Books with Hispanic or Latin American characters/settings

My son is 12 years old and has been in a Spanish immersion program since Kindergarten. He reads widely and often. I'd love to find some books (in English) that are set in Latin America or have Spanish speaking people as the main characters. I'd like to read them too. Hence, the English request. He has already read Free Baseball and Tia Lola. He has probably read some others, of which I am unaware.

Thanks for any help you can give!

I haven't yet read Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older, but I heard it is very good!

Shadowshaper is a good book with characters whose families are from the Caribbean. The Lightning Dreamer by Margarita Engle is a historical fiction novel in verse about a young woman in Cuba who became an influential abolitionist. Ms. Engle's memoir Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings is about growing up as a Cuban American. I also would suggest books by Matt de la Pena. Also, The Smoking Mirror by David Bowles is a fun fantasy novel based in Mexican mythology. You might also want to look at books by Pam Munoz Ryan and Sandra Cisneros.

Hope this helps! You might also want to talk to your local children's or teen librarian. Matching people to good books is a big part of our job. (Says the Teen Librarian . . . )

I second Matt de la Pena and Pam Munoz Ryan.

Francisco Jimenez has a series of books that are good. Will Hobbs' Crossing the Border is an excellent look at illegal immigration and why some choose to cross the border.