Books with author Ofelia Dumas Lachtman

The trouble with you is that you have a wild imagination, people tell Tessa. So what if she calls herself Athena, the goddess of wisdom and a woman of the twenty-first century? It's that wild imagination that will make her a good writer. When Tessa finds yellowing pages torn from a book in the bottom of a beat-up trunk in a musty attic filled with cobwebs and junk, she realizes what she's found: directions for magic spells. It was no coincidence that she found the sheets, Tessa decides. She has the power. When Tessa's diary with the magic spells disappears, she panics. What good is a witch without her spells? When she recovers her diary, she even makes a new friend. Again, Tessa believes her life is charmed. Tessa's developing powers hit a roadblock, however, when she casts a spell that she wishes she could take back. Suddenly, everything's changing, and Tessa fears that her secret powers are spinning out of control. When Tessa's reversal spell doesn't work, Tessa must rely on her friends and the power of her family's bond to get her out of this snare. Popular young adult author Ofelia Dumas Lachtman has once again crafted a novel about a precocious young girl and her unlimited curiosity. Tackling topics that teens face, Lachtman's novel is at once a funny story about a young girl's quest to make life interesting and about her learning to accept that sometimes family ties are the strongest magic in the world.

Pepita is tired of having to translate for everyone! Frustrated at constantly being stopped to translate, Pepita decides to stop speaking Spanish, not realizing that this means she can't talk to her grandmother, sing songs with the neighbors, and worst of all, her dog Lobo won't come to her when she calls him Wolf. This colorfully illustrated picture book charmingly explores the joys and benefits of bilingualism. Capturing the beauty and flavor of biculturalism, this story of a little girl at the crossroads of the English and Spanish-speaking worlds will delight children of all backgrounds who enjoy multicultural identities."Clearly the best side-by-side children's book."—LOS ANGELES TIMES

Pepita is almost always happy. But she isn't today. She's not happy because everything is different on her new street. There's no familiar grocery store on the corner, and no tortilla shop squeezed right next to it. Tí­a Rosa's house isn't down the street, and worst of all, her best friend Sonya no longer lives right next door. Pepita is definitely not happy about her move to Pepper Street.But her dog Lobo doesn't mind the new neighborhood, and in fact, he likes the new smells he encounters as Pepita walks him up and down the street. He even wags his tail at the new people they meet: Mrs. Green, who wears a straw hat while weeding her rose garden; Mrs. Becker, who paints the pepper trees, and her dog, Blackie; and José, the mailman, who hopes Lobo won't bite him. Soon, Pepita realizes that her father's suggestion, "the best way to stop feeling new is to get to know people," is good advice. And when a girl with bright red hair named Katie Ann comes by to visit, Pepita learns that making new friends isn't so hard after all.This colorful bilingual picture book focuses on the tough transition that many kids make: adjusting to a new neighborhood and making new friends. Readers ages 3 to 7 will root for plucky Pepita as she learns to like life on Pepper Street.

Frustrated at constantly being stopped to translate, Pepita decides to stop speaking Spanish, not realizing that this means she can’t talk to her grandmother, sing with her friends, and worst of all, her dog Lobo won’t come to her when she calls him Wolf. This colorfully illustrated picture book charmingly explores the joys and benefits of bilingualism through the experiences of a little girl at the crossroads of the English and Spanish-speaking worlds.