Publishers Weekly - Audio
★ 09/04/2017
Cartaya shines as both author and reader of the audio edition of his middle grade tale about the romantic pursuits and family life of 13-year-old Arturo Zamora. It’s summer in Miami and the young protagonist spends his days hanging with his abuela and cousins at his mother’s Cuban restaurant, playing basketball, and writing poetry to impress his love interest Carmen, a family friend and fellow poetry enthusiast. Cartaya nails the voices of various characters in Arturo’s extended family, all of whom are trying to save the family restaurant from a slippery, narcissistic property developer. Particularly entertaining is the over-the-top, passionate aunt who is prone to hysterical and unintentionally comical outbursts. Throughout, Cartaya’s performance gives voice to the sights and sounds of Miami, slipping comfortably back and forth between English and Spanish. Listeners will be glad that the end of the audio book, like the print version, features several key family recipes and instructive but funny details about how to bring those dishes to life. Ages 10–up. A Viking hardcover. (May)
Publishers Weekly
★ 05/15/2017
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 José Martí; 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. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (May)
From the Publisher
A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book
An E.B. White Read-Aloud Middle Reader Award finalist
A 2018 Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
Amazon Best Children's Books of 2017
Publishers Weekly Flying Start
Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction of 2017
Chicago Public Library Best Book on 2017
NYPL Best Books for Kids 2017
2017 Nerdy Book Award Winner
2018 Texas Lone Star Reading List Selection
2018-2019 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award Nominee
2018-2019 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee
Charlotte Observer Best Books of 2017 for Young Readers
News & Observer Best Books for Young Readers
Praise for The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya:
"Irresistibly exquisite."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"At turns funny, beautiful, and heartbreaking... engrossing."
—Booklist, starred review
"A vibrant debut novel about family, friendship, and community."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Pablo Cartaya's sensational debut is a love letter to boyhood, poetry, and family. Quite simply, this is the book I've been waiting for."
—Matt de la Peña, New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal–winning author of The Last Stop on Market Street
"This story of hope will make you laugh, cry, sigh, and cheer for brave Arturo and his whole cool familia. Along the way, you'll end up hungry for Cuban food, ravenous for poetry, and determined to stand up to bullies who try to destroy communities. ¡Bravo!"
—Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Surrender Tree
“In this story of family and community and the first blush of love, Pablo Cartaya weaves together a tenderness of poetry, food, and home. Our young hero Arturo reminds us of what counts in this life, and his story is a heart-song.”
—Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor winner, National Book Award finalist, and New York Times bestselling author
“Arturo Zamora proves that words have the power to win some of the biggest fights. The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora is an epic success!”
—Christina Diaz Gonzalez, award-winning author of The Red Umbrella
School Library Journal
03/01/2017
Gr 5–8—Arturo Zamora is determined to save his family's Cuban American restaurant, the decades-old hub of their Miami neighborhood, from an unscrupulous developer who seems to have bought city council approval for his land grab. Cartaya treats this subject with a mixture of humor and heartfelt nostalgia. The warmth and solidarity of Arturo's family and their deep relationships within their community are palpable. Arturo's confusion as he experiences his first pains of love for their summer houseguest leavens the sense of impending doom. Eventually, the neighborhood pulls itself together to preserve La Cocina de la Isla. Sprinkling his writing with Spanish, Cartaya incorporates mouthwatering descriptions of Cuban cuisine, the poetry of José Martí, and the general wackiness of young teens' friendships effortlessly into his narrative. VERDICT Touching and funny, this is an excellent middle grade novel about Cuban American life. For most collections.—Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY
MAY 2017 - AudioFile
Pablo Cartaya brings humor, poignancy, and a fresh voice to his reading of his audiobook. His prose is rich with imagery and honesty, and his cast of characters is bursting with warmth, personality, and passion. When Arturo’s family is threatened by a land developer, they must band together to protect their neighborhood. Through lively prose and a lyrical narration, Cartaya weaves a story of courage, food, family, and community. Each of Arturo’s family and friends is a unique character, but they’re joined by a thread of love and history, and Cartaya’s warm tone and energetic pacing serve to keep the story moving while providing the backstory. The sense of culture and place is rich, and the dialogue is refreshingly realistic. An ideal summer listen. K.S.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-03-06
"When you decide you're going to tell a girl you like her, you need galactic-level courage."Summer's bringing its share of changes for 13-year-old Arturo Zamora. Hanging out with friends, working part-time at his family's restaurant, La Cocina de la Isla, and joining in Sunday family dinners guarantees some fun times at the start of the hot season. But when a sleazy land developer named Wilfrido Pipo arrives in town to build an upscale high-rise right where La Cocina stands, derailing the Zamoras' plans to expand the family business, Arturo sees that his Miami neighborhood's in trouble. The money-grubbing intruder woos neighbors and old friends with gifts and a flashy festival. Now, Arturo's family and friends must fight back to stop Pipo, and these friends include Carmen, a spirited visiting Spaniard who stirs confusing, wonderful feelings within Arturo. "Lo mas importante, mi Arturito, es el amor y la fe," says Abuela. Concerned about his ailing grandmother, Arturo struggles to help save the restaurant she built, finding inspiration in two unlikely sources: a box full of letters from his long-departed grandfather and the revolutionary poetry of José Martí. Will Arturo discover the love and faith resting inside him? In this inspiring middle-grade debut, Cartaya presents a delightful portrayal of boyhood, skillfully navigating Arturo through the awkwardness, funniness, and messiness that often accompany young love. And in the author's depiction of the Zamoras—a mostly Cuban-American family full of distinct, lovable characters—the book also testifies to the importance of community. Irresistibly exquisite. (author's note, recipes) (Fiction. 10-14)
