Featuring Piece by Piece: How I Built My Life (No Instructions Required), by David Aguilar and Ferran Aguilar, in partnership with Amazon Crossing Books. All opinions are our own.
The Children’s Book Review
Quite a few years ago, I was lucky enough to travel through Europe by camper van—this was when I discovered the beautiful little landlocked European country of Andorra. Bordered by France and Spain, I remember driving down a steep windy road lined with rocks and lush greenery and arriving in the quintessential-looking European village nestled in the valley. Spanning only 181 square miles and home to approximately 79,034 people, entering from Spain, we stayed for only a day before driving out the opposite end and up the winding road into France.
I always wondered who would be lucky to live in such a magical place. Today, I introduce you to Andorra locals David Aguilar, author of the memoir Piece by Piece: How I Built My Life (No Instructions Required), and his father, Ferran Aguilar.
Co-written with his father and translated by Lawrence Schimel, Piece by Piece is David’s heartfelt and humorous memoir on how he built himself a prosthetic arm out of the world-famous toy bricks we know as LEGO. Readers will be undoubtedly inspired by David’s incredible building and engineering skills—not to mention his tenacity for life.
Readers will cheer for Aguilar and relate to him as he shares conversational stories about growing up, playing sports, and struggling with school. Family is at the heart of his story, and the endless support and advocacy of his parents, in particular, make this a sweet and uplifting story. Young readers will identify with this creative young person and will question society’s definition of “normal.”
School Library Journal
About David Aguilar and Ferran Aguilar
David Aguilar was born missing part of one arm. At the age of nine, he designed his first prosthesis with LEGO bricks, and in high school, he built the next generation, which he named the MK-1. David’s father encouraged him to make a video about his prosthesis and the huge role that LEGOs played in his life, and posted it on social media, where it went viral and changed both of their lives.
In addition to telling his story in this book, David is also the protagonist of the Spanish documentary Mr. Hand Solo (see the trailer below), which won the award for best documentary at the Boston Science Fiction Film festival. David is currently developing his own brand, Hand Solo, which will aim to benefit various organizations for the disabled and fight against the stigma of “diff-ability,” as he calls it.
David Aguilar and Ferran Aguilar’s Selfie and Shelfie
Follow David and Ferran on Twitter @Handsolooficial and @AguilarFerran. Instagram: @handsoloofficial.
Book Giveaway
Piece by Piece: Book GiveawayAbout the Book
Piece by Piece: How I Built My Life (No Instructions Required)
Written by David Aguilar and Ferran Aguilar
Translated by Lawrence Schimel
Ages 10+ | 304 Pages
Publisher: Amazon Crossing Kids | ISBN-13: 9781662504273
Publisher’s Book Summary: David Aguilar was born missing part of one arm, a small detail that seemed to define his life and limit people’s ideas of who he was and who he could be. But in this funny and heartfelt memoir, David proves that he can throw out the rulebook and people’s expectations and maybe even make a difference in the world―and all with a sense of humor. At only nine years old, David built his first prosthesis from LEGO bricks, and since then, he hasn’t stopped creating and thinking about how his inventions, born from a passion for building things, could fuel change and help others.
With a voice full of humor and heart, David tells his powerful story of family and friendship, of heartbreak and loss, and ultimately of triumph and success as he continues to dream big and build a life and a better world―piece by piece.
Buy the Book
About the Translator
Lawrence Schimel is a bilingual author who writes in both Spanish and English, with more than one hundred books to his credit. He is also a prolific literary translator of English and Spanish. His translated books include Wanda Gág’s Millions of Cats; George Takei’s graphic novel They Called Us Enemy; and Some Days, written and illustrated by María Wernicke; among many others. He lives in Madrid, Spain. Follow him on Twitter @lawrenceschimel.
Discover more books like Piece by Piece: How I Built My Life (No Instructions Required) by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Books About Inventors, Inventions, LEGO Building, and Memoirs. Be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series, too!