Middle Grade Books to Celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage

While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico. Includes glossary of Spanish words.

Thirteen-year-old Güero stands by and supports his first girlfriend, Joanna, after the sudden deportation of her father.

Lula Viramontes dreams of one day becoming someone whom no one can ignore: a daring ringleader in a Mexican traveling carpa, despite her father's traditional views of what girls should be. When her family arrives for the grape harvest in Delano, California, Lula meets activist Dolores Huerta and el Teatro Campesino (the official theater company of the United Farm Workers). She discovers an even more pressing reason to raise her voice: the upcoming...

"Explores what it means to belong in Mexico and in America, and doing what it takes to survive and thrive. Born in the US, Daniel's family moves back to Mexico when he is 9 years old. Despite looking like his peers, Daniel struggles with being accepted in his new environment. Daniel's story is presented in both English and Spanish, the two languages of Daniel's youth"--OCLC.

NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER • An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico

“One of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it.”—Victoria Jamieson, creator of the National Book Award finalist When Stars Are Scattered

WINNER...

Eleven-year-old injured soccer player Luz has a hard enough time reframing her identity as a computer programmer, but when her Guatemalan half-sister moves in, she learns what it truly means to start over. Includes author's note.

"Raquel y Lucinda Mendoza solían ser inseparables, pero desde el divorcio de sus padres Raquel se ha vuelto muy mandona. En eso llega la pandemia y las hermanas se ven obligadas a hacer cuarentena en el rancho de su padre. De pronto Raquel ve una oportunidad de recuperar todo lo que han perdido. Si logran convencer a su mamá que venga al rancho, tal vez consigan que sus padres se enamoren otra vez y le den a la familia la oportunidad de empezar...

"Meet Stonewall uprising veteran Sylvia Rivera--once just a kid from New York City. A transgender Latina, Sylvia became an influential gay liberation and transgender rights activist who fought especially for transgender people of color. In the 1970s, Sylvia and Marsha P. Johnson founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group devoted to providing services and advocacy for homeless LGBTQ+ people. Nearly two decades after her...

"Ancient Night is a twist on two Nahua traditions: the rabbit which the Feathered Serpent placed on the moon, and the Lord Opossum who ruled the earth when humans were first created, who stole fire from the gods to keep them warm."--

"Natalia De La Cruz Rivera y Santiago, also known as Nat, was swimming neighborhood kids out of their money at the local Inglewood pool when her life changed. The LA Mermaids performed, emerging out of the water with matching sequined swimsuits, and it was then that synchronized swimming stole her heart. The problem? Her activist mom and professor dad think it's a sport with too much emphasis on looks --on being thin and white. Nat grew up the youngest...