This is such a funny and touching book about family and community. You can't help but root for Arturo, Carmen, Abuela, and the whole Zamora family as they try to save their restaurant and community.

Arturo's family owns a Cuban restaurant on Miami and when an empty lot next door comes up for sale they put in a bid. Unfortunately, a bid is also put in by a big land developer. He wants to build a high rise with apartments, cafes, a gym, and more. In addition, he needs the land that the restaurant is currently on. Arturo and his family set out to fight the developer and prove that a family run business is better for the community.
This book had spunk and with the subplots of a crush and Arturo's relationship with his grandmother there was a lot of positives. The negative though was the Spanish. There were a lot of Spanish phrases and sentences and for students with no background (an no translations provided) they will be lost. I don't think the Spanish is a make or break but it will be distracting to my readers.

Great read for middle school kids! Family, first love, losing something valuable is what this wonderful book is about. The characters are well developed and the storytelling is well done.

This will be popular with middle grade kids. Arturo is a sympathetic lead who struggles against actions he considers unjust. Readers will identify with that

I have an EPIC love for Arturo Zamora! I don’t think I have loved a middle grade book much as this one in quite some time. Filled with food, family, culture, poetry, and a first crush, this story takes us on an epic journey to find one’s self. An excellent adventure about the power of words, the love of family, the value of friendship and the courage to fight for what’s right. We need more voices like Pablo Cartaya in children’s literature.

This was a great story about the power of family and believing in its strength. I started the book thinking it would be an okay read. It was much more than that. The book focuses on middle school Arturo Zamora. He lives in Miami and his family owns a local Cuban restaurant. The matriarch of the family is abuela (grandma). Her love and spirit has created a family run business that can now expand to the next empty lot on their street. But when a greedy developer comes in with plans for a swanky apartment center complex on the same lot, Arturo and his family find themselves in a struggle against a big corporation. This funny, lovely, heartfelt book is all about the goodness of family and friends. I loved reading every bit of it!
I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Abuela's restaurant is the hangout for the Zamora family as well as all the other families in this tight Miami neighborhood. Arturo works there in the summer and eats there all the time. His future looks great after a cute girl moves in nearby and then suddenly bleak as a land developer tries to come in and snowball the community buying up all the available land. With the help of Carmen, Arturo learns what it means to stand up for what you believe in and fight for it. Great culture blending story that takes Spanish phrases and mixes them in with English which is exactly the way that this Miami neighborhood and others speak. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Arturo is a terrific character, well-rounded and authentic. The strength of this book is the portrayal of Arturo's relationship with his large, extended family, particularly his grandparents. The plot at times feels a little too easily resolved--like the way a situational comedy solves everything in a half an hour, but overall this is a well-written book featuring a diverse cast of characters.

If you enjoy realistic fiction that deals with family, friends, community, and fighting for what you believe in - you should read The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora next. Arturo is a typical middle school student. He's happy about summer break and working in his family's restaurant to earn some spending money, while also dreading the weeks that his two best friends will be out of town. But things don't stay typical for long. For one thing, his mother's goddaughter Carmen comes into town. Carmen and her father are visiting for the summer, and they are both trying to recover from the loss of Carmen's mother. She is an intelligent and beautiful girl, so it is no surprise that Arturo develops a crush on her. Dealing with a first crush is enough of a challenge for one summer, but there is also his grandmother's failing health. His relationship with his Abuela is close, and she also gives him a box of letters from his Abuelo that capture his attention and inspire him to try new things. He draws upon the advice of his grandfather to have the courage to pursue the girl of his dreams, and to stand up to an unscrupulous land developer who threatens his family's restaurant with his plans for their neighborhood.

Filled with themes like the loss of a loved one, finding ways to preserve memories and traditions, dealing with attraction to a crush, and protecting the community from unwelcome changes, this is a story that has plenty of food for thought. There is also plenty of humor; things like his friend Bren trying to imitate his favorite rapper, his aunt Tuti's hysterical outbursts, and his disappointment at being named "junior lunchtime dishwasher" when he has hoped for a more glamorous job, all add the kind of laughs that occur in everyday life. The inclusion of Spanish phrases, descriptions of the foods served in the restaurant, and references to the Cuban poet Jose Marti immerse readers in the culture of Arturo's family and community, as well as giving a little background about the situation in Cuba that prompted his grandparents to come to America.

Middle grade readers and teachers will have a wonderful time following along as Arturo retells some of the most interesting weeks of his life (so far). As intriguing as a summer with Grandma Dowdell in A Year Down Yonder, I highly recommend it.