Vigilante’s Upcoming Middle-Grade Thriller Blends Mystery, Culture, and Community
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ST. PAUL, MN, June 8, 2021 – Jolly Fish Press, an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc. (NSE) is excited to announce the August 17, 2021, release of Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil by Danette Vigilante. In this suspense-filled middle grade novel, Tia Lugo, an asthmatic thirteen-year-old Puerto Rican girl living in NYC, witnesses a murder late one night from her bedroom window. Terrified the killer will do anything to keep her silent and desperate to find the courage to speak out, Tia turns to her grandmother’s favorite shopping spot: the botanica.
More about Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil:
Tia Lugo has a deadly secret.
Tia Lugo considers herself an ordinary thirteen-year-old girl. She just wants to enjoy the end of summer, which means hanging out with her best friend and neighbor, Julius, and ignoring her Puerto Rican grandmother’s embarrassing reliance on creepy candles, weird-smelling herb bundles, and eerie statues—all available for sale at the nearby botanica. But when Tia witnesses a murder late one night from her bedroom window, everything changes in an instant.
Now, Tia is terrified to tell anyone what she’s seen. What if the killer comes after her too? He knows where she lives. Even worse, Tia believes he’s sending her secret messages, reminding her to stay quiet. Desperate to keep herself and her family safe, Tia turns to the last place she ever thought she’d go: her grandmother’s favorite shopping spot, the botanica.
ARCs of Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil are available digitally on NetGalley and Edelweiss+ or by contacting publicity@northstareditions.com.
Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil by Danette Vigilante
Ages 10–14 / ISBN: 978-1-63163-575-5 / $9.99 paperback original / 208 pages / Publication date: August 17, 2021
Danette Vigilante grew up in the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn, New York. She now resides in Staten Island with her family, sweet pup, and an elderly cat who has just learned to meow. Danette is the author of The Trouble with a Half Moon, a 2012-2013 Sunshine State Young Readers award nominee, and Saving Baby Doe, a 2014 pick for the New York Public Library 100 titles for Reading and Sharing list. Danette encourages literacy in her community via a Little Free Library installed on her front lawn.
Early Praise for Tia Lugo Speaks No Evil
“The ever-escalating suspense will keep the pages turning throughout this thrilling upper-middle-grade mystery.”—Booklist
“A multigenerational thriller that will warm your heart, even as it has you looking over your shoulder.”—Ernesto Cisneros, Author of Efrén Divided and Falling Short
“A bite-your-nails mystery, with a side of humor, that’ll have you zipping through the pages!”—Tami Charles, New York Times bestselling author
“You don’t have to come from a world with botanicas to want to light a candle to protect you from the creepy twists and turns of this book. Campfire scary with a city feel.”—Torrey Maldonado, author of Tight, What Lane, and Secret Saturdays
Jolly Fish Press, an imprint of North Star Editions, is dedicated to promoting exceptional, unique new voices in fiction. North Star Editions, Inc., publishes fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages that inspires, informs, and entertains. For more information, visit jollyfishpress.com or northstareditions.com.
For more information, author interviews, and review copies contact:
Taylor Kohn, publicity@northstareditions.com, 651-424-4626