Hispanic Heritage Month: Library Resources & Books From the Collection

We’re gearing up and getting excited for this weekend's Familia Fiesta celebration and other Hispanic Heritage Month events, but the celebration doesn’t end there. You can continue to explore Hispanic voices, history, and culture beyond this month through titles available in our collection. The library also offers regular programs and resources throughout the year to support the Spanish-speaking community and those interested in learning Spanish. Read on to learn more!

LIBRARY RESOURCES

For those interested in practicing English, the library hosts ESL Conversation Café programs at multiple locations. ESL Conversation Café provides an opportunity for individuals to practice speaking English in an informal group setting.

Additionally, with a library card, you can access language learning resources like Rosetta Stone and Transparent Language Online for free. Learn English, Spanish, or dozens of other languages supported by each platform.

And for the little ones in your life, attend a Cuentos Bilingües (Bilingual Storytimes) to encourage early literacy skills and listen to stories in Spanish and English.

COLLECTION

In addition to our collection of books in Spanish, below is just a small selection of the many Hispanic authors and stories you’ll find at HCPL. Browse the catalog, submit a My Next Read form, or visit our Overdrive collections for Kids, Teens, and Adults for more titles and recommendations.

PICTURE BOOKS

• Ancient Night by David Bowles (also available on Hoopla)
  • Ancient Night puts a spin on two traditional Mesoamerican myths. In this retelling, Rabbit uses aguamiel, a glowing nectar, to fill and brighten the moon. One evening, the sky goes dark, and Rabbit discovers Opossum drinking from the jug of aguamiel. Embarrassed by his actions, Opossum must find a way to bring light to the sky again.

• Do I Belong Here = ¿Es Este Mi Lugar? by René Colato Laínez
  • In this bilingual children’s book, a young immigrant boy learns to navigate the challenges of a new school, language, and culture. Over time, he gains a sense of belonging and is able to offer support, kindness, and reassurance to new students going through the same experience.    

Plus, be sure to check out:

• Bright Star by Yuyi Morales (also available on Hoopla)
• Churro Stand by Karina Nicole González (also available on Hoopla)
• Con Mucho Amor by Jenny Torres Sanchez
• Empanadas for Everyone by Jackie Azúa Kramer
• If Your Babysitter is a Bruja by Ana Siqueira
• Martina Has Too Many Tías by Emma Otheguy
• My Dog Just Speaks Spanish by Andrea Cáceres
• Spanish is the Language of My Family by Michael Genhart
• Teo’s Tutu by Maryann Jacob Macias
• Veo, Veo, I See You by Lulu Delacre

KIDS

• Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows series by Ryan Calejo
  • Latin American folklore comes to life in this tale about middle-schooler Charlie Hernández, who finds himself turning into one of the mythical beings from his abuela’s stories. Now at the center of an ancient battle, Charlie must navigate a world of monsters and brujas in order to save his missing parents and the Land of the Living.

• Catalina Incognito series by Jennifer Torres
  • Disappointed by the sewing kit she received for her birthday from Tía Abuela, eight-year-old Catalina soon realizes it possesses the power to turn clothing into magical disguises. So when rhinestones go missing from her Tía’s famous gown that’s on display at the library, Catalina vows to use the sewing kit to track them down. But there’s a catch: the magic is only as strong as the sewer’s stitches. Can Catalina master the craft and find the thief?

You might also enjoy:

• 13^th Street series by David Bowles (also available on Hoopla)
• Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster (also available on Hoopla)
• El Toro & Friends series by Raúl the Third (also available on Hoopla)
• The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
• Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros (also available on Hoopla)
• Lalo Lespérance Never Forget by Phillippe Diederich
• Maribel Versus the Volcano: A Mount Saint Helen’s Survival Story by Sarah Hannah Gómez (also available on Hoopla)
• Merci Suárez series by Meg Medina
• The Water Bears by Kimberly Baker
• Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega (also available on Hoopla)

TEENS

• Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez (also available on Hoopla)
  • Seventeen-year-old Argentinian Camila Hassan has her sights set on a professional soccer (fútbol) career and is hoping to earn a scholarship to play at a North American university. There’s just one problem: her parents. They don’t know she plays. Her abusive, short-tempered father would never allow her to play, and her mother has very different ideas about Camila’s future. But when she needs their permission to compete in a South American tournament, she’ll have to risk it all in order to chase her dreams.

• The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (available in Spanish on Hoopla)
  • Every decade, ten semidioses ages thirteen to eighteen are chosen to compete in the Sunbearer Trials. The loser is sacrificed in order to replenish the sun, ward off evil gods, and protect Reino del Sol. As a Jade, Teo does not expect to be chosen. Jades are never chosen. Except, for the first time ever, Sol calls two Jades to compete in this year’s Trials. Now Teo must compete against his better-trained peers and find a way to survive the Trials unscathed.

Some other highlights from the collection include:

• A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
• Ander & Santi Were Here: A Novel by Jonny Garza Villa
• Brownstone by Samuel Teer
• Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado (also available on Hoopla)
• How to Succeed in Witchcraft by Aislinn Brophy
• The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border by Juan Pablo Villalobos (also available on Hoopla)
• Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz
• Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories by Olivia Abtahi
• There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia (also available on Hoopla)
• They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles

ADULTS

• A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes: A Son’s Memoir of Gabriel García Márquez and Mercedes Barcha by Rodrigo García (also available on Hoopla)
  • A son captures the final stages of his aging parents’ lives in this moving and intimate memoir about the legacy of beloved author Gabriel García Márquez and his wife/muse Mercedes Barcha.

• Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
  • The Mexican-American War meets vampires and vaqueros in this supernatural western/historical fiction/horror about love and war. Nine years ago Nena, the daughter of a rancher in northern Mexico, was attacked… by something. Believing that she’s dead, Néstor, her childhood sweetheart, leaves town to grieve and find work. But when the United States invades Mexico in 1846, the two are suddenly brought back together, and they must work through their past in order to conquer the nightmare that surrounds them.

You might also enjoy:

• The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez
• Crying in the Bathroom by Erika L. Sánchez
• Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena by Jordan Salama
• Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez
• The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara
• There is a Rio Grande in Heaven: Stories by Ruben Reyes, Jr.
• Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet
• Secret Identity by Alex Segura
• Sí, Se Puede: The Latino Heroes Who Changed the United States by Julio Anta
• Women Without Shame by Sandra Cisneros