Quinceaeras are the fantastic parties thrown for Latina girls turning 15 years old and are a staple of the Miami social scene. But for Alicia Cruz and her three best friends, Carmen, Jamie, and Gaz, they were also just part of the background–until now.
United States
Materials from United States of America
Dark Water
Fifteen-year-old Pearl DeWitt and her mother live in Fallbrook, California, where it’s sunny 340 days of the year, and where her uncle owns a grove of 900 avocado trees. Uncle Hoyt hires migrant workers regularly, but Pearl doesn’t pay much attention to them . . . until Amiel. From the moment she sees him, Pearl is drawn to this boy who keeps to himself, fears being caught by la migra, and is mysteriously unable to talk. And after coming across Amiel’s makeshift hut near Agua Prieta Creek, Pearl falls into a precarious friendship—and a forbidden romance.Then the wildfires strike. Fallbrook—the town of marigolds and palms, blood oranges and sweet limes—is threatened by the Agua Prieta fire, and a mandatory evacuation order is issued. But Pearl knows that Amiel is in the direct path of the fire, with no one to warn him, no way to get out. Slipping away from safety and her family, Pearl moves toward the dark creek, where the smoke has become air, the air smoke. Laura McNeal has crafted a beautiful and haunting novel full of peril, desperation, and love.
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 4
Amigas #2: Lights, Camera, Quince!
Four friends. One quince. Miami is heating up! Amigas Incorporated is officially open for business! Alicia, Jamie, Carmen and Gaz managed to throw an amazing quince for their new friend Sarita. But now that they are sophomores AND in the quince planning business, things are going to get more complicated. There is competition to deal with, not to mention pushy fifteen year olds and their overbearing mothers. Luckily, one of their own is having a quince. Carmen is turning fifteen and the rest of the friends are determined to throw her the best party ever. But in Miami, the heat is always on–and so is the drama. When the group agrees to be part of a reality show competition featuring young and upcoming party planners, Carmen begins to feel like her quinceanera is no longer in the spotlight. Will the friends find a way to balance everything? Or, will Amigas Inc go off the air?
Sweet 15
A teenage girl’s plans for her quinceañera (15th birthday party) wreak havoc with her family and friends.
A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to helping American farmworkers. This champion of social justice organized farmworkers into unions and argued for better pay and fwir working conditions.
Extra! Extra!: Fairy-Tale News From Hidden Forest
Presents articles, editorials and ads from the “Hidden Forest Times” that retell many well-known stories, including Jack and the beanstalk, Pinocchio, and the Tortoise and the Hare. When the residents of Hidden Forest wake up and open their morning papers, they are in for a surprise. When the residents of Hidden Forest wake up and open their morning papers, they are in for a surprise. An enormous beanstalk has mysteriously sprouted outside of Jack Blake’s house, and Jack is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Pinocchio and Half-Chicken have set out on adventures of their own, and Tortoise and Hare are off to the races. Will they all find their happy endings? Hidden Forest News has got the scoops. Written and laid out in newspaper format, this installment in the enchanting Hidden Forest series has received a new twist from Alma Flor Ada and Leslie Tryon.
The Rainbow Tulip
A Mexican-American first-grader experiences the difficulties and pleasures of being different when she wears a tulip costume with all the colors of the rainbow for the school May Day parade.
On The Texas Trail Of Cabeza De Vaca
In 1527, the conquistador Cabeza de Vaca set sail for the Spanish territory of La Florida. His aim was to explore and colonize an unknown land that stretched from present-day Florida to Texas.
La Noche Buena
Nina is visiting her grandmother in Miami for Christmas. Usually she spends it in snowy New England with her mother and her family, but this year is different. She isn’t certain what to make of a hot and humid holiday, until she learns the traditions of her father’s side of the family from her Cuban grandmother. She helps prepare for the evening and takes part in all their traditions—the intricate cooking for the feast, the dancing, the music, and the gathering of relatives and neighbors. It all comes together for a Noche Buena that Nina will never forget. Antonio Sacre and Angela Dominguez have created a wonderful story that everyone who celebrates Christmas will enjoy. The book includes a glossary of Spanish words.
Lights On The River
Teresa, the young daughter of Mexican American migrant workers, has a hard life but keeps memories of her grandmother and Mexico alive in her heart.