Hispanic Americans in Children's Literature

Hispanic Americans are easily the most rapidly growing subset of the American population. As such, it is a shame that they are not well represented in children's literature. Fortunately, there are a few good chapter books out there that accurately portray the struggles and accomplishments of Hispanic American children. Hopefully such books will help increase awareness of and quell the negative stereotypes surrounding Hispanic Americans.

Martinez, Victor. Parrot In The Oven: Mi Vida. HarperCollins Publishers, 1996. 216 pages

Grades 7-10: Manuel Hernandez is a fourteen-year-old Mexican American uses his "street smarts" and intuition to survive day-to-day life in a Mexican American community that glorifies gang culture. His alcoholic father and anxious mother do little to aid his transition to adulthood. Ultimately, what Manny truly desires is the respect of his peers, which is most easily attained through involvement with the local Mexican American gangs. However, his longing for friendship clashes with his own inner convictions. Ultimately, Manny learns to respect himself and gives up his quest for the approval of his misguided peers.

Saldaña, Jr, René. The Jumping Tree: A Novel. Delacorte Press, 2001. 181 pages

Grades 6-8: The Jumping Tree takes place in the town of La Joya, Texas, which is located near the border of Mexico. Reynaldo Castañeda lives in La Joya but often crosses the border to visit the Hispanic Americans that make up his family in Ciudad Mier, Mexico. As he excels in sixth grade academics, Reynaldo comes to recognize how his bicultural lifestyle has impacted his outlook on life. He finds himself torn between the Mexican Americans from the barrio and his fellow middle school students who share his commitment to education. As he responds to the challenges of growing up in two very different worlds, Reynaldo learns to take pride in his heritage while striving to learn and grow as a Mexican American.

Jiménez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. University of New Mexico Press, 1997. 134 pages.

Grades 6-8: The Circuit is a semi-autobiographical novel based on the life of Mexican American author Francisco Jiménez. The novel consists of several short stories chronicling Jiménez's experiences as a member of a Mexican American family living in California in the 1940s. Jiménez's parents were migrant farm workers who traveled around California in search of harvesting jobs. The novel follows Jiménez from first grade through eighth grade, when he is approached by the immigration authorities. Jiménez details the importance family and community held in his early years and how close bonds enabled his Hispanic American family to survive the most difficult conditions.

Jiménez, Francisco. Breaking Through. Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 222 pages

Grades 6-8: Francisco Jiménez's sequel to his earlier novel, The Circuit, is based off of his experiences as a Mexican American youth. Breaking Through begins where The Circuit ended, with Jiménez working in California as a farm laborer. Jiménez is caught by la migra, the immigration authorities. His Hispanic American family leaves California, and travels by bus to the border of Mexico and Arizona. There, the family struggles to stay together through the challenges of poverty and discrimination. As in The Circuit, Breaking Through explains how Jiménez's family survived awful experiences through their deep love for and commitment to each other.

Malin, Alegria. Estrella's Quinceañera. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007. 288 pages

Grades 7-9: Estrella, a Hispanic American teenager, regards her approaching fifteenth birthday with dread. Her mother insists on throwing Estrella a traditional quinceañera, but Estrella is ashamed of her Hispanic heritage and fears that others will find the party tacky. Worst of all, the chosen female escorts for Estrella's party are her Hispanic American childhood friends who accuse her of abandoning them for the ritzy private school where she won a scholarship. As Estrella navigates her way through the distinct worlds of her private school and her large Mexican American family, she finds her true identity and uncovers a hidden reserve of tenacity and determination.