Stef Soto, Taco Queen

Mexican American author Torres is a former reporter turned author who has dedicated her authorial career to writing books for young readers. She has published picture books, including her bilingual debut, Finding the Music/En pos de la música, in addition to the Bad Princesses series and a chapter book series, Catalina Incognito, and her website provides resources for teachers. Stef Soto: Taco Queen has been translated to Spanish and Korean.

Through her outreach and education work, Torres champions early literacy, as well as diverse books, believing all children have the right to read both about characters like and different from themselves. Her experience as the daughter of immigrant parents informs much of her storytelling. She particularly identifies with Stef’s struggle for independence in Stef Soto: Taco Queen. Having children of her own has allowed Torres to understand the perspective of Stef’s parents, which brought a deeper understanding to the story and the messages she sought to impart. Her background in journalism also informs her writing and the experiences she aims to capture. In her time writing for Stockton, California’s newspaper The Record, Torres interviewed immigrants from many countries, finding that they all saw the US as the place where they had a chance at a better future.