CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Rosa by Any Other Name

by Hailey Alcaraz

CCBC Review:

Mexican American Rosa is passing as white to attend a Phoenix high school that will help her get into college to study journalism. It’s 1955, and Brown v. Board of Education has been legislated, but that doesn’t mean going to the all-white school is easy. Rosa aims to lie low until graduation. When she discovers that Julianne (white), her only friend at school, is dating Ramón, her longtime best friend, Rosa is dismayed. She’s also angry with their idealistic plan to attend the school dance as an interracial couple. Rosa knows the danger this could provoke but reluctantly agrees to participate by going to the dance with Tim, a white football player, while pretending to be Ramón’s date for the benefit of Julianne’s parents. The worst-case scenario unfolds when Julianne’s father, the sheriff, sees through the charade and shoots Ramón, accidentally hitting and killing Julianne as well. He claims that the shots were fired to prevent Ramón kidnapping his daughter, and as the sole eyewitness, only Rosa can challenge his statement. Ramón’s brother Marco invites Rosa to attend a meeting of activists, where she becomes inspired by their campaign to fight racism and oppression and drawn into a romance with Marco. Quiet Rosa discovers her courage and voice when she speaks out about the murders and the sheriff’s cover-up. Her journey from the sidelines to public activist highlights the slow pace of cultural change lagging behind legal milestones while demonstrating the hope found in community engagement. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Novel
Subjects: 20th Century Activism and Resistance Community Death and Dying Historical Fiction Love and Romance Mexicans and Mexican Americans Racism School Truth and Lies Violence
Diversity subject: Latine
On CCBC Booklists: School Stories: Selected PreK-12 Literature about the School Experience Race and Racism: Selected Books for Pre-K to Grade 12

Publishers: Penguin Random House, Viking
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 408
ISBN: 9780593525579
CCBC Location: Fiction, Alcaraz

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