11+ Inspiring Books on Latino Life and Culture in the United States
Are you looking to teach a meaningful lesson about tolerance and diversity to your little ones? Check out these 11 amazing books on Latino life in the United States by Latino authors!
I’ve curated this list of stories by famous Latino authors, not only to entertain children, but also to make them aware of the immigrant experience.
Being able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is an essential tool that leads to emotional intelligence, something we desperately need as a society.
These are colorful stories about people who exude resilience, tenacity, unconditional love, intuition, a strong sense of family, and joy.
Stories about heroes teach powerful values to our kids and inspire them to be good people who see the importance of helping those in need.
Explore the books on this list to learn more about the mixing of cultures and what it feels like for a Hispanic person living in the U.S.
Let’s get to know 11 great Latino authors and their books!
Table of Contents:
- 4 Books for Elementary Students by Latino Authors
- 4 Inspiring Books for Middle Schoolers by Latino Authors
- 3 Books by Latino Authors for Young Adults
- Afro Latino Authors
- Inspirational Quotes by Latino Authors
- Books Recommendations For Adults By Latino Authors
- Learn Spanish to Connect with Hispanic Culture
4 Books for Elementary Students by Latino Authors
Elementary students are the most impressionable. The things you teach them will stay with them, especially if you take the time to explain the moral of the book and discuss the story.
1. Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Recommended for ages 3-9
Award-winning Latino author Yuyi Morales reflects in this touching memoir the pain and liberation of going to a new land and building a new life for herself and her son. But migrating doesn’t necessarily mean to leave everything behind. She carries her resilience, strength, hopes, passion, and life stories with her.
This book is a reminder that we have a lot of common grounds with immigrants: we are all dreamers looking to make a better future for ourselves and our families. Symbolic illustrations couple the powerful words of this Latino author: “We are resilience. We are hope. We are dreamers.”
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2. Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña
Recommended for ages 3-6
Carmela is finally old enough to run errands with her big brother, they get to go around the neighborhood like the bakery shop and the laundromat where she unexpectedly finds a dandelion. Now she has to make a birthday wish.
Carmela Full of Wishes is a story about family, dreamers and hopefulness. Matt is a Latino author and a first-generation Mexican American who lives in San Diego, California.
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Check-out: 15 Poignant Spanish Songs About Immigration
3. Mamá the Alien by René Colato Laínez
Recommended for ages 6-9
This humorous book is about Sofia, an imaginative child who thinks her mom is an alien. She has no other evidence than her old resident alien card, but that is enough to bring her to the local library.
Sofia learns all about aliens and how they can be of any color and have any number of fingers. That doesn’t make any sense, as Sofia’s mom looks like a human.
One day, the little girl is wandering around her house and finds an alien-looking mom! But don’t you worry, it’s just a beauty treatment she is using to look stunning for her citizenship ceremony.
Eventually Sofia realizes what the word “alien” means in English and learns that you have to love your family, regardless of where they are from and what people call them.
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4. Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale by Duncan Tonatiuh
Recommended for ages 6-9
Award-winning Latino author Duncan Tonatiuh shares a compelling allegorical story about bravery and family.
The rains did not come for spring, so Papa rabbit has to travel north to work the carrot fields to provide for his family. When he doesn’t return, his son Pancho Rabbit embarks on a journey to look for his dad. He encounters a coyote that promises to lead him to a shortcut to get to the north in exchange for his food.
This tale is about the hardships and dangers that migrant families face while seeking better opportunities.
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4 Inspiring Books for Middle Schoolers by Latino Authors
At this age, your kids have an appetite for adventure. It’s the perfect time to introduce them to relatable heroes that will help their imagination run wild.
5. Mañanaland by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Recommended for ages 9-14
Max Cordoba loves stories, especially one that Buelo—his grandpa—always tells him about a mythical guardian that helps pure-hearted travelers to get to Mañanaland, the land of tomorrow.
Little did he know that after uncovering a family secret involving a guardian network that helped people flee to the next country, he would embark on a journey on his own. Max’s only armor is a compass, a stone rubbing, and Buelo’s words and clues.
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See also: 15 Fabulous Lessons I Learned From Puerto Rican Actress Rita Moreno
6. My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss and Hope by Diane Guerrero
Recommended for ages 10-14
You know this Latino author from her roles in Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin or from her work as an immigration reform activist. This is her story as a Boston teenager who just found out that her parents were taken away and deported.
A relatable experience like My Family Divided shows us the truth about the dangers and founded fear millions of undocumented families experience everyday. Don’t miss this powerful memoir!
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7. Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
Recommended for ages 8-12
Read a story of love and hope despite the difficulties the characters face at a family detention center for illegal immigrants and refugees. Betita is the little girl who stars in this heart-wrenching story.
Papi, Betita’s dad, told her about how the mythical Aztecs migrated from their original home in Aztlan—“The Land of Cranes”—to Tenochtitlan, the center of the universe, which is today Mexico City.
Aida Salazar shows us how love, hope, and solidarity can fly higher than hate and intolerance. Betita’s ability to find refuge in her own poetry and people with similar ethnic backgrounds keep her afloat. With such life lessons, this book is a must!
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8. Santiago’s Road Home by Alexandra Diaz
Recommended for ages 10-14
With only a few coins in his hand, Santiago decides it’s time to try his luck. He has an uncertain future until he crosses paths with Maria Dolores and her daughter Alegria (Joy). They decide to go together to the other side: the United States.
They have water but almost no food. Also, they have to cross the whole country to get to the border. On top of that, the three individuals must learn how to trust each other
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3 Books by Latino Authors for Young Adults
Young adults love to read about characters they can relate to. Even though these life experiences are extraordinary, they’re sure to find parts of themselves on these pages.
9. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
Maribel Rivera’s family decides to go to the U.S. to seek the medical care she needs. Once on the other side of the border, she meets Mayor Toro, the son of her neighbors and begins a love story.
Latino author Cristina Henriquez masterfully weaves the young couple’s story with their families’, the heated immigrant environment in the U.S., and testimonials of Latin Americans who left everything behind.
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Recommended reading: 13 Reasons Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is an Inspiration (No Matter Your Politics)
10. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Four girls and their parents had to flee their native Dominican Republic after the father tried to overthrow the dictator. They land in overwhelming New York City in the 1960s.
Sandra, Sofía, Yolanda, and Carla try on their new lives and start forgetting—among other things—what brings them together: the Spanish language.
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11. Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet
Lizet graduates high school and gets accepted by a top university. Her parents are enraged at the fact that she will soon be leaving Miami. In a quick turn of events, Lizet’s father leaves and divorces her mother and sells her childhood home.
Lizet needs to struggle academically and socially at school while knowing she is needed back home with her mom and sister. She returns to Miami as a surprise for Thanksgiving and finds out there is a new boy in everybody’s life who lost his mom while escaping Cuba.
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Afro Latino Authors
Check out these Afro Latino authors to discover another aspect of Latin immigrants.
- Elizabeth Acevedo
- Mia Sosa
- Naima Coster
- Adriana Herrera
- Ivelisse Rodriguez
- Edwidge Danticat
- Maika Moulite
- Maritza Moulite
Inspirational Quotes by Latino Authors
To top off your lesson about Latino authors, share these quotes with your children, and hang your favorites up on the wall.
1. “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old; they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” — Pablo Neruda
3. “The point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on.” — Julia Alvarez
4. “Deserve your dream.” — Octavio Paz
5. “Every time someone gives you a formula for what you should be and what you should do, you should know they are giving you a pair of handcuffs.” — Junot Diaz
Books Recommendations For Adults By Latino Authors
These are some of my favorite books by Latino authors for adult readers. They poignantly describe the mix and clash of cultures while living in a different country.
- Our House in the Last World by Óscar Hijuelos
- Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
- Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
- Dark Dude by Óscar Hijuelos
Hand-picked for you:
- 6 Books by Master Storyteller Oscar Hijuelos
- 3 Wonderful, Life-changing Books by Luis Alberto Urrea
- 6 Powerful Memoirs and Novels by Esmeralda Santiago
Learn Spanish to Connect with Hispanic Culture
If you liked these young adult’s and children’s books by Latino authors, you’re probably looking for other ways of approaching Hispanic culture. The best way to do it is by learning Spanish.
Kids absorb more language the younger they are because they have more “neuroplasticity” or capacity to make electric pathways between brain cells. They’re more prone to internalize complex grammar structures and foreign sounds. What’s more, learning a second language is the best way to keep your brain “young” and active.
Where to start? Homeschool Spanish Academy provides flexible, online classes with certified, native-speaking teachers so that students can learn from the experts and enjoy progress quickly in their conversational skills.
Let your kids join our 24,000 students worldwide. Check our affordable pricing and flexible programs. Prepare your kids for a brighter future by signing them up for a free trial class today!
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“This is the best way for your kid to learn Spanish. It’s one-on-one, taught by native Spanish speakers, and uses a curriculum.”
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“It’s a great way to learn Spanish, from native Spanish speakers in a 1-on-1 environment. It’s been fairly easy to schedule classes around my daughter’s other classes. The best value for us has been ordering multiple classes at a time. All the instructors have been great!”
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