Today, we are thrilled to be revealing the cover to Laekan Zea Kemp's newest middle grade novel, Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza!!! Scroll to see the gorgeous cover to this magical adventure novel!

Illustrator: ​Vanesa Morales

Fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, and Disney's Encanto will be captivated by this fantastical novel about a girl who must learn to trust her ancestral powers when she comes face-to-face with the Mexican legend La Lechuza. 

Omega Morales’s family has been practicing magic for centuries in Noche Buena. But over the years, the town's reputation for the supernatural is no longer one the people carry with pride. So Omega’s family keeps to themselves, and in private, they’re Empaths—diviners who can read and manipulate the emotions of people and objects around them. But Omega’s powers don’t quite work, and it leaves her feeling like an outsider in her own family.

When a witch with the power to transform herself into an owl—known in Mexican folklore as La Lechuza—shows up unannounced, Omega, her best friend Clau (who happens to be a ghost), and her cousin Carlitos must conduct a séance under a full moon in order to unravel the mystery of the legend.

Suddenly Omega’s magic begins to change, and the key to understanding her powers is more complicated than she thought. Omega will have to decide what’s more important—trusting the instincts of others or learning to trust in herself.

Add Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza to your Goodreads!
Pre-order Omega Morales and the Legend of La Lechuza today!

From Laekan Zea Kemp, author of Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet and Heartbreak Symphony. 

​Jen Zeano | Cadena Collective | Hija de Tu Madre | Fearless Yaya

From Alexandra Alessandri, author of Isabel and Her Colores Go To School. 

Mi Legasi | JZ Designs | Totte | Altus Didactical

From e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, author of Fat Angie: Homecoming (book 3 in the Fat Angie series).

​Bianca's Design Shop | Coffee Del Mundo | Grl Collective Mug | Dignidad Rebelde

From Alexandra Katona, author of Dinner on Domingos. 

​Loteria | Loisa Apron | Brizo Dressing | Mi Legasi Bilingual T-Shirt

From Alexandra Villasante, author of The Grief Keeper and a short story in the upcoming All Signs Point to Yes.

Sonia Lazo Illustrator | Growing Up Hispanic | The Salty Witch | La Velita

​IF YOUR BABYSITTER IS A BRUJA  is coming soon from Simon for Young Readers, in August 2022!

​Do not judge a bruja by her sombrero, but… feel free to judge this book by its amazing cover!
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This bouncy, bilingual picture book is an enchanting, rollicking read-aloud for small ones with big imaginations: 
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On the night before Halloween, a new babysitter might be more than she appears. If she wears a black sombrero and cackles like a crow, she might just be a bruja! One little girl knows bath time is really the bruja’s way of putting her in a boiling cauldron, and the only way to keep her at bay is with a magic potion—or is it?
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 With boundless imagination and plenty of tricks up her sleeve, the young protagonist may just have the best night ever!

Read more about it at Mr. Schu’s blog and pre-order here!

Starting your holiday shopping? Looking for wonderful organizations and creators to support?  Las Musas has got you covered! 

Get the book-lovers in your life gifts curated by the authors themselves from Latinx/e owned businesses!

And BONUS they've matched them to books available for ordering or pre-ordering (a future surprise!) .

Stay tuned for part 2 & 3.​

From Jonny Garza Villa, author of Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun!

Pica Pica | Hija de Tu Madre | Trejo's Tacos Cookbook | Millennial Loteria 

Las Musas is celebrating the release of Laura Taylor Namey’s brand new young adult novel WHEN WE WERE THEM, which comes out November 2, 2021! 
 
WHEN WE WERE THEM has been described as “[a]n intimate portrait of friendship at the cusp of adulthood” by Kirkus Reviews and a “lovely, lush, and poignant story that begs to be read again and again” by New York Times bestselling novelist Kathleen Glasgow.
 
Today fellow musa Reina Luz Alegre interviews Laura Taylor Namey for the blog about her writing process, but first more about this emotional, beautifully written novel:

A huge Las Musas happy book birthday to Alexandra Katona on the release of her debut picture book, Dinner on Domingos!
 
Alexandra Alessandri interviews Alexandra Katona (tocayas!)—but first, here’s a little bit about this sweet story, which is part of the Children’s Book Council September 2021 "Hot Off the Press Reading List." Kirkus Reviews called it “an ebullient celebration of family and the rituals that bring a family together” and Booklist called it “a warm story of family, food, and fun [that is a] wonderful celebration of culture and family.

We’re so excited to unveil the cover for Anika Fajardo’s sophomore middle-grade novel, MEET ME HALFWAY, which is set to be released in May 2022.

But first, a little about the book... 

When new classmates Mattie Gómez and Mercedes Miller meet and realize they have the same dad, the two reluctantly team up in this Parent Trap–inspired misadventure.

​Determined to meet the father they’ve never known, these polar opposites suddenly have to work together to fake sleepovers, evade their friends, and plot daring escapes from school field trips in an effort to track down him down.

If only they could stop bickering long enough to get the show on the road.
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With echoes of the themes from Anika’s first novel, WHAT IF A FISH, this sharp and poignant middle grade adventure examines the bonds that make a family.
 
And now for the gorgeous cover art designed by the talented EJ Chong, who perfectly captured the personalities of the two unlikely new sisters:

This week, we've got a fantastic interview between Musas Karla Valenti and Donna Barba Higuera, in honor of Donna's latest novel, THE LAST CUENTISTA! Scroll on to learn where she got her inspiration from, her research process, what else she's got in store, and more!

Karla Valenti: To borrow from Betsy Bird's review of the book:  

A delicious mix of dystopian fiction, Mexican folklore, and good old-fashioned high drama, this is the kind of science fiction that has the potential to lure in even those people that don’t usually indulge in futuristic fantastical imaginings.

What was the inspiration for THE LAST CUENTISTA?
 
Donna Barba Higuera​: The idea came from a simple writing prompt. “Take a traditional fairy tale and make it Sci-Fi.”
 
I decided I didn’t want to use those stories that get tons of airtime: Snow White or Cinderella, The Little Mermaid or something that gets tons of airtime. So instead, I chose The Princess and the Pea.
 
Then came the…“So how do I make a story about a girl that couldn’t sleep because there was a pea under her pillow Sci-Fi?” I decided the “pea” would be the “P.E.A” or pellet of extended animation. (I know… I know… cheesy) that would put the character to sleep for her journey through time and space. But of course, the P.E.A. would malfunction, so she’d be awake for the journey that took hundreds of years. When the girl arrived, humans would be very different than when she was supposedly put to sleep hundreds of years before.
 
It was just short story without a lot of detail. But I liked the premise.
 
I explored the idea further. How would I feel if I knew I was leaving Earth for a journey to another planet that took hundreds of years. What would I take with me? What would I value most? And what if, when I arrived at the new planet centuries in the future, humans no longer valued those things?
 
I had the beginnings of my novel.

Las Musas is thrilled to reveal the cover to Yamile Saied Méndez's newest book, Friends Like These... and give readers a sneak peek with a short excerpt! But first, let's get into what this exciting book is all about:

Trouble in Paradise? In this second installment of Horse Country, critically acclaimed author Yamile Saied Méndez welcomes readers back to the ranch.

Carolina's hope of opening up Paradise Ranch to everyone is coming true: the Unbridled Dreams program is ready to welcome its first sponsored student!

Gisella Bassi seems like the perfect fit -- on paper, that is. When she arrives at Paradise Ranch, she's not as excited as everyone expects. She might even be... scared of the horses? But if their first student isn't a success, there's no way the program will continue. Can Caro and her new friend, Chelsie, agree on how to rope Gisella in?

Friends Like These (Horse Country 2) -- Coming from Scholastic on June 28th, 2022
By: Yamile Saied Méndez, Pura Belpré winner author
Illustrator: Winona Nelson
Designer: Stephanie Yang

And now for the cover! Drum roll.....

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