The Ghost of Rancho Espanto by Adrianna Cuevas. Chapter Book.

“Between his father’s strict nature and his mother’s worsening illness, Cuban American Rafa has retreated into playing The Forgotten Age with Beto and Yesi. However, after they attempt to steal a slushie machine from the school cafeteria as part of the game, Dad decides Rafa would best learn his lesson by spending a month on a ranch…all the way across the country from Florida in New Mexico. When Rafa arrives at Rancho Espanto, or Terror Ranch, he forms new friendships with Korean American Jennie Kim, the librarian’s daughter, and Black barn manager Marcus Coleman, an army veteran. But when a strange man in a green sweater begins to appear, causing chaos for Rafa, the seemingly sedate ranch becomes the site of an exciting—and slightly terrifying—mystery to solve. Together, Rafa and Jennie work to uncover the strange (possibly paranormal) happenings at Rancho Espanto. While the mystery lies at the core of this novel, the exploration of themes of loss, grief, and identity add complexity. Readers familiar with these subjects will see themselves in Rafa as he struggles to come to terms with and understand his mother’s condition and build his own identity. An intriguing mystery with a satisfying emotional payoff. (Mystery. 8-12)”

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez (and sequels). Chapter Book

“Bullies are everywhere, but seventh-grader Sal knows just how to handle a difficult kid like Yasmany Robles. Obviously, you deal with a bully by opening a portal into another universe, taking a raw chicken from it, and planting it in the bully’s locker. But you cannot just go opening portals into other universes without some consequences…This book, drenched in Cuban Spanish and personality, is a breath of fresh air. (Science fiction. 10-13)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Alebrijes by Donna Barba Higuera. Novel.

“Spanish-speaking Cascabeles like Leandro are forced to work the fields to provide for elite English-speaking Pocatelans or risk exile and certain death in the desolate and dangerous monster-filled outside world. Descended from farmers who worked the land before the calamity that made everything barren, the orphaned siblings, who survive as pickpockets, face discrimination within the city’s walls and are threatened with deadly punishment for even minor offenses. Leandro and Gabi hatch a plan to escape from their oppressors, live free in the wild, and return to the ways of their people. Their plans derail, however, when Leandro is banished for stealing after he covers for Gabi’s impulsive theft of a strawberry. But Leandro’s magical transformation leads to a breathtaking discovery that could transform the lives of everyone in Pocatel. In Leandro’s hero’s journey, alebrijes are brilliantly cast as animalistic machines from another era and saviors of the living…This heartfelt adventure signals hope for humanity, even in the aftermath of darkness. (map) (Dystopian. 10-14)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Aniana del Mar Jumps in by Jasminne Menendez. Novel in Verse

“Twelve-year-old Aniana del Mar lives up to her name: Living on the island of Galveston, Texas, the water feels like home. But that’s a secret she keeps with her easygoing Papi, who sneaks her to the YMCA for swim practice and meets. Mami discourages Ani from swimming; after witnessing her own brother’s drowning during a hurricane, Mami is terrified of losing Ani and her 4-year-old brother, Matti, too. When Ani can no longer hide the joint swelling that plagues her when she overexerts herself, however, her secret’s out. Mami, who belongs to a strict Christian church, is furious, insisting that Ani’s juvenile idiopathic arthritis is God’s punishment for lying. Though Ani’s physical therapist endorses swimming, Mami bans Ani from the water she craves. As her family’s bonds fray, Ani grapples with the challenges of invisible illness, including loss of bodily autonomy and others’ lack of understanding…A painful yet hopeful exploration of family, trauma, faith, and healing. (author’s note) (Fiction. 9-13)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Tumble by Celia C. Pérez. Novel.

“Adela Ramírez’s life is like a telenovela. At least that’s how it feels for the seventh grader, who has discovered something that her remarried, pregnant mom has been hiding about her biological father’s identity: He’s actually Manny “The Mountain” Bravo, a famous luchador! When Addie decides that she would like to meet him, she is thrown into the world of the Bravo family’s wrestling dynasty…Addie navigates her new connections, middle school drama, disappointments, big decisions, and surprises with courage and humor…A plucky, heartwarming tale that celebrates the complexity of family relationships. (Fiction. 9-14).” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Mexikid by Pedro Martin. Graphic Novel.

“Living in California’s Central Coast as a first-generation Mexican American, Pedro (or the “American-style” Peter) struggles to find his place. As an American kid growing up in the 1970s, he loves Star Wars and Happy Days but dislikes the way his five oldest siblings, who were born in Mexico, make him feel less Mexican just because he and the three other younger siblings were born after his parents immigrated to the U.S. to work picking strawberries. A family trip to Jalisco to bring their abuelito back to California to live with them presents Pedro with an opportunity to get in touch with his roots and learn more about the places his family calls home…Full of humor, heart, and a decent amount of gross-out moments, Martín’s coming-of-age memoir hits all the right notes. (Graphic memoir. 9-14)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen. Novel.

“Dolores Mendoza’s family is struggling financially, and her parents’ marriage is imploding. A year ago, she was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis after a bladder accident made her a pariah. Then Mexican American Dolores meets Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones, who is autistic and reads white. Terpsichore wants to fake a friendship to prove to her helicopter mom that she’s capable of attending public school and can stop home schooling. The answer to their problems seems clear: Dolores will win back her former best friend, and Terpsichore will win her independence. What could go wrong?..An insightful, funny, and realistic coming-of-age story. (author’s note) (Fiction. 12-18)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Novel.

“In 1930, Esperanza lives a privileged life on a ranch in Aguascalientes, Mexico. But when her father dies, the post-Revolutionary culture and politics force her to leave with her mother for California. Now they are indebted to the family who previously worked for them, for securing them work on a farm in the San Joaquin valley. Esperanza balks at her new situation, but eventually becomes as accustomed to it as she was in her previous home, and comes to realize that she is still relatively privileged to be on a year-round farm with a strong community. She sees migrant workers forced from their jobs by families arriving from the Dust Bowl, and camps of strikers—many of them US citizens—deported in the “voluntary repatriation” that sent at least 450,000 Mexicans and Mexican-Americans back to Mexico in the early 1930s. (Fiction. 9-15)” Source: Kirkus Reviews

Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez. Graphic Novel.

“Middle schooler Jorge “George” Rivera, an American student of Puerto Rican descent, just wants to keep his head down until he can get into a high school magnet program. When he’s called into the principal’s office about the school’s community service initiative, he’s worried that the administration knows he’s recently moved outside the school district with his single mother, who’s experiencing financial precarity. But the principal…tells George that he can carry out his service hours in the cafeteria, alongside “students like you.” Though he doesn’t speak much Spanish, George finds himself assigned as translator for a disparate group of kids—tough-seeming Dayara, who is Cuban; Dominican jock Miguel; rich kid Nico, who’s Venezuelan; and loner Sara, who’s Mexican. When the group meets an unhoused family, though, they come together to provide assistance in their own way.” Source: Publishers’ Weekly

Becoming Naomi León by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Novel.“

First-person narrator Naomi León Outlaw and her bright, physically lopsided little brother Owen feel safe in the routines of life in Lemon Grove, California, with great-grandmother Gram. Naomi, a soft-voiced list-maker and word-collector, is also a gifted soap-carver—something inherited, it turns out, from the Mexican father from whom she and Owen were separated as small children. The unexpected arrival of Naomi’s long-absent mother throws everything off balance. The troubled young woman’s difficulties threaten to overturn the security Gram has worked to provide for Naomi and Owen. With friends’ help, Gram takes the children to Oaxaca City to find their father and gain his support in her custody appeal. Here they are immersed in a world of warmth and friendship, where Naomi’s longing to meet the father she dimly remembers intensifies. The annual December radish-carving festival gives Naomi’s creativity a chance to shine and makes the perfect setting for a reunion. (Fiction. 10-14)” Source: Kirkus Reviews