8 Great Middle Grade Books Starring Latinx Characters!

Stella Díaz has Something to Say, by Angela Dominguez
Here’s an excellent story about finding your voice for younger middle grade kids (7-10 year olds). Stella is lonely; she loves her family, and her fish, Pancho, but her best friend Jenny is in another class this year. When a new boy arrives, Stella is ready to be his friend, but she is shy, and sometimes when she talks, Spanish comes out instead of English, making feel awkward about being an immigrant. But soon she’ll have to give a big presentation in front of her class, and Stella will find her voice and share her passion for marine biology. Stella is beautifully relatable; give this to any young reader who needs encouragement.

Love Sugar Magic: A Dash of Trouble, by Anna Meriano
Eleven year old Leonora Logroño’s family won’t let her help in their bakery in Rose Hill, Texas even on their busiest day; during the town’s Dia de los Muertos festival. Determined not to be left out, Leo sneaks down to the bakery and finds that her older sisters, mother and aunt are brujas (Mexican magic users), who can imbue their baked goods with magic! When Leo’s best friend has a problem involving an unkind boy, Leo tries to use the family magic to help. In true middle grade fashion, her magical baking has get her in over her head. Fortunately her family rallies around her to set things right. Full of humor, friendship, and strong, loving family ties, as well as delicious baked goods (recipes included), this is a charmer!

A Properly Unhaunted Place, by William Alexander
Here’s a gripping and engaging mystery mixed with supernatural fantasy! Rosa Ramona Díaz’s mom is a librarian who specializes in ghost-appeasement—a valuable skill in a world where ghosts are ubiquitous, and libraries are dense with spirits. But now her mom has taken a job in the only town in the world that’s utterly unhaunted, and Rosa does not want to be there. Then the town’s Renaissance Festival, is attacked by angry spirits. There’s a sinister reason the town had previously been unhaunted, and Rosa must push both her skills as a historical detective and her ghost containment talents to their limits to restore balance!

Forest World, by Margarita Engle
Edver’s mother took him on a desperate journey from Cuba when he was a baby. Now, with tensions eased with the US, she’s sent him off to visit the father he can’t remember, who’s the self-appointed steward of a small nature reserve. To his surprise, he has a big sister he’s never heard of. The stark differences in how they grew up strain their relationship as they try to come to terms with their mother’s choice to take him and leave her. Protecting the creatures that live in their father’s preserve brings the siblings together, and offers hope that they can become family. Written in deeply descriptive verse in the alternate points of view of the kids, this book brings modern Cuba alive for young readers, and it’s a great pick for young conservationists!

The First Rule of Punk, by Celia C. Pérez
Twelve-year-old Malú was pretty sure of her identity as a lover of punk rock and a maker of zines. But then her mom whisks her off to Chicago, leaving her dad and his record store behind, and enrolling her in a new school that’s mostly Hispanic. The other kids question how Mexican she is, and so she’s forced to balance being Mexican American with her punk side. Forming her own punk band with three of the school’s “misfits” lets her rock on toward the realization that she doesn’t have to pick just one side of herself. Glimpses of Malú’s zines sprinkled through the story expand her thoughtful and creative character, and her story is both good fun and full of social and familial tensions that all middle school kids can appreciate!

Lucky Broken Girl, by Ruth Behar
Ruthi Mizrahi is a young Jewish Cuban immigrant to New York in the 1960s. She’s a hop scotch champ with dreams of real American go-go boots, but her life is derailed by a car accident. Trapped in a body cast for nearly a year, Ruthi’s only distractions are stories from her family and other immigrant neighbors. Though her world has become constricted, her powers of observation and reflection have grown, and help her make it through her time of complete dependence on her sometimes resentful mother. The background story of Ruthi’s grandparents’ flight from Europe to Cuba adds fascinating historical depth. Though not much “happens” it still a tremendously engaging story, and Ruthi is a heroine to cheer for!

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, by Pablo Cartaya
13-year-old Arturo Zamora went into summer expecting the ordinary—hanging out with friends and family, and working part time at the family restaurant. But summer has barely started when Arturo finds himself struggling to prevent epic failure. The restaurant is threatened by a sleazy real-estate developer, and his grandmother, the restaurant’s heart, is ill. His new friend, Carmen, might turn out to be more than a friend if he doesn’t blow it. Arturo is a wonderful middle grade character, with all the mix of bravado and insecurity of that age group, and readers will cheer for him as he finds the strengths he needs to keep the epic fail at bay!

Gabby Garcia’s Ultimate Playbook, by Iva-Marie Palmer
Gabby is on top of her game (baseball all the way!), but just as she’s pitching her second no-hitter of the year, her school is closed because of asbestos. She’s sure she’ll be welcomed by her new school’s team, and will keep shining. Instead, as she recounts in her play book of goals and strategies (which she makes clear is Not a diary), her efforts to shine go wrong in horribly relatable middle grade ways. Gabby comes to realize that her need for greatness doesn’t have to rule her life, and the fact that greatness comes in the end after she changes her priorities for the better is a gift. The story is full of humor, and the playbook format makes this one especially accessible for kids daunted by blocks of text. Sports enthusiasts especially will love it!