Downtown Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera (Scholastic Press, 2005) Juanito Palomar is new to San Francisco. He moved there from the central valley after his father had to go away. Herrera’s historical novel in verse is set in the 1950s and follows Juanito through the trials and tribulations of being a young man of color. … Continue reading 5 Must Read Latinx YA Novels in Verse

“Before you go further,/ let me tell you what a poem brings,/ first, you must know the secret,/ there is no poem/ to speak of, it is a way to attain/ a life without boundaries” — from “Let Me Tell You What a Poem Brings by Juan Felipe Herrera I have been teaching creative writing … Continue reading Poetry in the Lives of Children and Young Adults

I've partnered up with the School Library Journal to give a 30 second book talk on English and Spanish editions of middle-grade books about Latinx experiences. Check out the first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFFsU0MIasQ

In the last weeks that I have been re-reading Daniel Jose Older’s Shadowshaper (2015) the media has been on a frenzy talking about the terrorists attacks in Paris, the horrible video of Laquan McDonald being shot several times by a Chicago cop, and the San Bernardino shootings. Turning on the news or scrolling through Facebook feels … Continue reading Shadowshaper: Art Can Change the World

The notes from his harmonica carried us from poem to poem as he recounted stories of his childhood and brought us to the present and the tragic realities of Ayotzinapa and Sandy Hook. On October 7th, 2015 Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Latino US Poet Laureate, read from his most recent book of poems, Notes … Continue reading Life-Changing Teachers: On Juan Felipe Herrera’s Reading in Chicago

I’m guilty of always saying “I’m okay,” even when I know I am not. Often times, it seems easier to lie than to explain the depths of what hurts. It also seems more appropriate to suck it up than to admit I’m not as strong as I appear. Saying “I’m okay” when I am not … Continue reading “I’m okay”: Resilience & Depression in Cindy L. Rodriguez’s When Reason Breaks

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2012) opens in the summer of 1987 in El Paso, Texas and follows Aristotle Mendoza’s journey toward self-discovery. Fifteen year old Ari is smart and witty but quite isolated from other boys his own age. However, after meeting Dante Quintana at the pool he begins to … Continue reading 5 Reasons to Love Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

In Mayra Lazara Dole’s[1] Down to the Bone (2012) Laura, a Cuban-American high school junior, is forced to come-out when her Catholic school teacher reads Laura’s private texts to her girlfriend aloud to the entire class. As a result, Laura is humiliated, kicked out of school, and asked by her mother to leave their home. … Continue reading YA Latina Lesbians: On Mayra Lazara Dole’s Down to the Bone

In the years that I’ve been researching and writing about Latina/o kid’s literature I’ve gone back and forth about the impact that “happy endings” have on the stories and on children readers. Because I focus specifically on realistic fiction, narratives that capture lived experiences, I found the happy endings to be a bit misleading. Real … Continue reading Happiness as a Social Justice Issue

As a child what I desired most was to be rescued from the violence I experienced at home. I was undocumented and domestic violence was far too common. While I now know that these are real experiences for many Latino homes, these were secrets that I walked around with for fear that my family would … Continue reading “A poet, América knows, belongs everywhere”: Healing & Latina/o Children’s and Young Adult Literature