The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

Book 67 of my 2018 Reading Challenge

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya

Summary (via Goodreads)
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, summetime 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 poetry enthusiast 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 Jose Marti.

My Opinion
I read this at the recommendation of my son and will include his opinion below.  He read it because it was on the "Battle of the Books" reading list and passed it along to me when he was done. 
As far as my reading, I found it enjoyable and would definitely recommend it for a middle school audience.  I enjoyed it more for the conversation it opened up with Brian about why he recommended it to me.

My Son's (age 13) Opinion, in his words
"I recommended it to my mom because it was very well-written and gave a different point of view on stuff and it showed the value of family and friendship.
It was a good, quick read and a good book overall."