The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
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4.3 • 21 Ratings
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL?
For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela’s restaurant. Maybe. But this summer also includes Carmen, a poetry enthusiast who moves into Arturo’s apartment complex and turns his stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn’t notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to change it. Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen, Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of José Martí.
Funny and poignant, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora is the vibrant story of a family, a striking portrait of a town, and one boy's quest to save both, perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a vibrant debut novel about family, friendship, and community, Cartaya introduces 13-year-old Arturo Zamora, whose mother runs the family's busy Miami restaurant, which overflows with cousins and customers. But it's the family's charismatic matriarch, Abuela, whose warmth makes every customer feel appreciated. Complications ensue with the arrival of Carmen, a family friend from Spain who stirs romantic feelings in Arturo, and after Arturo learns that the restaurant is being threatened by a developer's plans to build an upscale multi-use high-rise. In addition to Arturo's funny and candid narration, Cartaya's storytelling features Twitter exchanges, script-style dialogue, letters from Arturo's deceased Abuelo, and poetry by activist Jos Mart ; the dialogue smoothly shifts between English and Spanish, and readers unfamiliar with the latter should have no trouble using context to discern words and phrases they don't know. A memorable supporting cast bolsters Arturo as he tries to preserve the restaurant and his family's apartment complex, navigates his first romance, and learns more about his Cuban roots from the precious letters Abuela gives him. Ages 10 up.
Customer Reviews
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
This book displays the assets of community and love as Arturo travels through his hardest parts of life.
I would give this half a star if I could this book is gae
Pp
Goood book
This is a gooood boooook!