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Lobizona
Some people ARE illegal.
Lobizonas do NOT exist.
Both of these statements are false.
In Wolves of No World, a contemporary YA fantasy series, bestselling author Romina Garber weaves together Argentine folklore and what it means to label a human being illegal.
- USA Today's Review of Lobizona
- Read a Lobizona Excerpt on Bustle
- Watch Lobizona Launch with Tomi Adeyemi
- Listen to Feminist Book Club's Lobizona Podcast
- Lobizona Classroom Discussion Guide
Publisher:
Wednesday Books, Macmillan Publishers
Representation:
Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Synopsis
Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.
Until her mother is arrested by ICE, and Manu's protective bubble shatters.
Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past―a mysterious "Z" emblem―which leads her to a realm hidden within our own.
A realm of witches and werewolves, cursed cities and illegal magic.
A realm straight out of Argentinian folklore . . . leaving Manu caught between countries and worlds.

Reviews
Romina Garber's LOBIZONA is a young-adult fantasy novel of Argentinian folklore that doesn't pull punches highlighting the plight of many undocumented immigrants in the United States.
— USA TODAY🌟 In a timely work of magical realism featuring references to Borges and Garcia Márquez, Garber (the Zodiac series) tackles issues of nationalism, identity, and belonging . . . This layered novel blends languages and cultures to create a narrative that celebrates perseverance.
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review🌟 Garber’s gorgeous novel combines the wonder of a Hogwarts-style magic school with the Twilight-esque dynamics of a hidden magical species that has strict rules about interacting with the human world. Dialogue is related in Spanish—immediately translated into English via italics—which brings Manu and the other characters to vivid life and makes them, and the lore, absolutely memorable.
— Booklist, Starred ReviewWith vivid characters that take on a life of their own, beautiful details that peel back the curtain on Romina's Argentinian heritage, and cutting prose Romina Garber crafts a timely tale of identity and adventure.
— Tomi Adeyemi, New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and BoneI fell in love with this world where wolves, witches and magic thrives, all in a rich Latinx setting! Lobizona will surely place Garber alongside the Harry Potters of the world.
— Lilliam Rivera, author of The Education of Margot SanchezLobizona somehow loves its genre while simultaneously tearing it apart with werewolf claws, reveling in earthy magic and righteous anger.
— NPR.orgTouching upon undocumented immigrants, rigid gender roles, sexuality, and mixed-race identity, its themes run deep. This genre-bending mashup will win over fans of swoon-y, suspenseful paranormal dramas.
— Kirkus ReviewsSteeped in Argentine folklore of lobizonas (werewolves) and brujas (witches), this is such an important story to tell, and it’s also an engrossing read.
— BuzzFeedAs a politically exigent #ownvoices novel (inspired by the folklore of Garber's Argentinian birthplace) with a rich exploration of hybrid identities, it's an astute and absorbing piece of magical realism.
— Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksLobizona by Romina Garber is the kind of book that digs its claws into you and leaves marks so you don’t forget what you just experienced . . . With Lobizona, Romina Garber is poised to become a strong literary voice of this era. I can’t remember the last time I read a world so intricately and beautifully crafted.
— The Nerd Daily
Press
- School Library Journal - Pondering Printz: Fantasy Award Contenders Layer Identity and Imagination -
- Tor.com - Best Young Adult Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror of 2020 -
- BuzzFeed - 30 Of The Best YA Speculative Fiction Novels Of 2020 -
- Audible - The Best of Audible 2020 -
- Google Play - Best Books of 2020 -
- BuzzFeed - 46 Books Our Favorite Indie Booksellers Were Grateful For This Year -
- Condé Nast Traveler - The Books Helping Us Escape Right Now: Women Who Travel Podcast -
- Frolic - YA Books For When You Want To Feel Like You’re A Part of a Fairy Tale -
- Book Riot - 9 Fantastic Authors We'd Take A Writing Seminar From -
- Book Riot - 4 YA Books with Epic Bilingual Characters -
- School Library Journal - 23 Latinx YA Picks for Latinx Heritage Month and All Year Long -
- Book Riot - Growing Up A Puerto Rican YA Reader -
- BuzzFeed - Incredible Book Recs From 6 Latinx Authors -
- Latinx Spaces - 'Lobizona' is the best fantasy YA novel of the year so far -
- Amazon - What to read after "Midnight Sun" -
- Book Riot - 3 Great YA Books Starring Argentinian Characters -
- CBS News - "Lobizona" uses folklore and magic to highlight the experience of undocumented immigrants -
- Goodreads - 52 New Books by Hispanic and Latinx Authors to Read Now -
- American Booksellers Association - SIBA Bestseller -
- Publishers Weekly - New and Noteworthy Kids' and YA Books: August 2020 -
- IndieBound - Fall 2020 Kids’ Indie Next List -
- USA TODAY - ‘Lobizona’ review: Fantastical young-adult novel tackles themes of undocumented immigration -
- SyFy - GET REC'D WITH RAQUEL VASQUEZ GILLILAND: FIVE YA SFF READS FOR FANGRRLS READERS -
- Locus Mag - Romina Garber Guest Post–“Worldbuilding With A Worldview” -
- Amazon - Best Book of the Month SFF Selection (August 2020) -
- Amazon - Best Book of the Month YA Selection (August 2020) -
- Culturess - 12 must-read August YA book releases to close out your summer -
- io9/Gizmodo - The World May Be on Hold, But August Is Still Bursting With New Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books -
- PopSugar - 26 Incredible New Books Coming Your Way This August -
- Tor.com - Aliens, Ghosts, and Vampires: New Young Adult SFF for August & September 2020 -
- Goodreads - August’s Most Anticipated YA Books -
- Smart Bitches Trashy Books - August’s New Releases -
- Tor.com - Read an Excerpt From Lobizona -
- Tor.com - Making the Magical Feel Human: Lobizona by Romina Garber -
- SheReads - 13 YA books like Children of Blood and Bone -
- NPR.org - Welcome Summer With These 6 New YA Novels -
- BuzzFeed - 38 Books to Read This Summer Rec by Indie Booksellers -
- frolic - Love YA: Top 3 Y.A. Reads for the Week of August 4th -
- Tor.com - 25 Most Anticipated SFF Books for the Rest of 2020 -
- Tor.com - 5 Books by Latinx Authors Featuring Mythical Creatures -
- BuzzFeed - 17 Summer Must-Reads For Fantasy Lovers -
- SIBA - Spring 2020 OKRA Pick -
- Book Riot - Most Anticipated Books of 2020 -
- SheReads - Most Anticipated Books of May 2020 -
- The Nerd Daily - Q&A: Romina Garber, Author of ‘Lobizona’ -
- Feminist Book Club - Podcast with Romina Garber, author of Lobizona -
- The Young Folks - Author Romina Garber on Immigration Representation in YA, Feminism, and Argentinian Folklore -
- The Nerd Daily - August 2020 Book Releases -
- DEN OF GEEK - Top New YA Books in September 2020 -
- Ms. Magazine - August 2020 Reads for the Rest of Us -
- SHELF AWARENESS - Lobizona Review -
- Amazon - Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of August -
- Amazon - The Best Young Adult Books of August -
- frolic - Romina Garber: “I wrote Lobizona because it’s the book teen-me needed” -
- United by Pop - 25+ Highly Anticipated August 2020 YA Book Releases -