Carly, a Mexican American scholarship student at exclusive Spencer Academy in San Francisco, hides her status from her wealthy school friends until her new roommate, a Scottish aristocrat, is threatened by an angry young man and needs Carly's--and God's--help.   (J,S)

For as long as Estrella Alvarez can remember, her mother has been planning to throw her an elaborate quinceañera complete with a mariachi band, cheesy decorations, and ahideous dress. Just thinking about her quince makes Estrella cringe, but her mother insists on tradition. Estrella has other things on her mind,like dating Speedy. Does it matter that her friends and her parents would never approve of aguy from el barrio? Estrella's almost fifteen and wants to start making her own decisions. But is she ready to find out who she is and who she really wants to be?   (M,J)

Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government’s secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo’s dictatorship. Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind.  (M,J)

Milly Kaufman is an ordinary American teenager living in Vermont—until she meets Pablo, a new student at her high school. His exotic accent, strange fashion sense, and intense interest in Milly force her to confront her identity as an adopted child from Pablo's native country. As their relationship grows, Milly decides to undertake a courageous journey to her homeland and along the way discovers the story of her birth is intertwined with the story of a country recovering from a brutal history.  (M,J,S)

When talented singer-guitarist Ali Montero makes the finals of the show Next Latin Superstar, it seems that all her dreams may be coming true at last. Next thing she knows, she's dealing with wardrobe fittings, reporters, vocal coaches, and lovestruck fanboys. She's also dealing with jealousy and sabotage among the contestants, all of which has her wondering: Is it really time to shoot for the stars and try to win the whole competition, or is it time to say "Cut!" and become a normal teenager again?  (S)

After having unsettling dreams about the kidnapped daughter of her mother's employer, fifteen-year-old Martika learns that she is a descendant of a long line of curanderas--Mayan medicine women with special powers. Includes glossary of Spanish words.  (J,S)

After his father leaves home, sixteen-year-old Cesar Garcia lives with his mother and struggles through the painful experiences of growing up as a Mexican American high school student.  (J,S)

In the 1960s, Rico Fuentes, a pale-skinned Cuban American teenager, abandons drug-infested New York City for the picket fence and apple pie world of Wisconsin, only to discover that he still feels like an outsider and that violent and judgmental people can be found even in the wholesome Midwest.  (S)

Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle.   (S)

Violet Paz has just turned 15, a pivotal birthday in the eyes of her Cuban grandmother. But while Violet is half Cuban, she’s also half Polish, and more importantly, she feels 100% American. Except for her zany family’s passion for playing dominoes, smoking cigars, and dancing to Latin music, Violet knows little about Cuban culture, nada about quinces, and only tidbits about the history of Cuba. So when Violet begrudgingly accepts Abuela’s plans for a quinceañero –and as she begins to ask questions about her Cuban roots– cultures and feelings collide.  (M,J)

Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.  (J,S)

Crossing the border into Arizona with a group of Mexicans, six year-old Pedro and his parents faced such harsh conditions that the boy is the only survivor. Somehow, he possesses a business card belonging to Sophie's step-father. Pedro comes to live with Sophie's family. But after a year, Pedro’s surviving family in Mexico makes contact, and Sophie's family must travel with Pedro to his hometown so that he can make a heartwrenching decision.   (M,J)

One evening, everything Naomi has known with Gram and her little brother begins to unravel. Naomi's mother wants to kidnap her. Gram is willing to go to the end of the earth to save Naomi, but will that be enough? A quiet life in Lemon Tree, California, becomes a runaway journey to find an estranged father in exotic Oaxaca, Mexico.  (M,J)

Two teenaged boys with very different lives find that they share a common bond--fathers they have never met who left when they were small boys--and in spite of their differences, they become close when they each need someone who understands.  (S)

Hoping to impress a sexy female classmate, fifteen-year-old Carlos secretly hires gay student Sal to give him an image makeover, in exchange for Carlos's help in forming a Gay-Straight Alliance at their Texas high school.  (J,S)

Evie Gomez and her best friend, Raquel, hang with the Flojos, a kick-back crew named for their designer flip-flops and their habit of doing absolutely nothing. But the return of long-lost amiga mejor Dee Dee wrecks Evie and Raquel's Flojo flow. Dee Dee has reinvented herself as "Dela," complete with tight designer threads, freaky blue contacts, and that signature blond hair. When Raquel wants precisely nada to do with the new Dela, Evie finds herself caught between two very different friends. At heart, is Evie a Cali-casual Flojo chick, or a sexy Sangro diva?  (J,S)

Coming of age in the shadow of the Vietnam War, Jesse, a young Mexican American, and his older brother, Abel, work long hours in the fields in order to save money for college in the hope that education will help them escape poverty.  (S)

Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.  (S)

Seventeen-year-old Isabel, eager to leave Miami to attend the University of Michigan and escape her overprotective Cuban mother, learns some truths about her family's past and makes important decisions about the type of person she wants to be.  (J,S)