Every year, from September 15th to October 15th, the USA celebrates Hispanic Americans for their contribution to, well, everything really. With the internet, Hispanic Heritage Month has taken over the world and it’s possible for everyone everywhere to join in with the celebrations.

That being said, a lot of Hispanic achievements have been made in our favourite world: the literary one. In recent years, we have gotten more and more books with Hispanic characters written by Hispanic authors. And while the Hispanic representation is a long way from where it should be, I would like to share with you some of my favourite YA books featuring Hispanic characters and written by Hispanic authors.

I will say though, that I am personally white and that the representation in these books seemed great to me. I chose these with upmost care and hope that our Hispanic readers agree with these choices and will let me know if I have made a mistake as I am here to listen and to learn.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month and happy reading!

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can’t get rid of him.

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

This Train is Being Held by Ismée Williams

When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the downtown 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and his gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her untroubled happiness, something he feels all rich kids must possess. That, and her long dancer legs. Over the course of multiple subway encounters spanning the next three years, Isabelle learns of Alex’s struggle with his father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues, despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s unstable mother, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs Alex most.

Salty, Bitter, Sweet by Mayra Cuevas

Seventeen-year-old aspiring chef Isabella Fields’ family life has fallen apart after the death of her Cuban abuela and the divorce of her parents. She moves in with her dad and his new wife in France, where Isabella feels like an outsider in her father’s new life, studiously avoiding the awkward, “Why did you cheat on Mom?” conversation.

The upside of Isabella’s world being turned upside down? Her father’s house is located only 30 minutes away from the restaurant of world-famous Chef Pascal Grattard, who runs a prestigious and competitive international kitchen apprenticeship. The prize job at Chef Grattard’s renowned restaurant also represents a transformative opportunity for Isabella, who is desperate to get her life back in order.

But how can Isabella expect to hold it together when she’s at the bottom of her class at the apprenticeship, her new stepmom is pregnant, she misses her abuela dearly, and a mysterious new guy and his albino dog fall into her life?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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.

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

It’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom’s deportation as “an unfortunate incident.”

Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home.

Then one night, under a million stars, Sia’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia’s car…and it’s carrying her mom, who’s very much alive.

As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe. 

More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera

Sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto is struggling to find happiness after a family tragedy leaves him reeling. He’s slowly remembering what happiness might feel like this summer with the support of his girlfriend Genevieve, but it’s his new best friend, Thomas, who really gets Aaron to open up about his past and confront his future.

As Thomas and Aaron get closer, Aaron discovers things about himself that threaten to shatter his newfound contentment. A revolutionary memory-alteration procedure, courtesy of the Leteo Institute, might be the way to straighten himself out. But what if it means forgetting who he truly is?

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

Teenage master of Cuban cuisine, Lila Reyes, is eager to inherit her family’s Miami bakery along with her sister, Pilar. But between spring and graduation, Lila’s abuela dies, her best friend abandons her, and her long-time boyfriend dumps her. Fearing Lila’s emotional health, her parents defy her wishes and entrust her summer to family and their Winchester, England inn. Even though she’s given a space to cook at the inn, she longs for Miami, the seat of her Cuban roots. Being a Miami Cuban baker is her glorified past and destined future, forged by years of training by her loving abuela.

Days into her stay, Orion Maxwell barges into Lila’s inn kitchen with a delivery from his family’s tea shop. A nuisance at first, opposite ingredients soon learn to blend. Orion befriends Lila, introducing her to his mates and devouring her food––comida Cubana.

Orion entertains her with his mental collection of superstitions and sweeps her onto his vintage motorbike. He wraps cold, underdressed Lila in his wool cardigan and becomes her personal tour guide. His mum’s early-onset (FTD) Dementia gives Orion a unique outlook––he never asks too much of the world, accepting what he can’t control. Lila soon discovers this British boy brings empathy to her loss because he’s living his own.

Before long, Lila can’t control the route of her own heart as she begins to fall for more than a new love. England has charmed her. And a special opportunity in London tempts her. As her return ticket looms, Lila feels impossibly caught between two flags. Hearts aren’t supposed to split like this––between a beautiful boy and a beautiful family. Between exploring an uncharted future in a rich new place, and honoring Abuela’s treasured legacy.

The Truth Is by NoNiqa 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; dealing with the high expectations of her hardworking Puerto Rican mother and the absence of her remarried father; and keeping everyone at a distance. 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, and Danny himself, who is comfortable in his skin but keeping plenty of other secrets.

All of Us with Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil

Seventeen-year-old Xochi is alone in San Francisco, running from her painful past: the mother who abandoned her, the man who betrayed her. Then one day, she meets Pallas, a precocious twelve-year-old who lives with her rock-star family in one of the city’s storybook Victorians. Xochi accepts a position as Pallas’s live-in governess and quickly finds her place in their household, which is relaxed and happy despite the band’s larger-than-life fame.

But on the night of the Vernal Equinox, as a concert afterparty rages in the house below, Xochi and Pallas accidentally summon a pair of ancient creatures devoted to avenging the wrongs of Xochi’s adolescence. She would do anything to preserve her new life, but with the creatures determined to exact vengeance on those who’ve hurt her, no one is safe—not the family she’s chosen, nor the one she left behind.

Do you have any other recommendations? Tell us in the comments below!

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For our August read, we had the joy of diving into This Train is Being Held by Ismée Williams. The novel follows teenagers Isa and Alex who meet (over and over again) on the subway in New York City and fall in love.

We all thought that this story was quite extraordinary because we didn’t just get a love story, but we got fully fleshed out characters with flaws, issues, and problems.

Major themes of the book include racism (both Isa and Alex are Latinx), passion and to work hard for what you want, difficult relationships with parents, money issues, mental health problems, and everything else you could possibly encounter and fret over as a teen.

We had a great time reading This Train is Being Held and admittedly most discussed the micro aggressions Alex faces because of his skin colour. Besides discussing the scenes and whether we had ever witnessed anything like that, some of us also began contemplating whether we have ever been guilty of doing any of the things people did to Alex (sometimes probably unknowingly). Our discussions were as much outrage as they were contemplative.

One extra special treat this month was that we were able to chat to Ismée directly in a live chat. We got to ask her everything that we wanted to know, including whether or not she went on the subway specifically to people watch for her novel. We got talking about musicians and artists on the subway, as well as baseball and ballet, and she even revealed that one of the scenes in the book has happened to her in real life.

She also told us about her involvement in the Latinx Kid Lit Book Festival, which is organised by Las Musas, a collective of female and non-binary Latinx authors. The festival is going live on the 4th and 5th of December, so you should all mark in your calendars! There are going to be Q&As and panels with all of your favourite Latinx authors and illustrators!

As for our September read, we are diving into the fantastic A Star is Bored by Byron Lane. Can’t wait to discuss!

The post The Nerd Daily Book Club: August 2020 Wrap-Up appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Featuring an unexpected subway encounter, Ismée Williams’ newest contemporary, This Train Is Being Held, is going to make you swoon over the slow-burn romance between Isabelle Warren, a girl who does her dance routines in secret due to a strict mother, and Alex Rosario, a boy who plays baseball in pressure in attempt to make his father proud. Heavily centered around Spanish culture and heritage in the current timeline, Isa and Alex’s journey in this book was absolutely eye-opening, not just in regards to their romance, but also to their family, friends, and surroundings.

Isabelle Warren is a half-Cuban high-schooler and passionate dancer in secret. She’s your typical privileged girl, though I’d say that she’s more than aware of her privilege and family’s wealth, which makes her character more bearable to follow. With a mother suffering from unstable emotions and a brother who suffered from depression, you soon realise that she doesn’t have it all. Enter Alex Rosario, a Dominican-American high schooler and forced-baseball player. Living with a controlling father who expects his son to be all athletic, the idea of Alex becoming a poet might as well become a death-sentence for him.

Isa and Alex’s first encounter may or may not be the most swoon-worthy material in this story. As a matter of subjectivity, I’d personally consider it as realistic, which makes the whole narrative feel way more real and believable. The two didn’t immediately get love-struck with one another, yet the attraction was clearly showing on this first meeting. Aside from the romance, which was slow yet delightful to follow, what piqued my interest the most about this story is the richness of the Latino culture and representation. It accentuated many important and sensitive topics as well from parental pressure for their kids, to heavy mental disorders and racism.

Told in an alternate point-of-view, Isa and Alex’s perspective was completely contrast yet beautifully complement each other. With two main leads who come from different backgrounds and social classes, you may want to hold your tongue before judging this book as your typical cheesy YA novel because This Train Is Being Held is far from that. Williams eloquently incorporated this classic trope into something that’s way more heartfelt, meaningful, and raw.

As I previously mentioned, I cherished the rich representations included in Williams’ newest book. Although one thing quickly becomes a challenge for me, which is the heavy-use of Spanish in this story. While I enjoyed the incorporation of Spanish in both dialogues and internal monologues of the characters, I was hoping there’d be a guide for non-Spanish speakers such as myself.

In conclusion, This Train Is Being Held is an evocative and heartfelt slow-paced realistic fiction. It’s the perfect companion to bring on your next train ride while enjoying the after-work hours.

This Train Is Being Held is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up This Train Is Being Held? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the downtown 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and his gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her untroubled happiness, something he feels all rich kids must possess. That, and her long dancer legs.

Over the course of multiple subway encounters spanning the next three years, Isabelle learns of Alex’s struggle with his father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues, despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s unstable mother, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs Alex most.

Heartfelt and evocative, this romantic drama will appeal to readers of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen.

The post Review: This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Williams appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Ismée Williams and we talk all about her newest contemporary, This Train is Being Held. From the inspiration behind the story, the writing process of Isa & Alex, to the discussion about the representations included in this book, everything unravels in today’s interview!

Your newest contemporary, This Train is Being Held, is out now! Can you tell us about it and why everyone should include this book in their reading list?

I am so excited about this book! THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD is a modern retelling of West Side Story, if both lovers were Latinx. It’s a subway romance featuring Alex, a Dominican-American baseball prodigy from Washington Heights, and Isa, a blond Upper East Side private-school ballerina. Alex’s papi wants him to go pro. But Alex maybe wants to be a poet. Not that Papi would understand or ever allow it. Meanwhile, Isa would love to be a professional dancer but her Cuban-born mom thinks that’s an unacceptable career choice for a modern woman. Oh–and she doesn’t want her daughter dating Latinos. THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD is a true romance, filled with hidden poems on the subway and the lovers trying to carve out time for each other in their highly scheduled lives. But it’s not a light romance. Alex and Isa are forced to confront racism, the stigma of mental illness, the perils of urban gangs and the rigid expectations of highly controlling parents. I would say if you enjoy an urban star-crossed romance with meat, this would be a good pick for you.

In the author’s note, you shared a quick story about the inspiration behind This Train is Being Held. But can you tell us about which aspect of the book that you started with when you first wrote it?

I’ve been taking the subway for over twenty years, so I’ve had a lot of rides where I saw cool interactions between strangers. A balding man passing a packet of tissues to a young woman who got on with a mascara-streaked face and begins crying into her hands. A mom removing an apple, a juice box, and a box of animal crackers from her toddler’s stroller to give to a homeless vet. Three teens with nose rings and black leather jackets holding open the door for a grandma with a walker struggling on the stairs who’s shouting out to please hold the train because she’s late to her doctor’s appointment. When you see connections like this happen, it’s quite heart-warming. It makes you feel good about people in general and living in New York specifically. For THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD, I started with that idea, the connection between strangers. I wanted to put two very different young people together in the same subway car–a couple you wouldn’t expect to cross paths–and watch them fall for each other. I’m a sucker for romance, especially ill-fated romance, so then I had to create background stories and scenarios that tortured Alex and Isa and forced them apart: demanding schedules, demanding parents, mega misunderstandings, families detonating due to the stress of job loss and mental illness. That is never easy to do to your characters, because as an author, you often end up loving them. At least I do! But it’s necessary to create the tension that keeps the pages turning. The fun part was then sitting back and watching Alex and Isa fight to get back to each other.

Now, let’s talk about the characters! What particularly excited you the most when you were developing Isa & Alex?

I wanted this to be a story about expectations, multiple levels of expectations–from family, friends, strangers, even your own. I wanted to explore how these expectations weigh on the individual and shape thoughts and behavior, especially if the individual is a young person struggling to establish an identity. What do you do if you see yourself as a dancer but your parent tells you that’s not good enough? What do you do if you try to be a good person and help out strangers on the subway, but those strangers are afraid of you because of how you look? I also wanted to highlight how expectations can often be wrong. So I came up with a tender-hearted athlete who is a poet.  A beautiful, privileged girl whose family is falling apart and taking her with them. But what also excited me about creating these characters was developing the romance, showing them connect despite and sometimes because of their differences.

And were there any struggles that you faced when you wrote the dynamic between the two of them?

I have to say that writing the scenes between Alex and Isa was the most enjoyable. Perhaps I gave that away already by admitting how much I love romance. My favorite scene might be the Halloween encounter. I thought of it about a nanosecond after coming up with the premise of strangers from opposite sides of the tracks meeting on the subway. I’m not going to give away any spoilers though! I really looked forward to building the attraction and the connection between Isa and Alex. Even showing them being nervous or upset at the other, doubting intentions, was fun. Writing the scenes where I had to pull them apart was tough. It definitely took an emotional toll on me! And I also struggled in editing because it turned out that I had written too many happy meet-on-the-subway scenes and had to cut some. It is always hard to ‘kill the babies’, as one editor described it.

Isa & Alex’s first encounter was simple, yet also told us a lot about them. And of course, their connection over shared music was adorable! What was the process behind writing this particular scene?

THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD is told from alternating points of view. The first chapter is from Isa’s perspective. From the beginning I knew that Isa was going to meet Alex because he was going to hold the door open for her on the subway. I also knew that Alex was going to protect her in some way and how that was going to play out. But another task for that chapter was to show who Isa was and make her sympathetic. That was more challenging for me because it had to come from Isa’s thoughts–exposition instead of action happening on the page. I rewrote that part–where Isa’s remembering her morning and how she got out of her apartment (and thereby introduces her mother and brother to the readers) so many times! But the part where Alex and Isa were together? Where she’s peeking at him and noticing how courteous he is and thinking he’s cute and he offers her his earbuds to listen to music? That was so much easier!

We understand that aside from the romance, this book is also family-focused and heavily featured Latinx representation. Is there any challenge that you went through when you were writing these issues? 

Going back to the theme of expectations, I wanted to explore stereotypes that exist even within a single group of people, in this case the Latinx population. They both speak Spanish, but Alex is brown and Isa is white. This is one source of tension in their relationship. I’ve known plenty of boys and men who are like Alex, including an old flame in college. But being white-passing, I identify more with Isa. I wanted to be sure that I was not misrepresenting Alex’s point of view, so I asked for help. We found two young men–one of whom could be Alex in ten years since he looks just like him and grew up in Washington Heights, and the other a YA writer himself–to read a draft and offer suggestions and comments. I’m sure there are individuals out there who would identify with Alex but might not agree with how Alex the character felt or acted, but that is the beauty of being an individual. We don’t always agree or act the same way. Depending on what happened to you this morning or who you are with, you yourself might make different choices or feel differently about an event. I was more interested in uncovering any unconscious bias of my own that might lead to misrepresentation and propagation of hurtful stereotypes. I did the same for the mental illness component of the story. Even though I have close friends as well as family with bipolar disorder, I spoke with psychiatrists and psychologists before and while writing THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD. We also asked an independent mental health expert to read a draft prior to publication. I wouldn’t call these challenges, per se, but they were extra steps that every responsible author would take to try to safeguard against inaccuracies that might lead to harm.

We’re incredibly excited for this book, as it’s in our list for most anticipated 2020 releases. For you, what’s your most anticipated titles for this year?

Oh my goodness, there are so many! Elizabeth Acevedo’s CLAP WHEN YOU LAND is high on my list. I will read anything that Liz writes–and listen to anything she narrates. If you haven’t heard her audiobooks yet, you MUST. Sarah J. Maas’s HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD, which is her first adult book, comes out this spring. I devoured all her YA books so I’m really looking forward to how she takes the leap to an adult-only audience. I’m also excited for Mayra Cuevas’s debut SALTY, BITTER, SWEET, a Latinx rom-com set in France. I had the honor of being asked to read an early draft, and this one is great, folks!  I.W. Gregorio’s next YA contemporary is also set to take the world by storm: THIS IS MY BRAIN ON LOVE. This romance deals with issues of racism and mental illness, just like THIS TRAIN IS BEING HELD–and I.W. Gregorio is a physician author like me! And speaking of physician authors–Kimmery Martin’s next adult novel, THE ANTIDOTE FOR EVERYTHING, comes out in March and I’ve already preordered it! I’m not sure how much writing I’m going to get done these next few months since I will be reading non-stop!

Lastly, what’s next for you?

I have a couple of projects I’m working on but nothing at the stage where I can share yet. (I’m superstitious about jinxing myself!) And, of course, I have about three other ideas for cooking. Stay tuned!

Will you be picking up This Train Is Being Held? Tell us in the comments below!

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