Kids’ and Young Adult Books by Latine Authors
Dive into these enchanting children’s books, middle grade reads, and young adult stories all by Latine and Hispanic authors. Each captivating story transports the reader to new adventures and celebrates vibrant and diverse cultures.
Picture Books | Chapter Books & Middle Grade | Young Adult
Picture Books | Chapter Books & Middle Grade | Young Adult
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1
When Sun Rises
by Aida Salazar
Using Mexican concepts, this poignantly lyrical series invites young children to pay witness to nature and the ways in which the outside world interacts with our own human rhythms. The Sun guides all life on Earth. We move to its cycles through the seasons — listening to the awakening of nature in spring, celebrating the shining warmth in summer, honoring our loved ones in autumn, and dreaming of better days ahead in winter. Its steadfastness touches and gives life to every being, showcasing the power of universal interconnectedness. Award-winning author Aida Salazar lovingly turns her attention to the youngest readers with her signature lyrical text — in English with a few Spanish words interwoven, perfectly paired with vibrant, mystical art crafted by Caribay M. Benavides. This book is a truly meaningful and formative experience for all young readers and part of the My Living World series.
Ages 1-3
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2
Across the Bay
by Carlos Aponte
Carlitos lives in a happy home with his mother, his abuela, and Coco the cat. Life in his hometown is cozy as can be, but the call of the capital city pulls Carlitos across the bay in search of his father. Jolly piragĂĽeros, mischievous cats, and costumed musicians color this tale of love, family, and the true meaning of home.
Ages 3-7
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3
Baking with Mi Abuelita
by Julissa Mora
Family traditions are special, especially when they include baking a “delicioso” cake with your abuelita! This Step 2 Reader includes some words in Spanish!
Ages 4-6
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4
Hola, Lola! To the Bodega: A Bilingual First Words Book/¡Hola, Lola! A la bodega: Un libro bilingüe de primeras palabras
by Sandra Equihua
Little Lola is at the bodega in search of a candle for her Abuelito’s birthday cake. As she walks the aisles, readers are invited to learn over 100 words in English and Spanish. It’s a charming story, made even sweeter by the bright and expressive illustrations. Ages 4-6
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5
Sundust
by Zeke Peña
Where the rock wall ends, the desert beyond begins. Following a blazing trail of sundust, two curious siblings hop the wall into a place that’s endless and free. Here, prickly old nopal trees beg to be climbed, empty turtle shells invite a closer look, enormous rocks model how to sit still and listen, and a colibrĂ offers an unexpected ride. In the desert, where life revolves around the Sun, brother and sister explore, imagine, and wonder, What if Sun’s power was inside me? until their mom’s whistle calls them back home again. With spare, lyrical text, Pura BelprĂ© Honor and Ezra Jack Keats Honor recipient Zeke Peña has created a fantastical tale that suspends moments in time with his radiant art and celebrates the bonds between the sun, the desert, and its people.
Ages 4-8
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6
My Abuela Is a Bruja
by Mayra Cuevas
My abuela is a bruja. There is magic in everything she does. There is nothing more magical than a grandmother’s love. But one lucky girl suspects her grandmother has actual magic. It’s in the tun-tun-tun of the way she dances salsa, in the warmth of her hugs, and the delicious smell of her cooking. The granddaughter wonders: Will I have magic of my own one day?
Ages 4-8
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7
Hairs/Pelitos
by Sandra Cisneros
This jewel-like vignette from Sandra Cisneros’s bestselling The House on Mango Street shows through simple, intimate portraits, the diversity among us. A book in English and Spanish.
Ages 5-8
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8
Lola
by Karla Arenas Valenti
A simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who’d journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other. From the acclaimed author of LoterĂa comes a heartfelt story rooted in Mexican magical realism.
Ages 8-12
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9
Sing Me A Story
by
Edited by award-winning author Aida Salazar, this vibrant anthology brings together beloved Latine verse novelists for short stories celebrating the power of music. From bachata and cumbia to hip hop and reggaeton, these lyrical stories explore family, identity, belonging, and the memories that connect us all.
Ages 8-12
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10
Singing with Elephants
by Margarita Engle
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.
Ages 8-12
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11
The Red Umbrella
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
The Red Umbrella is a moving tale of a 14-year-old girl’s journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan — an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro’s revolution.
Ages 8-12
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12
Twin Cities
by Jose Pimienta
Being twins means having a best friend forever … But when one goes to middle school in Mexico and the other across the border in California, can that bond withstand the distance? Luis Fernando is staying local in Mexicali, Mexico, while Luisa Teresa crosses the border every day so she can go to a private school in Calexico, California. As they try to embrace new experiences close to and far from home, the twins hit obstacles: Like making new friends and navigating school pressure without the other one for support. Fernando and Teresa finally have the chance to stand on their own … isn’t that what they always wanted?
Ages 8-12
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13
LoterĂa
by Karla Arenas Valenti
The turn of a card could change your destiny in this captivating middle-grade adventure based on the LoterĂa card game and perfect for fans of Coco. While searching for her missing cousin, a young girl is transported to a mythical kingdom, becoming entangled in a perilous game of chance.
Ages 8-12
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14
Sing It Like Celia
by MĂłnica Mancillas
Twelve-year-old Salva Sanchez has always been a fan of Celia Cruz, also known as “the queen of salsa.” Her love of Celia stems from her mother, who leaves Salva without explanation one awful day. Now Salva is stuck with her investigative journalist father in an RV campground. In the middle of nowhere. As Salva acclimates to her new environment and desperately tries to figure out why her mother left, she befriends a posse of campground kids who have started a band. When the kids discover that Salva has an amazing singing voice, they convince her to join their group. Soon, Salva learns how to find her voice — and herself — with the help of her newfound friends, her dad, and the one and only Celia Cruz.
Ages 9-12
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15
The First Rule of Punk
by Celia C. PĂ©rez
There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school. On day one, 12-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.
Ages 9-12
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16
Tumble
by Celia C. PĂ©rez
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.
Ages 9-12
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17
The Chismosas Only Book Club
by Laekan Zea Kemp
Avid readers will love this cozy, slice-of-life novel with a touch of magic. As Cat and her friends start high school, they form a book club to stay connected. But as the ups and downs of ninth grade threaten their bond, the girls look to Cat’s great-great-great-grandmother and her bookstore’s legacy for help. This feel-good novel is also available in Spanish.
Ages 10 and up
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18
Hands
by Torrey Maldonado
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.
Ages 10 and up
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19
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish
by Pablo Cartaya
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.
Ages 10 and up
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20
Something Like Home
by Andrea Beatriz Arango
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.
Ages 10-14
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21
Mexikid
by Pedro MartĂn
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.”
Ages 10-14
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22
Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir
by Pedro MartĂn
Young Pedro and his family are back for another adventure in this companion to Newbery Honor winner Mexikid. Pedro wishes he didn’t have to spend his weekends and summers picking strawberries. He has bigger dreams for himself, like music and drawing. Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, readers can’t help rooting for Pedro and family.
Ages 10-14
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23
Always Isn’t Forever
by J. C. Cervantes
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 …
Ages 12 and up
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24
Viva Lola Espinoza
by Ella CerĂłn
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.
Ages 12 and up
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25
Crazy Loco
by David Talbot Rice
A powerful collection of short stories telling the tales of a Mexican-American childhood ideal for fans of Gary Soto. Welcome to Southern Texas. Meet Loco, a dog with a passion for firecrackers. And Pedro, an altar boy forced to learn a hard lesson from two of the toughest, oldest men ever to serve the Lord. Jordan and Todd are two boys from California who don’t know what they’re in for when they push their Texas cousins a little too far. Loosely based on the author’s own childhood as a Mexican-American boy in south Texas, this story collection is a moving whirlwind of humor and insight – brash, tender, and full of the unexpected.
Ages 12 and up
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26
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
by Erika L. Sánchez
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college nor do they move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role. Then a tragic accident leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. No one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been so perfect. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?
Ages 14 and up
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