Each Tiny Spark

By Pablo Cartaya

A daughter seeks to reconnect with her distant father amidst community turmoil.

3.9/5 Goodreads · 967 ratings

352 pages

$8.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Emilia Torres struggles to reconnect with her father, who returns from deployment distant and absorbed in restoring an old car. As she learns welding, glimpses of her old dad emerge. Meanwhile, her community faces unrest, with her best friend Gus caught in the middle. Can Emilia mend her family and navigate the challenges around her?

From the publisher

From award-winning author Pablo Cartaya comes a deeply moving 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 returns from deployment, Emilia expects that her life will get back to normal. Instead, it unravels. Dad shuts himself in the back stall of their family’s auto shop to work on an old car. Emilia peeks in on him daily, mesmerized by his welder. One day, Dad calls Emilia over. Then, he teaches her how to weld. And over time, flickers of her old dad reappear. But as Emilia finds a way to repair the relationship with her father at home, her community ruptures with some of her classmates, like her best friend, Gus, at the center of the conflict. Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya is a tender story about asking big questions and being brave enough to reckon with the answers.