Pablo Cartaya
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
(Viking Children's Books - 2018)About the Book
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. Marcus knows what classmates and teachers see when they look at him: a monster.But appearances are deceiving. At home, Marcus is a devoted brother. And he finds ways to earn cash to contribute to his family’s rainy day fund. His mom works long hours and his dad walked out ten years ago—someone has to pick up the slack.
After a fight at school leaves him facing suspension, Marcus and his family decide to hit the reset button and regroup for a week in Puerto Rico. Marcus is more interested in finding his father, though, who is somewhere on the island. Through a series of misadventures that take Marcus all over Puerto Rico in search of the elusive Mr. Vega, Marcus meets a colorful cast of characters who show him the many faces of fatherhood. And he even learns a bit of Spanish along the way.
Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish is a novel about discovering home and identity in uncharted landscapes.
An exceptional story about loss and love, about redemption and forgiveness, and about learning to value one’s imperfect family.— NBC News
Cartaya’s is a leisurely novel; the pace will not be rushed. In an era of superhero films, this is wonderful – and entirely appropriate for what is, in the end, a love song to the people of Puerto Rico, whose own love and hospitality and acceptance is so vividly portrayed here.— The New York Times
This emotional roller coaster of a story about a teen boy's unexpected quest to find the father who abandoned his family hooks readers from the start.— Common Sense Media
★
[Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish] pulls together important themes of family, identity, bilingualism, friends,and bullying… An excellent choice […] given its multiple, age-appropriate themes and the window it provides to life in a Puerto Rico before Hurricane María.— School Library Journal, starred review
★
An ideal read.— School Library Connection, starred review
In a vivid, frank voice and a rich cast of characters, this warm coming-of-age story offers a loving portrayal of Puerto Rico through the eyes of a relatable boy. Thoughtful and thought provoking.— Booklist