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The book selection for the 2022-2023 school year is “The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora” by Pablo Cartaya
March 9, 2023
A Presentation with Author Pablo Cartaya
Free and Open to the Community
Time and Location TBA
Teachers interested in learning more about the Napa County Reads program please contact the Napa County Reads Coordinator.
Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL?
For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela’s restaurant. Maybe. But this summer also includes Carmen, a cute girl who moves into Arturo’s apartment complex and turns his stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn’t notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to change it. Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen, Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of José Martí.
Want to Read “The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora”?
“The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora” is available from local independent bookstore Napa Bookmine. You can also access the book through the Napa County Library.
About Pablo Cartaya
Pablo Cartaya is an internationally acclaimed author, screenwriter, speaker, and educator. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, and on Oprah’s Booklist. Pablo has worked with Disney, Apple+, and Sesame Street on projects adapted from television series and movies. In 2021, he served as a judge for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature and has taught creative writing workshops and spoken at various universities and conferences throughout the world. He calls Miami home and Cuban-American his cultura. Novels include: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, Each Tiny Spark, and the upcoming climate dystopia The Last Beekeeper. He also contributed to the collection of essays Hope Wins published in 2022. Notable Awards and Honors include: 2020 Schneider Family Book Award Honor, 2019 ALSC Notable Book, 2018 American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honor, 2018 Audie Award Finalist, and 2018 E.B. White Read Aloud Book Award Finalist.
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora Teacher Resources
Teachers – Do you want your class to participate? Contact Napa County Reads Coordinator.
Thanks to our Generous Napa County Reads Partners
“Front Desk” by Kelly Yang
Front Desk Teacher Resources (external website, new window)
“Jack and the Geniuses” by Bill Nye and Gregory Mone
- Jack and the Geniuses Teacher Resources (external website, new window)
“Refugee”, by Alan Gratz
- Teacher Tools for Refugee (external website, new window)
- Supplemental Media for Refugee (external website, new window)
- Virtual Reality Links for Refugee (external website, new window)
- Student Art Project Information PDF (new window)
2003: Francisco Jimenez, The Circuit
2004: Joyce Maynard, The Cloud Chamber
2005: Walter Dean Myers, Fallen Angels
2006: Francisco Jimenez, Breaking Through
2007: Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Shirts
2008: Audrey Shafer, The Mailbox
2009: Francisco Jimenez, Reaching Out
2010: Lynn Hazen, Shifty
2011: Suzanne Morgan, Williams Bull Rider
2012: Andrea Montalbano, Breakaway
2013: Michael Pollan, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual
2014: N.H. Senzai, Shooting Kabul
2014: Peter Menzel/Faith D’Aluisio, Hungry Planet
2015: Francisco Jimenez, Selected Biographies
2016: S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
2017: Chris Grabenstein, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
2019: Alan Gratz, Refugee
2020: Jerry Craft, New Kid
2021: Bill Nye & Gregory Mone, Jack and the Geniuses
2022: Kelly Yang, Front Desk