A New York Public Library Best Book of 2019
A 2020 Pura Belpré Honor Award Book
Award-winning author Angela Cervantes returns to the fan favorite animal shelter featured in Gaby, Lost and Found, with a heartfelt novel about friendship, grit, and never giving up on what you believe is right.
Lety Muñoz’s first language is Spanish, and she likes to take her time putting her words together. She loves volunteering at the Furry Friends Animal Shelter because the dogs and cats there don’t care if she can’t always find the right word. When the shelter needs a volunteer to write animal profiles, Lety jumps at the chance. But grumpy classmate Hunter also wants to write profiles — so now they have to work as a team. Hunter’s not much of a team player, though. He devises a secret competition to decide who will be the official shelter scribe. Whoever helps get their animals adopted the fastest wins. The loser scoops dog food. Lety reluctantly agrees, but she’s worried that if the shelter finds out about the contest, they’ll kick her out of the volunteer program. Then she’ll never be able to adopt Spike, her favorite dog at the shelter!
Reviews
“Lety Out Loud introduces readers to a variety of immigrant experiences through Lety Muñoz, an English language learner who spends the summer volunteering at an animal shelter. Although initially hesitant to speak out, Lety learns to use her voice to stand up for others.
—Pura Belpré Honor Award Book
“At its heart, this is a sweet, entertaining story about a kindhearted girl who has compassion for both animals and people. ”
—Kirkus Starred Review
“Compelling and relatable, this is highly recommended for all middle grade collections.”
—School Library Journal Starred Review
“Lety Out Loud is a book about succeeding when things are tough and making a space for yourself when you’re in a new place. And it’s a book about loving dogs, which means it’s practically a perfect book!”
—IndieNext
“Friendship, dogs, cats, rivalries, determination and books. What a great combination for a book. Lety learns how to find her inner strength and overcome obstacles to find her voice, and maybe just maybe, the dog of her dreams.”
—Edelweiss Review
Children’s State Awards List
- Oklahoma’s Sequoyah Master list
- Indiana Children’s Book Award Master list
- Kansas’ William Allen White’s Children’s Award list
- South Carolina Children’s Book Award Master list
- Alabama Camellia Award Children’s Award list
- Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Nominee List
