Mónica Brown (born October 24, 1969) is a Peruvian-American academic and author of children’s literature. Known for her Lola Levine and Sarai chapter book series, as well as numerous biographies covering such Latin American luminaries as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Dolores Huerta, and Cesar Chavez, she writes relatable characters that highlight the nuance and diversity of the Latinx experience and girl empowerment.
Her motivation is to show that bicultural children are not made up of cultural fractions but whole people with a rich and vibrant cultural heritage, such as her character the bicultural red-headed Peruvian-Scottish-American Marisol McDonald. Brown is also an English professor at Northern Arizona University.
Books in order of publication:
My Name Is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: la vida de Celia Cruz – 2004
My Name Is Gabriela: The Life of Gabriela Mistral/Me llamo Gabriela: la vida de Gabriela Mistral – 2005
Butterflies on Carmen Street – 2007
My Name Is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez/Me llamo Gabito: la vida de Gabriel García Márquez – 2007
Pelé King of Soccer/El rey del fútbol – 2008
Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/Lado a Lado: La Historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez – 2010
Chavela and the Magic Bubble – 2010
Pablo Neruda, Poet of the People – 2011
Clara and the Curandera/Clara y la curandera – 2011
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina – 2011
Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo – 2013
Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash/la fiesta sin igual – 2013
Maya’s Blanket/La Manta de Maya – 2015
Lola Levine Is Not Mean! – 2015
Waiting for the Biblioburro/Esperando el Biblioburro: (Spanish-English bilingual edition) – 2016
Marisol McDonald and the Monster: Marisol McDonald y El Monstruo – 2016
Lola Levine Meets Jelly and Bean – 2017
Lola Levine and the Vacation Dream – 2017
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos – 2017
Lola Levine and the Halloween Scream – 2017
Sarai and the Meaning of Awesome – 2018
Sarai in the Spotlight – 2018
Sarai Saves the Music – 2018
Sarai and the Around the World Fair – 2018
Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello – 2020
Small Room, Big Dreams: The Journey of Julián and Joaquin Castro – 2021
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