Many people outside of Mexico mistakenly believe Cinco de Mayo is the
celebration of
Mexican independence. Cinco de Mayo actually marks the date of the Mexican
army's victory
over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, during the Franco-Mexican War
(1861-1867).
Mexican independence was declared fifty years before the Battle of Puebla and is
celebrated
on September 16. Cinco de Mayo is a small holiday in Mexico, but in the United
States, it
is an ever growing celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.
One of my favorite ways to celebrate (any and every holiday) is to buy a good
books! That's
why this week's list is a celebration of the amazing talent of Mexican-American
authors.
Their stories takes place in a forbidden forest, glamorous Hollywood, to the
harsh world
of survival. What they have in common is that they're great stories by great
storytellers.
Diversity in YA literature is absolutely necessary. For me and many readers,
stories have
been an important part of helping me make sense of my world. Children and teens
need
stories that mirror their world, their life experiences, their beliefs, and
their cultural
heritage. Diverse literature enriches us all because the heart of the diverse
literature
that moves us and makes us re-examine our world is, quite simply, a really good
story.
About:
The sequel to THE LIVING, Matt de la Peña’s THE HUNTED is a high-energy,
action-packed survival story. When the Big One
hit, Shy was at sea in style. The Paradise Cruise luxury liner he worked on was
a hulking specimen of the best money
could buy. And now it's at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, along with almost
all of its passengers.
Shy wasn't the only one to survive, though. Addie, the rich blond daughter of a
mysterious businessman, was on the
dinghy he pulled himself into. But as soon as they found the rest of the
survivors, she disappeared.
The only thing that filled the strange void of losing her was finding Carmen,
his hot coworker, and discovering a way
to get back home. But Shy's luck hasn't turned. Not yet.
Back on the dinghy, Addie told him a secret. It's a secret that people would
kill for-- have killed for--and she has
the piece that could turn everything on its ear. The problem? Shy has no idea
where Addie is. Back home in California
seems logical, but there are more ways to die back home then Shy could ever have
guessed.
And thanks to what Shy now knows, he's a moving target.
As a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire
Slayer, I can't wait to see what Valerie
Tejeda does with this fun genre!
About: From the moment she
first learned
the truth about witches…she knew she was born to fight them.
Now, at sixteen, Iris is the lone girl on the Witch Hunters Special Ops Team.
But when Iris
meets a boy named Arlo, he might just be the key to preventing an evil uprising
in Southern
California.
Together they're ready to protect the human race at all costs. Because that's
what witch
hunters do.
After reading ESPERANZA RISING, I'm a huge fan
of Pam Pam Muñoz Ryan. I can't wait to
see how she weaves together the stories of these four characters together.
About:
Music,
magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre- defying masterpiece from
storytelling
maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and
suddenly
finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a
harmonica.
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California
each, in
turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All
the children
face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family
together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their
suspenseful solo
stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and
form, and
shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned,
uplifting,
and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last
note has
been struck.