How to Speak in Spanglish

Written by Monica Mancillas
Illustrated by Olivia de Castro
Published by Penguin Young Readers Group

Sami loves to speak both English and Spanish. But he doesn’t just speak them one at a time. He speaks in Spanglish! Sometimes, he makes brand-new words—like “lonche”—and sometimes, he puts the languages together in one sentence, like when he’s hungry for jamberguers con papas fritas.

But not everyone likes Spanglish. Abuela thinks that Spanish should be spoken at home and English at school. And to make matters more complicated, Sami’s not allowed to write his homework in Spanglish.

At first, Sami feels confused and frustrated. But with the support of his family, friends, and neighbors, Sami soon realizes that his unique identity should be celebrated. Hooray, muy bien, Sami!