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By Cecilia Cackley
The Storm Runner, which releases tomorrow, is the first book inspired by Latinx culture under the new Disney imprint Rick Riordan Presents. As in Rick Riordan's many other series, it features a pre-teen who gets pulled into adventures with various gods and mythological creatures. I was able to talk to J.C. Cervantes about her process writing the book and what it's like to be part of the Rick Riordan Presents team.
Q: How did you get connected with Rick Riordan and his imprint?
A: My agent sent me a well-timed email as soon as Disney sent out the Rick Riordan Presents announcement. I happened to have a story in mind that had been lingering in the vault. I nearly squealed with excitement. So, I polished the first three chapters and synopsis and after my agent submitted, we got a call the next day! What was it like working with him? Intimidating. Surreal. Amazing. Terrifying. Thrilling. Humbling. All of the above?
Q: The Storm Runner is an adventure novel, whereas your debut Tortilla Sun is a family story set in a close-knit village. Was your writing process for each book different in terms of plotting and character development?
A: It was totally different. When I wrote Tortilla Sun, I had never written a book before so there was sort of an innocent navigating my way through the thorny dark with no idea where I was going vibe. But I had more experience by the time I wrote The Storm Runner and had already forced (yes, forced) myself to learn how to outline and plot in ways that I had been SO resistant to before.
Q: What was your research like for this book, not just the Maya aspects to the story, but also for your protagonist with a physical disability?
A: I relied on stories my grandmother told me to get me started and then hit the books (eight plus) to really challenge what I thought I knew. Interestingly, there were discrepancies even between texts. Additionally, I worked with two Mayanists, specifically on language aspects and pronunciation. I also watched several documentaries. One of the great challenges with learning more about the Maya and their pantheon is that most of their ancient written records were destroyed by the Spanish.

In terms of writing a child with a disability, it was important to me that his disability not define him, that I be mindful of the visibility and invisibility of his experiences and his feeling that he didn't belong. So, I drew on personal experience with people/children I know with disabilities, but I also worked closely with a special education scholar who has dedicated her life to teaching and working with kids with disabilities. She read the manuscript as well to ensure I remained mindful and aware of my character and his experience in an authentic way.
Q: For kids who read this book and immediately want to learn more about Maya culture and cosmo-vision, what books or resources would you point them towards?
There are so many amazing books out there but depending on age range I would recommend the Popol Vuh, The Pocket Dictionary of Aztec and Mayan Gods and Goddesses, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aztec and Maya, the Lost History of the Aztec and Maya, and for fun, a picture book titled: You Wouldn't Want to be a Mayan Soothsayer. There are also some really wonderful videos on YouTube like The Underworld of the Mayan Gods produced by the History channel. Warning: it's pretty creepy!
Q: Middle grade has for a long time been the age category with the least Latinx representation. That feels like it's starting to change, with high-profile debuts from people like Celia Perez and Pablo Cartaya and now your addition to an imprint from a middle grade superstar. What advice do you have for other Latinx writers who want to write for middle grade readers?
A: Begin with what you know, what you grew up with. Tap into the magic that is so prevalent in our cultures and let that carry you through the story. Don't let anyone tell you that your experience doesn't matter or isn't ______ enough (fill in the blank) or doesn't align with the "norm." Read loads of books, especially diverse titles, mentor, and support diverse writers. Be authentic. And above all honor the kids you write for. They are smart and funny and so eager to see themselves and their lives reflected in the pages of books.

ABOUT THE AUTHORAbout the author: Jen Cervantes is an award-winning children's author. In addition to other honors, she was named a New Voices Pick by the American Booksellers Association for her debut novel, Tortilla Sun. The Storm Runner's sequel, entitled The Fire Keeper, is slated for release in 2019. Keep up with Jen's books and appearances at her official site.

Jen is also a member of Las Musas, the first collective of women and non binary Latinx MG and YA authors to come together in an effort to support and amplify each other's debut or sophomore novels in US children's literature. You can learn more about them by here.

ABOUT THE INTERVIEWER: Cecilia Cackley is a performing artist and children's bookseller based in Washington DC, where she creates puppet theater for adults and teaches playwriting and creative drama to children. Her bilingual plays have been produced by GALA Hispanic Theatre and her interests in bilingual education, literacy and immigrant advocacy all tend to find their way into her theatrical work. Learn more at http://www.witsendpuppets.com.

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An Interview with J.C. Cervantes, Author of The Storm Runner

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By Cecilia Cackley The Storm Runner, which releases tomorrow, is the first book inspired by Latinx culture under the new Disney imprint Rick Riordan Presents. As in Rick Riordan's many other series, it features a pre-teen who gets pulled into adventures with various gods and mythological creatures.

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UVW: Narnia, Lightning Thief, Gregor the Overlander

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UVW: Narnia, Lightning Thief, Gregor the Overlander

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Some characters are not what they seem.

Characters' change so their traits are less stable.

Solving one problem sometimes causes others.

The minor characters and what they want can become very significant to what happens.

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Rick Riordan | Welcome to the Online World of Rick Riordan

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What is the 'Rick Riordan Presents' Imprint?
Rick Riordan Presents is one small branch of the Disney-Hyperion Publishing family. We aim to publish about four books a year. All these will be books that my editor Stephanie Lurie and I feel will appeal to kids who like my books. In other words, they will probably be some type of middle grade adventure, with lots of humor and action, and probably draw on myth or folklore in some way.

Our goal is to publish great middle grade authors from underrepresented cultures and backgrounds, to let them tell their own stories inspired by the mythology and folklore of their own heritage. Over the years, I've gotten many questions from my fans about whether I might write about various world mythologies, but in most cases I knew I wasn't the best person to write those books. Much better, I thought, to use my experience and my platform at Disney to put the spotlight on other great writers who are actually from those cultures and know the mythologies* better than I do. Let them tell their own stories, and I would do whatever I could to help those books find a wide audience!

(*And when I use the term myth, I use it in its first and most basic sense: a traditional story about gods and heroes, not in its later, more secondary connotation as something false or made up.)
Are the Rick Riordan Presents connected to Percy Jackson's world?
No! My job is to help edit the books where it seems appropriate, to offer advice and guidance where I can, and to promote the great books we publish. I am not writing the books and I don't tell the authors what to write. This is not like using a ghost writer or 'assistant writer' to write my ideas. These are original stories generated by the authors - their intellectual property, told their way, with their characters and their sense of humor. The worlds they create are their own. They are not extensions of Percy Jackson's world, but I can safely say that if you like my books, you will probably love these.
*Suspicious Sideways Glance* So what's in it for you?
Disney is paying me a nominal fee to write an introduction for each book, help edit and promote it, etc., but that's the limit of my monetary involvement. The authors own their own intellectual property and negotiate contracts with Disney as they would with any publishing deal. I am not doing this for money.

For me this is a way to give back for my success. I've been very lucky in my career. I want to use my platform to help other writers get a wider audience. I also want to help kids have a wider variety of great books to choose from, especially those that deal with world mythology, and for all kinds of young readers to see themselves reflected in the books that they read.

Aru Shah And The End Of Time

By Roshani Chokshi

Best-selling author Rick Riordan introduces this adventure by Roshani Chokshi about twelve-year-old Aru Shah, who has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school.

A New York Times bestseller!

Chokshi weaves an engrossing adventure that will leave readers anticipating the next installment.

- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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The Storm Runner

By J. C. Cervantes

A lonely boy in New Mexico has a physical disability that makes middle school feel even more like everyone is watching him. But as he soon learns, his physical differences are merely the first clue to a family history that connects him to the Maya gods-and puts him in mortal danger.

A New York Times bestseller!

Cervantes wastes no time getting right into the action, and her conversational tone and suspenseful pacing will keep the pages turning as the tension escalates and the characters face deepening stakes. Don't miss this rip-roaring adventure.

- Booklist (starred review)

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Dragon Pearl

By Yoon Ha Lee

A sci-fi adventure novel about Min, a teenage fox spirit, who runs away to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother and ends up on an adventure that could save her entire planet.

A New York Times bestseller!

Lee skillfully weaves Korean folklore into this space opera narrative, creating dynamic and relatable characters. VERDICT With ghosts, pirates, and a rollicking space adventure, there's a little something for everyone here.

- School Library Journal (starred review)

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Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

By Carlos Hernandez

A brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence that poses this question: What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)?

Pub date: March 2019, paperback with new cover art May 2020

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award!

Jacket art by Guilherme Asthma (Instagram: guilherme_asthma)

Designed by Phil Buchanan (Twitter @fillbuchanan)

This engrossing adventure is sure to leave readers excitedly anticipating the next installment.

- ALA Booklist (starred review)

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Aru Shah and the Song of Death

By Roshani Chokshi

The second book in the best-selling Pandava series. Just when she's learning how to be a Pandava, Aru is accused of stealing the god of love's bow and arrow. In order to prove her innocence, she must navigate the serpent realm with Mini and two new companions, one of whom is a BOY!

A New York Times bestseller!

Pub date: April 30, 2019

Chokshi seamlessly weaves Indian cosmology and pop culture into a refreshingly feminist plot laced with witty dialogue. This will leave fans enthralled and clamoring for more.

- Kirkus (starred review)

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The Fire Keeper

By J.C. Cervantes

In this fiery and fast-paced sequel to The Storm Runner, Zane Obispo has an impossible choice to make: save other godborns like him from the angry gods, or rescue his father Hurakan from his eternal prison. Featuring gods from both Maya and Aztec myth!

Pub date Sept. 3, 2019.

A New York Times bestseller!

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Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

By Kwame Mbalia

Pitched as an MG American Gods, the book stars a seventh-grade boy who accidentally creates a hole into the Midpass, a world where ancient African gods clash with gods of African-American legend. He must race to find Anansi, the Weaver, and repair the rip before the iron monsters wreaking havoc in the Midpass consume their world and ours.

Pub date: October 15, 2019

A New York Times bestseller!

"It brims with heart, humor, and action, successfully crafting a beautifully unified secondary world that brings the power of stories to glorious life."

- Booklist (starred review)

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Race to the Sun

By Rebecca Roanhorse

New Mexico seventh grader Nizhoni Begay and her brother, aided by various Navajo gods disguised as relatives, must stay one step ahead of a shape-shifting monster as they follow in the footsteps of the legendary Hero Twins to save their family.

Pub date: January 14, 2020

A New York Times bestseller!

"By reimagining a traditional story in a contemporary context, populating it with faceted Native characters, and centering it on and around the Navajo Nation, Roanhorse shows that Native stories are active and alive."

- Kirkus (starred review)

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Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

By Roshani Chokshi

The third book in the Hindu-based, best-selling Pandava series by Roshani Chokshi, in which Aru and her cohorts, Mini, Brynne, and Aiden-and now a pair of twins-each search the Otherworld for Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree.

War between the devas and the demons is imminent, and the Otherworld is on high alert. When intelligence from the human world reveals that the Sleeper is holding a powerful clairvoyant and her sister captive, 14-year-old Aru and her friends launch a search-and-rescue mission. The captives, a pair of twins, turn out to be the newest Pandava sisters, though, according to a prophecy, one sister is not true.

During the celebration of Holi, the heavenly attendants stage a massage PR rebranding campaign to convince everyone that the Pandavas are to be trusted. As much as Aru relishes the attention, she fears that she is destined to bring destruction to her sisters, as the Sleeper has predicted. Aru believes that the only way to prove her reputation is to find the Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree that came out of the Ocean of Milk when it was churned. If she can reach it before the Sleeper, perhaps she can turn everything around with one wish.

Careful what you wish for, Aru . . .

Pub date: April 7, 2020

Artwork by Abigail L. Dela Cruz

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Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

By Tehlor Kay Mejia

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It's all they've heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother's humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it's the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

Artist: Vanessa Morales

Pub date: August 4, 2020

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Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe

By Carlos Hernandez

In the sequel to the Pura Belpré-winning SAL AND GABI BREAK THE UNIVERSE, Sal has to prevent a rogue Gabi from another universe from destroying his own.

Jacket art by Guilherme Asthma (Instagram: guilherme_asthma)

Designed by Phil Buchanan (Twitter @fillbuchanan)

Publication date: May 5, 2020

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City of the Plague God

By Sarwat Chadda

Inspired by Mesopotamian mythology, the story follows Sikander Aziz, a Muslim boy born and raised in New York City, as he teams up with legendary hero Gilgamesh to defeat the ancient god of plagues before the entire population of Manhattan is wiped out.

Jacket art by Kerem Beyit (Twitter: @KBeyit)

Designed by Jamie Alloy (Twitter: @JamieAlloy)

January 2021

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The Last Fallen Star

By Graci Kim

Twelve-year-old Riley Oh desperately wants to have healing powers like everyone else in her Korean witch family. With the help of her sister, Riley attempts to summon Mago Halmi -- the mother of all goddesses -- but instead her sister is banished to the spirit realm and Riley is given an ultimatum. If she wants to get her magic and save her sister's life, she must find the godrealm's last fallen star.

May 4, 2021

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Tristan Strong Destroys the World

By Kwame Mbalia

When Tristan's Nana is abducted, he has to return to Alke, the land of folktale heroes and gods, where, instead of getting a hero's welcome, he gets KO'd.

Jacket art by Eric Wilkerson (Instagram: ericwilkersonart)

Designed by Tyler Nevins (Twitter: @TylerNev)

Publication date: Oct. 6, 2020

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The Shadow Crosser

By J.C. Cervantes

The final book in the bestselling Storm Runner trilogy has Zane Obispo and his friends trying to rescue the Maya gods from the clutches of a faceless enemy.

Jacket art by Irvin Rodriguez (irvinrodriguez.com)

Designed by Phil Buchanan (Twitter @fillbuchanan)

Publication date: September 1, 2020

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Aru Shah and the City of Gold

By Roshani Chokshi

Aru Shah and her sisters--including one who also claims to be the Sleeper's daughter--must find their mentors Hanuman and Urvashi in Lanka, the city of gold, before war breaks out between the devas and asuras.

Aru has just made a wish on the tree of wishes, but she can't remember what it was. She's pretty sure she didn't wish for a new sister, one who looks strangely familiar and claims to be the Sleeper's daughter, like her.

Aru also isn't sure she still wants to fight on behalf of the devas in the war against the Sleeper and his demon army. The gods have been too devious up to now. Case in point: Kubera, ruler of the city of gold, promises to give the Pandavas two powerful weapons, but only if they win his trials. If they lose, they won't stand a chance against the Sleeper's troops, which will soon march on Lanka to take over the Otherworld.

Aru's biggest question, though, is why every adult she has loved and trusted so far has failed her. Will she come to peace with what they've done before she has to wage the battle of her life?

Filled with wondrous magic, unforgettable creatures, manipulative gods, and laugh-out-loud dialogue, this fourth book in the Pandava series, a fantasy adventure loosely based on mythology, will leave readers wishing they could read the finale right now.

Publication date: April 6, 2021

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More Riordan Presents?

Head over to ReadRiordan.com to check out articles, characters, and extras!

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What is the 'Rick Riordan Presents' Imprint? Rick Riordan Presents is one small branch of the Disney-Hyperion Publishing family. We aim to publish about four books a year. All these will be books that my editor Stephanie Lurie and I feel will appeal to kids who like my books.

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National Geographic

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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Here is a link to the author's website

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I can’t wait to meet the uncle that lives with Zane

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Nawal
Nik’wachinel
Xib’alb’a

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Is Ms. Cab prejudiced against Brooks's race?

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Is Ms. Cab prejudiced against Brooks's race?

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How does this affect character?

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Brooks ran away from monster. Although led Zane into volcano.

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Zanes dad is a god and the mom knows about him

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but does that goes both ways?

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How come Ah Puch didn’t set her free?

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Always willing to help out Zane

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It seems like Brooks has something to prove? Is this getting in her way of acting and thinking clearly?

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Clearly Ach Puch has the power now!  Author's description of him is intense. The lure of the dark side is strong!

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Seems to want power, and strength but also cares deeply for his dog and wants to protect his friend.

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Rosie will play an important role in the story.-Meghan

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Zanes cane will play an important role in the story, maybe the artifact because mom gave him the cane.

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Zane will have to go on a journey to accept his flaws.

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can see in the dark, telepathy, heals quickly

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What Pacific gave Zane.

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Jazz s a minor character but I think he helps Zane alot.

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the old world is a big setting

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Zane shouldnt of trusted brooks