NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic is
thrilled to announce a new four-book deal with legendary
entertainer and 15-time Emmy® Award winner Sonia Manzano. Best known for playing Maria
on Sesame Street for 44 years from 1971 until 2015
(for which she received an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award in
2016), Manzano is also the acclaimed children's book author of
Scholastic titles The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, which won a Pura Belpré
Honor Award, and the stunning young adult memoir Becoming Maria:
Love and Chaos in the South
Bronx. In this partnership, Manzano and Scholastic
will launch two new middle-grade novels and two new picture
books.
"As an award-winning author, multiple Emmy Award winner,
activist, and actress, Sonia Manzano
has been an inspiration for both children and adults for decades. I
am delighted that Scholastic will be teaming up with Sonia Manzano again for the publication of four
new and powerful books that are sure to engage and inspire engage
young readers for years to come," noted Ellie Berger, President and EVP of Scholastic
Trade Publishing.
Publishing in spring 2022, this first novel, Coming Up
Cuban, is a remarkable story that's set in 1959 in Cuba right as Fidel
Castro came into power. This extraordinary novel follows
four children – Ana, Miguel, Zulema and Juan – and each of their
wholly unique journeys of struggle and triumph. In this story, two
of the kids make it out of Cuba,
one of them flown out as part of a program called Operation Peter
Pan and brought to Miami. Over
14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors were sent to the USA under this system by frightened parents
who hoped to protect them from the real or rumored Castro policies.
Two are left behind, where poverty and uncertainty lurk. Perfect
for fans of Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Refugee
by Alan Gratz, Coming Up
Cuban imparts resonant and interwoven tales of children
enduring trying moments in history, as they grow through these
emotionally-charged experiences.
"Social upheavals affect everyone. I wanted to write a novel
that examined the impact the 1959 Cuban Revolution had on four
children. Through these four separate life stories, I hope our
readers see how interconnected we all are, regardless of any
tumultuous times we might be living in. Scholastic, with
their everlasting focus on diverse books, are the perfect
publishers," said Manzano.
Manzano's upcoming picture book Riding the Line With Mac and
Millie is based on the author's own childhood experience of
learning to read while riding the subway each day with her older
sister. As they traveled from their Bronx neighborhood to their school, they
discovered the joy and power of reading by decoding the signs on
the subways and billboards outside the windows of their rickety
subway car. Her second picture book, If Miller's Book
Could Talk, is a heartwarming story of a Puerto Rican father
teaching his son to read by dramatizing the voices of the many
characters that emerge from the books they enjoy together. Further
details about Manzano's second middle grade novel in this
publishing program will be announced at a later date.
"We're honored to be Sonia
Manzano's publishing home," added Andrea Pinkney, VP and Executive Editor at
Scholastic. "Sonia's narratives present history and culture in
stories that resonate with readers everywhere. Her upcoming books
underscore our shared mission of presenting meaningful experiences
to children and building a bookshelf of beloved titles that will
stand the test of time."
ABOUT SONIA
MANZANO
Sonia Manzano is a groundbreaking
Latina educator, executive television producer, and award-winning
children's book author. A first-generation mainland Puerto Rican,
she has affected the lives of millions of parents and children
since the early 1970s, when she was offered the opportunity to play
"Maria" on Sesame Street. Manzano has received 15 Emmys for writing
television scripts, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Award, the
Hispanic Heritage Award for Education. Her critically acclaimed
children's books include A World Together, No Dogs
Allowed!, A Box Full Of Kittens, Miracle on 133rd Street,
The Revolution of Evelyn
Serrano, and the memoir Becoming Maria: Love and
Chaos in the South
Bronx. Manzano resides in New York City with her husband Richard Reagan, whom she married in 1986, and
their daughter Gabriela.
ABOUT SCHOLASTIC
For 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been
encouraging the personal and intellectual growth of all children,
beginning with literacy. Having earned a reputation as a trusted
partner to educators and families, Scholastic is the world's
largest publisher and distributor of children's books, a leading
provider of literacy curriculum, professional services, and
classroom magazines, and a producer of educational and entertaining
children's media. The Company creates and distributes bestselling
books and e-books, print and technology-based learning programs for
pre-K to grade 12, and other products and services that support
children's learning and literacy, both in school and at home. With
15 international operations and exports to 165 countries,
Scholastic makes quality, affordable books available to all
children around the world through school-based book clubs and book
fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail,
and online. For more information, visit Scholastic's Media Room at
http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/.
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SOURCE Scholastic