LQ ChampionS Diverse Voices in Children's Literature

About Us

Founded in 2019 by Arthur A. Levine, Levine Querido is a dedicated independent publisher committed to discovering and nurturing diverse, underrepresented voices in children's literature.


Our Mission

We strive to inspire a lifelong love of reading in young people. Our award-winning books have been recognized by prestigious institutions like the New York Times, NPR, and the American Library Association.


Our Publishing Focus

Levine Querido offers a diverse range of children's and adult books, publishing approximately 30 new titles annually. Our imprints include:

  • Arthur Levine: Original English-language children's and adult books

  • Em Querido: Books in translation from around the world

  • Ediciones LQ: Spanish-language titles from our catalog

  • Lantern Paperbacks: Paperback editions of bestselling titles

  • ReLit: Reissues of out-of-print works by underrepresented authors (2025)

The LQ Advantage

Our small, agile team of seven allows us to:

  • Prioritize Author Development: Provide personalized attention and support to our authors.

  • Adapt Quickly: Respond effectively to industry changes and opportunities.

  • Secure Media Attention: Garner recognition and exposure for our authors through targeted campaigns.

A Commitment to Diversity

Levine Querido is proud to feature a diverse array of voices in our catalog. Our authors and illustrators represent a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, ensuring that our books resonate with readers from all walks of life.

Discover Our Award-Winning Titles

Explore our extensive catalog, featuring Newbery Medal, Pura Belpré Medal, Walter Dean Myers Award, and Michael L. Printz Award winners.


The Team

 

Arthur A. Levine founded Levine Querido in April 2019, after a 23-year tenure as the President and Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic. He founded Arthur A. Levine Books in 1996, coming over from Knopf Books for Young Readers where he had been Editor in Chief. His determination to bring a diverse selection of "The Best of the World's Literature for Young People" to American readers was the guiding principle in all of AALB’s publishing since its beginnings, and continues to be the guiding light at Levine Querido. This mission resulted in the introduction to North American audiences of the work of great writers such as J. K. Rowling, Markus Zusak, Nahoko Uehashi, Daniella Carmi, Luis Sepúlveda, and Jaclyn Moriarty. Arthur sees this search for great writers from around the world as a continuum with Levine Querido’s search for diverse, powerful, unique voices and visions from the multitude of cultures closer to home. In addition to overseeing the company, Arthur edits between eight and ten books annually.

 

 

Nick Thomas is Executive Editor at Levine Querido. Previously, he was Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, where he started as an Editorial Assistant. He has also held positions with Bloomsbury, Chicken House, and David Fickling Books before returning to his AALB roots. He edits middle grade and young adult books, and looks for stories that change something about you by the time you’re finished.

 

 

Antonio Gonzalez Cerna is the Executive Director, Marketing & Publicity at Levine Querido. He has 19 years experience developing marketing, advertising, and social media strategies for adult and children’s book publishers such as Hachette Book Group, Penguin Books USA, and Scholastic, as well as for non-profit institutions including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Lambda Literary Foundation. An advocate for diversity, inclusion, and equality, he has proudly served on the Children’s Book Council Diversity Committee, Lambda Literary Awards Host Committee, and is a founding member of Latinx in Publishing. He’s passionate about graphic novels, graffiti, and guacamole.

 

 

Irene Vázquez is an Associate Editor at Levine Querido. Irene graduated from Yale with a BA in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and English. Irene read the Percy Jackson series out of order in elementary school by accident and has been passionate about children’s books ever since. Outside of LQ, Irene is a poet and journalist who likes drinking coffee, watching Queen Sugar and reminding folks that the South has something to say.

 

 

Danielle Maldonado is Assistant Managing Editor at Levine Querido. She obtained her BA in Comparative Literature and Global Studies from UC Santa Barbara and completed the Inkluded Academy publishing program in New York. She believes a good book at the right age can evoke curiosity, inspire empathy, and cement a love for reading. Her favorite reading spot is on her couch, nestled between her two dogs. 

 

 

Kerry Taylor is Marketing and Publicity Coordinator at Levine Querido. Originally from Northern California, Kerry has a BA in English from Scripps College and is a 2022 graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course. Before working for LQ, she interned at Henry Holt & Company, InkWell Management, and educational nonprofit 826 Valencia. Outside children’s books, her interests include sharks, avant-garde video games, and any story that leaves her deeply unsettled.

 

Interns, Former Interns, Freelancers & LQ Extended Family Members


 

Alice Ganges is a current intern at Levine Querido. She was born in Poland, raised in Pennsylvania, and moved to Washington D.C. after earning a B.A. in Political Science and Environmental Studies at Guilford College. In her free time, Alice is often found talking about books to anyone that listens — whether they are friends, strangers at a bookstore, or even her phone’s camera (but only when recording content for her BookTok account).

 

 

Allison DeRose was an intern at Levine Querido in the summer of 2022. She currently attends Georgetown University, pursuing a BS in Physics and Psychology. At Georgetown, she's a member of the editorial staff at The Voice, the school's prominent student-run news magazine. She is passionate about queer love stories, hyper-specific Spotify playlists, and collecting books faster than she can read them.

Allison DeRose
 

 

Jenna Meyer interned at Levine Querido in the summer of 2022. She currently attends Ringling College of Art and Design and is pursuing a BFA in Illustration, and a minor in Creative Writing. She previously worked on the editing team of Ringling’s student-run, international literary journal, Shift—A Journal of Literary Oddities, where she helped curate a truly strange, unique collection of art, short stories, and poetry.

Jenna Meyer
 

 

Madison Werthmann interned at Levine Querido in the fall of 2021. They graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Sociology. Since then, they have been many things: a cookie dough maker, a title examiner, an essay editor, a rehab coach, and a bookseller. Given their current path, you might guess which job was their favorite. When not at work, you may find them trying to control their three mischievous cats or diving into the worlds of graphic novels and manga. 

Madison Werthmann
 

 

Joo Hee Park interned at Levine Querido in the summer of 2021. She also works as an intern at Archipelago Books. She has eased her way into publishing somewhat circuitously through different internships—first at Poets House, then the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, Ayesha Pande Literary, and now Levine Querido, where she has been inspired by the dedication to truly honor a multitude of talent, stories, and voices.

Joo Hee Park
 

 

Bobby Lewis was an editorial assistant at Levine Querido in the spring of 2022. He graduated Pace University for an MS in Publishing. As an undergraduate student he earned his BA in English from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he was a writing tutor and English class TA, and after a stint as a New Dramatists theatre intern and Pipeline Theatre Company play reader, finally found his way to publishing through an internship at Writers House. Bobby is especially drawn towards YA novels, whose characters he finds strongly encourage wonder and empathy through their journeys of self-discovery, and he ultimately hopes to acquire and edit such books.

Bobby Lewis
 

 

Yvonne Tapia is a former Freelance Marketing Associate and intern at Levine Querido. She assists with projects across departments. Yvonne entered the publishing world when she began her internship at W. W. Norton & Company. She has also worked in the educational and media fields. With a long-term enthusiasm for children’s and young adult books, she has been involved at Housing Works Bookstore, 2019 Brooklyn Book Festival, and Latinx in Publishing. Yvonne is excited about the power of storytelling, and dedicated to engage content visibility in underrepresented communities.

Yvonne Tapia
 

 

Deavihan Scott was an intern at Levine Querido in the winter of 2021. She is currently a junior at Wellesley College where she studies English Literature with a concentration in creative writing. Previously, she was an intern at Scholastic and the National Book Foundation where she fostered her enthusiasm for the power of storytelling and love for children's literature. Deavihan is passionate about book accessibility to young readers in marginalized communities. She is always excited to talk about mozzarella sticks and rom-coms (for both, the cheesier the better).

Deavihan Scott
 

 

Allegra Martschenko interned at Levine Querido in the Spring of 2020. Previously, she worked as the Sales Intern at Princeton University Press while pursuing her B.A in Architecture with a minor in Creative Writing. She's dedicated to the construction of new realities that both architecture and children's books promise.

Allegra Martschenko
 

 

Jas Perry is a literary agent and children’s author. Previously in editorial with Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, she left with the team to start up LQ in 2019. Some of her favorite titles she assisted on include APPLE (SKIN TO THE CORE) by Eric Gansworth, FRONT DESK by Kelly Yang, LUPE WONG WON’T DANCE by Donna Barbra Higuera, and TWINS by Varian Johnson & Shannon Wright. Jas continues to adore the LQ team—even though Nick Thomas forgot to include her on this list until the year 2024.