Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Emma Otheguy!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Emma Otheguy
Emma Otheguy is the author of several books for young readers, including the picture books A Sled for Gabo and Martina Has Too Many Tías, the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, and the middle grade novels Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Cousins in the Time of Magic, Silver Meadows Summer, and, with Adam Gidwitz, The Madre de Aguas of Cuba, part of the Unicorn Rescue Society series. Visit her at EmmaOtheguy.com.
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About the Book: Adventure in the City of Stories
When stolen artifacts magically appear in their aunt’s closet, cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy travel back in time to 1930 New York City to clear her name before history is irreparably altered in this companion to the “spellbinding” (School Library Journal, starred review) Cousins in the Time of Magic.
Cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy never imagined that dusty old puppets and a mysterious book would launch them into a time-traveling adventure. But when they discover their aunt has treasures belonging to Pura Belpré, the trailblazing Latina librarian and storyteller, they’re transported back to 1930s New York City. Their mission? Race against time to return Pura’s puppets and a signed first edition of her book, proving their aunt isn’t a thief.
The past is full of danger, though. A powerful woman will stop at nothing to steal the book, the cousins’ nosy neighbor is snooping around, and the hardship of the Great Depression is all around them. Luckily Jorge, Camila, and Siggy meet Antonia, a fierce Puerto Rican girl fighting injustice against her community.
The cousins will need courage, quick thinking, and a little help from history to protect Pura Belpré’s legacy, clear their aunt’s name, and make it back home. Can they pull it off before time runs out?
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write Adventure in the City of Stories?
New York City is my home, and one of the things I love most about living here is how it can feel like a big metropolis and a small town all at once: people come from all over the world but somehow everyone seems to know one other. So it was with influential people in the literary world of the 1930s. Puerto Rican children’s librarian Pura Belpré organized a reading for Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, Arturo Schomburg encouraged Pura Belpré to publish her stories, and Anne Carroll Moore, the director of the New York Public Library’s first Children’s Division, hired and worked with Pura Belpré for many decades. It was the Great Depression, but it was also when the subway and the skyline, the magic above and below New York City, were built. And of great personal and professional significance to me, this is when children’s literature emerged as a modern form with dedicated publishing imprints and children’s divisions in libraries. The vision and convergence of these literary luminaries and these historical events can teach us about creativity, the freedom to read, and the power of literature–and truly, there is no better setting for an adventure than my city of stories!
YABC: What scene(s) in Adventure in the City of Stories are you most proud of, and why?
The book’s final climax takes place at one of Pura Belpré’s now-famous library events. Drawing on historical records, I imagined how Belpré and her young library patrons would have received the poet Gabriela Mistral, who really did visit the 115th Street branch of the New York Public Library. My scene features kids acting out the Caribbean folktale “Perez y Martina” and the storyteller’s candle. There are now several non-fiction biographies of Pura Belpré, so I had a lot of material to work with when portraying her in fiction.
YABC: What research did you do to write Adventure in the City of Stories?
I read many biographies, period guidebooks, and memoirs by people who lived in the city back then, especially Puerto Ricans. I also visited the New York Public Library’s Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, where I read Anne Carroll Moore’s papers, and consulted historical maps in the Maps Division. The book includes a three-page bibliography with many worthwhile sources for adults who want to learn more, as well as suggested reading for children.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I visit many schools each year for author events where I have the chance to talk to kids directly about books. I answer their questions, find out their favorite reads, and see what their school is really like on the inside. I’m so grateful to all the schools that have welcomed me into their communities, because it keeps my understanding of the needs of middle-grade readers current!
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
There were many books I read and loved in the process of researching Adventure in the City of Stories, but if I had to highlight just one I would point to Marilisa Jiménez García’s book Side by Side: US Empire, Puerto Rico, and the Roots of American Youth Literature and Culture, which is an important read for anyone who is interested in Latinos in children’s books.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from Adventure in the City of Stories?
It is in the interest of powerful people to suppress storytelling, because stories are how we highlight injustice, advocate for change, and express our worth. The fear that storytelling inspires in oppressors is precisely why we can’t stop writing, reading, and collecting our stories. In Adventure in the City of Stories my protagonists make the connection between book censorship in 2026 and the attempts to silence Puerto Rican workers in the 1930s. I hope kids will see from the example of Latinos using literature and storytelling to advance their causes that reading and writing matter, now more than ever.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
Reading holiday books, of course! I have a treasured collection of books that I rotate through my family’s face-out shelf throughout the year. For those who celebrate Christmas, we love A Child Is Born by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. I had the honor of meeting Floyd Cooper at the Highlights Foundation before he died, and I think the pairing of his illustrations with Brown’s poetry was a stroke of genius.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I have been enjoying sharing galleys of Adventure in the City of Stories with librarian and educator friends, but I can’t wait to hear kids’ reactions when the book is published. This book is full of quick escapes and sneaky kid plans that were a blast to write–and I hope equally fun to read.
Title: Adventure in the City of Stories
Author: Emma Otheguy
ISBN-13: 9781665915212
ISBN-10: 1665915218
On-sale date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Ages: 8-12
Grades: 3-7
~ Giveaway Details ~
Use the Rafflepress Form below to enter
*Be sure to include a complete mailing address for the second entry question to qualify to win*
Three (3) winner will receive a hardcover copy of Adventure in the City of Stories (Emma Otheguy) ~US Only (No P.O. Boxes)!
What a great concept!
I appreciate the book recommendation for Side by Side: US Empire, Puerto Rico, and the Roots of American Youth Literature and Culture. Thanks for sharing!