Posts Tagged #weneediversebooks

Author interview with Andrea Beatriz Arango on her newest Middle Grade novel: No Place on Earth

By Shifa Safadi on August 28, 2026 / Author Interviews, Diversity

Author Interview – Andrea Beatriz Arango

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Andrea Beatriz Arango today. Andrea is the author of multiple beautiful middle grade books, including the Newbery Honor title “Iveliz Explains it All”! And today we will be discussing her newest release for middle grade readers: “No Place on Earth” which comes out from Random House Kids on August 25, 2026!

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

About “No Place on Earth”:

From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, comes a moving novel with a touch of magic, where two boys find themselves in each other’s dreams and slowly help one another face the real world.

Since moving to Yellowstone National Park for his mom’s job, Gustavo Santos Costa has had a lot on his mind.

For instance: bison stampedes. Did you know that bison can run three times faster than the average person?
Also: Why do people always stand so close to boiling hot springs?!
Finally: the bad dreams. Why have they only gotten worse since the move?

And that’s all before Gus somehow meets his classmate Kordell inside his dreams. While Gus avoids sleeping (and nightmares) at all costs, Kordell finds that dreams seem to be a welcome escape from his real life . . . until one day, they’re no longer enough. With the connection between the boys, Gus may be the only person who can help Kordell. But when most things already feel too big to take on, how can Gus find the courage to be there for his friends?

In this powerful novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, two boys confront their fears—and their dreams—to save themselves and each other.

Interview with Andrea:

I loved getting to talk to Andrea about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and her characters Gus and Kordell as well.

SSS: I am so excited to talk with you today, Andrea! I love your books! Tells us more about this new book! How did you come up with the idea for it?

ABA: I’m so happy to be here! I’m a big fan of your work ❤️. As for the book… It honestly came together very slowly and in pieces. First came Yellowstone, which I’ll dive into in a bit. I knew I wanted to write a book set there, but I didn’t know exactly what kind of story it would be. Second, I really wanted to write my first boy character – readers had been asking me for a boy book for years. Finally, I really wanted to tell a story that involved nightmares, because I’ve always had them but couldn’t ever remember reading a book about them when I was young. At least not the chronic type I had/have. All of that percolated in my brain for a long time before Gustavo’s specific story came to me.

SSS: Tell us more about the characters Gus and Kordell. What are their characters and personalities like, their dreams, and how does the story weave their perspectives together?

ABA: Out of all my main characters, Gustavo is probably the one whose brain is the most similar to mine, so I have a huge soft spot for him. He has (undiagnosed) anxiety, but not the vocabulary to talk about it. This manifests in nightmares and a sort of maladaptive daydreaming where he’s constantly thinking of worst-case scenarios. Kordell, on the other hand, lives with depression, but does have the vocabulary for it, even if he doesn’t have friends he can actually talk about that stuff with. Their stories come together in Dream Yellowstone, where they keep bumping heads at night. It can be extra hard for boys to ask for help with their mental health, especially in cultures like Gustavo’s, and so the boys’ slow-burn friendship is something neither of them realized they needed until they have it. It’s very much a book about learning how to be there for others even when it’s hard to show up. How sometimes friendship can feel difficult, maybe even like an inconvenience, but it’s always worth it in the end.

SSS: What made you decide on Yellowstone National Park as the setting? Have you been there? (It sounds stunning!)

ABA: I have been there! My mom actually took a job there for two years and I was able to go visit her when she was living inside the park. I went in the winter, when most of the park is shut down and the animals extra visible, and I truly don’t think I’ve ever seen a place more beautifully wild. I looked up the size of it while I was there, because I couldn’t get over how immense it seemed, and was shocked to find out the entirety of Puerto Rico (where I live) fits inside the park. When I found out families lived there too, and that a school bus would come grab them from the nearest town, I knew I needed to write a book about a middle schooler moving there. (Which, for the record and unlike Gustavo, 6^th grade Andrea would have LOVED.)

SSS: Agreed!! I read the book and absolutely adored it and reccomend it to all readers<3

Link to order here.

Writing Process

SSS: I know that this book is your first prose!! How was it writing this book as compared to writing a verse novel (although I will note, that I think verse is weaved into this book as well, correct?)

ABA: I thought I would never finish 😂! After writing three novels fully in verse, I think I got accustomed to a certain length of pages in my drafts, a certain number of words, and so when I reached that and still had half the story left to tell I almost fell out of my writing chair, haha. I also had to incorporate a lot more descriptions than I’m used to with my minimal verse, and that was a bit of a learning curve, too. Mind you, I’d written plenty of prose before my 3 verse novels, but I’d….forgotten. And yes, that’s despite this novel still having some verse sections. It wasn’t even 100% prose.

SSS: Are you a pantser or a plotter? And what helps you with finishing stories when you first start writing your drafts?

ABA: 38-year-old Andrea is definitely a plotter. Students always ask me about writer’s block and I tell them I have brain block. My mental health doesn’t always cooperate with me and that can make meeting deadlines or finishing projects really difficult. So to me, my outlines are basically crutches for my brain. I don’t think I ever plotted a single story prior to my 30s but now I plot very extensively—15 page outlines, usually—and when I don’t feel creative or I’m having a hard time feeling inspired, I’m still able to write because I know exactly what happens next. Granted, it may not be my best work, but if I don’t get something down on the page I won’t be able to get the draft done and be able to turn to what I actually love, which is revising. I think the biggest difference between the me who is writing now and the me who was writing in her teens and twenties is that I’m able to finish way more projects now because of the plotting.

SSS: I am the same! Revising is my jam!!! Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors looking to write middle grade novels, and verse novels in particular?

ABA: Read all the books! I think with verse, especially, people tend to be scared to try it because we have this idea in our heads of what poetry is or isn’t. And so the wonderful thing about reading a variety of novels in verse is that every author has a different approach to it and a different style. Some verse novelists that I absolutely recommend people study (present company excluded, haha) are: Jasminne Mendez, Amber McBride, Jasmine Warga, Thanhha Lai, Hannah V. Sawyerr, Elisabet Velasquez, and Mariama J. Lockington.

SSS: AGREED!

Bonus!

SSS: What more is coming up for you! (can you tell us?)

ABA: I can! (A little, haha.) I’m actually working on a survival story. So for anyone who read an early version of SISTERS ALONE and loved it, get ready, because my next book might be right up your alley. I’ve been a big fan of the survival genre (in both books and screens) since I was young, and I’m excited to be contributing my own spin to it after all this time.

SSS: WOOHOO! Cannot wait!

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

About Andrea:

Andrea Beatriz Arango is the author of the Newbery Honor Book Iveliz Explains It All, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Something Like Home, and most recently It’s All or Nothing, Vale. Andrea was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she first discovered her love of writing and eventually became a teacher. She then spent a decade in the United States working in public schools and nonprofits. When she’s not busy writing about middle schoolers and their families, you can find her hoping to spot manatees at the beach. Andrea lives in Puerto Rico with her family and two dogs.

Find her online at https://andreabeatrizarango.com

INSTAGRAM: @andreabeatrizarango

WNDMG Wednesday: Author Interview with Aida Salazar

By Shifa Safadi on April 10, 2024 / Author Interviews, Diversity, WNDMG

Ultraviolet cover with a young Latina boy in technicolor

WNDMG Wednesday: Author Interview with Aida Salazar

Welcome to WNDGM Wednesday. I’m so excited to be able to introduce you and interview accomplished award-winning author Aida Salazar today. Aida’s newest book is Ultraviolet (Scholastic) and it launches on April 2, 2024.

I absolutely love anything Aida writes. I am specifically a huge fan of her verse novels- A SEED IN THE SUN and LAND OF THE CRANES made me feel so much emotion while reading, and I hung onto every word of gorgeous poetry.

I cannot wait to dive into this new book!

I encourage everyone to buy a copy for themselves and their classrooms and libraries.

About ULTRAVIOLET

Description taken from online:

Sometimes life explodes in technicolor.

In the spirit of Judy Blume, award-winning author Aida Salazar tells it like it is about puberty, hormones, and first love in this hilarious, heartwarming, and highly relatable coming-of-age story. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, and Adib Khorram.

* “Stunning…A story that sings to the soul.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “A compassionate verse novel about first love, heartbreak, and vulnerability. ” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This important and intensely relatable tale perfectly captures the angst of growing up. A true gift to maturing tweens everywhere.” ―Ernesto Cisneros, Pura Belpré award-winning author of Efrén Divided

For Elio Solis, eighth grade fizzes with change―His body teeming with hormones. His feelings that flow like lava. His relationship with Pops, who’s always telling him to man up, the Solis way. And especially Camelia, his first girlfriend.

But then, betrayal and heartbreak send Elio spiraling toward revenge, a fight to prove his manhood, and defend Camelia’s honor. He doesn’t anticipate the dire consequences―or that Camelia’s not looking for a savior.

Hilarious, heartwarming, and highly relatable, Ultraviolet digs deep into themes of consent, puberty, masculinity, and the emotional lives of boys, as it challenges stereotypes and offers another way to be in the world.

Interview with Aida:

I loved getting to talk to Aida about her new book and I think you will enjoy meeting her and Elio as well.

SSS: What a heartfelt description! I was intrigued right away- and I cannot wait to see how Elio’s story unfolds.

What is the inspiration behind ULTRAVIOLET?

AS: The initial idea for the book came from my son, João, and his friend, Mario, who after I’d written about a Latina girl’s coming of age in The Moon Within, insisted that I write one from a boy’s perspective. Mario said, “Ms. Aida, you have to write The Sun Within.” “Yeah, mom, when are you going to write a book for me?” my son added. They wanted to see a book that showed their inner lives and brought up conversations about puberty, first crushes, gender, and rites of passages—conversations that echoed who they were as cis Latino boys.

SSS: As a mom of an almost-teenage boy, I am so protective over him. He is such a sweet emotional boy, and I love that the description honors the emotions of young boys. What emotions do you think young men feel as they grow into maturity?

AS: Our patriarchal societies have made boys victims as much as girls and women and gender expansive people. We don’t allow boys space to explore the tender parts of themselves – love, anger, rejection, grief, and hormonal confusion. They are raised to bury feelings—to be “macho” and “man up.” We rarely provide safe spaces and ways for them to move through tough feelings or offer guidance on how to rise above them. It is a huge tragedy, really. When boys deny this very human part of themselves, it deeply impacts their relationships as they grow into men. And in that loss, in that wound, they sometimes treat others with the same hurt they feel or worse. Girls and women often bear the brunt of that wound, as we have seen by the violence and wars in our society today. Through Ultraviolet, I want to offer boys examples of undoing toxic masculinity and how they can find strength through nurturing their sensitivity and vulnerability.

SSS: I love your answer! As a mom of a young tween who is Syrian American, I worry about how the world will view my little boy, especially with stereotypes about Muslims and Arabs. As a Latine author, does your role as a mother play a part in the stories you write? How does Elio’s book play out differently than it would for someone who was not Latine?

AS: Absolutely. I have a teen son and daughter and their lives as bi-cultural, multi-racial youth inspire me. What they have to deal with as young people is unprecedented in the history of humanity because of technology and as our racism and intolerance grows. Brown and Black children and other kids of color in particular are ever more vulnerable. But I do believe in the power of education, collective organizing, and efforts to make the world a better place. Young people have a strong moral compass and I only hope that is going to be the guide that will help them not only navigate but rise above and help solve some of the most troubling issues in the world. And some things, like love, heartbreak, and puberty are evergreen. I am hopeful that the universal experiences like those found in Ultraviolet will help boys (no matter the background) understand their hearts and where they might contribute to their own and others healing through justice.

SSS: The subject of puberty is such an important topic! I am excited to see more books centering these important coming of age stories for our young ones who may feel confused as their body’s changes.

AS: Indeed! There are only a handful of books like Ultraviolet. I had a conversation with Varian Johnson and John Schu at a conference about the need for a book like this. There was so much to explore in middle grade fiction and so much of it was hilarious! I challenged them to write one because I felt like it needed to come from a boy/man’s perspective. I think John might have a memoir coming which sounds beautiful. But when my son and his friend specifically asked me for it, I knew I couldn’t say no. This one, is my interpretation of a boy’s life as a mother and feminist.

SSS: Will there be more Elio (or other middle grade verse novels) in the future?

AS: Yes! I have a secret project that might involve Elio and might involve another character from another of my books. Writing these characters are pure joy. I know them so well and can’t wait to write them a new narrative with new adventures in growing up. Of course, in verse!

SSS: Ahhh! Amazing- I cannot wait!!

Link to preorder here.

Writing Process

SSS: When did you start writing Ultraviolet and was the process a long one?

AS: Ultraviolet was actually a graphic novel before it was a verse novel. I made the move on the suggestion of my editor at Scholastic, Tracy Mack. I struggled to transition from one to the other but then I gave it a shot. Once I wrote the opening poem, I was hooked on Elio’s voice and couldn’t stop. I wrote the first draft in about three months but the editing process took another six months. We worked hard to get the story as clear, as fun, as poetic as can be.

SSS: Wow so interesting!

As a fellow middle grade verse novelist, I LOVE reading verse. How do you write your verse books- do they start out as verse in your mind while you write, or do they end up that way along the revision process (as happened with me!)

AS: Yes, the characters come in verse and stay that way. I am a student of Linda Sue Park’s philosophy of writing voice in fiction. She says that “voice is word choice, rhythm, and punctuation.” I explore this wisdom from a poet’s perspective. Writing poetry gives us all the tools we need to articulate these elements of voice with an extra layer of artfulness and intention. For instance, rhythm or the song or musicality of a line is crucial to poetry. Many fiction writers don’t think about this as deeply as poets. Also, poetry needs for us to use precise and economic language. To make a line artful. How you do that is what will set the voice apart. I try to make it so that each character can be their own person, with their own artful word choice, with their own song, certainly not mine or an adult’s, so they emerge as their own poet.

SSS: One hundred percent- poetry is so special and the voice in your books always stands out beautifully!

Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors? For Debuts?

AS: Lean on community, be tenacious, be okay to fail or be rejected, and give yourself grace. These things have made me continue in this business when times have been tough. Onward!

For more verse novels- check out this previous Mixed-Up-Files Post!

Bonus!

SSS: Bonus question! Is there anything I haven’t asked that you’d like to share with us?

AS: Ultraviolet though it might seem a light-hearted and somewhat superficial experience, really is about undoing so many hurtful practices. It takes a look at the reasons why we hurt others. There is a line in the book by Fernando, one of the leaders of the sons and fathers’ group that urges Elio to reflect when he wants to lash out against his ex-girlfriend, “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you have to hurt them back.” I think about the relevance of this line and the current genocide of Palestinian people by Zionists. It is my hope that young people will understand that our wounds, as deep as they are, will never be resolved with violence. My intention was to write a feminist book for boys, to dismantle and free ourselves from these oppressive patriarchal ideas.

Thank you so much Aida for answering my questions and with such thoughtfulness and honesty! I hope everyone picks up a copy of your beautiful book.

About Aida Salazar:

Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the middle-grade verse novels The Moon Within (International Latino Book Award Winner), Land of the Cranes (Américas Award Winner), A Seed in the Sun (Tomás Rivera Book Award), the picture book anthology, In the Spirit of a Dream, and the picture book biography Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter (Caldecott Honor). She lives with her family of artists in Oakland, California.

Website: www.AidaSalazar.com

Twitter: @aida_writes

Instagram: @aida_writes

TikTok: @aida_writes

American Library Association 2024 Youth Media Awards

By Susan Koehler on February 3, 2024 / Oh MG News

On January 22, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video and audio books for children and young adults at its LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience conference in Baltimore. Among these awards are the Newbery, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King awards. Congratulations to the following winners and honorees!

Newbery Medal

Each year, the John Newbery Medal is given to a book selected as the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. The 2024 medal went to Dave Eggers for The Eyes and the Impossible, the story of a free and fast dog named Johannes who runs daily and reports his observations to three ancient Bison known as the Keepers of the Equilibrium. Published simultaneously by Alfred A. Knopf and McSweeney’s, this book includes illustrations by Shawn Harris.

Newbery Honors

Five Newbery Honor Books were also named:

Eagle Drums, written and illustrated by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson and published by Roaring Book Press.
Elf Dog and Owl Head, written by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Junyi Wu and published by Candlewick Press
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir, written and illustrated by Pedro Martín and published by Dial Books for Young Readers“
Simon Sort of Says, written by Erin Bow and published by Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Buena Vista Books, Inc.
The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams, written by Daniel Nayeri, illustrated by Daniel Miyares and published by Arthur A. Levine

Caldecott Medal

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is given annually to the most distinguished American picture book for children. The 2024 Caldecott Medal went to Big, illustrated and written by Vashti Harrison. Published by Little, Brown and Co., this book traces a child’s journey to self-love and shows the power of words to both hurt and heal.

Caldecott Honors

Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

In Every Life, illustrated and written by Marla Frazee and published by Beach Lane Books
Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter, illustrated by Molly Mendoza, written by Aida Salazar and published by Scholastic Press
There Was a Party for Langston, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, written by Jason Reynolds and published by Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers
The Truth About Dragons, illustrated by Hanna Cha, written by Julie Leung and published by Henry Holt and Co.

Coretta Scott King Awards

Coretta Scott King Book Award for Authors

The Coretta Scott King Book Award for Authors recognizes an African American author whose books for children and young adults “demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.” This year, the award went to Nigeria Jones, written by Ibi Zoboi about a girl who must look beyond the expectations of her revolutionary father to find how to make her own way in the world.. The book is published by Balzer + Bray.

Coretta Scott King Honor Books (Authors)

Three Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books were selected:

Big, written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Little, Brown and Co.
How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison and published by Candlewick Press
Kin: Rooted in Hope, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrators

The Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustrators recognizes an African American illustrator whose books for children and young adults “demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.” This year, the award went to “An American Story,” illustrated by Dare Coulter. The book is written by Kwame Alexander and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book, Inc.

Coretta Scott King Honor Books (Illustrators)

Three Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books were selected:

Big, illustrated and written by Vashti Harrison and published by: Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.;
Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes, illustrated by Shannon Wright, written by Traci N. Todd and published by Orchard Books
There Was a Party for Langston, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarret Pumphrey, written by Jason Reynolds and published by Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Other Coretta Scott King Awards

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award was given to There Goes the Neighborhood, written by Jade Adia and published by Hyperion.

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award went to We Could Fly, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, written by Rhiannon Giddens and published by Candlewick Press.

The Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. This year, the award went to Christopher Paul Curtis, a historical fiction novelist who writes in accessible ways for emerging readers to understand the world around them. His novels have received numerous starred reviews and awards throughout his career.

Congratulations to all winners and honorees of the 2024 American Library Association Awards!

Posts Tagged #weneediversebooks

Author interview with Andrea Beatriz Arango on her newest Middle Grade novel: No Place on Earth

Author Interview – Andrea Beatriz Arango