George Lopez Releases Latest Book In Middle Grade ‘ChupaCarter’ Series

The new book furthers the actor and comedian's efforts for more Latino representation in media

George Lopez isn’t afraid to represent his roots. The actor’s early 2000s sitcom, George Lopez, has long been loved for its portrayal of an American Latino family, and his stand-up comedy, such as Netflix’s We’ll Do It For Half, incorporates Mexican-American humor and pride. His accolades are also extensive; being named Honorary Mayor of Los Angeles for his relief efforts for Central American earthquake victims, as well as one of TIME Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America, are just a few.

Since 2022, however, Lopez has been furthering Latino representation through a new medium: his middle grade book series, ChupaCarter.

The books, written with Ryan Colejo and illustrated by Santy Gutiérrez, follow twelve-year-old Jorge, who is sent to live with his grandparents in New Mexico. While there, he befriends a talking chupacabra named Carter, finds a home amongst upheaval and goes on adventures along the way. The series’ second book, ChupaCarter and the Haunted Piñata, published May 30, has the duo investigating a haunted party decoration.

Lopez shares much in common with Jorge, his middle school protagonist. Like Jorge, Lopez grew up with his grandparents, though in Los Angeles, after he was abandoned by his parents. Lopez states that his grandfather was strict and the insecurity of growing up without his mother and father often weighed on him.

“I was really maybe the most isolated kid of all the kids that I grew up around,” Lopez tells PEOPLE. “They had their parents and brothers and sisters and things, and I didn't.”

Childhood was also difficult due to discrimination. Lopez remembers hearing stories about teachers telling Latino students to “laugh in English” in school. His grandfather was another target of harassment due to speaking Spanish; Lopez once stood up for him when he was berated at a restaurant, saying that he “didn’t feel like taking it.”

It was because of these hardships that Lopez says he developed his active imagination, as well as a sense of belonging amongst his friends. In the books, Jorge’s human friends, Ernie and Liza, are always by his side. Lopez made many of his companions on the Little League team, where they formed a special bond.

“I had friends that are still my friends to this day,” Lopez says. “They were a little goofy and quirky and funny…all of that kind of went into the book.”

Both ChupaCarter books also draw on Mexican folklore. Lopez remembers seeing the chupacabra as a child, and the experience made its way into the novels. The latest book is also inspired by events that happened to the author at a Day of the Dead party.

ChupaCarter’s incorporation of Mexican culture, as well as its characters’ use of Spanglish, is a reminder of Lopez’ influence within Latino representation, both in fiction and real life. He is observant of the way that Hollywood is increasingly uplifting the community’s voices in all areas of production.

“20 years ago you couldn't find…a Latina director [or] a Latino showrunner,” Lopez says. “Now you have actors and actresses and people that weren't available in front of and behind the camera.”

When he isn’t writing, Lopez stars in the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez alongside his daughter Mayan. The show’s father-daughter relationship is particularly important to Lopez, as it gives him a chance to see his daughter shine as both series co-creator and actress.

Related: How George Lopez and Daughter Mayan Mended a Rift: 'We Really Became a Family Again'

“NBC means a lot to me because those were all the people that I admired on TV,” Lopez says. “And then to bring your daughter along with you is just something. To see Mayan do the things that she's done in this last year…I could not have imagined anything like it.”

Lopez holds a similar hope for success for his ChupaCarter readers as well. He wants them to take away an important lesson from the series and its latest installment.

“Stay in there because good things can happen,” he says. “You really never know.”

ChupaCarter and the Haunted Piñata is now available from Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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