Hispanic Heritage Month Highlight: The Mendez Family's Fight Against School Segregation
September 15–October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! To celebrate, we're sharing the story of Sylvia Mendez and her family, who led a groundbreaking legal fight to end school segregation in California. Their case, Mendez v. Westminster, helped pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education and showed how courage, community, and determination can spark lasting change in the fight for educational equality.
September 15–October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! To celebrate, we encourage you to check out a book that features Hispanic and Latino history, individuals, and experiences at the forefront.
These recommendations feature a variety of cultural backgrounds, fiction and nonfiction genres, and unique perspectives for students of all ages. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3-K–Grade 2)
- Anita and the Dragons, by Hannah Carmona; illustrated by Anna Cunha
- The Coquíes Still Sing: A Story of Home, Hope, and Rebuilding, by Karina Nicole Gonzalez; illustrated by Krystal Quiles
- Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln, by Margarita Engle; illustrated by Rafael López
- Gustavo, the Shy Ghost, by Flavia Z. Drago
- Mango, Abuela, and Me, by Meg Medina; illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- Cuba in My Pocket, by Adrianna Cuevas
- Ghost Squad, by Claribel A. Ortega
- I Lived On Butterfly Hill, by Marjorie Agosin; illustrated by Jee White
- Lupe Wong Won't Dance, by Donna Barba Higuera
- Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and her Family's Fight for Desegregation, by Duncan Tonatiuh
- Our Government Works for YOU, by Elenor Roosevelt with Michelle Markel; illustrated by Grace Lin
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Before We Were Free, by Julia Alvarez
- The Bluest Sky, by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
- The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
- The Insiders, by Mark Oshiro
- Iveliz Explains It All, by Andrea Beatriz Arango
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, by Jennifer De Leon
- Furia, by Yamile Saied Mendez
- The Grief Keeper, by Alexandra Villasante
- When We Make It, by Elisabet Velasquez
- Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the Latinx Diaspora, edited by Saraciea J. Fennell
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more recommendations in the Hispanic Heritage Month Collection on Sora!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
The first week of the 2026–27 school year was certainly one for the books! From the debut of our City's new 2-K program, the implementation of our guidelines concerning the use of student-facing generative artificial intelligence, and the grand opening of the world's first-ever non-charter high school dedicated to hip hop, NYC Public Schools are already making plenty of history—and we're not even done with September!
Check out some of our photos from the first days of the new school year—and join us in welcoming everyone back to school!
