The best books celebrating Latino cultural heritage, by Latino/a authors and illustrators, from 1996 to the present.
2024
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir
Call Number: x GN 92 M382
A hilarious memoir about the author's family traveling to Mexico to get his grandfather. Latinos will laugh and relate to some of the experiences (given name vs. American-style name) while everyone with siblings will relate to the sibling relationships. Pedro is able to learn and connect with the grandfather that he had heard so much about but barely knew. Pedro is also able to learn more about himself, what makes him Mexican or not Mexican enough and about his family.
2021
Efrén Divided
Call Number: x
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros is about Efrén, his younger siblings, Max and Mía, and their Apá going through hardships of food insecurity, working nonstop to pay for Amá’s return, and getting behind in schoolwork when Amá was deported by ICE. It is also about Efrén’s up and down friendship with David, the only white boy in the neighborhood, and that rejection and bias happen to all people regardless of race and background. This book is recommended for middle grades (4-8 grade).
2014
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Call Number: YA
When Piddy Sanchez starts at a new high school she soon becomes the target of Yaqui Delgado and her friends, who bully her for her lighter skin and good grades. As the bullying gets worse, Yaqui becomes someone Piddy can no longer ignore or avoid.
2013
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Call Number: YA
Two El Paso, Texas teens, sensitive boys who don't feel like they fit in among the Mexican men they see around them, form a special friendship over the course of one year.
2002
Esperanza Rising
Call Number: x
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.
