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 Marketing Director at Levine Querido. He has 15 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 and Publicist 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.

Arely Guzmán is an Assistant Editor at Levine Querido. Previously, they were an editorial assistant at Knopf Books for Young Readers, and an editorial intern at Bloomsbury, Writers House, and Kweli Journal. They’re looking for middle grade and young adult books that will reverberate with the in-between communities, and fantastic stories for children who never saw themselves as protagonists. In their spare time, Arely can be found watching little gay cartoons, killing all their plants, and advocating that therapy should be accessible and inclusive.  

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 a Marketing Assistant 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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.