Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

Yo, Naomi Leon

Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw has had a lot to contend with in her young life, her name for a start. Then, there are her clothes (sewn in polyester by Gram), her difficulty speaking up, and her status at school as “nobody special.” But according to Gram, most problems can be overcome with positive thinking. And with Gram and her little brother, Owen, life at Avocado Acres Trailer Rancho in California is happy and peaceful…until their mother reappears after seven years, stirring up all sorts of questions and challenging Naomi to discover who she really is.

Spanish title: Yo, Naomi Leon

Naomi Soledad Leon Outlaw ha tenido que enfrentarse a mucho en su corta vida, empezando por su nombre. Tambien esta el problema de su ropa (hechas por su abuela en tela de poliester), su timidez y la fama que tiene en la escuela de no ser nadie especial. Pero segun su abuela, la mayoria de los problemas se solucionan con mentalidad positiva. Y su vida, junto a su abuela y su pequeno hermano, Owen, en el parque de casas moviles Avocado Acres, es tranquila y feliz… hasta que su mama aparece luego de siete anos, creando confusion y retando a Naomi a que averigue quien es.

Las Paredes Hablan: Cuentan Mas Historias

The award-winning Talking Walls and its sequel, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue, introduce young readers to different cultures and different issues around the world by telling the stories of walls and how they can hold a community together or separate it. Featured walls include the Great Wall of China, the murals of Diego Rivera, Nelson Mandela’s prison walls, a Holocaust memorial in Poland, Ndebele wall designs in South Africa, Hadrian’s Wall in England, and the Peace Lines in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These books will spark the curiosity of young readers as they learn about their world and its amazing diversity. Teacher’s guide available.

Young Zorro (Spanish Edition): El Joven Zorro: La Marca De Hierro

De niño, a Diego le interesaba más montar a caballo y hacer travesuras con su mejor amigo, Bernardo, que luchar contra la injusticia. No obstante, cuando comienzan a desaparecer algunos hombres del pueblo de los Ángeles y ganado del rancho del padre de Diego, él y Bernardo se topan con una injusticia tan grande que tienen que tomar acción.

Inspirada en la novela Zorro de Isabel Allende, que narra cómo Diego de la Vega se convirtió en el legendario héroe enmascarado, El joven Zorro: La marca de hierro introduce a los lectores a una tierra de vaqueros y secuestradores: un mundo lleno de emociones en el que se forma el joven héroe.

What The Moon Saw

Fourteen-year-old Clara Luna spends the summer with her grandparents in the tiny, remote village of Yucuyoo, Mexico, learning about her grandmother’s life as a healer, her father’s decision to leave home for the United States, and her own place in the world.

Fiesta Femenina: Homenaje A Las Mujeres A Traves De Historias Tradicionales Mexicanas

Drawing from Mexico’s rich cultural heritage, storyteller Mary Joan Gerson celebrates the courage and resilience of the feminine spirit through the stories of seven extraordinary Mexican women. Maya Christina Gonzalez uses radiant colors in a style reminiscent of famous Mexican muralists to capture the spark behind the stories. A folktale collection that will be enjoyed time and again, this is truly a fiesta for the eyes, the spirit and the heart.

Juana Ines/Juana Ines (Cuando los Grandes Eran Pequenos/ When the Grown-Ups Were Children) (Spanish Edition)

Biographical poem about the childhood of poet and nun, Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz.

Jungle Crossing

Kat can think of dozens of good reasons not to go on a boring family vacation to hot, grungy Mexico. Number one: missing her friend Fiona’s minicamp. If she’s not there, she’ll begin eighth grade as a social reject. Despite her reluctance, Kat ends up on a teen adventure tour where she meets Nando, a young Mayan guide (who happens to be quite a cutie). As they travel to different Mayan ruins each day, Nando tells Kat his original legend of Muluc, a girl who lived in the time of the Ancient Maya. The dangerous, dramatic world in which Muluc lives is as full of rivalry, betrayal, and sacrifice as Kat’s world at school. And as she makes new friends and discovers treasures in Mexico, Kat begins to wonder: Is she willing to keep sacrificing her self in exchange for popularity?

The Desert Mermaid/La Sirena Del Desierto

A desert mermaid living in an oasis seeks to save her people by rediscovering the forgotten songs of their ancestors.

Azteca: The Story Of A Jaguar Warrior

In 15th-century Mexico, Tlilcatl, the Jaguar Warrior, battles the Spanish conquistadores for his family, culture, and empire in this graphic novel for children and adults. In both Spanish and English. Ages 8 and up.