Soto, Gary. Baseball in April and other Stories. 1990. Harcourt, Inc. Orlando, Florida. ISBN:0-15-202567-7.
Plot Summary:
This is an amazing collection of eleven short stories centered around everyday life of Hispanic teenagers growing up in Fresno, California.
Critical Analysis:
I think Soto does an amazing job of presenting life in the Hispanic culture in these stories. He intertwines Spanish words in the text of the story, sometimes explaining with context clues, other times leaving the reader to figure out the definition themselves. He paints a clear picture of the characters, describing their dress, homes, family values, etc in great detail. I love how while reading this book I could picture myself in the kitchen watching a mother make tortillas, or a grandpa "bribing" his favorite grandson to make a phone call for him. Although the stories take place in a poor area, the stories are those of teenagers everywhere.
Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal: Young readers should easily identify with the situations, emotions and outcomes presented in these fine short stories.
Connections:
www.garysoto.com
A few of Gary Soto's titles that sound interesting to me.
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