Holiday Gift Guide aka Books, Books, Books!

The holidays are upon us and Las Musas are here to help you find (hopefully) that perfect read for the reader in your life. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Or looking for a read outside of the picture book, middle grade, and young adult range? 

Ask us for a recommendation in the comments and we will happily get back to you!
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Note: We’ve placed content warnings on our young adult books (when we could find them), and we recommend researching further to make informed decisions before you purchase. Every reader is different and we hope this blog is just a starting point to finding a next read!

THE MOON WITHIN by Aida Salazar
Celi Rivera has questions about her changing body, her first attraction to a boy, her best friend’s exploration of what it means to be genderfluid, and her mother’s insistence that she have a moon ceremony when her first period arrives. The Moon Within, written in verse, is a beautiful coming-of-age story about Celi’s journey to young womanhood. Ages 9+

THEY CALL ME GÜERO by David Bowles
Güero is Mexican American, at home with Spanish or English and on both sides of the river. In Spanish, "Güero" is a nickname for pale skin, Latino or Anglo. But make no mistake: our red-headed, freckled hero is puro mexicano. But trusting in his family's traditions, his accordion and his bookworm squad, he faces seventh grade with book smarts and a big heart. Life is tough for a border kid, but Güero has figured out how to cope: he writes poetry. Ages 10+

THE POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo 
Acevedo’s debut follows Sophomore Xiomara Batista’s stunning journey to poetry. Told in verse, Xiomara grapples with identity, a strictly religious mother and her own feelings about religion and the euphoria of performing for open mic night. Ages 13+

UNDER THE MESQUITE by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Lupita, a budding actor and poet in a close-knit Mexican American immigrant family, comes of age as she struggles with adult responsibilities during her mother's battle with cancer in this young adult novel in verse. This is an empowering story about the testing of family bonds, the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience and the kind of love that cannot be uprooted. Ages 12+

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WE SET THE DARK ON FIRE by Tehlor Kay Mejia
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained as wives for affluent families. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, harboring a dark secret that might send her back to the fringes of society. But when she is asked to spy for a resistance group, will she give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of an equal Medio? This is a rich Latinx-inspired fantasy world that explores themes of privilege, immigration, feminism and individualism versus the common good. Ages 12+

​THE GRIEF KEEPER by Alexandra Villasante
When her brother is murdered and her sister’s life is threatened, Marisol Morales flees El Salvador and crosses the US border where she is detained and given a stark choice: be deported or participate in a clinical trial and become a grief keeper—taking the trauma and pain of others into her own body. This book is an exploration of loss, love, identity and the lengths we will go for family. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Racism, xenophobia, violence, death/murder, suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts/ideation, PTSD, homophobia, homophobic slurs

ANGER IS A GIFT by Mark Oshiro
Moss Jeffries is many things―considerate student, devoted son, loyal friend and affectionate boyfriend and enthusiastic nerd. But sometimes Moss still wishes he could be someone else―someone without panic attacks, someone whose father was still alive, someone who hadn’t become a rallying point for a community because of one horrible night. When tensions hit a fever pitch and tragedy strikes again, Moss must face a difficult choice: give in to fear and hate or realize that anger can actually be a gift. Anger is a Gift is about falling in love amidst the chaos of modern America. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Discussions of racism, police brutality, homophobia, and anxiety

Also check out: The Moon Within by Aida Salazar

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MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE by Isabel Quintero
When Daisy Ramona zooms around her neighborhood with her papi on his motorcycle, she sees the people and places she's always known. She also sees a community that is rapidly changing around her. But as the sun sets purple-blue-gold behind Daisy Ramona and her papi, she knows that the love she feels will always be there. My Papi Has a Motorcycle is a young girl's love letter to her hardworking dad and to memories of home that we hold close in the midst of change. Ages 4+ *Also available in Spanish*

THE FIRST RULE OF PUNK by Celia C. Perez
Malu loves punk and assembles a band of like-minded of misfits to find her place in her new middle school where she doesn’t fit in. The First Rule of Punk is a wry and heartfelt exploration of friendship, finding your place and learning to rock out like no one’s watching. Ages 8+

ANA MARÍA REYES DOES NOT LIVE IN A CASTLE by Hilda Eunice Burgos
Ana María hopes to attend New York City's best private academy, but her parents can’t afford that with four daughters and another baby on the way. So Ana María must nail her piano piece at the upcoming city showcase to win a scholarship. She practices through distractions and interruptions, including a family trip to the Dominican Republic and, with help from family and friends, figures out what truly matters. Ages 9+

DEALING IN DREAMS by Lilliam Rivera
Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City. That role brings with it violent throw downs and access to the hottest bodega clubs, but the sixteen-year-old grows weary of that life. Her dream is to get off the streets and make a home in the exclusive Mega Towers, in which only a chosen few get to live. Led by a reluctant guide, Nalah battles other crews and her own doubts but the closer she gets to her goal, the more she loses sight of everything—and everyone— she cares about. The Outsiders meets Mad Max: Fury Road in this fast-paced dystopian novel about sisterhood and the cruel choices people are forced to make in order to survive. Ages 14+

Also check out: Becoming Beatriz by Tami Charles

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THE STORM RUNNER by J.C. Cervantes
A contemporary Maya mythology adventure from Rick Riordan Presents! Zane Obispo’s backyard volcano is the one place where he can escape other kids who make fun of his limp. But he soon learns that it is actually a centuries-old prison for the Maya god of death, whose destiny is directly tied to his. A destiny that thrusts Zane into an ancient prophecy that could mean the destruction of the world unless he can find a way to stop it. Ages 10+ *Also available in Spanish*

THE LAST 8 by Laura Pohl
Clover Martinez has always been a survivor, which is the only reason she isn’t among the dead when aliens invade and destroy Earth. After surviving the apocalypse, Clover finds The Last Teenagers on Earth at the former Area 51. Instead of heroes, the group is more interested in hiding than fighting back—and if Clover wants to save Earth, she must convince the others to fight with her. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Depression, PTSD, suicide attempt

LABYRINTH LOST by Zoraida Córdova
Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation...and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo boy she's not sure she can trust but who may be Alex's only chance at saving her family. Magic, family and more weave together in the Brooklyn Brujas series. Ages 13+
Content Warning: Bullying

Also check out: We Set the Dark on Fire by Taylor Kay Mejia; Love Sugar Magic series by Anna Meriano; The Vicious Deep series by Zoraida Córdova

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WHERE ARE YOU FROM? by Yamile Saied Méndez
Where Are You From? tells the story of one girl who constantly gets asked a simple question that doesn’t have a simple answer.  Unsure about how to reply, she turns to her loving abuelo for help. He doesn’t give her the response she expects. She gets an even better one. This book is all about self-acceptance, identity and home. Ages 4+ *Also available in Spanish*

BAD HAIR DOES NOT EXIST by Sulma Arzu-Brown
Hispanic and Black children are exposed to the divisive and bullying term “bad hair” within their own communities. The book’s purpose is to empower all children by giving them alternate terms to describe their hair, and teaching them the importance of respecting one another’s differences. Ages 4+ *Also available in Spanish*

SILVER MEADOWS SUMMER by Emma Otheguy
When Carolina’s family moves from Puerto Rico to upstate New York, Carolina is stuck attending summer camp at Silver Meadows Farm with her bossy cousin Gabriela. Luckily, Carolina makes a friend of her own, Jennifer. The two girls stumble upon a long-abandoned cottage in the woods, which becomes their secret haven. Silver Meadows Summer is a touching portrayal of the experience of leaving one's home country and making new friends. Ages 8+

THE OTHER HALF OF HAPPY by Rebecca Balcárcel
The Other Half of Happy stars Quijana, a half-Latina, half-Anglo seventh grader who does not speak Spanish, does not like Don Quixote and is definitely not going to Guatemala for Christmas! Join Quijana as she navigates life in the Guatemalan-American hyphen and discovers her missing half. Ages 8+

THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS by Laura Namey Taylor
Darcy Wells loses herself in books to cope with her mother’s compulsive shopping and hoarding. But when she meets someone new and finds a chance at love, she has to open up, even if it’s messy. Ages 12+

COLOR ME IN by Natasha Díaz
Debut YA author Natasha Díaz pulls from her personal experience to inform this powerful coming-of-age novel about Nevaeh Levitz, a biracial, Jewish fifteen-year-old trying to find where she fits between her two worlds as she discovers the meaning of friendship, the joyful beginnings of romance and the racism and religious intolerance that can both strain a family to the breaking point and strengthen its bonds. Color Me In is a powerful coming-of-age novel dealing with identity, racism and family. Ages 13+

WILD BEAUTY by Anna-Marie Mclemore
For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens. Wild Beauty is a lush exploration of magic, family, identity and fierce love. Ages 14+

MAGICAL REALISM FOR NON-BELIEVERS: A MEMOIR OF FINDING FAMILY by Anika Fajardo
At age 21, a young woman from Minnesota searches out the Colombian father she’s never known. There she learns that sometimes, no matter how many pieces you find, fitting together a family history isn’t easy. Vivid and heartfelt in the telling, the memoir is powerfully compelling in its bridging of time and place and in its moving depiction of self-transformation. Ages 16+

Also check out: The Truth Is by NoNieqa Ramos, The Moon Within by Aida Salazar, The Resolutions by Mia García

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THE TRUTH IS by NoNieqa Ramos
Fifteen-year-old Verdad doesn't think she has time for love. She's still struggling to process the recent death of her best friend Blanca and dealing with the high expectations of her hardworking Puerto Rican mother. But when she meets Danny, a new guy at school—who happens to be trans—all bets are off. Verdad suddenly has to deal with her mother's disapproval of her relationship with Danny as well as her own prejudices and questions about her identity​. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Memories of a mass shooting resulting in a character’s death, challenged homophobia, transphobia, and racism

ALL OF US WITH WINGS by Michelle Ruiz Keil
Xochi is on her own in San Francisco where she meets tween genius Pallas and is hired as a live-in governess. When Xochi and Pallas’s riot-grrl ritual inadvertently summons a pair of ancient creatures bound to right the wrongs of Xochi’s childhood, Xochi must risk her place in her new family to save the mother that abandoned her. Ages 17+
Content Warning: Discussions of abuse, trauma,  rape, depression, under-age relationship between teen and adult, and drug-use  

THE FALL OF INNOCENCE by Jenny Torres Sanchez
The Lovely Bones meets Celeste Ng in this gorgeous, haunting, and tragic novel that examines the crippling—and far-reaching—effects of one person's trauma on her family, her community, and herself. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Trauma, depression, suicide. 

Also check out: Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

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BOOMER AT YOUR SERVICE by Vanessa Keel; illustrated by Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
​This heart-warming and humorous tale follows a dog on his dream of finding a family to serve. When disaster strikes at Boomer's Service Dog Graduation Day, he sets off to find a family on his own. Catastrophe after calamity leave him feeling hopeless until a furry feline changes his fate forever. Boomer discovers friendship, his happily-ever-after home and his special purpose in life. Ages 4+

DEAR HAITI, LOVE ALAINE by Maika and Maritza Moulite
When a school presentation goes very wrong, Alaine Beauparlant finds herself suspended and shipped off to Haiti where her mom is recovering from a fiasco of her own. She spends the next two months completing a “spring volunteer immersion project.” As she works to save her academic standing, Alaine learns the truth about her mother’s meltdown—and how she might be able to help—setting Alaine on a path that she never could have imagined. Ages 12+
Content Warning: Mention of past sexual abuse and non-consensual kiss

SWEET BLACK WAVES  by Kristina Pérez
Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores with only a bloody history between them. Branwen is guided by two principles: devotion to her homeland and hatred for the raiders who killed her parents. When she unknowingly saves the life of her enemy, he awakens her ancient healing magic and opens her heart.  Inspired by the star-crossed tale of Tristan and Eseult, this is perfect for fans of Graceling and lush fantasies about warring countries, family secrets, and forbidden romance. Ages 15+

Also check out: Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno, Blizzard Besties by Yamile Saied Méndez; and Even If the Sky Falls by Mia García

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THE TENTH GIRL by Sara Faring
A gothic psychological thriller—inspired by Patagonian myth—set at the southern tip of South America in an isolated finishing school built on cursed land. There seventeen-year-old Mavi hopes to lead a new life as a young teacher. But when one of her students goes missing, and others appear possessed, she must solve the cosmic mystery of this place while fighting for her life. The Tenth Girl will have you turning the pages faster and faster until its explosive ending. Ages 12+

FIVE MIDNIGHTS by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Five friends cursed. Five deadly fates. Five nights of retribución. If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping through Puerto Rico that lead them into the realm of myths and legends. 

Five Midnights is a “wickedly thrilling” (William Alexander) novel based on the el Cuco myth set against the backdrop of modern-day Puerto Rico. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Conversations of substance abuse, violence, and mental health

Also check out: The Tesla Legacy by K.K. Perez

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FREEDOM SOUP by Tami Charles
Join the celebration in the kitchen as a family makes their traditional New Year’s soup—and shares the story of how Haitian independence came to be. Ages 4+

PLANTING STORIES by Anika Aldamuy Denise
An inspiring picture book biography of storyteller, puppeteer, and New York City’s first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Belpré, who championed bilingual literature. Ages 4+  *Also available in Spanish*

DRUM DREAM GIRL by Margarita Engle
Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere. Ages 4+

THE WIND CALLED MY NAME by Mary Louise Sanchez
The winds of the Great Depression blow Margarita Sandoval, a ten-year-old Hispanic girl, away from her ancestral New Mexico home to Wyoming, and she is determined to make a new friend there. But when her Papá risks losing his job, possibly because of her new friend Caroline, Margarita invokes a Wyoming saint to intercede, and he more than answers her prayers. Ages 8+

ALL THE STARS DENIED by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
In the heart of the Great Depression, Rancho Las Moras, like everywhere else in Texas, is gripped by the drought of the Dust Bowl, and resentment is building among white farmers against Mexican Americans. When Estrella organizes a protest against the treatment of tejanos in their town, her whole family becomes a target. There are no easy answers in All the Stars Denied, the first YA book to tackle this hidden history of the first mass deportation event that swept up hundreds of thousands of Mexican American citizens during the Great Depression. Ages 12+

Also check out: Marti’s Song for Freedom by Emma Othegy (also available in Spanish)

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LOVE SUGAR MAGIC SERIES by Anna Meriano
Leonora Logroño is finally learning her family's bakery bruja magic, but trouble has a way of showing up time and time again! From spirits popping up all over town to new mysteries to solve, this series is filled with a heaping helping of amor, azúcar and magia. Ages 8+

DON’T DATE ROSA SANTOS by Nina Moreno
The women in Rosa’s family are cursed: her abuela is exiled from Cuba, her mother is reckless and Rosa is forbidden to go to the sea. Rosa dreams of finally seeing their island, but her study abroad plans crumble amid political changes just as she crashes into a quiet boy from the docks. One Day at a Time meets Gilmore Girls in this debut novel from Nina Moreno. Ages 12+
Content Warning: Discussions of grief and death

THE RESOLUTIONS by Mia García
Like a Latinx Breakfast Club, The Resolutions, follows friends Jess, Lee, Ryan and Nora as they reinstate their New Year’s Eve tradition with a twist: they assign resolutions to each other. Cue first loves, heartbreak, cafecitos and more pastries than a food network special. Ages 14+
Content Warning: Descriptions of anxiety attacks

Also check out: Blizzard Besties by Yamile Saied Méndez

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DIAMOND CITY by Francesca Flores (1.20.20)
Good things don't happen to girls who come from nothing...unless they risk everything. Fierce and ambitious, Aina Solís is as sharp as her blade and as mysterious as the blood magic she protects. After the murder of her parents, Aina takes a job as an assassin to survive and finds a new family in those like her: unwanted and forgotten. To claim a future for herself in a world that doesn't want her to survive, Aina will have to win a game of murder and conspiracy—and risk losing everything. Ages 12+
Content Warning: Violence, abusive relationships, flashbacks of past substance use

WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT  by Isabel Ibañez (1.28.20)
A lush tapestry of magic, romance, and revolución, drawing inspiration from Bolivian politics and history. Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight. But a masked vigilante, a warm-hearted princess and a thoughtful healer challenge Ximena, and her mission becomes more complicated. Ages 14+

And that's not all! Check out all the Musas books coming out in 2020 here.

Not what you’re looking for? Las Musas are happy to help! Write us a comment and we will give you some gift recommendations!