Age

Catalog sorted by age group

Alicia Afterimage

On the evening of September 24, 2004, sixteen-year-old Alicia María Betancourt was killed in a car accident. Popular, happy, fun-loving Alicia daughter, sister, and friend to so many gone in an instant. How would those left behind cope with such a sudden, devastating loss? Wrestling with grief, anger, mortality, and spirituality, Alicia’s loved ones struggle to create a lasting place in their hearts for someone who is no longer a physical presence. They share joyful and painful memories, and discover the resilient power of enduring friendship and love. In time, each person finds a way to heal while keeping Alicia’s vibrant spirit alive for those who knew her, and those who never will. Alicia Afterimage is a remarkable story of loss and recovery, but mostly it is a story of love. In this moving tribute to an extraordinary girl, readers will find a pathway through grief and a road map to remembrance. It is a book of comfort for all teens and adults who seek a way to ease the pain of losing someone they cherished.

The Heights

Henry liked to imagine his life began that cold rainy day in San Francisco when Mr. Earnshaw found him shivering by the side of the road. That was the day Henry met Catherine. For Henry, Catherine is like a precious gift. She pushes away his angry thoughts and makes him feel safe and calm. And though Mr. Earnshaw, a widow, raises the orphan and Catherine as brother and sister, their love for each other goes much deeper. They vow to always be together.     But everything changes when Mr. Earnshaw dies suddenly and Hindley, Mr. Earnshaw’s own son, gains control of the family finances. Furiously jealous, Hindley never accepted Henry as a true member of the family. He works to sever Henry’s relationship with Catherine and the violent rage Henry has harbored since he was a child bubbles to the surface. . . . Contemporizing the classic novel, Wuthering Heights, notable YA author, Brian James delives into the dark nature of obsessive love, the social injustices of class, and the self-destructive power of revenge in this emotionally raw unforgettable offering.  

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.

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.

El Bronx Remembered

In a city called New York… In a neighborhood called El Bronx… The Fernandex children own a very special pet: A white hen named after their favorite Hollywood movie star. A new girl comes to school – a gypsy child who can read palms and foretell the future. A young boy must face the humiliation of wearing his uncle’s orange roach-killer shoes to his high school graduation. In the South Bronx – or El Bronx, as it’s known to the people who live there – anything can happen. A migrant “fresh off the boat” from Puerto Rico can be somebody on the mainland, pursue the American Dream… and maybe even make it come true. Here are stories that capture the flavor and beat of El Bronx in its heyday, from 1946-1956. A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year Finalist, 1976 National Book Award for Children’s Literature A Notable Children’s Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC).

Mercy on These Teenage Chimps

At age 13, best friends Ronnie and Joey suddenly feel like chimps–long armed, big eared, and gangly–and when the coach humiliates Joey in front of a girl, he climbs up a tree and refuses to come down. Gary Soto tells a touching story about friendship, understanding and the painful insecurities of being 13.

Amrica Is Her Name

amricaSet in the Pilsen barrio of Chicago, this children’s picture book gives a heartwarming message of hope. The heroine, Amrica, is a primary school student who is unhappy in school until a poet visits the class and inspires the students to express themselves creatively-in Spanish or English. Amrica Is Her Name emphasizes the power of individual creativity in overcoming a difficult environment and establishing self-worth and identity through the young girl Amrica’s desire and determination to be a writer. This story deals realistically with the problems in urban neighborhoods and has an upbeat theme: you can succeed in spite of the odds against you. Carlos Vzquez’s inspired four-color illustrations give a vivid sense of the barrio, as well as the beauty and strength of the young girl Amrica.Luis J. Rodrguez grew up in Watts and East L.A. His bestselling memoir about gang life, Always Running (now available in paperback in both English and Spanish from Touchstone Books), won the Carl Sandburg Award. His Poems Across the Pavement (Ta Chucha Press) won the Poetry Center Book Award from San Francisco State University, and his poetry collection, The Concrete River was awarded the 1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Poetry. Mr. Rodrguez has worked extensively with gang members to guide them in positive directions, and he is frequently featured as a keynote speaker or guest poet at national conferences and cultural centers. Rodrguez explores the Chicano experience with an unrelenting, socially conscious eye that moved Larry Weintraub of the Chicago Sun-Times to call him a poet “we need to hear.”Illustrator Carlos Vzquez was born in Mexico, studied physics and art, and now teaches in adult education programs in New York City.This book is also available in a Spanish language edition as La llaman Amrica translated by Tino Villanueva. 1-880684-41-1

Pablo Remembers

From October 31 to November 2, people in Mexico celebrate the festival of el Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. This photodocumentary follows Pablo and his family as they prepare to honor the memory of Pablo’s grandmother. Ancona’s photographs catch the affirmation of life that fills the Mexican festival arising from both Aztec and Christian customs honoring the dead.

Butterflies On Carmen Street/ Mariposas En La Calle Carmen

butterflies\”Today is Butterfly Day!\” Julianita excitedly tells her grandfather as they make their way down Carmen Street to school one morning. Today is the day Julianita and her friends have been waiting for–they\’re going to learn about monarch butterflies. But what\’s even more thrilling is they\’re each going to receive their very own caterpillar to raise! When Julianita gets hers, she names him Tiger because of his striking yellow and black stripes. Ms. Rodríguez teaches her students all about the monarch. But Julianita already knows that they fly south thousands of miles every winter because her grandfather remembers seeing the beautiful monarchs in his village in the highlands of Mexico. As the children feed and care for their caterpillars, they anxiously anticipate the transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. When Tiger finally emerges from his chrysalis, Julianita doesn\’t want to let him go. She worries that he will get lost on his way to Mexico. \”Tiger knows the way to Mexico because it\’s in his heart,\” her Abuelito reassures her. She feels sad to see Tiger fly away, but Julianita knows that someday, she will follow him to her grandfather\’s magical Mexico. Paired with April Ward\’s charming illustrations that depict Julianita\’s neighborhood–her home on Carmen Street, the bench where Abuelito rests in Palo Verde Park, her parents\’ store that sells everything in the whole wide world–this book by award-winning author Monica Brown is sure to entertain and educate kids ages 3-9. This is a perfect choice for children learning about insects and the forces of nature.