Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

By: Pablo Cartaya

Narrated by: Pablo Cartaya

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 ten 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.

Critic reviews

PRAISE FOR MARCUS VEGA DOESN'T SPEAK SPANISH:

Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2019-2020 Master List
Sequoyah Intermediate Book Award 2020 Nominees (OKLAHOMA)


*"Excellent." --School Library Journal, starred review

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

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

"Thoughtful and thought provoking." --Booklist

"Cartaya's follow-up to 2018 Pura Belpré Honor Book The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora (rev. 7/17) shines." --Horn Book

PRAISE FOR THE EPIC FAIL OF ARTURO ZAMORA:

*"Irresistibly exquisite."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*"At turns funny, beautiful, and heartbreaking."--Booklist, starred review

*"A vibrant debut novel about family, friendship, and community."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

Incredibly creative perspective

I was skeptical to read book about the assisted suicide of an octopus who is in captivity add an aquarium, frankly because it sounds ridiculous. I was pleasantly surprised at how the author tied all the characters together. Was an incredibly creative way to tell an interesting story.

Very good book

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

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.

Enjoyable

I only read this because it was a school project but honestly this is a good book and i would read this in my free time.

Great book

my 11 year old loves this book. He listens to it often. warning: there is definitely hardship around parental abandonment.