Told in alternating first person points of view, The Radius of Us is a story of love, sacrifice, and the journey from victim to survivor. It offers an intimate glimpse into the causes and devastating impact of Latino gang violence, both in the U.S. and in Central America, and explores the risks that victims take when they try to start over. Most importantly, The Radius of Us shows how people struggling to overcome trauma can find healing in love.
ChicaNerds in Chicana Young Adult Literature (Children's Literature and Culture)
by Cristina Herrera
ChicaNerds in Chicana Young Adult Literature analyzes novels by the acclaimed Chicana YA writers Jo Ann Yolanda Hernández, Isabel Quintero, Ashley Hope Pérez, Erika Sánchez, Guadalupe García McCall, and Patricia Santana. Combining the term "Chicana" with "nerd," Dr. Herrera coins the term "ChicaNerd" to argue how the young women protagonists in these novels voice astute observations of their identities as nonwhite teenagers, specifically through a lens of nerdiness—a reclamation of brown girl se...
There are more than 10 things to hate about prom, but the worst thing is when your lovable best friend wants to go with someone else. Don't miss this sweet, charming rom-com from the author of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance! Ivelisse Santos has had Joaquin Romero’s back since their first playdate. Not just next-door neighbors, they’re platonic soulmates. At least, that’s what Ive thinks, until Joaquin decides to ask Tessa Hernandez, the same girl who stole Ive’s boyfriend, to prom. Sure, the he...
The author describes his experiences growing up as a Mexican American in Fresno, California.
Gorgeous, wealthy, and entitled, Ruby has just one single worry in her life—scheming to get the boy next door to finally realize they’re meant to be together. But when the California wildfires cause her privileged world to go up in flames, Ruby must struggle to find the grit and compassion to help her family and those less fortunate to rise from the ashes. At eighteen, Ruby Ortega is an unapologetic flirt who balances her natural aptitude for economics with her skill in partying hard. But she c...
Jane the Virgin meets The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in New York Times bestselling author J.C. Cervantes's charming, romantic YA debut. Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved Nana’s deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother’s mystical blessing—one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations. Until Nana’s ghost appears with a challenge from beyo...
"A sixteen-year-old shortstop in Cuba who dreams of playing with the pros must choose between his country and his father who defected to the U.S."-- Julio, a sixteen-year-old shortstop in Cuba, dreams of playing with the pros but must choose between his country and his father who defected to the United States.
San Antonio is full of secrets, and seventeen-year-old Erasmo Cruz investigates the strangest of them. After gaining renown for surviving the city's legendary Ghost Tracks, he has set up shop as a paranormal investigator. But helping exorcize other people’s demons doesn’t seem to relieve his own; his best friend Rat has abandoned him, his grandmother is nearing death, and his own health has taken a sudden decline. None of these hardships can prepare Erasmo for the story his newest client brings...
A Latina teen spy goes undercover as a white girl to stop a white supremacist terrorist plot in a fast-paced young adult debut from a seasoned author of contemporary crime fiction. In her debut for younger readers, Aya de León pits a teen spy against the ominous workings of a white nationalist. Fourteen-year-old Andréa Hernández-Baldoquín hails from a family of spies working for the Factory, an international organization dedicated to protecting people of color. For her first solo mission, And...
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Four gay teens in Texas have the summer of their lives while discovering important truths about realness, belonging, and friendship in this “explosive prose debut for the gays and theys growing up outside of the box” (Booklist, starred review). Mac has never really felt like he belonged. Definitely not at home—his dad’s politics and toxic masculinity make a real connection impossible. He thought he fit in on the baseball team, but that’s only because he was pretending to be someone he wasn’t. F...
It's been years since Carly Vega's parents were deported. She lives with her brother, studies hard, and works at a convenience store to contribute to getting her parents back from Mexico. Arden Moss used to be the star quarterback at school. He dated popular blondes and had fun with his older sister, Amber. But now Amber's dead, and Arden blames his father, the town sheriff who wouldn't acknowledge Amber's mental illness. Arden refuses to fulfil whatever his conservative father expects. All Carl...
The first thing I hear is music. The first thing I've always heard is music. Meet Marley, an unassuming high school junior who breathes in music like oxygen. In between caring for his heroin-addicted mother, and keeping his scholarship at a fancy prep school, he dreams of becoming a professional DJ. When chance lands Marley his first real DJ job, his career as 'DJ Ice' suddenly skyrockets. But when heart-rending disaster at home brings Marley crashing back down to earth, he is torn between oblig...