Even More Contemporary Hispanic-American Fiction for Young Readers
Discover the best contemporary Hispanic-American fiction for young readers! From Jennifer Cervantes' *Tortilla Sun* to Francisco X. Stork's *Marcelo in the Real World* and Matt de la Peña's *We Were Here*, this curated list features compelling juvenile and young adult novels. Explore award-winning authors, rich cultural themes, and unforgettable stories about family, identity, and adventure—perfect for teens and kids. Dive into these must-read American books today!
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Tortilla Sun
by Jennifer Cervantes
While spending a magical summer in New Mexico with her grandmother, twelve-year-old Izzy makes new friends, learns to cook, and for the first time hears stories about her father, who died before she was born.
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The Smell of Old Lady Perfume
by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
When sixth-grader Chela Gonzalez's father has a stroke and her grandmother moves in to help take care of the family, her world is turned upside down.
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Sweet Fifteen
by Diane Gonzales Bertrand
When seamstress Rita Navarro makes a quinceanera dress for fourteen-year-old Stefanie, she finds herself becoming involved with the girl's family and attracted to her uncle.
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Chasing the Jaguar
by Michele Dominguez Greene
Is she the girl next door . . . or a Mayan "sorceress"? "Chasing the Jaguar" introduces Martika Glvez, the Latina Nancy Drew of the new millennium.
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Isabel's Texas Two-Step
by Annie Bryant
Isabel is upset that everyone at her uncle's ranch in San Antonio is too focused on her sister's upcoming quinceaänera to pay much attention to Isabel, but then she and her cousin make a discovery and break a valuable sculpture.
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Marcelo in the Real World
by Francisco X. Stork
Ordered by his father to work in the mailroom of his law firm to get exposure to the real world, Marcelo knows that he must find a way to cope with his form of Asperger's Syndrome in order to prove himself, but when a series of events involving his father's partner and a matter of injustice comes to light, Marcelo finds himself in the midst of a dangerous situation.
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Bait
by Alex Sanchez
Diego keeps getting into trouble because of his explosive temper until he finally finds a probation officer who helps him get to the root of his anger so that he can stop running from his past.
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The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped
by Yxta Maya Murray
Fifteen-year-old Michelle Pena, born into a powerful Mexican American gang family, tries to reconcile her gangster legacy with the girl she has become--a nationally ranked runner and academic superstar.
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The Last Summer of the Death Warriors
by Francisco X. Stork
Seventeen-year-old Pancho is bent on avenging the senseless death of his sister, but after he meets D.Q, who is dying of cancer, and Marisol, one of D.Q.'s caregivers, both boys find their lives changed by their interactions.
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No More Us for You
by David Hernandez
For a life to come together, sometimes it first has to fall completely apart. Isabel is a regular seventeen-year-old girl, still reeling from the pain of her boyfriend's tragic death exactly one year ago. Carlos is a regular seventeen-year-old guy, loves red licorice and his friends, and works at a fancy art museum for some extra cash. The two have no connection until they both meet Vanessa, an intriguing new transfer student with a mysterious past. While Vanessa is the link that brings these two very different lives together, will she be the one that can also tear them apart? In his stunningly beautiful second novel, David Hernandez gives his readers a poetic and profound story that tells of two completely different teenagers and how through everyday life and monumental tragedy lies endless possibility.
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Star in the Forest
by Laura Resau
Anticipating her deported father's return while hiding her undocumented status from authorities, Zitlally is devastated by her father's abduction and waits for news with a stray dog she believes is her father's animal spirit. By the author of Red Glass.
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We Were Here
by Matt de la Peña
Haunted by the event that sentences him to time in a group home, Miguel breaks out with two unlikely companions and together they begin their journey down the California coast hoping to get to Mexico and a new life.
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He Forgot to Say Goodbye
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
On the surface, Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove couldn’t live more different lives. Ram is Mexican-American, lives in the poor section of town, and is doing his best to keep his mother sane while his brother fights off a drug-induced coma. Jake is a WASP who drives a nice car, lives in a mansion, and has a mother who drinks a bit too much and a step-father who cheats on her. But there is one point, one issue, where their lives are exactly the same; their fathers walked out on them when they were just young boys. And at this convergence, Ram and Jake see how everything in their lives is just a little bit similar, because they both blame everything that goes wrong on the one thing they actually have in common. A heartfelt novel from an award-winning author.
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Muchacho
by LouAnne Johnson
Living in a neighborhood of drug dealers and gangs in New Mexico, high school junior Eddie Corazon, a juvenile delinquent-in-training, falls in love with a girl who inspires him to rethink his life and his choices.
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Why Does the Coqui Sing?
by Barbara Garland Polikoff
How can home be a place you've never seen?So far, the move "home" from Chicago to Puerto Rico is not sitting right with Luz. Mami and Luz's new stepfather act as if they've arrived in the promised land, but the rundown section of San Juan where the family is living temporarily is hardly paradise. Luz misses her old life terribly. Only when she visits her grandfather Tata's farm, with the songs of little frogs called coqui everywhere, does Puerto Rico's magic touch her. Only when Luz hears Tata's kind and wise words does she begin to believe that everything might turn out all right.This coming-of-age story is about finding out who you really are and where you belong.
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Manuel and the Lobsterman
by Cat Urbain
Manuel, a Puerto Rican thirteen-year-old from New Haven, Connecticut, goes to Maine with his mother and new stepfather for the summer, where he learns to work on a lobster boat and to get along with the townsfolk.
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Freddie Ramos Takes Off
by Jacqueline Jules
One day Freddie Ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. What's inside? ZAPATO POWER-shoes that change Freddie's life by giving him super speed! But what will Freddie do with his fast new skills? Weird things are happening at the Starwood Park Apartments where he lives, and his friends at school need his help. Is Freddie Ramos ready to be a hero? In this imaginative new story by Jacqueline Jules, an ordinary boy in a city neighborhood learns how to use his new-found powers for good. Illustrations by Miguel Benitez lend just a touch of comic-book style to this chapter book adventure.
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The Gecko & Sticky
by Wendelin Van Draanen
Thirteen-year-old Dave and his sidekick, a talking gecko named Sticky, try to retrieve an ancient Aztec powerband and its magic ingots from the evil villain, Damien Black.
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Luisa's American Dream
by Claudia Mills
Cuban, Catholic, and poor, 14-year-old Luisa Ruiz wants the American Dream and finds it the form of a young WASP with money and sophistication. To win his love, she lies about her background, and then discovers he's not what she wants after all.