George Lopez, New York Times Best Selling author and entertainer, and award-winning author Ryan Calejo return to the world of Latinx folklore with ‘Chupacarter and the Haunted Piñata’, the follow-up to the hilarious and heartfelt Chupacarter that was praised as “fast-paced and funny” (The Washington Post) and “the story of a friendship of mythic proportions” (Albuquerque Journal).

Scheduled for publication on May 30, 2023, from Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, ‘Chupacarter and the Haunted Piñata’ reunites twelve-year-old Jorge and his friend Carter the Chupacabra in an all-new adventure. Just as Jorge starts feeling at home, a maniacal piñata terrorizes the town seeking revenge and threatening his newly found community. Coupled with illustrations by Santy Gutierrez, readers will enjoy Lopez and Calejo’s storytelling, bringing them to the forefront of the action through Jorge’s perspective.

According to Lopez, ‘Chupacarter and the Haunted Piñata’ addresses the importance of courage, trust, and family and friends–with a comedic touch and Latinx folklore. 

“I aim to not only make readers laugh but help them, particularly underrepresented youth, so that they can see themselves in the main character, Jorge, and feel inspired by his journey,” said Lopez in a press release. 

For Ryan Calejo, ‘ChupaCarter and the Haunted Piñata’ is a fun, creeptastic mystery jam-packed with heart, adventure, and of course, George’s signature humor. 

“In my humble opinion, George is one of the funniest and most talented people walking the planet, and this collaboration has been nothing short of a dream come true!,” added Calejo.

George Lopez's multifaceted career encompasses television, film, stand-up comedy, and late-night programming. He co-created, wrote, produced, and starred in his own hit sitcom, George Lopez, a groundbreaking show that was one of the few with a Hispanic star. Lopez can be seen most recently in his Netflix original comedy special, We'll Do It for Half. His autobiography Why You Crying? was a New York Times bestseller. He has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America by TIME magazine and one of the Top Ten Favorite Television Personalities by Harris Poll.

Ryan Calejo is an award-winning author born and raised in South Florida. His critically acclaimed Charlie Hernández series has been featured on half a dozen state reading lists and is a two-time gold medal winner of the Florida Book Awards.

Santy Gutiérrez grew up in Vigo and now lives in Corunna (La Coruña), both seaside cities in Spain. In his career, he has won acclaim as the Best Spanish Young Editorial Cartoonist and Best Galician Caricaturist, among others. Santy founded the BAOBAB Studio Artists’ Collective and has been chairman of the AGPI (Galician Professional Illustrators Association) for six years. His wife, son, and friends are his personal inspiration.

“I’m so excited that readers will soon be able to get their hands on the latest book of the series! Once you’ve finished reading, I promise you’ll never look at a piñata the same way again!,” concluded Calejo.