Review: "Marcus Vega Does Not Speak Spanish," by Pablo Cartaya

Marcus Vega Does Not Speak Spanish, by Pablo Cartaya, is a middle-grade novel is about finding yourself and your place in the world. After an incident at school leads to a suspension, the Vega family decides that it is time for a break from their everyday lives. Marcus's mom decides to use her work perks and take her sons to Puerto Rico to visit their Dad's side of the family. While his Dad has been gone from their lives for at least ten years, Melissa Vega has fond memories of her estranged husband's family. Marcus decides that this trip is an ideal time to connect with his father. Will his search be futile? As Marcus travels, the island's beauty is highlighted in the novel. Throughout his quest, he meets his Puerto Rican family, finds himself, and sees a side of his mother he has not known before. 

This heartwarming story with relatable characters is an excellent book for both parents and young readers to enjoy. 

Review: "Black Brother, Black Brother," by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Black Brother, Black Brother is on the Texas Bluebonnet list for the 2021-22 school year. This middle-grade novel is set at Middlefield Prep near Boston, Massachusetts. The story opens with a young man waiting to speak to the headmaster at his school. You quickly learn that the person in the office is Donte Ellison, the book's narrator, a young Black middle schooler who has been falsely accused of throwing a pencil at a classmate. The scene quickly escalates and cops are called and Donte is taken to jail.

Donte is a bi-racial student at Middlefield Prep. He is the son of a Black mother, a White father, and a younger brother to a star athlete whose skin tone is lighter than his own dark skin. The book explores themes of racial injustice, colorism, privilege, and prejudice with the art of fencing as a metaphor. Donte picks up fencing to help him deal with the anxieties of being one of the only Black students at this school and in turn, learns lessons about life. 

Jewell Parker Rhodes's tone is hopeful and her writing in this book is very straightforward. It is written to make it easy for its middle-grade readers to understand the nuances that she is writing about. This is definitely a great book that parents can read alongside their children to open up discussions about the books' themes. For further discussion and learning, I highly recommend the podcast episode from Throughline titled the Invention of Race.