List

Hispanic-Centered Books for Kids: Grades 3-5

By Skokie Staff Youth Services

These books feature Hispanic characters, settings, and stories, with a focus on Hispanic authors and illustrators.

Curveball
2024 by Cartaya, Pablo
Worlds collide in this graphic novel when baseball-obsessed Elena is benched for the summer after breaking her arm. Now forced to hang out with her brother and his LARPing friends, Elena can't imagine a much worse fate.

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The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto
2023 by Cuevas, Adrianna
Rafa knows he's in trouble when a prank goes too far, but he never expects to be sent away from his home to work on a ranch in New Mexico. He's cut off from his friends, and perhaps most devastatingly, his games, but it's not as bad as he expected. Until strange things start happening, and Rafa seems to be at the center of them.

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Isla to Island
2022 by Castellanos, Alexis
A terrific, wordless graphic novel in which 12-year-old Marisol must adapt to a new life in 1960s Brooklyn after her parents send her to the United States from Cuba to keep her safe during Castro's regime.

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The No-Brainer's Guide to Decomposition
2024 by Cuevas, Adrianna
Frani loves helping her dad, a university professor who runs a research lab on decomposing bodies. Her mind always runs a mile a minute, but she's able to focus enough to problem solve when the dead bodies start rising from the ground and walking around campus!

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Santiago's Road Home
2020 by Diaz, Alexandra
A deeply engaging, devastatingly empathetic, and thoroughly gripping story of a young refugee--a 12-year-old kid--desperately trying to cross the Mexico/U.S. border and find safety.

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Miss Quinces
2022 by Fajardo, Kat
Appealing illustrations and a wholly relatable main character make this an excellent choice for any fan of realistic graphic novels. More punk rock than princess, Sue would rather do just about anything than have a quinceañera celebration. Unfortunately for her, her mom has already planned one--pink princess themed!--and invited 100 guests. Mortifying!

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Invisible
2022 by Gonzalez, Christina Diaz
Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There's George, the brain; Sara, the loner; Dayara, the tough kid; Nico, the rich kid; and Miguel, the athlete. The only thing they think they have in common is that some people see them as all the same--five Spanish-speaking kids. They're stuck together when they're forced to complete school community service hours. Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help, or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.

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The Last Cuentista
2021 by Higuera, Donna Barba
When humans leave to find a new planet, they’re put to sleep in pods until they find their new home planet. While they sleep, a dangerous group takes control, trying to erase their memories and the past. Thankfully, one girl remembers everything and wants to push back! An amazing science fiction story set in outer space, but all about what it is to be human.

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Mexikid
2023 by Martin, Pedro
In this moving and hilarious graphic memoir, Pedro Martin has grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but he finally connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity on a family road trip to Mexico.

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Frizzy
2022 by Ortega, Claribel A.
In this terrific graphic novel, Marlene loves three things: books, her cool Tía Ruby, and hanging out with her best friend Camila. But her mother says she should only be focusing on school and "growing up." That means straightening her hair every weekend so she can have "presentable good hair." But Marlene doesn't understand why people don't consider her curls pretty or presentable. Will she learn to appreciate and proudly wear her "frizzy" hair?

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Witchlings
2022 by Ortega, Claribel A.
In this engrossing read, every witch gets assigned a coven, as long as they're not a "spare" witch, which results in losing their magic! Seven and the other spare witches must work together to complete an impossible task, save the day, and keep their magic.

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Barely Floating
2023 by Rivera, Lilliam
This book explores a cool and different sport: synchronized swimming! Twelve-year-old Natalia is a proud Afro-Latina who has to secretly join the swim team against her parents' wishes. As she figures out some moves in the pool, she also has to figure out ways to handle the anger that sometimes bubbles up out of her control. A great story about family, friends, and a really cool sport!

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Lotería
2021 by Valenti, Karla
This beautifully written, otherworldly adventure will give you a lot to think about, even as you're holding onto the edge of your seat!

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