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“The Hispanic neighborhood in Soto’s 21 poems is brought sharply into focus by the care with which he records images of everyday life: the music of an ice cream vendor’s truck, the top of a refrigerator where old bread lies in plastic, dust released into the air when a boy strums a guitarDiaz’s woodcuts complement the poems perfectly: the silhouettes are fanciful and dynamic but do not draw attention from the words on the page.” — Publishers Weekly

Neighborhood Odes

Gary Soto

Illustrator:

David Diaz

Age Level:

9-12

Magic Moments

Olga Loya

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: In Xavier Garza’s bilingual kids’ book, young Carlitos attends his first lucha libre match in Mexico City. At ringside, Carlitos sees the famous luchador — the Man in the Silver Mask, a man whose eyes look terribly familiar. The masked wrestler even smiles at Carlitos! He is mesmerized as the Man in the Silver Mask is pitted against the terrible forces of evil — los rudos, the bad guys of lucha libre. They make the audience boo and hiss! In the end, though, the Man in the Silver Mask triumphs and, in the process, gains a lifelong fan.

Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask

Xavier Garza

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: In thirteen stories full of wit and energy, Gary Soto illuminates the ordinary lives of young people. Meet Angel, who would rather fork over twenty bucks than have photos of his naked body plastered all over school; Philip, who discovers he has a “mechanical mind,” whatever that means; Estela, known as Stinger, who rules José’s heart and the racquetball court; and many other kids, all of them with problems as big as only a preteen can make them.

Local News: Stories

Gary Soto

Age Level:

9-12

“Set in Puerto Rico in 1961, this story features Teresa Giraux and her best friend, Ana, who are looking forward to their fourth-grade teacher’s wedding and the Ponce junior queen competition — until Teresa’s pride and temper fracture their friendship. A socially ambitious seamstress, Teresa’s mother has never invited Ana on family outings because Ana is not only poorer, she’s also darker. Aided by one of her wealthy clients, Teresa’s mother enrolls Teresa in an exclusive academy. Then it is she and Teresa who feel the sting of discrimination.” — Booklist

In the Shade of the Nispero Tree

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

Age Level:

9-12

“In this turn-of-the-century novel, seventh-grader Teresa attends school in San Juan and travels home in time to celebrate the Feast of the Cross with her extended family, friends, and plantation workers on her parents’ fincaBelpré submitted Firefly Summer for publication during World War II, but it was rejected because of a paper shortage; it is available now because of a national project whose aim is to locate, identify, preserve, and make accessible the literary heritage of U.S. Hispanics.” — School Library Journal

Firefly Summer

Pura Belpré

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: Apolonia “Lina” Flores is a sock enthusiast, a volleyball player, a science lover, and a girl who’s just looking for answers. Even though her house is crammed full of books, she’s having trouble figuring out some very big questions, like why her dad seems to care about books more than her, why her best friend’s divorced mom is obsessed with making cascarones (hollowed eggshells filled with colorful confetti), and, most of all, why her mom died last year.

Confetti Girl

Diana López

Age Level:

9-12

“The Case of the Pen Gone Missing is a tricky one for a young sleuth. The hitherto unattainable Toots Rodriguez solicits Mickey’s help when she is accused of stealing a classmate’s special pen, the one actually touched by the President of the United States when he signed the bill sponsored by the classmate’s father. Mickey’s observational skills are blunted by his attraction to this deadly damsel in distress, but a timely tip from a mysterious ‘Angel’ puts him on the right track, and he not only finds the pen, but exposes the real culprit.” — Mystery Scene Magazine

The Case of the Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery

René Saldaña, Jr.

Age Level:

9-12

Araña Volume 1: Heart of the Spider

Fiona Avery , Mark Brooks

Age Level:

9-12

Product Description: Judith Ortiz Cofer’s award-winning collection of short stories focuses on life in the barrio. Rita is exiled to Puerto Rico for a summer with her grandparents after her parents catch her with a boy. Luis sits atop a six-foot mountain of hubcaps in his father’s junkyard, working off a sentence for breaking and entering. Sandra tries to reconcile her looks to the conventional Latino notion of beauty. And Arturo, different from his macho classmates, fantasizes about escaping his community.

An Island Like You

Judith Ortiz Cofer

Age Level:

9-12

Marc Aronson, Scott Reynolds Nelson

Age Level:

9-12

Genre:

Nonfiction, Biography, Fairytales, Folk Tales, and Tall Tales, Myths and Legends

When Tío Tomás speaks in Spanish and tells his nephew Carlos ancient stories from Mexico, he is animated and happy. When he has to speak in English, however, his bad mood makes him look like a rain cloud. Eventually the two of them find a solution that will allow them to know “twice as much as everyone else!” This realistic story provides an authentic look at the frustration many recent immigrants feel when they are struggling to learn a new language, as well as the opportunities that being bilingual provides.

Note: While the scene in which Carlos translates at a school conference is realistic, we strongly discourage schools from using students as translators for parent conferences.

Uncle Rain Cloud

Tony Johnston

Illustrator:

Fabricio Vanden Broeck

Age Level:

6-9

“Everybody in our family has different hair,” begins this loving celebration of diversity among family members. Papa’s hair is like a broom, Nenny’s hair is slippery, and Mama’s hair looks like rosettes and smells like warm bread. Terry Ybàñez’s colorful illustrations, bordered by imaginative drawings, capture the uniqueness of each family member and their joy in being together.

Hairs/Pelitos

Sandra Cisneros

Illustrator:

Terry Ybàñez

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: Cousins are friends and rivals. Cousins are funny and frustrating. But the most important thing is that cousins are family. From the moment they get together, the fun begins. Written in simple language for children ages 2-5, the brief English and Spanish text will become a valuable tool to encourage children to think and talk about their own families.

We Are Cousins

Diane Gonzales Bertrand

Illustrator:

Christina Rodriguez

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: Carolina lives in a village up in the Andes mountains. Today she and her mother are traveling into town to find a birthday gift for Carolina’s grandmother. There are so many things to see and so many gifts to choose from! Carolina’s Gift gives readers a fun and unique insight into what life might be like for a child growing up in mountain village of Peru.

Carolina’s Gift: A Story of Peru

Katacha Diaz

Illustrator:

Gredna Landolt

Age Level:

3-6

Product Description: Every Saturday, Maria Lili looks forward to making chicken sancocho with her grandparents. But one Saturday they discover that there is nothing in the house except eggs. Mama Ana has a plan, though, and taking the eggs with her, she invites Maria Lili to come to the market. Bold, cheerful watercolors evoke the busy atmosphere of the village markets of Central and South America. Reading Rainbow Book.