The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

Title: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
By: Pablo Cartaya
Published: 2017
Call #: YA Fiction Carta.P

Arturo’s summer started out like most summers, he got a summer job at his family’s restaurant, his best friends were around to hang out and his Abuela kept everything running smoothly. Then his mom’s god daughter, Carmen, and her father come to stay in their apartment building for the summer. Carmen, has grown up a lot since Arturo last saw her. His stomach feels like a pretzel when he sees her. When a new developer moves into town and wants to buy the lot next Arturo’s family restaurant, then things start to get really interesting. Arturo and Carmen don’t want a mega development to take over and change their city. Arturo finds himself spying, becoming a community advocate and a romantic all at the same time to try and save the day and win Carmen’s heart while he’s at it. Of course things don’t go quite as he planned, making for a relatable and heartwarming read.

---