Great Price for

Baseball in April and other stories (Celebrate reading, Scott Foresman) Review

My 6th grade summer class and I decided to read Baseball in April in order to get to know Gary Soto's writing style a bit better. We were not disappointed. The students were able to choose from the 11 short stories which ones to read first. We started with "La Bamba;" it was an interesting story, particularly since most of my students are Hispanics. The students were able to identify with the most of the settings and characters. Other stories that the kids of any background will find interesting are: Two Dreamers--a story about a grand father and his grandson--; the girls will enjoy, Barbie and in fact all the short stories will connect with most adolescent. Gary Soto utilizes his Latino background to identify with his audience; in fact when he uses words such as "menso," the students would giggle and truly hear themselves calling a family member names. Bottom line, I fully recommend Gary Soto's Baseball in April, particularly if your students are a cultural diverse group. I assure you, they will thoroughly enjoy reading this collection of short stories.

Baseball in April and other stories (Celebrate reading, Scott Foresman) Overview

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.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

Related Products

• Every Living Thing
• When I Was Your Age, Volume Two: Original Stories About Growing Up
• Hey World, Here I Am! (Harper Trophy Book)
• Journey
• Romiette and Julio

Customer Reviews

Baseball in april,and other stories - -
Wow! Thats a lot of stories!Baseball in april has 11 differant stories. This book is about everyday things. It featuressports, love, school, and age. This book by Gary Soto is great in detail and strong emotion. Are you looking for a good book? Try this one!



Baseball in april and other stories - Janell - New York, USA
The book Baseball in april and other stories is a book based on different stories in it. I think that it's a fun book to read for us teens because if you find the first story boring or you not interested in the story, you can go to the next story. I think books like that have different stories that relate to each other(I guess. There were only about three (3) stories that I didnt like or it was just boring to me.

My favorite story was a story called "broken chain". I liked it because it relates to me in different ways. I think this book was written by different young kids that experienced something new and wanted to write about it. but I also think that a young kid wrote about different days and letting the readers know how well or bad was his day.

The part when he explains that he has a date with aq girl and he goes and tells his brother about it. That part reminded me of my brother and my cousin because they always have a habit that if they meet agirl, they tell each other about it how she looks etc.

In the story "broken Chain" the main character of the book states " please! I'll do anything for you" iI love that quote because when I want something from my brother I always use that line sometimes it works, but there be times that he doesn't fault for it (lol)

Many of the stories that are in this book relate to me every time i read i think of a time that the line had related to me. So read the book to see if it also realated to you, I hope you like it!



Great storytelling - Lee Tasey - Lincoln, NE
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: How to Lose Your Faith in Divinity School

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 09, 2010 18:48:04