Lighthearted and honest, Cruzita and the Mariacheros explores music, family, heritage, and legacy with a touch of sweetness from delicious treats. Cruzita dreams of becoming a pop star, but for now she has to help out at her family’s struggling bakery, where nothing’s been the same since her beloved great-uncle’s death. And when she’s not rolling uneven tortillas or trying to salvage rock-hard conchas, she has to take mariachi lessons, which she dreads even more—until she and her fellow mariacheros come up with a plan to save her family’s struggling bakery and to let Cruzita shine.

Today author Ashley Granillo joins us to discuss her own musical talents, her relationship with the Spanish language, and her hopes for young readers. Keep reading to download the free discussion guide!

Your novel explores the joys of music, including mariachi—Mexican folk music. Are you a musician?

I am! My love for music and writing developed together. I made up songs and stories all the time as a kid. My background in music begins in elementary school, when I self-enrolled in my school’s choir. In middle school, however, while I was interested in being musician, I never gave my grandma permission to enroll me in mariachi. She would leave the family violin around for me to play with, but I was totally disinterested in playing. I regret not taking up the opportunity when she presented it to me!

When I was fifteen, my parents bought me a classical guitar for Christmas, and I still have it.  As an adult, I bought myself a piano. For now, piano is the instrument I play the best and most. Although, there are times where I love to “shred” on my pink Fender Stratocaster.

I’m still learning so much about musicianship and songwriting capabilities. Just last year, I released my first, self-produced pop record. Hopefully this year I’ll also be able to release another collection, too.

Did writing this book help you reconnect with your Mexican heritage?

Yes—absolutely. I’ve learned about so many Mexican and Mexican American musicians with whom I wasn’t that familiar. My mom is a wonderful source of musical information. We were listening to one of Linda Ronstadt’s songs in English, and then she told me about the Spanish-language album Ronstadt made for her father. This set me off on an exploration of other musicians—artists I’d probably heard in the background at family gatherings when I was growing up. I was fascinated to discover more about the musicians’ backgrounds and their relationships to their Mexican heritage. (Thanks, Mama!)

But more than the musical aspect, crafting the character of Cruzita helped change my relationship to my heritage. I realized how many feelings I had tucked away about growing up visibly Mexican American but having no cultural knowledge whatsoever. In a lot of ways, Cruzita’s voice gave me my own. And the more I’ve told her story, the more confident I’ve felt about who I am.

What is your relationship to the Spanish language?

Like Cruzita, I never learned as a kid, and I’m still not totally fluent. It’s been a source of deep shame for me; at the college campus where I teach, many of my students approach me speaking Spanish. Every day, I’m confronted with what I’m still unable to say in a language that should have been my first.

I am trying to rekindle my relationship with it, though! I’ve spent two years learning Spanish on Duolingo. I take it very, very seriously. Me and my younger sister are in competition; yet she understands it better than I do because she took Spanish in high school, whereas I was encouraged to take American Sign Language. Still, it’s nice to be able to practice at home now with my entire family, and their friends.

I can now text my mom in Spanish and express to her how I’m feeling in another language. She’s impressed with how much I’ve learned, and we have a new way of communicating with each other.

What is special to you about Pacoima, the Los Angeles neighborhood where the story is set?

There are so many personal things that Pacoima gave me. For one, it gave me the love for writing. The Student Author Project, something I completed in kindergarten with the help of my fifth-grade book buddy, gave me the passion to write. I saw how a book came to be from start to finish! We spent weeks brainstorming, perfecting the plot, drawing the pictures, all before binding it into a hardback copy that we placed at the Telfair Elementary Library.

Pacoima is also the place where I learned that I wanted to be a teacher. My first teaching job was at MEND Poverty, a local nonprofit where I taught Spanish speakers English (and they in turn taught me some Spanish).

More than that––my fondest memories are all there. Many of the panaderias I visited as a child with my grandma are still there, as well as the restaurants my grandfather took me too. Everywhere, I see my family history. For me, Pacoima means seeing my grandma and grandpa. If I miss them, I go there to find them again.

This book tackles some tough emotional subject matter, including toxic friendships. Why was that so important to feature?

I always assumed, even until I was an adult, that friendships are forever. This has made it so hard to let go of friends when I need to. Some people just aren’t nice, and others grow distant from you. But in the books I read as a kid, friends always made up, even when they were mean! Characters learned to forgive and forget. I think, though, it’s more realistic to step away from people who have hurt you, whom you can’t reason with, so that you have the space to surround yourself with people who make you feel loved.

Who in your family is your biggest inspiration?

My grandparents, Cruz and Jess Tayahua, are number one. I’m still learning so, so many things about them long after their passing. For example, when everyone began using the internet, my grandma enrolled in college to learn how to type and send emails. I never knew she went to college! This isn’t surprising, as she was a big fan of academics. She did always make me complete crossword puzzles and read stories from the Reader’s Digest.

My papa could fix anything—car, truck, house, garden. He had knowledge in his hands that I regret not absorbing myself.  For me, making this book helped channel that feeling of making something with my hands. Papa had no formal education, so he never believed that he’d helped me get to where I am. But look—this book is a testament to his love for me, and to my grandma’s love for reading and writing.

Above all, though, they had unconditional love for the people in their lives, including me. I’ve always felt sort of weird and out of place, but they made space for who I was. I miss having people in my life like that––who give without an intention to receive credit. They deserve all of the credit, though. This book would not be what it was without them.

Praise for Cruzita and the Mariacheros

★ “Mariachi, family, and pan dulce are the ingredients for this perfect middle grade novel. Highly recommended for all middle grade collections.” — starred, School Library Journal

“This excellent debut has heart and soul, with an obvious deep love and appreciation for the culture in each word.” — Booklist

“Many readers will resonate with the demands on her time, and the children and grandchildren of immigrants will likely identify especially strongly with Cruzita’s journey toward connecting with her roots. A sweet summer quest for identity and belonging.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Cruz’s inner conflict and search for identity are sensitively drawn, and Granillo weaves a believable sense of community pride into the heartfelt and enjoyable story.” — Horn Book Magazine

Free Educator Resources

Download the discussion guide to accompany reading and encourage critical thinking in the classroom!

Connect with the Author