Great Hispanic Authors
This is the best book I read this summer. It is truly amazing. In a series of free-verse poems, Libertad describes the events leading up to his mother's accidental death in the Guatemalan dump where the family picks garbage and his subsequent journey north with his little brother, Julio, and a dog to find his father in the United States. Desperate and determined, the boys depend on their wits, the kindness of people they meet on their way, and a bit of good fortune. They play a marimba picked from the trash, work in fields and a tortilla factory, and even beg on the streets of Mexico City. Basing her story on the experiences of actual migrant children, Fullerton conveys their struggle in simple but carefully chosen words and images.
Benjamin Alire Saenz, a winner of thePEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and American Book Award, has written multiple works of young adult fiction, including his latest work Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe. Saenz, who came out as gay in the late 2000s, draws upon his own experience to write books that explore LGBT rights, Latino issues, and more. Aristotle follows the titular character, an angry teen with a brother in prison. When he meets Dante, a total know-it-all, they have nothing in common. As the two loners (both Latinos!) begin spending more and more time together, they begin to come to terms with their own manhood and their identities as Mexican and American.
Sandra Cisneros’ beloved classic The House On Mango Street has been read by middle school, high school, and college students for years — for a good reason. The book follows Mexican-American child Esperanza as she struggles to find a way to achieve her dreams while staying true to her roots in the humble house on Mango Street. Told through a series of vignettes, the novel beautifully captures the spirit and culture of her Mexican-American neighborhood.
Her latest novel Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia follows the adventures of the dour, gloomy Frenchie Garcia, a girl with a slightly unhealthy obsession with death and the poetry of Emily Dickinson. A friend's suicide throws Frenchie for a loop... and forces her to really explore loss and adulthood.
Pam Muñoz Ryan has dedicated her life to writing children’s novels that accurately portray the Latino experience. Her most famous work, Esperanza Rising, garnered critical acclaim and won the Pura Belpré Award for its honest portrayal of young Esperanza, a wealthy Mexican girl forced to move to California during the Great Depression. The novel sheds light both on the immigrant experience and on the turmoil of coming into one's own identity.
Esmeralda Santiago made her mark on Latino literature with her 2006 novel When I Was Puerto Rican. The memoir follows Esmeralda's childhood as she journeys from her native Puerto Rico to New York City. Esmeralda must learn how to take on an entirely new identity — without leaving her Puerto Rican self behind.
Cuban-American author Margarita Engle has written a number of young adult novels entirely in verse. In 2009, she became the first Latino author to win the Newbery Honor, one of the most prestigious awards for children’s literature in the United States. Her latest work, The Lightning Dreamer, tells the tale of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, a feminist and abolitionist who bravely resisted slavery in nineteenth century Cuba.
When it comes to writing for teenage girls, no one does it better than Malin Alegria. Her latest novel Sofi Mendoza's Guide To Getting Lost In Mexico follows a Mexican-born California girl named Sofi who sneaks off to Tijuana for a wild weekend of fun with her friends. She gets quite a shock when the border patrol discovers her green card is a counterfeit. Until her legal issues can be sorted out, Sofi is stuck in Baja, Mexico, with relatives she barely even knows.
Cuban-American author Christina Diaz Gonzalez writes young adult novels focused on Latina characters. Her latest novel, A Thunderous Whisper, follows a 12-year-old Spanish girl named Ani during the Spanish Civil War. When Nazis overtake the sleepy town of Guernica, where she lives, she must find a way to fight back.
To stay with his grandmother when his mother falls ill. His grandmother happens to be an adventuring magazine reporter, and soon they are off on a magical-realism quest through the Amazon to find a mythical beast. There is plenty of action and adventure here, and Allende also brings in some questions about ecology and protecting indigenous culture. Though supporting characters sometimes seem cartoonish and the plot is a bit contrived in places, it is an exciting adventure that will whisk eager readers off to the rainforests of the Amazon.
Chuy, a Fresno, California, teenager, is knifed for checking out another guy’s shoes, and his ghost travels through the city for a last revisiting after death. Teens will be drawn to the unique story (Chuy dies within the first few pages), and be carried through by the thoughtful, engaging text.
You'd think a knife in the ribs would be the end of things, but for Chuy, that's when his life at last gets interesting. He finally sees that people love him, faces the consequences of his actions, finds in himself compassion and bravery . . . and even stumbles on what may be true love.
A funny, touching, and wholly original story by one of the finest authors writing for young readers today.
Danny's a great baseball player but he's not even on the school team — he's consumed with feeling like his private-school classmates only see him as a Mexican who doesn't belong and that his Mexican relatives see him as an "almost albino." Can Danny find the help he needs before it's too late?
The Tequila Worm
By Viola Canales
Age Level: 12-14
Sofia is a Mexican-American living in Texas. When she is accepted to a prestigious, predominantly white boarding school, she learns how to meld her Mexican-American roots with her new life. The author includes lots of detail about Mexican culture and heritage.
Naomi and her younger brother Owen have lived with their grandmother in a small trailer for many years, ever since they were abandoned by their mother. When Mom Terri Lynn suddenly returns, does she really have the kids' best interests at heart?