Author Interview – Adrianna Cuevas

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Adrianna Cuevas today. Adrianna is the author of multiple beautiful middle grade books, and today we will be discussing her newest release for middle grade readers: “Mischief and Monsters” which came out from Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan Kids) on September 22, 2026!

Librarians and educators- you don’t want to miss this!

About “Mischief and Monsters”:

Jordi Acosta wants nothing more than to be invisible. He’s a six-foot-tall twelve-year-old who wishes he could blend in with the rest of his classmates and avoid trouble.

Over spring break, Jordi’s mom, a wildlife biologist, has him volunteer at the Yaupon Creek Wildlife Refuge, much to his dismay. But Mami is keeping secrets, and when Jordi has a close encounter with a surprisingly humanlike bear, she comes clean: her unofficial job at the Wildlife Refuge is to care for Cryptids, creatures like the Chupacabra that are only supposed to exist in stories.

When a greedy corporation called Harvest Sunrise Energy arrives wanting to expand their drilling operations into Yaupon Creek, cattle start getting injured and fences damaged on their neighbors’ farms. Jordi and his friends realize that the company is manipulating the townspeople to believe the creatures are responsible for the damage they’ve wrought. It’s up to them to save their town from this insidious threat—and clear their cryptid friends’ names.

Interview with Adrianna:

I loved getting to talk to Adrianna about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and her character Jordi as well.

SSS: I am so excited to talk with you today! I love middle grade mystery and adventure books, and yours are absolutely stunning! Tells us more about Mischief and Monsters! What inspired this story?

AC: This story was first inspired by a weekend I spent with my in-laws in rural Oklahoma. There’s absolutely nothing to do in their town (there’s a Sonic Drive-In and not much else), so my father-in-law and I spent the whole time watching a TV show about game wardens and wildlife biologists. I thought it would be fun to have a main character whose parent had that job because it would allow me to explore wildlife and conservation issues in Texas. Of course, as a chaotic middle grade author, I couldn’t let the wildlife refuge simply have deer, longhorn cattle, and prairie dogs. Enter the cryptids…

SSS: Tell us more about the character Jordi. What was it like crafting his personality and voice?

AC: Jordi, our 6-foot-tall 6^th grader, was inspired by my son who was mistaken for a substitute teacher when he was in seventh grade. Also, as a middle school teacher, I see kids everyday who are uncomfortable in their own bodies and seeking to just fit in. This is what shaped Jordi as a character as he struggles to accept himself and find his voice.

SSS: I love the idea of Cryptids! What are these cool creatures?

AC: The cryptids I selected for Mischief and Monsters are taken from Texas mythology. Texas is a big state with equally big stories so I had many creatures to choose from. Some, like El Chupacabra and La Lechuza, are based in Mexican lore, while others are from contemporary Texas history, such as the Bear King of Marble Falls, the Houston Batman, and the Fort Worth Monster. The sequel to Mischief and Monsters takes place in Florida and I was able to dive into all the creatures from that region as well. It’s in our nature to weave stories to explain the unexplainable so I think that’s why there’s no shortage of cryptids.

SSS: I love the theme in this book of a company manipulating others perceptions of the creatures through propaganda, and rising up against it as young people to take back the narrative and protect each other. Tell us more!

AC: Throughout the story, Jordi struggles with what people think of him due to his size. At one point, he tells his new cryptid friend, “I was only the story people made up about me when they looked at me.” Jordi relates to the cryptids because they too have suffered from people creating narratives about them simply based on preconceived notions and appearance. I wanted to create a story where the characters were allowed to embrace their individuality and where other characters were forced to confront their biases. This is something I previously addressed in What Fell From the Sky because it is an evergreen lesson, particularly now that we have politicians weaving malicious narratives about vulnerable populations. Showing young readers an example of characters who embrace who they are and speak up for those who can’t protect themselves was important to me in this story.

Link to order here.

Thank you, Adrianna for joining us and I know readers and librarians will enjoy your book!

About Adrianna:

Adrianna Cuevas is a middle school ESOL teacher who currently resides outside of Austin, Texas with her husband and son. When not cheering for the Florida Panthers hockey team, listening to audiobooks at 2.3x speed, and crocheting blankets too warm for Texas heat, she is writing her next middle grade novel.

Website: https://www.adriannacuevas.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/adriannacuevas/

Shifa Safadi

SHIFA SALTAGI SAFADI is the National Book Award winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former ELA teacher, and is passionate about spreading a love of reading through storytimes and school visits. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children.

Find her on Instagram @shifasaltagisafadi