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!
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
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
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…