Dear Primo: a letter to my cousin

1. Dear Primo: a letter to my cousin Written and Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh Two young cousins correspond comparing and contrasting their lives in rural Mexico and the urban United States.

2. In our mother’s house Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco A diverse, blended family headed by two women navigates the world around them.

3. My Brother Charlie Written by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete and Illustrated by Shane W. Evans A proud big sister shares all the things she loves about her autistic little brother.

4. Ling and ting: Not exactly the same Written and Illustrated by Grace Lin Chinese-American twins explore what is the same and what is different about themselves.

5. CAMO GIRL Written by KeklaMagoon Biracial Ella, negotiates friendship and popularity as the only black girl in her school until another African-American boy joins the school community.

6. PLANET MIDDLE SCHOOL Written by Nikki Grimes Middle school turns twelve year old Joylin Johnson’s life upside down with change and growth.

7. TIA ISA WANTS A CAR Written by Meg Medina and Illustrated by Claudio Munoz A little girl pitches in to help her tía save up for a big old car - and take the whole family to the beach - in a story told with warmth and sweetness.

8. My princess boy Written by Cheryl Kilodavis and Illustrated by SuzaneDeSimone Dylan loves pink. Sometimes he wears dresses and sometimes he wears jeans. A heart-warming book about one family’s unconditional love.

9. bait Written by Alex Sanchez After Diego lands himself on probation for fighting, he doesn’t trust his probation officer, Mr. Vidas. But as he begins to open up, Diego realizes that he needs Mr. Vidas’s help to get his anger under control. To do that, Diego will need to face the nightmares from his past head-on and confront the memories he’s been avoiding.

10. Cora cooks pancit Written by Dorina K. Lazlo Gilmore and Illustrated by Kristi Valiant Cora loves being in the kitchen, but she always gets stuck doing the kid jobs like licking the spoon. One day, however, when her older sisters and brother head out, Cora finally gets the chance to be Mama's assistant chef in celebrating their Filipino heritage.

11. He forgot to say goodbye Written by Benjamin Alire Saenz Two unlikely protagonists, one Anglo and one Mexican-American, one rich and one poor, share a similarity that binds them together: fathers who walked out on them.

12. Will grayson, will grayson Written by John Green and David Levithan On a cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with. . .Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions.

13. Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from darkness into LIght Written by Tim Tingle and Illustrated by Karen Clarkson The old and contemporary are explored through generations of a Choctaw family who moves from the Choctaw reservation in Oklahoma to Pasadena, TX.

14. Rene has two last names/renetiene dos apellidos Written by Rene ColatoLainez and Illustrated by FabiolaGraullera Ramirez Rene sets out to teach his classmates about the Latino cultural tradition of using both parents’ names rather than just one, in response to his teacher shortening his name to label his desk.

15. My abuelita Written by Tony Johnston and Illustrated by Yuyi Morales The strong and loving bond between this flamboyant and robust grandmother and her grandchild is lovingly explored through their daily routines.

16. Muchacho Written by Louanne Johnson Eddie Corazon, a New Mexico teen, is labeled a delinquent but shows incredible insight into his life and surroundings in this story of a teen’s struggles at home, in school and with friends.

17. Marcelo in the real world Written by Francisco X Stork 17 year old, Marcelo’s (on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum) summer takes a drastic shift away from his original plans caring for the ponies at his private school for students with disabilities, when his father forces him to take a job in the mailroom of his law office. His father wants him to be prepared for “the real world.”

18. Confetti girl Written by Diana Lopez Sixth grader, Lina Flores, deals with a host of problems and challenges in this light-hearted gem grounded in traditional Mexican-American culture.

19. Braids/trencitas Written by Kathleen Contreras and Illustrated by Margaret Lindmark Isabela’sabuelita weaves colorful stories as she weaves her hair, encouraging her to write stories of her own. Using the traditional Mexican bingo game la loteria, she teachs her beloved illiterate grandmother to read.

20. Return to sender Written by Julia Alvarez The relationship between two friends: one, a VT farm kid and another, a young Mexican girl, transforms both of their lives.

21. Gringolandia Written by Lyn Miller-Lachmann The young protagonist’s family flees Chile for Wisconsin in 1980, leaving their father behind. Through a girlfriend, Daniel begins to learn about Chile and his father’s past

22. Stars in the forest Written by Laura Resau Zitally, meaning star in the Nahuatl language, deals with the deportation of her father back to Mexico by nursing a dog back to health.

23. How tialola learned to teach Written by Julia Alvarez The second in a wonderful series, Dominican Tia Lola becomes an integral part of a school’s community as a temporary Spanish teacher

24. Grandma’s gift Written and Illustrated by Eric Velasquez Based on the artist/author’s life, a young boy and his grandmother share the paintings of Juan de Pareja in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

25. From North to South/Del norte al sur Written by Rene ColatoLainez and Illustrated by Joe Cepeda A young boy travels with his father from San Diego to Tijuana to visit his mother, recently deported to Mexico.

26. Under the Mesquite Written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall Growing up in a bicultural community in Texas, 14-year old Lupita deals with her mother’s terminal illness surrounded by her seven siblings embracing and discarding their Mexican roots in varying degrees.

27. Maximilian and the mystery of the guardian angel: a bilingual lucalibre thriller Written by Xavier Garza An 11 year old Mexican American boy discovers that his favorite Luca Libre wrestler is coming to town and might have a strange connection to his own family.

28. Marisol mcdonald doesn’t match/marisolMcdonald no combina Written by Monica and illustrated by Sara Palacios Bright and vivacious Marisol, a Peruvian-Scottish-American girl loves peanut butter and jelly burritos and speaks both English and Spanish. Unfortunately her teacher and classmates don’t especially appreciate her mashing of cultures