Flora la Fresca

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

From an NYT bestselling author comes the first in an illustrated middle grade series about a Panamanian American girl who uses humor and a little mischief to navigate her best friend moving away and her sister’s overbearing and all-consuming quince preparations.

Given the choice of a friend who's honest, loyal, or the Most Fun Ever, larger-than-life Flora Violeta LeFevre and her steadfast sidekick Clara Bayano would obviously pick option three. So when the sad news breaks that Clara's moving, the girls roll up their sleeves and get to business: finding Flora an exciting new BFF to continue the adventures in Clara's stead. In between Flora's sister Maylin's neverending dress try-ons and dance practices for her upcoming quinceañera, Flora and Clara come up with a list of all the important traits that Flora's next buddy has to have, like being able to code, speaking (or at least trying to learn) another language, and making jaws drop at the skate park. But when newcomer Zaidee Khal surpasses Flora's expectations in surprising ways, Flora realizes that replacing one friend with another isn't quite as simple as it seems. . . . Especially as Clara starts making new friends of her own and preparations for Maylin's quince take a disastrous (but hilarious) turn.

About the Author

Veronica Chambers is the editor for Narrative Projects at The New York Times. She is a prolific author, best known for the New York Times bestseller Finish the Fight!, as well as the critically acclaimed memoir Mama's Girl and picture book biographies Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb and Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa. Born in Panama and raised in Brooklyn, she writes often about her Afro-Latina heritage. She speaks, reads, and writes Spanish, but she is truly fluent in Spanglish.

Author Residence: Hoboken, NJ

Author Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Sujean Rim is the author and illustrator of the beloved Birdie series, Zoogie Boogie Fever!, Chee-Kee: A Panda in Bearland, and more. She has worked as an illustrator for clients including Tiffany & Co., Target, and the website DailyCandy. Sujean lives in New York with her favorite artist and husband Bob, and their son, Charlie.

Illustrator Residence:New York, NY

Illustrator Hometown:Brooklyn, NY