Who Is Rita Moreno? (Who Was?) - Softcover

Taboas Zayas, G. M.; Who HQ

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593891066 ISBN 13: 9780593891063

Publisher: Penguin Workshop, 2026

Synopsis

How did a girl growing up near the rainforests of Puerto Rico become a Hollywood star and the first Puerto Rican woman to win an Academy Award? Find out in this addition to the Who HQ library!

Before she was Rita Moreno, Rosita Dolores Alverío emigrated to New York City from Puerto Rico with her mother when she was five years old. With a talent for dancing and performing, she started her career on the stage at age nine. By the time she was thirteen, Rita made her Broadway debut! Best known for her role in West Side Story, Rita became the first Puerto Rican woman to win an Academy Award and eventually the first Latina woman in history to win an EGOT, all four of the major entertainment awards.  

After thriving in Hollywood and on Broadway, Rita found joy in children’s television, and became a regular cast member with The Electric Company and a guest star on The Muppets. While sharing her love for music, dancing, and performing, she also focused on political activism in the 1960s, supporting Martin Luther King Jr. and the idea that by working together, change can be made for the better. Learn all about the career and life of the inspirational Hollywood and Broadway star Rita Moreno in this biography for young readers!

About this title

About the Author

G. M. Taboas Zayas is a writer and editor living in New York City. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she is an MFA graduate who writes young adult fantasy and horror and loves chocolate, not-too-scary movies, and cartoons.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Who Is Rita Moreno?


During the Academy Awards ceremony on April 9, 1962, a talented Puerto Rican actress named Rita Moreno sat and waited with her friends. She’d been nominated for the award of best supporting actress for her role as Anita in the movie West Side Story. The Academy Awards celebrates people in the film industry for their outstanding work.

Rita had flown all the way to Los Angeles, California, from the Philippines, where she was working on a film called Cry of Battle. She was so excited just to be attending the awards ceremony that she didn’t even have a speech prepared.

They announced the first few winners: Maximilian Schell won best actor for Judgment at Nuremberg, George Chakiris won best supporting actor for West Side Story, then Sophia Loren won best actress for Two Women.

Finally, it was time to announce who won best supporting actress. Rock Hudson, an American actor, was presenting the award. He read out the names of the other nominated actors: Judy Garland, Fay Bainter, Lotte Lenya, and Una Merkel, all talented and famous women—-but Rita was the only Puerto Rican person and the only woman of color nominated for the award. When Rock Hudson announced Rita as the winner, she was speechless! She was the first Puerto Rican woman to win an Academy Award! When she walked to the stage to accept her award, Rita didn’t quite know what to say. She’d been performing since she was a little girl, dancing and acting in front of her family and friends, auditioning and acting in movies for the chance to be a star. On that stage, Rita felt like her dream was finally coming true.

“I can’t believe it!” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

That same night back in New York City, where Rita lived for most of her childhood, people throughout the city celebrated her win. Puerto Ricans in El Barrio—-meaning “neighborhood” or “district” in Spanish—-also known as Spanish Harlem because of the large Hispanic and Latin communities who lived there, cried out, “She won! She won!” From their windows and out on the streets they yelled: “She did it!”

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Workshop
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0593891066
• ISBN 13: 9780593891063
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Foley Tim
• Number of pages: 112