South Carolina Children’s Book Award
I was delighted to learn that They Call Me Güero has been selected as a 2020-2021 nominee for the South Carolina Children’s Book Award.
2019 Appearances
March 3, 2019—“Facing Obstacles with Determination.” Panel at the Tucson Book Festival. University of Arizona. Tucson, Arizona. March 29, 2019—“On Writing, Voice, and Courage: A Conversation with Walter Honorees,” a symposium on diverse children’s literature. Part of the Walter Dean Myers Award Ceremony. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Texas Library…
GÜERO on Bluebonnet List!
At the Texas Book Festival, the Texas Library Association (TLA) announced the twenty books that made it onto the curated Bluebonnet List. They Call Me Güero was one of the lucky titles! Each year, 20 books are chosen for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. Many schools and libraries around…
GÜERO a White Raven!
My book They Call Me Güero has been awarded a White Raven! That means it’s been selected by the very prestigious International Youth Library Foundation for inclusion in their annual catalogue of recommended titles for international children’s & youth literature: 200 books in 37 languages from 59 countries. They Call…
GÜERO Read Across America
I’m delighted to announce that They Call Me Güero was selected as one of the National Endowment of the Arts Read Across America titles for middle-grade readers! I’m especially proud and excited to be part of the project’s mission, to “motivate kids to read and celebrate the diversity in their…
In Memory of Tlatelolco
Rosario Castellanos was an influential Mexican poet who wrote this piece after the government massacre of students and other protesters in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City. The poem made its way into Elena Poniatowska’s book on the massacre. The third stanza was…
Pura Belpré Acceptance Speech
I delivered the following speech at the American Librarian Association’s annual conference in Washington, DC, as part of the Pura Belpré Celebración on June 23rd, after accepting the Belpré Author Honor for They Call Me Güero. Soy fronterizo. A child of the borderlands. Home is Donna, Texas, right across the…
TWO Awards from TIL
The Texas Institute of Letters just announced the winners of its literary prizes. I won both the MG and YA awards (which is the first time in TIL history that a single author has taken them both). They Call Me Güero got the Jean Flynn Award for Best Middle Grade Book Award…
GÜERO Wins the Tomás Rivera Award
I’m overjoyed to announce that They Call Me Güero has been selected for the 2019 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award. About the Award From the website: “Texas State University College of Education developed the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts…
GÜERO Wins Claudia Lewis Award
They Call Me Güero has won the 2019 Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry! The Claudia Lewis Award is one of three announced each year by the Children’s Book Committee at the Bank Street School of Education. Established in 1909, the committee is made up of 40 or so volunteer members from…