During National Hispanic Heritage Month, I promised to read a novel written by a Latino/a and blog about it each month. I have fallen behind on the reading, but I have started Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña and will write about it once I am done. In the meantime, I’ve compiled a list of Latino/a authors who write middle grade and young adult novels. There were a couple of good lists online already, so I worked with those and added some names. If I have missed anyone, please let me know. I will add them to the list and to my personal to-be-read list. Enjoy and Happy Reading!
Isabel Allende: City of Beasts series
Julia Alvarez: Before We Were Free, Return to Sender, Finding Miracles
Sandra Cisneros: The House on Mango Street
Jack Gantos: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, Joey Pigza Loses Control, Hole in My Life, Dead End in Norvelt
Francisco Jimenez: The Circuit, Reaching Out, Breaking Through
Pam Muñoz Ryan: Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi Leon, The Dreamer, Riding Freedom, Paint the Wind
Gary Soto: Buried Onions, The Afterlife, Accidental Love, Baseball in April etc.
Francisco X. Stork: Marcelo in the Real World, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors, Irises, Behind the Eyes, The Way of the Jaguar
Margarita Engle: The Firefly Letters, Hurricane Dancers, The Poet Slave of Cuba, The Surrender Tree, Tropical Secrets, The Wild Book
Cristina Garcia: I Wanna Be Your Shoebox, Dreams of Significant Girls
Judith Ortiz Cofer: An Island Like You, Stories of the Barrio, Call Me María, If I Could Fly
Alisa Valdes: Haters, The Temptation: A Kindred Novel (coming 2012)
Ashley Hope Perez: What Can’t Wait
Jennifer Cervantes: Tortilla Sun
Meg Medina: The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind (coming 2012)
Jessica Martinez: Virtuosity
Yxta Maya Murray: What it Takes to Get to Vegas, The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Kidnapped
René Saldaña Jr.: The Jumping Tree, The Whole Sky Full of Stars, Finding Our Way, A Good Long Way
Sofia Quintero: Efrain’s Secret
Lulu Delacre: Golden Tales, Salsa Stories, Shake it Morena!
Kim Flores: Gamma Glamma
Bettina Restrepo: Illegal
Gaby Triana: Riding the Universe, Backstage Pass, The Temptress Four, Cubanita
Alex Sanchez: Boyfriends with Girlfriends, The God Box, Bait, Rainbow High, Rainbow Road, Rainbow Boys, So Hard to Say, Getting It
Matt de la Peña: I Will Save You, We Were Here, Ball Don’t Lie, Mexican Whiteboy
Veronica Chambers: Mama’s Girl, Plus, Marisol and Magdalena, Quinceñera Means Sweet 15
Benjamin Alire Sáenz: Last Night I Sang to the Monster, Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood
Caridad Ferrer: When the Stars Go Blue, Adiós to My Old Life, It’s Not About the Accent
Torrey Maldonado: Secret Saturdays
Iris Gomez: Try to Remember
Viola Canales: The Tequila Worm
Nancy Osa: Cuba 15
Malín Alegría: Estrella’s Quinceñera, Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico
Carmen Rodrigues: Not Anything
Michele Serros: Honey Blonde Chica, Scandalosa!
Ofelia Dumas Lachtman: The Trouble with Tessa, Leticia’s Secret, The Truth About Las Mariposas
Juan Felipe Herrera: CrashBoomLove, Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box, SkateFate
e.E. Charlton-Trujillo: Prizefighter en Mi Casa, Feels Like Home
Agnes Martinez: Poe Park
Maria Colleen Cruz: Border Crossing
Lorraine Lopez: Call Me Henri
David Hernandez: Suckerpunch, No More Us for You
Nico Medina: Straight Road to Kylie, Fat Hoochie Prom Queen
Marisa Montes: A Circle of Time
Diana López: Confetti Girl
Claudia Guadalupe Martinez: The Smell of Old Lady Perfume