Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza; Rafael Mayani (Illustrator)Spending time at home with Abuelita means pancakes, puddle-jumping, and nail-painting. But venturing out into the city is not always as fun. On the bus and at the grocery store, people are impatient and suspicious--sometimes they even yell. Sad, angry, and scared, the story's young narrator decides not to leave home again...until a moment of empowerment helps her see the strength she and Abuelita share when they face the world together.
Just Help! by Sonia Sotomayor; Angela Dominguez (Illustrator)Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor takes young readers on a journey through a neighborhood where kids and adults, activists and bus drivers, friends and strangers all help one another to build a better world for themselves and their community
A Land of Books by Duncan TonatiuhA young Aztec girl tells her little brother how their parents create beautiful painted manuscripts, or codices.
Isabel and Her Colores Go to School by Alexandra Alessandri; Courtney Dawson (Illustrator)
A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez; Karen Lynn Williams; Gina Maldonado (Illustrator)
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba Higuera; Juliana Perdomo (Illustrator)
May Your Life Be Deliciosa by Michael Genhart; Loris Lora (Illustrator)
Itzel and the Ocelot by Rachel Katstaller (Illustrator)
Early Chapter Books
Welcome to the Island by Dela Costa; Ana Sebastián (Illustrator)Eight-year-old Isla Verde loves living on the ever-adventurous island of Sol with her best friend, a gecko named Fitz, but when a new girl moves next door, Isla has a hard time keeping her big secret--that she can talk to animals!
Definitely Dominguita Series by Terry Catasus Jennings; Fatima Anaya (Illustrator)All Dominguita wants to do is read. Especially the books in Spanish that Abuela gave to her just before she moved away. They were classics that Abuela and Dominguita read together, classics her abuela brought with her all the way from Cuba when she was a young girl. It helps Dominguita feel like Abuela's still there with her.
Catalina Incognito: Off-Key by Jennifer Torres; Gladys Jose (Illustrator)Catalina just likes things the way she likes them--perfect.
That's why it's very hard to hide her disappointment when her glamorous Tía Abuela, a famous telenovela actress, gives her an old sewing kit for her eighth birthday. However, Catalina soon discovers the sewing kit isn't as boring as she thinks--it's magic, turning ordinary clothing into magical disguises.
Stella díaz to the Rescue by Angela Dominguez (Illustrator)
Middle Grade
Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango; Alyssa Bermudez (Illustrator)Twelve-year-old Iveliz is trying to manage her mental health and advocate for the help and understanding she deserves, but in the meantime her new friend calls her crazy and her abuela Mimi dismisses the therapy and medicine Iveliz needs to feel like herself.
Call Number: ebook and audiobook!
Tumble by Celia C. PérezBefore she decides whether to accept her stepfather's proposal of adoption, twelve-year-old Adela Ramirez reaches out to her estranged biological father--who is in the midst of a career comeback as a luchador--and the eccentric extended family of wrestlers she has never met, bringing Adela closer to understanding the expansive definition of family.
Undercover Latina by Aya de LeónGoing undercover as a white girl to befriend the estranged son of a dangerous white supremacist, Latina teen spy Andrea finds her first solo mission to trap a terrorist endangered by her crush on the target's best friend.
Wings in the Wild by Margarita EngleNovel-in-verse. When a hurricane exposes Soleida's family's secret sculpture garden, the Cuban government arrests her artist parents, forcing her to escape alone to Central America where she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy, and together they work to protect the environment and bring attention to the imprisoned artists in Cuba.
Merci Suárez Plays It Cool by Meg MedinaFor grades 5-8.For Merci Suarez, eighth grade means a new haircut, nighttime football games, and an out-of-town overnight field trip. At home, it means more chores and keeping an eye on Lolo as his health worsens. It's a year filled with more responsibility and independence, but also with opportunities to reinvent herself.
Join the Club Maggie Diaz by Nina MorenoEveryone in Maggie Diaz's life seems to be finding their true passion. The one thing that defines them as a person. Her best friends Zoey and Julian are too busy to hang out after school thanks to band and comics club. Mom is finishing her last semester in college. And Maggie's perfect older sister Caro is perfectly-perfect at sports and tutoring.
Miss Quinces: a Graphic Novel by Kat Fajardo (Illustrator)
Family Lore by Elizabeth AcevedoSisters Matilde, Pastora, Camila, and Flor thought they knew each other well, until Flor--inspired by a documentary her daughter Ona made her watch--decides she wants a living wake, a party to bring her family and community together and celebrate the long life she's led, while she's still around to enjoy it. She's not ill, as far as anybody knows, but Flor does have a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die.
Call Number: F ACE
Against Marginalization by Jose O. FernandezAnalyzes the convergences of Black and Latinx literature and how writers from both traditions fought against social, cultural, and literary marginalization.
Call Number: 810.968 FER
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-AnstineLuz "Little Light" Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors' origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations.