When sixteen-year-old Monica and her widowed father go back to Los Angeles, reluctantly moving from a wealthy neighborhood to the barrio house her mother grew up in, Monica tries to locate a missing neighbor, and in the process learns about her mother's past.

For use in schools and libraries only. Monica discovers a mysterious letter forgotten since her mother's death. She is drawn into a web of questions surrounding the disappearance of her neighbor, El Pintor.

When a mysterious and valuable guitar is stolen from the shop belonging to old friends of her family, Monica determines to find out what really happened and to uncover the guitar's well-kept secret.

There has been a dramatic increase in the amount of narrative work published by Chicana and Latina authors in the past 5 to 10 years. Nonetheless, there has been little attempt to catalog this material. This reference provides convenient access to all forms of narrative written by Chicana and Latina authors from the early 1940s through 2002. In doing so, it helps users locate these works and surveys the growth of this vast body of literature. The volume cites more than 2,750 short stories, novels, novel excerpts, and autobiographies written by some 600 Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, Dominican American, and Nuyorican women authors. These citations are grouped in five indexes: an author/title index, title/author index, anthology index, novel index, and autobiography index. Short annotations are provided for the anthologies, novels, and autobiographies. Thus the user who knows the title of a work can discover the author, the other works the author has written, and the anthologies in which the author's shorter pieces have been reprinted, along with information about particular works.

Sixteen-year-old Maggie Cruz leaves her mother's and stepfathers's big city Los Angeles home in order to lead a simpler life in her grandfather's small town house and gains fresh perspective on her life.

This revised edition of an award-winning resource celebrates the lives and works of 35 Latina and Latino authors who write for today's young readers. Expanded to include 12 additional authors, updated information on the original 23 authors profiled, and 135 new titles, this comprehensive reference tool helps teachers, librarians, and parents stay current on one of the most dynamic areas of contemporary literature. Both established and emerging voices are profiled. Personal quotes and photographs introduce each biographical essay, presenting information gathered through interviews, personal communications, and research. A complete list of all books and works written by the author is included along with publication information. Annotations are provided for most of the titles, along with information on major themes, awards won, and recommended age levels. Evaluating Books for Bias provides helpful guidelines for examining and selecting books from a pluralistic perspective. Appendices offer further helpful information about the field, including special awards honoring books by Latinas and Latinos, a calendar of holidays and special days celebrated by the Latino community, and listings of related resources and organizations. The author has also compiled ideas for classroom activities and ways for librarians to extend the literary experience. A title index and extensive topic index—including themes, curricular areas, and genres—help in planning story sessions and study units. This is a multipurpose resource for anyone who wants to help young readers connect with contemporary literature in a meaningful way.

The first book in English exclusively devoted to an analysis of the films of one of Spain's most important film directors, V'ctor Erice. Drawing on original essays, reprints, and new translations from an international group of writers, this anthology will help open a window into a deeper appreciation of Erice's three haunting feature-length films.