Region: Latin America

Materials from South America

Latin Americans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations

Travel from the ancient hidden city of Machu Picchu high in the Andes, past Mayan ruins over 2,000 years old, to the bustling modern cities of Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires. Along the way, readers will learn about the vibrant cultures and innovations of Latin Americans–rodeo, carnival, chocolate, coffee, piñata, tango, and salsa, to name [...]

Other Descriptors: Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction » Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Ghost Hands

Auki, a young member of the Tehuelche tribe in Patagonia, wants to prove himself as a hunter but when he sets out on his own to face the puma, he stumbles upon a sacred cave and its guardian.

Other Descriptors: Argentina, Historical Fiction, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Roses For Isabella

Roses for Isabella invites us to experience life in Ecuador through the eyes of a young girl who keeps a journal and loves to write.  We learn about Isabella’s parents who work on one of the hundreds of farms growing beautiful roses that are sold all over the world.  But not all of these farms [...]

Other Descriptors: Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , » Leave a comment

Maximilian & The Mystery Of The Guardian Angel

Eleven-year-old Margarito, a big fan of the form of wrestling known as lucha libre, begins to suspect that he has a close connection with his favorite luchador, El Angel de La Guardia, the Guardian Angel.

Other Descriptors: Fiction, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Mystery » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert

In early August 2010, the unthinkable happened when a mine collapsed in CopiapÓ, Chile, and 33 miners were trapped 2,000 feet below the surface. For sixty-nine days they lived on meager resources and increasingly poor air quality. When they were finally rescued, the world watched with rapt attention and rejoiced in the amazing spirit and [...]

Other Descriptors: Chile, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction » Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

First Descent

Montana-born Rex loves nothing more than to take his kayak out on a river, the faster and more powerful the better. When he gets the opportunity to tackle the well-named El Furioso in southwest Colombia, he is thrilled. He anticipates the river’s challenges, but finds himself in a situation where the real danger is human. [...]

Other Descriptors: Colombia, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Moon Rope: Un Lazo a la Luna

An adaptation of the Peruvian folktale in which Fox and Mole try to climb to the moon on a rope woven of grass.

Other Descriptors: Folklore, Peru, Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9) » Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Starfields

While big changes are coming to her Mexican village, nine-year- old Rosalba hears that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012 and she dreams of an ancient Mayan boy, eyes bound in a shamanistic ritual, who hints at what Rosalba can do.

Other Descriptors: Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Mexico » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment

Brazil the Land

Text and photographs portray Brazil’s geography and climate, city and rural life, industry, and transportation, focusing especially on the Amazon and the people and animals that live on the river.

Other Descriptors: Brazil, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction » Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The End of the World Club

With the end of the Mayan calendar fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy and his friend Lola, the Maya girl who saved his life in the perilous jungle, race against time to outwit the twelve villainous Lords of Death, following the trail of the conquistadors into a forgotten land steeped in legend and superstition.

Other Descriptors: Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Themes: , , , , » Leave a comment