Teens Read Multicultural

Estrella's Quinceañera By Alegría, Malín (Book - 2006)

Annotation:260 p. (Gr 7-10) When Estrella takes the bus from her Eastside San Jose barrio to her “scholarship” private school, it’s like another world. She tries to keep her two lives separate, but when her mom starts planning her dreaded Quinceañera, (15th birthday party), the two worlds collide.

Fresh off the Boat By De la Cruz, Melissa (Book - 2005)

Annotation:243 p. (Gr 7-11) Vicenza still doesn’t understand why her family had to leave their rich life in the Philippines to come to California, where they’re barely scraping by. All she wants is a normal life with friends, boys, and fun. Can she really find what she wants by lying and sneaking around?

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow By Guène, Faïza (Book - 2006)

Annotation:291 p. (Gr 9-12) Presents life through the eyes of Doria, a spunky but isolated Moroccan girl, dealing with poverty and other problems facing Arab-French immigrants in a tough housing project outside of Paris.

Nothing but the Truth (and A Few White Lies) By Headley, Justina Chen (Book - 2006)

Annotation:241 p. (Gr 8-12) Patty is half Taiwanese and half white, and fitting in has always been hard for her. This summer her overbearing mother has sent her to math camp at Stanford. Patty learns more about herself, her family, and culture – and also raises her math scores.

Crossing the Wire By Hobbs, Will (Book - 2006)

Annotation:216 p. (Gr 7-9) Fifteen-year-old Victor Flores leaves the poverty of his village in Central Mexico and faces the dangers of an illegal border crossing to find work in the United States.

Sold By McCormick, Patricia (Book - 2006)

Annotation:263 p. (Gr 9-12) Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi is sold to a brothel in Calcutta by her gambling addicted stepfather.

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood By Sáenz, Benjamin Alire (Book - 2006)

Annotation:291 p. (Gr 9-12) A 16-year-old Chicano boy living in Hollywood, New Mexico during the late 1960s deals with a doomed romance, the Vietnam War, and various forms of prejudice around him.

Goy Crazy A Novel By Schorr, Melissa (Book - 2006)

Annotation:344 p. (Gr 8-12) Rachel finally has a boyfriend. The problem is she thinks her parents won’t approve because he isn't Jewish. In order to hide her relationship, she uses her neighbor Howard as a cover-up. She wonders, however, if she could really be falling for Howard instead.

Swimming in the Monsoon Sea By Selvadurai, Shyam (Book - 2005)

Annotation:274 p. (Gr 7-12) It’s 1980 in Sri Lanka. Fourteen-year-old Amrith finally meets his Canadian cousin, Niresh, who leads him to question his life with his adopted family.

Cubanita By Triana, Gaby (Book - 2005)

Annotation:195 p. (Gr 10+) College-bound Miami native Isabel Diaz resolves the constant cultural clash with her Cuban-born mom.

Seeing Emily By Lee Wong, Joyce (Book - 2005)

Annotation:268 p. (Gr 9-12) The life of Emily Wu is explored in free verse. Emily loves art, talking with her friends and the hot new guy at school, but has trouble dealing with her parents and cultural identity.

American Born Chinese By Yang, Gene Luen (Book - 2006)

Annotation:233 p. (Gr 7+) A Monkey King who wants to be a god, an Asian American teen who wants to fit in, and an all-American jock who wants to be rid of his stereotypical Chinese cousin. Three interrelated stories explore the common theme of self-image and self-acceptance in this award-winning graphic novel.