Fresh Reads, Honest reviews, Educator-approved
Spanning surreal dimensions and speculative realities, Brenda Peynado’s The Rock Eaters uses magical realism to tackle pressing issues from xenophobia to school shootings. Though the collection’s pacing can feel uneven, its standout stories offer deeply impactful narratives on identity and belonging.
Told through the vulnerable eyes of a nine-year-old boy, Javier Zamora’s Solito is a gripping, deeply emotional memoir chronicling a perilous 3,000-mile immigration journey from El Salvador to the United States. Exploring themes of identity, profound resilience, and the beauty of found families, this powerful narrative serves as an invaluable tool for educators seeking to foster deep cultural empathy and critical global awareness in high school students.
Rebellion ignites behind palace walls! Trained to be a flawless elite house manager in a deeply patriarchal society, top student Dani is pulled into the underground resistance as a spy. Complicated by a gripping, forbidden romance with her household’s co-wife, this novel delivers masterclass-level political intrigue for middle grade readers.
A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border. A breathtaking, vital window into human survival. Following three Guatemalan teenagers forced to flee home, the novel tracks their perilous flight across Mexico aboard the infamous freight trains of La Bestia.
A thousand years of longing meets modern-day Nevada! Authors David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall breathe new life into an ancient Aztec legend. When two star-crossed souls reincarnate as high schoolers, they must defeat an ancient enemy and reclaim their memories.