Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Mónica Mancillas!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Mónica Mancillas
Mónica Mancillas based her debut middle-grade novel on her own childhood experiences and those of her beloved sister, who shares her love of music and will someday take the world by storm. Mónica received her BA in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley before pursuing a decade-long career in the recording industry. She currently teaches piano in Burbank, California, where she resides with her husband and daughter. Her previous work includes Mariana and Her Familia, The Worry Balloon, and How to Speak in Spanglish. Find out more about Mónica at www.monicamancillas.com.
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About the Book: Sing It Like Celia
Perfect for fans of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise and Merci Suárez Changes Gears, Sing It Like Celia is a revelatory story about a Mexican American girl who finds her voice and herself with the help of her role model and icon, Celia Cruz.
Twelve-year-old Salva Sanchez has always been a fan of Celia Cruz, also known as “the queen of salsa.” Her love of Celia stems from her mother, who leaves Salva without explanation one awful day. Now Salva is stuck with her investigative journalist father in an RV campground. In the middle of nowhere.
As Salva acclimates to her new environment and desperately tries to figure out why her mother left, she befriends a posse of campground kids who have started a band. When the kids discover that Salva has an amazing singing voice, they convince her to join their group. Soon, Salva learns how to find her voice—and herself—with the help of her newfound friends, her dad, and the one and only Celia Cruz.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
Though completely fictionalized, Sing it Like Celia was largely inspired by the real life experience of my younger sister, whose mother disappeared suddenly under very similar circumstances as Salvadora’s mother in the book. Having watched my sister have to balance the everyday struggles of growing up with the loss of her mother under such exceptional circumstances, I found myself compelled to write something for her and children like her dealing with similar challenges. I pulled not only from her life, but my own experience as a child of divorce who was drawn to music as a way of coping. Singing, playing the piano, and dancing were a place of solace, joy, and community during a time fraught with emotional ups and downs, so I couldn’t help but explore the part that music can play in helping a child to express themselves and gain a sense of place and self-confidence.
YABC: Who is your favorite character in the book?
I love all of the characters in the book so much (with the exception of one or two – if you know, you know), but Salva is definitely my favorite. She is so vulnerable and, at the same time, so full of strength. I see the best parts of myself in her. But also, it was liberating to be able to write a character who was lovable in spite of being sometimes flawed in her response to things – something I didn’t allow of myself when I was a kid.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I love the opening scene in the book. I think I succeeded at capturing the emotional tension of this very raw moment in Salva’s life in a way that makes your heart break a little for her. But I also love the scenes where Salva finally confronts both Mami and Papi about the mistakes they’ve made and the impact they’ve had on her. This is something I think most kids like Salva don’t get the opportunity to do until adulthood, if they’re lucky, and I hope that it’s an empowering moment for younger readers.
YABC: What came first, the concept, landscape, characters, or something else?
The very first seed of this book came from a conversation I had with my editor who said something to the effect of, “So, I was looking at your bio and I noticed that you’re a salsa dancer. That could be a cool concept for a middle grade book.” I sat with that suggestion for a minute and then thought about what I most wanted to explore with readers at that moment. I scribbled down some ideas, which I molded into a synopsis, and titled the idea “Summers With Celia”, which morphed into “Sing it Like Celia” when I wrote the first draft.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Oh, man. This is a tough one. At the moment, I’m working on a middle grade romcom, a middle grade dystopian, and a middle grade non-fiction, so I’m a bit all over the place – largely because I love the challenge that comes with writing something I’ve never tried before. But I think if I had to choose one genre, I would probably opt for dystopian and science fiction/fantasy. Weird, right?
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
The first thing is to read lots and lots of books written for that age group to see how others are doing it and doing it well. It also helps that I have an eleven-year-old daughter who keeps me up to date with the latest slang and trends (“OMG slay”, hair toss). I watch TV shows that appeal to the age group. And when all else fails, I try to reach back to my own childhood memories and remember how I felt about things and expressed myself once upon a time.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
As I mentioned, I write for multiple age groups and in a variety of genres, but I think what you can find in all of my books are complex characters dealing with challenging experiences and taking strength from those experiences while changing the world in some small way.
YABC: If you were able to meet them, would you be friends with your main character?
Oh, yeah! I would definitely be friends with all of my MCs. They’re awesome! They’re all talented, smart, loving, loyal, flawed, charismatic leaders. What’s not to like?
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m currently finishing edits on a dual POV “enemies to more-than-friends” romcom called Taco Tuesdays for Scholastic. The story follows twelve-year-old Cali girl Dulce Díaz as she tries to contend with the flailing legacy of her family-owned restaurant, and twelve-year-old Brooklyn skater boy Julian DeMarco as he grapples with his foody parents’ recent separation. The two crash into each other one fateful day and slowly go from enemies to friends to. . .maybe soulmates? The book is scheduled for release in Summer of 2025. Shortly after that, my non-fiction title, Leyendas/Legends: Sixty Extraordinary Leaders, Icons, Innovators, Scientists, Athletes, Artists, Change-Makers, and Trailblazers releases through Chronicle Books.
Title: SING IT LIKE CELIA
Author: Mónica Mancillas
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
ISBN-10: 0593659309
ISBN-13: 9780593659304
Genre: Middle Grade
Age Range: 9-12
*Giveaway Details*
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Sing It Like Celia (Mónica Mancillas) ~ US Only!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway!*
My MS students would love this book.
An adorable book!
It seems like a sweet and inspiring story!
The cover is beautiful and this sounds like an emotional read.