(Sept. 15, 2022) - In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University has hand-selected a collection of children’s and young adults’ books that celebrate Hispanic and Latinx authors, culture and topics.
The display is in the juvenile collections section of the library, which is located on the 3rd floor. The section features “easy readers” for children in grades K-2 and includes both fiction and non-fiction books.
Young-Adult Reads (Fiction)
“Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything” by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (2020)
“Arizona. It's been three years since the ICE raids, since Artemisia (Sia) Martinez's mother disappeared. Sia knows her mom must be dead, but she drives into the desert to light candles to guide her mom home. One night, a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia's car - and it's carrying her mom, who is very much alive. Now she needs to save her mom from the armed, quite-possibly-alien soldiers.”
“I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika Sánchez (2019)
“Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. They do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was her sister Olga's role. When a tragic accident leaves Olga dead and the family in pieces, Julia begins to discover her sister may not have been as perfect as she seemed.”
“Juliet Takes a Breath” by Gabby Rivera (2019)
“Juliet, a self-identified queer, Bronx-born Puerto Rican-American, comes out to her family to disastrous results the night before flying to Portland to intern with her feminist author icon – whom Juliet soon realizes has a problematic definition of feminism that excludes women of color.”
“Yaqui Delgago Wants to Kick Your Ass” by Meg Medina (2013)
“Yaqui Delgago wants to kick your ass. That’s what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui Delgago is, let alone what she’s done to piss her off. In this poignant and all-too-realistic story from award-winning author Meg Medina, Piddy is forced to decide exactly who she is versus who others are trying to make her become – and ultimately discovers a rhythm that is all her own.”
“Furia” by Yamile Saied Méndez (2020)
“At home, Camila Hassan lives within her mother's narrow expectations, her 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 dreams of getting an athletic scholarship to a North American university. But her parents wouldn't allow a girl to play fúbol – and she needs their permission to go any farther. Can she make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her?”
“Felix Ever After” by Kacen Callender (2020)
“Felix Love has never been in love, painful irony that it is. He desperately wants to know why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. He is proud of his identity, but fears that he's one marginalization too many – Black, queer and transgender. When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages – after publicly posting Felix's deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned – Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. He didn't count on his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi-love triangle.”
Books selected for Hispanic Heritage Month suitable for children in grades K-2 can be found in the display at Sherrod Library.
This is not a comprehensive list of every piece of Hispanic or Latinx literature available through the Sherrod Library. For more recommendations, please try searching the website, or call Sherrod Library at (423) 439-4307.