Manual de un héroe para las vacaciones de verano

Gr 4-7–Gonzalo observes the world via his iPad. When his mother Veronica drops him off at her famous writer grandfather Alberto’s house to promote the final volume of Alberto’s “Chronicles” series, grandson and grandfather forgo their plane tickets to drive to Miami in a 1968 Oldsmobile convertible named Matilde instead. Shedding his nickname leads Gonzalo to better understand why Alberto’s main character is his namesake—and what his grandfather’s books mean to a global audience. Their journey takes many twists and turns, which help Gonzalo come to terms with his father’s death while finding a way for Alberto and Veronica to face the ghosts that haunt them. This coming-of-age Spanish language novel is a must-read for a young teenage audience. Cartaya’s story is told by a humorous unreliable narrator who lays out the plot between chapters and guides readers through the hero’s journey until Gonzalo steps up to tell his tale his way. Following the fictional Gonzalo in each of his Grandfather Alberto’s adventurous volumes, he overcomes his worst fears and finds that he has a lot to learn—but also, a lot to give through art, stories, and making the most of every day.