It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, the only heritage month that is not contiguous with a calendar month! (It runs from September 15-October 15, because September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and Mexico, Chile, and Belize also have independence days following September 15). That means it’s a great time to talk about favorite books featuring Hispanic/Latino characters!
Let’s see, picture books. I grew up on Tomie DePaula, so it’s no surprise that Adelita, his Mexican Cinderella, shows up on my list. And of our Latino books, I’m rather partial to Say Hola to Spanish, Under the Lemon Moon, and The Birthday Swap.
As for novels for kids and teens, I like the graphic novel To Dance and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents . . . and here at the office we’re pretty excited about Under the Mesquite, coming this spring.
I can’t let the adult books go neglected, not when they include One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, two of my absolute favorites.
And then, of course, there’s the to-read list. Hispanic-populated titles near the top are 2666 by Robert Bolaño, for the adult side, and Esperanza Rising and Los Gatos Black on Halloween for my inner child.
What are your favorite books with Hispanic characters? What’s on your to-read list, and what do you recommend?
