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Middle Grade Book Spotlight--Hispanic Heritage Month!!!

With it being Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th-October 15th), our middle grade book spotlight this week is on books that are authored by Latino and Latina authors!!!  These books are amazing and so many of these authors have written more than just the titles that are being featured--so if you like this one there are others you can read as well.  We have some stand alones and other titles are the beginning of a series.  These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthhispanicheritage as well as on Libby and Hoopla.  Check back next week for a new middle grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez--Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but when he starts attending a new school, Gabi Reál discover's Sal's secret: he can reach into other dimensions and pull things into their dimension, including different versions of his dead mother. There's only one problem: Sal's manipulation of time and space is putting the entire universe at risk. Sal, Gabi, and their friends and family, as well as a sassy entropy sweeper, will have to work to make things right.

Merci Suárez Changes Gear by Meg Medina--Middle schooler Merci Suarez is at Seaward Pines Academy on a scholarship, unlike her mostly rich classmates, and she lives in three tiny houses with her extended family, houses they call affectionately Las Casitas. This year, sixth grade, will bring new challenges to Merci's life, from her rival, the school's queen bee Edna Santos wanting to take Merci's Sunshine Buddy, Michael Clark, from her, to Merci's grandfather Lolo acting differently than his usual self. Things escalate, and finally Merci's family must face the issue they have been avoiding.

The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes--To prevent the Mayan gods from battling each other and destroying the world, thirteen-year-old Zane must unravel an ancient prophecy, stop an evil god, and discover how the physical disability that makes him reliant on a cane also connects him to his father and his ancestry.

Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya--Emilia Torres thought her life would return to normal when Dad returned from deployment, but instead she finds it unraveling. Dad shuts himself off from Emilia and her mom and abuela, spending his time working on his classic car. One day, though, Dad invites her in to help him work, and begins teaching Emilia how to weld. Unfortunately, at the same time, one of her classmates, her best friend Gus, finds himself in the middle of a community-rupturing conflict.

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya--Arturo Zamora must save his family's restaurant before a land developer destroys it. He teams up with the funny, cute new girl, Carmen, to thwart the developer's plans and help bring the community together.

The First Rule of Punk by Celia Pérez--Twelve-year-old Malu gets off on the wrong foot from the very start at her new middle school. Between violating dress code with her punk rock attire to offending the most popular girl in her grade, it seems she never stood a chance of fitting in. But Malu would rather be herself than fit the mold, and she's determined to blaze a path for all the misfits she finds along the way as she fights the school's administration for her right to express herself, and stands up to her own mother.