Meg Medina, a Cuban-American writer, is the first Latina named National Ambassador for Youth Literature in the US.

( Spanish) –– The United States Library of Congress named Cuban-American writer Meg Medina as the eighth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. This is the first time that a Latina has held this position, whose objective is to promote the importance of literature and reading among children and adolescents.

“What I most want is that reading and the love of telling stories become part of the daily life of more and more young people, and that these activities transcend the school environment and libraries. I dream that the world of books unites us, expand our horizons and help us understand each other better,” Medina said after his appointment, according to a statement released by the Library of Congress.

Medina is the daughter of Cuban immigrants and grew up in New York in a bilingual family. Her work reflects her upbringing and many of the protagonists in her books are Latino. Some of them are “Merci Suárez gets her batteries”, “Aunt Isa wants a car”, “Evelyn del Rey moves away”, and “She persisted: Sonia Sotomayor”, the latter based on the story of the first Latina judge of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Now, during her period as National Youth Literature Ambassador, Medina will use the platform “¡Cuéntame!: Let’s talk about books” to bring readers together through their experiences. According to the Library of Congress, “Tell me about it!” connects families, classrooms, libraries and communities through the world of reading and those works that reflect the experiences and realities of readers.

Medina’s inauguration ceremony will take place on January 24 at the Library of Congress.