|
Hispanic Culture Booklist for Children and Teens
|
Here are some of our favorite books that depict Hispanic cultures for children and teens. The teen selections on this list include both middle and high school titles.
|
|
|
|
|
La Guitarrista
by Lucky Diaz
In this inspiring tale of resilience, community and the power of music, Canta finds a broken guitar in the trash and now, since she's one step closer to being a rock star, will let nothing stop her from achieving her wildest dreams.
|
|
|
Martina Has Too Many Tias
by Emma Otheguy
Overwhelmed by her loud family, Martina sneaks away and finds herself in a magical place where she can finally play in peace and quiet, only to discover what truly makes a home a home.
|
|
|
Papa's Magical Water-jug Clock
by Jesâus Trejo
Little Jesus is excited to spend a Saturday with his landscaper Papâa at the "family business." He loves Papa's cool truck and all the tools he gets to use. Papa even puts him in charge of the magical water jug, which is also a clock! When it's empty, Papa explains, the workday will be done. It's a big job, and Jesus wants to do it right, but he just can't help giving water to an array of thirsty animals--a dog in a sweater, some very old cats, and a flock of peacocks. Before he knows it, the magical water jug is empty--but the workday's not over yet! Will Jesus be fired?! Or is the jug not really magical after all?
|
|
|
Beauty Woke
by NoNieqa Ramos
When Beauty, a proud Boricua of Taino Indian and African descent, sees how people who look like her are treated badly, she forgets what makes her special until everyone bands together to remind her of her beautiful heritage.
|
|
|
Tía Fortuna's New Home
by Ruth Behar
As her Aunt Tia prepares to move into an assisted living community, Estrella learns about both her Cuban and Jewish cultures as they learn to say goodbye together and explore a new beginning for Tia.
|
|
|
If Your Babysitter Is a Bruja
by Ana Siqueira
In this bouncy, bilingual picture book, a little girl is determined to prove her new babysitter is a bruja by using her imagination and plenty of tricks to have the best night-before-Halloween ever.
|
|
|
A Song of Frutas
by Margarita Engle
While visiting her grandfather, a singing street vendor in Cuba, a little girl helps him sell his frutas in this lively, rhythmic picture book that celebrates the special bond between a child and grandparent.
|
|
|
My Two Border Towns
by David Bowles
A boy and his father cross the United States-Mexico border every other Saturday, visiting their favorite places, spending time with family and friends, and sharing in the responsibility of community care.
|
|
|
Zonia's Rain Forest
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Enjoying days spent with animal friends near her home in the Amazon, young Zonia wonders what to do on a day when the rainforest calls out to her for help in a lushly illustrated story that is complemented by back matter about the Asháninka community.
|
|
|
Imagine
by Juan Felipe Herrera
The former U.S. Poet Laureate and the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Nana in the City trace the author's experiences as the son of migrant farmworkers, describe the sensory experiences that enriched his imagination, and reflect on his pursuits of an education and writing career. Please note, this title can be found in the Easy Non-fiction section of the library.
|
|
|
Aniana del Mar Jumps in
by Jasminne Mendez
Aniana del Mar belongs in the water like a dolphin belongs to the sea, but she and Papi keep her swim practices and meets hidden from Mami, who has never recovered from losing someone she loves to the water years ago. Until the day Ani's stiffness and swollen joints mean she can no longer get out of bed, and Ani is forced to reveal just how important swimming is to her. What follows is the journey of a girl who must grieve who she once was in order to rise like the tide and become the young woman she is meant to be.
|
|
|
The Cursed Moon
by Angela Cervantes
Rafael Fuentes isn't easily scared. He loves writing ghost stories, reading scary books, and entertaining his friends with terrifying tales he creates on the spot. Rafa has come up against enough real-life scary situations that fictional hauntings seem like no big deal. Rafa's incarcerated mom is being released from jail soon, and will be coming to live with him, his sister, and their grandparents. For the first time in a while, Rafa feels a pit of fear growing in his stomach. To take his mind off his mom's return, Rafa spends an evening crafting the scariest ghost story he's ever told. As an eerie blood moon hangs in the sky, Rafa tells a group of friends about The Caretaker, an evil ghost who lures unsuspecting kids into the neighborhood pond...and they don't ever come out. Rafa is really proud of his latest creation, until strange things start to happen around him. With a sinking feeling, Rafa realizes the Caretaker is real. Rafa has brought the ghost to life--and only he can stop him.
|
|
|
Merci Suârez Plays It Cool
by Meg Medina
Facing school drama and family dynamics while entering into an eighth grade year filled with changes, Merci Suárez must decide where her loyalty stands, as she discovers who she can count on—and what can change in an instant.
|
|
|
Falling Short
by Ernesto Cisneros
Star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac's parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father's approval by earning a spot on the school's basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short.
|
|
|
Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene
by Emma Otheguy
Confiding in her best friend Tricia about her family friend's secret plans to defect to the US, Sofia Acosta, a Cuban-American girl, discovers that Tricia doesn't want outsiders moving to their community and must speak up to find out where she belongs.
|
|
|
The Year I Flew Away
by Marie Arnold
Sent ahead of her parents to live with unfamiliar relatives in Brooklyn, a girl from 1985 Haiti makes a deal with a witch to become a “perfect American” to fit in with bullying peers, before discovering how much she has sacrificed for her wish.
|
|
|
Santiago's Road Home
by Alexandra Diaz
Fleeing abusive relatives and extreme poverty in Mexico, young Santiago endures being detained by ICE while crossing the border into the United States.
|
|
|
Knight of the Cape
by Terry Catasús Jennings
Longing to make a difference like the heroes in the classics she reads with her Abuela, Dominguita follows the examples of Don Quixote to do good deeds for her neighbors while proving to a class bully that girls can be knights, too.
|
|
|
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
by Meg Medina
Alienated from her more privileged classmates at a Florida private school, sixth-grade scholarship student Merci Suárez is targeted by a competitive rival at the same time her beloved grandfather begins to develop memory problems.
|
|
|
Barely Floating
by Lilliam Rivera
Channeling her rage into synchronized swimming dreams, 12-year-old Nat, who doesn't care what people think, fights for what she wants as she builds a community of those who lift her up and help her stay afloat when waters get rough.
|
|
|
The First To Die at the End
by Adam Silvera
With society divided by a new technology claiming to alert people on the day of their death, thousands sign up, and on day one, dozens receive their calls, including two boys destined for love until one receives the first End Day call.
|
|
|
Furia
by Yamile Saied Méndez
Seventeen-year-old Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star in Rosario, Argentina, dreams of playing professionally, in defiance of her fathers' wishes and at the risk of her budding romance with Diego.
|
|
|
Join the Club, Maggie Diaz
by Nina Moreno
Maggie Diaz of Miami is excited to start seventh-grade with her best friends, Zoey and Julian, and finally getting a cellphone of her own; but after school her friends are wrapped up in their various clubs, her mother is attending college, and her older sister Caro has her sports and tutoring, so Maggie decides that she will find a club to join as well--but trying out ALL the different clubs while still juggling school work is exhausting and confusing--and soon it seems like everybody is mad at her, and the cellphone of her dreams is getting further and further away
|
|
|
Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa
by Julian Randall
To save her cousin Natasha, who disappeared in the Dominican Republic 50 years ago, 12-year-old Pilar enters the mythical realm of Zafa where Natasha is being held captive, and goes head-to-head with the Dominican boogeyman to free her and return home.
|
|
|
Heartbreak Symphony
by Laekan Zea Kemp
When two musically gifted teens, Mia and Aaron, cross paths, they must work together to face their fears but soon discover something more terrifying than performing in front of an audience: falling in love.
|
|
|
Solimar : The Sword of the Monarchs
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Gifted with the ability to see the near future and tasked with protecting the young and weak monarch butterflies, princess-to-be Solimar must save her family, the kingdom and the future of the monarch butterflies from a greedy and dangerous king.
|
|
|
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Kaela Rivera
Privately questioning her remote community’s superstitions about dangerous powerful spirits in their Devil’s Alley home, Cecelia Rios experiments with the forbidden art of brujería to rescue her kidnapped sister.
|
|
|
Each Tiny Spark
by Pablo Cartaya
Sixth-grader Emilia Torres struggles with ADHD, her controlling abuela, her mother's work commitments, her father's distance after returning from deployment, evolving friendships, and a conflict over school redistricting.
|
|
|
Charlie Hernández & The League Of Shadows
by Ryan Calejo
Steeped in Hispanic folklore since childhood, middle schooler Charlie Hernández learns the stories are true when, shortly after his parents' disappearance, he grows horns and feathers and finds himself at the heart of a battle to save the world.
|
|
|
|
|
|