A Second Chance on Earth By: Juan Vidal

Author: Juan Vidal

★ “Heartfelt, moving, and beautifully written.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★ “Through affecting verse, Vidal (Rap Dad, for adults) deftly examines themes of friendship, masculinity, grief, and redemption. The richly detailed Colombian background of this poignant exploration of the death of a parent is as alive and vibrant as its narrator.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ “An ode to literature in Vidal’s profound YA debut. An introspective coming-of-age novel in verse that is a must-have for young adult collections.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review

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A father, a friend, and a favorite book help a teen boy understand love and loss in this moving and vivid YA novel in verse…

For sixteen-year-old poet and b-baller Marcos Cadena, that book is the beat-up copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude he finds among his late father’s possessions after Papi is killed in an accident.

Marcos’ papi has always loomed large in his eyes. So, when Marcos travels to his parents’ childhood home of Cartagena, Colombia to spread Papi’s ashes, he brings his father’s book with him, convinced that Gabriel García Márquez’s masterpiece holds the key to understanding Papi’s life and accepting his death.

In Cartagena, Marcos befriends eighteen-year-old Camilo, a taxi driver and fellow García Márquez fan who appoints himself Marcos’ unofficial tour guide. Together, the two boys explore the landscape of Cartagena, from the picturesque streets of Old Town to the poor neighborhood where Camilo grew up. But when Camilo reveals a troubling secret from his past, Marcos must ask himself whether everyone deserves a second chance.

Woven through with themes of friendship, family, and forgiveness, this poignant novel in verse is also a love letter to Colombia and to the books of Gabriel García Márquez.