Malín Alegría was raised in San Francisco's Mission District. She's a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and received her MA in Education. She is a teacher, permaculture consultant, Aztec dancer, and performer. She's preformed and wrote with Teatro Nopal & the WILL Collective. Malin's is a member of SCBWI, TNAFA, and the ultra fabulous Nopalitas. "Estrella's Quinceñera" was published by Simon & Schuster in 2006. Her second novel "Sofi Mendoza's Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico" was released May 2007. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies "Once Upon a Cuento," and "15 Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and other Quinceañera Stories". Malin currently lives in California and New Mexico where she teaches,writes, and is hard at work on growing the perfect nopal.