Ally Azzarelli - Selena Gomez: Latina TV and Music Star

Selena Gomez started in show business at a young age on the childrens program Barney & Friends. But her big break came when she got a starring role in the hit show Wizards of Waverly Place. Learn more about her movies, her boyfriends, and her band, Selena Gomez and the Scene.

Quotes, personal stories, and accessible features such as a timeline and glossary make this a book everyone will want to read.

Meet Selena Gomez, TV and singing phenom. Read about her family and how her career has blossomed.

About the Author

Ally Azzarelli began writing about celebrities at age 12 for Long Island Newsdays Kidsday column. She has interviewed Justin Timberlake, Beyonc, and Britney Spears. Ally enjoys music, movies, and spending time with her husband, Andrew, and their cat, Chocolate.

Selena Gomez arrives at the Peoples Choice Awards in Los Angeles on January 5, 2011.

Little kids often find one movie they enjoy so much, they cant stop watching it. My favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz, Selena told US Weekly magazine. Judy Garland is the reason I wanted to become an actress. From the moment she saw the movie, Selena set out to reach her dream.

Selena Marie Gomez was born on July 22, 1992, to her mom, stage actress Amanda Mandy, and dad, Ricardo. Selena is proudly named after the popular 1990s Mexican-American pop singer Selena. Sadly, the singer she was named after was murdered by her fan club president.

My mom had me when she was 16, Selena told J-14 magazine. We lived paycheck to paycheck, Selena said about their hard times. Selenas parents split up when she was about five. The divorce wasnt easy for Selena. She and her mom lived in Grand Prairie, Texas, to be closer to her maternal grandmother.

Selena is a family girl. She is very close with her grandma and grandpa whom she calls Nana and Papa. Her grandma helped raise her. She is very tight with her mom, who helps manage her career. When Selena was fourteen, her mom married Brian, who became Selenas stepdad.

Selena and her mother arrive at a Teen Vogue party in September 2008.

Though she is very close with her stepdad, Selena still keeps in touch with her birth father. Born an only child, she loves her cousins and considers her friends and costars her siblings. Selenas mom helped inspire her to become an actress. My mom did theater. I loved memorizing her lines with her and watching her rehearse. I told her that I wanted to do what she did, but on television.

Full Name: Selena Marie Gomez

Namesake: Selena Quintanilla Texas as a state is very proud of Selena. My dad and family loved her. So when my mother got pregnant with me, he wanted to name me Selena, after her. As I got older and could understand why I was named after her, I went to visit her grave and where she used to perform.

Nicknames: Sel and Selly

Birthday: July 22, 1992

Ethnicity: Mexican and Italian

Height: 5 5

Family: Dad, Ricardo Joel Gomez, and mom, Mandy Teefey, and stepdad, Brian Teefey. Selena is an only child.

You May Not Know : Selena stepfather, Brian, is starting to manage aspiring singers and actors. He discovered New Jersey YouTube singer/pianist Christina Grimmie and hooked her up with a slot on Selenas 2011 summer tour!

Selena was bitten by the acting bug by about age seven. It was around this time in 1999, that she auditioned for the childrens show Barney & Friends. The show was created and taped in the Dallas, Texas, area. Lucky for Selena, the show hired talented kids from nearby cities like Grand Prairie. I was definitely nervous, Selena described her very first audition experience to PBS Kids. She didnt even have an agent at that time. I was very shy when I was younger. I remember we had to wait in this line with about 1400 other kids and I didnt know what I was doing. But then when I got to the audition, I realized it was just running lines, just like I always did with my mom. It was scary but it was fun at the same time.

Movies:The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland

Music: Fall Out Boy, Christina Aguilera, Paramore

Actress: Rachel McAdams

Actor: Johnny Depp

Celebrity Crush: Shia LaBeouf

Celebrity Friends: Justin Bieber, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, and Nick Jonas

Foods: Pizza, mushrooms, jalapenos, Thanksgiving stuffing, shrimp, and pickles

Snacks: Rocky road ice cream, frozen yogurt from Pinkberry, and chocolate chip cookies

Hobbies: Skateboarding, surfing, singing

Color: Green

Selena met her BFF, fellow Texan Demi Lovato, at the Barney & Friends audition. They happened to be standing next to each other in the very long line. To pass the time, Selena asked Demi to sit and color with her. Demi told People magazine, from that moment on, Selena has been my best friend in the entire world. The girls were thrilled to both land an acting gig on Barney & Friends. Selena shined as little Gianna and Demi as Angela. I learned everything from that show, Selena told the CBS Early Show. Its such a wonderful memory to me. A lot of people would be embarrassed to say they were on Barney. I embrace the fact and I had such a wonderful time doing that show.

Full Name: Demetria Devonne Demi Lovato

Birthday: August 20, 1992

Siblings: Older sister, Dallas, and a younger half sister, Madison

Where Youve Seen Demi: Camp Rock movies. She also starred as Sonny Munroe on Sonny With a Chance

Demi & Selena Projects: In addition to Barney & Friends, they starred in Princess Protection Program together and Selena also appeared on Sonny With a Chance

Common Bonds: Like her friend Selena, Demi is from Texasas kids they lived 25 miles away from each otherand is both Mexican and Italian. Demis and Selenas parents divorced when they were young. The girls are both singers/actresses. They were also homeschooled together because of their acting schedules.