10 Middle Grade Books Set in Mexico

Me, Frida, and the Secret is the Peacock Ring by Angela Cervantes
Mystery and adventure collide when Paloma visits Mexico, her deceased father’s homeland –and it becomes much more than a summer vacation. Her new Spanish tutor and his sister ask for Paloma’s help to find Frida Kahlo’s missing peacock ring. But they don’t tell her that their dad is in jail for stealing the ring! Filled with information about Kahlo and Mexican cultural richness from mariachis to paletas, this is an excellent, atmospheric middle grade mystery.

What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
Mexican-American Clara Luna doesn’t know anything about her father’s Mexican heritage until she spends the summer with her grandparents in rural Mexico. There, she discovers the beauty of her grandparents’ lives and culture and grows into her own identity. This is one of my all-time favorite books with a LatinX character, and an excellent choice for teaching children to write using sensory images.

Santiago’s Road Home by Alexandra Diaz
Santiago is thrown out of his cruel tia’s home in rural Mexico with nowhere to go. He unexpectedly meets a kind woman and her daughter who let him join their journey to el Norte. Santiago is a keen survivor and helps them find a trustworthy coyote, but when their group is attacked, they must find the route without the coyote’s help. The heat and lack of water almost kill them but he and his adopted little sister are rescued and taken to internment camps. This book is amazing — unflinchingly honest about the situation of illegal immigrants with a heroic main character whom you’ll love.

Twin Cities by Jose Pimienta (GRAPHIC NOVEL)
Twins who live on the Mexico-US border make two different choices in middle school, separating for the first time. Fernando stays in Mexicali, Mexico and Teresa crosses the border every day to go to school in Calexico, United States. Their choices lead them down different paths with Fernando finding a friend who is a bad influence with prejudices and a drug business and Teresa commuting for hours and spending more hours doing homework. The story is interesting with appealing brightly colored artwork.

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs
Based on the true history of the author’s great-grandmother, this is a beautiful and important historical fiction story of hope, resiliency, and family set in historical Mexico, 1913. Petra Luna, her Abuela, her little sister, and her baby brother flee their home when Federales burn the village. Petra’s Abuelita calls reading and writing barefoot dreams, meaning they’re not meant to go far but when they’re helped by a female rebel captain, Petra reaffirms that she can be more than her Abuelita thinks — that she can keep her promise to save her family and realize her barefoot dreams, too. Their trials culminate in a harrowing and life-threatening experience as they wait with throngs of other people trying to cross the bridge into the United States before the Federales arrive on the Mexican side.

Lola written by Karla Arenas Valenti
Lola and her older brother Alex live in a house in Mexico City whose yard has a magical tree that blooms all year round, with different colored blooms for the seasons. But the tree and nearby plants have areas that are brown and dead… and whatever it infects Alex, too. Lola learns that she must travel to another world to save her brother and the tree. Accompanied by a chaneque, Lola embarks on an amazing adventure in a magical land with unexpected results. This is a heartfelt story of bravery, adventure, family, and grief with a plot twist you won’t see coming!

Eddie Red Undercover Mystery in Mayan Mexico by Marcia Wells
Eddie, his best friend Jonah, and his parents are on vacation in Mexico. When Eddie’s dad becomes the primary suspect in the theft of a stolen Mayan mask, so Eddie and Jonah decide to solve the mystery themselves. Only they don’t speak Spanish all that well, and there’s more to this mystery than just a stolen mask. You’ll love the Spanish words throughout, the well-paced action, and the characters.

Beast Rider by Tony Johnston and Maria Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
I couldn’t put this book down! It’s an eye-opening, powerful children’s middle grade book with a LatinX character with themes of growing up, immigration, and courage. Missing his older brother, 12-year-old Manuel decides to leave his family’s farm in Mexico for the United States. He hitches a ride ON TOP of a northbound speedy freight train and begins a long, awful, and beautiful journey.

Lotería by Karla Arenas Valenti, illustrated by Dana SanMar
Life and Lady Death, Catrina play their yearly Lotería game; this time, for a little girl’s life and debate about free will, love, hope, and fate while a story unfolds about a girl named Clara who lives in Oaxaca City with her family. After Clara draws a cool dragon for her little cousin Esteban, he notices the exact dragon drawing on the gigantic El Arbol de Tule. Before she can figure out why it’s there, Esteban’s mother dies, and Esteban is lured into a mythical world called Aztlan by El Diablo. Clara embarks on a perilous journey to find and save Esteban. On her journey, she learns about the power of her drawings — and makes the ultimate sacrifice for love.

Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God written by Karla Arenas Valenti, illustrated by Vanessa Morales
Although the publisher is suggesting this is a chapter book, the reading level feels more middle grade to me so I’d say it’s short middle grade. Twins Emma and Martin travel back to ancient Mexico during Aztec times where they meet an indigenous girl whose village is flooding due to torrential rain. To save the village, they must stop the angry rain god, Tlloc. But he won’t stop until the twins return his stolen lightning bolt.