Charlotte author Erika Ferrari Lopez burst on the children’s literature scene in 2023 with the publication of her debut children’s book, The Adventures of Amazing Grace. In a glowing review that appeared in Kirkus, the reviewer proclaimed, “This diverting, good-natured tale, like its indelible young hero, soars.” Encouraged by the positive response to her first book, Erika has written a sequel titled The Adventures of Amazing Grace: Secrets of the Time Machine, which just came out this month.
I contacted Erika and asked her about the story behind her Amazing Grace books. Here is what she sent to me:
My family moved to Charlotte in 2015 from Northern Virginia. We settled into the Dilworth neighborhood and love the walkability to restaurants and visiting Freedom Park. I began writing memoir and essays after hearing Kathy Izard speak at my church and subsequently meeting her for coffee. She has since become a mentor, and I even worked for her when she launched her children’s picture book, A Good Night for Mr. Coleman.
My writing group WordPlay, run by Maureen Ryan Griffin, has taught me so much about writing, story structure, pacing, and voice. The authors in the group write everything-poetry, fiction, memoir- and when I told them I was switching gears from essays to a 3rd grade novel, they were all supportive and excited to help The Adventures of Amazing Grace fly into the world.
The inspiration for The Adventures of Amazing Grace came from a dream. A few years after my mother passed away from pancreatic cancer, I dreamt that I showed my mom that I could hover over a puddle. My mom responded, “That’s wonderful! Watch this!” and flew up to the ceiling of a great auditorium. Then she taught me how to fly higher and further than I ever thought possible.
The next evening, my eight-year-old daughter, Sophia, asked me to tell her a bedtime story. I began, “There once was a girl named…”, “Grace!” my daughter interrupted. “And Grace realized she could fly…” I continued.
Our bedtime story ended up lasting weeks, and at some point, Sophia begged me to write it all down. I would race to the computer every night after my daughter fell asleep to capture the story in writing. The next two years were spent writing and editing, sharing and receiving feedback from beta readers, and finally bringing the story to life in The Adventures of Amazing Grace.
The first book follows 3rd grader Grace as she discovers that she has inherited the gift of flight from her female, Guatemalan ancestors. The book features Spanish words and phrases translated in the margins and is formatted in a dyslexic-friendly font and format for accessibility. Themes include overcoming fear to listen to your heart and using your gifts in the world.
The sequel, Secrets of the Time Machine, released on Friday, August 21, 2026. This book is an exciting time-travel adventure with the same lovable characters from the first book and more Spanish words and phrases translated throughout. Like the first book, it is formatted in a dyslexic-friendly font and format, but we also discover that Grace is dyslexic in this book. With real-life depictions of dyslexia in the classroom and at home, children can see themselves in the pages of the story and build empathy for others. Themes include learning from the past, cycle-breaking, and forgiveness.
Both books are geared toward 2nd-4th graders, but they can be enjoyed as a read aloud to younger children, or as a short read for anyone who loves stories of friendship, family, and magic.
In reading other books with my daughter, I noticed the lack of positive, exciting stories for middle grade readers that feature strong female protagonists and healthy friendships. I also realized how underrepresented children that had grown up in bilingual households are in children’s literature. As an author, I enjoyed incorporating elements from our own lives and culture into the books. Grace is bicultural—her dad is from Argentina and her mom is from Guatemala. Her family eats empanadas and tamales. Characters speak Spanish and English.
Learning that my own daughter is dyslexic led to the dyslexia depictions and formatting, because dyslexic children should see themselves in stories as well. Especially since my daughter co-created the first book! I use my author Instagram platform to highlight information about learning disabilities and bilingual and cultural information. Parents and educators can find ‘highlights’ about Dyslexia, ADHD, and other topics on my profile page as well as podcast episodes in my links.
My favorite part about this journey has been sharing about the books and the writing process in author visits to schools. Over the last three years, I have visited various schools in CMS, private schools, and dyslexia-focused schools in NC, SC, GA, and TX. I believe that representation is so important and bringing a book with a little Latina girl on the cover to schools with high Latin American populations, or a book that depicts dyslexia to schools that serve children with learning disabilities has been so powerful. I’ve received beautiful thank you notes from students that say “thank you for writing a book for kids like me,” and I will never get over that.
Local stores have been incredible to work with, especially Park Road Books, that hosted my first book’s launch in 2023 and will host the first talk and signing for this book on August 29th at 3pm. CLT Find has been another great partner, carrying my books in both of their locations. I am attending Books on the House Bookapalooza at Truist Field for the first time this year and frequently participate in Front Paige book fairs at OMB and other locations in Charlotte.
I’m partnering with a wonderful non-profit called Generation WE to bring a writing workshop called “The Adventures of Amazing YOU” to Charlotte-area schools. I’m also working with Despierta, a Charlotte non-profit that serves Latina youth and women with empowerment and mental health support, to bring programming based on the inspirational messages from the books to their Bonita Rising participants.
For more information about Erika and her books, please click on the following link: https://www.erikaferrarilopez.com
For more information about Erika’s upcoming book signing at Park Road Books on August 29 from 3:00 to 4:00, please click on the following link: https://parkroadbooks.com/event/2026-08-29/erika-ferrari-lopez-discusses-her-new-book-secrets-time-machine
I congratulate Erika on the publication of Secrets of the Time Machine. Erika’s Amazing Grace books are welcomed additions to the amazing and diverse collection of children’s books by Storied Charlotte writers.