Spanish Book Recommendations by Level

Quick Answer

Whether you are a student looking to keep up with your Spanish over summer break or a teacher in need of books to stock your classroom library, this list of Spanish book recommendations will help you find the perfect book for every level.

ACTFL Levels

This guide gives book recommendations for each of the three major levels of proficiency on the ACTFL scale: novice, intermediate, and advanced. These levels are then broken down into subgroups: low, mid, and high.

For each level there are 2-3 recommendations, one of them specifically for Spanish teachers. At the novice level, we recommend bilingual and TPRS books to pique student interest and engagement. As students move up the proficiency scale, it is important that teachers continue using engaging books so students don’t completely lose interest as the books become more challenging.

(ACTFL: The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages; TPRS: Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling)

Novice

ACTFL Level	Description	Classic Spanish Books	Bilingual books	Teacher's Choice
Novice low	I can identify memorized or familiar words when they are supported by gestures or visuals in fictional texts.	Papeluchoby Marcela Paz	Los tres cerditos	Pobre Anaby Blaine Ray
Novice mid	I can identify some basic facts from memorized or familiar words and phrases when they are supported by gestures or visuals in fictional texts.	Cuentos de la selvaby Horacio Quiroga	El principito	Esperanzaby Pam Muñoz Ryan
Novice high	I can identify the topic and some isolated elements from simple sentences in short fictional texts.	Auraby Carlos Fuentes	Short Stories in Spanish: New Penguin Parallel Text edited by John R. King	Vida o muerte en el Cuscoby Lisa Ray Turner and Blaine Ray

Intermediate

ACTFL Level	Description	Classic Spanish Books	Teacher's Choice
Intermediate low	I can identify the topic and related information from simple sentences in short fictional texts.	La vida imaginariaby Mara Torres	Vida y muerte en la Mara SalvatruchaAnónimo
Intermediate mid	I can understand the main idea and key information in short straightforward fictional texts.	Como agua para chocolateby Laura Esquivel	La ciudad de las bestiasby Isabel Allende
Intermediate high	I can usually follow the main story and actions expressed in various time frames in paragraph-length fictional texts.	La casa de los espíritusby Isabel Allende	La vida de Lazarillo de TormesAnónimo

Advanced

ACTFL Level	Description	Classic Spanish Books	Teacher's Choice
Advanced low	I can follow the main story and some supporting detail across major time frames in fictional texts.	El amor en los tiempos de cóleraby Gabriel García Márquez	Cuando era puertorriqueñaby Esmeralda Santiago
Advanced mid	I can follow the main story and most supporting details across major time frames in fictional texts.	La sombra del vientoby Carlos Ruiz Zafón	Bodas de sangreby Federico García Lorca
Advanced high	I can follow the flow of ideas and some nuances from different viewpoints in most fictional texts.	Cien años de soledadby Gabriel García Márquez	Don Quijote de la Manchaby Miguel de Cervantes