Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora  (Grades 5-7)

Overview:  This charming novel tells the story of Arturo, whose Cuban-born family owns a neighborhood restaurant in Miami full of wonderful food, laughter, and love. For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at his grandmother’s restaurant. But when a coldhearted developer threatens to take over the land lease and tear down the restaurant to build a huge apartment complex, Arturo and his family use both civic protest and poetry to save their family livelihood. 

Included:

·       26 Study Questions with key

·       20-question multiple-choice test over whole novel

Age Level and Length: The book is 256 pages and should be a fairly easy read for grades 5 and up.  The plot does involve some real-world financial issues that younger readers might need to ask an adult about; these include property leases and city council hearings. 

Maturity or Political Issues: There is no violence. Some of the plot involves the local dilemma of a gentrifying neighborhood and a neighborhood business trying to state afloat, but this is not an ideological issue.  The main character develops a crush on a girl named Carmen, but there is no dating or physical intimacy. 

Additional Considerations: This an uplifting book about family, friendship, community – and food! The plot is refreshingly unusual for a middle-school book because it involves a family business and the effort and financial decisions required to keep the business going.   The main character is likable and admirable; he actually works at his family’s business, and he also works to save it when it is threatened. The ending is happy and triumphant.