Big Enough/Bastante grande

Mamá always sighs, “Muy, muy chica,” every time Lupita tries to help out at the restaurant that Mamá runs all by herself. But when push comes to shove–or when Grabb comes to swipe–everyone in this exciting tale discovers that, although Lupita may be too little for some tasks, she is big enough for others.

Quinceanera: A Latina’s journey to womanhood

Photographs and text follow a Mexican-American girl through a coming-of-age ritual that helps to preserve a rich heritage in today’s Latino community in the United States.

Cesar Chavez: The Farm Workers’ Best Friend (American Heroes)

Profiles the Mexican American labor leader who helped create the United Farm Workers union to protect the rights of migrant agricultural laborers.

Tortilla Chronicles: Growing Up In Santa Fe

A family memoir full of New Mexico flavor, Tortilla Chronicles serves up a hearty helping of the “City Different” from the perspective of the humble, hardworking Romeros, a family honored for its contributions to regional folk arts. Marie Romero Cash, herself a renowned artist, poignantly sketches each family member using his or her own voice. Their stories present a rare glimpse into the life of a traditional Hispano family and provide an antidote to typical nostalgic tourist accounts of 1950s Santa Fe. One of the main characters is Santa Fe itself, and the narrative tours the city’s streets, shops, plaza, and surrounding hills and arroyos in astounding detail. The ancestry and rituals of family life, the culture and religion of northern New Mexico, and the growth of a neighborhood and its children are all part of the recipe.

Mi Sueno De America/ My American Dream

Young Yuliana Gallegos recalls her move from Monterrey, Mexico, to Houston, Texas. Initially excited about moving to Houston, where the huge freeways make her feel like she’s on a roller coaster, her excitement quickly wanes when she starts school. Everything is different at Yuli’s new school, and her discomfort is magnified by her classmates’ stares.

And to make matters worse, she learns that in spite of studying English in Mexico, she can’t understand anything that’s being said. All she wants to do is go back to her school in Monterrey. Yuli poignantly records the fear and anguish experienced by all immigrant children as they strive to adjust to a new language and culture. With the help of a compassionate teacher, a Japanese girl who becomes her friend, and her own determination to excel at her studies, Yuli gradually learns to speak English and feel comfortable in her new environment.

Blood Secret

A story of secrets and shadows by a Newbery Honor author.

When Jerry Moon is sent to live with her great–great–aunt, she discovers a trunk in the basement that reveals dark mysteries about her family’s ancestry. Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky brings a dramatic and rarely–portrayed period of history to life in this powerful coming–of–age tale that weaves together the Spanish Inquisition, Jewish belief, and a girl learning to understand her past.

Ages 12+

The Dead And The Gone

Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event–an asteroid hitting the moon, setting off a tailspin of horrific climate changes. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex’s parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle.>With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful new novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities.

Adios, Oscar!: A Butterfly Fable

OscarWhen Oscar the caterpillar discovers that he will one day become a butterfly, he’s overjoyed. And his friend Edna the bookworm encourages his hopes of flying to Mexico with the other Monarch butterflies. To prepare, Oscar learns Spanish and dreams of flying through the purple Sierra Madre Mountains. But when Oscar emerges from his cocoon with stubby little wings, a craving for the taste of designer sweaters — and the urge to take a spin around the bathroom light bulb– his dreams are dashed. There will be no trip to Mexico for Oscar — or will there? Yes there will! How Oscar ignores the limitations of being a moth and learns how to dream like a butterfly is both inspirational, liberating — and hilariously funny.