Reviews & Accolades for my Books

when we ride

** In Stores: MARCH 25, 2025 **

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly


Doña quixote: Flight of the Witch

-  2024 ALA GNCRT’s Best Graphic Novels for Children

- 2025 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List


Pizza face

-  *Starred review - BookPage

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Target Book Club

-  Debut on the Indie Bestsellers List

- 2024 ALA GNCRT’s Best Graphic Novels for Children  

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection (for Cara de Pizza, the Scholastic en Español edition)

-  Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of 2024

- 2025 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List


Road Home

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  An Amazon Best Book of the Year

-  A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of the Year

-  A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

- A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

- CALIBA Golden Poppy 2024 Finalist *fingers crossed*

-  2024 CYBILS Literary Award for High School Nonfiction Finalist *fingers crossed*

-  Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book

-  Stonewall Book Award Honor


Doña quixote: Rise of the Knight

-  2023 Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (BCCB) Blue Ribbons List

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List 

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List

- 2025-2026 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List


Northranger

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  2023 Harvey Awards’ Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List  *Starred Selection

-  2024 ALA Rainbow Round Table, Rainbow Book List, Top 10 Titles for Teen Readers

-  35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Nominee

- 2024 Whippoorwill Award Honor Book for Rural YA


Four Eyes

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Amazon’s Best Books of 2023 So Far - Top 20 Kids List

-  Amazon’s Best Books of 2023 So Far - Ages 9-12 List

-  2023 Booklist Editor's’ Choice List

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List 

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List  *Starred Selection

-  2024 ALA GNCRT’s Best Graphic Novels for Children  

-  Winner of the Pop Culture Classroom 2024 Best in Middle Grade Non-Fiction Graphic Literature

- 2025 Rhode Island Latino Books Award Nominee, Grades 3-5


Abuela, Don’t Forget Me

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  School Library Journal, Best Book of the Year

-  A Finalist for the 2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award

-  Winner of the MPIBA Reading the West Book Award for Young Adult Lit  

-  Winner of the CLCSC Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry  

-  National Education Association’s Read Across America Recommendation April 2024


Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  ALA / ALSC Graphic Novel Reading List, Grades 6-8

-  2023 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel list


Punching Bag

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

- A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List

-  2021 CYBILS Literary Award WINNER


FREE LUNCH

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Kirkus, Best Books of 2019

-  Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019

-  Amazon’s Best 20 Children’s Books of 2019

-  Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of 2019, ages 9-12

-  Chicago Public Library, Best of the Best Books 2019

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Winner of the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award 

-  Spirit of Texas (SPOT) Reading List 2020

-  Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Nominee 2020-2021


Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy

-  Debut on the Indie Bestsellers List

-  2019 CYBILS Literary Award Finalist

-  2020 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List 

-  2020 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List *Starred Selection

-  2020 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens List 

-  My first BANNED book! (Huzzah! I feel so cool now. LOL.) 


The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13

-  2018 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee