YA Hispanic Heritage Highlight

Fiction & non-fiction titles celebrating the lives and stories of Hispanic Americans.

Updated August 22, 2023
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The poet X
Acevedo, Elizabeth
Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award! Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award...
Reclaim the stars : 17 tales across realms & space
Córdova, Zoraida
From stories that take you to the stars, to stories that span into other times and realms, to stories set in the magical now, Reclaim the Stars takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world. Follow princesses warring in space, haunting...
Wild tongues can't be tamed : 15 voices from the Latinx diaspora
Fennell, Saraciea J.
Edited by The Bronx Is Reading founder Saraciea J. Fennell and featuring an all-star cast of Latinx contributors, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed is a ground-breaking anthology that will spark dialogue and inspire hope In Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed, bestselling and...
Don't hate the player
Nedd, Alexis
"Refreshingly voice-y, wildly smart, and genuinely hilarious." - Casey McQuiston, New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue From an exciting new voice comes a funny and heartfelt YA romance set in the world of competitive gaming, perfect for...
Living beyond borders : growing up Mexican in America
Longoria, Margarita
*"This superb anthology of short stories, comics, and poems is fresh, funny, and full of authentic YA voices revealing what it means to be Mexican American . . . Not to be missed."--SLC, starred review *"Superlative . . . A memorable collection." --Booklist, starred...
Mañana: Latinx Comics from the 25th Century
Gil, Joamette
Our shadows have claws : 15 Latin American monster stories
Me?ndez, Yamile Saied
From zombies to cannibals to star-crossed, shapeshifting lovers to Death incarnate, this cross-genre anthology written by superstar authors from across the Latin American diaspora offers bold new thrills for every monster lover. From zombies to cannibals to death incarnate, this cross...
Sanctuary
Mendoza, Paola
Co-founder of the Women's March makes her YA debut in a near future dystopian where a young girl and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary. It's 2032, and in this near-future America, all citizens are chipped and everyone is tracked--from buses to...
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
Sáenz, Benjamin Alire.
Now a major motion picture starring Max Pelayo, Reese Gonzales, and Eva Longoria! A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) This Printz Honor Book is a "tender, honest exploration of identity" (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about...
Ballad & dagger
Older, Daniel Jose?
"Brimming with mystery, mayhem, and heart, Ballad and Dagger gives us wondrous new magic steeped in deep traditions. It's a gorgeous romance, a wild adventure, and a powerful story that unravels not only the pain of diaspora, but the strength of community and the ways we provide refuge for...
Blazewrath games
Ortiz, Amparo
Lana Torres has always preferred dragons to people. In a few weeks, sixteen countries will compete in the Blazewrath World Cup, a tournament where dragons and their riders fight for glory in a dangerous relay. Lana longs to represent her native Puerto Rico in their first ever World Cup appearance,...
Breathe and count back from ten
Sylvester, Natalia
A Pura Belpré Honor Book * A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book for Teens In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior...
Café con lychee
Lee, Emery
From the author of Meet Cute Diary comes a delectable rom-com that's brimming with zest and a sprinkle of sweetness. A must-read for fans of Casey McQuiston and Julian Winters. Theo Mori and Gabriel Moreno have always been at odds. Their parents own rival businesses--an Asian...
Clap when you land
Acevedo, Elizabeth
In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives. Camino Rios lives for the...
A Cuban girl's guide to tea and tomorrow
Namey, Laura Taylor
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick "A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is an absolute delight. Cozier than a hand-knit gray cardigan and richer than Abuela's pastelito recipe, Namey takes you from Miami to Winchester, and leaves your heart...
Don't date Rosa Santos
Moreno, Nina
For fans of Gilmore Girls and To All the Boys I've Loved Before, this effervescent love story from debut author Nina Moreno will sweep you away. Rosa Santos is cursed by the sea--at least, that's what they say. Dating her is bad news, especially if you...
Each of us a desert
Oshiro, Mark
From award-winning author Mark Oshiro comes a powerful coming-of-age fantasy novel about finding home and falling in love amidst the dangers of a desert where stories come to life Xochitl is destined to wander the desert alone, speaking her troubled village's stories into its...
Fat chance, Charlie Vega
Maldonado, Crystal
Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard. Harder when your whole life is on fire, though. A NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD WINNER! Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat. People sometimes have a...
Cemetery boys
Thomas, Aiden
A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's New York Times-bestselling paranormal YA debut Cemetery Boys, described by Entertainment Weekly as "groundbreaking." ...
A fierce and subtle poison
Mabry, Samantha
In this stunning debut, legends collide with reality when a boy is swept into the magical, dangerous world of a girl filled with poison.   Everyone knows the legends about the cursed girl--Isabel, the one the senoras whisper about. They say she has green...
Furia
Me?ndez, Yamile Saied
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK Recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read YA Books of 2020 A Best Book of the Year: Cosmopolitan * Kirkus...
Heartbreak symphony
Kemp, Laekan Zea
Clap When You Land meets On the Come Up in this heart-gripping story about navigating first love and overcoming grief through the power of music. Aarón Medrano has been haunted by the onstage persona of his favorite DJ ever since his mother passed...
How Moon Fuentez fell in love with the universe
Vasquez Gilliland, Raquel
"Breathlessly atmospheric...A gorgeous, hopeful book." --Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow The Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this Pura Belpré Award-winning novel that's an irresistible romance starring a...
I am not your perfect Mexican daughter
Sánchez, Erika L.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A "stunning" (America Ferrera) YA novel about a teenager coming to terms with losing her sister and finding herself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican American home. "Alive and crackling--a...
Juliet takes a breath
Rivera, Gabby
"F***ing outstanding."--Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author Juliet Milagros Palante is a self-proclaimed closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx. Only, she's not so closeted anymore. Not after coming out to her family the night before flying to Portland,...
Labyrinth lost
Córdova, Zoraida
The first book in the Latinx-infused Queer fantasy series from Zoraida Córdova, highly acclaimed author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, that follows three sisters--and teen witches--as they develop their powers and battle magic through epic questing in the realms beyond. Alex is a...
Lakelore
McLemore, Anna-Marie
In this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact? Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an...
Miles Morales : Spider-man
Reynolds, Jason
"Everyone gets mad at hustlers, especially if you're on the victim side of the hustle. And Miles knew hustling was in his veins." Miles Morales is just your average teenager. Dinner every Sunday with his parents, chilling out playing old-school video games with his best...
Miles Morales : suspended
Reynolds, Jason
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes the "action-packed...banter-filled" (School Library Journal, starred review) sequel to his groundbreaking young adult novel Miles Morales: Spider-Man about the adventures of the unassuming, everyday kid who just...
Miss Meteor
Mejia, Tehlor Kay
A gorgeous and magical collaboration between two critically acclaimed, powerhouse YA authors offers a richly imagined underdog story perfect for fans of Dumplin' and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. There hasn't been a winner of the Miss Meteor beauty pageant who...
The new David Espinoza
Aceves, Fred
This story from the acclaimed author of The Closest I've Come unflinchingly examines steroid abuse and male body dysmorphia. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Matt de la Peña. David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. When a video of him getting knocked down by a...
Nocturna
Motayne, Maya
The first in a sweeping and epic debut fantasy trilogy--set in a stunning Latinx-inspired world--about a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi and Sabaa Tahir. To Finn Voy, magic...
Sia Martinez and the moonlit beginning of everything
Vasquez Gilliland, Raquel
"In a world where we are so often dividing ourselves into us and them, this book feels like a kind of magic, celebrating all beliefs, ethnicities, and unknowns." --The New York Times Book Review Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Roswell...
Somewhere between bitter and sweet
Kemp, Laekan Zea
I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Emergency Contact in this stunning Pura Belpré Honor Book about first love, familial expectations, the power of food, and finding where you belong. Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening...
They both die at the end
Silvera, Adam
Adam Silvera reminds us that there's no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day. #1 New York Times bestseller * four starred reviews * A School...
Thirty talks weird love
Narváez-Varela, Alessandra
RISE: A Feminist Book Project, American Library Association (ALA) A 13-year-old girl growing up in Mexico is visited by her 30-year-old future self in this powerful YA novel in verse about handling depression. Out of nowhere, a lady comes up to Anamaria and says she's her<...
We are not from here
Torres Sanchez, Jenny
A poignant novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border, inspired by current events. A Pura Belpré 2021 Young Adult Author Honor Book! A BookPage Best Book of 2020! A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of 2020! A...
We light up the sky
Rivera, Lilliam
Should you save a world that doesn't want to save you? Award-winning author Lilliam Rivera explores the haunting story of an alien invasion from the perspective of three Latinx teens. Pedro, Luna, and Rafa may attend Fairfax High School together in...
We set the dark on fire
Mejia, Tehlor Kay
"We Set the Dark on Fire burns bright. It will light the way for a new generation of rebels and lovers." --NPR "Mejia pens a compelling, gripping story that mirrors real world issues of immigration and equality." --Buzzfeed Five starred reviews!! In this daring and...
With the fire on high
Acevedo, Elizabeth
From the New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award-winning title The Poet X comes a dazzling novel in prose about a girl with talent, pride, and a drive to feed the soul that keeps her fire burning bright. Winner of the California Young Reader Medal! Ever since she got...
Woven in Moonlight
Ibañez, Isabe
One of Time magazine's 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time! A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history. "A vibrant feast of a book." - Margaret Rogerson, NYT bestselling author of...
Home. Vol. 1
Anta, Julio
After being separated from his mother at the USborder, a young Guatemalan immigrant must learn to harness emerging superhumanabilities while being hunted by the Federal Government. JULIO ANTA andANNA WIESZCZYK debut with a deeply...
Miles Morales shock waves : a Spider-Man graphic novel
Reynolds, Justin A.
An original middle-grade graphic novel from Graphix starring Brooklyn's Spider-Man, Miles Morales, by bestselling author Justin A. Reynolds and Eisner nominee Pablo Leon!Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the...
Season of the bruja
Duran, Aaron
Season of the Bruja follows a young woman as she comes into her magical abilities and faces reemergent threats from the past. From a young age, Althalia knew she would someday be the last of her kind--a bruja, tasked with keeping the power and stories of the ancient...
Suncatcher
Pimienta, Jose
Filled with music, passion, supernatural secrets, and family, Jose Pimienta's Suncatcher brings to life a contemporary story of a girl growng up in Mexicali, with a supernatural twist and a lot of music. Beatriz loves music. More than her school -- more than...
Abuela, don't forget me
Ogle, Rex
In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle's abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on-to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring...
Enchanted air : two cultures, two wings : a memoir
Engle, Margarita
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. Margarita is a girl from two...
The far away brothers : two teenage immigrants making a life in America
Markham, Lauren
The inspiring true story about identical twin teenage brothers who escape El Salvador's violence to build new lives in California as undocumented immigrants, perfect for fans of Enrique's Journey and anyone interested in learning about the issues that underlie today's conversations about...
Food-related stories
Melian, Gaby
"Gaby Melian tells so many stories through her relationship with food-about love, about loss, about hard work, and about finding her passion. The pages are dripping with delicious smells and tastes, and will give you a new way to look at both cooking and what it means to have a plan." -Molly...
It's all love : reflections for your heart & soul
Ortega, Jenna
An empowering collection written by Jenna Ortega, the award-winning actress starring in thehit Netflix series WEDNESDAY.These deeply personal stories and quotes are accompanied bybeautiful illustrations thatexplore Jenna's struggles with depression, experiences falling in-and out of-love, the...
Travesía : a migrant girl's cross-border journey = el viaje de una joven migrante
Gerster, Michelle
This compelling young adult graphic memoir, based on real events, tells the story of Gricelda, a fifteen-year-old Mexican girl who attempts to cross the border into America with her mother and younger brother in search of a better life. Their treacherous journey, filled with both heartbreak and...
The Other Side
Villalobos, Juan Pablo.
We are here to stay : voices of undocumented young adults
Kuklin, Susan
The Stonewall Honor-winning author of Beyond Magenta shares the intimate, eye-opening stories of nine undocumented young adults living in America. "Maybe next time they hear someone railing about how terrible immigrants are, they'll think about me. I'm a real person."<...

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