Guadalupe.García McCall author page

Guadalupe.García McCall biography

Guadalupe García McCall was born in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was six years old. She grew up in Eagle Pass, a border town in South Texas that became the setting for her debut verse novel, Under the Mesquite, and for Summer of the Mariposas. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and English from Sul Ross State University.

Under the Mesquite was published by Lee & Low Books on 1 October 2011. The novel is free-verse fiction for young people and follows Lupita, a Mexican-American teenager in Eagle Pass, Texas, as she copes with family responsibilities during her mother’s illness. Under the Mesquite won the Pura Belpré Author Award and was a William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalist.

Summer of the Mariposas was her first fantasy novel and follows five sisters travelling from Texas to Mexico. Her books also include Shame the Stars, All the Stars Denied and Echoes of Grace. Her work has received the Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award, and her earlier novels won the Pura Belpré Award and the Tomás Rivera Children’s Book Award.

Secret of the Moon Conch, co-written with David Bowles, was published by Bloomsbury YA on 6 June 2023. The novel connects Sitlali in modern-day Mexico with Calizto in Tenochtitlan in 1521 through a magical conch shell. Hearts of Fire and Snow is another Bloomsbury YA title by David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall.