Best Teen & Young Adult Hispanic & Latino American Fiction eBooks
The winner of the Pen Center West Award for Fiction for his unforgettable novel Alburquerque , Rudolfo Anaya's rich and compassionate writing about the Mexican American experience has helped cement him as the father of Chicano literature in English. Besides winning the Premio Quinto Sol national Chicano literary award, this novel of a young boy in New Mexico in the 1940s has sold more than 300,000 copies in paperback since its 1973 debut.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The narrative voice is a young boy who experienced both evil and loss, but through the pain, he discovered the great mysteries of life."
"His struggle between the strict religious structure of his mother and her desire for him to become a priest and the magic of the curandera Ultima, a herbal healer, rang true."
"love this book, bought this copy for a friend."
"I personally find myself increasingly interested in the genre and other authors who write it given this read."
"Will he commit to his mother's way of life--living harmoniously with the farm land, or with his father's way of life--living the life of an always moving vaquero? As they read Anaya's novel, readers have to step into the shoes of a young Hispanic boy as they witness every one of Antonio's life and religious uncertainties."
"A coming of age story about a boy growing up in rural New Mexico and the woman who comes to care for him."
"Great product and price."
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but often laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself amid the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing up in a Mexican-American home. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first kiss, first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. " In the beautifully written I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughte r, Erika L. Sánchez (Lessons on Expulsion) captures the hearts and trust of teen readers, struggling at the crossroads of familial and personal identities. Since she was a 12-year-old nerd in giant bifocals and embroidered vests, Erika has dreamed of writing complex, empowering stories about girls of color—what she wanted to read as a young adult.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This excellent, brilliant, serious and in your face story opens in 2013 when Juliá, then 15 loses her older sister Olga, 22 in a devastating accident. Olga had a job as a receptionist in a downtown Chicago office and was also a part time community college student. She has an ally in her English teacher, Mr. Ingman who believes she is on the right track to academic and future career success. Fortunately for Juliá, she has a few close knit friends, most especially Lorena, a classmate who has had to grow up too fast. Juliá, an avid seeker of matters cultural takes the train to museums and libraries. This is an excellent multilayered book about Mexican culture; the changing times and learning hard truths. Juliá reaches a critical point of desperation and is sent to Mexico to reconnect with her extended family."
"If you are looking for an amazing multicultural, ya, coming of age, strong female, novel, make this your next read."
"I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican American Daughter proved to be a little different than what I expected, but I still found it enjoyable and a read I'd like to discuss with someone. It's hard to know at first if what Julia feels is the normal sadness one feels when grieving, but it becomes apparent as the story progresses that Julia is depressed."
"I love the subject matter: Death and depression are hard ones to pull off, but Sanchez does it well. I love the characters: Julia is a strong-willed girl, and her voice is just pitch perfect for a smart and perceptive kid who doesn't have everything figured out yet. She has one teacher who I was afraid would slip into the "Dangerous Minds" mold of being just too good of a motivator, but he's realistically drawn. She's not bitter about her situation or her lot in life - she accepts it and just wants to be a writer who lives in an apartment that doesn't have roaches."
When Alex arranges for Carlos to live with his former professor and his family to keep him from being sent to jail, Carlos feels completely out of place. Unwilling to straighten up and abide by Alex's rules, he soon gets into trouble when he is framed for narcotics possession by a drug lord with powerful gang ties. Carlos avoids expulsion from high school by living with Alex's former instructor, Professor Westford, and his family, and attending an after-school program for at-risk teens. However, the passion between Carlos and Kiara, who tell their story in alternating narratives, is compelling enough to engage teens, especially those who were taken with Alex and Brittany's romance in the previous book.— Lalitha Nataraj, Chula Vista Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. “Teens with a taste for romance will eat this up like ice cream on a hot day.” ― Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books on Perfect Chemistry.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I read Perfect Chemistry and fell in love with Alex Fuentes. I really wanted to read Rules Of Attraction cause I love how Simone Elkeles always manages to put a Spanish word or two through out the story. He feels like he's been abandoned by so many people in his life that he doesn't want to get close to anyone. She has a stuttering problem she's been working on and she wants to break out of her shell finally. Tuck has a freeze bee team he gets Carlos to play in for a tournament."
"But because of his unfortunate ties to a Mexican gang, while living in Mexico with his mother and younger brother, he finds himself in trouble, so his mom and uncle ship him to Colorado to live with his older brother Alex. When the professor's daughter, Kiara, is assigned to show him around at school, Carlos is puzzled at his interest in a girl that is not his normal type."
"Carlos moves to Colorado after getting into trouble in Mexico, where he lived with his mom. His brother Alex sets him up to live with his former professor to help get his act together. You’ll have to read this young adult love story to find out but hold on to your seats because lots of drama takes place throughout the whole book."
"I have read this series several times."
"4 1/2 to 5 stars - In Rules of Attraction, Alex's little brother, Carlos, is sent from Mexico by their mom live with his brother, Alex, one of the main characters from the first book in the series, Perfect Chemistry, in Colorado where Alex is going to college. There were similarities between this book and Perfect Chemistry: a hot Fuentes brother with an attitude and a shady past, a rich white girl who's pretty much a goody two shoes and a situtation that arises which causes them to get to know each other and realize there's more to the other than meets the eye. Her parents are actual characters in the book and not just mostly absent ones, as is the case in a lot of YA books."
Best Teen & Young Adult Asian American Fiction eBooks
This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon . Every night, Minli's father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyone's destiny. Determined to change her family's fortune, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish who gives her clues to complete her journey. After her mother ridicules what she believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I just read this book again yesterday, because my daughter borrowed When the Sea Turned to Silver from the library, and I figured out pretty quickly that it would be better if I refreshed my memory on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon first."
"This was a story with underlying themes that older readers will pick up on but younger ones may not initially but as the stories are told by the characters each are intertwined with in each other and woven together very nicely."
"Would make a good bedtime story to read to kids about 6-10, who have longer attention spans for chapter books with minimal pictures."
"This book is a family favorite I highly recommend you read this book."
"Purchased this book for my grand niece when she turned 8."
"A wonderful children's book that my children have highly enjoyed."
"It is simply the best Children's book I have ever read."
"I just LOVE Grace Lin's books. Starry River is like the beginning of Where the mountain meets the moon. one reason why my mom and i love where the mountain meets the moon is because the main characters name; Min-Lee."
Best Teen & Young Adult African American Fiction eBooks
A National Book Award Longlist title with eight starred reviews! Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. This story is important.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ). “Though Thomas’s story is heartbreakingly topical, its greatest strength is in its authentic depiction of a teenage girl, her loving family, and her attempts to reconcile what she knows to be true about their lives with the way those lives are depicted—and completely undervalued—by society at large.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) ). “Pair this powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s ALL AMERICAN BOYS to start a conversation on racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.” (School Library Journal (starred review) ). “Thomas has penned a powerful, in-your-face novel that will similarly galvanize fans of Kekla Magoon’s How It Went Down and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys.” (Horn Book (starred review) ).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I had originally said I was not going to read this book, I didn't know how well I would like it, and I don't tend to get involved with things that can make life at work harder for me. I hated reading it, I cried my eyes out, Thomas did such an amazing job of making a horrible action into beautiful fiction that made you feel like you were right there. This was really refreshing to read because so many books, YA especially make parents out to be monsters that don't care, that aren't there for their kids. I mean it is like a troupe or something for these stories and it isn't actually the norm and gets annoying to read, so this book did an amazing job with the parents and family. All around though this story just floored me, it gave me a perspective I have never considered before, offered insights into a world I am not a part of, and I loved every minute of it."
"In January, uber popular author, John Green, tweeted that The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas would become a classic. I can see this book lasting, not because it’s timeless (hopefully the struggles addressed in THUG will be no more, as Starr prophesied), but because it’s a flashpoint in American history that shouldn’t be forgotten even if it’s rectified. Angie Thomas’ debut is the kind of transformative and accessible novel that can touch a variety of readers and have long-lasting effects. They’re vigorous and honest, Angie Thomas’ words giving them breath, blood, and life. If you’ve read the blurb, then you know the Black Lives Matter movement inspires this novel. Experiencing the effects of that moment from Starr’s perspective is gut wrenching, although, I can foresee some readers feeling numb. Her rage over her friend’s murder is the emotion that steals the show, never leading to traditional acceptance. I mean, with all the hype it’s impossible not to go into this book with some expectation and my greatest fear regarding THUG was that it would piss me off."
"This story follows high schooler Starr and how she deals with losing her friend who was shot by a police officer after being pulled over."
"It also portrays gangs, addiction, non-nuclear families, poverty, and low socioeconomic class (and why it exists)."
"I’m not the target audience for a YA book about the injustices suffered by mostly urban minority youth but I am moved by this story and saddened by the knowledge that it is replicated in news items around the US way too often."
"A young girl witnesses her childhood friend being shot by a police officer."
Best Teen & Young Adult Native American Fiction eBooks
Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He expects disaster when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Overall, I feel that the author did a good job writing this, but only a mature reader should read this book."
"I believe all teens should read and see they are not alone in how they feel, how they see themselves."
"The book touches on a lot of sensitive and taboo topics for some people."
"While I would not suggest it for anyone not in high school (and possibly a worldly upperclassmen at least), I would recommend as eye opening look at the experiences of a population that live just below the radar of most Americans."
"It's raw, probably good to read before your teen or tween reads it or read it at the same time they do and do some discussing."
"Native American lives on reservations, has the guts to go to a "white" school outside the reservation, perseveres against bullies, wins over the prettiest girl in school, becomes friends with the popular kids -- but perhaps I have said too much. A nice parable, perhaps, certainly a feel-good story, but it doesn't feel like an "absolutely true diary"."
"One of my favorite YA books of all times."
"In a moment of rage over being issued an old textbook with his mother's name written in it, Junior hurls the book, accidentally hitting his teacher in the face. This proves to be a turning point, with Junior making the decision to attend a better supplied and equipped "white" high school miles from the reservation. Proclaimed a brave warrior by some, and a traitor, by others, Junior records his experiences, losses, and triumphs, through his writings and drawings, with hilarity, and gut-punching poignancy. "Oh, so they think you're a traitor". "Yep". I love Juniors determination and "spirit" despite of all that life throws at him; his brash and boisterous teenage voice is rings clear."