Shame the Stars
By Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Hardcover: $21.95
Ebook
Eighteen-year-old Joaquín del Toro’s future looks bright. With his older brother in the priesthood, he’s set to inherit his family’s Texas ranch. He’s in love with Dulceña—and she’s in love with him. But it’s 1915, and trouble has been brewing along the US-Mexico border. On one side, the Mexican Revolution is taking hold; on the other, Texas Rangers fight Tejano insurgents, and ordinary citizens are caught in the middle.
As tensions grow, Joaquín is torn away from Dulceña, whose father’s critical reporting on the Rangers in the local newspaper has driven a wedge between their families. Joaquín’s own father insists that the Rangers are their friends, and refuses to take sides in the conflict. But when their family ranch becomes a target, Joaquín must decide how he will stand up for what’s right.
Shame the Stars is a rich reimagining of Romeo and Juliet set in Texas during the explosive years of Mexico’s revolution. Filled with period detail, captivating romance, and political intrigue, it brings Shakespeare’s classic to life in an entirely new way.
Read an interview on BookPage with author Guadalupe García McCall about the people who inspired the story and why this history must be taught.
Read an interview on Rich in Color about author Guadalupe García McCall's journey when writing Shame the Stars.
Read a piece from Jesus Montaño, PhD (he/él), Associate Professor of English at Hope College, on his personal connection to Shame the Stars.
Reviews & Comments
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Christina Diaz Gonzalez, award-winning author of THE RED UMBRELLA
Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of THE SURRENDER TREE
Julie Berry, award-winning author of THE PASSION OF DOLSSA and ALL THE TRUTH THAT'S IN ME
Martha Brockenbrough, author of THE GAME OF LOVE AND DEATH
BookPage
Latinx in KidLit
Rich in Color
About the Creators

Guadalupe García McCall is the best-selling author of Summer of the Mariposas and won the Pura Belpré Award for her first novel, Under the Mesquite. She was born in Mexico and moved to Texas as a young girl, keeping close ties with family on both sides of the border. She is a full-time author and abuelita and lives with her husband in South Texas. Find her online at ggmccall.com.