Pablo Cartaya
Each Tiny Spark
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal when Dad returns from deployment. Instead, it unravels.Dad shuts himself in the garage to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by the sparks flying from his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over to take a closer look. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear. Read on!
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
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. Read on!
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
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. Read on!
Pablo Cartaya is an award-winning author
whose books have been reviewed by The New York Times, featured in The Washington Post, received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, and featured on many Best Books of the Year and state award lists. He is the author of the critically acclaimed middle-grade novels The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora (a 2018 Pura Belpre Honor Book) and Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish (currently in development as a feature film adaptation).His most recent novel, Each Tiny Spark, was honored with the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award for its portrayal of the disability experience and published by the Kokila Penguin Random House Imprint, which focuses on publishing diverse books for children and young adults.
Pablo is proudly bilingual en español y ingles. While currently available for virtual visits only, he looks forward to once again visiting readers around the country soon. Follow him at @phcartaya on Instagram and Twitter. Find out more!
Amazing presentations! Pablo Cartaya shared many personal stories and so much heart, along with lots of laughter, rapping, and dancing! His presentations contain it all!— Attendee from Plano ISD Plano, Texas
Irresistibly exquisite.— Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Pablo Cartaya’s sensational debut is a love letter to boyhood, poetry, and family. Quite simply, this is the book I’ve been waiting for.— Matt de la Peña, New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal–winning author of The Last Stop on Market Street
Cartaya’s is a leisurely novel; the pace will not be rushed. In the 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.— Gary Schmidt, New York Times
I have an EPIC LOVE for Pablo Cartaya and his EPIC presentations! Told with heart, humor and honesty, Pablo has a way with words, a way with students and a way to capture an audience with his unique flavor and style. Truly UNFORGETTABLE!— Margie Longoria. Rio Grande Valley, Texas Librarian
[Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish] shines as an exceptional story about loss and love, about redemption and forgiveness, and about learning to value one’s imperfect family.— Rigoberto González, NBC News
Autor desea motivar a los niños a conocer mas sobre Puerto Rico. En su nuevo libro, Pablo Cartaya recorre la Isla del Encanto.— Luz Lazo, Washington Post
A nuanced novel about a neurodiverse preteen’s political and social awakening by a Pura Belpré Honor–winning author.— Kirkus Review