Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th-October 15th. This month is a time for Americans to particularly celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Here at MHL, we're celebrating with some of our favorite books for all ages by authors and illustrators of Hispanic heritage.
Children's Books
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Lowriders to the center of the Earth
by Cathy Camper Proudly opening their very own garage, the loveable trio from Lowriders in Space search for their missing cat only to find themselves in the realm of the Aztec god of the Underworld, in a graphic novel that introduces Spanish phrases and provides a glossary of terms. |
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Drum dream girl : how one girl's courage changed music
by Margarita Engle Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters. |
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Juana & Lucas
by Juana Medina A spunky young girl from Columbia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place. By the creator of One Big Salad. |
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Mango, Abuela, and me
by Meg Medina When Mia's Abuela comes to live with Mia and her family, she helps her learn English while Mia learns Spanish, both with the help of a parrot named Mango. |
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Viva Frida!
by Yuyi Morales Bilingual text, accompanied by colorful photographs, explores the famous artist's life, and illuminates the laughter, love, and tragedy that influenced her work |
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Green is a chile pepper : a book of colors
by Roseanne Thong A little girl discovers all the bright colors in her Hispanic American neighborhood. |
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The princess and the warrior : a tale of two voicanoes
by Duncan Tonatiuh A reimagining of one of Mexico's most cherished origin legends follows the experiences of a noble princess and a faithful but humble warrior whose devotion forms the volcanoes Iztaccfhuatl and PopocatTpetl. By the award-winning creator of Funny Bones. |
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Funny bones : Posada and his Day of the Dead calaveras
by Duncan Tonatiuh A portrait of the Mexican political cartoonist best known for his calavera animated skeleton depictions traces his life and artistic career while describing how his skeleton drawings have become synonymous with Mexico's Día de los Muertos festival. |
YA Books
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Labyrinth lost
by Zoraida Córdova Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. But she's hated magic ever since it made her father disappear into thin air. When a curse she performs to rid herself of magic backfires and her family vanishes, she must travel to Los Lagos, a land in-between as dark as Limbo and as strange as Wonderland, to get her family back. |
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The living
by Matt de la Peña Taking a summer job on a Pacific luxury cruise liner to help his struggling family, Shy anticipates a season of lucrative tips and pretty girlfriends only to have everything radically transformed by a massive California earthquake that jeopardizes the survival of everyone he knows. |
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Lion Island : Cuba's warrior of words
by Margarita Engle A novel in verse by the Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree traces the story of Antonio Chuffat, a young man of African, Chinese and Cuban descent who became a champion of civil rights during Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. |
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When the moon was ours
by Anna-Marie McLemore As their deep friendship turns to love, Latina teenager Miel, who grows roses from her wrist, and Italian-Pakistani Samir, a transgender boy, fear their secrets will be exposed by the beautiful Bonner girls, four sisters rumored to be witches. |
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Burn baby burn
by Meg Medina Enduring the infamous New York summer of 1977 in the wake of arson fires, a massive blackout and the Son of Sam serial killings, 17-year-old Nora Lopez navigates the additional stresses of her family's limited finances, her father's absence and her brother's growing violence. By the award-winning author of Tía Isa Wants a Car. |
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Shadowshaper
by Daniel José Older When her summer plans are interrupted by creepy supernatural phenomena, Sierra and her artist friend uncover the work of a magic-wielding killer who believes Sierra's family is hiding a powerful secret. A first young adult novel. |
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Juliet Takes a Breath
by Gabby Rivera Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn't sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that's going to help her figure out this whole "Puerto Rican lesbian" thing. She's interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women's bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff. Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? |
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Gabi, a girl in pieces
by Isabel Quintero Sixteen-year-old Gabi Hernandez chronicles her senior year in high school as she copes with her friend Cindy's pregnancy, friend Sebastian's coming out, her father's meth habit, her own cravings for food and cute boys, and especially, the poetry that helps forge her identity. |
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The inexplicable logic of my life
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Having believed he was happy with his place in the loving Mexican-American family he shares with his adoptive gay father, Sal turns angry and uncertain when his senior year arrives and he realizes that he wants to know more about his biological origins. By the author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. |
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They both die at the end
by Adam Silvera In a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, teenagers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day |
Adult Books
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How the García girls lost their accents
by Julia Alvarez Forced to flee their native Caribbean island after an attempted coup, the Garcias--Carlos, Laura, and their four daughters--must learn a new way of life in the Bronx, while trying to cling to the old ways that they loved |
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This is how you lose her
by Junot Díaz The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents a lyrical collection of stories that explores the heartbreak and radiance of love as it is shaped by passion, betrayal and the echoes of intimacy. |
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The distance between us : a memoir
by Reyna Grande The American Book Award-winning author of Across a Hundred Mountains traces her experiences as an undocumented child immigrant, describing how her parents' dreams of better opportunities for their family were marked by her father's violent alcoholism, her efforts to obtain a higher education and the inspiration of Latina authors. . |
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In the country we love : my family divided
by Diane Guerrero The star of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin presents her personal story of the real plight of undocumented immigrants in this country. |
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Twain & Stanley enter paradise
by Oscar Hijuelos A final novel by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is inspired by the friendship between 19th-century journalist-explorer Henry Stanley and Mark Twain throughout a journey to Cuba in search of Stanley's father. |
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Half-resurrection blues
by Daniel José Older An inbetweener who is partially resurrected from a death he barely recalls suffering, Carlos Delacruz, an agent for the New York Council of the Dead, must stop a sorcerer who is determined to open up the entrada to the Underworld and destroy the balance between the living and the dead. |
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When I was Puerto Rican : A Memoir
by Esmeralda Santiago Magic, sexual tension, high comedy, and intense drama move through an enchanted yet harsh autobiography, in the story of a young girl who leaves Puerto Rico for New York's tenements and a chance for success. |
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My beloved world
by Sonia Sotomayor The first Hispanic American on the U.S. Supreme Court shares the story of her life before becoming a judge, describing her youth in a Bronx housing project, the ambition that fueled her Ivy League education, and the individuals who helped shape her career. |