Cinco de Mayo (Intermediate)

(2) 4-6 Acevedo defied expectations growing up in a working-class Mexican American family in 1960s and 1970s Las Cruces, New Mexico. Thanks, in part, to childhood experiences in the Girl Scouts, she became a rocket scientist and is now CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Acevedo doesn't shy away from matter-of-factly discussing difficult parts of her youth. Occasional black-and-white photographs between chapters add intimacy to her moving autobiographical account. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 Mexican American fifth-grader Margie tries hard to project an all-American image. This works until her cousin Lupe arrives from Mexico to live with Margie's family. Alternating narration, injected with Spanish-language phrases, brings out the difficulties of language-learning and peer acceptance from each girl's perspective. Ada and Zubizarreta provide a sympathetic view of an immigrant child's experience.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Gabriel M. Zubizarreta. Amalia is devastated when she learns her best friend is moving to California; fortunately, her abuelita comforts her with stories about loved ones far away. When Abuelita suddenly dies, Amalia must draw on what her grandmother has taught her to accept her grief and anger. This portrait of a multigenerational immigrant family features sensitively drawn characters and a low-key story. Concurrently published in Spanish.

Reviewer: Martha Walke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) 4-6 At once heartbreaking and full of hope, this moving memoir is a survival story that recounts the Mexican American author's adolescence spent as an undocumented immigrant in Texas. Arce brings to life the current reality of many, and her story will evoke empathy. This well-written testament to the power of hope, sacrifice, and education also conveys information about various immigration laws. Includes an insert of family photos.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(2) 4-6 Narrator Julieta Leal--smart, curious, and prone to causing unintentional trouble--is thrilled to be accompanying her dad, an art handler at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, on a trip to Paris to collect some pieces from the Louvre on loan for a new exhibit. At first, Julieta enjoys visiting Parisian landmarks and (not) eating escargot; she also accompanies her dad on his work, giving readers intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpses of famous museums and palaces. But when the Louvre's Regent Diamond is stolen, Julieta and her father are the prime suspects. Now Julieta needs to catch the thief and clear their names so they can make it home in time for the birth of her baby brother. Julieta's dad is "honestly surprised at the amount of havoc a nine-year-old can cause in less than a week," but ultimately it's Julieta's eye for detail, love of Greek mythology, and tendency to act on impulse that save the day. Julieta and her family are Mexican American ("the J in Julieta sounds like the hooting of an owl. Like whoooo-lieta"), and she is bilingual in English and Spanish (and even learns a little French). Readers of this debut author's entertaining middle-grade mystery will appreciate the back matter, which includes a glossary and more information about the Regent Diamond and other works of art mentioned in the book, complete with photographs.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) 4-6 Tales of the Feathered Serpent series. Illustrated by Charlene Bowles. In this series starter, David Bowles, author of 2018's Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico, adapts a tale from that anthology for the graphic novel form. This volume focuses on the classic legend of Sayam--the Halfling (part-human, part-alux) king of Uxmal, the ancient city of Late Classic Mayan civilization. Raised and trained by the wise healer and medicine woman Almah, Sayam is destined to overthrow Kinich Kak Ek, Uxmal's despotic king, whose tyrannical rule has wrought disharmony across the realm, driving aluxes, witches, and the healing arts of magic underground. Throughout, Bowles highlights Mayan writing and storytelling systems, embedding references to Mayan philosophy and ethics in a thrilling, fast-moving plot that sees Sayam fulfill the prophecy of his reign. Charlene Bowles's illustrations match the pacing and cadence of the narrative with varying yet well-­organized panels that build robust ­characters and convey emotions. In particular, Sayam's growing maturity, leadership, and sense of duty to his people are depicted through relatable simplicity of expression and peaceful equilibrium achieved by the cool teal-blue palette. A directory of characters precedes the story, and a concluding author's note about the aesthetics of graphic art in Mayan writing traditions articulates the importance of perpetuating Mayan epistemology and culture in modern-day storytelling.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Maya Gonzalez. Brimner (Finding a Way Home, rev. 1/21) narrates the events leading to the first successful school desegregation case, Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District. In 1931, Mexican American parents in Lemon Grove, near San Diego, California, organized the Comité de Vecinos de Lemon Grove to resist the creation of the Olive Street School, a subpar school for Mexican American children. Brimner documents the machinations of Lemon Grove's white parents, teachers, and school district board members who, through secret meetings held months earlier, "voted to construct a separate school for children like Roberto and his friends." Gonzalez's double-page acrylic paintings enhance the narrative, particularly in this scene. Five primly dressed figures--the illustration shows them cut off at the shoulders to emphasize their ­impersonality--sit behind a table drafting the paperwork that accuses Mexican children of bad hygiene, of lacking English, and of holding back the white students. Gonzalez renders the Mexican American parents and students of the Comité with round brown faces, a signature of her aesthetic (My Colors, My World; Family Poems for Every Day of the Week, rev. 1/18; and others). An author's note, archival photos, and a bibliography append this work, which would pair well with Christy Hale's All Equal: A Ballad of Lemon Grove (rev. 11/19) and Duncan Tonatiuh's book about a similar case, Separate Is Never Equal: ­Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation (rev. 7/14).

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) 4-6 Lowriders series. Illustrated by Raúl the Third. Elirio, a mosquito with artistic talent, and his friends, an impala and an octopus, share a love of lowrider cars and have mutual bullies--members of a car club known as Los Matamoscas. Spanish words (and their translations) are sprinkled throughout this humorous graphic novel about lowrider culture, friendship, and standing up for oneself. Raúl the Third's distinctive pen drawings burst with energy and visual gags. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(3) 4-6 On a trip to Mexico City, Mexican American tween Paloma Marquez and her new friends attempt to solve the mystery of the missing peacock ring, a (fictional) ring that belonged to the intriguing and beloved Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. This fast-paced mystery is full of opportunities to learn Spanish vocabulary, gain insights into the art of Kahlo, and glean a small sampling of Mexican culture.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(2) 4-6 In this debut novel, winner of the 2021 Pura Belpré Medal for narrative, Cisneros introduces readers to an immigrant family whose desire for better opportunities means contending with cruel and politically motivated policies, backbreaking work for subsistence wages, and the constant threat of deportation. Seventh grader Efrén lives with his parents and twin five-year-old siblings in a one-room apartment in Southern California. He and the twins were born in the States, but their parents are both undocumented immigrants from Mexico. Conscientious Efrén is aware of the immigration raids happening in his neighborhood; he's heard the news stories and the laundromat gossip. He and his siblings know to go into "lockdown mode" in their apartment when they hear helicopters circling or sirens blaring. Still, he's able to enjoy the life he has with his loving, hard-working parents and in his friendly Mexican American neighborhood. The family's worst fears are realized, however, when his amá (mom) is deported. Efrén has to take responsibility for the twins (one of whom has behavioral challenges), the household, and his schoolwork. Spanish words and phrases, including some dialogue, lend authenticity to the narrative; while meaning can usually be gleaned in context, a twelve-page glossary provides English translations. Cisneros's vivid descriptions of Mexican and Mexican American culture, food, and traditions bring the characters and setting to life. The devastatingly realistic conclusion is heartbreaking and brutally makes clear the plight of undocumented immigrants in this country.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) 4-6 The first day of sixth grade at Mendez Middle School is coming up, and Isaac Castillo's Amá expects him to become "más responsable": "no more forgetting my lunch, no more missing homework, no more detentions, no more bad grades. And most importantly, no more tears for Amá--at least not because of me." Isaac's parents are getting a divorce, and he hopes that his good behavior can keep the family together. Isaac's best friend, Marco Honeyman ("half-Jewish, half-Mexican"), lives next door, and his parents are divorcing, too. Unlike Isaac, he's a top student: "all geek awards, nothing my dad can brag about." Maybe if Marco plays a sport, he can make his father proud. Alternating first-person narrations effectively offer Isaac's and Marco's perspectives on their own experiences and on each other's. Isaac teaches Marco to play basketball, and Marco--who's truly bad at offense but is a scrappy defensive player--makes the team; the latter part of the novel features exciting basketball action. By the end, Isaac has indeed become more responsible, and his schoolwork is better. He has learned how much basketball is like life and school: "It pretty much comes down to the hustle we put in." Though their families don't come back together the way that they'd hoped, the boys do indeed make their loved ones proud. A well-told story of family, friends, basketball, and life.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lesley Vamos. Lou Lou and Pea stop the villainous vice-mayor from sabotaging the city's Bicentennial Bonanza. A strong sense of a bicultural community is created through Latinx cultural markers and Spanish words and phrases. This standalone sequel to Lou Lou & Pea and the Mural Mystery has a lively yet simple illustrated plot perfect for graduates of chapter books such as Ivy + Bean. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) 4-6 This sequel to Stella Díaz Has Something to Say (rev. 5/18) finds Stella wanting to do something big: save the oceans. After a family vacation to Mexico, Stella (less shy than she used to be, but still a little nervous) attends summer camp at Shedd Aquarium and finds new friends among her "fellow sea-creature enthusiasts." Although old friends Jenny and Stanley (and teenage brother Nick) have interests of their own, and her mother is muy ocupada at work, Stella eventually manages to bring everyone on board with her new environmental group--the Sea Musketeers. The group gets off to a great start under Stella's leadership, and a more self-confident Stella is optimistic about making a big difference and starting a new school year. The character's concerns about her Spanish-language skills and her conscientious efforts to connect to family and friends in both languages ring true, although some of the text's Spanish words and phrases (in italics, with occasional small typos) may not feel natural to Spanish speakers. Cheerful black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout, and an author's note includes tips and recommended resources for learning more about ocean conservation.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(2) 4-6 Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. This fourth series entry is another entertainingly pulpy, action-packed lucha libre–themed tale. Here, Max and his extended family are in Mexico City appearing as extras in Tio Rodolfo's latest film. Rodolfo has led a long and illustrious career as the Guardian Angel, lucha libre's beloved masked hero, but having found love (with a lucha libra champion, naturally), he's ready to retire. Max sets his sights on taking over as the new Guardian Angel, but so do a host of others: friends, foes, and family. Juicy subplots worthy of the best telenovelas are related with Tex-Mex linguistic flare, keeping the pace fast and the twists fresh. Garza attends to quirky idiosyncrasies of Max's family, affirming the lore, performance, and drama at the heart of lucha libre culture. Inky black-and-white images amusingly illustrate each chapter. Expert Spanish translation on facing pages lends symmetry and balance to the story for Spanish or dual-language readers.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. Professor Fauna's jalopy airplane whisks Uchenna and Elliot (The Creature of the Pines) to Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border to help another elusive mythical creature: the chupacabras. They also discover tension in the city concerning the construction of a border wall. A fast-paced plot, plenty of laughs (including in the black-and-white illustrations), and a serious discussion about the border elevate their latest adventure.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(2) 4-6 In the 1930s, the Mexican American community in Lemon Grove, California, organized to bring a lawsuit against the school board--"the first successful school desegregation case"--after the board secretly commissioned building an inferior school to segregate Mexican American children. The third-person text, in both Spanish and English, is told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Roberto. Hale skillfully uses such visual techniques as large halo shapes and split panels to depict the unfolding events while also highlighting aspects of everyday life in this small agricultural town. Bib.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Castro L.. Hayes's latest collection of bilingual folktales drawn from the Hispanic New Mexico oral tradition provides refreshing depth and humor. Brief source notes expand on the history of each of the ten tales and add social/historical context. Clean, unencumbered prose draws attention to the structure and rhythm of the stories, which are best read aloud. Amusing illustrations face the start of each entry.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Vicki Trego Hill. American Southwest storyteller Hayes retells ten folktales (five new and five from the original 1994 edition) with straightforward, often funny text in both English and Spanish. In these tales, women's cunning saves the day from people with unsavory intentions or unfortunate habits. Soft, realistic black-and-white illustrations, some new and some reused from the previous edition, open the stories. Back matter includes notes about the origins of each tale.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(2) 4-6 The only thing standing between Lupe Wong and her chance to meet fellow Chinacan (or is it Mexinese?) Fu Li Hernandez, "the first Asian/Latino pitcher in the major leagues," is an A in PE class. But for seventh graders at Issaquah Middle School, that means square dancing. Lupe, always willing to fight for a cause, is determined to cancel what she sees as both an obstacle and an outdated tradition. Unfortunately, she ends up alienating her two best friends (not to mention the rest of the class) in the process. Now Lupe has to decide which causes are worth fighting for and what she's willing to sacrifice to do the right thing. Ultimately, her efforts both raise awareness of the racist history of the song "Turkey in the Straw" and make room for more than one kind of dancing at Issaquah's first annual Family Celebration of Cultures Night. As Lupe observes, "Some of us aren't even from here. And some of us were right here before this country existed. But none of us are any better than the other." Issues of identity, equity, and inclusion are explored with humor and heart in Higuera's debut, and readers will cheer right along with Lupe's family and friends when she, accompanied by Fu Li, promenades all the way to the pitcher's mound.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Vanessa Morales. Omega Morales comes from a family of empaths, enchanters who can read and influence the emotions of people and objects around them. Omega struggles to control her power, which causes her to feel like an outcast within her family. Her inability to manage her magic also means that she cannot control how much the feelings of others affect her, forcing her to isolate herself from her emotion-filled classmates. When the trees talk of a scary being haunting the city, Omega goes in search of answers and discovers the legend of La Lechuza, a terrifying witch with the power to transform herself into an owl. Could La Lechuza be responsible for the violent occurrences happening throughout the city? Omega, cousin Carlitos, and best friend Clau (a young ghost who has refused to pass on to the afterlife) work to unravel the mystery before it's too late. Kemp's middle-grade debut, with Morales's black-and-white art interspersed, is an entertaining, sometimes frightening, and thought-provoking story that comments on generational trauma, bullying, friendship, and family. Readers will relate to Omega's struggles to trust herself in difficult situations.

Reviewer: S. R. Toliver | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) 4-6 In this novel set in 2001, Jade's family has recently moved to Atlanta thanks to her journalist mom's new job. Their new house is bigger (no more sharing a room!), and there is a nice backyard with a path into the forest. But Jade had to leave behind her best friends and her abuela in Chicago, and to make matters worse, Abuela soon suffers a stroke. Amid all these changes, Jade doesn't find it too strange when during a walk in the forest she meets Itztli, a mysterious old man who also appears in the shape of a jaguar, and who invites Jade to listen to his story, a story that connects him to her family and her Mexican ancestors. The third-person narration flows naturally, sticking closely to the authentic point of view of a middle-school girl as she faces the challenges of growing up during a turbulent time. The novel is deepened through Méndez's characterization of Jade's family as rich in cultural traditions and strong relationships and by the presence of magical elements and stories of the Mexica and other Indigenous cultures. "A Note on Research" provides further reading.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Love Sugar Magic series. Eleven-year-old Leonora Logroño doesn't get to help in her family's bakery. Leo snoops and discovers all her female family members are brujas, or witches. Impatient Leo doesn't want to wait four years for her initiation, so she experiments on her own, with comical results. First-novelist Meriano creates a believable family whose members sprinkle love, affection, and natural domestic gripes as naturally as they mix Spanish and English.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) 4-6 During WWII, Mexico formed one air force squadron, the Aztec Eagles, which fought for the Allies in the Pacific. Before leaving Mexico, one member, former schoolteacher Ángel Bocanegra, secured a promise that a school would be built in his hometown; Escuela Escuadrón 201 still stands today. In this historical vignette, Nicholson balances the larger historical context with intimate personal stories. Illustrated throughout with photographs. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(2) 4-6 Héctor Muñoz's life is upended when his family relocates from San Francisco to the ­Sacramento suburbs. He enters his new middle school with high hopes of finding his people in the drama club, only to realize that his new school is nothing like his old one, which was more diverse and accepting. Accustomed to bold fashion choices and having a larger-than-life presence, Héctor quickly finds himself at the "Table of Misfits" in the cafeteria. After he is bullied for being openly gay and Mexican American, Héctor discovers an unexpected escape in the form of a janitor's closet. The room turns out to be a magical portal to respite when it's needed--and also a means of support, as the portal transports students in similar situations from other schools to the same room. Oshiro brings readers close to the protagonist--and to common middle-school ­experiences--through a running narration of Héctor's internal dialogue. The story is infused with thoughtful references to Mexican American life in California, from Héctor's learning how to make tamales from his abuela to chilled glasses of horchata providing just what the doctor ordered while he hides from his tormentor. The story's plot is fantastical, but the lessons imparted about standing up for yourself and asking for help will resonate with anyone who has experienced bullying. An appreciation of intersectional identity and a story of resilience.

Reviewer: Nicholas A. Brown | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(1) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Adela Ramírez has a loving family, a robust middle-school life, and an awesome best friend in her small New Mexico town, known for its love of wresling: "Roswell had its aliens. Albuquerque had its hot air balloons. We had wrestling." Her paleontologist mom is expecting her second child, and her warm and supportive diner-owning stepdad has just asked to legally adopt her. This seemingly positive "happily ever after" gesture only dredges up and intensifies Adela's frustration at not knowing anything about her biological father, whom her mother refuses to talk about. The determined girl, along with her bestie Cy, starts investigating and piecing together bits of her past. She soon discovers that her father is a well-known professional wrestler named Manny "The Mountain" Bravo, and she subsequently meets the whole Bravo clan. Both of her grandparents were one-time world champions, and their kids, and a few grandkids, were and are fearsome competitors. Adela loves mythology and draws parallels from it to wrestling's celebrity allure and peripatetic lifestyle. Pérez (The First Rule of Punk, rev. 7/17; Strange Birds, rev. 9/19) captures the action, rigor, and theater associated with the sport--full of colorful costumes and lucha libre masks, unpredictable moves and hijinks, and characters' ever-changing personae. It all acts as an engaging backdrop to this story of family lost and found and of making amends. Manny may not be the biological father Adela had wanted him to be, but she is glad to have met him and made room for him and the Bravo dynasty in her heart. Available in Spanish as Tumbos (forthcoming in October).

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(3) 4-6 In present-day Oaxaca, Mexico, Mateo listens to his abuelo Teo tell of his childhood in a tight-knit Mixtec community and of his foretold "lifelong friendship" with Rom girl Esma, Queen of Lightning. Teo and Esma's tale is one of true friendship, despite cultural differences and opposition from society, and of loves lost and found. Resau's sensory descriptions heighten the tale's sweeping romanticism.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 4-6 In this poignant look at the realities of immigration, thirteen-year-old Esperanza, daughter of an affluent Mexican rancher, is forced to trade fancy dolls and dresses for hard work and ill-fitting hand-me-downs after her beloved father dies. Laboring in the United States, picking grapes on someone else's land for pennies an hour, Esperanza is transformed into someone who can take care of herself and others.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001

(2) 4-6 In her second verse novel, Salazar (The Moon Within) draws on her own experience as an undocumented child living in East L.A. to tell the story of nine-year-old Betita and her family, immigrants from Mexico. Betita's father tells her that their people belong where they are, since the area is in fact their ancestral homeland of Aztlán--and that they, like cranes (used as a metaphor throughout), were always destined to return there. But when Papi is arrested by ICE and set to be deported to Mexico, "a place too dangerous / to call home," Betita learns that her family is "sin papeles," undocumented. Soon she and her mother, who is newly pregnant, are also detained, "locked into a / chain-link cage made for cranes." Betita's voice is sensitively rendered in Salazar's verse, whose varied placement on the page, along with delicate black-and-white line drawings evoking Betita's "picture poems," creates a sense of place, testimony to the experiences (including family separation and sexual abuse) of migrants and refugees detained at the border. Ultimately, despite the danger, Betita's family chooses voluntary departure; their bittersweet family reunion in Mexico leaves open the possibility that they, like the cranes, might someday return.

Reviewer: Anamaría Anderson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(3) 4-6 Miranda's family's ranchera band, Miranda y los Reyes, might move to the carnival main stage; meanwhile, Flor's family runs the carnival petting zoo, which might be cut to accommodate Miranda's band's main-stage salary. A fast-paced narrative, sprinkled with a bit of Spanish and alternating between the two protagonists, is set over the course of one eventful carnival day. An appealing story with great cultural specificity.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) 4-6 When new regulations threaten to shut down her father's unsightly food truck, Tía Perla, Stef at first thinks it isn't the worst thing in the world. Torres captures what it's like to be a young person seeking independence and breathes life into the old food truck, which becomes another character. Young readers will feel a kinship with Stef in this engaging and relatable novel.

Reviewer: Celia C. Perez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Dana Sanmar. Unbeknownst to Clara, she is the object of la Lotería, a game of chance being played out by two friends, Life and Lady Death. The events of her life begin to be determined by the game, and when her orphaned cousin Esteban disappears into a giant cactus, Clara follows. The two end up in the legendary Aztec land Aztlán, where the devil has captured Esteban to add to the king's ill-fated collection of children. Clara cajoles, fights, tricks, and trades to overcome all obstacles, intent on freeing Esteban and ensuring him a full life at home in Oaxaca City. Will she live or die this day? Card by card, the players observe Clara's choices, arguing for free will (Life says we have it) or determinism (Death's take on choice). Clara's unexpected decisions lead to the story's heart: "Even when you have no choice about what has happened to you, you can still decide what you're going to do about it." The tale is a scaffolding for this debate, and what a lush, verdant scaffolding it is. The story (with grayscale illustrations) is filled with Mexican imagery, abundant with descriptions of food, flowers, vegetable gardens, forests, markets, and fetes, and especially of the jungle and ornate architecture, spiral stairs, curlicues, and darksome caves of Aztlán. Clara's valor and littleness stand out amidst this lavish context. In her author's note, Valenti explains the sources for her themes and imagery.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021