About
Gary Soto, an award-winning poet, is renowned for getting at the heart of a young person's everyday life. In these eleven stories, performed with spice and energy by young actors Stephanie Diaz and Miguel Gongora, Soto again scores. With a sensitivity and humor born from his own experiences while growing up in California's Central Valley, the author brings to the surface issues such as success and failure, honesty and deceit, love and friendship. 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.
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Reviews
"Will strike chords of recognition in readers of all ages."
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."
Boston Globe