In Gary Soto's acclaimed short story collection, 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, Soto brings to life the joy and pain of young people everywhere. From crooked teeth, ponytailed girls, and embarrassing grandfathers to annoying brothers, Little League tryouts, and karate lessons, Soto writes about everyday life with humor and empathy. This moving collection-an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors' Choice, and Horn Book Fanfare Selection-expresses the truths of growing up. "[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 Plus don't miss Gary Soto's Local News, which The Horn Book called a "first-rate collection from a perceptive and sensitive chronicler of ordinary life." Editorial Reviews "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 "His stories are moving, yet humorous and entertaining. The best are also quite subtle. Baseball in April is more than literature for teenagers." - New York Times "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 - From the Publisher Diaz and Gongora give Soto's heartfelt collection just the right spark of Latino flavor in this sharp audio production. From Jesse, a nine-year-old struggling to improve his baseball skills in "Baseball in April" to Veronica, who is crushed when her new, much cherished Barbie doll is ruined, Soto introduces vivid characters who struggle with the longing, hope and acceptance that are part of everyday life. Soto's accessible writing voice and poetic language permeate these 11 tales of first dates, worries about one's looks and the difficulties of dealing with idiosyncratic family members. With the help of solid performances (and crisp pronunciation of the smattering of Spanish words and phrases) by Diaz and Gongora, listeners will take away a real sense of what it was like for many Mexican-American kids growing up in California's Central Valley (including Fresno, Soto's hometown) not so many years ago. Ages 10-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.| - Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly [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 Will strike chords of recognition in readers of all ages. - The Horn Book