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Every year Americans celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America during National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and in 1988 was expanded by President Ronald Reagan to cover a 30-day period starting on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15.
In honor of our talented Hispanic and Latinx authors, Buncombe County Public Libraries has curated a reading list for all ages. Explore these stories of diverse voices and culture at our libraries and, if you like to download your library books, you can find a Hispanic Heritage Collection on our digital library too. Enjoy!
Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month Reading List
All of these books are recommended by our librarians and available at your local Buncombe County Public Library.
Picture Books to Share
- Isabel and Her Colores Go to School by Alexandra Alessandri
- I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer
- Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz
- What Will You Be? by Yamile Saied Méndez
- I Love You, Baby Burrito by Angela Dominguez
- Your Mama by NoNieqa Ramos
- Bird House by Blanca Gómez
- Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
- A Sled for Gabo by Emma Otheguy
Chapter Books for Kids
- Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya
- Forest World by Margarita Engle
- Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina (series)
- Sarai and the Meaning of Awesome by Sarai Gonzalez and Monica Brown
- Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
- The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcarel
- Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Books for Teens
- Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer de Leon
- With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older
- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez
- Juliet Takes a Breath by Gaby Rivera
- Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
Books for Adults
- Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Every Day We Get More Illegal by Juan Felipe Herrera
- Love and Rockets by Jaime Hernandez
- A House of My Own: Stories from My Life by Sandra Cisneros
- How the García Girls Lost Their Accent by Julia Alvarez
- The Taste of Sugar by Marisel Vera
- Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
- Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
- Latinx Photography in the United States: A Visual History by Elizabeth Ferrer