The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora
Written by Pablo Cartaya

Publisher’s Summary:
Tells the story of Arturo, who is looking forward to a relaxing summer until Carmen, a cute and funny girl moves into his apartment complex, and while he deals with his stomach turning into a deep fryer over a girl, a smarmy land developer rolls into town and threatens to change it.

Primary Source Pairing:
Arturo’s family restaurant, La Cocina de la Isla, is an integral part of the Zamora clan. Whether it’s Sunday and the restaurant is closed for the family meal or a busy Friday night on the patio, La Cocina de la Isla is a character in this story. For this primary source pairing, invite students to study a 1908 photograph of a Mexican restaurant, in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico. Encourage students to make visual and textual connections to what they see in the photograph with what they read in the book.

Questions for Discussion:

• Describe what you see.
• What do you notice first?
• What people and objects are shown?
• How are they arranged?
• What is the physical setting?
• What’s happening in the image?
• What is similar about this restaurant and  La Cocina de la Isla? What is different?

Credits:
Book Cover and Summary: Follett
“A Mexican restaurant, in Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico” photograph: Library of Congress