Hector and Mando, two Chicano seventh graders from East Los Angeles, visit Hector’s uncle in the less-than-exciting town of Fresno and find plenty of excitement, laughs, and thrills after they witness a robbery and are chased by the dim-witted criminals.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Voices From The Fields: Children Of Migrant Farmworkers Tell Their Stories
Interviews with nine children of Hispanic migrant farm workers reveal some of their struggles, such as the long hours in the fields and the language barriers at school, and their aspirations for a better life.
The Uncertain Journey (Stories Of Illegal Aliens In El North)
Twelve moving stories of men and women who have come to America as illegal aliens in search of a future tell how they struggle to find jobs and warm places to sleep while avoiding deportation.
The Christmas Gift
With honesty and rare grace, award-winning author Francisco Jiménez shares his most poignant Christmas memory in this remarkable book. Illustrated with paintings full of strength and warmth, written in spare bilingual text, this simple story celebrates the true spirit of Christmas, and illuminates how children do indeed draw strength from the bonds of their families.
Baseball In April And Other Stories
In this unique collection of short stories, the small events of daily life reveal big themes—love and friendship, youth and growing up, success and failure. Calling on his own experiences of growing up in California’s Central Valley, poet Gary Soto brings to life the joys and pains of young people everywhere. The smart, tough, vulnerable kids in these stories are Latino, but their dreams and desires belong to all of us.
Edward James Olmos (Hispanic Heritage)
Traces the life and career of the award-winning actor, looks at his roles in television and motion pictures, and describes his efforts to help the Hispanic community
Famous Hispanic Americans
Mini-biographies of fourteen outstanding Hispanic Americans include profiles and descriptions of the achievements of such figures as singer Gloria Estefan, actor Andy Garcia, tennis star Gigi Fernandez, educator Jaime Escalante, and Federico Pen+a1a, the Secretary of Transportation.
Simon Bolivar (Hispanic Heritage)
Illustrates the exciting story of the military genius and political seer who led much of Central and South America in their successful fight for freedom from Spain.
Alamo Wars
Josephine “Miss Mac” McKeever had taught English and Theatre Arts at Rosemont Middle School for so long that her colleagues sometimes joked that she would die in the classroom. So when she does just that, students, teachers, and administrators are stunned. After getting over the initial shock of losing their colleague, the staff agrees that they need to do something very special to acknowledge Miss Mac’s fifty-one years of dedication to the students at Rosemont and suggest naming the school’s auditorium after her. When Mrs. Frymire, her long-time colleague and friend, discovers a play written by Miss Mac years before, she knows that it would be the perfect memorial to present the play, Thirteen Days to Glory: The Battle of the Alamo, in the school’s auditorium named after her friend. But the teachers quickly learn that presenting a play isn’t as easy as Miss Mac had always made it seem, and soon the entire school community is in an uproar as conflicts related to the play emerge. Seventh-grader and Golden Gloves boxer Marco Diaz is, at first, excited to be chosen to play Jim Bowie, the brave Texan who defended the Alamo against Santa Anna’s Mexican Army. But his friend Raquel, an undocumented immigrant, calls him a sell-out because she believes the play makes heroes out of the people who stole her ancestors’ land. And Sandy Martinez, Miss Mac’s much younger replacement, finds the Mexican characters’ dialogue not only politically incorrect but downright offensive. Miss Mac’s friends, though, are adamantly opposed to making changes. Ms. Martinez also tries to convince them that giving certain students plum roles in exchange for their parents’ contributions is wrong, but ends up leaving the production in frustration. Meanwhile, rehearsals only serve to increase the tension between Marco’s friend Izzy Pena and the school bully Billy Ray Cansler. And it’s only a matter of time before Billy Ray corners Izzy when Marco isn’t around to protect him. Weary from struggling with disruptive kids, teachers and kids dropping out of the play, and parents with unreasonable expectations, everyone begins to wonder if they should just give up and cancel the production. Is it too much to expect everyone to work together to pay homage to a long-time friend and teacher?
Case Of The Pen Gone Missing: A Mickey Rangel Mystery / El Caso De La Pluma Perdida: Coleccion Mickey Rangel, Detective Privado
When Toots Rodriguez approaches Mickey on the playground, he knows something is up. Toots, the prettiest girl in the fifth grade, never talks to Mickey, not even when they’re assigned to work together on a class project. But Toots has come to Mickey because she’s in trouble, and he’s a detective. The real deal. He has a badge and a certificate after completing an online course two years ago. ”You have to believe me, Mickey. I didn’t take that pen. I didn’t.” When Toots shines her big green eyes on him and insists repeatedly that she’s innocent, Mickey’s intuition tells him to run fast in the opposite direction. But he’s a sucker for a pretty girl, so he takes on the case of the missing pen. Rumor has it that Toots stole Eddy’s pen. It’s not just any old pen; it’s his dad’s pen. It has the White House logo on it. Eddy’s father, a senator from South Texas, got the pen from the President of the United States when he visited the White House last year. As Mickey begins his investigation, though, all the clues point to Toots and her newly ex-boyfriend as the primary suspects. The first book in The Mickey Rangel Mystery series for intermediate readers, author and educator Rene Saldana, Jr. has crafted another appealing book for kids, and his wise-cracking, smart protagonist will appeal to even the most reluctant readers.