The cover for my next picture book, LUPITA’S HURRICANE PALOMITAS, was revealed in the Las Musas blog this past week! You can read the full post, including the backstory for the book, here.  Isn’t it gorgeous?! And check out this interior spread! Anastasiya Kanavaliuk did such an incredible job with the illustrations, and I can’t wait to share more with all of you! About the 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 ..read more

Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia by way of Colombian folklore in this middle grade fantasy adventure. To save their father’s life, a brother and sister must journey across a land full of mythical creatures and find the most powerful and dangerous of them all: the madremonte. More here. I’m 2 weeks late, but I have a very good excuse: I’ve been celebrating The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía’s book birthday with a series of school visits, a book launch at Books & Books, and attending the Southwest Florida Reading Festival! It’s been so much fun getting to share Valentina with ..read more

The news is out!! My next middle grade novel, GROW UP, LUCHY ZAPATA, will release summer 2024 from Atheneum Books for Young Readers. I’m thrilled to be working with my editor Sophia again!! A huge thank you to my agent Deborah Warren at East West Literary! Here’s the deal from Publishers Weekly: GROW UP LUCHY ZAPATA is about 11-year-old Luchy Zapata, whose middle school dreams go up in a poof of glitter when her BFF returns from a summer in Colombia and ditches her for the cool kids, leaving Luchy to figure out who she is and where she belongs. I can’t wait for y’all to meet Luchy, my feisty ..read more

I’m THRILLED to share that THE ENCHANTED LIFE OF VALENTINA MEJÍA has received its first trade review from Kirkus Reviews & it’s a !!  I’m so grateful for this thoughtful review, which you can read fully here. I’m also thrilled to share some blurbs by authors I admire so much, who had just the loveliest things to say about THE ENCHANTED LIFE OF VALENTINA MEJÍA! “This non-stop adventure filled with mythological creatures and magical lands will excite readers and keep them turning the page.” –Adrianna Cuevas, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF NESTOR L ..read more

I get to keep writing books and sharing my stories with readers! I’m incredibly excited to share that in 2024, I’ll get to see two new stories released: the first is a new picture book and the second is a short story in verse in an YA anthology! There may or may not be a third book that has yet to be announced, too. So stay tune! In the meantime, here are the announcements: I can’t wait to share more about these stories ..read more

Dana SanMar has created the most perfect cover for my debut MG The Enchanted Life of Valentina Mejía, which releases from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster on February 21, 2023! Isn’t it gorgeous? Here’s a little about the book, from Simon & Schuster: Encanto meets The Chronicles of Narnia in this middle grade fantasy adventure. To save their father’s life, a brother and sister must journey across a land full of mythical creatures and find the most powerful and dangerous of them all: the madremonte. Twelve-year-old Valentina wants to focus on drawing the real world around her and hopefu ..read more

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? There’ve been many changes happening over on my side. This past August, I resigned from my full-time position as Associate Professor of English and transition to an adjunct role. I’ll still be teaching, but I’ll be doing so in a fully online, part-time capacity, which is the right move for my health and my family. Still, it’s been an interesting transition period. I’m still trying to find my new rhythm. But it’s also been an exciting few months! On July 15, my second children’s book, Isabel and Her Colores Go to School, released! It’s been received so wonderfully ..read more

The last year has felt like a delicate balance between grief and joy. Some days feel like centuries, and some weeks like seconds. When the good news comes, there’s a moment of exhilaration before guilt settles in. It’s a weird balance. Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! has been out now for six months. What an incredible experience it’s been! The last two weeks have seen some wonderful news. First, I received a notification that my debut, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda and published by Albert Whitman & Company, won the silver medal in the 2020 Florida Book Awards, Young Children’s Literature ..read more

Whew! November has been a full month. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to participate in a couple of wonderful events, including the 68th Annual Breakfast with the Authors and the 2020 NCTE Annual Convention. It was great meeting with students, teachers, and fellow authors! This December, I’m looking forward to the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival will be held December 4-5, 2020. You can find me on the Picture Books with All the Feels! panel alongside Jacqueline Alcántara, Zara González Hoang, Laurenne Sala, and Ana Siqueira on Fri., 12/4/2020 at 1:00 pm EST, but there are other amazing ..read more

I am so THRILLED and EXCITED to share that Feliz New Year, Ava Gabriela! received a STARRED REVIEWfrom Kirkus Reviews!! I am so grateful. Thank you! Read complete review here. I can’t wait to share Ava’s story with everyone! It’s beautifully illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda, and it’s the story about a shy little girl meeting her loud extended family at her Abuelita’s finca in the Colombian Andes, set against the backdrop of our NYE traditions and foods. Feliz New Yea, Ava Gabriela! releases this October 1st from Albert Whitman & Company and is available for pre-order now wherever boo ..read more