Julia Alvarez

b. 1950

1 series 5 books in order 1 standalone book

Julia Alvarez is a Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist born in 1950. She was born in New York City, but her family returned to the Dominican Republic shortly after her birth. Ten years later, they fled to the United States due to her father's involvement in a plot to overthrow the dictator Rafael Trujillo. Alvarez has written novels, including How the García Girls Lost Their Accents, In the Time of the Butterflies, and ¡Yo!, as well as collections of poems such as Homecoming and The Other Side/El Otro Lado. She has also written nonfiction and books for young readers, including the Tía Lola Stories series and Before We Were Free. Her work has earned her the Pura Belpré and Américas Awards, the Hispanic Heritage Award, and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award. In 2013, she received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama.

Born: 1950
Known for: The Tia Lola Stories

Series by Julia Alvarez

The Tia Lola Stories

4 books in order · 2001–2011

How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay

2001 · Julia Alvarez

An endearing family story from the international bestselling author of How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies…
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How Tia Lola Learned to Teach

2010 · Julia Alvarez

Tía Lola has been invited to teach Spanish at her niece and nephew’s elementary school. But Miguel wants nothing to do with the arrangement. On the…
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How Tia Lola Saved the Summer

2011 · Julia Alvarez

Miguel Guzman isn't exactly looking forward to the summer now that his mother has agreed to let the Sword family—a father, his three daughters, and…
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How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over

2011 · Julia Alvarez

Welcome to Tia Lola's bed and breakfast! With the help of her niece and nephew and the three Sword Sisters, Tía Lola is opening the doors of Colonel…
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Standalone books

In the Time of the Butterflies

2010
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Frequently asked questions

How many books has Julia Alvarez written?

We list 5 books by Julia Alvarez across 1 series, published between 2001–2011 — each shown in full reading order.

What order should I read Julia Alvarez's books?

Read each series in publication order. A good place to start is “How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay.” Open any series above for its complete numbered reading order.

Where can I buy Julia Alvarez's books?

Every title links to Amazon from its series page — see our affiliate disclosure in the footer for how that supports the site.

Reading order compiled from author/publisher guidance and verified bibliographic data. Spotted a wrong order, a missing book, or any other mistake? and we'll correct it.