Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

In Vidal's YA debut, a grieving teen takes his father's ashes on a healing journey to ColombiaMarcos Cadena's life turns upside down when Papi unexpectedly dies in a motorcycle accident. On top of that, Marcos' closest friends leave Miami the summer before junior year of high school, and he struggles to cope with his grief. But resourceful, athletic Marcos soon finds solace in writing poetry and in the magical realism he finds in his father's old copy ofOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Márquez lived in Cartagena, the city where Papi was born. Composed in verse, Marcos' story is warmly studded with memories of his loving dad-from the way Papi danced while he cooked to how he taught Marcos never to start a fight but to always defend himself. When Ma takes Marcos and his sister to Cartagena to pay a final tribute to his dad, Marcos meets Camilo, a teen cab driver with a tragic past who shares his affinity for Nobel laureate Márquez. The boys become fast friends, exploring Cartagena and shooting hoops together-until a dark secret that Camilo initially hides from Marcos threatens their newfound bond, potentially putting both boys in danger. A responsible son, protective older brother, and caring friend, sensitive Marcos will win readers' hearts as he tries to navigate the complexities of both mourning and friendship with forgiveness and compassion.Heartfelt, moving, and beautifully written.(Verse fiction. 14-18)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 7 Up —Still shaken by the sudden loss of his father, Marcos first copes by playing basketball nonstop. But after discovering an old copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude , he is inspired to write poetry, "trying to make sense/ of what I was feeling." Soon after, he travels from Miami to Cartagena, Colombia, alongside his mother and younger sister to scatter Papi's ashes in his hometown. There, Marcos befriends Camilo, an 18-year-old cab driver with a dark past, and the two bond over their love of Gabriel Garc&7;a M&5;rquez while cruising the city in Camilo's dented taxi. Marcos's narrative voice bears the cool mien of a teenage boy and intertwines with evocative stanzas that capture tender memories of Papi and bring the northern Colombian setting vividly to life through sights ("by the white sands/ blue-green waters") and sounds ("&1;Que chimba!"). The journey of a second-generation teen connecting with his parents' home country in his own right is underscored by ruminations on manhood ("only boy in a tribe/ of women and girls") and an ode to literature in Vidal's profound YA debut. VERDICT An introspective coming-of-age novel in verse that is a must-have for young adult collections.—Jessica Agudelo

Kirkus Reviews

In Vidal's YA debut, a grieving teen takes his father's ashes on a healing journey to ColombiaMarcos Cadena's life turns upside down when Papi unexpectedly dies in a motorcycle accident. On top of that, Marcos' closest friends leave Miami the summer before junior year of high school, and he struggles to cope with his grief. But resourceful, athletic Marcos soon finds solace in writing poetry and in the magical realism he finds in his father's old copy ofOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. Márquez lived in Cartagena, the city where Papi was born. Composed in verse, Marcos' story is warmly studded with memories of his loving dad-from the way Papi danced while he cooked to how he taught Marcos never to start a fight but to always defend himself. When Ma takes Marcos and his sister to Cartagena to pay a final tribute to his dad, Marcos meets Camilo, a teen cab driver with a tragic past who shares his affinity for Nobel laureate Márquez. The boys become fast friends, exploring Cartagena and shooting hoops together-until a dark secret that Camilo initially hides from Marcos threatens their newfound bond, potentially putting both boys in danger. A responsible son, protective older brother, and caring friend, sensitive Marcos will win readers' hearts as he tries to navigate the complexities of both mourning and friendship with forgiveness and compassion.Heartfelt, moving, and beautifully written.(Verse fiction. 14-18)