Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: '¡Su voto es su voz!': Willie Velásquez, Champion for Voting Rights
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing our Hidden Voices profile of Willie Velásquez, the charismatic Mexican American grassroots activist who worked to ensure equal voting rights for Latinos in the United States while also galvanizing Latinos towards participating in the U.S. political process at the local, statewide, and national levels.
Monday, September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox—the official first day of fall! Whether your favorite part of the season is enjoying everything pumpkin spice, celebrating harvest festivals, watching the leaves change colors, or getting spooked by ghost stories, we call all agree that one of the best parts of fall is curling up with a good book! That’s why we’re sharing some of our favorite fall reads for students of all ages. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- Fall Frolic in the City, by Cathy Goldberg Fishman; illustrated by Melanie Hall
- Harvest Days, by Kate DePalma; illustrated by Martina Peluso
- New Year at the Pier, by April Halprin Wayland; illustrated by Stephane Jorisch
- Summer Green to Autumn Gold, by Mia Posada
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- Ghost Squad, by Claribel A. Ortega
- Jasmine is Haunted, by Mark Oshiro
- Scritch Scratch, by Lindsay Currie
- Witches of Brooklyn, by Sophie Escabasse
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
- Shirley and Jamila’s Big Fall, by Gillian Goerz
- Thirteens, by Kate Alice Marshall
- Wildwood, by Colin Meloy
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Cemetery Boys, by Aiden Thomas
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely, by Brigid Kemmerer
- The Fall of Whit Rivera, by Crystal Maldonado
- Pumpkinheads, by Rainbow Rowell; illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more great recommendations in the Fairytales, Folklore, & Mythology on Sora, which features stories about witches, ghosts, and more!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
On September 4, NYC public schools across the five boroughs opened their doors for the first day of the 2025–26 school year. Check out some of our favorite moments from the first week of the new academic year, and join us as we wish all of our returning students and staff members a wonderful start!
