¡Que orgullo es ser Latino!
We know that people, specifically kids, search for themselves in the books they read but the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report found more than 50% of Hispanic/Latino parents and kids (ages 9-17) wish there were more books available that include diversity.
This Latino Books Month we’re celebrating Latino authors, illustrators and books that highlight Latino culture and Latin-American identity in hopes that kids (& adults!) find a book that resonates with them. Enjoy & share the titles below!
*denotes Bilingual title
**denotes titles are available in Spanish text
Picture books
Amigo by Carlos Zamora* – A story of a pair of roosters who begin a soccer game and build a friendship as they discover each other’s language.
Up Above and Down Below / Los de arriba y los de abajo by Paloma Valdivia* – Imaginative illustrations weigh similarities, differences, and points of view above and below the Equator.
Dreamer/Soñadores by Yuyi Morales** - A lyrical story and celebration of what migrants bring with them when they leave their homes.
Alma del Mar by Jamie Gamboa** – Inspired by "Llevarte al mar", a song by Honduran singer and author Guillermo Anderson, is a story of Alma, who is fascinated by the sea, and her father, a passionate story-teller who succeeds in getting Alma to go to sea every night.
We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands by Rafael López – Award-winning illustrator Rafael López brings new life with his adaptation of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" saluting the lives of all young people.
Middle grade
Sarai (series)** by Sarai Gonzalez – Inspired by the life of its 13-year-old author, this series chronicles Sarai's life as she navigates fourth grade, friendship and more.
The Moon Within by Aida Salazar – A dazzling story told with sensitivity, humor, and brilliant verse about Mexican-Puerto Rican-American Celi Rivera’s exploration of love, menstruation and gender identity. (You can listen to Aida talk about her debut novel on the Scholastic Reads podcast here).
Dactyl Hill Squad (series) by Daniel José Older – In this brilliant reimagining of the Civil War, dinosaurs coexist with humans and Magdalys and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum must save themselves from men who are even more monstrous than the dinosaurs. (Book #2, Freedom Fire, is available May 14, 2019!)
Los Futbolísimos: El misterio de los árbitros dormidos by Roberto Santiago** – The football team 7 Soto Alto is not just the school's soccer team, it’s much more. They made a pact: nothing and nobody will ever separate them.
Lety Out Loud / Lety Alza Su Voz by Angela Cervantes** – Competing to write profiles of adoptable pets, Spanish-speaking Lety is challenged to read, write, and speak English-and find her voice.
Young adult
Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork – A determined reporter and her driven brother find themselves entangled in the criminal web that encompasses Juarez and threatens their lives.
Becoming Maria / Ser María: Amor y caos en el Bronx by Sonia Manzano** – Set in the 1950s in the Bronx, this is the story of a girl with a dream. Emmy award-winning actress and writer Sonia Manzano plunges us into the daily lives of a Latino family that is both loving and troubled.
The Shadowshaper Cypher (series) by Daniel José Older - Sierra and her friends love their new lives as shadowshapers, making art and creating change with the spirits of Brooklyn. Then Sierra receives a strange card depicting a white beast called the Hound of Light — an image from the enigmatic, influential Deck of Worlds.
The House on Mango Street / La Casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros** – Told in a series of vignettes – sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous – it is the story of a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become.
