• Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

  • By: Pablo Cartaya
  • Narrated by: Pablo Cartaya
  • Length: 4 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (105 ratings)

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Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish  By  cover art

Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

By: Pablo Cartaya
Narrated by: Pablo Cartaya
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Publisher's summary

One boy's search for his father leads him to Puerto Rico in this moving middle-grade novel, for fans of Ghost and See You in the Cosmos.

Marcus Vega is six feet tall, 180 pounds, and the owner of a premature mustache. When you look like this and you're only in the eighth grade, you're both a threat and a target.

After a fight at school leaves Marcus facing suspension, Marcus's mom decides it's time for a change of environment. She takes Marcus and his younger brother to Puerto Rico to spend a week with relatives they don't remember or have never met. But Marcus can't focus knowing that his father - who walked out of their lives 10 years ago - is somewhere on the island.

So begins Marcus's incredible journey, a series of misadventures that take him all over Puerto Rico in search of his elusive namesake. Marcus doesn't know if he'll ever find his father, but what he ultimately discovers changes his life. And he even learns a bit of Spanish along the way.

©2018 Pablo Cartaya (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Excellent." (School Library Journal, starred review)

"A compelling read about the meaning of family, identity, and culture." (Kirkus Reviews)

"An ideal read for boys or reluctant readers." (School Library Connection, starred review)

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What listeners say about Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

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Very good book

5 stars awesome book once you start reading you can’t stop. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Adolescent Read

I used this book with my 7th grade class. They not only loved hearing about the different places in the book but were able to relate to the characters. Pablo Cartaya does a great job with his balance of humor, depth of feeling/complexity and struggle, and real world situations. I'm glad I found this book, as were my students.

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:D

I was excited to read this book because i read The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora! Ty audible!

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Finding Home

MarcusVega Doesn’t Speak Spanish captures the heart and soul of the Puerto Rican people through the eyes of a kid who needed to find the beauty in his own heart and soul. I loved this book!

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Unusual

It's typically a terrible performance when authors read their own books; this is the exception. The performance was spot on and this coming-of-age story was interesting, believable and uplifting without being sappy. 

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