Pablo Cartaya
I have to say that I loved this book. (It also immediately made me want to visit beautiful Puerto Rico, but that is another story.) The lead character, Marcus, is classified as a bully. At six feet tall, he's the biggest guy in eighth grade who inspires fear. The fact that he makes money from his "protection" business and walks kids to and from school does not help his reputation. What the reader learns, however, is that the money Marcus collects is for his mom to make repairs on the house, his dad left the family and lives in Puerto Rico, he is devoted to his brother who has Down Syndrome, and he walks kids to school to keep them away from the school bully. When this bully calls his brother Charlie "the one word that sends me into a blind rage," Marcus punches him, and this moment begins the transformative journey the characters and reader will take.
After meeting with the principal, Marcus is suspended and his mom decides that they should go to Puerto Rico to regroup, as they still have family there, and Marcus begins the hunt for his father. Before they land in Puerto Rico, Marcus sends his dad an e-mail, and with each successive e-mail that Marcus sends on the trip, and goes unanswered, the reader's heart breaks just a little more for Marcus. The descriptions of the different towns and cities of Puerto Rico are vibrant and enchanting, and the Spanish phrases throughout make the book fun to read. This story makes us want to dig deeper and get to know people beyond first impressions, and explores the concept of what family means. Marcus is definitely up there as one of my favorite fictional charcaters; read on to get to know him!
After meeting with the principal, Marcus is suspended and his mom decides that they should go to Puerto Rico to regroup, as they still have family there, and Marcus begins the hunt for his father. Before they land in Puerto Rico, Marcus sends his dad an e-mail, and with each successive e-mail that Marcus sends on the trip, and goes unanswered, the reader's heart breaks just a little more for Marcus. The descriptions of the different towns and cities of Puerto Rico are vibrant and enchanting, and the Spanish phrases throughout make the book fun to read. This story makes us want to dig deeper and get to know people beyond first impressions, and explores the concept of what family means. Marcus is definitely up there as one of my favorite fictional charcaters; read on to get to know him!