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 smelling of "summer grass, asphalt, the moist sock breathing the defeat of basesall." The child's world is made up of small things--small, very important things....

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Chato—the coolest cat in the barrio—loves to party. So when he learns that Novio Boy has never had a birthday party, Chato decides to throw him a surprise pachanga. He gets right to work—inviting everyone in the neighborhood, cooking up a feast, arranging for music and a piñata, and even ordering a special cake. Chato’s sure that he’s thought of everything. But when it comes time for the party, he realizes that he forgot the most important thing of all—Novio Boy! With a lively text featuring Spanish words throughout, and bright, bold artwork, this sequel to Chato’s Kitchen is truly a cause for celebration....

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 José 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.
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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.
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Rigo doesn't like being the youngest brother. He always has to wear his big brothers' hand-me-downs. Plus, his brothers-Hector, Manuel, and Carlos-always seem to lose buttons, rip holes, and wear the clothes out before they get to Rigo! But Rigo's luck changes on his birthday when his mom gives him a pair of shoes. He loves them for their shine and style, but most of all he loves them because they are brand-new. After he outgrows the shoes, and trades them to his uncle for old Mexican centavos, Rigo learns that some hand-me-downs are better than brand-new. ...

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For Eddie there isn’t much to do in his rundown neighborhood but eat, sleep, watch out for drive-bys, and just try to get through each day. His father, two uncles, and his best friend are all dead, and it’s a struggle not to end up the same way. The violence makes Fresno wallow in tears, as if a huge onion with its ubiquitous vapors were buried beneath the city. Making an effort to walk a straight line despite constant temptations and frustrations, Eddie searches for answers after the death of his cousin and discovers that his closest friends may be his worst enemies.
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Miata has left the beautiful folkl¾rico skirt her mother wore in Mexico on the bus. She was going to wear the skirt on Sunday when her dance group performed folkl¾rico. Can Miata and her friend Ana rescue the precious skirt in time? A warm-hearted story about a contemporary Mexican-American family.


From the Trade Paperback edition....

"There's nothing like a wedding, and this book about a wedding is not quite like any other....Maya, the flower girl, is the lens through which the action is seen. All of the fun of a wedding is here: the altar boy with the dirty sneakers under his gown, Maya putting pitted black olives on each of her fingers, the kids whacking each other with balloons....The choice of three dimensional artwork was inspired." -- Booklist (starred review) "The text, sprinkled with Spanish words, is eloquent and funny -- and it deftly captures the flavor of a Latino wedding, compete with Mariachi band. Garcia's singular, deliciously creative artwork...[is] eye-catching." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This is an unusually appealing book that will have broad appeal." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ...

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You'd think a knife in the ribs would be the end of things, but for Chuy, that's when his life at last gets interesting. He finally sees that people love him, faces the consequences of his actions, finds in himself compassion and bravery . . . and even stumbles on what may be true love.
A funny, touching, and wholly original story by one of the finest authors writing for young readers today.
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Back in print, a "fun-packed adventure" (VOYA) by a gifted and popular storyteller.

When Hector and his friend Mando, seventh-graders, visit Uncle Julio, a photographer in Fresno, they have more excitement than they ever imagined. On a photo shoot in a rickety old plane, they spot an armored car heist, and Uncle Julio snaps some shots of the robbers. After they report what they saw, the two robbers decide they have to teach Hector and Mando a lesson. When the bumbling thugs meet up with the quick-witted boys, the results are hilarious....

The acclaimed young adult biography of the UFW's first female organizer.

This inspiring story of Jessie De La Cruz, the United Farmer Workers, and la Causa is told as only Gary Soto—novelist, essayist, poet, and himself a field laborer during his teens—can tell it, with respect, empathy, and deep compassion for the working poor.

A field worker from the age of five, Jessie knew poverty, harsh working conditions, and the exploitation of Mexicans and all poor people. Her response was to take a stand. She joined the fledgling United Farm Workers union and, at Cesar Chavez's request, became its first woman recruiter. She also participated in strikes, helped ban the crippling short-handle hoe, became a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, testified before the Senate, and met with the Pope.

Jessie's life story personalizes an historical movement and shows teens how an ordinary woman became extraordinary through her will to make change happen, not just for herself but for others....

Miata Ramirez is heartsick after leaving her mother's folklorico skirt on the bus, so she enlists the help of her best friend, Ana, to find the skirt before the upcoming folklorico dance. Reprint. C. SLJ. ...

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....

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Chato is so happy to see that a family of mice has moved into the area, he decides to invite them over for dinner, but the mice know he has something else in mind and so bring one additional guest along. Reprint. AB. SLJ. PW. "...

In Japan for the summer to practice the martial art of kempo, Lincoln sometimes feels like little more than a brown boy in a white gi. Yet with the help of his Japanese brother, Mitsuo, Lincoln sees that people everywhere, whether friend or kempo opponent, share passions much like his own--for baseball, family traditions, and new friendships.
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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....

Who would bring the door, "la puerta", to a picnic instead of the pig, "el puerco"? An old man who's great at gardening but lousy at listening to his wife! "A playful original folktale that is sure to get laughs".--"School Library Journal"....

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Chato is so happy to see that a family of mice has moved into the area, he decides to invite them over for dinner, but the mice know he has other plans in mind and so bring one additional guest along. Original."...

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In thirteen stories full of wit and energy, Gary Soto illuminates the ordinary lives of young people. Meet Angel, who would rather fork over twenty bucks than have photos of his naked body plastered all over school; Philip, who discovers he has a "mechanical mind," whatever that means; Estela, known as Stinger, who rules José's heart and the racquetball court; and many other kids, all of them with problems as big as only a preteen can make them.
Funny, touching, and wholly original, Local News is Gary Soto in top form.
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¡Viva la causa!
¡Viva César Chávez!

Up and down the San Joaquin Valley of California, and across the country, people chanted these words. Cesar Chavez, a migrant worker himself, was helping Mexican Americans work together for better wages, for better working conditions, for better lives.

No one thought they could win against the rich and powerful growers. But Cesar was out to prove them wrong -- and that he did....

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In thirteen stories full of wit and energy, Gary Soto illuminates the ordinary lives of young people. Meet Angel, who would rather fork over twenty bucks than have photos of his naked body plastered all over school; Philip, who discovers he has a "mechanical mind," whatever that means; Estela, known as Stinger, who rules José's heart and the racquetball court; and many other kids, all of them with problems as big as only a preteen can make them.
Funny, touching, and wholly original, Local News is Gary Soto in top form.
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THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Maya, the flower girl, describes a Mexican-American wedding through snapshots of the day's events, beginning with the procession to the altar and ending with her sleeping after the dance....

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Powerful personal narratives by the renowned author of Living Up the Street. These small essays are not unlike Dutch paintings of the sixteenth century. They are clear and precisely rendered, and are either thematically domestic scenes or pedestrian in their observations of the ordinary. There is a delirious joy in Soto's writings, and heartbreak. This collection features his much-lauded essays "The Jacket" and "Like Mexicans," along with new essays such as "Childhood Worries, or Why I Became a Writer," "Getting It Done," and the title essay in which Soto fashions himself to be Fresno's own Knut Hamsun, the Norwegian writer of the 1920s who lived on nothing more than his five senses. Poet and critic Christopher Buckley said of his poetry, "[Soto has] mastered his form, has found his voice, and has the life experiences to provide meaningful content." He could have been speaking of his prose as well. Soto is at home with the essay; he is able to paint moments that would otherwise seem dull and not worthy of comment. He picks up hitchhikers, sorts through the mystery of finding a wife, and pulls together his wits to solve the hunger of stray dogs. He is tender and outrageous; he is reflective on worldly matters and cagey with his family and friends. In all, his dazzling effects of language will keep the reader continually surprised. These portraits are set in his hometown, Fresno, and in his current residence, the San Francisco Bay area. They therefore mark his time and place, but honor the instincts of the master Knut Hamsun, who walked around his town, a spectacle of wonder. This volume includes forty-eight pieces: all of the personal narratives formerly collected in Small Faces, the best of Lesser Evils--both volumes long out-of-print--as well as five new essays....

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Soto weaves together one brave woman's life and the political history of the farm-worker movement....

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.
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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 José 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.
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Teresa was so excited when her grandpa gave her a fantastic little carrito for her birthday. Everyone admired it when she rode down the sidewalk and it won Best Car at the playground hands down. Over time, though, she stops taking care of it and it practically falls apart. But when it helps her escape from a neighborhood dog, she is reminded of how much she loves it. And her grandpa is just the person to help her fix it up. After all, he’s old, too, but he’s still fun to play with.

A funny, touching story with zippy illustrations, this is a painless way to show kids that it’s important to take care of the things (and people) you love....

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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.
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