Literature for Children and Young Adults: Belpre Medal Winners

(2024 Belpré Children's Author Award)
(Belpré Award for Illustrator 2024)
Audiobook available at: https://huntington.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1391979126
An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican American boy's family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico.

(2023 Belpré Children's Author Award)
When Grandma walks to her special garden, her granddaughters know to follow her there. Grandma invites the girls to explore her collection of treasures--magical rocks, crystals, seashells, and meteorites--to see what wonders they reveal. "They are alive with wisdom," Grandma says. As her granddaughters look closely, the treasures spark the girls' imaginations. They find stories in the strength of rocks shaped by volcanoes, the cleansing power of beautiful crystals, the mystery of the sea that houses shells and shapes the environment, and the long journey meteorites took to find their way to Earth. This is the power of Grandma's special garden, where wonder grows and stories blossom.

(Newbery Medal 2022)
(2022 Belpré Children's Author Award)
Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children - among them Petra and her family - have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet - and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard - or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

(2021 Belpré Children's Author Award)
While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico.

(2024 Belpré Young Adult Author Award)
Audiobook available at: https://huntington.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1374211536

Saints of the Household is a haunting contemporary YA about an act of violence in a small-town--beautifully told by a debut Indigenous Costa Rican-American writer--that will take your breath away. Told in alternating points of view using vignettes and poems, debut author Ari Tison crafts an emotional, slow-burning drama about brotherhood, abuse, recovery, and doing the right thing.

(2023 Belpré Young Adult Author Award)
For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention--especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances. Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York's past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart--or die trying.

(2022 Belpré Young Adult Author Award)
"Breathlessly atmospheric...A gorgeous, hopeful book." --Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow The Hating Game meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this Pura Belpré Award-winning novel that's an irresistible romance starring a Mexican American teen who discovers love and profound truths about the universe when she spends her summer on a road trip across the country. When her twin sister reaches social media stardom, Moon Fuentez accepts her fate as the ugly, unwanted sister hidden in the background, destined to be nothing more than her sister's camerawoman. But this summer, Moon also takes a job as the "merch girl" on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible. Most notable is her bunkmate and new nemesis, Santiago Phillips, who is grumpy, combative, and also the hottest guy Moon has ever seen. Moon is certain she hates Santiago and that he hates her back. But as chance and destiny (and maybe, probably, close proximity) bring the two of them in each other's perpetual paths, Moon starts to wonder if that's really true. She even starts to question her destiny as the unnoticed, unloved wallflower she always thought she was. Could this summer change Moon's life as she knows it?

(2021 Belpré Young Adult Author Award)
Seventeen-year-old Camila Hassan, a rising soccer star in Rosario, Argentina, dreams of playing professionally, in defiance of her fathers' wishes and at the risk of her budding romance with Diego.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2020)
When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn't under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal's office for the third time in three days, and it's still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany's locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on a talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he's capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken--including his dead mother--and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There's only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2019)
(Michael L. Printz Award 2019)
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, Xiomara Batista has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. She pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers ...

(Belpre Award for Writing 2018)
In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2016)
In this poetic memoir Engle tells of growing up as a child of two cultures during the Cold War.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2015)
Eleven-year-old Celeste Marconi is a dreamer, a writer, a collector of words. But then a new whispered word trickles into her life: "Subversives." Her beloved country of Chile has been taken over by a military dictatorship, and subversives--people considered a threat to the new government--are in increasing danger. Celeste's doctor-parents must go into hiding to remain safe, and Celeste, heartsick, must say good-bye to them. But the situation continues to worsen. More and more people are "disappearing," and soon Celeste herself is sent thousands of miles away, all the way to the coast of Maine--where she doesn't have a single friend or know a word of English.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2014)
In this poignant and all-too-realistic story from award-winning author Meg Medina, Piddy is forced to decide exactly who she is versus who others are trying to make her become--and ultimately discovers a rhythm that is all her own.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2013)
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship -- the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2012)
Throughout her high school years, as her mother battles cancer, Lupita takes on more responsibility for her house and seven younger siblings, while finding refuge in acting and writing poetry. Includes glossary of Spanish terms.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2011) A fictionalized biography of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who grew up a painfully shy child, ridiculed by his overbearing father, but who became one of the most widely-read poets in the world. Includes author's note about the poet.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2010)
After his family hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest daughter, but when he discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real friendship knows no borders.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2009)
Cuba has fought three wars for independence, and still she is not free. This history in verse creates a lyrical portrait of Cuba.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2008)
Juan Francisco Manzano was born in 1797 into the household of wealthy slave owners in Cuba. He spent his early years at the side of his owner's wife, entertaining her friends. His poetry was his outlet, reflecting the beauty and cruelty of his world. Written in verse.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2006)
Sofia grows up in the close-knit community of the barrio in McAllen, Texas, then finds that her experiences as a scholarship student at an Episcopal boarding school in Austin only strengthen her ties to family and her "comadres."

(Belpre Award for Writing 2004)
In the early 1960s in the Dominican Republic, twelve-year-old Anita learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2002)
Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression.

(Belpre Award for Writing 2000)
The author recalls her life and impressions growing up in Cuba.

(Belpre Award for Writing 1998)
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle

(Belpre Award for Writing 1996)
Twelve stories about young people caught between their Puerto Rican heritage and their American surroundings.

(2024 Belpré Children's Author Award)
(Belpré Award for Illustrator 2024)
Audiobook available at: https://huntington.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1391979126
An unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican American boy's family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico.

(Belpré Award for Illustrator 2022)
Little Lobo and Bernabé are back in this joyful story about coming together and celebrating community.

(Belpré Award for Illustrator 2021)
Little Lobo is excited to take in a show with wrestling star El Toro in his bustling border town. After getting lunch orders from The Bull and his friends to help prepare for the event, Little Lobo takes readers on a tour of food trucks that sell his favorite foods, like quesadillas with red peppers and Mexican-Korean tacos.

(Belpré Award for Illustrator 2020)
The story of Teresa Carreño, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln.

(Belpre Award for Illustrator 2019)
"An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story"-- Provided by publisher.

(Belpre Award for Illustrator 2018)
"A rhyming twist on a classic fairy tale in which a queen places a pea under a young lady's mattress to see if she is truly a princess. Incorporates Spanish words and Includes a glossary"-- Provided by publisher.

(Belpre Award for Illustrator 2017)
A spunky young girl from Colombia loves playing with her canine best friend and resists boring school activities, especially learning English, until her family tells her that a special trip is planned to an English-speaking place

(Belpre Award for Illustrator 2017)
Lupe Impala, Elirio Malaria, and El Chavo Octopus are now the proud owners of their own garage--but when a series of earthquakes hit their town and Genie, their beloved cat, disappears they find themselves traveling to the realm of Mictlantecuhtli, Aztec god of the Underworld, who is keeping Genie prisoner.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2016)
Follows a girl in the 1920s as she strives to become a drummer, despite being continually reminded that only boys play the drums, and that there has never been a female drummer in Cuba. Includes note about Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story, and Anacaona, the all-girl dance band she formed with her sisters.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2015)
With spare text and vibrant illustrations, this book examines Frida Kahlo's creative process.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2014)
Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2013)
The story of Saint Martín de Porres--an endearing tale of perseverance, faith, and triumph over racial and economic prejudice.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2012)
An introduction to the life, career, and influence of the Mexican painter Diego Rivera.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2011)
Young Eric spends Christmas holiday with his grandmother in Spanish Harlem. After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2010)
Children read aloud in various settings to celebrate of El día de los niños, or Children's Day, in this bilingual story. Includes facts about Mexico's annual celebration of children and the book fiestas that are often included.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2009)
As Señor Calavera prepares for Grandma Beetle's birthday he finds an alphabetical assortment of unusual presents, but with the help of Zelmiro the Ghost, he finds the best gift of all.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2008)
Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2006)
Doña Flor, a giant lady with a big heart, sets off to protect her neighbors from what they think is a dangerous animal, but soon discovers the tiny secret behind the huge noise.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2004)
Senor Calavera arrives at Grandma Beetle's door, ready to take her to the next life, but after helping her count, in English and Spanish, as she makes her birthday preparations, he changes his mind.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2002)
Chato decides to throw a "pachanga" for his friend Novio Boy, who has never had a birthday party, but when it is time to party, Novio Boy cannot be found.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 2000)
Carmen Lomas Garza portrays her family's Mexican custom, her life as an artist, and the legends of her Aztec past through cut-paper work.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 1998)
Maya, the flower girl, describes a Mexican American wedding through snapshots of the day's events, beginning with the procession to the altar and ending with her sleeping after the dance.

(Belpre Award for Illustration 1996)
To get the "ratoncitos," little mice, who have moved into the barrio to come to his house, Chato the cat prepares all kinds of good food: fajitas, frijoles, salsa, enchiladas, and more.