On top of being a writer, you are also a film director. The Interpreter sounds like it would be a movie film   title, can you tell us a bit about the book and why you chose the title?

It definitely sounds like a movie title! I went with it because it felt like a superhero role. In the book, our main kiddo, Cecilia, interprets English to Spanish for her clients. But when work gets to be too much, she struggles to find time to be a kid! We watch as her worlds collide and Cecilia has to dig deep to find a solution that works for her.

Being an interpreter is a huge responsibility, and I think it’s kind of like a secret superpower. To this day folks are always surprised when I bust out my Spanish and it’s like this secret identity I have. Interestingly enough, I also wrote this manuscript as a movie script because I didn’t know how else to balance the mix of narration, dialog, and visuals.

You have published novels for tweens and teens before (Perfectly Parvin, Azar on Fire, and more) but The Interpreter is your first picture book. Why did you choose the picture book format to tell this story?

It was always going to be a picture book in my brain. The narrative and the visuals were so closely tied together that I knew it had to be a visual story. I also think that very young children often bear the brunt of interpreting and translation work, so I wanted to write something for them specifically.

The Interpreter starts by saying “Some kids had one job: to be a kid. Cecilia worked two.” When she’s not on the soccer field scoring goals, she’s acting as an interpreter and translating for her parents. Can you relate to Cecilia, and did your experience inspire this story?

100%. The irony is that my parents were fluent in English but there was still so much that I had to explain on a cultural level. Bake sales, Girl Scouts, PSATs, parent-teacher conferences…There was a period in my life where my dad would show me his work emails and ask me if a coworker was upset because they just signed with a period or if they were just being direct. It was a lot of work, and I know that children whose parents don’t speak English have way more responsibility.

That said, my mom has an immigration law firm, and every summer I would work there and I’d often be an official translator on legal documents (once I was 18). I felt very important!

There’s a moment when Cecilia is asked by her teacher how she is doing and she is initially surprised that someone is speaking directly to her, it ends up being a very powerful moment. Other than asking students how they are feeling and checking in on them, are there any other ways you think librarians/educators can support young readers who they know have this “second job”?

To all these educators: Please, please, please translate official documents. Field trip forms, registration papers, anything official! It is technically required in many schools, but these often get forgotten. I know resources are scarce but even having a bilingual staff member or aide in the room during parent teacher conferences can also make a big difference. Language is so important and it helps people feel seen when you make an effort. Even just acknowledging the different languages your students speak is a big help.

What do you hope kid readers will take away from The Interpreter?

Agency. Often, kids feel so powerless. I hope they know that it’s okay to ask for help, to say that it’s too much, to speak up when something isn’t working for them. Yes, kids in this age group might be speaking up about their favorite juice box flavor, but when it comes to the big stuff they often have no idea they even get a say. Having family meetings and checking in with everyone–no matter your language or culture– is something that can give children agency over their own lives.

Can you talk about illustrator Monica Arnaldo’s bright palette and humorous visual details and how they help to capture a common aspect of life for immigrant and bilingual families?

Monica’s illustrations are incredible. She nailed every page down a T. It was her idea to have the montage of Cecilia at the DMV, accountant, market, and kitchen table all on one page to show just the sheer amount of work involved. Having an illustrator who gets it, who also comes from an immigrant culture, was so wonderful because she brought so many of her own experiences to the page.

The book will also be published simultaneously in Spanish as La Intérprete. Can you talk about that process of translating and what has you most excited about having this book in both Spanish and English?

Translating this book was a dream come true and working with translator David Bowles was amazing. Ironically, I had named the Spanish version of the book LA INTERPRETE and then subsequently panicked because the correct version is EL INTERPRETE (like, el agua, el avion, etc) but thanks to David’s deep knowledge of Mexican Spanish he pointed out that many “traditionally” male roles with women in them are, in fact, written the way I began the book, ex: la piloto. So, a full circle moment having the Spanish version be LA INTERPRETE.

The most exciting part about having it in two languages for me is that I truly believe this book can help families experiencing their own interpretation woes, and the Spanish language version is just one more tool in their toolbox.

What’s a typical workday look like for you as a writer?

I have childcare on Mondays and Tuesdays, so those are really the days I buckle down. I make my yerba mate, check my starred emails, then get to work on either edits for existing projects or manuscripts for new ones. The rest of the week I work during my one-year-old’s naps!