Paloma’s Song for Puerto Rico: A Diary from 1898

About the Book:

Created in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Latino, Nuestras Voces shares inspiring Latino stories. In diary format, the Nuestras Voces series profiles inspiring characters and honors the joys, challenges, and outcomes of Latino experiences. This historical fiction middle grade book for readers ages 8-12 is set for release on August 1, 2023.

It is 1898, and twelve-year-old Paloma lives in Puerto Rico with her Papi, Mama, and little brother, Jorge. They are coffee farmers, and Paloma loves the goats, chickens, and fruit trees that she helps to care for. She also loves music—the song of the coqui frogs who sing her to sleep, and the melodies from Papi’s tiple guitar. But Paloma’s world begins to change when United States soldiers invade Puerto Rico, long controlled by Spain. What will happen to their farm, their culture, the island? As Paloma and her family navigate changes they can’t control, they hold tightly to each other and hope for a better future.