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Five Faves: Books to Read for Hispanic Heritage Month

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Each year in the United States, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 - October 15. To help you celebrate this year, here are five of my favorite books from Hispanic authors that are held in both our English and Spanish collections. So whichever language you would like to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in, check out one of these great titles!

Tía Fortuna's New Home
El Nuevo Hogar de Tía Fortuna
Written by Ruth Behar
Illustrated by Devon Horzwarth
Alfred A. Knophf, 2022. Picture Book.

In this picture book, Estrella helps her aunt move out of her little pink casita in Miami. Tía Fortuna has to move her things into the "La Casa de los Viejitos" before her beloved home is torn down. As Estrella is helping her aunt pack her things, she learns more about Tía Fortuna's journey from Cuba, and in turn learns more about her own history and heritage. This is a great pick for a discussion about immigrating to a new country and how culture and family history can be preserved from generation to generation.

Gustavo, the Shy Ghost
Gustavo: El Fantismo Timido
By Flavia Z. Drago
Candlewick Press, 2020. Picture Book.

Gustavo the ghost enjoys "doing the normal things that paranormal beings do", but unlike all of his other paranormal friends, he is also incredibly shy. He's too shy to talk to the girl he likes, or the monster who sells eye-scream, or even to make any friends. So Gustavo comes up with a plan. He decides to invite all of the monsters to a concert that he'll hold at night in the cemetery on the Day of the Dead. Check this one out to celebrate not only Hispanic Heritage Month, but Day of the Dead!

Imagine
Imagina
Written by Juan Felipe Herrera
Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Candlewick Press, 2018. Picture Book.

Imagine is a story in verse about the life of Juan Felipe Herrera, who grew up to be U.S. Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. It tells the story of his saying goodbye to friends as his migrant family moved from city to city. It also shares his journey of learning in school to speak a new language, and write, and sing, and finally using those words to create poetry that he read at the Library of Congress. This heartfelt book helps kids to imagine all of the things that they could be.

Miss Quinces
Srta. Quinces
By Kat Fajardo
Graphix, 2022. Comic. 234 pages.

Sue is looking forward to spending the summer with her friends and hoping that her parents will let her make comics with her friends at sleepover camp, but instead she finds out that she and her family will be visiting relatives in Honduras during the summer. Even worse, her parents want her to have her very own quinceañera while she's there. She hates being the center of attention, doesn't like to dance, and knows she'll trip and fall in heels, but her parents promise to let her go to sleepover camp if she has one. Kids will relate to the coming-of-age story about feeling out of place and any fan of the Babysitter's Club graphic novels will love this book. 

Merci Suárez Changes Gears
By Meg Medina
Candlewick Press, 2018. Fiction. 355 pages.

Cuban-American Merci is starting sixth grade at a private school in Florida, but because she's there on scholarship she feels different than the other students at her school. For one thing, she has to do extra community service in school to make up for her tuition, including being a Sunshine Buddy to a new classmate. But when the most popular girl at school sets her sights on Merci's Sunshine Buddy, Merci becomes a target of bullying and to make matters worse, Merci's grandfather Lolo isn't acting like himself and no one will tell her what's wrong. If you haven't read this Newbery winning book yet, check it out today!
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