Baseball in April and Other Stories

by Gary Soto (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

The Mexican American author Gary Soto draws on his own experience of growing up in California's Central Valley in this finely crafted collection of eleven short stories that reveal big themes in the small events of daily life. Crooked teeth, ponytailed girls, embarrassing grandfathers, imposter Barbies, annoying brothers, Little League tryouts, and karate lessons weave the colorful fabric of Soto's world. The smart, tough, vulnerable kids in these stories are Latino, but their dreams and desires belong to all of us. Glossary of Spanish terms included.

Awards: ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, Judy Lopez Memorial Honor Book, Parenting Magazine's Reading Magic Award, John and Patricia Beatty Award

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Hornbook Guide to Children

"Gary Soto is an astute observer of the desires, fears, and foibles of children and teenagers going about the business of daily living. In these eleven vignettes featuring Mexican American families, the character portrayals are gentle; the tone is quiet and somewhat bittersweet; and respect for family is a consistent value. This illumination of the everyday will strike chords of recognition in readers of all ages." -- The Horn Book

Review quotes

"Gary Soto is an astute observer of the desires, fears, and foibles of children and teenagers going about the business of daily living. In these eleven vignettes featuring Mexican American families, the character portrayals are gentle; the tone is quiet and somewhat bittersweet; and respect for family is a consistent value. This illumination of the everyday will strike chords of recognition in readers of all ages." — The Horn Book

"[Soto's] sensitivity to young people's concerns and his ability to portray the world as it is perceived by children is nothing less than remarkable." — Los Angeles Times Book Review

"A fine collection of stories that offers a different cultural perspective about feelings common to all teenagers. Soto writes well and with tremendous insight into the process of growing up." — The Boston Globe

Gary Soto
Lori Lohstoeter received her BFA from the University of Arkansas and earned her BA in commercial illustration from the ArtCenter College of Design in southern California. Lori was often hired as a children's book illustrator for her vivid palette and bold brushwork. Her work has been featured on packaging for Estee Lauder, billboards for Jose Cuervo tequila, and more. She is an adjunct teacher for color theory at Norwalk Community College.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780152025670
Lexile Measure
830
Guided Reading Level
U
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
April 20, 2000
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV032010 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Baseball
JUV038000 - Juvenile Fiction | Short Stories
JUV011030 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Hispanic & Latino
Library of Congress categories
California
Children's stories, American
Short stories
Mexican Americans

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