Each Tiny Spark
Written by Pablo Cartaya
Published by Kokila
Emilia Torres has a wandering mind. It’s hard for her to follow along at school, and sometimes she forgets to do what her mom or abuela asks. But she remembers what matters: a time when her family was whole and home made sense. When Dad returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels.
Dad shuts himself in the back stall of their family’s auto shop to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear.
But as Emilia finds a way to repair the relationship with her father at home, her community ruptures with some of her classmates, like her best friend, Gus, at the center of the conflict.
Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya is a tender story about asking big questions and being brave enough to reckon with the answers.
Primary ISBN: 9780451479723
Publication Date: August 2019
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Middle Grade, Age 10 or older
Community Represented: Cuban/Cuban American
Themes: Accolades & Awards, Accolades & Awards: Starred Review, Accolades & Awards: Youth Media Awards, Cross-Group Friendship, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Discrimination: Abilities, Discrimination: Colorism, Discrimination: Gender and Sexual, Discrimination: Microaggression, Discrimination: Racial, Diverse Abilities: Neurological, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Format: Audiobook, Generation: 2nd, Generational Differences, Generational Differences: Gender Roles, Mental Health, Multilingual: Spanish Featured Words, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Christian, Religious Background: Santería
Setting: United States (Atlanta GA)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 2nd Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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