Lexile measure 660; Ages 9-12; Gr.5 and up; Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, 2023.
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.

Lexile measure 730; Ages 8-12; Gr.5 and up; Pura Belpre award, author honor 2022.
Based on a true story, the tale of one girl's perilous journey to cross the U.S. border and lead her family to safety during the Mexican Revolution.

Ages 8-12; Gr.5 and up.
When a powerful desert spirit kidnaps her sister, Cece Rios must learn forbidden magic to get her back, in this own voices middle grade fantasy.

Ages 10-14; Gr.5-9; Pura Belpre author award winner, 2022.
There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth.

Ages 14 and up; Gr.7 and up; Pura Belpre award winner 2021.
In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother's narrow expectations, in her rising-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 gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her.

Ages 14 and up; Gr.7 and up; Pura Belpre honor book, 2021.
From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II.

Ages 13 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena's motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. When Atoc demands the real Condesa's hand in marriage, it's Ximena's duty to go in her stead.

Ages 14 and up; Gr.7 and up.
At night, Las Mal Criadas own these streets. Sixteen-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throwdowns and access to the hottest boydega clubs, but Nala quickly grows weary of her questionable lifestyle. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live.

Ages 12 and up; Gr.6 and up.
In the heart of the Great Depression, Rancho Las Moras, like everywhere else in Texas, is gripped by the drought of the Dust Bowl, and resentment is building among white farmers against Mexican Americans. All around town, signs go up proclaiming "No Dogs or Mexicans" and "No Mexicans Allowed." When Estrella organizes a protest against the treatment of tejanos in their town of Monteseco, Texas, her whole family becomes a target of "repatriation" efforts to send Mexicans "back to Mexico" --whether they were ever Mexican citizens or not.

Ages 9-12; Gr.5-8.
Today, we know Dolores Huerta as the cofounder, with Cesar Chavez, of the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America. We know her as a tireless advocate for the rights of farmworkers, Mexican American immigrants, women, and LGBTQ populations.

Ages 10 and up; Gr.7 and up.
Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Mexican-American Poet Laureate in the USA, is sharing secrets: how to turn your wonder at the world around you into weird, wild, incandescent poetry.

Lexile measure 1300; Ages 12-17; Gr.7 and up.
Thousands of young Navy sailors are pouring into Los Angeles on their way to the front lines of World War II. They are teenagers, scared, longing to feel alive before they have to face the horrors of battle. Hot jazz music spiced with cool salsa rhythms calls them to dance with the local Mexican American girls, who jitterbug all night before working all day in the canneries.

Ages 10-13; Gr.5 and up.
A meningitis outbreak in their underprivileged neighbourhood left Sylvia Acevedo's family forever altered. As she struggled in the aftermath of loss, young Sylvia's life transformed when she joined the Brownies. The Girl Scouts taught her how to take control of her world and nourished her love of numbers and science.

Lexile measure 850; Ages 8-12; Gr.5-8.
Twelve-year-old Güero, a red-headed, freckled Mexican American border kid, discovers the joy of writing poetry, thanks to his seventh grade English teacher.

Ages 12-18.
Undocumented is the story of immigrant workers who have come to the United States without papers. Every day, these men and women join the work force and contribute positively to society. The story is told via the ancient Mixtec codex--accordion fold--format.

Gr.6-9.
At the age of 8, Reyna Grande made the dangerous and illegal trek across the border from Mexico to the United States, and discovered that the American Dream is much more complicated than it seemed.

Gr.7 and up; William C. Morris Award finalist, 2016.
The Palomas and the Corbeaus have been locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as travelling performers in competing shows - the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find. Lace Paloma knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure black magic.

Lexile measure 680; Ages 10-14; Gr.6-9; Guided reading Y.
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.

Lexile measure 1120; Ages 12-18; Gr.5-8.
In this poetic memoir, which won the Pura Belpré Author Award, was a YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, and was named a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree, acclaimed author Margarita Engle tells of growing up as a child of two cultures during the Cold War. Her heart lies in Cuba, her mother's tropical island country, a place so lush with vibrant life that it seems like a fairy tale kingdom. But most of the time she lives in Los Angeles, lonely in the noisy city and dreaming of the summers when she can take a plane through the enchanted air to her beloved island.

Lexile measure 800; Ages 11-14.
From basketball dreams and family fiascos to first crushes and new neighborhoods, this anthology, written by award-winning children's authors, celebrates the uniqueness and universality in all of us.

Lexile measure 700; Ages 9-14; Gr.5-8.
Thirteen-year-old Mandy Silva feels invisible after her father's unexpected death and her mother's inability to deal with the situation, and her unhappiness is worsened by her peers' constant bullying.

Lexile measure 750; Ages 10-13; gr.5-8.
A bilingual collection of ten contemporary stories of mixed-up emotions, humorous mistakes, misguided actions, and unspeakable sorrows. Includes discussion questions and ideas for writing.

Lexile measure 620; Ages 8-12; Gr.5-7; Guided reading U
When twelve-year-old Izzy spends the summer in her Nana's remote New Mexico village, she discovers long-buried secrets that come alive in an enchanted landscape of majestic mountains, whispering winds, and tortilla suns.

Lexile measure 720; Ages 12 and up; Gr. 6-9.
History comes alive through the eyes of a young American girl There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo--her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her sassy grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then, like an urgent ticking clock, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, dump garbage in the street and set it on fire, igniting a powerful protest.

Lexile measure 840; Ages 12 and up, gr. 7-12.
When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero's journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer's original tale.

Book level 3.8; Ages 10-14; Gr.5-8.
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.

William C. Morris Award finalist, 2012; Pura Belpré Author Award, 2012; Ages 12 and up, gr. 7-12.
As the oldest of eight siblings, Lupita is used to taking the lead--and staying busy behind the scenes to help keep everyone together. But when she discovers Mami has been diagnosed with cancer, Lupita is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit Mexican American family.

Lexile measure 630; Ages 12 and up, gr. 7-12.
After Diego lands himself on probation for fighting, he doesn't trust his probation officer, Mr. Vidas. But as he begins to open up, Diego realizes that he needs Mr. Vidas's help to get his anger under control. To do that, Diego will need to face the nightmares from his past head-on and confront the memories he's been avoiding.

Gr. 8-12.
Two teenaged boys with very different lives find that they share a common bond--fathers they have never met who left when they were small boys--and in spite of their differences, they become close when they each need someone who understands.

As a helping of "down-home magical realism," this collection of 16 short stories explores the human spirit inherent in the bilingual, bicultural world of the Texas-Mexico border. With a fresh sense of humor and human understanding, these stories skillfully bridge the gap between miracles and tragedies, prejudice and transcendence, and oppression and liberation.

Lexile measure 910; Ages 12-up ; Book level 6.1; Gr. 6-12.
Leaving his home in a migrant community, Francisco sets off for college, carrying memories of years of poverty and prejudice.

Lexile measure 730; Ages 11-16; Book level 4.7; General fiction, gr. 7-10.
Forced to stay with her mother in Puerto Rico for weeks after her grandmother's funeral, half-Jewish Emily, who has just graduated from a Westchester, New York, high school, does not find it easy to connect with her Puerto Rican heritage and relatives she had never met.

Lexile measure 970; Reading level 6.4; Ages 12 and up; Gr.6 and up.
Maria is a girl caught between two worlds: Puerto Rico, where she was born, and New York, where she now lives in a basement apartment in the barrio. While her mother remains on the island, Maria lives with her father, the super of their building. As she struggles to lose her island accent, Maria does her best to find her place within the unfamiliar culture of the barrio.

Lexile measure 690; Book level 4.1; Ages 9-13; Gr. 5-9.
Following a car accident that left her with epilepsy, twelve-year-old Chula--with a little help from a visiting fearsome Mexican boxer--tries to deal with the repercussions her new condition has on her family, neighborhood, and school.

Gr. 5-8.
As a boy, Cesar Chavez picked peas, grapes, and other crops in the hot sun. His experiences as a migrant farm worker had a profound effect on Chavez. With a strong belief in nonviolence, Chavez staged boycotts, strikes, and other protests to bring national attention to the terrible working and living conditions of the farm workers.

Lexile measure 830; ages 10-14; book level 4.6; gr. 6-9
Sofia comes from a family of storytellers. Here are her tales of growing up in the barrio in McAllen, Texas, full of the magic and mystery of family traditions: making Easter cascarones, celebrating el Dia de los Muertos, preparing for quinceañera, rejoicing in the Christmas nacimiento, and curing homesickness by eating the tequila worm.

Guided Reading Level Y; Lexile measure 830; ages 9-13; book level 5.4.
When Naomi's absent mother resurfaces to claim her, Naomi runs away to Mexico with her great-grandmother and younger brother in search of her father.

Guided Reading Level Q; Lexile measure 760; ages 11-18; book level 4.9
A collection of stories about young Mexican Americans living through the hardships of being a teenager but never losing their way.

Guided Reading Level Q; Lexile measure 950; ages 9-13; book level 6.1
A quinceanera is more than just a birthday party. For Ariana's Mexican-American family, it is also a rite of passage, a religious occasions, and a celebration of heritage. In this festive photo essay, ten-year-old Ariana enthusiastically helps her cousin Cynthia prepare for this big event.

Lexile measure 750; Ages 12-up; book level 5.3; gr. 7-12.
Having come from Mexico to California ten years ago, fourteen-year-old Francisco is still working in the fields but fighting to improve his life and complete his education.

Guided Reading Level V; Lexile measure 750; ages 10-14; book level 5.3
Winner of Pura Belpre Award (Author) 2002. 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.

Book level 5.4; Ages 11-15.
In rural Puerto Rico at the turn of the century, a young student returns home to her parents' plantation for the holidays and re-discovers the beauty of the tropical hills, the music, lore, and customs of the country folk.