Tiny TripFiction Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!

4th October 2021

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, our Kid’s Lit Writer in Residence has pulled together a list of children and YA books that celebrate Latino heritage, culture, and identity. From aspiring luchadoras to rising soccer stars, fearless poets and feisty ghostbusters, these stories from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America are perfect for sharing all year round.

For more information about National Hispanic Heritage Month and for 2021 event highlights visit hispanicheritagemonth.gov.

Islandborn by Junot Díaz, Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)
(5+)

📍 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, CARIBBEAN

When Lola’s teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can’t remember the Island – she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories – joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening – Lola’s imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island.

Día de los Muertos by Hannah Eliot, Jorge Gutierrez (Illustrator) (2+)

📍 MEXICO

At the end of October each year, it’s time to celebrate an ancient tradition: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)! From sugar skulls to papel picado, this is a holiday that celebrates life and death, as families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed.
Also check out Once Upon a World’s vibrant Mexican twist on Cinderella!

Anita and the Dragons by Hannah Carmona, Anna Cunha (Illustrator) (3+)

📍 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Anita watches the dragons high above her as she hops from one cement roof to another in her village in the Dominican Republic. But being the valiant princesa she is, she never lets them scare her. Then one day, Anita must face her fears and begin life in a new country. Will she be brave enough to enter the belly of the beast and take flight to new adventures?

From My Window by Otávio Júnior, Vanina Starkoff (Illustrator) (4+)

📍 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

What do you see from your window? This #OwnVoices picture book from Brazil offers a first-hand view of what children growing up in the favelas of Rio de Janiero see everyday. A vibrant and diverse celebration of urban community living, brought to life by unique, colorful illustrations that juxtapose brick buildings with lush jungle plants.

Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers by Juliet Menéndez (8+)

📍 WORLD

From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to singer Selena Quintanilla to NASA’s first virtual reality engineer, Evelyn Miralles, discover how 40 influential Latinas became the women we celebrate today! With gorgeous, hand-painted illustrations, Juliet Menéndez shines a spotlight on the power of childhood dreams.

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega (9+)

📍 FLORIDA, USA

Coco meets Stranger Things with a hint of Ghostbusters in this action-packed supernatural fantasy adventure!
Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late.

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (9+)

📍 MEXICO

Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El Sombrerón, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devil’s Alley, though, she’ll have to become a bruja herself. With a little help from the legendary criatura Coyote, Cece sets out to reunite her family—and maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosin, E. M. O’Conner (Translator) (10+)

📍 CHILE AND MAINE, USA

Celeste Marconi lives peacefully in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile, until one day when warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates start disappearing without a word. Chile has been taken over by a dangerous new government and Celeste is sent to America for her protection. As Celeste adapts to her new life in Maine, she never stops dreaming of Chile but will she ever be truly safe again… Based on the history of Pinochet’s catastrophic takeover of Chile.

My Sweet Orange Tree by José Mauro de Vasconcelos, Alison Entrekin (Translator) (10+)

📍 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Meet Zezé – Brazil’s naughtiest and most loveable boy, his talent for mischief matched only by his great kindness. When he grows up he wants to be a ‘poet with a bow-tie’ but for now he entertains himself playing pranks on the residents of his family’s poor Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood and inventing friends to play with. That is, until he meets a real friend, and his life begins to change…

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (YA)

📍 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND NEW YORK CITY

After being forced to flee their comfortable life in the Caribbean, Yolanda Garcia and her sisters find it hard to adjust to immigrant life in the Bronx, particularly the traditions and values of their tough old-world father, Papi. however the girls may iron the curls from their hair and blend their Hispanic accents to fit in, they will always see the world through Dominican eyes. But now Yolanda is taking a trip to the Dominican Republic to revisit the country where she was born, to recover forgotten memories and remember that part of her she lost.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez (YA)

📍 CHICAGO, USA

Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role. Before a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out.

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey (YA)

📍 WINCHESTER, UK

For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. With the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila… until she meets Orion Maxwell, a charming teashop clerk with troubles of his own. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas (YA)

📍 LOS ANGELES, USA

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo, starting with performing a ritual to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (YA)

📍 ARGENTINA

In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her.

Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America edited by Margarita Longoria (YA)

📍 USA

In this mixed-media collection of short stories, personal essays, poetry and comics, this celebrated group of authors share the borders they have crossed, the struggles they have pushed through, and the two cultures they continue to navigate as Mexican Americans. Living Beyond Borders is at once an eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and hopeful love letter from the Mexican American community to today’s young readers.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (YA)

📍 NEW YORK CITY, USA

Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. When it comes to standing her ground in her Harlem neighbourhood, she lets her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But X has secrets – her feelings for a boy in her bio class, and the notebook full of poems that she keeps under her bed. And a slam poetry club that will pull those secrets into the spotlight. Because in spite of a world that might not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to stay silent. A novel about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in, no matter how hard it is to say.

The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera (YA)

📍 NEW YORK CITY, USA

Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted!
When Margot Sanchez finds herself grounded and working in her family’s struggling grocery store, she’d do just about anything – lie, cheat, steal – to get out of the punishment and attend the ultimate beach party of the year.

Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha (YA)

📍 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

An absorbing debut novel about three gay friends in Brazil whose lives become intertwined in the face of HIV.
Henrique has had HIV for three years. Ian has just tested positive. Victor got with Henrique last night and thinks he might have it. Ian, Victor and Henrique must navigate treatment, friendship and love, and eventually learn to trust each other.

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