Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. Enough of that, let’s get to the books!
In English
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship–the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime.
Barely Missing Everything by Matt Méndez
Three Mexican-Americans–Juan, JD, and Fabi–each try to overcome their individual struggles as they all grapple with how to make a better life for themselves when it seems like brown lives don’t matter.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Yadriel, a trans boy, is determined to prove his gender to his family and establish himself as a brujo. When he attempts to summon a ghost, he accidentally brings back the ghost of his school’s resident bad boy Julian. When it’s clear Julian isn’t leaving, Yadriel agrees to help him. As they begin working together, Yadriel realizes that he might not want Julian to leave so soon.
Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro
Xochital is destined to travel the desert alone, sharing her village’s stories with the winds. She wants one thing, which is to share her life with someone else. She thinks she gets that in the form of Emilia, the daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. They might be perfectly-suited for each other, but the only way to find out is to see if they can survive the nightmarish terrors that plague the desert after the sun sets.
Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa
Julián Luna has a plan for his life: Graduate. Get into UCLA. And have the chance to move away from Corpus Christi, Texas, and the suffocating expectations of others that have forced Jules into an inauthentic life. Then in one reckless moment, with one impulsive tweet, his plans for a low-key nine months are thrown–literally–out the closet. The downside: the whole world knows, and Jules has to prepare for rejection. The upside: Jules now has the opportunity to be his real self. Then Mat, a cute, empathetic Twitter crush from Los Angeles, slides into Jules’s DMs. Jules can tell him anything. Mat makes the world seem conquerable. But when Jules’s fears about coming out come true, the person he needs most is fifteen hundred miles away. Jules has to face them alone. Jules accidentally propelled himself into the life he’s always dreamed of. And now that he’s in control of it, what he does next is up to him.
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
At the Castellana Hilton in 1957 Madrid, eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson connects with Ana Moreno through photography and fate as Daniel discovers the incredibly dark side of the city under Generalissimo Franco’s rule.
Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
Rosario, Argentina. At home Camila Hassan lives within her mother’s narrow expectations, her soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila dreams of getting an athletic scholarship to a North American university. But her parents wouldn’t allow a girl to play fúbol– and she needs their permission to go any farther. Can she make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her?
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not 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 on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first kiss, first love, first everything boyfriend 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?
I Got This: To Gold and Beyond by Laurie Hernandez
At sixteen years old, Laurie Hernandez has already made many of her dreams come true–and yet it’s only the beginning for this highly accomplished athlete. A Latina Jersey girl, Laurie saw her life take a dramatic turn last summer when she was chosen to be a part of the 2016 US Olympic gymnastics team. After winning gold in Rio as part of the Final Five, Laurie also earned an individual silver medal for her performance on the balance beam. Nicknamed “the Human Emoji” for her wide-eyed and animated expressions, Laurie continues to dance her way into everyone’s hearts while competing on the hit reality TV show Dancing with the Stars. Poignant and funny, Laurie’s story is about growing up with the dream of becoming an Olympian and what it took to win gold.
Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America
An anthology of short stories, essays, poetry, and comics about the Mexican American experience.
Lobizona by Romina Garber
As an undocumented immigrant on the run from her father’s Argentine crime-family, Manuela Azul is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida. Then her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past: a mysterious “Z” emblem. It leads her to a secret world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong. It’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal– it’s her entire existence.
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
After enduring his father’s suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute’s memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.
Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro
Set in post-civil war Spain, a young girl flees the home of her cruel step-father into an underground fantasy world where she encounters a strange creature and a terrifying battle between good and evil.
Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza
In 2032 America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked. It is almost impossible to survive as an undocumented immigrant. When Vali’s mother’s counterfeit chip starts malfunctioning and the Deportation Forces raid their town, Vali and her family flee towards California, a sanctuary state. When Vali’s mother is detained, Vali must carry on with her younger brother across the country.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez-Gilliland
Artemisia (Sia) Martinez’s mother was deported to Mexico by ICE and disappeared in the Sonoran Desert trying to make it back to her American family; Sia believes that she was as-good-as murdered by ICE and the sheriff in their small Arizona town on the edge of the national park, and wants revenge against him and his son, Jeremy–but her search for the truth will uncover many more secrets than she counted on.
We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña are aware of the dangers that exist in their town, but they have each other and a close community. They make the hard choice to leave that community, however, when it becomes clear that their town is too dangerous for them. They begin the dangerous journey from Guatemala through Mexico, with the aim of getting to the United States border. In order to do so they must cross La Bestia, a perilous train system that will hopefully bring them to a better life.
With Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions, doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen. There, she lets her hands tell her what to cook, listening to her intuition and adding a little something magical every time, turning her food into straight-up goodness. Even though she’s always dreamed of working in a kitchen after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she’s made for her life – and everyone else’s rules, which she refuses to play by – once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away?
En español
La educación de Margot Sánchez de Lilliam Rivera
Después de ‘tomar prestada’ la tarjeta de crédito de su padre para renovar su vestuario con más estilo, Margot Sánchez se encuentra de repente castigada. Y eso significa pasar el verano trabajando en el supermercado de su familia para pagar sus deudas. Cada vez que rebana una orden de fiambres Margot siente cómo la reputación que ha ido cultivando correctamente en su escuela privada se le va de las manos, y está dispuesta a hacer cualquier cosa para escapar de esa tortura: mentir, engañar, y hasta robar. .. Pero Margot está invitada a la mega fiesta en la playa de uno de los chicos de la escuela, y no está dispuesta a permitir que el drama de su familia, ni Moisés, el apuesto y sincero chico del vecindario, le impidan alcanzar su objetivo.
Pocho de Matt de la Peña
Danny es alto y delgado. A pesar de no ser fuerte, sus brazos son lo suficientemente largos como para lanzar un balón de fútbol americano con tanta fuerza, que cualquier cazatalentos lo contrataría sin pensarlo dos veces. Pero Danny ni siquiera es parte de un equipo. Cada vez que se entra en el campo, es como si perdiera sus poderes. Pero eso no tiene importancia. No es como si en la escuela privada a la que va esperen mucho de el. Danny es morenito. Y crecer en San Diego, una ciudad tan cercana a la frontera, significa que todo el mundo sabe exactamente quien es, incluso antes de pronunciar una palabra. Antes de saber que Danny no habla español y que su mamá es rubia y de ojos azules, ya todos han formado una impresión de el. Incluso el mismo. De hecho, Danny está convencido de que las discrepancias entre su piel y su cultura han sido la causa de que su padre haya regresado a México. Por eso pasará el verano con la familia de su papá. Pero para encontrarse a sí mismo, primero tendrá que enfrentarse a los demonios que tanto ha evadido, y tendrá que aceptar abrirse a una amistad jamás imagino que formaría.