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Latinx Resources: High School

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) with these resources!

Books Available in the Library

Books Available on Sora

Fat Chance, Charlie Vega: At 16, Charlie, who has a White mom and Puerto Rican dad, has never been kissed. This is just one of the many reasons she views herself as second fiddle to Amelia, her charming, confident, pansexual best friend who is “the walking embodiment of Black excellence.” Another big reason is that Amelia is beautiful—and Charlie is fat. Though Charlie is working to inculcate the body-positive messages of the #fatfashion influencers she follows, she cannot deny that classmates, especially boys, and even her own mother seem to prefer Amelia to her. She cannot blame them. To her, Amelia is perfect too, as well as being an amazing best friend. When Brian, her Korean American co-worker and classmate, begins to pursue Charlie, it is a dream come true. But a dark seed of mistrust lies buried within her. Before Charlie can truly love herself, let alone others, she has to address insidious self-doubt about her own worth caused in no small part by the constant comparisons she makes. Though readers will expect a happy ending, it is not a foregone conclusion. Charlie’s struggles are authentic and raw while Maldonado’s bright prose makes for a page-turner. Charlie inhabits an inviting, diverse world in an unnamed Connecticut town.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter: Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

Furia: In Rosario, Argentina, Camila Hassan lives a double life. 
 
At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. 
 
On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
 
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol—and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.
 
Filled with authentic details and the textures of day-to-day life in Argentina, heart-soaring romance, and breathless action on the pitch, Furia is the story of a girl’s journey to make her life her own.

Resources for Teachers