Author Alexandra V. Méndez is visiting Little Shop of Stories! Alexandra grew up in Decatur, and now she gets to celebrate her new book, What the Jaguar Told Her, in her hometown!
Alexandra will be in conversation with Noni Carter, and this conversation will be exciting, insightful, and a GREAT way to be introduced to your new favorite book!
Tickets / Details
Join us at Little Shop of Stories on Thursday, Oct 13th at 7pm!
Due to limited seating, advanced registration is required. When registering for this event, please reserve a ticket for each member in your party to ensure seating for all. Please click here to register!
Masks will be required throughout the entirety of this event.
While admission to this event is free, attendees must purchase a book from Little Shop of Stories to gain admission to the signing line. When registering, you will have the option to reserve a copy of this title.
This title and other books will be available for purchase at the event, but supply will be limited (so reserve your copy today!)
About the Book
Jade is starting eighth grade in a new city—Atlanta. She just wants to go back to Chicago, where her friends are. Where her Abuela lives.
But Jade does like walking to her new school on the trail that winds through the woods behind her house, where lush flowers bloom and soft leaves rustle beneath her feet. In the forest, Jade feels protected. Sometimes, it's as if it's listening to her.
There, Jade meets Itztli, an elderly storyteller who exists between dreams and reality. In the golden afternoons when Itztli appears, he steps out of the forest as a lithe, agile jaguar. But when he speaks to Jade, he is a wise old man who makes intricate works of art and tells her ancestral stories of Mexico. At first, Itztli's stories feel far removed from Jade's life. But as her Abuela suddenly falls ill, two towers come crashing down in New York City, and Jade becomes someone or something she doesn't yet understand, Itztli's stories take on new meaning. Jade must learn to have patience and strength to become who she was always meant to be, as the stirrings of an ancient power awaken within her.
What the Jaguar Told Her is a lyrical debut about growing up in the midst of change, and a magical cultural homecoming.
About the Author / Conversation Partner
Alexandra V. Méndez is a writer, teacher, and scholar who grew up bilingual in Decatur, Georgia, with family roots in Mexico and Mississippi. She graduated from Harvard University in History and Literature and has a Ph.D. in Latin American and Iberian Cultures from Columbia University. What the Jaguar Told Her is her debut novel.
Noni Carter is a historical and speculative fiction author, performance artist, academic, and entrepreneur. Noni has a PhD in French and Francophone studies from Columbia. She has published work in Italy's RSA Journal and in Volume 2 of the Comparative Literature History of Modern Slavery compilation. She is the author of the Young Adult historical fiction novel, Good Fortune published by Simon & Schuster in 2010 and the recipient of the 2019 PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship for her work-in-progress Young Adult novel Womb Talk. Noni is a classical pianist and is currently building a multi-media organization for young people of color with her talented sisters.
Jade is starting eighth grade in a new city—Atlanta. She just wants to go back to Chicago, where her friends are. Where her Abuela lives.
But Jade does like walking to her new school on the trail that winds through the woods behind her house, where lush flowers bloom and soft leaves rustle beneath her feet. In the forest, Jade feels protected.