(3) YA Marcos Rivas wants to escape his inner-city neighborhood and abusive home life, so he jumps at the chance to attend Future Success, an afterschool class to help underachievers become achievers. As his home situation worsens, Marcos learns that education can be the answer to his problems, but that he needs to take the first step. Marcos's contemporary-teen language rings true, and his experiences are authentic.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Alarcón uses simple, richly descriptive verse (printed in Spanish and English) to explain the origins of the days of the week while celebrating a Latino family's traditions. Gonzalez's full-bleed double-page-spread illustrations, in watercolor, gouache, and acrylic marker, pay tribute to "Mexico's indigenous crafts." An illustrator's note reveals Alarcón died in 2016 but adds that his unique way of portraying the Latino experience through poetry will live on. Bib.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) 4-6 In this unflinchingly honest novel based on the author's childhood, Ruthie is just ten years old in 1966 when she arrives in Queens from Cuba with her family. After breaking her leg in a car accident, she remains immobile in bed for almost a year. When her neighbor introduces her to drawing and painting, she begins to heal emotionally. Effectively scattered Spanish phrases lend authenticity.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Edver, in Cuba for the summer with the scientist father he's never met, is shocked to learn he has a twelve-year-old sister. Luza resents Edver's privileged life, but the siblings bond over their mutual love of the jungle's plants and wildlife and work together to save their country's living heritage. Through alternating chapters, Edver's and Luza's stories are told in Engle's signature verse style. Glos.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ana Juan. Nearly ten years after being blown ashore--as a baby in an inflatable pool, fiercely guarded by a lavender-feathered bird--Pablo wants to know why he was placed into the ocean and why "Birdy" doesn't fly. Readers will identify with Pablo's curiosity about his past and his love for his pet. Spanish phrases are scattered throughout the lyrical text; occasional imagistic black-and-white illustrations reflect the mood.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(2) 4-6 In this idealistic and informative coming-of-age novel set in 1961 Cuba, thirteen-year-old Lora and thousands of other young brigadistas travel hours away to live with poor mountain farmers and become literacy teachers. Lora comes across as a distinct, individual character, but through her readers also learn many details about the brigadistas, the dangers they faced, Cuban politics, and the resilience of the Cuban people. Timeline.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) YA Linny (in Miami) and Sebastian (in Los Angeles), who've both experienced loss, meet when reclusive, and beloved, writer Álvaro Herrera shows up at a nursing home near Linny's house. Sebastian has learned surprising news about Álvaro's connection to his family and flies to Miami to confront him. Sorosiak uses alternating voices to help flesh out the protagonists as they find their way to a more optimistic future.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017