While Pinkney noted that Coming Up Cuban “was born out of many conversations, stemming from Sonia’s desire to present history, heritage, and heart in a novel for young readers,” the inspiration for the novel initially sprang from research Manzano did for another project. “I even wrote one version from the point of view of a dog! I can tell you that trying to write about the Bay of Pigs event from a dog’s point of view wasn’t easy.” “There were many versions of the story, told from many perspectives,” Manzano said. When asked if she had always planned on writing the novel from the perspectives of multiple children, Manzano revealed that she developed those voices later on in the writing process. Set in 1959, Coming Up Cuban follows the lives of four children, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan, who each represent different intersections of race and class in Cuba-and thus, a unique set of experiences-during Fidel Castro’s rise to power. PW has the exclusive cover reveal, as well as some behind-the-scenes insight on the book’s development from Manzano and her editor, v-p and executive editor Andrea Pinkney. First up is the historical novel Coming Up Cuban, due out next April, which marks Manzano’s return to writing middle-grade fiction. “That was certainly a tenet of Sesame Street.” Last October, Manzano signed a four-book deal with Scholastic to publish two middle-grade novels and two picture books starting in 2022. “I have always enjoyed taking complex issues and breaking them down for younger people to understand,” she told PW. Although 15-time Emmy Award-winner and Pura Belpré Honoree Sonia Manzano ( The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano Becoming Maria) retired from her celebrated role as Maria on Sesame Street back in 2015, her role as a children’s book author is still going strong.
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