Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized in the United States from September 15 - October 15. This period was chosen because several major holidays for a variety of Latin American countries fall within this window.
- Costa Rica's Independence Day (September 15)
- El Salvador's Independence Day (September 15)
- Guatemala's Independence Day (September 15)
- Honduras' Independence Day (September 15)
- Nicaragua's Independence Day (September 15)
- Mexico's Independence Day (September 16)
- Chile's Independence Day (September 18)
- Columbus Day/Día de la Raza (October 12)
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, this resource collects books for young adult readers with Hispanic and Latinx representation and/or written by Hispanic and Latinx authors. If you know of books that you feel should be added to this collection, share your recommendations with me at contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com. Some books appear in more than one category. These books fit into multiple genres.
Learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month at the links below:
- National Hispanic Heritage Month
- Hispanic Heritage Month (History.com)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month (Wikipedia)
- Hispanic Heritage Month (Smithsonian)
- 8 Ways to Observe Hispanic Heritage Month (National Museum of the American Latino)
Please note: I have not read all these books. Please do your own research when selecting the book that is right for you.
Image Description: An assortment of books, with their bindings facing away from the camera lean diagonally to the right.
Credit: Jason W / Unsplash via Webador
YA Books with Hispanic & Latinx Representation
General Fiction
- Brownstone by Samuel Teer
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Just Say Yes by Goldy Moldavsky
- This Train is Being Held by Ismée Williams
- Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas
- Aristotle and Dante (series) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez
- Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
- On the Hook by Francisco X. Stork
- Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laeken Zea Kemp
- The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera
- Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
- Death-Cast (series) by Adam Silvera
- The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- He Forgot to Say Goodbye by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena
- Crossing the Line by Malín Alegría
- Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
-
Borderless by Jennifer de Leon
- Citizen Illegal by José Olivarez
-
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
- The New David Espinoza by Fred Aceves
- Everything Within and In Between by Nikki Barthelmess
- Running by Natalia Sylvester
- Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer de Leon
- We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
- Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity by Angela Velez
- Indivisible by Daniel Aleman
- Muted by Tami Charles
- The Immortal Boy/El Inmortal by Francisco Montaña Ibáñez
Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil - One of the Good Ones by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
- This Is How We Fly by Anna Meriano
- Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno
- The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez
- Simone Breaks All the Rules by Debbie Rigaud Simone
Graphic Novels
- Brownstone by Samuel Teer
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
- The Witch Owl Parliament by David Bowles
Poetry/Books in Verse
- Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez
- Muted by Tami Charles
Memoirs
-
The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood by Richard Blanco
- Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
Fantasy/Sci-Fi
- Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry
- Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore
- When the Moon Was Ours: A Novel by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
- Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
- The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
- Woven in Moonlight (series) by Isabel Ibañez
- Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
- The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova
- Brooklyn Bruja (series) Zoraida Córdova
- Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón
- Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
- Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil
- A Forgery of Magic (series) by Maya Motayne
- Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
- Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry
- Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
- Sanctuary by Paola Mendoza & Abby Sher
- The Witch Owl Parliament by David Bowles
- How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria
- Thirty Talks Weird Love by Alessandra Narvaez Varela
- The Book of Lost Saints by Daniel Jose Older
LGBTQ+
- Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez
- When the Moon Was Ours: A Novel by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
- No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
- Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas
- The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
- We Set the Dark on Fire (series) by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- Till the Last Beat of My Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes
- Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos
- Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose
- Aristotle and Dante (series) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera
- The Truth Is by NoNiqa Ramos
- All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil
- Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
- Death-Cast (series) by Adam Silvera
- History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
- You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
- Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
- Indivisible by Daniel Aleman
- How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- Summer in the City of Roses by Michelle Ruiz Keil
- The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore
- The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez
- Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro
Romance
- Flawless Girls by Anna-Marie McLemore
- Hot Boy Summer by Joe Jiménez
- Ida in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers
- Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee
- Cafe Con Lychee by Emery Lee
- Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
- No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
- We Set the Dark on Fire (series) by Tehlor Kay Mejia
- Before Takeoff by Adi Alsaid. Knopf
- Till the Last Beat of My Heart by Louangie Bou-Montes
- Crashing into You by Rocky Callen
- Guava and Grudges by Alexis Castellanos
- Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho
- Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón
- I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
- Wings in the Wild by Margarita Engle
- Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
- With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo
- Just Say Yes by Goldy Moldavsky
- Daniel, Deconstructed by James Ramos
- 10 Things I Hate About Prom by Elle Gonzalez Rose
- Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose
- This Train is Being Held by Ismée Williams
- Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas
- More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera
- A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
- The Truth Is by NoNiqa Ramos
- Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira
- Your Heart My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger by Margarita Engle
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
- History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
- You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie
- Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa
- Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
- Love in English by Maria E. Andreu
Horror/Thriller
- Clever Creatures of the Night by Samantha Mabry
- Castle of the Cursed by Romina Garber
Anthologies
- Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories edited by Sandra Proudman
- All Signs Point to Yes by Love Belvin, Emery Lee, Byron Graves, et al.
- The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas by María García Esperón
Historical Fiction
- Ida in Love and in Trouble by Veronica Chambers
- Your Heart My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger by Margarita Engle
- The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano
-
The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood by Richard Blanco
- A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Sources
- 6 New YA Releases to Enjoy for Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month (BookRiot): https://bookriot.com/2024-latine-ya-book-releases/
- 8 Hispanic and Latine YA Authors You Should Definitely Read (BookRiot): https://bookriot.com/hispanic-and-latine-ya-authors/
- 14 YA Romances to Warm Reader's Hearts During Hispanic Heritage Month and All Year Round (School Library Journal): https://www.slj.com/story/14-ya-romances-to-warm-readers-hearts-during-hispanic-heritage-month-and-all-year-round
- 9 YA Books to Read During Hispanic Heritage Month (NerdDaily): https://thenerddaily.com/ya-books-hispanic-heritage-month/
- 13 Must-Read Young Adult Novels by Latinx Authors (PopSugar): https://www.popsugar.com/latina/13-best-young-adult-novels-by-latinx-authors-48504921
- 6 YA Latinx Authors to Read During Hispanic Heritage Month (BookRiot): https://bookriot.com/ya-latinx-authors/
- YA Books by Latino Authors (Reading Middle Grade): https://readingmiddlegrade.com/ya-books-by-latino-authors/
- 8 YA Books with Latino Protagonists We Wish We Had as Teenagers (Remezcla): https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/latino-ya-books/
- 26 Must-Have Latinx YA Books Filled with Romance, History, and Magical Realism (School Library Journal): https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/latino-ya-books/
- 8 Essential YA Books for Hispanic Heritage Month (BookRiot): https://bookriot.com/ya-books-for-hispanic-heritage-month/
- Seven YA Books that Center Hispanic Heritage (Facing History & Ourselves): https://www.facinghistory.org/ideas-week/seven-ya-books-center-hispanic-heritage
- YA Books to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (New York Public Library): https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/10/05/recent-ya-national-hispanic-heritage-month
Add comment
Comments