Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Grief, loss, healing on epic summer road trip.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
A HERO'S GUIDE TO SUMMER VACATION finds 13-year-old Gonzalo Alberto Sánchez García on a cross-country road trip in a vintage convertible with his grandfather, Alberto William García, author of a bestselling fantasy series. They don't really know each other or have much of a relationship (although the hero of Alberto's books is a kid named Gonzalo...), and they've mostly been bullied into it by Gonzalo's mom, Veronica, who runs the company that publishes Alberto's books. She has a great book tour all planned. But Alberto has no interest in book tours—he wants to drive from Mendocino to Miami and visit all the people who befriended him when he fled Cuba decades ago. Gonzalo, meanwhile, is reeling from his father's recent death, draws spooky landscapes on his iPad, and has never actually read any of his famous grandpa's books. As they hit the road, it's not clear what they'll find, but it won't be boring.
Is It Any Good?
This lively, emotional road-trip tale of a 13-year-old Cuban American kid on a cross-country drive with his long-estranged grandpa at the wheel has irresistible characters and fascinating locations. As told by Gonzalo, grandpa Alberto, mom Veronica, and a quirky Unreliable Narrator, A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation offers a fast-paced English/Spanish/Spanglish narrative with laughs, discoveries, and reconnection as family and friends learn each other's stories, find healing, and look to the future with hope. Veteran author Pablo Cartaya packs the story with vivid first-person experiences of historic events, plus interesting discussions of art, science, and the craft of storytelling. Introverted kids with extroverted parents will empathize with Gonzalo, who's more the quiet artist type while his mom is a high-powered CEO.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about road trips—why they're fun, and why they make such a popular theme for storytelling, like in A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation. Have you been on any road trips of your own? Do you have any favorite memories?
If you can read Spanish, what did you think of the chapter that's all in Spanish? If you don't speak Spanish, what did you do? How did being able to (or not able to) read this chapter affect your experience of the book? Why do you think the author made this choice?
Why do you think Alberto's family members who first fled Cuba, as well as other members of that community, refused to help their relatives left behind, and refused to help Alberto when he managed to get to the United States?
Alberto doesn't want to be interviewed by a TV host, because he says the man is always trying to extract sleazy gossip ("chisme") about other people instead of have a conversation with the person he's interviewing. Have you seen people in the media or online who act like this? What do you think of them?
Gonzalo is dealing with the loss of a parent. Do you think Gonzalo shows courage in facing his grief? If yes, in what ways? How does the road trip help?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Emotions
- Topics : Arts , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Empathy , Gratitude , Humility , Integrity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Kokila
- Publication date : May 6, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 288
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : June 1, 2026
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