David Bowles is a Mexican American author and translator from South Texas. Among his multiple award-winning titles are They Call Me Güero and The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Amerícas. His most recent books are They Call Her Fregona and Ancient Night. David presently serves as the vice-president of the Texas Institute of Letters.
“You can be my boyfriend.” It only takes five words to change Güero’s life at the end of seventh grade. The summer becomes extra busy as he learns to balance new band practice with his old crew, Los Bobbys, and being Joanna Padilla’s boyfriend. They call her “fregona” because she’s tough, always sticking up for her family and keeping the school bully in check. But Güero sees her softness. Together they cook dollar-store spaghetti and hold hands in the orange grove, learning more about themselves and each other than they could have imagined. But when they start eighth grade, Joanna faces a tragedy that requires Güero to reconsider what it means to show up for someone you love.
Honoring multiple poetic traditions, "They Call Her Fregona" is a bittersweet first-love story in verse and the highly anticipated follow-up to "They Call Me Güero."
David Álvarez is one of the most extraordinary artists working today. His black-and-white illustrations have gained fame in his home country of Mexico and around the world. Here, in "Ancient Night" (Noche Antigua), David displays his immense talent with full-color illustrations for the first time.
"Ancient Night" is a twist on two Nahuatl traditions: the rabbit which the Feathered Serpent placed on the moon, and Yaushu, the Lord Opossum who ruled the earth before humans came, and who stole fire from the gods to create the sun. Award-winning author David Bowles has written a poetic text – and carefully researched backmatter – to accompany David’s lush illustrations and story.
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