Pura Belpré Award Books

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe

By: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
Length: 11 hours 51 minutes

“This was just so darned delightful. I loved Moon, and her sharp retorts (she comes up with the best insults!), as well as her determination to succeed at her goals even though she constantly doubts herself. She and her twin sister, Star, are opposites in all ways. Star is the beautiful one, and Moon is not. Star is loved, and Moon is not. Star... Read more

Efren Divided

By: Ernesto Cisneros
Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
Length: 4 hours 32 minutes

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award!“We need books to break open our hearts, so that we might feel more deeply, so that we might be more human in these unkind times. This is a book doing work of the spirit in a time of darkness.” —Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street Efrén Nava’s Amá is his Superwoman—or Soperwoman, named after the... Read more

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat

By: Raúl The Third
Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
Length: 16 minutes

In this new ¡Vamos! title, 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 goes on a tour of food trucks that sell his favorite foods, like quesadillas with red peppers and Mexican-Korean tacos.... Read more

Furia

By: Yamile Saied Méndez
Narrated by: Sol Madariaga
Length: 8 hours 51 minutes

A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK
Recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal

One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read YA Books of 2020
A Best Book of the Year: Cosmopolitan * Kirkus Reviews * SheReads * New York Public Library 

“An engrossing #OwnVoices novel.”
—PopSugar

“This book will set your dreams on fire . . . It’s... Read more

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

A Sal and Gabi Novel: Book #1

By: Carlos Hernandez
Narrated by: Anthony Rey Perez
Length: 9 hours 34 minutes

“I listened to the incomparable audiobook of this delightful novel, and can't recommend it enough, especially for families who like to enjoy listening to books with their kids! This middle grade novel is funny, sharp, and wise, with incidental diversity of so many kinds without feeling like you're checking diversity points off a list. Anthony Rey... Read more

The Poet X

By: Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by: Elizabeth Acevedo
Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

“Acevedo's book is full of raw emotion, poetic descriptions, and gut-wrenching plot points. It explores themes of religious identity, female rage, and embracing a creative lifestyle in the immigrant Latinx community. READ it. Read IT. READ IT! NOW. Stop reading this and go read this book! Read more

Dreamers

By: Yuyi Morales & Eileen Truax
Narrated by: Adriana Sananes
Length: 14 minutes

In 1994, twenty-five-year-old Yuyi Morales traveled from her home in Yelapa, Mexico, to the San Francisco Bay Area with her two-month-old son, Kelly, in order to secure permanent residency in this country. Her passage was not easy, and she spoke no English whatsoever. But due in large measure to help and guidance provided by area children's... Read more

Juana & Lucas

Juana & Lucas: Book #1

By: Juana Medina
Narrated by: Almarie Guerra
Length: 49 minutes

Fans of Judy Moody and Clarice Bean will love Juana, the spunky young Colombian girl who stars in this playful new series.Juana loves many things—drawing, eating Brussels sprouts, living in Bogotá, Colombia, and especially her dog, Lucas, the best amigo ever. She does not love wearing her itchy school uniform, solving math problems, or going to... Read more

I Lived on Butterfly Hill

I Lived on Butterfly Hill

By: Marjorie Agosin
Narrated by: Kyla García
Length: 11 hours 30 minutes

Celeste Marconi is a dreamer. She lives peacefully among friends and neighbors and family in the idyllic town of Valparaiso, Chile—until one day when warships are spotted in the harbor and schoolmates start disappearing from class without a word. Celeste doesn't quite know what is happening, but one thing is clear: no one is safe, not... Read more

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

By: Meg Medina
Narrated by: Roxanne Hernandez
Length: 6 hours 50 minutes

“Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass.”That’s what some girl tells Piddy Sanchez one morning before school. Too bad Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui Delgado is, let alone what she’s done to piss her off. All Piddy knows is that Yaqui hates her—and she better watch her back because Yaqui isn’t kidding around.At first Piddy just focuses on trying... Read more

Under the Mesquite

By: Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Narrated by: Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Length: 2 hours 55 minutes

Lupita, the oldest of eight siblings, is used to taking the lead—and staying busy behind the scenes to help keep everyone together. But when she discovers Mami has been diagnosed with cancer, Lupita is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of their close-knit Mexican American
family. Suddenly Lupita must face a whole new... Read more

The Dreamer

By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Narrated by: Tony Chiroldes
Length: 3 hours 57 minutes

Tensions run high in the explosive 8th book of 39 Clues, the #1 New York Times bestselling series.Pura Belpre Award WinnerA tender, transcendent, and meticulously crafted novel from Newbery Honoree, Pam Munoz Ryan, and three-time Caldecott Honoree, Peter Sis!From the time he is a young boy, Neftali hears the call of a mysterious voice. Even when... Read more

Los Gatos Black On Halloween

By: Marisa Montes
Narrated by: Maria Conchita Alonso
Length: 7 minutes

The monsters crowd the Haunted Hall. Los monstruo throw a monstrous ball. This lively poem introduces a spooky array of creatures and Spanish words to little niños everywhere. Read more

Chato And The Party Animals

By: Gary Soto
Narrated by: Luis Guzman
Length: 11 minutes

Chato's friend, Novio Boy, has never had a birthday party. As a matter of fact, he doesn't even know when his birthday is because he's from the pound. So Chato, being the good friend that he is, decides to throw him one - a "pachanga, " and everyone is invited - including you! Read more

Chato's Kitchen

By: Gary Soto
Narrated by: Cheech Marin
Length: TBA

Chato invites a family of mice to his house to share a tasty meal but to his surprise ends up eating tortillas and not them for dinner! Read more

Esperanza Rising

By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Narrated by: Trini Alvarado
Length: 4 hours 42 minutes

When Esperanza and Mama are forced to flee to the bountiful region of Aguascalientes, Mexico, to a Mexican farm labor camp in California, they must adjust to a life without fancy dresses and servants they were accustomed to on Rancho de las Rosas. Now they must confront the challenges of hard work, acceptance by their own people, and economic... Read more

Saints of the Household

By: Ari Tison
Narrated by: Timothy Pabon & Alejandro Ruiz
Length: 4 hours 24 minutes

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.
Max and Jay have always depended on one another for their survival. Growing up with a physically abusive father, the two Bribri American brothers have... Read more

Mexikid

(Newbery Honor Award Winner)

By: Pedro Martín
Narrated by: Oscar Emmanuel Fabela, Omar Leyva, Cynthia Farrell, Kevin Orduño, Elena Rey, Avi Roque, Christophe Landa, Daisy Guevara, Alejandro Vargas-Lugo & Fernando Monroy
Length: 3 hours 25 minutes

Newbery Honor Book
Pura Belpré Author Award
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award
Odyssey Honor Audiobook
 
A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir—adapted for audio—about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their abuelito back from Mexico to live with them.

Pedro Martín has grown up hearing... Read more

Burn Down, Rise Up

By: Vincent Tirado
Narrated by: Julienne Irons
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes

Mysterious disappearances. An urban legend rumored to be responsible. And one group of friends determined to save their city at any cost. Stranger Things meets Jordan Peele in this utterly original debut from an incredible new voice.



For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old... Read more

The Last Cuentista

By: Donna Barba Higuera
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 8 hours 33 minutes

“It’s 2061. Because of their scientific expertise, Petra’s parents have been chosen to accompany a trio of spaceships to colonize a new planet, leaving behind their home—and Petra’s beloved abuelita—in New Mexico just before a comet hits Earth. But even before their ship lifts off, things aren’t going according to plan. Amid the worrying events... Read more