I’m delighted to share some exciting news: The Novel Detective has been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

The Junior Library Guild is a highly respected organization that has, for decades, helped schools and libraries identify outstanding books for young readers. Their selections are curated by librarians and experts, and being chosen as a Gold Standard Selection is a true honor.

This recognition feels especially meaningful to me because, while The Novel Detective is very much a mystery for adult readers, it also reaches toward younger audiences. I imagine it falls into that wonderful crossover space where teens and adults can meet in the same story.

Part of the reason this matters so much is Teresita, the fourteen-year-old girl at the center of the novel’s 1980 storyline who is, in many ways, me. The chapters centered on her were the easiest and most fun to write because they draw from my own teenage years in Havana: La Manzana, the real school building where I studied, my nosiness (let’s be honest!), and the mix of innocence and nerve that most of us had at that age. Writing those sections felt like reconnecting with the girl I once was.

Because of that, the idea that younger readers may discover Teresita and perhaps see something of themselves in her means a great deal to me. Of course, I also hope readers of all ages enjoy the mystery, the meta elements, and the journey through Havana past and present.

Thank you to Junior Library Guild for this wonderful recognition, and thank you, as always, to my readers for coming along on the adventure.