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“Sixteen-year-old Marcos Cadena’s world is split in two when his father is killed in a motorcycle accident. One month after the incident, his mother suggests that their family scatter Papi’s ashes in his beloved hometown of Cartagena, Colombia; she hopes that the change of scenery and the opportunity to pay their respects will have a positive effect on Marcos. …Through affecting verse, Vidal deftly examines themes of friendship, masculinity, grief, and redemption. The richly detailed Colombian background of this poignant exploration of the death of a parent is as alive and vibrant as its narrator. ”

– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

A Second Chance on Earth

Written by Juan Vidal
Published by Holiday House

Have you ever encountered a book that KO’d you, Iron Mike Tyson style? One that hit you square in the face and heart like some abracadabra casting a hex from an unknown planet?

For sixteen-year-old poet and b-baller Marcos Cadena, that book is the beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude he finds among his late father’s possessions after Papi is killed in an accident.

Marcos’ papi has always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents’ childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi’s ashes, he brings his father’s book with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi’s life and accepting his death.

In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos’ unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.

Woven through with themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness, this poignant novel in verse is also a love letter to Colombia and to the books of Gabriel García Márquez.

Primary ISBN: 9780823457113
Publication Date: September 2024
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (Miami FL), Colombia (Cartagena)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation, Home Country

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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Book Trailer

First Chapter Read Aloud with Author, Juan Vidal

Source: Holiday House