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Hispanic Culture Booklist
for Children and Teens
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Rafa Counts on Papá
by Joe Cepeda
A heartwarming story about a son and his papa who love to measure everything, including their love for each other, is perfect for Fathers Day and every day.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Kitchen Dance
by Maurie Manning
Two sleepy children sneak out of their beds to watch as their parents, who love each other very much, break into a dance while washing the dishes.
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Brick by Brick
by Heidi Sheffield
This book celebrates the warm bond between a little boy and his bricklayer father as they work side by side to help build their city home and achieve the goals of their future.
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The Little House of Hope
by Terry Catasús Jennings
Arriving in the U.S. from Cuba, Esperanza and her family rent a little house that, though small, becomes a home for other immigrant families in need of a safe place to stay in a new land.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Way to Rio Luna
by Zoraida Córdova
Holding fast to the belief that his runaway older sister is waiting for him in the enchanted fairy-tale realm of their childhood, an 11-year-old foster child begins losing faith before discovering a mysterious library book that provides a direct map to his imaginary world.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Tumble
by Celia C. Pérez
While trying to make a life-changing decision, 12-year-old Adela Ramirez searches for her birth father, which leads her to the legendary Bravos, professional wrestlers who teach her what it really means to be part of a family.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The First Rule of Punk
by
Celia C. Pérez
When her first day at a new school is overshadowed by a clash with a queen bee and her dress code violating punk-rock clothes, 12-year-old Malú listens to her faraway dad's advice and resolves to be herself by pursuing the interests she loves and standing up to an anti-punk administration.
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Forsyth County Public Library | #WeKnowBooks
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