Mayra Cuevas
Mayra Cuevas has published 4 books across 3 series. The recommended reading order starts with Salty, Bitter, Sweet Educator's Guide (2020).
Mayra Cuevas is a Puerto Rican author of young adult novels and children’s books. She made her debut as a novelist in 2020 with Salty, Bitter, Sweet, a teen foodie romcom. Her young adult novel Does My Body Offend You?, co-written with Marie Marquardt, was long-listed for the PEN/Faulkner Award and named a 2023 Book All Young Georgians Should Read. Cuevas's debut picture book, My Abuela is a Bruja, earned three starred reviews. She is also the co-founder of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival and its Latinx Storytellers Conference. Before turning to writing full-time, Cuevas worked as an award-winning television and digital producer for CNN Worldwide, a career that followed her Bachelor’s in Communications and Master’s in Investigative Journalism. She now lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and teaches creative writing. Her adult romance How to Fake a Southern Gentleman, also co-written with Marie Marquardt, is scheduled for release in 2026.
Shelf & Shadows
Order of Non-Fiction Books
- Tagsnon-fictionyoung-adultromanceDescriptionAn educator's guide accompanies Mayra Cuevas's novel, a work that bridges the culinary and the personal in ways that demand classroom attention. The source material—presumably a young adult narrative centered on food, identity, and cultural navigation—offers teachers a framework for discussing heritage, ambition, and the particular pressures faced by young people straddling multiple worlds. The guide itself serves as a pedagogical companion, translating the novel's thematic richness into discussion questions, activities, and contextual background that illuminate rather than flatten. It recognizes that stories about food are rarely just about food—they are about family, memory, belonging, and the ways we translate ourselves across borders both literal and figurative. What makes this resource valuable is its implicit understanding that contemporary young adult literature does serious cultural work, particularly when it centers Latinx experiences without reducing them to stereotype or spectacle. The novel's title—Salty, Bitter, Sweet—suggests complexity, the layered flavors of a life lived between languages and expectations, and the guide presumably helps educators honor that complexity rather than simplify it. For teachers seeking to expand their curriculum beyond tokenism, this guide offers entry points into conversations about diaspora, culinary tradition as cultural preservation, and the particular challenges of adolescence when home means more than one place. It is a practical tool built around a story that matters.Publication date2020
Order of Picture Books
- Tagschildrennon-fictionfantasyDescriptionWhen you're a teenager trying to navigate high school and your abuela happens to be a bruja—a witch—life gets complicated in ways your friends could never understand. Mayra Cuevas brings us into a world where magic isn't just real, it's a family inheritance, and the question isn't whether you believe in it but what you're going to do when it shows up at your doorstep demanding to be reckoned with. This is a story about the pull between two worlds, the one where you're trying to fit in and the one where your grandmother's powers are as natural as her cooking, where spells and superstitions aren't folklore but the fabric of daily life. It's about the weight of legacy and the fear that comes with realizing you might be next in line for gifts you're not sure you want, gifts that could set you even further apart when all you're trying to do is belong. Cuevas writes with warmth and specificity about the clash between assimilation and tradition, between the modern American teenager you're trying to be and the deep roots of culture and magic that refuse to let you go. It's a story that asks what it means to honor where you come from while carving out who you want to become, and whether those two things have to be at odds at all.Publication date2025
Order of Standalone Novels
- Tagsyoung-adultromanceDescriptionThe kitchen is where some people find themselves, and where others lose everything they thought they knew. Isabela Campos is a seventeen-year-old aspiring chef caught between two worlds—her Cuban-American heritage and her dreams of culinary stardom—when she lands a spot in a prestigious French cooking school's summer program in Lyon. But this isn't just about perfecting her knife skills or mastering the art of French pastry. Isa's parents are divorcing, her family is fracturing, and she's carrying the weight of expectations she never asked for. In France, far from Miami's familiar rhythms, she must navigate a competitive culinary landscape where her Latin flavors are met with skepticism, and where fitting in means potentially erasing the very things that make her cooking distinctive. As Isa chops, sautés, and plates her way through the program, she discovers that the most difficult recipe isn't in any cookbook—it's figuring out who she is when everything around her is changing. The kitchen becomes both battleground and sanctuary, a place where culture, ambition, and identity simmer together. Mayra Cuevas crafts a story that tastes of both continents, blending the warmth of family tradition with the sharp edges of self-discovery. This is a novel about finding your voice when everyone else is telling you what to say, and learning that the best dishes—like the best lives—require staying true to your own flavor.Publication dateMarch 3, 2020Amazon rating4.5/5Print length320LanguageEnglishPublisherBlink
- Tagsyoung-adultDescriptionThe title itself poses the question that drives this contemporary young adult novel, a pointed inquiry into the politics of dress codes, body autonomy, and the ways institutions police young women's bodies. Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt craft a story that confronts the double standards embedded in school regulations, where a girl's clothing becomes grounds for discipline while the discomfort of others becomes justification for control. At the center is a protagonist whose body becomes a battleground, not because of anything she has done, but because of how others choose to perceive her. The narrative follows her resistance against a school dress code that singles her out, transforming a seemingly mundane policy dispute into a larger examination of sexism, body shaming, and the courage required to stand up when authority demands compliance. The stakes are personal and political, intimate and institutional, as she navigates the consequences of refusing to accept that her existence is inherently disruptive. Cuevas and Marquardt write with clarity and purpose, balancing righteous anger with nuanced character work, allowing their protagonist's journey to illuminate broader questions about who gets to decide what bodies are acceptable in public spaces. This is a novel that trusts its readers to engage with difficult questions, offering not easy answers but a compelling portrait of a young woman learning that sometimes the most radical act is simply refusing to be ashamed.Publication date2022
Frequently Asked Questions about Mayra Cuevas
Mayra Cuevas writes both standalone novels and guides. If you are interested in her novels, you can read Salty, Bitter, Sweet first, followed by Does My Body Offend You?. The Educator's Guide, Salty, Bitter, Sweet Educator's Guide, is a companion to the novel. My Abuela Is a Bruja is a picture book scheduled for release in 2025. There is no required reading order for her works.
A good starting point for Mayra Cuevas is her novel Salty, Bitter, Sweet, published in 2020. This book explores themes of family, identity, and culture through the experiences of its young protagonist. It is also accompanied by an educator's guide of the same name, offering further context. Her other standalone novel, Does My Body Offend You?, co-written with Marie Marquardt, was published in 2022. Her picture book, My Abuela Is a Bruja, is expected in 2025.
The books by Mayra Cuevas do not need to be read in a specific order. Her novels, Salty, Bitter, Sweet and Does My Body Offend You?, are standalone stories and can be read independently. The Salty, Bitter, Sweet Educator's Guide is a companion piece to the novel of the same title and is best read after or alongside the novel. My Abuela Is a Bruja is a picture book and is also a separate work.
Mayra Cuevas writes standalone novels. Her published novels include Salty, Bitter, Sweet, released in 2020, and Does My Body Offend You?, co-authored with Marie Marquardt and published in 2022. She also has a picture book, My Abuela Is a Bruja, scheduled for 2025. She has not written any series to date.
Mayra Cuevas has written four books. These include two standalone novels: Salty, Bitter, Sweet (2020) and Does My Body Offend You? (2022), the latter co-written with Marie Marquardt. She also authored the Salty, Bitter, Sweet Educator's Guide (2020). Her picture book, My Abuela Is a Bruja, is scheduled for publication in 2025.
The first book Mayra Cuevas wrote was Salty, Bitter, Sweet, published in 2020. This novel explores the complexities of family relationships and cultural identity. In the same year, she also released the Salty, Bitter, Sweet Educator's Guide, which serves as a companion to the novel. Her subsequent work, Does My Body Offend You?, was published in 2022.
Mayra Cuevas's most recent book is Does My Body Offend You?, published in 2022. This novel was co-written with Marie Marquardt. Her previous works include the novel Salty, Bitter, Sweet and its accompanying educator's guide, both released in 2020. Her picture book, My Abuela Is a Bruja, is slated for release in 2025.
Mayra Cuevas writes young adult novels and picture books. Her novels often explore themes of identity, family, and culture. Salty, Bitter, Sweet deals with adolescence and cultural heritage, while Does My Body Offend You? addresses body image and self-acceptance. Her upcoming picture book, My Abuela Is a Bruja, suggests a focus on family and cultural traditions.
We verified the reading order for Mayra Cuevas's books by cross-referencing official publication dates, ISBN databases, and publisher catalogs.
Last verified: July 2026
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