Education Everywhere — Fifth-grade students in Grand Rapids will all be reading the same book in 2026 in hopes of getting them connected to libraries and a collective love of reading.
All fifth-graders in Grand Rapids Public Schools received the book “A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation” by Pablo Cartaya as part of the Grand Rapids Public Library’s One Book, One City for Kids.
Teachers will have access to a guide developed by library staff to help build discussion about the book in the classroom. They will also have the option to bring classes to hear from the author at an Author Talk on March 18 at 1 p.m. at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom NE.
“This program allows students to dive deep into the chosen book and make connections between its themes and their own lives, ” said Erin Hart, GRPL teen librarian, in a statement. “Every year, we love hearing the discussions students have and seeing their excitement when meeting the author.”
In the book, Gonzalo Alberto Sánchez García has never considered himself the hero of his own story. When he’s forced to spend his summer with his estranged grandfather Alberto on a 10-day roadtrip, he finds that heroes and monsters aren’t just fantasy and that he can help write a new story for him and his family.
Cartaya is a Cuban-American author, screenwriter, speaker, actor, educator and community-builder from Miami.
One Book, One City for Kids is funded by The Grand Rapids Public Library Foundation, The Wege Foundation, and The Michigan Arts & Culture Council.
