(2) YA After suffering serious injuries in a motorbike accident, Valentina Camacho is determined to resume fencing and qualify for the Summer Nationals. As seventh grade begins, Vale is motivated to get back into training (“This leg thing? / Just a tiny obstacle for me to conquer / on the path to being / a worldwide champ”), but her recovery is slow going. She is frustrated by pain flare-ups and concerned about what classmates will think if she limps or uses a cane and how she will be perceived if she is no longer the champion athlete she once was. Her competitiveness leads to tension with other fencers, including her ex-best friend, and jeopardizes a nascent friendship and crush on new student Myrka. Secondary characters include Vale’s parents and teenage brother, who offer different modes of support, while a growing friendship with a classmate outside the fencing world provides genuine understanding and respite from all the pressures. Arango’s accessible verse strikes at Vale’s emotional core as she considers her worth and identity in the face of her challenges. Chronic pain, disability, and finding the autonomy to self-identify are prominent themes, and the depiction of a brown-skinned, queer girl in the world of fencing is noteworthy. Myrka, who is Cuban, and Vale’s Puerto Rican family communicate bilingually throughout the book.

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(2) YA Thirteen-year-old Dorani’s vibrant life in Miami is destroyed after her mother’s sudden death from a heart attack. Her famous father is as absent as ever, so Dorani is sent to live with her mother’s estranged sister, Tía Ivette, who is more accustomed to rehabilitating horses than raising grieving teens. Her aunt’s reticent nature and the claustrophobia of her landlocked Wyoming ranch are hard on Dorani. However, caring adults, the continued presence of Puerto Rican–Argentinian traditions such as Three Kings Day, and a new diverse friend group at school help her acclimate to her new life. Méndez grants Dorani complex bereavement: she feels sociable, humorous, and creative as frequently as she feels homesick, heartbroken, and guilty. Tía Ivette’s hippotherapy techniques allow Dorani to help a mare named Sunshine overcome an injury; caring for Sunshine provides refuge from her own trauma. While Dorani’s unexpected “horse girl” phase brings her closer to Ivette, who is burdened by unresolved conflict with her late sister, it’s ultimately their discovery of a shared sense of social justice that cements their bond. Méndez doesn’t depict the process of healing from loss as effortless or enjoyable but rather as a necessity that’s eased by community. “It’s like taking medicine,” Ivette tells Dorani. “It might taste horrible, but in the end, it’s exactly what you need.”

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2025

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. In engaging, economical, and colloquial prose, Alonso chronicles the ascent and career highs of legendary right fielder Clemente (1934–1972), who endured racism as a Spanish-speaking Black man while shattering records during his illustrious baseball career. This energetic account begins with young Roberto playing béisbol in Carolina, Puerto Rico, using crinkled-up cans for baseballs and branches for bats. After a talent scout spots him in 1955, the nineteen-year-old travels to Montreal, where he spends more time on the bench than the field. Then he joins the Pittsburgh Pirates and impresses everyone with his ability to hit, slide, and leap for catches. Alonso (a journalist for MLB.com) writes with the immediacy of a play-by-play announcer, whisking readers from one achievement to the next. She directly addresses the extreme prejudice Clemente experienced: crowds heckle him for speaking español; dismissive reporters insist on calling him Bob instead of Roberto. Gutierrez's inventive mixed-media illustrations explode with dynamic colors and kinetic motion. Each double-page spread resembles an intricate mural, capturing jumps in time and changes in locale with swirls and attention-grabbing line work. While Gutierrez employs many abstract touches throughout, he gives Clemente an expressive photorealistic face that shows his determination and drive. Excellent back matter includes a timeline, a bibliography, photos, and an informative note from Alonso.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rosa Ibarra. A richly illustrated picture-book biography of Puerto Rico's first female mayor, Felisa Rincon de Gautier (1897–1994), with a lively text. As a tropical storm batters San Juan at the start of the book, the fearful residents seek refuge in the 4home of their trusted local hero, lovingly called Doña Fela. Born to a wealthy family, she recognized the social inequities in Puerto Rico from an early age, particularly those faced by Black Puerto Ricans and jibaros (farmworkers). Despite the gender restrictions of the time, which initially prevented her from voting or holding office, she maintained a strong commitment to helping the less privileged, from small acts such as providing coffee and bread to farmworkers to eventually cofounding a political party on the island. Her achievements as mayor included affordable housing, cleaner streets, and establishing the first preschools in the city. Boldly colored oil-paint illustrations admiringly portray Fela, her fellow Puerto Ricans, and the island itself. Fela is depicted in bright-colored clothing with a flower in her hair, helping readers follow her across spreads as the book moves from her youth into her later years. Back matter includes a glossary of Spanish terms, an author's note providing further context and discussing Fela's lasting influence on Puerto Rican women in politics, and an artist's note describing her personal connection to the subject. A Spanish paperback edition will be published in October.

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Frank Morrison. Acevedo and Morrison provide an engaging, gritty, urban retrospective on the role young people played in establishing break dancing and hip-hop. Set in the Bronx in the 1970s, the story follows Manolo, a "shy Puerto Rican boy who soaked up every bold beat of the conga." Although not a biography, Acevedo's work reads like one because, as she explains in the afterword, the character of Manolo is a composite of many real-life young dancers. As Manolo grows, he admires the dances of the b-boys and b-girls ("B stands for BREAK") and closely follows the "battles," dance-offs with crowds of teens who moved, grooved, and cheered on their favorites. Although he despairs of ever being good at it, he practices until his "flops turned into flips" and his "goofs into glides." But as his talent soars (he acquires the nickname "Kid Flex" because he's so limber), the neighborhood declines: burned-out buildings and broken windows abound as garbage and vandalism fill the streets. Manolo forms a dance crew, the Borinquén Breakers, and a (real-life) white photographer, Henry Chalfant, captures their talent, opening doors to recognition, movie deals, and other markers of fame. This lusciously illustrated picture book, with Morrison's signature images of characters with elongated arms and legs, effectively captures Manolo's initial hesitancy and later verve, bravado, and dizzyingly bodacious moves. A wonderful story of an important artistic form that, like jazz, emerged from Black and Brown communities.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(1) 4-6 If only life were as straightforward as the Rubik's Cube that Laura loves to solve. When this Virginia-set verse novel begins, the Puerto Rican sixth grader is on her way to a kinship foster-care placement "on the other side of town" with her titi Silvia, whom Laura has never met. Pulled from her admittedly chaotic life with her parents, who are struggling with addiction, Laura copes with the overwhelming changes that a new caregiver, new rules, new school, and new peers bring, while suffering with extreme guilt over making the 911 call that resulted in her parents' being placed in rehab. Laura finds purpose in training a dog she rescues near Titi's house to be a therapy animal; her plan is to bring the dog to the rehab facility so she can finally see her parents. Arango's writing is intimate and heart-breaking, tackling such hefty issues as cultural identity, addiction, the pain of displacement and the anxiety it causes, and the adulation and rationalization that a child in pain can offer to adults they love. Arango (Newbery honoree for Iveliz Explains It All, rev. 9/22) accomplishes this with the believable voice of a girl in crisis and by tapping into compassion for all the characters amidst moving scenes of joy and connection.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) 4-6 "I'm tired of being that girl / who's different / who's special / who went through a 'hard time' / and basically messed up her home." Seventh grader Iveliz writes in her new journal about her goals: trying to stay out of trouble at school; making a new friend; and acclimating to living with her abuelita, Mimi, who, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, has moved from Puerto Rico to be with Iveliz's family. In spite of her efforts, Iveliz still struggles: her mom keeps getting called to the principal's office; a makeover date with a new friend turns complicated; and her idea to grow a garden with Mimi doesn't go as planned (gandules don't grow well in Maryland). She is not sure how to get her life under control, or whether Dr. Turnip and Dr. ­Carrot, her garden-vegetable "therapists," can actually help. Iveliz's voice is relatable and strong. Her spare journal entries are in English with a fair amount of Spanish naturally integrated into her musings to create an authentic depiction of a Puerto Rican family and a young girl's personal issues. This verse novel (with occasional interspersed art by Alyssa Bermudez) deals convincingly with grief, mental health, and middle-school bullies; twelve-year-old Iveliz's first-person account amplifies the need for finding one's voice and asking for help at any age. An author's note lists mental health resources for young people.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) YA Talented high-school photographer Kat Sanchez is bummed that her Instagram posts consistently flop: "Every single picture is serving a vibe and a color scheme and a mood, and they look good as a whole. That is hard work!" At the same time, she's not shocked: "No one's checking for the life of a fat seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican girl who lives in Bakersfield, California...and who kinda reeks of desperation." Though her circle of smart-alecky guy-friends is supportive and her grandparents (with whom she lives, one street over from her mom and dad; it's complicated) adore her, Kat's self-confidence is at an all-time low. To boost her portfolio, she's been directing shoots of her coworker Becca, and after one fateful, drunken high-school party night, Kat makes a terrible decision: she opens a new IG under a false name, using Becca's likeness. The account takes off, giving Kat her much-craved attention--including that of a cute girl who lives nearby--but internet fame comes at a price. Kat is an effective antihero whose insecurities and validation-seeking are believably laid bare without excusing her behavior (for example, she doesn't get her happily-ever-after with the cute girl). The characters feel lived in, and their big feelings and extreme reactions will be understandable for many readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paola Escobar. Baby Beauty's arrival into the world begins in the womb, "First there is one heart, / then two." With a metered, lyrical cadence, Ramos's text centers on the collective, enumerating how the kinship family--from la doctora, to the espiritista, to the community at the Puerto Rican Day Parade--envelops Beauty and her immediate family in love. As she grows up, this kinship family transmits to Beauty an understanding of her Taíno, African, and Boricua ancestral ties, a deep cultural knowledge that ignites "resistance, / imagination, / hope" in Beauty. This knowledge ultimately supports her when she encounters racist language aimed at "people that looked like family." Confused and hurt, Beauty runs through her neighborhood to process the emotions of “her heart brusin' / black and blue." Escobar's digital illustrations include neighborhood murals that incorporate Taíno symbols with faces of children and elders as well as Black and Brown raised fists of resistance. The concluding subsequent spreads in luminous colorful palettes show Beauty's return home, where a healing ceremony empowers her to see the beauty of her heritage.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Magaly Morales. "Pura Belpré always knew that many stories worth telling aren't in books" is the lingering message of this picture-book biography. Growing up in Puerto Rico, Belpré listened as her abuela told vivid cuentos that elicited "giggles...shivers...sighs," reactions later mirrored by the enthralled library audiences with whom Pura shared those same folk stories. Belpré began library work in Harlem among a growing Spanish-speaking diaspora, at a time when the library lacked both staff to communicate in their patrons' language and books to reinforce a connection. Recognizing how the rigid traditions of storytime limited her ability to promote culturally relevant stories--stories shared had to be read from a book--Belpré proposed her own oral storytelling practice to the library "bosses" (all depicted as white). Eventually she published those stories and devoted herself to reaching the public beyond library walls, paving the way for practices of modern librarianship. Pimentel (Girl Running, rev. 3/18) captures Belpré's dazzling storytelling ("She hisses...murmurs...roars") through text that carries a soft rhythm apt for reading aloud. Morales's (A Piñata in a Pine Tree, rev. 11/09) digital images feature a bright and distinct color palette and illustrate Pura's liveliness through dynamic perspectives and expressive gestures. Deftly incorporated details throughout the art, including a coqui and characters such as Pérez and Martina, evoke Belpré's childhood influences and culture. An author's note, a source list, and a selected bibliography are appended. Pair with González and Delacre's The Storyteller's Candle and Denise and Escobar's Planting Stories (rev. 1/19).

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 In this zany romp, underachiever Javier, his younger sister Brady, and his best friend Wiki aren't expecting historical figures to actually appear when they take on their school's "Which three people would you invite to dinner?" assignment. But Javi and Brady's new dining-room table turns out to have magical powers, allowing it to summon both real and fictional people to the meal. Mozart and the Earl of Sandwich are easily sent back to where they came from, but the third guest is the notorious pirate Blackbeard, who has no intention of returning to the past and schemes to take control of the table so he can call the rest of his crew to join him in suburban Maryland. As Javi, Brady, and Wiki race to save their town from pirates, they find out more about the table's magical powers as well as about their somewhat odd teachers, who were themselves brought to the school through earlier dinner parties. Piñeiro incorporates the characters' ethnic backgrounds--Javi and Brady are Puerto Rican; Wiki has Haitian ancestry--creatively and authentically into the story. The historical and literary figures who appear around the table and in the classroom include both classics (Captain Ahab, Dracula, Frida Kahlo) and less-well-known individuals (Hattori Hanzō, Anzar), and readers will appreciate the back matter with information about each.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(1) YA Drawing on her experience growing up in 1990s Brooklyn, debut author Velasquez paints a complex portrait of a strong-voiced teen in this compelling verse novel. Sarai, thirteen when the story begins, is poised to be the first person in her family to "make it"--to reach her potential, finish school, and leave Bushwick someday. But Sarai is skeptical: "If we can't take no one with us? / Isn't that just running away from everything that / made us?" The candid, clear-eyed poetry contains powerful inquiries about her diasporic Nuyorican identity and canny observations about the endemic social and racial inequities that surround her. As Sarai moves on to high school, her single mami shuffles their family from address to address, and the refrigerator is rarely full. Sarai and others in her family have unintended pregnancies, which bring complications including postpartum depression. Frank, provocatively titled poems chronicle the family's struggles ("We're Sorry the Welfare Office Is Closed and Will Reopen When You Have No Bus Fare to Get Here"), while others capture everyday joys with a buoyant, electric energy ("If Being Boricua in Brooklyn Is a Feeling--It's the Best Kind"). Together, these vignettes capture Sarai's multilayered, heart-rending, and hopeful coming of age. An afterword identifies those poems written in conversation with works by Cisneros, Woodson, Mariposa, and other greats.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(3) Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Denise tracks Moreno's rise from young Puerto Rican newcomer to New York City to Hollywood starlet and, eventually, 1962 Oscar winner (the first Puerto Rican honoree) for her iconic role in West Side Story. The engaging narrative emphasizes that Moreno's success was the result of talent, hard work, and some luck; along the way she fought against the industry's entrenched racism and sexism. Retro-style illustrations capture Moreno's exuberance, and a timeline follows her inspiring professional career through 2020. An author's note and list of selected sources are appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) YA Pheus is an Afro-Dominican, bachata-singing teen whose Bronx world is upended when he meets Eury, a Puerto Rican girl visiting New York after she is forced from her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Suddenly, instead of spending his time charming girls and going to the beach, Pheus feels driven to allay the trauma that follows Eury. Eury is hoping the evil spirit Ato, who has haunted her life since childhood, won't follow her to New York, and meeting Pheus distracts her temporarily from her troubles. But eventually, when she is attacked and falls into a coma, Ato finds her and takes her to el Inframundo (the Underworld), and Pheus follows on a quest to save her. This detailed reimagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice mixes contemporary realism with fantasy, starting with the backbone of the Greek myth and adding elements of Caribbean mythology alongside realistic issues of identity and trauma, as Eury's loved ones debate the best way to help her in her struggles with anxiety. Though one could enjoy this story without prior knowledge of the myth, knowing the original will likely give readers a unique appreciation for this version's updates.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(1) YA High school senior Emoni Santiago (an aspiring chef) and her two-year-old daughter live with Emoni's abuela. Emoni signs up for a culinary arts class that culminates in a trip to Spain--and she begins to see a path forward, if only she dares follow it. Acevedo creates beautifully realized characters with complex lives. A few recipes (such as "When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Verbena Tembleque") are interspersed.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) YA Afro–Puerto Rican teen Beatriz is torn between her desire to dance and her blood and chosen families in mid-1980s New Jersey. When the TV show Fame announces a casting call, she tries to balance "gang life" (chosen family) with her "dance life." Will she follow her dreams? Charles ([cf2Like Vanessa) presents a strong, smart, and sometimes snarky teenager whose family has developed mechanisms of survival in the face of abuse and injustice.

Reviewer: Sujei Lugo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paola Escobar. As a bilingual assistant at Nueva York's public library in 1921, Pura Belpré retells the folk stories of her native Puerto Rico at storytimes and eventually writes them down for publication. Descriptive language moves between English and Spanish seamlessly. Both text and expressive, warm illustrations carry the metaphor of planting seeds, so that readers see the seeds of Belpré's stories bloom as the biographical details unfold. Also available in Spanish. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Alicia K. Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) YA A schoolwide "dare" game and new social dynamics throw all of African American seventh grader Shayla's relationships into turmoil. She also becomes increasingly aware of the Black Lives Matter movement when the officer in a police-shooting case is acquitted. Shayla's first-person account is honest and accessible, her emotional and civic maturation believably portrayed. Ramée's debut novel presents a nuanced view of race, self-discovery, and social justice.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: You Should Meet series. Illustrated by Alyssa Petersen. Emerging readers meet Broadway phenomenon Lin-Manuel Miranda in this accessible level-three easy reader. Accompanied by straightforward cartoon illustrations, chapters explore the role of influences such as hip-hop and Latino culture in Miranda's work while also emphasizing the support of his friends and family and his own hard work. Back matter includes facts about Puerto Rico and Broadway and a screenwriting activity.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(2) 4-6 After fourteen-year-old Marcus is suspended for confronting his disabled younger brother's bully, their mother decides the family needs a week in Puerto Rico, where Marcus was born, to figure things out. Spending time with his extended family and traveling across the Puerto Rican countryside open the young man's eyes to his heritage and his important roles as son and older brother. A middle-school travelogue and heartfelt intergenerational story with wide appeal.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018