | Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera

Based on a viral poem by Blaxican poet and activist Leslé Honoré, and illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Cozbi A. Cabrera, this moving journey through the past, present, and future of brown and Black girls is a celebration of community, creativity, and joy—and offers a reminder of the history that inspires hope, and the hope that inspires activism.

The Helping Sweater by Rachel Más Davidson

It’s finally cold enough for Maya to wear her favorite sweater! But when her cat pulls a thread loose, her beloved sweater quickly begins to unravel. Maya is heartbroken, but she doesn’t have time to fix it before school. She starts to realize that maybe her sweater can help other people–and that’s when the magic begins! Maya uses her sweater to help folks in her community throughout the day. But of course, what goes around, comes around and when Maya needs help, someone comes to her rescue. The Helping Sweater is an accessible, uplifting picture book with an engaging heroine and an empathetic message. 

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love | Illustrated by Jessica Love

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fish tails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes—and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself? Mesmerizing and full of heart, this 2019 Stonewall Book Award winner is a jubilant picture of self-love and a radiant celebration of individuality.

Gloriana, Presente by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris | Illustrated by Doris M. Rodríguez-Graber

On the first day of elementary school, Abuela soothes Gloriana’s nerves by telling her stories from their family home in la República Dominicana. But as soon as Gloriana enters the classroom, the tropical scenery crumbles and la música is replaced with English phrases she does not understand. When other kids approach her to play at recess, she freezes, uncertain about how to exist between her two homes, or how to make new friends between her two languages. Abuela recognizes echoes of her own immigration journey on this challenging day at school, and she gently guides Gloriana towards newfound confidence. This beautifully painted, imaginative picture book celebrates the magic of existing in-between, and the transformative power of self-soothing to build confidence.

No More Señora Mimí by Meg Medina | Illustrated by Brittany Cicchese

Ana cannot contain her excitement—her abuela is coming to stay with her and Mami for always! Abuela is sure to let Ana play whenever she wants instead of rushing her off to school, like her neighbor and babysitter, señora Mimí, sometimes does. In fact, as Ana’s classmate points out, she won’t need señora Mimí to babysit at all anymore! But señora Mimí is a good listener, and they have a lot of fun together feeding the squirrels and eating snacks. Maybe Ana isn’t ready to say goodbye to señora Mimí just yet? Masterful storyteller Meg Medina shares a reassuring tale that celebrates caregivers and community and their special role in children’s lives, paired with warm, expressive illustrations by Brittany Cicchese.

Girl Scouts: Maven Takes the Lead by Yamile Saied Méndez and Girl Scouts

Maven wants to be known for something great.

She had been nervous about starting fifth grade after spending all summer with her little brother and baby cousins. So when her fifth-grade teacher announces a district-wide robotics competition, she jumps at the opportunity to be the class’s leader. Being in charge is better and cooler than playing make-believe, right? Many people doubt her, especially the boys in her class, but with the support of her friends and Girl Scout troop, Maven is determined to prove them wrong.

Then she goes overboard with her dedication to the competition, and she seems to be disappointing everyone—including herself. She begins to realize maybe being herself is what she needed to do all along.

Churro Stand By Karina N. González | Illustrated by Krystal Quiles

Everybody loves churros!
 
On a hot summer’s day, Lucía and her brother accompany their mother to sell delicious, sugary churros on the bustling streets of New York City. But when a thunderstorm rolls in, and the customers are chased away, Lucía’s mother must improvise with a little bit of magic and lots of amor.

Trini's Magic Kitchen by Patricia Santos Marcantonio

Trini has just started seventh grade in Denver when her mom loses her job. Money is scarce and they lose their apartment too. The girl must go live with her grandparents in Alamosa until her mother can find work and a place for them to live. She has always considered her grandparents’ house a second home, but the day her mom leaves her there she feels homeless.

Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Frank, who ride motorcycles and listen to rock, are the best, but Trini misses her mom and dreads being the new kid at school. Gradually she adjusts, making another best friend and setting her sights on a cute boy. And when her grandmother discovers Trini can’t cook, she begins teaching her granddaughter how to make traditional Mexican dishes. Through the cooking lessons, the girl learns more about her family, including her dad, who died when she was young, and why her mom doesn’t cook.

This warmhearted and entertaining novel about overcoming challenges will resonate with readers facing their own problems with family and friends. Recipes for the meals made by Trini and her grandparents—including tostadas, green chile enchiladas, calabacitas and albóndigas—are included and will encourage young people to begin their own adventures in the kitchen while learning the value of creating magical dishes for loved ones.

Me llamo Marcela by Marcela T. Garcés | Illustrated by Andrés E. Garcés

On her first day of middle school Spanish class, Marcela thought she’d excel—after all, she’d grown up speaking Spanish at home and on visits to family in Colombia. Instead, she quickly felt like a confused imposter, unsure how a language that was part of her heritage and identity could so elude her. And so, at age thirteen, with the help of her Spanish teacher Doña Maribel, Marcela began her formal journey studying Spanish. She never anticipated how much she’d discover about learning a language and what it means to be a heritage speaker—someone who grows up using a language at home but often lacks more formal knowledge of it.

In this charming graphic memoir that captures a little-discussed aspect of growing up multicultural, Marcela recounts her earliest Spanish teachers: Colombian street vendors, family members who shouted or whispered words, and her beloved Doña Maribel, who helped her connect the Spanish of her youth with what she was learning in the classroom. Childhood memories from trips to Colombia intertwine with her adolescence, when Marcela resolves to study the language for herself, not because people correct her or expect her to speak it well but because she wants to learn. This comic, drawn by Marcela’s brother Andrés, shows the complicated path of language and identity that Marcela travels as a heritage speaker.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

Book Review: No Place to Bury the Dead by Karina Sainz Borgo

Many tragic stories show their characters fighting to save hope. They suffer throughout their journey in a failed attempt to achieve happiness. Although labeled a tragedy, Karina Sainz Borgo’s novel does something unexpected: starting the story with complete hopelessness. If characters have lost all hope, what is left in their journey? The answer lies in Sainz Borgo’s slow-burning narrative that describes a world so hostile that there’s No Place to Bury the Dead.

The reader follows Angustias Romero’s journey through her eyes as she leaves the eastern mountains of an unnamed Latin American country with her husband and newborn twins to reach Mezquite. Right on the first few pages, readers learn two important things: a plague that attacks memory has spread throughout the country, which is why they left their home, and the twins die during their migration. Carrying her sons’ bodies in two shoeboxes, Angustias and her husband arrive at their destination wishing to find a place to bury their children. Meanwhile, the tension between them keeps growing as her husband becomes victim of the plague. 

In Mezquite, she hears about Visitación Salazar, a woman who buries people for free in an illegal cemetery people call “The Third Country.” After finally giving her children a place to eternally rest, her husband disappears; therefore, from the beginning of the story, our main character has lost everything that is dear to her. A grieving Angustias decides to become Visitación’s assistant so she could stay near her sons’ grave, but life in Mezquite can prove dangerous since the place is ruled by landowner Alcides Abundio and “the irregulars,” a mercenary group. They both reign a godless kingdom through unmeasured violence and corruption, a kingdom of death and desperation. 

“ ...the narrative accelerates in such a way that it is impossible to put the book down until you reach its ending.”

The narration is detailed yet distant. Angustias remains observant but desensitized to the horrors she witnesses, a coldness that can only be felt by those who have lost everything like she did. Still, the reader gets a good sense of the aridness of this place and its people. Sainz Borgo’s use of nature and rich descriptive language set the overall mood of the novel, making the reader feel the dread her characters are experiencing. Each chapter ends with a powerful image that portrays Angustias’s state of mind and sets the tone for the next one. 

The novel moves slowly because the focus isn’t the plot, but the atmosphere that the author so carefully crafted. However, near the end, unexpected tragedy after tragedy follows Angustias and the people of Mezquite, mimicking how life can change within minutes. With this, the narrative accelerates in such a way that it is impossible to put the book down until you reach its ending. Although the setting remains cruel and eerie, subtle changes in Angustias’s narration make readers wonder if there is space for hope in such a somber world. 

In this novel, Sainz Borgo greatly portrays grief and hopelessness, giving us a main character who has lost everything at the beginning of the story.  What can be left for someone who has given up all hope already? No Place to Bury the Dead shows what comes after losing it all, making it a painful yet necessary read. 

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

7 Latinx Short Story Collections

In the words of iconic Isabel Allende: “A short story is like an arrow; it has to have the right direction from the beginning, and you have to know exactly where you're aiming.” Short stories are contained and have a clear purpose, making them one of the most difficult forms of writing. Again and again, Latinx authors have demonstrated their mastery at telling cuentos and we have a whole list to prove it!

Bad Seed by Gabriel Carle | Translated by Heather Houde

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—nightclubs, 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. 

I'm a Fool to Want You by Camila Sosa Villada | Translated by Kit Maude

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.

My Chicano Heart by Daniel A. Olivas

My Chicano Heart is a collection of author Daniel A. Olivas’s favorite previously published tales about love, along with five new stories, that explore the complex, mysterious, and occasionally absurd machinations of people who simply want to be appreciated and treasured. Readers will encounter characters who scheme, search, and flail in settings that are sometimes fantastical and other times mundane: a man who literally gives his heart to his wife who keeps it beating safely in a wooden box; a woman who takes a long-planned trip through New Mexico but, mysteriously, without the company of her true love; a lonely man who gains a remarkably compatible roommate who may or may not be real—just to name a few of the memorable and often haunting characters who fill these pages. Olivas’s richly realized stories are frequently infused with his trademark humor, and readers will delight in—and commiserate with—his lovestruck characters. 

Each story is drawn from Olivas’s nearly twenty-five years of experience writing fiction deeply steeped in Chicano and Mexican culture. Some of the stories are fanciful and full of magic, while others are more realistic, and still others border on noir. All touch upon that most ephemeral and confounding of human emotions: love in all its wondrous forms.

There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr.

An ordinary man wakes one morning to discover he’s a famous reggaetón star. An aging abuela slowly morphs into a marionette puppet. A struggling academic discovers the horrifying cost of becoming a Self-Made Man.

In There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven, Ruben Reyes Jr. conjures strange dreamlike worlds to explore what we would do if we woke up one morning and our lives were unrecognizable. Boundaries between the past, present, and future are blurred. Menacing technology and unchecked bureaucracy cut through everyday life with uncanny dread. The characters, from mango farmers to popstars to ex-guerilla fighters to cyborgs, are forced to make uncomfortable choices—choices that not only mean life or death, but might also allow them to be heard in a world set on silencing the voices of Central Americans.

Blazing with heart, humor, and inimitable style, There Is a Rio Grande in Heaven subverts everything we think we know about migration and its consequences, capturing what it means to take up a new life—whether willfully or forced—with piercing and brilliant clarity. A gifted new storyteller and trailblazing stylist, Reyes not only transports to other worlds but alerts us to the heartache and injustice of our own.

Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda | Translated by Heather Cleary and Julia Sanches

“Life’s a bitch. That’s why you gotta rattle her cage, even if she’s foaming at the mouth.” In the linked stories of Reservoir Bitches, thirteen Mexican women prod the bitch that is Life and become her. From the all-powerful daughter of a cartel boss to the victim of transfemicide, from a houseful of spinster seamstresses to a socialite who supports her politician husband by faking Indigenous roots, these women spit on their own reduction and invent new ways to endure, telling their own stories in bold, unapologetic voices. At once a work of dark humor and social critique, Reservoir Bitches is a raucous debut from one of Mexico’s most thrilling new writers.

The Only Sound Is the Wind by Pascha Sotolongo

In the tradition of narrativa de lo inusual (narrative of the unusual), The Only Sound Is the Wind combines the fantastic with the everyday, weaving elements of magical realism and surrealist twists to sharpen our view of human (and animal) connection. In the title story, the arrival of a mail-order clone complicates a burgeoning romance; a lonely librarian longing for her homeland strikes up an unusual relationship in the award-winning “The Moth”; when humans start giving birth to puppies and kittens in “This New Turn,” a realignment of the natural order ensues. With a playful tenderness and satirical bent, The Only Sound Is the Wind explores solitude and communion, opening strange new worlds where characters try to make their way toward love.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil by Ananda Lima

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.

With humor, an exquisite imagination, and a voice praised as “singular and wise and fresh” (Cathy Park Hong), Lima joins the literary lineage of Bulgakov and Lispector and the company of writers today like Ted Chiang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil includes: “Rapture,” “Ghost Story,” “Tropicália,” “Antropógaga,” “Idle Hands,” “Rent,” “Porcelain,” “Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory,” and “Hasselblad.”

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

5 Latinx Books That Portray Neurodiversity

There’s still much work to be done when it comes to diversifying books, but we have come a long way. Lately, more and more stories represent characters of different skin tones, bodies, and brains. To embrace and support diversity in publishing, check out these Latinx books that celebrate neurodiversity.

Pedro & Daniel by Federico Erebia | Illustrated by Julie Kwon

Pedro and Daniel are Mexican-American brothers growing up in 1970s Ohio. Their mom doesn’t like that Pedro is a spitting image of their darker-skinned father, that Daniel plays with dolls, that neither of the boys love sports like the other kids in their neighborhood. Life at home can be rough – but the boys have an unshakable bond that will last their entire lives.

Pedro & Daniel is a sweeping and deeply personal novel – illustrated with beautiful linework throughout by Julie Kwon – that spans from childhood to teenage years to adulthood, all the while tracing the lives of two brothers who are there for each other when no one else is. Together the brothers manage an abusive home life, school, coming out, first loves, first jobs, and the AIDS epidemic, in a coming-of-age story unlike any other.

The Luis Ortega Survival Club by Sonora Reyes

Ariana Ruiz wants to be noticed. But as an autistic girl who never talks, she goes largely ignored by her peers—despite her bold fashion choices. So when cute, popular Luis starts to pay attention to her, Ari finally feels seen.

Luis’s attention soon turns to something more, and they have sex at a party—while Ari didn’t say no, she definitely didn’t say yes. Before she has a chance to process what happened and decide if she even has the right to be mad at Luis, the rumor mill begins churning—thanks, she’s sure, to Luis’s ex-girlfriend, Shawni. Boys at school now see Ari as an easy target, someone who won’t say no. 

Then Ari finds a mysterious note in her locker that eventually leads her to a group of students determined to expose Luis for the predator he is. To her surprise, she finds genuine friendship among the group, including her growing feelings for the very last girl she expected to fall for. But in order to take Luis down, she’ll have to come to terms with the truth of what he did to her that night—and risk everything to see justice done. 

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla | Illustrated by Tania de Regil

Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness.

At school, there’s a new girl who is immediately popular, but she’s also not very nice to one person—Isabel.

Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel like worry-moths that flutter in her belly. With every passing day, they seem to get stronger and stronger. How can Invisible Isabel make people listen? 

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

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.

Malicia by Steven dos Santos

On a stormy Halloween weekend, Ray enlists his best friends Joaquin, Sofia, and Isabella to help him make a documentary of Malicia, the abandoned theme park off the coast of the Dominican Republic where his mother and brother died in a mass killing thirteen years ago.

But what should be an easy weekend trip quickly turns into something darker because all four friends have come to Malicia for their own reasons:

Ray has come to Malicia to find out the truth of the massacre that destroyed his family. Isabella has come to make art out of Ray’s tragedy for her own personal gain. Sofia has come to support her friends in one last adventure before she goes to med school. Joaquin already knows the truth of the Malicia Massacre and he has come to betray his crush Ray to the evil that made the park possible.

With an impending hurricane and horrors around every corner, they all struggle to face the deadly storm and their own inner demons. But the deadliest evil of all is the ancient malignant presence on the island.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

10 Latinx Books to Gift to the Women in Your Life

During these giving times, you might think about the perfect gift for that special woman in your life. Maybe she is your mamá, who always watched your back; maybe she is your tía who always made you laugh; or maybe she is that coworker who is always fighting dress codes with HR. For those strong, resilient, and tender women in your life, check out these books created by Latinas.

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar

As the contentious 2017 presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, churns louder and faster. For her part, high school senior Libertad (Libi) Morazán takes heart in writing political poetry for her anonymous Instagram account and a budding romance with someone new. But things come to a head when Mami sees texts on her phone mentioning a kiss with a girl and Libi discovers her beloved older brother, Maynor, playing a major role in the protests.

As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her, stifling homophobia at home and school, and ramped up threats to her poetry online, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn’t have to hide who she is or worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up. Then the ultimate tragedy strikes, and leaving her family and friends—plus the only home she’s ever known—might be her only option.

Women Surrounded by Water by Patricia Coral

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Patricia Coral was surrounded by women who fought for their needs amid the demands of domesticity and who were dismissed and judged when they rejected any predetermined paths on an island that itself has never been free. At age twenty-five, she married her first love, a green-eyed musician whose internal storms drove Coral to slowly realize that the marriage must end. Faced with disillusionment—with her husband, with the patriarchal expectations that surrounded her like the Caribbean Sea, and with the limited options available to her—she leaves, only for Hurricane Maria to wrench her heart homeward.

Coral evokes the beauty, love, and language of her family and of Puerto Rico as well as the pain of yearning for more. Tastes, colors, and the dreamlike lushness of childhood memories infuse this mournful and propulsive memoir of personal and natural disasters—and the self-discovery made possible only when we choose what to leave behind.

Tías and Primas by Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez | Illustrated by Josie Del Castillo

Born into a large, close-knit family in Nicaragua, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez grew up surrounded by strong, kind, funny, sensitive, resilient, judgmental, messy, beautiful women. Whether blood relatives or chosen family, these tías and primas fundamentally shaped her view of the world—and so did the labels that were used to talk about them. The tía loca who is shunned for defying gender roles. The pretty prima put on a pedestal for her European features. The matriarch who is the core of her community but hides all her pain. 

In Tías and Primas, the follow-up to her acclaimed debut For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts, Mojica Rodríguez explores these archetypes. Fearlessly grappling with the effects of intergenerational trauma, centuries of colonization, and sexism, she attempts to heal the pain that is so often embodied in female family lines.  

Tías and Primas is a deeply felt love letter to family, community, and Latinas everywhere.

The Black Girl Survives in This One edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell

Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Erin E. Adams, Monica Brashears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Daka Hermon, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika & Maritza Moulite, Eden Royce, and Vincent Tirado. The foreword is by Tananarive Due.

American Diva by Deborah Paredez

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.

Filled with sharp insights and great heart, American Diva is a spirited tribute to the power of performance and the joys of fandom.

The Curse of the Flores Women by Angélica Lopes

In this haunting novel about the enduring bonds of womanhood, a young girl weaves together the truth behind her family history and the secrets that resonate through generations.

Eighteen-year-old Alice Ribeiro is constantly fighting―against the status quo, female oppression in Brazil, and even her own mother. But when a family veil is passed down to her, Alice is compelled to fight for the rights of all womankind while also uncovering the hidden history of the women in her family.

Seven generations ago, the small town of Bom Retiro shunned the Flores women because of a “curse” that rendered them unlucky in love. With no men on the horizon to take care of them, the women learned the art of lacemaking to build lives of their own. But their peace was soon threatened by forces beyond any woman’s control.

As Alice begins piecing together the tapestry that is her history, she discovers revelations about the past, connections to the present, and a resilience in her blood that will carry her toward the future her ancestors strove for.

¡Viva Latina! by Sandra Velasquez

!Viva Latina! captures generations of wisdom and Latina stories to inspire you through every stage of life. This book is a celebration of Latina power and sisterhood; it is a reminder of the resilience, bravery, and vibrancy that comes from the Latina community. Embrace your unapologetic heritage, defy expectations, challenge the status quo, and empower yourself through the narratives of these extraordinary women.

Some of the incredible women featured in this collection include entrepreneurs and Co-Founders of #WeAllGrow Latina, Ana Flores and Vanessa Santos Fein, author and CEO of In Luz We Trust, Linda Garcia, author, coach, and actor, Angel Aviles, and CEO of Vive Cosmetics, Leslie Valdivia, among many more. Hear their stories, reflections, and transformative advice while embracing your roots and becoming your best self.

Tap into your limitless potential and find within:
 

•  50 quotes and stories from Latina women, including key figures in history, politics, business, entertainment, and entrepreneurs

• Timeless wisdom that has been passed down over generations that inspires you to feel powerful, brave, and joyful

• Beautiful illustrations and portraits that showcase the vibrant flare of Latin culture and the amazing women featured in the book

• Sidebars highlighting Latin folklore and traditions

Not only is !Viva Latina! written by Latinas, but it is also illustrated by Latinas. Latina Buisness Owner and Latina artist, Sandra Lucia Diaz, has drawn 16 breathtaking portraits to help put faces to the name. Her company, LUCIA DIAZ, is a small business that empowers and honors Latina illustrations, focued on representation and high-quality products.

!Viva Latina! gives you the tools to build your own life and follow your own path. Find your community of hermanas and comradery with these motivational quotes.

Badass Bonita by Kim Guerra

Almost every Latina has heard the phrase calladita te ves más bonita—you look most beautiful when you are silent. It’s a message rooted in machismo passed from generation to generation, and one that poet and Latine therapist, Kim Guerra, grew up on.

In Badass Bonita, Guerra tells a story of coming into her own power, and guides readers through the process of finding their own. Rejecting what she was taught as a girl, she learned to use her voice and the more she listened to that inner niña, the more she unearthed her inner guerrera. Vowing never to be calladita again, she now teaches Latine women to find their voices, healing the stories and emotional wounds that have kept them silent.
 
Tackling tough conversations around machismo, mental health, trauma, and intersectional identities, Badass Bonita is a guide that will help readers:

• Understand underlying sources of wounds and trauma,

• Shift from self‑silencing and into revolutionary self‑love,

• Build confidence and bring positive change to relationships, family and community.

Lyrical and accessible, written in Kim’s signature poetic, Spanglish style, Badass Bonita is perfect for readers of My Grandmother’s Hands and Este dolor no es mío, — for mothers, daughters, therapists, and mujeres poderosas everywhere ready find their wings.

Mamá Didn't Raise a Pendeja by Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia

If you’re tired of fluffy, feel-good self-help books, Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja is here to deliver real talk with a side of sass. This collection of unapologetically blunt, tough-love sayings—”anti-affirmations,” if you will—draws on generations of Latina wisdom to cut through the noise and offer hard-hitting advice on everything from relationships to careers.

Created by first-gen Latinas Carolina Acosta and Aralis Mejia, this book captures the no-nonsense guidance passed down from their abuelitas and tías. Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja doesn’t sugarcoat—it delivers practical life lessons with humor, honesty, and a few verbal slaps of reality. Packed with culturally rich, real-world insights, it’s the perfect self-help book for anyone looking to level up without the fluff.

Whether you need a reminder to stay grounded or a push to tackle life’s challenges head-on, this collection will have you laughing, thinking, and getting your life together—all while keeping it real. Perfect for anyone in need of resilience, humor, and perspective, Mamá Didn’t Raise a Pendeja proves that sometimes the best advice comes straight from mamá.

What Happened to Belén by Ana Elena Correa | Translated by Julia Sanches

In 2014, Belén, a twenty-five-year-old woman living in rural Argentina, went to the hospital for a stomachache—and soon found herself in prison. While at the hospital she had a miscarriage—without knowing she was pregnant. Because of the nation’s repressive laws surrounding abortion and reproductive rights, the doctors were forced to report her to the authorities. Despite her protestations, Belén was convicted and sentenced to two years for homicide.

Belén’s imprisonment is a glaring example of how women’s health care has become increasingly criminalized, putting the most vulnerable—BIPOC, rural, and low-income—women at greater risk of prosecution. Belén’s cause became the centerpiece of a movement to achieve greater protections for all women. After two failed attempts to clear her name, Belén met feminist lawyer Soledad Deza, who quickly rallied Amnesty International and ignited an international feminist movement around #niunamas—not one more—symbolized by thousands of demonstrators around the globe donning white masks, the same kind of mask Belén wore when leaving prison. The #niunamas movement was instrumental in pressuring Argentine president Alberto Fernández to decriminalize abortion in 2021. 

In this gripping and personal account of the case and its impact on local law, Ana Correa, one of Argentina’s leading journalists and activists, makes clear that what happened to Belén could happen to any woman—and that we all have the power to raise our collective voices and demand change.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

Most Anticipated December 2024 Releases

This is it! The last month of the year! The streets get busier as the crowds go shopping for their loved ones. But more than gifts, love is what drives this month and makes it a favorite time for many people. Along with the holidays, many books we have been expecting are finally here! Check out our most anticipated books for this month which are, by the way, excellent gifts too! (Wink, wink).

When the Mapou Sings by Nadine Pinede

With a beautifully written free verse, this coming-of-age story reveals the power of nature and dignity.

Lucille is a 16-year-old girl living in 1930s Haiti. She and her best friend, Fifina, dream about opening a school for girls. But one day Fifina disappears, and Lucille’s journey to find her will prove long and dangerous. When the Mapou tree sings in her dreams, revealing who took her dear friend, the young girl must face the section chief. He has taken Fifina as his second wife against her will, and he doesn’t like Lucille’s nonconforming demeanor which puts her in danger and makes her flee from her home to Port-au-Prince. In a few years of exile, Lucille transitions into womanhood quickly, learning about the unfairness of the world. During her journey, she will meet the soon-to-be author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, who will teach her about sacrifice and activism.

With her debut, Pinede offers the readers a commentary on colonialism, colorism, corruption, and womanhood through the eyes of a girl who just wanted to dream with her best friend. 

Alter Ego by Alex Segura

Segura’s latest thriller, the standalone sequel to Secret Identity (2022), shows the ugly side of film and comic book making.

Annie Bustamante became a filmmaker after a disappointing career as a comic book artist. Still, she can’t resist Bert Carlyle’s offer to reintroduce the Lethal Lynx to the media. After all, this character was created by Annie’s favorite artist Carmen Valdez in the 1970s, who inspired her to enter the comic book world. However, Annie is not so sure about Carlyle’s intentions when he tells her she must work with the stigmatized filmmaker, Arturo Espinoza, on this project. She becomes especially suspicious when she starts getting warning — or threatening — notes from an anonymous source. But nothing can stop Annie from telling Lynx’s story her way, not even the shadows lurking around her favorite superhero.

With a fast-paced narrative and amazing illustrations, Segura captures the reader into a trap of suspense and heroism, revealing the nuances of creative property and the filmmaking industry.

No Place to Bury the Dead by Karina Sainz Borgo | Translated by Elizabeth Bryer

Brilliantly devastating, Sainz Borgo’s novel takes the readers through a journey of grief and desperation.

After an amnesia epidemic has spread in the unnamed Latin American country where Angustias Romero lives, she is forced to flee from the mountains in search of resources to support her family of four. Unfortunately, through their migration, her twin sons die in her arms, leaving her broken and hopeless. The only thing Angustias wants is a place to bury her children. She then hears about the infamous Visitación Salazar, a woman who buries people at no cost in a land she calls The Third Country. However, getting involved with this woman will put Angustias in danger as a feared landowner is trying to take the cemetery away from the people of Mezquite. But the mother won’t let anybody take away her children’s rightful resting place.

Packed with lyrical prose and a hurtful portrayal of migration, No Place to Bury the Dead is a somber yet necessary read.

A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya

As proven in Montoya’s second romantasy novel, there is no better match than a vampire and their hunter, or in this case, huntress.

18-year-old Carolina Fuentes refuses to follow her father’s command to marry a man who will keep her safe and is determined to prove her worth as a vampire huntress. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Lalo Villalobos unexpectedly turns into a vampire when attempting revenge for the death of his parents and searches for a way to become human again. In a fateful encounter, the “sendiento” and his hunter meet, struggling to figure out if they are enemies or allies in their quests. Together, they will uncover secrets about vampiros and the family of hunters while trying to keep their feelings towards each other hidden. Along with its diverse characters, the book follows a non-traditional approach to vampire stories that just works.

With her charming main characters, griping romance, and an unexpected hero’s journey, Montoya seduces the readers just like a vampire would.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

7 Winter Holiday Books by Latinx Authors and Illustrators

It is the holiday season, at last. Around the globe, communities celebrate their traditions with delicious food, vibrant colors, and family gatherings. It is a time of unity. To accompany you and your loved ones this season, check out these books about the many winter holidays that make this the most wonderful time of the year.

The Last Tamale by Orlando Mendiola | Illustrated by Teresa Martinez

It’s the best day of the year—tamale day. Luis and his family have been making and eating tamales all day. But when Luis, Jacob, and Letty all want the last tamale, there's only one way to choose a winner...

A TAMALE BATTLE!

Round one: Dance Battle. Round Two: Lucha Libre Match. Round Three: Arm Wrestle with Abuelita.

Who will get the last tamale?

A celebration of family, food, and friendly competition, readers will be hungry for The Last Tamale! Perfect for fans of Paletero Man and Friday Night Wrestle Fest. 

Why We Celebrate Chinese New Year: Everything to Know about Your Favorite Holiday by Eugenia Chu | Illustrated by Javiera Mac-lean

Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, is a holiday that marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. It's one of the most celebrated holidays in China and around the world! Learn all about the history, traditions, food, and more with this book of facts and activities that encourage you to join in on the fun.

So many ways to get festive—Discover how Chinese New Year is celebrated around the globe with fireworks, dragon dances, parades, gifts, and beyond!

Celebrate at home—Kids will explore Chinese New Year customs with included activities like making Chinese Dumplings and Paper Chinese Lanterns.

Fascinating facts and pictures—Vibrant illustrations and kid-friendly language help bring Chinese New Year to life.

Discover Why We Celebrate Chinese New Year!

La Noche Before Three Kings Day by Sheila Colón-Bagley | Illustrated by Alejandro Mesa

It’s almost Three Kings Day, and while the grownups prepare a large meal, the kids prepare their shoe boxes for los Reyes to arrive later that night. Will they stay up late enough to wish the Kings a Feliz Día de los Reyes? Or will the magic pass them by?

Sing along with a great big familia as they fill up their platos, play their favorite juegos, and wait for the three kings and regalitos to arrive.  

This enchanting celebration of a beloved holiday is brought to life through lively rhyming dual-lingual text by Sheila Colón-Bagley with festive illustrations from Alejandro Mesa. 

Only for the Holidays by Abiola Bello

City girl Tia Solanké is dreading the festive season. She and her boyfriend are on a break and the last thing she wants is to spend Christmas away from London. Dragged to Saiyan Hedge Farm by her mother, Tia takes an instant dislike to the countryside estate. She falls in horse manure, is chased by sheep and the Wi-Fi sucks. How can she stalk her ex and concoct a foolproof plan to win him back from here?

Country boy Quincy Parker and his family run the farm, and this year they’ve been selected to host the biggest event in town—the Winter Ball. Preparations are underway, and Quincy is working around the clock to make it a success while recovering from his own devastating breakup. The only problem is, he’s told everyone he has a date to the ball, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

At first, Tia and Quincy don’t see eye to eye—until they realize they both have something to gain by pretending to be a couple. But when a snowstorm threatens to cancel the Winter Ball, their fake relationship is put to the test. Will Tia and Quincy be able to keep up appearances and save the day, or will real feelings get in the way?

It's Navidad, El Cucuy!: A Bilingual Christmas by Donna Barba Higuera | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

Ramón is a little boy who can't wait for Navidad.

El Cucuy is the friendly monster who lives in Ramón's bedroom. He's not so sure that Christmas is for him. The lights are too bright, and the snowman is scary!

So if El Cucuy is hesitant to embrace the holiday cheer, then Ramón will have to bring the spirit of Navidad to him.

A tender, heartwarming story about facing the unknown with a friend by your side, this companion to El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! explores the magic of the holidays and coming together as a community.

May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart | Illustrated by Loris Lora

“What is the recipe?” I ask.
Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.”

Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

A Very Mexican Christmas by Carmen Boullosa, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Carlos Fuentes, Laura Esquivel, Amparo Dávila, Sandra Cisneros

This seventh installment in our popular Very Christmas series is a celebration of the Mexican Yuletide spirit. Replete with mouthwatering Nochebuena meals, mysterious felines, multi-colored boxes, marvelous sweet rolls, and many a bedside tale, A Very Mexican Christmas is sure to delight, warm, and astonish by turns. You’ll find spellbinding work by some of Mexico’s most important writers, including Carlos Fuentes, bestselling Laura Esquivel, and other contemporary favorites like Amparo Dávila, Sandra Cisneros, Fabio Morábito, and Carmen Boullosa, as well as fresh translations of classics by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Amado Nervo, and Ignacio Manuel Altamirano. Get a glimpse of how Christmas is done in a land of no snow, as well as among Mexicans living north of the border, with this sparkling assortment of literary gems that will guarantee a very feliz Navidad.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

5 Books Showcasing Strong Friendships

It is the month to be grateful for the people in our lives, especially our chosen family. Friends are always there for us whether to share a laugh with or offer a shoulder to cry on. To help you celebrate them, check out and share these Latinx books with your friends!

Troop Esme by Lourdes Heuer|Illustrated by Marissa Valdez

Esme lives with her grandparents on the uppermost floor of the topmost best building. She has just met a future friend named Wendall who came to her door selling Troop Badger cookies. He is hoping to earn his Cookie Empresario badge. Esme thinks she would like to earn a Cookie Empresario badge too! One small problem: she is not in Troop Badger.

But Esme is a problem solver! She decides to start her own troop: Troop Esme. It will include all the neighbors in the topmost best building. And her first act as troop leader? Help Wendall sell all his cookies, of course!

A funny and delightful story about cookies, badges and most importantly, friendship.

The Chainbreakers by Julian Randall

All Violet Moon has ever wanted is to be a Reaper captain like her father. Born on the Tides of the Lost, a magical world beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Violet has spent her life at her father’s side rescuing souls lost in the water.

But when a rescue mission turns to disaster after the arrival of the dreaded Children of the Shark, weaponized ghost-sharks who steal the souls for themselves, her father is seized and pulled down into the darkness of the Depths. With no choice for Violet but to inherit the captain's powers and helm the ship as the next in line, it'll be up to her to save her father—if he even still lives—and stop the Children of the Shark before they devour the world.

A Second Chance on Earth by Juan Vidal

Have you ever encountered a book that KO’d you, Iron Mike Tyson style? One that hit you square in the face and heart like some abracadabra casting a hex from an unknown planet?

For sixteen-year-old poet and b-baller Marcos Cadena, that book is the beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude he finds among his late father’s possessions after Papi is killed in an accident.

Marcos’ papi has always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents’ childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi’s ashes, he brings his father’s book with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi’s life and accepting his death.

In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos’ unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.

Woven through with themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness, this poignant novel in verse is also a love letter to Colombia and to the books of Gabriel García Márquez.

Cross-Stitch by Jazmina Barrera|Translated by Christina MacSweeney

It was meant to be the trip of a lifetime. Mila, Citlali, and Dalia, childhood friends now college aged, leave Mexico City for the London of The Clash and the Paris of Courbet. They anticipate the cafés and crushes, but not the early signs that they are each steadily, inevitably changing. 

That feels like forever ago. Mila, now a writer and a new mother, has just published a book on needlecraft—an art form so long dismissed as “women’s work.” But after learning Citlali has drowned, Mila begins to sift through her old scrapbooks, reflecting on their shared youth for the first time as a new wife and mother. What has come of all the nights the three friends spent embroidering together in silence? Did she miss the signs that Citlali needed help?

If You Ever Need a Friend: An Alebrije Story by Nadine Fonseca|Illustrated by Lourdes Villagomez

Joaquin is having a hard day at school. He struggles to speak up in class even though he knows the answers, he doesn’t feel included when trying to play soccer with his friends, and he ends up sitting alone during recess—feeling invisible. 

But when he investigates a strange shimmery light by the playground slide, he is transported to a special forest filled with fantastical creatures known as alebrijes, or magic companion animals. 

His friend, Imogen, introduces Joaquin to several alebrijes, and the special creatures share the ways they help people manage their emotions. One creature roars like a lion with Imogen when she feels angry and needs to let it out. Another one helps Noemi blend into the background like a chameleon when she is feeling nervous and needs a moment to herself. A third alebrije has big ears to hear all of Tío Andres’s worries. 

Joaquin learns how to identify his needs and create an alebrije specifically for him, and when he returns to school, he is no longer feeling alone or invisible. With his new, fantastical friend helping him, Joaquin’s hard day is now one of his best yet.  

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.

7 Cozy Books About Abuelos y Abuelas

We love them. Our abuelos y abuelas do so much for our families; they are always there to cook us warm meals, tell us stories, and take care of us. To show them gratitude, check out these Latinx books that honor grandparents. Read these to them or remember them through the pages.

Los plátanos son amor by Alyssa Reynoso-Morris | Illustrated by Mariyah Rahman

Abuela dice, “Los plátanos son amor.”
Yo pensé que eran comida.
Pero Abuela dice que nos alimentan de más de una manera.

Con cada explosión de los tostones, puré de mangú y chisporroteo de los maduros, una niña aprende que los plátanos son su historia, son su cultura y, lo más importante, son amor.

A Maleta Full of Treasures by Natalia Sylvester | Illustrated by Juana Medina

It’s been three years since Abuela’s last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail—from Abuela’s maletas full of candies in crinkly wrappers and gifts from primos to the sweet, earthy smell of Peru that floats out of Abuela’s room and down the hall. But Abuela’s visit can’t last forever, and all too soon she’s packing her suitcases again. Then Dulce has an idea: maybe there are things she can gather for her cousins and send with Abuela to remind them of the U.S. relatives they’ve never met. And despite having to say goodbye, Abuela has one more surprise for Dulce—something to help her remember that home isn’t just a place, but the deep-rooted love they share no matter the distance.

Abuelita’s Gift: A Día de Muertos Story by Mariana Ríos Ramírez | Illustrated by Sara Palacios

Julieta is excited for Abuelita’s spirit to visit on Día de los Muertos. She is determined to find the perfect gift to honor Abuelita and to show how much she misses her. However, her ideas fail one by one and Julieta grows worried.

It is only when Julieta embraces the memories she once shared with her abuelita, that she realizes the perfect gift comes from the heart. An uplifting story about both life and death, family, and the threads that connect us, long after we are gone.

Gathering Stardust by Victor Villaseñor | Illustrated by Jack Wiens

"Who are You? Who am I? Who are We?" the book begins as Victor invites the reader, "Come and take my hand, and let us be children once again, and this time be raised up together by my Yaqui Native American grandmother."

In his book, Rain of Gold, bestselling author Villase or wrote about his grandmother, Do a Guadalupe. Now, in his new book, Victor imparts the Native Wisdom he learned from his grandmother as he takes you along on their childhood adventures in the Barrio of Carlsbad, California, where he and his family lived.

Through enchanting storytelling and the stunning illustrations of Jack Wiens, Gathering StarDust is a tender true story, destined to become a favorite, inspiring wonder for readers of all ages and timeless imagination for generations to come.

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

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.

Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita by Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz | Illustrated by Carlos Vélez

Luna and her little brother, Sol, are out to solve a mystery! They suspect that their grandmother uses magic to create her remedies because she says that she uses a “magic” ingredient.

At the beginning of the story Luna and Sol catch colds so their grandmother makes a healing soup. Luna overhears Nana singing a classic Spanish children’s song about frog tails while cooking the soup, so Luna secretly thinks that frogs are the magic ingredient. The children explore the enchanted garden in search of frogs until it is time to eat, in which Nana reveals the real secret ingredient. Can you guess what it is?

This sweet semi-bilingual story includes a seek-and-find of traditional plants used in curanderismo and includes the recipe for Nana’s magic soup!

Written by renowned healer Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz, Nana Lupita and the Magic Sopita is inspired the author’s grandmother, who was a curandera (a traditional healer of Mexican heritage).

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

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.

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Roxanna Cardenas Colmenares is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City who loves to consume, study, and create art. She explores multiple genres in her writing, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi, while working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration. 

Her work has made her a two-time recipient of the James Tolan Student Writing Award for her critical essays analyzing movies. She has also won The Henry Roth Award in Fiction, The Esther Unger Poetry Prize, and The Allan Danzig Memorial Award in Victorian Literature.

In her free time, she likes to watch movies, dance, and draw doodles that she hopes to be brave enough to share one day.