THE LATINA BOOK CLUB

    This year, the International Latino Book Awards were presented during the American Librarians Association Conference in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 29.   (Viva Las Libraries!)  The list of winners contains some of my favorite authors and some new ones I look forward to reading.  I especially look forward to reading the two winning books by Shanaya Fastje and Alina Gonzalez, both 14-years-old with a lot of confidence and charm. Below are some of the winners: Best Young Adult Fiction Book – English Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, Meg Medina; Candlewick Press; Cuba Best Young Adult Fiction Book – Spanish or Bilingual La Guarida de las Lechuzas, Antonio Ramos Revillas; Ediciones El Naranjo; México Most Inspirational Young Adult Book Salvation, Anne Osterlund; Penguin Group; USA Best Book Written by a Youth Bully in the Mirror, Shanaya Fastje; Changing Lives Press; USA Best Poetry Book Written by a Youth ...

the poet shouted one last grito de Dolores para her mam á and all the women who came before her who carved the path and created this red road to follow every one stood on their feet and threw a grito con orgullo Panocha!   Power! Personal. Familial. Cultural. CHOPPER! CHOPPER!   is dramatic and bold.   This collection will "seep into (our) sue ñ os" and "linger on (our) everyday thoughts," which is why it is a Finalist for Best Poetry Book in the 2014 International Latino Book Awards.     Ver ó nica Reyes paints intimate portraits of her East L.A. neighborhood, family and local haunts with daring rhythm and raw sensuality.   The neighborhood may have clear borders, but the collection's themes are universal -- love, friendship, survival and sexual freedom.     Panocha Power is paramount in this collection.   From the Marimacha strutting down Whittier Boulevard to the Super Queer sipping Kahlua on Santa Monica to the Xic...