As you prepare to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with your class, we are excited to share an incredible selection of fiction books written by Latinx authors. These books provide mirrors in which students can see themselves reflected and windows through which they can understand the experiences of others.
Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) is a time to recognize and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Middle and high school teachers looking to diversify their classroom libraries will find these novels to be excellent additions. For more teacher resources, follow us on Pinterest!
Middle School Books
1. The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez
Surviving your first day at a new school is tough. Twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa) upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, breaks the dress code with her punk rock style, and disappoints her mom. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself.
Malú forms a band with fellow misfits at the school and starts to feel at home, but to keep this newfound sense of belonging, she’ll have to stand up to the school’s anti-punk rules and fight for her right to express herself!
2. Ana María Reyes Does Not Live in a Castle by Hilda Burgos
Ana María Reyes is crammed into a tiny apartment with her overly affectionate parents, three dramatic sisters, and a piano she rarely gets to practice. When her parents announce a new baby is coming, that means they’ll have even less time for Ana María.
Ana María hears about the prestigious Eleanor School in NYC. Winning a scholarship could get her out of her Washington Heights school. To stand out, she must perfect her piano piece for the city showcase, practicing amidst her sisters’ antics, neighbors’ visits, and a trip to the Dominican Republic until the baby is born. Can Ana María Reyes come out on top?
3. The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Zane loves exploring the dormant volcano near his New Mexico home, preferring it over middle school, where he’s bullied for his limp. Unaware that the volcano is a gateway to another world, he discovers he’s key to a prophecy.
A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he’s destined to release an evil god from the ancient Maya relic he is imprisoned in–unless she can find and remove it first. Together, they face wild events: Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks, and his dog, Rosie, dies and goes to the afterlife while trying to defend him.
Determined to save Rosie from the underworld, Zane embarks on an adventure filled with secrets and a war between gods, one being his father. To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can’t even walk well without a cane?
4. Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
Merci Suarez knew sixth grade would be different. As a scholarship student at her private school in Florida, Merci feels out of place. On the first day of school, Merci finds out that her service assignment is with the Sunshine Buddies — a program that pairs new students with buddies for the first half of the school year. When the most popular girl in school, Edna Santos, targets Merci’s new Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes the focus of Edna’s jealousy.
At home, Merci’s grandfather and most trusted ally, Lolo starts acting strangely, forgetting things and getting angry over nothing. Since her family will explain what’s going on, she’s left to her own worries. In this humorous and wise coming-of-age story, Meg Medina explores the confusion of middle school and the strong bonds of family.
High School Books
5. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Xiomara Batista feels unheard in her Harlem neighborhood. Since her body developed curves, she has used her fists and fierceness to communicate. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say and pours her frustrations and passions into a leather notebook especially after she falls for a boy named Aman in her class.
With Mami’s insistence on church obedience, Xiomara usually keeps her thoughts private. So when invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she hesitates, fearing Mami will find out. Yet, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
In a world that may ignore her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
6. Here The Whole Time by Vitor Martins
Felipe can’t wait for winter break to escape his classmates that constantly tease him about his weight. But plan changes when he learns Caio, his crush from apartment 57, will be staying with him for fifteen days.
Felipe is anxious about sharing a room because (a) he has had a crush on Ciao since, well, forever; and (b) Felipe has no idea how to handle his body image insecurities while sharing a room.
What promised to be a relaxing break now feels daunting. However, if Felipe can overcome his insecurities, the break might not be a disaster after all.
7. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Esperanza Cordero’s life is detailed in a series of vignettes—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous— as she grows up in Chicago and decides for herself who and what she will become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.”
The House of Mango Street a classic story of childhood and self-discovery and one of the greatest neighborhood novels of all time. Like Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street or Toni Morrison’s Sula, it makes a world through people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic and direct. This gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power of telling one’s story and of being proud of where you’re from.
8. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Perfect Mexican daughters don’t leave for college or move out after high school. They never abandon their family. But Julia isn’t a perfect Mexican daughter—that was Olga.
A tragic accident in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia to pick up the pieces. Yet, no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother channels her grief by pointing out every way Julia has failed.
Julia soon discovers Olga might not have been perfect. With help from her friend Lorena and boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to uncover the truth. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? How can Julia live up to an impossible ideal?
9. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…
In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.
Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.
And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
