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Each Tiny Spark
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A middle grade novel about a daughter and father finding their way back to each other in the face of their changing family and community.
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 r ...more
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 r ...more
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One of the jobs of a good librarian is to advocate for her people. I feel the need to advocate for my people today.
I'm Hispanic. Not by birth, but by a somewhat precarious adoption into the tribe. I've worked hard to gain this admission by studying Spanish for thirty years and working and living with children, friends, and family who have close ties to Hispanic cultures.
So please trust me when I say that children are not often able to find their Hispanic cultures represented in books. And that i ...more
I'm Hispanic. Not by birth, but by a somewhat precarious adoption into the tribe. I've worked hard to gain this admission by studying Spanish for thirty years and working and living with children, friends, and family who have close ties to Hispanic cultures.
So please trust me when I say that children are not often able to find their Hispanic cultures represented in books. And that i ...more
Emilia has a hard time focusing on topics that don't interest her, but when she is interested in something, she becomes laser-focused on it. This neuro-diversity makes school challenging; her mom tries to help her compensate by planning out her school week for her and staying on top of her assignments. How is Emilia supposed to cope when her mom goes out of town for business at the exact same time her father is returning from deployment. To make matters worse, her grandmother is becoming super a
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I've enjoyed every Pablo Cartaya book I've read so far, and this one wasn't any different. I might write a longer review of this sometime soon but I would definitely recommend this book. It's a good one.
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Each Tiny Spark is a book about a girl named Emilia who has ADHD. It is about her journey trying her best to deal with the challenges of ADHD by herself when her mom goes away for a week and her dad comes back from being deployed. I enjoyed reading the book and being able to have her perspective. Although I do wish the book was more detailed on her real and true emotions that I felt like she was sort of hiding. I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a good story about ADHD and how i
...more
I really wanted to like this book. But there were so many things that annoyed me about it that I will not be recommending it to students. First of all, let's tackle the big issues: ADHD, PTSD, immigration, redistricting, racism, overbearing adults, deployment... this book has them all. ALL. OF. THEM. It was exhausting.
Second, let's work in some history lessons by having our main characters have completely unrealistic conversations. AUTHORS, stop doing this! The last book I read that did this was ...more
Second, let's work in some history lessons by having our main characters have completely unrealistic conversations. AUTHORS, stop doing this! The last book I read that did this was ...more
I got an ARC of this book at a conference. I find all of Cartaya's books so poignant and relevant to kids. I love how this one covers important political topics from a middle school point of view. I will be recommending this book in my classroom.
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Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya was not my favorite book. It is about a girl named Emilia with ADHD and how her mom, who usually helps her with her homework, is gone for a week due to work. On top of that, Emilia's dad comes home after being deployed in the army. I found this book was very slow-paced and not very eventful. If you love realistic fiction books, I recommend this one.
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Each Tiny spark was a book about how a girl's father is coming home and how her mother is leaving at the same time. I liked the book a lot it was fun to read and interesting. The book taught me a bit about how immigration used to be from Emilia's report she was doing. The book also showed how Emilia the main character was able to make her voice heard about what she thought about a problem there was from her district and the neighboring one. While she is working hard at school she is also trying
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Each Tiny Spark was an ok book. There was no humor what so ever and I never really reached a point in the book when I was sad to stop reading it. Based on other reviews I anticipated to read a book that I would be very excited about picking back up, this was sort of a disappointment. I did not really reach a climax in this book or any point with much tension of suspense.
The story: Emilia Torres has a lot going on in her life. Her mom's interviewing for a new job out of town; her dad just got done with a long deployment, and when he gets home, there's something "not quite right" with him. Emilia has ADHA; her Abuela is trying to run her life; and a school project goes badly wrong, leaving members of her class on opposite side of a local politial issue. Can Emilia figure out how to get through all her challenges and, at the same time, find her own voice enough to
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Although this was not my favorite Pablo Cartaya book, Emilia Rosa Torres is my favorite of his characters. Emilia struggles with ADHD, and her world is rocked when her father returns home from deployment, distant and despondent. This book explores PTSD, and how difficult it can be for those surrounding one who suffers from this harsh disorder. It discusses redistricting and how it affects all socioeconomic parties. It poignantly explains the sense of belonging that all immigrants hope to achieve
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Aug 23, 2020
Gabrielle
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
diverse-fiction,
kidlit
I loved this book so. much. I'm pretty sure my heart grew three sizes reading it. Highly recommended for kids AND adults.
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Whoa! I wish that this book had existed when I was a kid. To see myself (ADHD kid constantly making connections and having big feelings and wanting adults to talk me through them) represented in a book would have been so validating. There are SO MANY themes in this book it’s like being inside of my brain.
Edit: After reading some of the 1 and 2 star reviews I want to add some things to my review.
First of all to all the people complaining about the multiple themes and to the person who called it ...more
Edit: After reading some of the 1 and 2 star reviews I want to add some things to my review.
First of all to all the people complaining about the multiple themes and to the person who called it ...more
This book could have been great but, sadly, it wasn't. For starters, I couldn't get invested in a single character in this story. They were all flat. Then there were the middle schoolers having unrealistic conversations in the name of lessons in history or societal issues. Give me a break. There are much better ways of sparking these ideas in readers. Also, why were there so many huge issues thrown into one story? Immigration, veterans issues, ADHD, school district zoning, discrimination, etc. T
...more
Absolutely chock-full of great themes -- ADHD, growing up, racism, deployment, reintegration, absence, Latinx family culture, redistricting, voting rights. A bunch of appealing characters, including a beautifully frustratingly protective family that struggles with their own internal feelings about Cuban heritage and how to get along in a white neighborhood in a town in Georgia. Really, there's
a ton of things to love here, but it is very slow paced. It centers on daily life, and delivers daily l ...more
a ton of things to love here, but it is very slow paced. It centers on daily life, and delivers daily l ...more
Jul 31, 2020
Tom Malinowski
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-school,
fiction
Emilia Torres' father has returned from another tour of duty across seas, and he isn't quite the same. A classroom project turns into delving into a town's history that's crucial to understand important decisions being made today. Emilia learns what it takes to heal a family and the community she lives in.
Dealing with PTSD no easy feat and it was handled with care in this book as well as ADHD. ...more
Dealing with PTSD no easy feat and it was handled with care in this book as well as ADHD. ...more
Jun 02, 2020
Vernon Area Public Library KIDS
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Grades 5 and above
This is a great book for late elementary and middle school students with great lessons in standing up for something you believe in, regardless of your own struggles, differences or judgments. Emilia is a great inspiration! This book is available as an e-book on Libby / Overdrive.
Reviewed by: Vinita Hulyalkar, Circulation, Vernon Area Public Library
Reviewed by: Vinita Hulyalkar, Circulation, Vernon Area Public Library
Definitely a cycle 3 book. Touches upon Diversity, immigration, ADHD, army PTSD and friendship dynamics (so so many things). The main character is a strong female lead and her family is endearing as heck - this is a perfect classroom/literacy circle read.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
no plot at all, boring snooze fest, save your time and read better books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Emilia Torres is worried when her mother has to go out of town on business for a week, especially since her father is just coming home from his latest deployment. Sure, her Abuela is around to make sure she's fed and her curly hair is tamed (even though that's mainly Abuela's choice!), but Emilia worries about getting her homework and school projects done without her mother's reminders. It doesn't help that her father is oddly distant, working on fixing a vintage ...more
Emilia Torres is worried when her mother has to go out of town on business for a week, especially since her father is just coming home from his latest deployment. Sure, her Abuela is around to make sure she's fed and her curly hair is tamed (even though that's mainly Abuela's choice!), but Emilia worries about getting her homework and school projects done without her mother's reminders. It doesn't help that her father is oddly distant, working on fixing a vintage ...more
To me, this is Cartaya’s best book yet. There is so much going on in this story and all of it is handled with care and tied up before the end of the book- a challenging feat when dealing with racial/cultural issues, father/daughter relationships, changing friendships, and neurodiversity!
My favorite part of this story was Emilia’s friendship with Gus, which is sweet and caring. I also love how Emilia uses the library and librarian to help with her research project throughout the whole story. Wha ...more
My favorite part of this story was Emilia’s friendship with Gus, which is sweet and caring. I also love how Emilia uses the library and librarian to help with her research project throughout the whole story. Wha ...more
Sep 26, 2021
Steve Tetreault
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
diverse,
military,
mental-health,
realistic-fiction,
minority,
latinx,
middle-grades,
history,
female,
library-science
What it's about: Emilia Rosa's mother leaves for a conference just as her father is returning from an eight month military deployment. This change in routine is a bit difficult for Emilia; she has ADHD, which makes focusing on some things difficult for her, and that difficulty grows when there's a lot going on around her.
In addition to dealing with the change to her routine, she also has to figure out how to reconnect with her father. He's returned in body, but his mind seems to be somewhere el ...more
In addition to dealing with the change to her routine, she also has to figure out how to reconnect with her father. He's returned in body, but his mind seems to be somewhere el ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Loved this book! Some heavy topics for children but done well. Fell in love with the main character and her family, especially her mother. As a teacher, I connected to the SS teacher and enjoyed the perspectives of students who want to do well, care about their learning, while struggling with learning disabilities and family conflicts.
I'm disappointed about how little I liked this since it was recommended by a friend. I wasn't invested in Emilia much at all and other than Gus, her best friend, I didn't like any of the secondary characters either. Her mother is supposed to be a great supporter but I found her overbearing without giving Emilia an inch to breathe - even when she was 2500 miles away she did a daily check in with Emilia's teachers, telling them what to do. Her grandmother is totally out of touch with who Emilia re
...more
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Recommended for anyone who wants to read about a neurodivergent character who uses her strengths to help fight for justice!
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Emilia Torres is Cuban American and has ADHD. Her mind wanders and she relies on her mother to help her navigate homework and relationships. Her mother is away at a conference in California, however, so she is home with her abuela and her father who has just returned from deployment. Her father struggles with anxiety and PTSD from his time in ...more
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Emilia Torres is Cuban American and has ADHD. Her mind wanders and she relies on her mother to help her navigate homework and relationships. Her mother is away at a conference in California, however, so she is home with her abuela and her father who has just returned from deployment. Her father struggles with anxiety and PTSD from his time in ...more
Disappointing, given how fantastic Cartaya's first book, Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, was. I really, truly wanted to love it. It's got a girl welding on the cover! I mean, how fantastic is that? I love girl characters who bust out of the traditional gender roles. I love seeing #OwnVoices authors break out in the publishing world. I love seeing different cultures on the page - seeing how they're different from me, but also the same, at the core. That's so vital in this world.
But... but... t ...more
But... but... t ...more
Emilia’s dad has been deployed for many months and doesn’t keep in touch, her mom is absorbed in her work, Emelia struggles in school as she deals with her Inattentive Type ADHD and her abuela is obsessed about Emilia becoming a young lady. Emelia’s best friend, Gus, is doing his best to help her feel better about her life by making videos of Emelia telling her dad about her daily life. The only problem is that her dad has never once mentioned or thanked her for the movies.
Emelia is convinced a ...more
Emelia is convinced a ...more
@Kidlitexchange #partner
Thank you to the publisher @penguinkids and the author @phcartaya for sharing an advance copy of Each Tiny Spark with the #kidlitexchange network. This book will be released in August 2019.
Emilia Torres is a 6th grader with ADHD. Her mother has just left for California on a work trip and her father has just returned from active duty. Things in her household are different from the past and Emilia is struggling with her mom being gone, her abuela talking about her becoming ...more
Thank you to the publisher @penguinkids and the author @phcartaya for sharing an advance copy of Each Tiny Spark with the #kidlitexchange network. This book will be released in August 2019.
Emilia Torres is a 6th grader with ADHD. Her mother has just left for California on a work trip and her father has just returned from active duty. Things in her household are different from the past and Emilia is struggling with her mom being gone, her abuela talking about her becoming ...more
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