Books
Farewell Cuba, mi isla / Hasta siempre Cuba, mi isla
Victoria loves everything about her home in Cuba. The beautiful land, the delicious food, her best friend and cousin, Jackie, and her big, loving family.
But it’s 1960 in Cuba, and as the political situation grows more and more dangerous, Victoria, her parents, and her two younger siblings are forced to seek refuge in America with nothing more than two changes of clothes and five dollars. Worse, they’re forced to leave the rest of their family, including Jackie, behind.
In Miami, everything is different. And it’s up to Victoria to step up and help her family settle into this new world—even though she hopes they won’t be there for long. Back in Cuba, everything feels different, too. Jackie watches as friends and family flee, or worse, disappear. So, when she’s given a chance to escape to America, she takes it—even though she has to go alone. Reunited in Miami, can Victoria and Jackie find a way to bring the rest of their family to safety?
A Victoria le encanta su hogar en Cuba con la tierra hermosa, la deliciosa comida, su mejor amiga y prima, Jackie y toda su amorosa y numerosa familia.
Pero es el año 1960 y la situación política se está haciendo cada vez más peligrosa. Victoria, sus padres y sus dos hermanos menores tienen que salir como refugios a los Estados Unidos. Lo peor es que tienen que dejar atrás al resto de su familia incluyendo a Jackie.
Todo es muy diferente en Miami (Florida). Victoria ayuda a su familia a establecerse en esta nueva vida con la esperanza de que no van a estar ahí por mucho tiempo. En Cuba, nada tampoco sigue igual. Jackie ve como sus compañeros y los vecinos huyen y desaparecen. Cuando su familia se entera de la Operación Peter Pan, un programa financiada con fondos de los Estados Unidos, que está sacando a los menores de Cuba, los padres de Jackie deciden mandarla para Miami. Una vez que Victoria y Jackie se vuelven a reunir, ellas esperan que el resto de su familia pueda salir de Cuba sano y salvo. Solo el tiempo dirá.
Santiago’s Road Home / La travesía de Santiago
The coins in Santiago’s hand are meant for the bus fare back to his abusive abuela’s house. Except he refuses to return; he won’t be missed. His future is uncertain until he meets the kind, maternal María Dolores and her young daughter, Alegría, who help Santiago decide what comes next: He will accompany them to el otro lado, the United States of America. They embark with little, just backpacks with water and a bit of food. To travel together will require trust from all parties, and Santiago is used to going it alone. None of the three travelers realizes that the journey through Mexico to the border is just the beginning of their story.
Now available in hardcover, paperback,
eAudiobook, Audio CD, and eBook!
Click here for
Santiago’s Road Home Reader Group Guide
Las monedas en la mano de Santiago son para el boleto del autobús para regresar a la casa de su abuela abusiva. Pero él rehusa regresar. No lo van a extrañar. Su futuro es incierto hasta que se encuentra con María Dolores, cariñosa y maternal y su joven hija, Alegría. Este encuentro ayuda a Santiago a decidir lo que va a hacer. Va a acompañarlas hasta el otro lado, hasta los Estados Unidos de América. Emprenden el viaje con muy pocas cosas, solo mochilas con agua y un poquito de comida. Viajar juntos requiere que confíen unos en los otros y Santiago está acostumbrado a ir solo. Ninguno de los tres viajeros se da cuenta de que la travesía a través de México hasta la frontera es solamente el comienzo de su historia.
¡Disponible en portada dura, portada suave y en
formato electronico!
Aquí está la guía para la lectura en grupos de La travesía de Santiago.
The Crossroads / La encrucijada
After crossing Mexico into the United States, Jaime Rivera thinks the worst is over. Starting a new school can’t be that bad. Except it is, and not just because he can barely speak English. While his cousin Ángela fits in quickly, with new friends and after-school activities, Jaime struggles with even the idea of calling this strange place “home.” His real home is with his parents, abuela, and the rest of the family; not here where cacti and cattle outnumber people, where he can no longer be himself—a boy from Guatemala.
When bad news arrives from his parents back home, feelings of helplessness and guilt gnaw at Jaime. Gang violence in Guatemala means he can’t return home, but he’s not sure if he wants to stay either. The US is not the great place everyone said it would be, especially if you’re sin papeles—undocumented—like Jaime. When things look bleak, hope arrives from unexpected places: a quiet boy on the bus, a music teacher, an old ranch hand. With his sketchbook always close by, Jaime uses his drawings to show what it means to be a true citizen.
Powerful and moving, this touching sequel to The Only Road explores overcoming homesickness, finding ways to connect despite a language barrier, and discovering what it means to start over in a new place that alternates between being wonderful and completely unwelcoming.
Now available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook!
Click here for THE CROSSROADS Readers’ Guide.
Jaime Rivera pensó que después de cruzar México y entrar en Estados Unidos, lo peor había quedado atrás. No podía ser muy dificil comenzar en una escuela nueva. Pero lo es. Y no solamente porque casi no habla inglés. Mientras que su prima hermana Ángela se adaptó rapidamente e hizo nuevos amigos y se envolvió en actividades después de clases, Jaime siente que este lugar extraño no es su “hogar.” Su hogar de verdad es con sus padres, con abuela y con el resto de su familia y no en este lugar donde hay más cactus y ganado que personas y donde él siente que no puede ser él mismo—un muchacho de Guatemala.
Cuando llegan malas noticias de sus padres en Guatemala sentimientos de impotencia y culpa atormentan a Jaime. La violencia de las pandillas en Guatemala significa que no puede regresar. Pero tampoco está seguro de que se quiera quedar. Los Estados Unidos no son la maravilla que todos le habían dicho que era, especialmente si no tienes papeles, si estás indocumentado. Pero cuando las cosas lucen sombrias la esperanza llega de lugares inesperados: un muchacho callado en el autobús, una maestra de música, un viejo que trabaja en el rancho. Con su cuaderno de dibujar siempre en sus manos Jaime comienza a usar sus dibujos para demostrar lo que significa ser un ciudadano de verdad.
¡Disponible en portada dura, portada suave y en formato electronico!
Aquí está la guía para la lectura en grupos de La encrucijada.
Good Girls Don’t Lie
Josie Figueroa is the girl no one in la familia has to worry about. She’s smart, responsible, and reliable.
The good girl.
Except her life isn’t as perfect as everyone believes. Her older brothers are overprotective and clueless; her dream-boy leads her on, and dumps her.
And then there’s cousin Margarita who can’t deal with her own life, much less a deadbeat husband and two small children.
That’s okay because there’s always Josie-to-the-rescue, Josie who will take care of everything for everyone else. After all, it’s not like Josie doesn’t have problems of her own, it’s not like she’s fifteen, pregnant, and every choice she makes feels like the wrong one.
Unfortunately, this book is now out of print. Please contact me at adiaz(at)alexandra-diaz(dot)com if you’d like a copy.
Click to view the book trailer.
The Only Road / El único destino
Twelve-year-old Jaime makes the treacherous and life-changing journey from his home in Guatemala to live with his older brother in the United States in this gripping and realistic middle grade novel.
Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream. Instantly, he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead.
Everyone in Jaime’s small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that’s known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed—like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There’s only one choice: accompanied by his cousin Ángela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in New Mexico.
Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. It is a story of fear and bravery, love and loss, strangers becoming family, and one boy’s treacherous and life-changing journey.
“Powerful and timely,” Booklist starred review
“An important, must-have addition to the growing body of literature with immigrant themes,” School Library Journal starred review
Click to view the book trailer or access the reader guide.
El único destino
En esta absorbente y emocionante novela juvenil, Jaime de doce años emprende el peligroso y traicionero viaje que le transforma su vida de su hogar en Guatemala a Estados Unidos para vivir con su hermano mayor.
Jaime está sentado en su cama dibujando cuando oye un grito. Sabe inmediatamente que su primo hermano y mejor amigo, Miguel, está muerto.
Todos en el pequeño pueblo de Guatemala donde Jaime vive conocen a alguien que ha sido asesinado por los Alfas, una pandilla poderosa que es conocida por su violencia y por el tráfico de drogas. Aquellos que rehúsan trabajar para ellos son atacados o asesinados como Miguel. Jaime y su prima Ángela, la hermana de Miguel, temen que ellos van a ser los próximos. Solamente hay un camino para ambos. Deben de salir huyendo de su hogar en Guatemala para irse a vivir con el hermano mayor de Jaime en Nuevo México.
Inspirada en hechos actuales, En busca de una esperanza es la historia de un niño que siente que abandonar su hogar y emprender esta travesía es su única oportunidad para tener mejor calidad de vida. Es una historia de pánico y de valentía, de amor y de pérdida, donde personas extrañoas se convierten en familia en el viaje peligroso que le cambia la vida a un niño.
Aquí está la guía para la lectura en grupos de El único destino.
**These two books were written on commission (under the name Megan Sparks), which in this case means, it was someone else’s idea and I was hired to write them.
Falling Hard (Roller Girls)
“When Annie moves from London to a small American town in the Mid-West, she struggles to fit in. She gets off to a bad start when she makes an enemy of her school’s queen bee, Kelsey. But she discovers a new passion the exciting sport of roller derby and makes friends with the cool and quirky girls on her team, the Liberty Belles. She also meets Jesse, the friendly boy who works at the roller rink, and Tyler, a cute all-American sports star.”
In A Jam (Roller Girls Book 3)
“Annie and Tyler are going out! OK, he can be a bit controlling sometimes, but Annie’s never had a boyfriend before so she assumes that’s what they’re like. Her roller derby team, the Liberty Belles, are in top position in the league but are they getting over-confident? Annie misses a few practice sessions so she can spend time with Tyler. As punishment, she gets left on the bench at a big bout. The whole team needs to refocus especially Annie.”
Reviews for Falling Hard
“This book is extremely well written. Annie is an engaging heroine with amazing athletic abilities, and she has one of the best dads in YA fiction I’ve encountered. It’s terrific to see their warm, loving relationship. The descriptions of Annie’s cheerleader and roller derby experiences are both authentically and excitingly written. All in all, this is an excellent example of the girl-power, athletic-competition type of YA book.” Kate McMurry TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
“[The author] does a really good job getting into Annie’s world and showing all the trials and doubts she goes through while trying to find herself. The story flows along at a nice clip and keeps the pages turning as problems and setbacks show up with startling regularity.” Mel Odom TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
“This was a great YA novel with a strong and likable female character.” Rebecca
Of All the Stupid Things
An ALA Rainbow List Book
Below you will find the book description, reviews, additional scenes, and a readers’ guide. Enjoy!
When a rumor starts circulating that Tara’s boyfriend has been with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn’t just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for three lifelong friends.
Tara’s training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment from her father.
Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave her looking for her own value in the wrong places.
And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mama she’s never stopped missing.
Then the new girl arrives in school and Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt for before for a girl. Can the girls’ friendship survive when all the rules have changed?
This book is out of print. Please contact me if you wish to acquire a copy.
[From a 2010 list] Listed as one of 10 Great Books for LGBTQ Teens (published in the last five years).
Reviews If you have a favorable review, please let me know and I’m happy to add it to the site. Thanks!
“Great read!” Carrie’s YA Bookshelf
“Fluid sexuality in YA – I love it.” Daisy Porter, Queer YA
“This first novel nicely captures the way friends assume and challenge their roles in a group while sensitively addressing a range of topics, including same-sex attraction and coming out.” Heather Booth, Booklist
“Alexandra’s debut novel Of All the Stupid Things is enticingly fierce. Her writing is subtle yet powerful. The suspense hooked me from the first page until the end.” La Femme Readers
“All three girls had well developed storylines that intersected nicely at the end.” For What It’s Worth
Additional Scenes
The Day of the Race
Guest Post
My Book, The Movie
Readers’ Guide
Reader Guide Of All the Stupid Things
