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The Universal Laws of Marco
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
7 posts | 1 read | 2 to read
Told through the lens of a guy in love with the cosmos (and maybe two girls), The Universal Laws of Marco explores the complicated histories that bring us together and tear us apart. In the summer before eighth grade, Marco Suarez kissed his best friend Sally Blake. This was his first spark. And since then, whenever hes thought about that moment, hes traveled through a wormholeof sortsto relive those brief seconds when time sped up (or, rather, his view of time distorted) and he kissed her. And then, at the end of that year, she disappeared, leaving in that way that people sometimes leavealive and well and somewhere out there but gone, nonetheless. She never even said why. And now in their senior year, Sally unexpectedly returns and Marco is shaken. Still, he holds tightly to his carefully choreographed life. A life that is full of reasons why first sparks dont matter: Reason 1: He has a girlfriend. Her name is Erika Richards. Reason 2: Hes leaving on a full scholarship to college. Reason 3: Hes busy with his friends and making money to help support his family. But as Marco navigates the final days of high school, he learns that leaving home is never easy and a first spark is hard to ignore.
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jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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I skipped yesterday and the day before because I'm still working on resolutions and goals of 2020. But here are two of my faves from last year!
#favoritebookof2019 #AuldLangReads

review
jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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Marco's indecision & fear of letting people down is so me, & that drives most of the story, making its timeline-shifting structure so effective. Marco lives in the past, floating into daydreams & asides, as his present unfolds around him. He learns to cope, supported by the most lovable & real friends (inc. Sookie, who is the part of me that's not Marco). A great story about taking charge of your life & letting go of guilt & fear. Want to own!

TobeyTheScavengerMonk Would this work for an 8th grade classroom? 5y
jmtrivera @TobeyTheScavengerMonk Depends on your 8th graders. I think the text level would be fine, but it has plots related to violence & abuse, alcohol abuse, coping w/a parent suddenly becoming disabled, and changing relationships. Thinking of my 9th graders this past year, some would've eaten it up, and some would have found it too heavy. I would've loved it as a kid, esp. w/a mostly Latin American cast, but some of it might've been over my head. 5y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk Thanks for the input! I‘ll be teaching 8th grade in a few weeks with basically no experience. I‘ve been reading lots of “Best Latinx Books for Middle Grades” lists and this showed up on a few. Hard to gauge the age range based on the blurb though. 5y
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jmtrivera @TobeyTheScavengerMonk The characters themselves are seniors and about to graduate, so some of the conflicts are specifically relevant to that age group, but l think mature 8th graders might get some parallels, or at least enjoy the story overall. I loved it myself, and plan to put it in my classroom eventually for the kids who will appreciate it. 5y
jmtrivera @TobeyTheScavengerMonk I also liked Marcelo in the Real World, which might also work for that age group. 5y
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jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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June wasn't bad considering how busy I was! And I enjoyed most of these, especially the tagged book!

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jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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First day of summer break means sofa time and 260 pages of my current book (so far).

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jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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It's been a super busy week, with very little reading, and my TBR stacks are calling #RememberMe?
#StarTrekSummerMay

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Merethebookgal
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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Today‘s episode is so much fun! ‪Alex & Carmen met for the 1st time at our interview but quickly bonded over their shared love of early Christian Slater movies. 😂 We talked about how dolphins are the frat boys of the sea, that genres sometimes hinder writers, & how a great book can be so much smarter than its author. Listen at eclecticreaders.fireside.fm/63 or ‬subscribe to Eclectic Readers in your favorite podcast app! #E‪clecticSpringBreak ‬

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jmtrivera
The Universal Laws of Marco | Carmen Rodrigues
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Day 4 of #EclecticSpringBreak! Alex London and Carmen Rodrigues were so much fun! We talked writing beyond genres, books that are smarter than authors, dolphins, and Christian Slater. I hope you guys laugh as much as we did.

#EclecticReaders @EclecticReaders @Merethebookgal

jmtrivera After these two talked about Christian Slater, I started seeing stuff about Heathers everywhere, so I'm also convinced they have magic powers. 😆 5y
15 likes1 comment