Latino Literature

A Compilation of Lists by ALSC, Healdsburg High School and YALSA-BK

Ada , Alma Flor . I Love Saturdays y Domingos . Illus. by Elivia Savadier. Atheneum, 2002. (Gr. PreS-2)

Weekends are special for a young girl who spends them with her two sets of grandparents: her grandma and grandpa on Saturdays, her abuelita and abuelito on Sundays.

Alarcón, Francisco X. Angels Ride Bikes and Other Fall Poems/Los ángeles andan en bicicleta y otros poemas de otoño . Illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children's Book Press, 1999. (Gr. 1-3)

This Mexican American poet recalls people, places, events, and sensations from his childhood in Los Angeles .

Alvarez, Julia. Before We Were Free . Knopf Book for Young Readers, 2002. (Gr. 6-9).

In the early 1960s in the Dominican Republic , twelve-year-old Anita
learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end
the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.

Alvarez, Julia. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents . Plume, 1991. (Adult)

The story of the Garcia family's adjustment to life in the United States .

Alvarez, Julia. How Tía Lola Came to Visit/Stay . Knopf, 2001. (Gr. 4-7)
When Tía Lola comes from the Dominican Republic to visit Miguel's family in Vermont , he has mixed feelings about his colorful aunt.

Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless me, Ultima : a novel . TQS Publications, 1991. (Adult)

Set in a small New Mexican community during World War II, Antonio speaks of the dignity, traditions, and mythology of Chicano life.

Anaya, Rudolfo A. Rio Grande fall . Warner Books, 1996. (Adult)

Alburquerque private detective Sonny Baca is called to investigate when it appears that drug-dealers, murderers, and shamanistic magic have taken over the annual balloon festival.

Ancona, George. Barrio: José's Neighborhood . Photos by George Ancona. Harcourt Brace, 1998. (Gr. 2-6)

This expressive photo-essay spotlights an eight-year-old boy and his community, a barrio in San Francisco .

Argueta, Jorge. A Movie in My Pillow/Una película en mi almohada . Illus. by Elizabeth Gómez. Children's Book Press, 2001. (Gr. 3-6)

Illustrated in bright colors, this autobiographical collection of short poems tells of a boy and his father leaving El Salvador as refugees and settling in San Francisco .

Argueta, Jorge. Xochitl and the Flowers/Xochitl, la niña de las flores . Illus. by Carl Angel. Children's Book Press, 2003. (K-Gr. 3)

After moving from El Salvador , Xochitl and her family become a valued part of their San Francisco community by growing and selling flowers.

Atkin, S. Beth. Voices from the Fields . Little, Brown, 1993. (Gr. 5-8)

Photographs, poems, and interviews with children reveal the hardships and hopes of Mexican American migrant farm workers and their families.

Bernardo, Anilú. Loves me, loves me not . Piñata Books/Arte Publico Press, 1999. (Gr. 7-10)

While trying to win the attention of a high school basketball star who already has a girlfriend, Maggie, a Cuban American, learns painful lessons about romantic young love.

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales. The Empanadas that Abuela Made/Las empanadas que hacía la abuela . Illus. by Alex Pardo DeLange. Piñata Books, 2003. (Gr. PreS-2)

Illustrated with humorous exaggeration, this cumulative rhyme details the family tradition of baking homemade empanadas.

Bertrand, Diane Gonzales. Trino's Choice . Piñata Books, 1999. (Gr. 6-9)

Frustrated by his poor financial situation and hoping to impress a smart girl, seventh grader Trino falls in with a bad crowd led by an older teen with a vicious streak. Also: Trino's Time .

Braided lives : an anthology of multicultural American writing . Minnesota Council of Teachers of English, 1991. (Adult)

A collection of over forty stories and poems written by Americans of Native, Hispanic, African, and Asian ancestry.

Bretón, Marcos. Home is Everything: The Latino Baseball Story . Cinco Puntos Press, 2003. (Gr. 7-10)

Explores the unique experiences of Latin American baseball players in the Major Leagues, including Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda, and Jose Santana; their struggles, disappointments, and sometimes enormous successes.

Cameron, Ann. Colibri. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. (Gr. 5-8)
Kidnapped when she was very young by an unscrupulous man who has forced
her to lie and beg to get money, a twelve-year-old Mayan girl endures an
abusive life, always wishing she could return to the parents she can
hardly remember.

Chambers, Veronica. Quinceañera Means Sweet 15 . Hyperion, 2001. (Gr. 6-9)

Though Marisol's fifteenth year brings financial and emotional struggles, it ends with a memorable coming-of-age celebration.

Cisneros, Sandra . The House on Mango Street . Vintage Books, 1991. (Gr. 10+)

Sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous, The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, whose neighborhood is one of harsh realities and harsh beauty. Esperanza doesn't want to belong - not to her run-down neighborhood, and not to the low expectations the world has for her. Esperanza's story is that of a young girl coming into her power, and inventing for herself what she will become.

Cockcroft, James D. Latino Visions: Contemporary, Chicano, Puerto
Rican, and Cuban American Artists . Franklin Watts, 2001. (Gr. 8+)

Describes the evolution of Latino art in America through discussion of various artistic movements and important Latino artists.

Cohn, Diana . Sí, se puede! = Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A . Illus. by Francisco Delgado. Cinco Puntos Press, 2002. (Gr. 2-6)

Carlito's widowed mother, who struggles to support the family on low wages, helps to organize a strike that raises pay for herself and other janitors in Los Angeles .

Cool salsa : bilingual poems on growing up Latino in the United States . Fawcett Juniper, 1994. (Gr. 8-12)

Celebrates the tones, rhythms, sounds, and experiences of growing up Latino in America . Includes works by poets such as Sandra Cisneros, Martín Espada, Gary Soto, Ed Vega, and others.

Dole, Mayra L. Drum, Chavi, Drum/Toca, Chavi, toca . Illus. by Antonio Eligio. Children's Book Press, 2003.(K-Gr. 2)

Chavi disguises herself as a boy in order to play the drums in Miami 's Calle Ocho festival parade.

Dorros, Arthur. Abuela . Illus. by Elisa Kleven. Dutton, 1991. (PreS-Gr. 2)

Rosalba and her grandmother take an imaginary flight over New York City while sharing companionship and family love.

Draper, Sharon. Romiette and Julio . Simon Pulse, 2001. (Gr. 6-10)
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover
that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the
Internet, but are harassed by a gang whose members object to their
interracial dating.