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Angela is the author of several beloved contemporary middle-grade novels including Lead With Your Heart, an American Girl book; and Lety Out Loud, which is a Pura Belpré Honor Book. Her other children’s novels include Gaby, Lost and Found; Allie, First at Last; and the Frida Kahlo-inspired mystery, Me, Frida and the Secret of the Peacock Ring. In addition to her original work, Angela wrote Coco: The Junior Novel that accompanied the blockbuster Disney/Pixar movie; and Encanto: The Junior Novelization that accompanies the award-winning animated film by Disney. Angela began writing stories featuring Latina main characters when she was nine-years-old because she wanted books about her friends and community.
This junior novelization retells the whole amazing story of Disney’s animated film ENCANTO
Encanto is the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.
Maritza is Bolivian on her mother’s side. Mexican on her father’s side, and 100 percent American soccer player. She dreams of playing for the US women’s soccer team, and even coaching it someday. Her soccer teammate, Violeta, shares those dreams, too, but for her they are harder to reach. Violeta’s family immigrated to the United States from El Salvador, and now her uncle may be sent back there, far away from his US family. Maritza believes families belong together, and with her friends cheering her on, she finds the courage to lead with her heart.
Lety Muñoz’s first language is Spanish. She loves volunteering at the animal shelter because the dogs and cats there don’t care if she can’t always find the right words in English. When the shelter needs a volunteer to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance to help them find their forever homes.
Twelve-year old Paloma Marquez accompanies her mom on a fellowship to her father’s birth country of Mexico. On her first night in Mexico City, Paloma quickly finds herself entangled in a mystery involving an artifact that once belonged to the legendary artist, Frida Kahlo.
This junior novelization retells the whole amazing story of Disney/Pixar’s “Coco.”
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Allie wants to be a trailblazer.
A trendsetter.
A winner.
No better feeling exists in the world than stepping to the top of a winner’s podium and hoisting a trophy high in the air. At least, that’s what Allie thinks . . . she’s never actually won anything before. Everyone in her family is special in some way—her younger sister is a rising TV star; her brother is a soccer prodigy; her great-grandfather is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
With a family like this, Allie knows she has to make her mark or risk being left behind.
Gaby Howard Ramirez loves volunteering at the local animal shelter. She’s in charge of writing adoption advertisements so that the strays who live there can find their forever homes: places where they’ll be cared for and loved, no matter what. Gaby has been feeling like a bit of a stray herself lately. Her mother has recently been deported to Honduras, and Gaby is stuck living with her inattentive dad. She’s confident that her mom will come home soon so they can adopt Gaby’s favorite shelter cat together. But when the cat’s owners turn up at the shelter, Gaby worries that her plans for the perfect family are about to fall apart.