Matt de la Peña Reflects on his Newbery Win
As the first Hispanic author to win Newbery, de la Peña hopes that the award will bring greater recognition to diverse voices and narratives for young readers.
It’s important to see yourself in a book…but now, the kid who sees himself as CJ gets to look at the cover of that book and he’ll see that [Newbery] sticker right next to his face. It’s another form of validation. (Publishers Weekly)
