Materials from the Americas
A Picture Book Biography Of Ignacio (nacho) Anaya, A Waiter At The Victory Club In Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, And The Events Surrounding The Creation, In 1940, Of The Globally-popular Tortilla Chip, Cheese, And Jalapeño Pepper Snack That Bears His Name — Nachos.
Nonbinary teen Ander is ready to leave their family’s taquería and focus on their art, but when Santi, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, begins to work at the restaurant, the two teens spark a romance made complicated by immigration police.
“There is no such thing as an illegal human being or an illegal immigrant.” Maria Hinojosa is an Emmy award-winning journalist and was the first Latina to found a national independent non-profit newsroom in the United States. But before all that, she was a girl with big hair and even bigger dreams. Born in Mexico and raised in the vibrant neighborhood of Hyde Park, Chicago, Maria was always looking for ways to better understand the world around her-and where she fit into it. Here, she combines stories from her life, beginning with her family’s indelible experience of immigration all the way through the first time she heard her own voice on national radio, with truths about the United States’ long and complicated relationship with immigrants. Funny, frank, and wise, Maria’s story is one you will want to read again and again, and her voice will inspire you to find your own.
In modern Mexico, Sitlali is all alone after the death of her beloved abuela. Targeted by a dangerous gang member, she flees to the United States. As a memento, she takes with her an ancient conch shell. In 1521, Calizto is trapped in the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. He has fought valiantly for his people against Spanish invaders, but hope is fading. Desperate, he takes up a sacred conch and sounds a plea to the gods. The conch holds magic neither understand. The magic allows them to communicate across centuries. With each conversation, they fall deeper in love. But as danger threatens, will they find a way to be truly together?
Based on a true story, the tale of one girl’s perilous journey to cross the U.S. border and lead her family to safety during the Mexican Revolution.
Naomi Vargas is Mexican American. Wash Fuller is Black. These teens know the town’s divisive racism better than anyone. But sometimes the attraction between two people is so powerful it breaks through even the most entrenched color lines. And the consequences can be explosive. Naomi and Wash dare to defy the rules, and the New London school explosion serves as a ticking time bomb in the background. Can their love survive both prejudice and tragedy?
Since the late 1800s, it has been believed that Native American civilization has been wiped from the United States. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee argues that Native American culture is far from defeated-if anything, it is thriving as much today as it was one hundred years ago. The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee looks at Native American culture as it exists today-and the fight to preserve language and traditions.
In 2004, four undocumented Mexican teenagers arrived at the national underwater robotics championship at the University of California, Santa Barbara. No one had ever told Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they would amount to much until two inspiring high school science teachers convinced the boys to enter the competition. Up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, this team of underdogs from Phoenix, Arizona, scraped together spare parts and a few small donations to astound not only the competition’s judges but themselves, too.
A little girl and her grandfather rediscover the Cree language together.
Featured in August 2023’s WOW Dozen on books about Language Learning and Communication.
After her family fled the Mexican Revolution, twelve year old Petra summons all her strength and courage as she faces new opportunities and challenges in America.