Amanda Heger asked Amanda Heger:

How much Spanish is there in Without Borders? Will I be able to follow if I don't speak Spanish? Is there anything important to know about the Spanish in this story?

Amanda Heger There's some Spanish in the book, but not a ton. When Spanish is used, I tried to use context clues in a way that makes the story accessible to those who might not speak Spanish.

As far as things to know, that's tough. In Spanish there are formal ways to address others as well as more informal speech. Nicaraguan Spanish tends toward the formal, so I did my best to include that in Without Borders. Also, like every language, there are regional differences in what words mean. For example, in Nicaragua the word for star fruit is what most Spanish-speaking countries would use for peach. I did my very best to make the Spanish as true to the country as possible. However, I'm also super imperfect, and I may have screwed it up in places. If so, my sincerest apologies to my Spanish-speaking readers.

And now I've typed "Spanish" so often, it no longer looks like a real word to me.

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