Soto, Gary Books

Too Many Tamales

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial 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 greens. Martinez also has a gift for capturing children's animated expressions, especially when Maria begs her cousins to help her find the missing ring by secretly eating the enormous stack of steaming tamales! Gary Soto's delightful Christmas-spirit closure will relieve young readers who empathize with the negligent Maria. Grown-ups, too, will appreciate this playful reminder about the virtues of forgiveness and family togetherness. (Ages 4 and older) --Gail Hudson

Buried Onions

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial 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 only choice is to join the military and hope that they can give him a better future than the one Fresno seems to offer.

There is no tidy closure--certainly no happy ending--to this bleak novel. But that is exactly what gives Buried Onions its strong, acidic flavor. Teens with a low tolerance for any type of pretense will appreciate Gary Soto's honesty in not trying to force a fairy-tale ending. In spare but always striking prose, Soto has written an unrelentingly grim story that teens will savor because it rings true. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Baseball in April and Other Stories

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great storytelling 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I discovered Gary Soto's poetry in a public library in Nebraska. Then I read his short stories, my favorite being "Baseball in April." Like his poetry, these stories are beautiful in that they reveal a child's inner thought life; they also show the challenges that teenagers go through.

Soto takes us back to his childhood in California. The stories occur in sunny Fresno, which is in the Central Valley. The characters, dilemmas, and emotions that he evokes are so real that I often read them over saying, "Yes, I remember feeling like that."

I mostly read adult literature but have been reading a lot in young adult literature, because I often forget what it was like to be a young boy. Soto has a gift for recalling these events and making them come alive again. I've read this collection three times and have read all of Soto's poetry. I hightly recommend "Baseball in April," as well as the poetry collection "Black Hair."


Also recommended: The Gospel of Arnie

Editorial Review:

In this unique collection of short stories, the small events of daily life reveal big themes--love and friendship, youth and growing up, success and failure. Calling on his own experiences of growing up in California's Central Valley, poet Gary Soto brings to life the joys and pains of young people everywhere. The smart, tough, vulnerable kids in these stories are Latino, but their dreams and desires belong to all of us.

Living Up The Street

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Living up the Sreet 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Living up the Street
by Gary Soto
Peer Review
Living up the Street is an autobiography by Gary Soto. Those who love autobiographies will love this novel. One of the reasons I liked this book is because Gary has some very interesting events that occur in his life. Sometimes those events can be quite hilarious, and other times he makes you wonder why he was doing the crazy things he did. Gary not only learns from his mistakes, he also applies what he learns to other problems he encounters throughout his life.
I generally like reading autobiographies because I get to see what another person's life was like and I get to see what problems they faced in life. Then I try to figure out how I can use their problem and solution to make my life better. Another thing I like about reading autobiographies is that it can be fun learning what happened on another person's life. For those of you who hate autobiographies, I think you will still like this novel because Gary's life is very interesting.
The difficulty level was not very high at all because he rarely used highly sophisticated words in his writing. He randomly used Spanish words throughout the book. That increased the length of the book for me because there were some words I did not know the meaning to. Overall, I would say that the novel is not very long and it is very intriguing.

Editorial Review:

In a prose that is so beautiful it is poetry, we  see the world of growing up and going somewhere  through the dust and heat of Fresno's industrial  side and beyond: It is a boy's coming of age in the  barrio, parochial school, attending church, public  summer school, and trying to fall out of love so he  can join in a Little League baseball team.

  His is a clarity that rings constantly through the  warmth and wry reality of these sometimes  humorous, sometimes tragic, always human remembrances.

Taking Sides

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Switching Teams 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Switching Teams

Do you know what it's like to switch teams? Well Lincoln Mendoza does. I am talking about the book, "Taking Sides," by Gary Soto. This is a great book. I think that anyone who likes books about sports should read this. It is all about basketball and how Lincoln switches school and joins a different basketball team. You should read, "Taking Sides."

Plus this book talks about real issues in life because these things really happen, people really have to switch schools and change basketball teams. My favorite part was when Lincoln went back to Franklin (his old school) to see his best friend Tony; it was great, two friends reuniting. An example of good suspense in this book is when someone breaks into Lincolns house when he is sitting home alone. You don't know what's going to happen and I won't tell you. There is no bad part in this book to me and I don't think you will find one. I say you should read this book.

In conclusion, this book is about sports, switching schools and adjusting to there. This is a fabulous book you should read this. Now don't just sit there, run to your nearest book store and get the book called, "Taking Sides."

By:M.W

Editorial Review:

Lincoln is in a jam when his basketball team at his new school--where the students are rich and mostly white--faces his old team from the barrio on the boards. How can he play his best against his friends? No matter who wins, it looks like it will be lose-lose for Lincoln.

Accidental Love

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A Young Couple Overcomes Hurdles 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Marisa Rodriguez is a Latina with a hot temper. She goes to a rough school and is accustomed to solving problems with her fists. This is actually how she meets the boy who will end up changing her life. When Marisa gets into a fistfight with Roberto, the slimy boyfriend of her best friend Alicia, Roberto's nerdy math tutor Rene is there to break it up. During the scuffle, Marisa and Rene accidentally pick up each other's cell phones. Upon exchanging them, it is evident that there is an undeniable chemistry between the two.

They begin dating and become inseparable. Marisa ends up transferring to Rene's school and uses her aunt's address on her registration. They audition to be in Romeo and Juliet together, begin a fitness plan (Marisa wants to lose weight and Rene is determined to gain muscle), and each desire a personality makeover (Marisa would like to stop reacting so violently, while Rene wishes to be cooler).

Because their attitudes and personalities are so different, it's understandable that Marisa and Rene must deal with certain conflicts and pressures in their relationship. These are the kinds of problems that all teenagers will face at some point in their lives. As a result, readers will be able to relate to this young couple quite well; they will want them to succeed and be happy with each other.

Included at the end of the book is a glossary containing Spanish terms that are sprinkled throughout the pages. In no way do the presence of these words detract from the overall reading of the novel; most can be figured out easily from the context of the sentence they are in.

Through his outstanding story, Gary Soto demonstrates that young adults indeed are capable of overcoming various hurdles to become whatever it is they want to be. They can succeed and make better lives for themselves, just as Marisa and Rene have done in ACCIDENTAL LOVE.

--- Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer

Editorial Review:

It all starts when Marisa picks up the wrong cell phone. When she returns it to Rene, she feels curiously drawn to him. But Marisa and Rene aren't exactly a match made in heaven. For one thing, Marisa is a chola; she's a lot of girl, and she's not ashamed of it. Skinny Rene gangles like a sackful of elbows and wears a calculator on his belt. In other words, he's a geek. So why can't Marisa stay away from him?

Includes a glossary of Spanish words and phrases.

Que Monton de Tamales (Too Many Tamales)

Gary Soto, Ed Martinez, Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy

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Editorial Review:

Maria tries on her mother's wedding ring while helping make tamales for a Christmas family get-together. Panic ensues when hours later, she realizes the ring is missing.

Chato's Kitchen

Gary Soto, Susan Guevara

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Cats -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial 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, author of Too Many Tamales, is brilliantly witty, and Chato's Kitchen--an ALA Notable Book and a Parents' Choice Award Winner--is truly marvilloso. Susan Guevera's comical, deliciously detailed, richly colored depictions of the creatures are priceless as well, earning her the 1996 Pura Belpre Award for Illustration. A culinary concoction that no youngster (or adult) will be able to resist. (Ages 4 to 8)

Marisol (American Girl Today)

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Pleasant book for young girls 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I am an adult who bought the new American Girl doll, Marisol. Since the book comes with the doll, I thought I'd read it just for fun. I thought it was a pleasant, well-written book. I think it would especially appeal to girls ages 8-12 who like to dance. But I think this is also a good book for any child who is forced to move from the home and neighborhood they love and is having a hard time adjusting. Marisol is a good kid (possibly unrealistically so) who handles her family's move without much whining or complaining to her parents. She soon learns that the move may not be all bad. The new neighborhood is definitely quieter, and right next door is a girl in her exact grade who also likes to dance. The only real worry is that there is no dance studio in her new town, Des Plaines, IL, and Marisol lives to dance. When Marisol meets her soon-to-be ex-upstairs neighbor's daughter, a dance teacher, she tries to convince her to move to Des Plaines to open a dance studio. Marisol is a very persistent girl who doesn't take 'no' for an answer. I like the fact that the book has many Spanish words sprinkled throughout, and there's a small glossary in the back so readers can look up those words. The book has a slightly educational feel to it, but kids won't even notice it. They'll just enjoy the story.

Editorial Review:

Marisol Luna is a ten-year-old girl who loves to dance. Ballet folklórico (Mexican folkdance) is her favorite type of dance, but she also does jazz, ballet, and a little tap! She is very disappointed when her parents decide to move to the Chicago suburbs--away from their close-knit neighborhood and Marisol's school and dance classes. But Marisol realizes that no matter where she is, it is her passion to dance that will help her persevere in the midst of change. Marisol's story will appeal to all readers-especially those who love dance.

Petty Crimes

Gary Soto

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Really Touching 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book is a collection of short stories about Mexican-American teens in California, but the themes and the things they do could apply to anyone. Reading this book, you watch their transition into adulthood, the loss of innocence and the pain that comes with it. The stories are all very different. There is the story of a girl who tries to buy back all the clothes of her mother's her father gave away when her mother died. There is the story of a hardworking, honest boy, and his cousin, who flees when the going gets rough, but comes back for the glory. But all the stories weave a complicated picture that will leave you sighing wistfully at the end.

Editorial Review:

Meet Manuel, a young man who wears hand-me-downs from his older brothers until he finally gets a brand-new pair of shoes. And Jose Luis, who watches the vet bills rise after he buys a sick rooster to save it from becoming someone's dinner. And Alma, a young woman who runs to every shop and flea market in town buying back the clothes of her dead mother that her father has given away. These Mexican American youths meet life's challenges head-on in this hard-hitting collection of short stories.