The books below are found as print books in our SHS Learning Commons, on MackinVIA, and in Libby, the digital platform of the Scott County Library.
All the Stars Denied by
When resentment surges during the Great Depression in a Texas border town, Estrella, fifteen, organizes a protest against the treatment of tejanos and soon finds herself witih her mother and baby brother in Mexico.
American Road Trip by
Some hard hits take Teodoro "T" Avila down the summer before his senior year, not least of which being his beloved older brother Manny returning from tour in Iraq with severe PTSD. Desperate to save Manny from himself and to heal his family, T's fiery sister, Xochitl, tricks her brothers into going on a road trip with one another.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
Bless Me, Ultima by
Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. She is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and he will discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past--a mythic legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world... and will nurture the birth of his soul.
When We Make It by
In this novel-in-verse, fourteen-year-old Sarai navigates life in her Brooklyn neighborhood, chronicling all that she sees around her--from her hard-working, single Puerto Rican mother, to changes in the neighborhood that are squeezing out immigrants like her, to the voices that tell her she won't amount to anything--and offering her own thoughts about her future and what's real.
Islands Apart by
In ten personal essays, the author explores her experiences growing up as a Dominican in the United States, where often those around her didn't understand that she could be Black and also Spanish-speaking. Her conservative parents frowned upon dating, heels, and shaving, which alienated her from her American peers.
Each of Us a Desert by
Xochitl, a storyteller in her village, is destined to hear the confessions of those in her community and relay them to the desert wind and the sun god Solis so they don't manifest as nightmares. But Xochitl is disillusioned with her fate, so when she gets the opportunity to accompany the local warlord's daughter to a new place, she takes the risk, even if it means holding onto a dangerous confession that could have dire consequences.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by
Julia refuses to conform to her Mexican family's expectations of her, wanting to become a writer instead of following her older sister Olga on the path of community college, part-time job, and taking care of their parents. Then, Olga dies mysteriously, and her best friend Angie hints to Julia that there may have been more to Olga than everyone thought. Julia and her best friend, Lorena, investigate, and in the meantime Julia has to figure out how to fall in love with Connor, a white boy whom she is sure could never understand her family.
The Closest I've Come by
Marcos Rivas is a Florida street kid with an abusive home life and a desire to be more than that. He is placed in an after school program for troubled teens with promise and makes new friends who help him see that he has more of a future than being a street kid forever.
Never Look Back by
Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria--and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set this fear aside, because there’s this boy . . .
The New David Espinoza by
After a video of him getting slapped by a bully goes viral, David Espinoza decides to join a bodybuilding gym and bulk up over the summer. Frustrated at his slow progress, David is encouraged by other gym-goers to try steroids. Soon, David digs deeper into the seedy side of bodybuilding, and his addiction to steroids begins threatening his relationships. When he finally acknowledges his addiction, David reflects on the damaging effects of muscle dysmorphia and toxic masculinity.
The Poet X by
Xiomara Batista is a teenage girl living in Harlem who's learned to use her fists to send messages. When she's invited to join her school's poetry club, she knows her religious mother will never allow it. But Xiomara is determined to find a way because she has something to say that can only be shared through her poetry.
Pride by
In this reimagining of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," teenager Zuri Benitez is deeply proud of her Afro-Latino roots in their Brooklyn neighborhood, and is disappointed as she watches Bushwick gentrify. And when the wealthy Darcy family moves in, Zuri wants nothing to do with them, especially their two teenage sons, even though her older sister, Janae, falls for the charming Ainsley. The other brother, Darius, is especially obnoxious, but her dislike shifts into understanding and even affection.
Shadowshaper by
When the murals painted on the walls of her Brooklyn neighborhood start to change and fade in front of her, Sierra Santiago realizes that something strange is going on--then she discovers her Puerto Rican family are shadowshapers and finds herself in a battle with an evil anthropologist for the lives of her family and friends.
The Last Cuentista by
As the daughter of prominent scientists, twelve-year-old Petra Peñs is among the select few boarding a spaceship to another planet before Earth is decimated by a comet. Petra doesn't take after her parents though, she wants to be a professional storyteller like her grandmother. When she wakes centuries later, she realizes that her family and other passengers have no recollections of Earth or what life was like there. After learning that a dangerous cult known as the Collective is responsible, Petra knows it's up to her to preserve the memories of the past.
Juliet Takes a Breath by
Juliet Milagros Palante is a self-proclaimed closeted Puerto Rican baby dyke from the Bronx. Only, she's not so closeted anymore. Not after coming out to her family the night before flying to Portland, Oregon, to intern with her favorite feminist writer--what's sure to be a life-changing experience. And when Juliet's coming out crashes and burns, she's not sure her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan--sort of. Her internship with legendary author Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women's bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff, is sure to help her figure out this whole \"Puerto Rican lesbian\" thing. Except Harlowe's white. And not from the Bronx. And she definitely doesn't have all the answers . . . In a summer bursting with queer brown dance parties, a sexy fling with a motorcycling librarian, and intense explorations of race and identity, Juliet learns what it means to come out--to the world, to her family, to herself.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by
Artemisia (Sia) Martinez's mother was deported to Mexico by ICE and disappeared in the Sonoran Desert trying to make it back to her American family. Sia believes that she was effectively murdered by ICE and the sheriff in their small Arizona town on the edge of the national park, and wants revenge against him and his son, Jeremy--but her search for the truth will uncover many more secrets than she counted on.
Sanctuary by
In the year 2035, Vali, her mother, and her brother are living a peaceful life as undocumented immigrants in Vermont with fake ID chips implanted in their wrists. When a raid happens at her mother's workplace, the family decides to flee to California, a sanctuary state for undocumented immigrants. Vali's mother, however, is detained along the way, and Vali and her brother must continue the journey alone.
This Train Is Being Held by
Williams's latest novel feels like if West Side Story were about two teens who met on a train. Alex and Isa are Latinx, but their families and lives could not be more different. After several chance-encounters on the New York City subway, they start seeing each other for real. With themes of privilege, mental health, and diaspora, this love story is bound to pack a punch.
Tigers, Not Daughters by
The Torres sisters dream of escape. Escape from their needy and despotic widowed father, and from their San Antonio neighborhood, full of old San Antonio families and all the traditions and expectations that go along with them. In the summer after her senior year of high school, Ana, the oldest sister, falls to her death from her bedroom window. A year later, her three younger sisters, Jessica, Iridian, and Rosa, are still consumed by grief and haunted by their sister’s memory. Their dream of leaving Southtown now seems out of reach. But then strange things start happening around the house: mysterious laughter, mysterious shadows, mysterious writing on the walls. The sisters begin to wonder if Ana really is haunting them, trying to send them a message—and what exactly she’s trying to say.
We Set the Dark on Fire by
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children. Both paths promise a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her pedigree is a lie. She must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society. And school couldn’t prepare her for the difficult choices she must make after graduation, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or will she give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?
Lulu and Milagro's Search for Clarity by
Baltimore sisters Lulu and Milagro Zavala are close, but have very different focuses. Lulu wants to go away to college and devotes her time to getting good grades. Milagro gives her attention to her boyfriend Pablo, with schoolwork coming in at the bottom of her priority list. When their older sister Clara returns home from Iowa on college break, something has changed and Clara won't talk about it.
Love in English by
Sixteen-year-old Ana, a recent immigrant from Argentina, is working hard to learn the English language after moving to New Jersey. When she meets a cute American boy named Harrison and a boy named Neo from Greece in her ESL class, she begins to have confusing feelings for both of them.
