Latino Girls

The story girl of the title is the 14-year-old Sara Stanley who weaves spellbinding tales that enchant her audience that comes from near and far. These 32 stories range from the humorous and satirical to exotic romances, Scottish folk tales, retellings of Greek myths and poems by Tennyson, to ghost stories. They include the scary "Tale of the Family Ghost", and the bittersweet "The Blue Chest of Rachel Ward".

At the end of the 19th century, three revolutionary women fight for freedom in New York Times best-selling author Chanel Cleeton's captivating new novel inspired by real-life events and the true story of a legendary Cuban woman - Evangelina Cisneros - who changed the course of history. A feud rages in Gilded Age New York City between newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.

In this dual polemic and manifesto, Julissa dives into and tears apart the lie that assimilation leads to belonging. She combs through history and her own story to break down this myth, arguing that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. She talks about the Lie of Success, the Lie of Legality, the Lie of Whiteness, and the Lie of English - each promising that if you obtain these things, you will reach acceptance and won’t be an outsider anymore.

Growing up in the ’90s along Clement Moore Avenue in Queens, Brisma and Kelly are two young Latinas with an inseparable bond, sharing everything and anything with each other. The girls are opposites: Brisma is sweet, sensitive, and observant, whereas Kelly is free-spirited, flirtatious, and bold. But together, they binge on Sour Patch Kids, listen to Boyz II Men cassette tapes, and dance to Selena and Mariah Carey where no one can see them.

In Colonize This!, Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman have collected a diverse, lively group of emerging writers who speak to the strength of community and the influence of color, to borders and divisions, and to the critical issues that need to be addressed to finally reach an era of racial freedom. With prescient and intimate writing, Colonize This! will reach the hearts and minds of listeners who care about the experience of being a woman of color, and about establishing a culture that fosters freedom and agency for women of all races.

At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned. There is friction from the start between the new recruits. Spirited American Lizzie turns heads with her audacity, but few can deny her flying skills. She couldn’t be more different from shy, petite Ruby, who is far from diminutive in the sky. It falls to pragmatic pilot May to bring the women together.

Just Like Us tells the story of four high school students whose parents entered this country illegally from Mexico. All four of the girls have grown up in the United States, and all four want to live the American dream, but only two have documents. As the girls attempt to make it into college, they discover that only the legal pair see a clear path forward. A coming-of-age story about girlhood and friendship, as well as the resilience required to transcend poverty, Just Like Us is also a book about identity.

At thirteen years old, Valeria "Magic" Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades and an abuelo whose tough-love coaching and lessons about “strength and honor” have made her the star of the Overlords, the top boys’ team in the state. But everything changes at the State Cup semi-final when Valeria gets her first period while Wearing. White. Shorts. After her team is unexpectedly eliminated, she goes from their secret weapon to their scapegoat.

La vida de Rosie Mercado ha sido todo menos fácil: ¿cómo es posible que haya tenido tres relaciones fallidas y dado a luz a tres hijos a solas? ¿Qué había hecho ella para merecerlo? En su peor momento, llegó a pesar más de ciento ochenta kilos tras toda una vida con baja autoestima y de comer emocionalmente. Pero Rosie decidió cambiarla por completo y dejar de ser la víctima. Ideó un plan, aceptó sus «defectos», y descubrió el tipo de amor más importante y esencial: el amor propio.

Rae-Valentine and Howard were childhood sweethearts. They’ve shared twenty-five peaceful years since they were brought together by Dolly, Howard’s larger-than-life sister. But now, on the night of their wedding anniversary, Howard reveals a shocking betrayal that leaves Rae reeling. Heartbroken, she takes Dolly on her would-be anniversary trip to Antigua and the two women drink and dance and talk like they haven’t in years.

Camila Henríquez Ureña is about to retire from her longtime job teaching Spanish at Vassar College. Only now as she sorts through family papers does she begin to know the woman behind the legend of her mother, the revered Salomé Ureña, who died when Camila was three. In stark contrast to Salomé, who became the Dominican Republic's national poet at the age of seventeen, Camila has spent most of her life trying not to offend anybody. Her mother dedicated her life to educating young women to give them voice in their turbulent new nation.

In this Lean In-style inspirational memoir, 12-year-old Jesselyn Silva offers a ringside seat to girl power and what it takes to win in the ring and in life: punch by punch. My Corner of the Ring shows kids what it means to be true to yourself and stick with your dreams even when facing adversity and ridicule. Supported by her single dad, Jesselyn (JessZilla in the ring) first donned her boxing gloves at seven years of age, making her one of very few female boxers in the country.

Seen and Now Heard presents a meticulously researched autobiography of a Cuban girl named Crystina Bass. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Caribbean, South Florida, and California, Crystina's story is a story of Cubans in America. It's a story of growing up in a not-so-typical American family, yet as she says herself, "We are Americans in the purest form of the word."

Sara needs to cross the US border illegally to help her Tía Elena after learning her parents and siblings were killed in an accident. She needs to elude kidnappers and FBI agents on her way to live with her criminal uncle. Survival depends on her successful trip from Baja to Oregon. Will she thrive or only survive? Will she meet the love of her life along the way?

Janney and her mom always sang together to help the flowers in Abuelita’s garden grow. But now her mom is gone, and Janney’s song is stuck, somewhere deep inside. Bullies at school don’t help. Every day, Janney watches one particular bee in Abuelita’s garden. Working harder than the others—focused and unafraid—the tiny bee doesn’t give up. Janney begins to feel inspired by the hardworking bee as the seasons change, until one afternoon, a melody escapes her lips, and Janney’s song once again fills the air in the garden.

A meningitis outbreak in their underprivileged neighborhood left Sylvia Acevedo's family forever altered. As she struggled in the aftermath of loss, young Sylvia's life transformed when she joined the Brownies. The Girl Scouts taught her how to take control of her world and nourished her love of numbers and science.

Cuando Sara, de 17 años, se entera de la muerte de su familia, acepta su papel de ganarse la vida cruzando la frontera a los Estados Unidos ilegalmente para vivir con un tío al que no conoce. Necesita ganar el suficiente dinero para pagar al coyote y ayudar a su tía Elena sobrevivir. Su viaje al norte está lleno de aventura y un nuevo amor.

Celina and her family are bilingual and follow both Mexican and American traditions. Celina revels in her Mexican heritage, but once she starts school it feels like the world wants her to erase that part of her identity. Fortunately, she’s got an army of family and three fabulous new friends behind her to fight the ignorance. But it’s her Gramma who’s her biggest inspiration, encouraging Celina to build a shield of joy around herself.

Pura Belpré grew up in Puerto Rico surrounded by stories. When she moved to New York and was offered the chance to work at the New York Public Library, she was thrilled to be able to help share her stories with children—especially multicultural and multilingual children like her. She persisted in bringing Spanish and bilingual storytelling and books to libraries across the city and across the country, and she wrote books and stories of her own to bring even more of her culture to people everywhere.

When Estela Juarez's mom is deported to Mexico, Estela knows she has to speak up for her family. Told in Estela's own words, Hasta que alguien me escuche [Until Someone Listens] is a true story about a young girl finding her voice and using it to make change.