Hispanic Heritage Month on Hoopla: Free Streaming

The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez (read by Robin Myles) drops you into the middle of the Panama Canal’s construction, where laborers, cooks, and dreamers collide in a story so sweeping it makes your average family drama look like a shrug. It’s historical fiction with actual stakes, including betrayal, ambition, and a canal that’s basically the world’s most dramatic construction project. 

A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar is proof that book lovers have always been troublemakers. Set during the Spanish Civil War, it follows a woman who risks everything to keep banned books circulating. Somewhere, your local librarian is nodding in solidarity. 

Signal to Noise proves Silvia Moreno-Garcia can make anything sound cool, including 1980s Mexico City and a mixtape that might be magic. Part coming-of-age story, part supernatural mystery, it’s the rare book that makes you want to dig out your old cassette collection immediately. Read by Kyla Garcia. 

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes needs no introduction, but here’s one anyway: it’s the original delusional-guy-fights-windmills story, and 400 years later it’s still funnier than most sitcoms. Bonus: you won’t believe how many of our present-day expressions come from this book (including “Thou hast seen nothing yet”). 

Miles Morales Vol. 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn gives us a Spider-Man who’s juggling homework, family, and the occasional supervillain, which honestly sounds harder than being Peter Parker ever had it. Saladin Ahmed writes Miles with heart and humor, proving the mask fits differently on everyone who wears it. Illustrated by Javier Garron. 

America Vol. 1: The Life and Times of America Chavez follows a tough, powerhouse teen superhero in her own adventure, and it’s a wild one. Between fighting interdimensional monsters and shutting down a weird alien fan cult, she’s just trying to start college. Oh, and there’s a World War II field trip with a certain shield-wielding hero. By Gabby Rivera and illustrated by Joe Quinones. 

Daytripper by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon is the kind of graphic novel that sneaks up on you emotionally. Each chapter imagines a different possible ending for the same man’s life, and it’s very likely to make you cry (or so we’ve been told…). 

Voices That Count is a graphic novel anthology that brings together nine short comics from talented Spanish creators, all exploring what it means to be a woman today. From workplace gender gaps to unrealistic beauty standards, it features honest, empowering, and thought-provoking storytelling worth checking out. 

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It documents the EGOT-winning icon’s decades-long career, and yes, that’s every major award show trophy in one trophy case. If you need proof that talent and sheer stubbornness can outlast Hollywood’s nonsense, this is it. 

Ixcanul is a quiet, stunning Guatemalan indie film that follows a Mayan family living and working on a coffee plantation near an active volcano, blending everyday life with folklore and tradition. It’s a quiet, powerful look at a fading way of life and the people holding onto it. 

Mirada by Ivan Cornejo is heartbreak set to música mexicana, the kind of album best enjoyed while dramatically staring out a car window, even if you’re just driving to the grocery store. 

In the Heights: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Lin-Manuel Miranda will get stuck in your head for the rest of the month, and you will not mind one bit. 

MasterClass Presents Gabriela Cámara Teaches Mexican Cooking features a James Beard Award-winning chef who walks you through real technique, so your homemade salsa can be even more impressive. 

Mexican Street Food: Tacos and Salsas helps you make street tacos and bold salsas under the guidance of executive chef Deborah Schneider. You’ll master charring and roasting for big flavor, try unexpected ingredients like Coca-Cola, and even whip up homemade tortillas. Great for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.