The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

by Pablo Cartaya

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
584	17	41,132	(3.83)	5
Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:A 2018 Pura Belpr� 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 Jos� Mart�. 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.… (more)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

JenniferBeard, ritaray1979, K_dubs18, C-LAD, LimestoneCS, MsBlickenstaff, clairehowellrla, smithlibraryrisd, MrsPlappert

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Lists

Books Read in 2023 (2,094)

6th Grade (48)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 5 mentions

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)

Book for intermediate children's. Chapter book but easy to follow. The main character works at his family restaurant when a developer comes into town and tries to take down his family restaurant to put in a shopping mall. Arturo must work with his friends to save the day.
good book for a school library for kids to read on their own time.

Brianna.phelps | Mar 11, 2024 |

A 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, Pablo Cartaya delves into the heart of the gentrification debate, unveiling profound insights in his captivating and heartfelt debut novel. The novel follows the journey of a thirteen-year-old boy as he navigates his family's path in an ever-evolving world. This tale explores the essence of identity, our origins and the choices that shape our aspirations. As Arturo unravels the rich history of his Cuban American heritage, he not only gains a deeper understanding of himself but also emerges as a vital voice within his family and community. With his newfound confidence, Arturo spearheads discussions about the potential changes and growth of their neighborhood, leaving an indelible mark on the ongoing dialogue. (

)

rebecamp | Jul 13, 2023 |

This book is for middle school aged students. This is a story about a young boy Arturo, who is excited to relax all summer in his home of Miami, even if he has to work some shifts at his family's restaurant La Cocina as a dishwasher. However, some trouble comes into his plan fir a perfect summer when he discovers the plan of a new developer in town: to take over the property his familia has for their restaurant to turn it into a new development for the community. Arturo is horrified; he acan't let this new man take over the restaurant that is central to his family. He must stop it!
This book was a Pura Belpre honor book because of its illustration of the Latino experience in the United States and the cultural values that are portrayed with this story. It was such an engaging read and it was so interesting to hear about the intertwine of the Latino experience in this book told from the perspective of a young boy. I highly recommend this read for middle school students, on independent time.

ehayes22 | Mar 2, 2023 |

I liked this story and the characters in it, but for some reason they never quite came off the page for me. It felt like I was hearing someone tell me about people they know instead of really meeting them myself. (

)

kamlibrarian | Dec 23, 2022 |

children's middlegrade fiction - 13 y.o. Arturo in Miami falls for a family friend visiting from Spain, tries to save his family restaurant from being demolished in favor of a fancy high-rise building.

Lots of family and community love in here, keep some tissues handy for sure. (

)

reader1009 | Jun 19, 2022 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors

▾Series and work relationships

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Amazon Best Children's Books (2017)

Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature (Commended Title – 2018)

Audie Award (Finalist – Middle Grade – 2018)

CSMCL Best Multicultural Book (2017)

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Honor Book – Middle Reader – 2018)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist – Grades 6-8 – 2019)

Lectio Book Award (Nominee – 2019)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2020)

Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee – Middle School – 2021)

Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Junior – 2020)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Grades 6-8 – 2021)

Pura Belpré Award (Honor Book – Narrative – 2018)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee – 2020)

Rhode Island Middle School Book Award (Nominee – 2020)

Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee – Grades 6-8 – 2019)

Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee – 2019)

Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee – Middle School – 2020)

Distinctions

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (Fiction – 2017)

Notable Lists

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

“But love, like the sun that it is,

sets afire and melts everything.”

—José Martí

THOUGHTS: ON LIBERTY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, GOVERNMENT, ART, AND MORALITY

(translated by Carlos Ripoll)

Dedication

To Abuela and Abuelo,

this is my love letter to you.

First words

I'm officially resigning on love.

Quotations

Love is two spirits meeting, joining together, holding each other, helping raise each other from the earth. It is born in the journey of looking for each other, fed by the need to be together. It is incapable of ever breaking apart! Love is not a tempestuous sea; it is a calm river. It is not a bonfire but a quiet ember. It is not an abrupt end; it is peace.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

de la Peña, Matt

Engle, Margarita

Appelt, Kathi

Diaz Gonzalez, Christina

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:A 2018 Pura Belpr� 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 Jos� Mart�.

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.

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary