Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by reading YA books by contemporary Hispanic authors!
Compiled by:
Tyana P. & Fern S.
Burn Down, Rise Up(Young Adult Fiction - Y Tirado)
For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Raquel does her best to ignore it, but when her crush, Charlize's cousin, goes missing, they team up to investigate. They soon discover that everything's tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game, rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city.
On the Wings of La Noche(Young Adult Fiction - Y Torres)
Noche, who serves as an avian guide to the afterlife, suffers inner turmoil between falling for a new boy in town and letting go of her late girlfriend's soul.
Camila Núñez's Year of Disasters(Young Adult Fiction - Y Perez)
Camila has always been afraid of the future. When Camila's best friend gives her a tarot card reading for her 16th birthday, she believes it when the cards predict terrible things to come. Whether she's ready or not, Camila will have to reckon with all the ways her fear about the future is ruining her life and learn to find peace amidst it all.
The Q(Young Adult Fiction - Y Tintera)
When the president's son, Lennon, is kidnapped and pushed out of an airplane over the Q, a vast quarantine zone, Maisie gives him a 72-hour vaccine. Together, the two teenagers attempt to fight their way through the Q in order to survive.
Crashing Into You(Young Adult Fiction - Y Callen)
Leti Rivera dreams of becoming a famous female street racer. Her brother taught her how to drive so fast that nothing can catch her. But when Jacob crashes into her life, Leti starts to think that running isn't always the answer. Jacob's gentleness and honesty threaten Leti's vow to keep her heart tight in her fist and her grief locked away.
Saints of the Household(Young Adult Fiction - Y Tison)
Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival growing up with a physically abusive father. But when they hear a classmate in trouble, they intervene, breaking up a fight and beating the attacker to a pulp. This act of violence threatens the brothers' dreams for the future and the realization that they may be more like their father than they thought.
Echoes of Grace(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mccall)
Grace struggles to understand the "echoes" she inherited from her mother: visions which often distort her reality. One morning as her sister, Mercy, rushes off for work, a disturbing echo takes hold of Grace. Within moments, tragedy strikes. As Grace's echoes brings ghosts and premonitions, they also bring memories her maternal grandmother—who Grace had been told died long ago.
Shut Up, This Is Serious(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ixta)
Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff, but nothing is normal in East Oakland. Her father left her family. She’s at risk of not graduating. Weighed by a depression she can’t seem to shake, she cuts a lot of class. She soon realizes, though, that distractions are only temporary. Classmates are getting ready for college. But what about Belén? What future is there for girls like her?
The Fall of Whit Rivera(Young Adult Fiction - Y Maldona)
Frenemies Whit and Zay have been at odds for years (ever since he broke up with her in the most embarrassing way imaginable), so when they're forced to organize the fall formal together, it's a literal disaster. Sparks fly as Whitney, a type-A perfectionist, butts heads with Zay, a relaxed skater boy. But not all of those sparks are bad; has their feud been a big misunderstanding all along?
(S)kin(Young Adult Fiction - Y Zoboi)
Marisol is the daughter of a soucouyant. Every new moon, she sheds her skin, shifting into a witch who slowly sips from the lives of others to sustain her own. While Marisol hoped they would leave their old traditions behind when they emigrated to Brooklyn from the islands, she knows this will never happen while she remains ensnared by her mother.
Flawless Girls(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mclemor)
Isla and Renata are infamous in polite society. But their grandmother also knows the standards that two Latina girls will be held to, so she sends them to a prominent finishing school. Isla is back home within a day, but Renata stays. When Renata returns months later, she's not herself and disappears the same night. To find out what happened to her sister, Isla re-enrolls at the school desperate to find out its secrets.
So Let them Burn(Young Adult Fiction - Y Cole)
After her sister, Elara, forms an unbreakable bond with an enemy dragon, Faron, who once wielded the magic of the gods to save her island from those same dragon-riding colonizers, must find a way to save her sister and the fate of their world in the face of impossible odds.
A Girl’s Guide to Love & Magic(Young Adult Fiction - Y Rigaud)
Cicely is excited to celebrate the West Indian Day Parade with her aunt and voodoo dabbler, Mimose, but when Mimose's dabbling goes awry and she becomes possessed by a spirit, Cicely, Renee, and Kwame, her crush, must find a way to set things right.
The Story of My Anger(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mendez)
Yulieta is angry. Angry at her racist drama teacher who refuses to cast Black students in lead roles. Angry that she has to keep quiet until she can head to college and leave Texas forever. But as the fire of Yuli's rage spreads and lights her up, she can no longer be silent. Determined to find a way to fight back, Yuli and her friends start a guerilla theatre club.
The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar(Young Adult Fiction - Y Reyes)
Since breaking up with Jamal in a last-ditch effort to stay in the closet, Cesar has come out to his family and friends, takes his meds faithfully, and has received his therapist's blessing to reunite with Jamal. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for The Thoughts. When a manic episode makes his inner turmoil impossible to hide, he's faced with a stark choice: burn every bridge he has left or, worse—ask for help.
The Sunbearer Trials(Young Adult Fiction - Y Thomas)
Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.
Hear Ye Mortals(Young Adult Fiction - Y Mendez)
In 1976 Argentina, brothers Daniel and Adrián share a passion for music, however, under the authoritarian military government, artists and musicians are considered enemies of the state. When one of their songs unexpectedly gains popularity on the radio, Daniel and Adrián face a daunting choice.
These Vengeful Wishes(Young Adult Fiction - Y Montalb)
Ceci and her mother move to Santa Aguas, a town haunted by the legend of La Cegua, a vengeful witch. They move into the cursed Sevilla manor, where Ceci uncovers her mother's past and feels a connection to La Cegua, who inspires her paintings of a mysterious forest door.
Hot Boy Summer(Young Adult Fiction - Y Jimenez)
Mac has never really felt like he belonged, but then he meets Flor, who shows him that you can be both fierce and kind, and Mikey, who's super hot and might just maybe think the same about him. Over the course of one life-changing summer, Mac will stand face-to-face with desire, betrayal, and letting go of shame, which will lead to some huge discoveries about truly belonging.
The Turning Pointe(Young Adult Fiction - Y Torres)
In 1980s Minnesota, when auditions for a concert with Prince are announced, Rosa, the daughter of a tyrant ballet master, is desperate to escape her pointe shoes and show everyone what she can do.
If We Survive This(Young Adult Fiction - Y Marie)
After a global outbreak of a rabies mutation that creates zombie-like creatures, Flora Braddock Paz and her brother journey to a secluded cabin in Northern California in search of safety, only to confront familiar faces, hidden truths, painful memories, and the inescapable presence of death.
Ultraviolet(Juvenile Fiction - J Salazar)
For Elio Solis, 8th grade fizzes with change—his feelings that flow like lava. His relationship with Pops, who's always telling him to man up. And especially Camelia, his first girlfriend. But when betrayal and heartbreak send Elio spiraling toward revenge, he doesn't anticipate that a fight to prove his manhood and defend Camelia's honor will lead to dire consequences—or that Camelia's not looking for a savior.
Killer House Party(Young Adult Fiction - Y Anderso)
When the final Deinhart descendent passes, the huge gothic Deinhart manor is up for sale for the first time ever. Which means Arden can steal the keys from her mom's real estate office and it's time for a graduation party that no one will ever forget. But when the manor doors bar everyone inside and the walls begin to bleed, all anyone wants to do is make it out alive.
What the River Knows(Young Adult Fiction - Y Ibañez)
Inez lives in 1800s Buenos Aires. The town is steeped in old-world magic that's been largely left behind. When she learns of her parents' death in Cairo, she sails there, bringing a golden ring her father sent to her for safekeeping. But upon her arrival, the magic tethered to the ring pulls her down a path where she soon discovers there's more to her parents' disappearance than what she was led to believe.
The Last Cuentista(Young Adult Fiction - Y Higuera)
Petra wants nothing more than to be a storyteller, but her world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred people have been chosen to journey to a new planet. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to discover that she's the only person who remembers Earth. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future.
The Wicked Bargain(Young Adult Fiction - Y Novoa)
Mar is hiding a magical ability to manipulate fire and ice, but their magic isn't enough to reverse a wicked bargain made by their father. And now el Diablo has come to collect his payment: the soul of Mar's father and the entire crew of their ship. When Mar is miraculously rescued by a pirate crew, el Diablo returns to give them a choice: give up their soul to save their father, or never see him again.
Libertad(Young Adult Fiction - Y Zaldiva)
As the contentious presidential election looms and protests rage across every corner of the city, life in Honduras churns louder and faster. As Libertad faces the political and social corruption around her and stifling homophobia at home and school, she begins dreaming of a future in which she doesn't have to hide who she is or worry about someone she loves losing their life just for speaking up.
Wild Dreamers(Young Adult Fiction - Y Engle)
One night, in a wilderness park in California, Ana and Leandro meet and their connection is instant. There, they see a mountain lion, one of many wild animals whose habitat has been threatened by humans. Determined to make a difference, Ana and Leandro start a rewilding club at their school, working with scientists to build wildlife crossings. If pumas can find their way to a better tomorrow, surely Ana and Leandro can, too.
The Making of Yolanda la Bruja(Young Adult Fiction - Y Avila)
Yolanda is starting to feel at home at Julia De Burgos High School. And she's confident her initiation into her family's bruja tradition will happen soon, but then a white boy appears at her school, and his vibes are off. Yolanda's initiation begins with a series of troubling visions of the violence this boy threatens. How can Yolanda protect her community in a world that doesn't listen?
Brownstone(Graphic Novels - GN Teer Brownstone)
In the summer of 1995, almost-15-year-old Almudena is sent to live with her estranged Spanish-speaking father, and together, they renovate a brownstone and build a relationship while Almudena navigates the Latin American side of her heritage for the first time.
Frontera(Graphic Novels - GN Anta Frontera)
Mateo knows that he can survive the trek across the Sonoran Desert that will take him from Mexico to the United States. That is, until he's caught by the Border Patrol. Escaping their clutches comes at a price, and with the odds stacked against him, his one chance at survival may be putting his trust in someone that he isn't even sure exists: Guillermo, a ghost having spent his afterlife guiding migrants to safety.
Codex Black, Vol. 1: A Fire Among Clouds(Graphic Novels - GN Codex Black v. 1)
Donají sets out on an adventure—accompanied by the god that lives inside of her poncho—to find her missing father. Along the way, she meets a winged Mexica warrior named Itzcacalotl, and over time, their temporary partnership blooms into an incredible friendship. The search brings them deeper into mystery than either could have predicted. What exactly was Donají's father involved with?
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir(Graphic Novels - GN 921 Martin Mar)
Pedro has grown up hearing stories about his legendary crime-fighting grandfather who was once a part of the Mexican Revolution. But that doesn't mean Pedro is excited at the news that Abuelito is coming to live with him and his eight brothers and sisters; the house is crowded enough! Still, Pedro piles into the Winnebago with his family for a road trip to Mexico to bring Abuelito home.
Forgive-Me-Not(Graphic Novels - GN Costa Forgive Me Not)
Aisling is the heir to the throne, but is surprised to learn she's a changeling, having replaced the true princess, Forgive-Me-Not, at birth. When Forgive-Me-Not breaks into Aisling's room looking for revenge, the two embark on an arduous journey. And what starts as a confrontational pairing grows into a bond of mutual understanding, friendship, and maybe something more.
Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide(Graphic Novels - GN 972.8105 Leo)
José and Charlie know very little about their mother's life in Guatemala, until José grows curious about the ongoing genocide trial of Efrain Rios Montt. At first, his mother, Clara, shuts his questions down, but she eventually begins to open up to her sons. Petén, Guatemala, 1982. Sisters Clara and Elena hear about the armed conflict every day, but the day the fight comes to their doorstep, the sisters are separated and forced to flee.