Latino Authors Are Writing For Coco

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). 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 (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University), and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3), Disney/Pixar’s Coco opens in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2017.

Coco: The Junior Novelization

Coco: The Deluxe Junior Novelization

By Angela Cervantes

Illustrated by RH Disney

Coco: The Junior Novelization retells the whole exciting movie and features eight pages of full-color scenes in this paperback novel. 

I Love My Family! A Book of Memories

By Edlin Ortiz

Illustrated by The Disney Storybook Art Team

This full-color hardcover book based on the film is the essential guide to the family tree of Disney/Pixar’s Coco. It’s perfect for readers ages 9 to 12.

Coco Big Golden Book

By Malin Alegria

Illustrated by The Disney Storybook Art Team

This Big Golden Book retells the whole story of Disney/Pixar’s Coco. 

Coco: Miguel and the Grand Harmony

By Matt de la Peña

Illustrated by Ana Ramírez

This jacketed picture book pairs Newbery Winner Matt de la Peña and Pixar artist Ana Ramírez with the highly anticipated Pixar Studios film, Coco. Featuring a beautiful original story based on the characters of the film, as well as vibrant stylized artwork, this title is sure to appeal to readers of all ages.

Miguel and the Amazing Alebrijes

By Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford

Illustrated by The Disney Storybook Art Team

Children ages 3 to 7 will love this full-color storybook with a shiny cover, game cards, and over 50 stickers based on the film.

BORDER TOWN a New Teen Series by Malin Alegria

Border Town #1: Crossing the Line

In Dos Rios, Texas, life is all about borders -- and what happens when you cross the line.

Nothing is simple in a border town like Dos Rios, in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Even for high school students Fabiola Garza and her younger sister Alexis, whose parents run a local Tex-Mex restaurant, Dos Rios is full of borders -- where you should go, who your friends should be, which boy you should date.

Dos Rios is also full of opportunities, but it's a town divided, between the haves and the have-nots, the Whites and the Mexicans-Americans, the Texans and the Mexicans, the legal and illegal. But through it all, the Garza sisters have each other. Water can be crossed, but blood is the ultimate borderline -- no matter what.

Border Town #2: Quince Clash

In Dos Rios, Texas, life is all about borders -- and what happens when you cross the line. A fresh new series in the tradition of Bluford High explores what it's like to grow up on the edge.

A quinceañera for the record books?

If Fabiola Garza had her way, her quinceañera would be as simple and as non-traditional as possible-just two airline tickets to New York City and her best friend in town. Sadly, things hardly ever go Fabi's way.

After mean girl Melodee lays down a quinceañera challenge in front of the entire school, Fabi is forced to upgrade her party plans. Melodee is rich and popular-her quinceañera will be effortlessly epic. Fabi is at a loss as to how to make her party remotely as fun and fabulous as Melodee's is sure to be. Younger sister Alexis steps in with a scheme to get Fabi on the TV show Quince Dreams-but Fabi isn't convinced she won't end up in a quince nightmare instead.

Border Town #3: Falling Too Fast 

In Dos Rios, Texas, things aren't always as they seem.

Alexis Garza has music in her blood. She's certain that one day, she'll be leaving the border town of Dos Rios, Texas behind for a glamorous life of singing stardom. Until then, however, she'll have to content herself with belting her heart out at voice classes, going to high school mariachi band practice, and helping out at the Garza family restaurant.

Alexis's ordinary life takes a turn for the extraordinary when she meets the swoon-worthy lead singer of a rival high school's mariachi band. His singing (and his smile) make Alexis melt. There's one small problem-- this suave singer doesn't seem to know that Alexis exists. She's determined to make herself heard-- no matter what the cost.

Border Town #4: No Second Chances

In Dos Rios, Texas, things aren't always as they seem.

Santiago might be in over his head this time. . .

Santiago's grades are slipping again, but he's determined to prove to his family that he can be successful at something, even if it's not school. When a fancy new taco chain moves in across the street from the Garza family restaurant, Santiago is inspired-- he'll open a food business of his own!

Unfortunately, running a business is not as much fun as Santiago thought it would be. Fabi and Alexis keep interfering, customers aren't easily won over, and even worse, El Payaso is back in Santiago's life-- and just waiting for him to mess up.

La autora/ The author

Malín Alegría is the author of Estrella’s Quinceañera and Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico. She currently lives in San Francisco, CA, where she teaches, writes, and spends as much time as possible playing in the dirt. Visit her online at 

www.malinalegria.com.

Malin Alegria in Action

Malín Alegria was raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. She’s a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and received her MA in Education. She is a teacher, permaculture consultant, Aztec dancer, and performer. She’s preformed and wrote with Teatro Nopal & the WILL Collective. Malin is a member of SCBWI and TNAFA. “Estrella’s Quinceñera” was published by Simon & Schuster in 2006. Her second novel “Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico” was released May 2007. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies “Once Upon a Cuento,” and “15 Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and other Quinceañera Stories”. Malin currently lives in San Jose, California where she teaches,writes, and is hard at work playing in dirt.


Malin Alegria: Rewriting the American Experience in Teen Lit from Turnstyle Video on Vimeo.

Malin Alegria Acting Estrella's Quinceañera: 

Chapter 1

Review: Malin Alegria, Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico

NY: Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers, ,2007. 0689878117


Michael Sedano

Malin Alegria’s second novel deserves a wider audience than the publisher’s Books for Young Readers series might suggest. I think kids are going to love the story of a US teen plucked out of her life and deposited in the heart of a Baja California colonia. I know one grandfather who enjoyed it, too. Who wouldn’t? Alegria puts together an arresting tale mixing callow youth and cultural isolation with a rich helping of irony.

Take a spoiled high school senior girl who’s out for a wild time, have her lie her way to a wild weekend on the beach in Rosarito, BC Mexico, her eye on Mr. Hot. Make the girl the assimilated daughter of protective Mexican parents to gauge the enormous gap between Sofi’s innocent expectations of sex and her first experience with a groping boy.
It may be a subtle pro-abstinence message when Sofi learns a hard lesson about sex but holds on to her stunned virginity. Reeling from confusion after Nick whispers in her ear that he’d told his pals “I’d tap dat hot Latin ass by Monday”, Sofi wants only to go home. Then her real trouble begins.

Sofi can’t cross the border. The border guard runs her papers, calls Sofi “illegal” and denies her entry to the United States.

Other than lying to her parents about the weekend journey, Sofi’s greatest problem was her parental decision she would live at home for her freshman year at UCLA. Now the child who can’t roll her “r’s” in Spanish II, finds herself alone in Tijuana.

The journey to her aunt and uncle’s house adds to her nightmares. Eventually, Sofi lands among family. Another nightmare.

Then Mexico gets into Sofi’s mind. Maybe that’s a stereotypic way to explain the warmth that grows in Sofi’s perspectives on her life. Or maybe it’s sex. In addition to growing to love her family and the Mexicans she comes into contact with, Sofi finds Andres. Absent the febrile fantasies Sofi had held of ass tapping Nick, Sofi learns to take Andres at face value and discovers love in a good, clean way.

Except Andres is way too old for the high school kid, but that’s the grandfather in me speaking. Put aside that ageist prejudice and enjoy the story.

Alegria says she’s based the novel on the true story of two Santa Paula women who, like Sofi in the novel, “voluntarily deported” themselves through ignorance of immigration law or, in Sofi’s case, her parents’ concealment of her status. Ultimately, the title is ironic; Sofi finds herself in Mexico, or maybe she loses her old self. Sounds like the outline of a third novel, que no, Sofi hits UCLA toda nationalist, and speaking Spanish like a Rosarito native . . . .


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Late arriving information from Manuel Paul Lopez:


Event: Small Press Fair at The Church in Ocean Park

Date: May 28, Memorial Day

Time: 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Description: RATTLE (http://www.rattle.com) will join a dozen other local presses in presenting a day of literature. We'll have a table with flyers, postcards, and copies of the new summer issue. Stop by at any time in the day to meet the editors. At 5 p.m. we'll be hosting a short reading of RATTLE contributors. The lineup so far (plus possible surprise guests):

Michelle Bitting
Dale Griffiths Stamos
Gabrielle Mittelbach
Michelle Margolis
Manuel Paul Lopez
Peggy Aylsworth

Details from the organizer: The Church In Ocean Park Second Annual Small Press Festival & Convention, a day of readings, talks, seminars, displays and sales; last year's participants included Cahuenga Press, Sybaritic Press, Solo Press, and Lummox Press, along with many other local and regional small presses, several of whom are already committed to this year's bash; following the keynote opening address, each publisher is encouraged to give a short talk, introductory to their reading segment, on their history, philosophy, and vision. The Church In Ocean Park, corner of Hill Street and 2nd Street, Santa Monica, donation, wheelchair accessible, refreshments, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 (contact: Fred Whitlock, 310/828-3951, fredheart@juno.com; small parking lot on the north side of the street between 2nd & 3rd Streets; parking in the beach lots, quarter-block west of Main Street, $1.00/hour to ten hours, free parking from 4th Street east)

Contact: Fred Whitlock
Phone: 310-828-3951
Location: The Church in Ocean Park
Address: 235 Hill Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405