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A Summer Life |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
 Book Review
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| Format: |
Mass Market Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0440210240 |
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From Publishers Weekly
About this collection of 39 sensitive essays and short stories, PW said, "Soto the realist does not neglect his boyhood mischief, and his sly sense of humor is exercised throughout." Ages 12-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
Gary Soto writes that when he was five "what I knew best was at ground level." In this lively collection of short essays, Soto takes his reader to a ground-level perspective, resreating in vivid detail the sights, sounds, smells, and textures he knew growing up in his Fresno, California, neighborhood. The "things" of his boyhood tie it all together: his Buddha "splotched with gold," the taps of his shoes and the "engines of sparks that lived beneath my soles," his worn tennies... |
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Baseball in April and Other Stories |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152025677 |
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| Availability: |
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From Publishers Weekly
"Honest and moving," said PW about these 11 contemporary short stories, adding that "Most readers will recognize truths revealed through everyday events and will appreciate Soto's ability to crystallize a moment." Ages 10-up. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-- Insightful about the characteristics of early adolescents, Soto tells 11 short stories about everyday problems of growing up. Latinos in central California are the focus of the stories, but the events are typical of young teens anywhere in the United States. The main characters try out for Little League teams, take karate lessons, try to get the attention of the opposite sex, and are... |
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Taking Sides |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152046941 |
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From Publishers Weekly
This touchingly realistic story explores the divided loyalties of a Hispanic basketball player who has recently moved from a poor neighborhood to a more affluent one. Initially, eighth grader Lincoln feels like a traitor when he plays ball for the predominantly white school he now attends. To make matters worse, his new coach seems to hold a grudge against both Lincoln and his former school, Franklin Junior High. As a game against Franklin approaches, tension mounts and Lincoln experiences clashes with several people, including some teammates. But he manages to have fun on the night of the big game and eventually makes peace with his friends. Once again, Soto ( Baseball in April ) masterfully conveys the Hispanic-American experience, and readers will respect Lincoln's values and good sportsmanship. Ultimately,... |
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Accidental Love |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0152054979 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-10–A cell-phone mix-up leads to first love in this warmhearted, humorous novel. Marisa Rodriguez, 14, is an indifferent student at her run-down school, chubby from an excess of junk food, and too quick to express her anger with her fists. Still, she dreams of a better life. When she meets geeky Rene, love blossoms despite his highwater pants, white socks, and honking laugh. She is inspired to switch to a better high school, where she improves her grades, loses weight, and even gets a part in the school play. Obstacles present themselves, of course; Marisa's former classmates are threatened by her attempts to better herself, and Rene's domineering mother opposes their relationship. Soto's portrayal of Marisa's family, friends, and neighborhood–in a novel peppered with Spanish words and... |
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Too Many Tamales |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0698114124 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
Maria is feeling so grown-up, wearing her mother's apron and helping to knead the masa for the Christmas corn tamales. Her mother even let Maria wear some perfume and lipstick for the big family celebration that evening. When her mother takes off her diamond ring so it won't become coated with the messy masa, Maria decides that life would be perfect if she could wear the ring, too. Trouble begins when she sneakily slips the sparkly ring on her thumb and resumes her kneading. Uh oh. It is not until later that night, after all the tamales have been cooked and after all her cousins and relatives have arrived, that Maria suddenly realizes what must have happened to the precious ring. Ed Martinez's warm oil paintings celebrate the riches of South American Christmas colors--adobe reds, dusty gold, lacey whites, and rain-forest... |
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Chato Goes Cruisin' |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
039923974X |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 24 hours. |
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 1-4–The creators of Chato's Kitchen (1995) and Chato and the Party Animals (2000, both Putnam) bring their cool cats back for another delightful adventure. Chato enters a contest and wins a trip for two on a cruise ship. When he and his friend Novio Boy arrive at the dock, they see that the vessel is filled with dogs, but decide to go anyway. The cruise is not all they had hoped it would be, with fuchi comida (stinky food) and silly games. Then the canines all get sick, and the cats set off in a lifeboat to get help. They sail past a catamaran filled with partying felines and are tempted to stop, but they gave their palabra (word) to the captain, so they continue on until a storm tosses them ashore on an island of vacationing veterinarians, and the dogs are finally saved. Spanish... |
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Beisbol En Abril Y Otras Historias Con Conexiones/Baseball in April and Other Stories With Connections |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0030546028 |
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| Availability: |
This title is not currently available. |
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Gary Soto |
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| Author: |
Tamra B. Orr |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
1404203273 |
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Buried Onions |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0064407713 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
Eddie can always smell onions in the air--the sharp bitter odor of hopelessness and anger that haunts the poor side of Fresno. "I had a theory about those vapors, which were not released by the sun's heat but by a huge onion buried under the city. This onion made us cry. Tears leapt from our eyelashes and stained our faces." Eddie tries to escape from the poverty and gang society that surrounds him by taking vocational classes and staying away from his old "cholos," (gang friends). But when his cousin is killed, his aunt urges him to seek out and punish the murderer. To avoid the pressure building in his neighborhood, Eddie takes a landscaping job in an affluent suburb. But this too goes awry when his boss's truck is stolen while in his care. In the end, with his money gone and a dangerous gang member stalking him, Eddie's... |
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Chato and the Party Animals |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0142400327 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
Chato has been a party animal since he was a kitten. So when he discovers that his best friend Novio Boy has never had a birthday party (being from the pound, he never even knew his mami), this cool cat from the barrio decides it's time to change all that. He calls his friend Sharkie, a DJ. "Homecat," Chato meowed. "You awake?"
"I am now, dude," Sharkie said.
"It's Novio Boy's birthday tomorrow," said Chato. "I want you to come and spin some oldies but goodies."
The party plans are set, the cake (with mouse-colored frosting and "a couple of canaries on top") ordered, and the piñata made. Looks like the most happening shindig in town is ready to go... except "Que tonto!" (How dumb!) Chato forgot to invite the guest of honor! Novio Boy's buddies search the alleys and warm car... |
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The Afterlife |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0152052208 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
Not many authors kill their main character on page two, but when Gary Soto does in The Afterlife the tactic results in a richly textured coming of age story. Chuy is a normal teenage guy, making his way in the barrios of Fresno, California, and hoping to impress a pretty girl. Carefully combing his hair in the restroom at Club Estrella, he only has a few moments to consider his "loverboy" strategy before his young life is (literally) cut short by a knife-wielding stranger who misinterprets a compliment. Soon Chuy is floating above his bleeding body, embarking on a journey of personal exploration. As he drifts though his hometown (tightening his stomach muscles so as not to get blown off course) he manages to achieve many of the things he didn’t when he was alive--recognizing how much he is loved by family and... |
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Marisol |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
1584859725 |
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Chato y los Amigos Pachangueros |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
(Paperback) - Spanish |
| ISBN: |
0142400335 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 3-4 days. |
Book Description
This lively tale of a party-loving barrio cat who throws a surprise celebration for his friend Novio Boy is available in Spanish for the first time ever. With a lively text, bold art, and a setting and theme with Hispanic flavor, this is an ideal choice for the non- English–speaking reader.
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Chato's Kitchen |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Paperback |
| ISBN: |
0698116003 |
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| Availability: |
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Book Review
"Chato, a low-riding cat with six stripes, was slinking toward a sparrow when he heard the scrape of tiny feet coming from the yard next door." You get the idea. Chato is a sly, mustachioed "cool cat" from an East Los Angeles barrio. The tiny feet? Those belong to the new mice (ratoncitos) next door--"five mice the color of gray river rock," to be precise. Chato promptly invites them over for dinner, in exactly the sense you might fear. "That Chato cat seems muy simpatico, very nice, I'm sure," says Papi mouse. The mice (being cheese lovers) spend the day making quesadillas for the fiesta, while Chato and his best friend Novio Boy busily prepare side dishes for a meal con ratoncitos. Instead of the anticipated gruesome ending, a surprise twist is in the works. Gary Soto,... |
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Canto Familiar |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0152000674 |
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| Availability: |
Usually ships within 3-5 weeks. We cannot guarantee availability of special order titles because publishers may run out of stock. We will notify you in 3-4 weeks if we are unable to get this title for you. |
From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up?Who could imagine that such joyous rhythm could be found in the familiar moments of life, such as washing dishes or spotting a teacher in the market? In this companion volume to Neighborhood Odes (Harcourt, 1992), Soto not only imagines the musical beat, but also captures the energy and tranposes it into poetic songs. Imagery abounds, as in the hot iron that "snorts like a bull." Nelson's distinctive block prints bounce off white pages with vibrant magentas and bold blues outlined with thick black lines. The result is a harmony of words and pictures to be anticipated and savored. Although the landscape may be unfamiliar, readers are guided to this Mexican-American neighborhood, welcomed inside this home, and invited to share a child's thoughts about these universal experiences. Even with Spanish... |
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Buried Onions |
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| Author: |
Gary Soto |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
0152013334 |
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| Availability: |
Ships within 2-3 days. |
Book Review
Eddie can always smell onions in the air--the sharp bitter odor of hopelessness and anger that haunts the poor side of Fresno. "I had a theory about those vapors, which were not released by the sun's heat but by a huge onion buried under the city. This onion made us cry. Tears leapt from our eyelashes and stained our faces." Eddie tries to escape from the poverty and gang society that surrounds him by taking vocational classes and staying away from his old "cholos," (gang friends). But when his cousin is killed, his aunt urges him to seek out and punish the murderer. To avoid the pressure building in his neighborhood, Eddie takes a landscaping job in an affluent suburb. But this too goes awry when his boss's truck is stolen while in his care. In the end, with his money gone and a dangerous gang member stalking him, Eddie's... |
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Folk Wisdom of Mexico: Proverbios y dichos Mexicanos |
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| Author: |
Jeff M. Sellers |
Book Review
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| Format: |
Hardcover |
| ISBN: |
081184773X |
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| Availability: |
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Book Description
Proverbs make truth into poetry, and the folk sayings of Mexico capture its wisdom, spirit, and vibrant life. Folk Wisdom of Mexico—a steady backlist seller, now with a fresh new cover—gathers the most delightful and enduring of these sayings—dichos—in a vividly illustrated bilingual collection. Striking a perfect balance between laughter and love, fatalism and faith, these sayings offer much to celebrate and learn. Annika Maria Nelson's dramatic woodblock prints bring the proverbs gloriously to life, and a foreword by renowned poet Gary Soto helps illuminate the lasting appeal these sayings have in Mexican culture both north and south of the border. Warm and insightful, the playful and sage advice of Folk Wisdom of Mexico is sure to both awaken and entertain.
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