Latino Book Chat

In her new novel Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American, Jasminne Mendez chats about growing up Afro Latina in the South and how those formative years influenced the person she is now. Jasminne takes us on a journey of her most intimate moments as she struggled with being Dominican and American. Her story resonates with anyone who struggles to become their own person.  Purchase a copy of...

Maritere Bellas' award winning book Arroz con Pollo y Apple Pie: Raising Bicultural Children chats about her journey as a bilingual and bicultural advocate. Her love for the Spanish language and her native Puerto Rican culture led her to publish her first bilingual picture book Luisito's Island, and now is followed by I have a Secret part of the Junito book series. Listen to this interesting chat.

Terry Catasús' beautiful book The Little House of Hope teaches children about the immigrant experience. The talented illustrator Raúl Colón gave life to this heart warming story. Discover how Terry and Raúl brought this story to life in this fun chat.

Alberto Roblest's new book "Against the Wall" is a collection of short stories are meant to engage the reader in Americas's social and political commentary. It's a way to be part of the discourse on the many topics prevalent in American society such as immigration, police brutality, political corruption, and the struggle for survival. Listen to this fascinating chat with Alberto Roblest.

Pam Muñoz Ryan's new novel Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs is full of adventure, villanos, curanderas, and magic. Find out why Solimar wants to be a king, and not a queen. Pam Muñoz Ryan chats with us about how she crafted her fearless Latina princess.

Move over Nancy Drew. Here comes Holly Hernadez! Richie Narvaez has created a Latina teen detective in his YA novel "Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco." Richie chats about his inspiration for the story, and how he created his characters who view the same scene but tell the story from different points of view. 

Sit down with us as we talk with author Susie Jaramillo about her beautifully crafted book Skeletina & the In-Between World . She discusses how she was inspired to create Young Skeletina to help children confront their anxieties, navigate the fears produced by nightmares, and other issues that weigh on their minds. Parents will appreciate Susie's enthusiasm for helping children creatively conf...

Acclaimed author Reyna Grande discusses her newest historical fiction novel "A Ballad of Love and Glory". Her story portrays the love saga of Ximena Salomé, a Mexican healer and nurse, and John Riley, an Irish soldier who deserts the US Army and becomes the leader of the St. Patrick's Batallion during the Mexican-American War. Reyna talks about her process, the years of research it took to write h...

"Until Someone Listens" by Estela Juarez is the story of her mother's deportation to Mexico. At 8 years old, Estela found her voice and began to tell her story to anyone who would listen. She was features in the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Estela takes as on an emotional journey as she fights to reunite her family. You can purchase a copy of the book at NicaGal.com http://nicagal.com...

Felicia Zamora's new poetry book Quotient is a celebration to how humans need to go back to reconnect with our natural world. She challenges our thinking and preconceptions about our existence. We are not as special as we think we are. She takes us on a journey through math, physics, and chemistry in a world of lyrical intensity.  You can purchase a copy of the book at NicaGal.com http://nica...

"Con Papá/With Papá" by Frederick Luis Aldama takes young children on a ride to discover the many adventures they can have with their Papá. As the protagonists grows up, the child learns confidence so that one day they can step into the world on their own. These moments full of joy that children experience as they learn from their Papás are captured in this beautifully book. You can purchase a cop...

Dr. Silvia Casabianca has researched for decades the role of love and empathy in the preservation of the human specie. Her new book Heartminded emphasizes that humans are born with a capacity to have empathic feelings which are needed to save us from our own destruction.  You can purchase a copy of Dr. Casabianca's book at NicaGal.com http://nicagal.com/NicaGal_nuestra_tienda.html

Emma Otheguy invites her young readers to become advocates for important social issues such as immigration, racism, and classism in her middle grade novel "Sofia Acosta Makes a Scene." Young Sofia finds her voice and discovers that even though she is young, she can make a difference in her community. This is a must read book for young middle school children. You can purchase a copy of Emma's book...

Author Ariadna Sánchez Hernández has been inspired by her immigrant experience, the absence of social justice in her homeland, and the universal feeling of love. With intriguing photographs, Ariadna offers a window into the beauty of her native Oaxaca as she crafts a very touching and inspiring collection of Spanish poetry in Visitas Inesperadas.  You can purchase a copy of Ariadna's books in...

Author Daniel Olivas takes us on a wild ride in his new collection of magical, surreal and dystopian short stories How to Date a Flying Mexican.  You can purchase a copy of Daniel's books in our new online store Nuestra Tienda at NicaGal.com http://nicagal.com/NicaGal_nuestra_tienda.html

Author Monica Brown delights children with her bicultural and bilingual books. Her collection of picture books with the bicultural character Marisol McDonald just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Monica chats about what makes Marisol so unique and why children love her. You can purchase a copy of Monica's books in our new online store: http://nicagal.com/NicaGal_nuestra_tienda.html 

With mentorship and guidance from outstanding faculty at the Highlights Foundation, aspiring authors and illustrators hone their craft and learn about book publishing. Visit https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/ to learn more about workshops and retreats for authors and illustrators.

In "Chola Salvation”, author Estella Gonzalez draws upon her experiences living in East LA to vividly bring her characters to life. Add in a dose of magic realism and soon the reader is cheering for the underdogs in this engaging debut young adult novel. Visit https://www.eastloswriter.com to order her book.

Jessica Payne is the executive director of Kids Need to Read, an organization that provides books to schools and libraries across the country. Visit kidsneedtoread.org to request books for your school or library, or to make a donation. 

Author and illustrator Juliet Menéndez chats about her first book Latinitas and the inspiration behind this amazing project. Latinitas in an anthology of short stories about influential Latinas making history in Latina America and the United States.

In the novel Death Song of the Dragón Chicxulub, a young hero battles an Aztec dragon as he searches for his identity and destiny.

A conversation with librarian Laura Castillo about the many services offer by public libraries to the general population and especially the Latino community.

Children’s book author René Colato Laínez chats about his most recent book releases.

Author Holly Ayala chats about her first children’s book ABC El Salvador, an alphabet book portraying the culture, traditions, and geography of El Salvador.