Preschool
My Abuela Is a Bruja
by Mayra Cuevas, illustrated by Lorena Alvarez Gomez
My abuela is a bruja.
There is magic in everything she does.
There is nothing more magical than a grandmother's love. But one lucky girl suspects her grandmother has actual magic. It's in the tun-tun-tun of the way she dances salsa, in the warmth of her hugs, and the delicious smell of her cooking. The granddaughter wonders: will I have magic of my own one day?
Zebra and Yak: the Backwards Alphabet Book
by Paul Friedrich
Are you ready to start the alphabet? Let's go! Z is for Zebra.
Confused? Zebra didn't expect the alphabet to start with Z, either. Usually, it starts with A is for Apple, B is for . . . something, then all the other letters, then Z. But today Apple was nowhere to be found.
Zebra isn't very happy about it. Neither is the second-to-last animal in the alphabet, Yak.
To figure out where their friend Apple might be, Zebra and Yak must go on a quest to discover what's gone wrong. But in an alphabet book this weird, who knows what could happen next?
Primary (Kindergarten–Grade 2)
Perla The Mighty Dog
by Isabel Allende
Perla is a mighty dog who has two superpowers—making people love her and roaring like a lion. When she finds out her human brother, Nico Rico, is being bullied at school, she knows she must step in! But what will Perla do?
In a charming and poignant story about the bond between child and pet, Isabel Allende makes her children's literary debut.
Sundust
by Zeke Pena
Following a blazing trail of sundust, two curious siblings hop the wall into a place that’s endless and free. Here, prickly old nopal trees beg to be climbed, empty turtle shells invite a closer look, enormous rocks model how to sit still and listen, and a colibrí offers an unexpected ride. In the desert, where life revolves around the Sun, brother and sister explore, imagine, and wonder, what if the Sun's power was inside me? until their mom’s whistle calls them back home again.
Intermediate (Grades 3–5)
Cousins in the Time of Magic
by Otheguy Emma
Three cousins stumble upon a time portal in their aunt’s yard, and are transported back to 1862, a past filled with wonders - and dangers. To return to the present, they must race to deliver the sword to General Ignacio Zaragoza in time for the historic Battle of Puebla in Mexico: the foundation of the holiday Cinco de Mayo.
As their journey to Mexico takes them through the Civil War era United States, the cousins see just how much US history has been shaped by Latin communities. They must find the power within themselves to make sure things happen as they’re supposed to, without altering the past.
Deepwater Creek: A Graphic Novel
by Michael Regina
There’s nothing that Wade and his younger brother, Andrew, love more than fishing together. As summer draws to a close, they’re excited for one last hoorah before classes begin and they end up at different schools for the first time. But a typical fishing trip with their best friends, Camilla and Tommy, quickly takes a darker turn. As heavy fog creeps over the creek, Andrew hooks something big - too big. In a moment of chaos, the brothers end up overboard. There, in the murky depths, they get a glimpse of what waits at the end of the line. And it seems far more monster than fish.
Wade and the others wonder if the recent hurricane that hit the area may have stirred up more than just water, unleashing something horrible from below. Their parents don’t believe they saw anything at all. But if there really is something out there, the kids know someone needs to stop it. So, they decide to do what they do best and go fishing for their biggest catch yet: evidence of a real-life river monster. Will these four friends be able to prove everyone wrong and save the creek, or are they about to discover they’re in way over their heads . . . and in deep trouble?
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
Danilo Was Here
by Tamika Burgess
Danilo Osorio Jr.’s baseball skills were once the pride of his father and entire hometown of El Chorrillo, Panamá. But that was then, and this is now…
Following 1989's Operation Just Cause, a US military invasion that left his neighborhood decimated, Danilo couldn’t care less about baseball or the father who abandoned him for opportunities in the States. Now Danilo’s focus is taking care of his mamá and sister and trying to save them all from needing to relocate to a refugee camp.
When Danilo unintentionally catches the eye of a baseball recruiter and is offered the opportunity to visit and train in California - the same place as his father’s last known address - he is tasked with deciding to go or stay. But if playing baseball could help him find his father and secure the extra funds his family needs, Danilo is willing to travel anywhere, even to the very country responsible for destroying his home.
Between his tough-as-nails baseball coach, ultracompetitive teammates, and overly enthusiastic host family, Danilo’s plans encounter some curveballs. And when his turn to bat finally comes, he’ll have to decide what and whom he’s actually fighting for.
Miss Quinces: A Graphic Novel
by Dat Fajardo
Rising star Kat Fajardo's debut middle-grade graphic novel about a girl who would rather do anything other than celebrate her quinceañera! A funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about navigating the expectations of family and cultural tradition.
Sue just wants to spend the summer reading and making comics at sleepaway camp with her friends, but instead she gets stuck going to Honduras to visit relatives with her parents and two sisters. They live way out in the country, which means no texting, no cable, and no Internet! The trip takes a turn for the worse when Sue's mother announces that they'll be having a surprise quinceañera for Sue, which is the last thing she wants. She can't imagine wearing a big, floofy, colorful dress! What is Sue going to do? And how will she survive all this "quality" time with her rambunctious family?
High School (Grades 9 –12)
Lucha of the Forgotten Spring
by Tehlor Mejia
A ruthless monster.
A daring heist.
A heart pulled in two directions.
A long-forgotten myth.
Killing a god was only the beginning of Lucha Moya’s story. . .
Her mission is simple—eradicate olvida, the forgetting drug, once and for all. But something sinister is lurking in the Night Forest, eager to claim its prize…
Will Lucha’s training allow her to survive the machinations of the Forest and save the vulnerable people at its mercy?
Very Dangerous Things
by Lauren Munoz
Everyone in town knows about the game. For decades, J. Everett High has staged an annual murder mystery to put its criminology students to the test. And this year, crime junkie Dulce Castillo is dead set on winning. Soon, the game kicks off, and the student playing the victim, Xavier Torres, is found poisoned in the school’s greenhouse . . . except his death is not pretend.
It’s murder.
When the authorities open an investigation, all the evidence points to Sierra Fox, Xavier’s ex-girlfriend and Dulce’s ex-best friend. Claiming innocence and desperate to clear her name, Sierra begs Dulce to look past their bad blood and find the culprit.
After all, Dulce knows this school better than any investigator ever could, but she must use caution to solve this mystery. Because these historic halls are full of suspects with no shortage of motives. And in this game of cat and mouse, the other player kills.
Books in Spanish
Alberto Salas juega a la paka paka con la papa
by Sara Andrea Fjardo (Grades K-2)
Muy alto en la cordillera de los Andes en Perú, el ingeniero agrícola Alberto Salas anda en una búsqueda. En búsqueda… de papas.
Arriba y abajo de las montañas va, jugando un juego épico de paka paka con la papa, a las escondidas con la papa. Estos tubérculos son especiales: tienen el poder de alimentar y salvar al mundo.
Alberto no tiene tiempo que perder. El clima está cambiando en los Andes y él debe encontrar y rescatar cada una de las variedades de papa antes de que se extingan.
¡El juego ya empezó!
Alberto corre, busca detenidamente y escarba. Maneja y camina y trepa. ¿Encontrará la papa que busca? ¿Podrá ganar este juego de paka paka con la papa?