Details

Length: 236
Story Build: quickly paced 
Character development: decent 
Age Recommendation: 5th/ 6th grade and beyond
Reasoning: Age of main character is 13; no language or inappropriate content 

Summary and Review

I was first drawn to this novel because of the cover artwork. It’s bright and comical, much like the novel itself. I also liked the the title, especially the words “epic fail” as I use them quite often! 

Arturo’s story starts off in the summer where he spends his days working with his very large family at their restaurant, La Cocina de la Isla. His grandmother, his abuela, founded the restaurant 20 years earlier, and now Arturo’s mother is the head chef. 

Arturo’s summer takes a turn when his mother’s best friend’s husband and daughter, Carmen, come to stay the summer after the passing of Carmen’s mother. Instantly, Arturo is drawn to her, his first real crush. However, his two best friends, Mop and Bren, leave him for the entirety of the summer to figure out his newfound feelings for a girl he has known since birth, which leaves Arturo very lost. 

Furthermore, the real external conflict of the novel begins when Wilfrido Pipo enters the scene, a developer who wants to build up the community by bringing forth luxury apartments complete with some old businesses coupled with newer ones. Unfortunately, La Cocina de la Isla is not in Pipo’s plans, but neither is the rebellion of an entire family. Wilfrido might not be prepared for the Zamora clan. 

The novel explores the tight-knit Zamora family, the intricacies of the relationships among its members, and the roles we take within our family units.  It also brings forth questions surrounding community– what makes us connected? What is community actually about? Can a community become a family? 

Celebrations

 Arturo’s friends are some of the best parts of the novel. While they are really only at the beginning of the novel and brought in through Twitter DMs, their conversations add humor and silliness, and I found myself laughing out loud at times. The novel also read like a Disney movie. I could picture our villain, Wilfrido, versus this entire spirited family in a face off throughout the story. It was humorous and poignant, and even the dramatic parts weren’t that heavy. With this kind of plot and quick writing style, it is definitely a top pick for middle readers. 

Hesitations

 I think one hesitation I had was that I wish some of the family members personalities had been built out more. You could sense Cartaya’s ability to relay personality through characters, such as with Bren and Mop, but I wanted more. I also think description could have been added to paint a vivid picture in my mind of the community. However, I also realize that this is definitely a book for middle readers that is heavily plot driven, which is needed to keep readers attention sometimes! 🙂