Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

 This summer after reading The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, I fell in love with the idea of reading aloud to my students. Research says that this can be extremely important for the English Language Learners that I teach because then they can hear the correct pronunciation of words and experience fluency. So this year, I've spent the first fifteen minutes of each class period reading aloud to them.

I chose a high interest, fun book to read with them to hopefully keep them engaged, and look forward to hearing the next part of the story each day. The first book I chose for the school year is Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya. I had heard a lot of great things about this book and decided my students would love it too once I finished it!

Marcus Vega is the tallest, biggest kid in his school--but that doesn't make him a bully. In fact, he uses his size for business. He collects trash from the school, walks younger kids safely to and from school, and keeps their cell phones safe--all for a fee of course. But one day, he gets into a fight with one of the meanest, most obnoxious students in the school. Marcus is suspended and his mom decides to take this as an opportunity to take Marcus and his younger brother, Charlie to Puerto Rico. Marcus' father disappeared years ago off to Puerto Rico so Marcus is excited to learn about the country where his dad is from...and if they're lucky maybe they'll even get to meet him. 

Marcus gets to experience the pleasure of exploring Puerto Rico, getting to know long last cousins, and tracking down his dad--all while learning Spanish and a lot about family.

I knew that many of my ELLs would be able to relate to having to learn a new language. I knew that they would think many of Marcus' blunders were fun and interesting. And I know that so many of them could relate to standing out of the crowd in middle school. 

So far I'm only about halfway through reading it out loud to my kids but they seem to really enjoy it. We always recap what happened last time and then move forward with a chapter a two a day before we delve into our other learning.

It's been a really great experience and I'm grateful to Pablo Cartaya for writing this story that I can share with my students. He's written two other great middle-grade books--The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora and Each Tiny Spark. 

I recommend this great middle-grade read for those who feel disconnected from their heritage, like they stand out from the crowd, and like they want to reconnect with those family roots. You can purchase a copy here.