YA Friday: Encanto

This YA Friday we’re highlighting YA books, middle grade books, and graphic novels for fans of the Disney film Encanto.  From magical realism to magical gifts, saving others to saving yourself, this booklist has something for a wide range of readers.

 

A book recommendation poster titled "Recommended reads for fans of... Encanto." The featured book is "A Dash of Trouble" from the series "Love Sugar Magic." The book cover shows a young girl surrounded by magical elements in a bakery setting. Text describes the plot.

Love Sugar Magic A Dash of Trouble

Leonora Logroño’s family owns the most beloved bakery in Rose Hill, Texas, spending their days conjuring delicious cookies and cakes for any occasion. And no occasion is more important than the annual Dia de los Muertos festival.

Leo hopes that this might be the year that she gets to help prepare for the big celebration—but, once again, she is told she’s too young. Sneaking out of school and down to the bakery, she discovers that her mother, aunt, and four older sisters have in fact been keeping a big secret: they’re brujas—witches of Mexican ancestry—who pour a little bit of sweet magic into everything that they bake.

 

 

A book cover features two animated characters, Sal and Gabi, under the title "Sal & Gabi Break the Universe" by Carlos Hernandez. The background is vibrant with a magical theme. Text beside the cover suggests this book is recommended for fans of "Encanto.

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe

What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)?

When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared.

 

 

An image of a book cover for "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera with a descriptive text about the story. The cover is vibrant with blues and oranges, featuring an illustrated face. The text hints at a science-fiction adventure with themes of storytelling and memory.

The Last Cuentista

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra’s world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity’s past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

 

 

A book recommendation for fans of Encanto features the book "Ghost Squad" by Claribel A. Ortega. The cover displays two children with a magical and ghostly background. The text highlights the adventure involving Halloween, spirits, and family dynamics.

Ghost Squad

Shortly before Halloween, Lucely and her best friend, Syd, cast a spell that accidentally awakens malicious spirits, wreaking havoc throughout St. Augustine. Together, they must join forces with Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and her tubby tabby, Chunk, to fight the haunting head-on and reverse the curse to save the town and Lucely’s firefly spirits before it’s too late.

With the family dynamics of Coco and action-packed adventure of Ghostbusters, Claribel A. Ortega delivers both a thrillingly spooky and delightfully sweet debut novel.

 

 

An image showing a book recommendation for fans of "Encanto." The book is "The Witch Boy" by Molly Ostertag. The cover features a boy with magical abilities. Text alongside provides a summary about Aster, a boy defying gender norms to pursue witchery.

The Witch Boy

In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help — as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

 

 

Book recommendation graphic for fans of "Encanto." It features the cover of "Cemetery Boys" by Aiden Thomas, depicting three characters and a ghost. The text describes the plot where a trans boy summons a ghost to prove himself a true brujo, but the ghost won't leave.

Cemetery Boys

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.

However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school’s resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He’s determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

 

 

Recommended reads for fans of "Encanto." Book cover for "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez, showing a girl with green hair and a lightning bolt shirt. Text describes the protagonist, Malú, navigating a new school and embracing her punk rock identity.

The First Rule of Punk

There are no shortcuts to surviving your first day at a new school—you can’t fix it with duct tape like you would your Chuck Taylors. On Day One, twelve-year-old Malú (María Luisa, if you want to annoy her) inadvertently upsets Posada Middle School’s queen bee, violates the school’s dress code with her punk rock look, and disappoints her college-professor mom in the process. Her dad, who now lives a thousand miles away, says things will get better as long as she remembers the first rule of punk: be yourself

Black and white illustrations and collage art throughout make The First Rule of Punk a perfect pick for fans of books like Roller Girl and online magazines like Rookie.

 

 

An image displaying a book recommendation for fans of "Encanto." The book featured is "Paola Santiago and the River of Tears" by Tehlor Kay Mejia. The cover shows a girl reaching out towards a shadowy figure in water, with vibrant colors and mystical elements.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears

Space-obsessed 12-year-old Paola Santiago and her two best friends, Emma and Dante, know the rule: Stay away from the river. It’s all they’ve heard since a schoolmate of theirs drowned a year ago. Pao is embarrassed to admit that she has been told to stay away for even longer than that, because her mother is constantly warning her about La Llorona, the wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night, looking for young people to drag into its murky depths.

Hating her mother’s humiliating superstitions and knowing that she and her friends would never venture into the water, Pao organizes a meet-up to test out her new telescope near the Gila, since it’s the best stargazing spot. But when Emma never arrives and Pao sees a shadowy figure in the reeds, it seems like maybe her mom was right. . . .

Pao has always relied on hard science to make sense of the world, but to find her friend she will have to enter the world of her nightmares, which includes unnatural mist, mind-bending monsters, and relentless spirits controlled by a terrifying force that defies both logic and legend.

 

 

Image featuring the book 'Nightlights' by Lorena Alvarez. The cover shows a young girl with a glowing book, surrounded by mystical creatures and whimsical drawings. The text promotes 'Nightlights' as a recommended read for fans of 'Encanto.'.

Nightlights

Every night, tiny stars appear out of the darkness in little Sandy’s bedroom. She catches them and creates wonderful creatures to play with until she falls asleep, and in the morning brings them back to life in the whimsical drawings that cover her room.

One day, Morfie, a mysterious pale girl, appears at school. And she knows all about Sandy’s drawings…

Nightlights is a beautiful story about fear, insecurity, and creativity, from the enchanting imagination of Lorena Alvarez.


Posted: March 4, 2022

Categories: For Kids, For Teens