Debut Young Adult Book Author Commits Proceeds to Teaching for Change

Rebecca
Rebecca Villarreal. By Tim Arroyo.

Debut young adult author Rebecca Villarreal has committed five percent of all net proceeds of her first book, The Amazing Adventures of Selma Calderón, (Mama Chelo Press, 2015) to Teaching for Change. Released in August, the book tells the story of two fifth graders—Selma Calderón and her best friend Hurley Bingenworth—as they use magical powers to travel the world and unravel the mystery of her missing parents while eating their favorite foods along the way. The duo is also challenged to find non-magical ways to deal with the school bully.

9780996208826During my ten-year journey writing this book, I was supported by countless caring people,” said Rebecca Villarreal, author of The Amazing Adventures of Selma Calderón and former Teaching for Change board member. “I had a strong desire to find a way to give back once the book was published. Teaching for Change is the perfect fit to make a contribution because the organization is aligned with so many of the issues important to me. By linking the book sales to organizations benefiting youth, I feel like I can give back in perpetuity,” Villarreal explained. Teaching for Change is the first non-profit to be selected and will receive proceeds through 2016.

Teaching for Change encourages teachers and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens. For 25 years, the organization has provided teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write and change the world.

“We are so pleased that Rebecca is making this contribution,” said Deborah Menkart, executive director of Teaching for Change.  “Rebecca’s book introduces young readers to many parts of the world, from Chicago to Paris, Uganda, Spain, and Orcas Island.”

Villarreal’s first novel honors the legacy of her grandmother, a single mother and entrepreneur, who lived to age 105. Born Consuelo Calderón and known to all as Mama Chelo, she was a milliner, a luncheonette owner and claimed to be the first woman to solo fly a plane in Mexico.

The novel is another contribution to the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement, a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers advocating for changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.

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