A useful guide to woman-centric novels, poetry collections and short stories for librarians, readers and teachers alike! Create a shelf display or find your next read. Secrets of the Casa Rosada Sixteen-year-old Martha and her mother move constantly, never staying anywhere for long. So she knows better than to ask if they’ve been evicted again when her mom says they’re going on a “vacation” to Laredo, Texas, to meet the grandmother Martha didn’t know existed. At her Abuela’s pink house, Martha’s shocked and hurt when her mom abandons her, even though a part of her had been expecting it. Suddenly, Martha must deal with a lifestyle that is completely foreign. And it turns out that her grandmother is revered as a healer, or curandera. Meanwhile, at Martha’s new school, she can’t be anonymous because everyone knows she’s Doña González’s granddaughter, and a girl named Marcella has it out for her. …

We’re celebrating Women’s History Month by highlighting these books about inspirational Latina women throughout history! There’s poetry, academic and general interest texts. Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry Diagnosed with scleroderma at 22 and lupus just six years later, Jasminne Méndez’ life becomes a roller coaster of doctor visits, medical tests and procedures. Staring at EKG results that look like hieroglyphics, she realizes that she doesn’t want to understand them: “The language of a life lived with chronic illness is not something I want to adapt to. I cannot let this hostile vocabulary hijack my story.” In this stirring collection of personal essays and poetry, Méndez shares her story, writing about encounters with the medical establishment, experiences as an Afro Latina and longing for the life she expected but that eludes her. Seasons of Rebels and Roses Ranging from Puerto Rico to Cuba and the United States, Virginia Sánchez-Korrol’s  engaging novel …