Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally collects the stories of the struggles for identity of women straddling two cultures—both American-born women of foreign-born parents and women who came to the United States as children. Edited by Angela Jane Fountas, the 22 first-person essays represent a wide range of cultures and countries, including Mexico, Japan, Nicaragua, and Russia.
 

Julia Alvarez’s new novel, Saving the World, follows in the footsteps of her previous books, loved by readers and critics alike, such as In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Here, Alvarez gives us Alma, a successful Latina writer living in the United States, who in writing her next novel discovers a 19th-century Spanish heroine who changes the story Alma wants to tell.

Willie and Lobo, the dynamic gypsy flamenco duo of violinist Willie Royal and guitarist Wolfgang “Lobo” Fink, present their 10th album, Zambra. The album blends musical traditions from the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Mexico, in their fifth collaboration with producer and guest trumpeter Rick Braun.

In Estrella’s Quinceañera, young Estrella Alvarez plans her 15th birthday, trying to reconcile her new prep-school life with her Latina heritage and its tradition of fluffy pink dresses. Along the way, she fights with her family, spends time with her friends, and falls in love. Malín Alegría’s first novel, for young adults, is a celebration of Latin culture as well as of young women everywhere.

In Little Mamá Forgets, a young girl spends time with her grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Written by Robin Cruise in English and peppered with Spanish words, and illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen, the book watches little Lucy and her grandmother as they encounter the loss of abuelita’s memory but the reaffirmation of their love for each other.

Dreamworks’ Over the Hedge, set to hit theaters May 19, tells the story of a group of woodland creatures who wake up from their winter hibernation to new neighbors: humans. With the voice talents of Bruce Willis, Steve Carrell, Garry Shandling, and Avril Lavigne and based on the popular comic strip, Over the Hedge is a treat for the whole family!