It has officially been a year since Amor and Summer Secrets debuted. Can you believe it? Wow. The years shall run like rabbits as the poet W.H. Auden said (or more recently, Ethan Hawke in Before Sunrise). But coincidentally, my book birthday happens to fall right smack in line with Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15th – Oct. 15th), and in honor of this often overlooked celebration, some fabulous bloggers have compiled lists of must-read young adult novels featuring Latino characters. I even made the cut!
So check out the below list compiled by Color Online. Thanks for including me! It’s amazing to be in the same company as these other authors.
1. Rogelia’s House of Magic by Jamie Martinez Wood
2. The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans by Carmen Tafolla
3. Voices in first person edited by Lori Marie Carlson
4. The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
5. White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez
6. I Wanna be Your Shoebox by Christina Garcia
7. Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra
8. Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
9. Who’s Your Daddy? by Lynda Sandoval
10. Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena
11. Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
12. The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
13. Gringolandia by Lyn Miller Lachmann
14. Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
15. The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
16. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
17. Journey of Dreams by Marge Pellegrino’s
18. The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales
19. Leaving GloryTown by Eduardo F Calcines
20. Petty Crimes by Gary Soto
21. Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
22. Haters by Alisa Valdes Rodriquez
23. Honey Blonde Chica by Michele Serros
24. Sofia Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico by Malin Alegria
25. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork
26. La linea by Ann Jaramillo
27. The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle
28. Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer
29. Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
30. Gamma Glamma by Kim Flores
31. Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa
32. Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz (MG)
33. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz (MG)
34. So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
35. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
36. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
37. Jaguar by Michele Dominguez-Greene
38. The Whole Sky Full of Stars by René Saldaña Jr
39. Cubanita, Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana
POP CULTURE RANT: Emmys
Who gets to vote for these things? ‘Cause I think they need to liven up the voting pool with some fresh faces. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mad Men and I love 30 Rock, but again? Why bother to watch these things if they could save time by mailing half the statues to Tina Fey. And seriously, I love her. But share the wealth, people! I would have liked to have seen How I Met Your Mother take best comedy. And don’t even get me started on NPH and Jim Parsons (Sheldon, Big Bang Theory), they were so robbed! Someone needs to send me a ballot next year.
