Kids’ and Young Adult Books by Latine Authors

Best friends and soulmates since they were kids, Hart Augusto and Ruby Armenta were poised to take on senior year together when Hart tragically drowns in a boating accident. Absolutely shattered, Ruby struggles to move on from the person she knows was her forever love. Hart can’t let go either … Due to some divine intervention, he’s offered a second chance. Only it won’t be as simple as bringing him back to life — instead, Hart’s soul is transferred to the body of local bad boy, Jameson…

A powerful novel in verse from Newbery and Pura Belpré Award-winning author Margarita Engle about the friendship between a young girl and the poet Gabriela Mistral that leads to healing and hope for both of them.

A debut young adult novel that’s Pride & Prejudice with a dash of magic, about a booksmart teen who spends the summer in Mexico City, meets two very cute boys, attempts to learn Spanish, and uncovers a family secret that changes her life forever.

The author of What Lane? and Tight delivers a fast-paced read that packs a punch about a boy figuring out how to best use his hands — to build or to knock down.

A moving novel in verse in which a lost dog helps a lonely girl find a way home to her family … only for them to find family in each other along the way. From the Newbery Honor Award-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All.

Seven friends throw a 1920s-themed party, where it’s all pretend — until one of them is murdered. One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out in this glamorous locked-room mystery.

A farm-working girl with big dreams meets activist Dolores Huerta and joins the 1965 protest for workers’ rights in this tender-hearted novel in verse, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and Pam Muñoz Ryan.

A fresh, fun contemporary rom-com from debut author Elle Gonzalez Rose, about an aspiring artist who agrees to fake date one of his family’s longtime enemies in the hopes of gathering intel good enough to take down their rivals once and for all.

There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school. On day one, twelve-year-old Malu inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code, and disappoints her mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself. The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place, and learning to rock out like no one’s watching.

An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them that National Book Award Finalist Victoria Jamieson calls “one of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it.”

Inspired by the author’s childhood experiences, When Life Gives You Mangos is a celebration of island life as well as a rich, lyrical mystery.

Gorgeous, wealthy, and entitled, Ruby has just one single worry in her life — scheming to get the boy next door to finally realize they’re meant to be together. But when the California wildfires cause her privileged world to go up in flames, Ruby must struggle to find the grit and compassion to help her family and those less fortunate to rise from the ashes.

On Mar León de la Rosa’s sixteenth birthday, el Diablo comes calling. Mar is a transmasculine nonbinary teen pirate hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice. But their magic isn’t enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father, and now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar’s father and the entire crew of their ship…

When poachers threaten the island they love, two girls team up to save the turtles — and each other. An eco-mystery with an unforgettable friendship story at its heart from a fresh new voice in middle grade.

One boy’s search for his father leads him to Puerto Rico in this moving-middle grade novel. So begins Marcus’s incredible journey, a series of misadventures that take him all over the island in search of his elusive namesake. Marcus doesn’t know if he’ll ever find his father, but what he ultimately discovers changes his life. And he even learns a bit of Spanish along the way.

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk and Strange Birds, a dazzling novel about a young girl who collects the missing pieces of her origin story from the family of legendary luchadores she’s never met.

When We Make It is a love letter to anyone who was taught to believe that they would not make it. To those who feel their emotions before they can name them. To those who still may not have all the language but they have their story. Velasquez’s debut novel is sure to leave an indelible mark on all who read it.

In this hilarious follow-up to ChupaCarter, world-famous entertainer George Lopez delivers a spooky tale of mystery, revenge, and friendship starring twelve-year-old Jorge and Carter, the fearsome but friendly Chupacabra!

Twenty stand-alone short stories, essays, poems, and more from celebrated and award-winning authors make up this YA anthology that explores the Mexican American experience. Living Beyond Borders is at once an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and hopeful love letter from the Mexican American community to today’s young readers.

Pura Belpré Award Winner Ruth Behar’s inspiring story of a Jewish girl who escapes Poland to make a new life in Cuba, where she works to rescue the rest of her family. Based on Behar’s family history, this compelling story celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the most challenging times.

A spellbinding romantic fantasy about a powerful witch who will do anything to escape the remote island she’s being held captive on, including blackmail a notorious, charming pirate who washes up on shore, from debut author Angela Montoya.

A dazzling story full of heart about how one twelve-year-old channels her rage into synchronized swimming dreams from The Education of Margot Sanchez author Lilliam Rivera.

Family traditions are special, especially when they include baking a “delicioso” cake with your abuelita! This Step 2 Reader includes some words in Spanish!

A moving middle-grade mystery about a boy dealing with long-repressed memories of his father as he learns about his Mexican and Haitian heritage while spying on a mysterious stranger during the first weeks of COVID lockdown.

A powerful and expertly told novel in verse about a twelve-year-old Dominican American swimmer who is diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis. Aniana del Mar Jumps In is a poignant story about chronic illness and disability, the secrets between mothers and daughters, the harm we do to the ones we love the most — and all the triumphs, big and small, that keep us afloat.

In this striking portrait of lives torn apart, the plight of migrants at the U.S. southern border is brought to light through poignant, vivid storytelling. An epic journey of danger, resilience, heartache, and hope.

The night before she flies to Portland, Oregon, to intern with her favorite feminist writer, Juliet Milagros Palante comes out to her family, and now she’s not sure her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet is determined to make this summer internship a life-changing experience. In a summer bursting with queer brown dance parties, a sexy fling with a motorcycling librarian, and intense explorations of race and identity, Juliet learns what it means to come out — to the world, to her family, to herself.

A young Dominican girl navigates middle school, her strict mother, shifting friendships, and her dream of being an artist in this debut coming-of-age graphic novel inspired by the author’s tween years.

In this personal, moving essay, environmental activist and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez uses his art and his activism to show that climate change is a human issue that can’t be ignored.

They call Joanna “fregona” because she’s tough, always sticking up for her family and keeping the school bully in check. Güero sees her softness. But when they start eighth grade, Joanna faces a tragedy that requires Güero to reconsider what it means to show up for someone you love. Honoring multiple poetic traditions, They Call Her Fregona is a bittersweet first-love story in verse and the highly anticipated follow-up to They Call Me Güero.