Barss, Karen. Fireworks for All. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

For Martha and the other dogs in town, Saturday-night fireworks are the worst part of summer—they are so scary to canines with their sensitive ears! Crabby Mrs. Demson couldn’t agree more. In fact, she’s collecting signatures for a petition to ban fireworks, and Martha is happy to add her pawprint to the list. But when Helen and her friends are devastated about the fireworks ban, Martha realizes that she helped Mrs. Demson ruin their fun. Can Martha find a way to reverse the ban and still protect her doggy ears?

Flora, James. The Fabulous Firework Family. M.K. McElderry Books, 1994.

The Fabulous Firework Family tells the story of Mexican children, Pepito and Amelia, and their family, who create pyrotechnic displays. With the inclusion of some Spanish vocabulary and colorful illustrations, this picture book tells of a firework festival honoring a patron saint.

Medine, Meg. The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind. Candlewick Press, 2012.

All her life, Sonia has been asked to pray for sick mothers or missing sons, as worried parents and friends press silver milagros in her hands. Sonia knows she has no special powers, but how can she disappoint those who look to her for solace? Still, her conscience is heavy, so when she gets a chance to travel to the city and work in the home of a wealthy woman, she seizes it. At first, Sonia feels freedom in being treated like all the other girls. But when news arrives that her beloved brother has disappeared while looking for work, she learns to her sorrow that she can never truly leave the past or her family behind.

Stork, Francisco X. Disappeared. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books, 2017.

Sara, a reporter at her Mexican hometown, writes a column in the local newspaper detailing numerous cases of abducted young girls in Cuidad Juárez, including her best friend Linda. When the young woman receives a coded email message hinting at her friend’s whereabouts and captors, she investigates further and discovers how deeply the corruption and criminality runs in her city. Her brother, Emiliano, lives a normal life focusing on soccer, his crush Perla Rubi, and a budding artisanal crafts business.