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Beisbol En Abril Y Otras Historias Con Conexiones
Collects eleven short stories focusing on the everyday adventures of Chicano young people growing up in Fresno, California.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Gary Soto
141 books248 followersGary Soto is the author of eleven poetry collections for adults, most notably New and Selected Poems, a 1995 finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the National Book Award. His poems have appeared in many literary magazines, including Ploughshares, Michigan Quarterly, Poetry International, and Poetry, which has honored him with the Bess Hokin Prize and the Levinson Award and by featuring him in the interview series Poets in Person. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. For ITVS, he produced the film “The Pool Party,” which received the 1993 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Film Excellence. In 1997, because of his advocacy for reading, he was featured as NBC’s Person-of-the-Week. In 1999, he received the Literature Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the PEN Center West Book Award for Petty Crimes. He divides his time between Berkeley, California and his hometown of Fresno.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
March 31, 2016
I think that this book is about that this book would be good to read because it describes the steps that the boy took to accomplish the goal of trying to play baseball.Other people should read the book and them they will understand the concept of the steps that was took to have the boy Gary play baseball.
April 27, 2018
Baseball in April-Gary Soto #14
The book Baseball in April by Gary Soto is quick fun book to read. The book does not really have a plot, but is rather twelve different stories put into one book. The famous Mexican American author Gary Soto tells about his childhood in California through stories. The stories portray memories and daily life of kids living in California. Such as poverty, friendship, annoying brothers and finally baseball.
I liked this book it was super easy to read. All the stories were fun and taught you a lesson. For an example in one story a boy is convinced he is a karate ninja but after getting beat up he decides to not be too prideful around bullies. Some of the stories were sad some wore happy, funny, dramatic they all taught valuable lessons. To say their is only one meaning to this book is simply inadequate they all wore short and to the point. One of my favorite lessons was about a boy who wanted to be a star when he grew up but he was very shy finally he decides to be in the schools talent show. His hard work and perseverance pays off in the end, the whole school loves his act! This lesson taught mainly about following are dreams even when things aren't going are way. Although complications made it hard for him to have enough courage he still sung and tried his best. If we follow our dreams and believe in ourselves we can do anything.
The book Baseball in April by Gary Soto is quick fun book to read. The book does not really have a plot, but is rather twelve different stories put into one book. The famous Mexican American author Gary Soto tells about his childhood in California through stories. The stories portray memories and daily life of kids living in California. Such as poverty, friendship, annoying brothers and finally baseball.
I liked this book it was super easy to read. All the stories were fun and taught you a lesson. For an example in one story a boy is convinced he is a karate ninja but after getting beat up he decides to not be too prideful around bullies. Some of the stories were sad some wore happy, funny, dramatic they all taught valuable lessons. To say their is only one meaning to this book is simply inadequate they all wore short and to the point. One of my favorite lessons was about a boy who wanted to be a star when he grew up but he was very shy finally he decides to be in the schools talent show. His hard work and perseverance pays off in the end, the whole school loves his act! This lesson taught mainly about following are dreams even when things aren't going are way. Although complications made it hard for him to have enough courage he still sung and tried his best. If we follow our dreams and believe in ourselves we can do anything.
February 22, 2018
Baseball in April is a collection of eleven short stories by Gary Soto. These stories deal with a variety of situations by young kids living in Fresno, California. All the protagonist from the short stories deal with the same theme of becoming mature. My favorite is Seventh Grade where Victor tries to impress a girl named Victoria with funny results. Or The Karate Kid where Gilbert is inspired by the movie of the same name to stand up to the school bully named Pete. Each story has great characters and memorable moments. I recommend this book because you will find a story and a character that you will connect with.
June 1, 2024
All the stories are good. Only two about baseball.
December 12, 2023
Read for school
March 21, 2026
This book is very special. During Hispanic Heritage Month last semester, I had a student pick Gary Soto as an influential Hispanic he wanted to profile. My student
mentioned this book that Soto wrote. I put it on my TBR list and I just got around to reading it. This is a collection of short stories geared to a Young Adult audience. I loved every story, but my favorite was Growing Up. Maria begs to stay home from this year's family vacation. When she does get to stay home alone, she is positive her parents will get into a fatal accident. She feels guilty and scared the whole week. I did this exact same thing in high school.
mentioned this book that Soto wrote. I put it on my TBR list and I just got around to reading it. This is a collection of short stories geared to a Young Adult audience. I loved every story, but my favorite was Growing Up. Maria begs to stay home from this year's family vacation. When she does get to stay home alone, she is positive her parents will get into a fatal accident. She feels guilty and scared the whole week. I did this exact same thing in high school.
April 23, 2010
Baseball in April and Other Stories – Gary Soto
Grade: 5-8
Pages: 128
Theme: Growing up, Family, Friendship, Hardships
Awards: ALA Best book for Young Adults, Beatty Award, Booklist Editors Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, Judy Lopez Memorial Award, New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, Parenting Reading Magic Award
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Response: After reading this books, I believe many middle schoolers could easily relate to at least 1 story. Some are funny, some give that deep, realistic message that you know you should know, but need maybe 1 more reminder. I think I enjoyed “Growing Up” the most because Maria got what she wanted, which was to stay home while her family went on vacation, but worries the whole time after she hears there is an accident on the highway her family would be traveling on, and doesn’t hear from them for a whole week. When they eventually come back, they brag about how much fun they had, and she’s mad at them, and really at herself, for missing out on all the fun. She got what she deserved. ☺
Class Activitiy: Throughout the book, there are many first for the different characters. Their first kiss, their first date, and so on. Students will list some of their favorite and memorable “first”’s (first day of Kindergarten, school, camping, playing a sport, etc), and choose one to write about, and use as much detail as possible. After peer review and editing, final drafts will be typed and displayed in the classroom for others to read.
Grade: 5-8
Pages: 128
Theme: Growing up, Family, Friendship, Hardships
Awards: ALA Best book for Young Adults, Beatty Award, Booklist Editors Choice, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, Judy Lopez Memorial Award, New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, Parenting Reading Magic Award
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Response: After reading this books, I believe many middle schoolers could easily relate to at least 1 story. Some are funny, some give that deep, realistic message that you know you should know, but need maybe 1 more reminder. I think I enjoyed “Growing Up” the most because Maria got what she wanted, which was to stay home while her family went on vacation, but worries the whole time after she hears there is an accident on the highway her family would be traveling on, and doesn’t hear from them for a whole week. When they eventually come back, they brag about how much fun they had, and she’s mad at them, and really at herself, for missing out on all the fun. She got what she deserved. ☺
Class Activitiy: Throughout the book, there are many first for the different characters. Their first kiss, their first date, and so on. Students will list some of their favorite and memorable “first”’s (first day of Kindergarten, school, camping, playing a sport, etc), and choose one to write about, and use as much detail as possible. After peer review and editing, final drafts will be typed and displayed in the classroom for others to read.
January 23, 2019
The novel, Baseball in April by Gary Soto is a story about these two brothers Michael and Jesse with Michael being the older brother and Jesse being the younger brother. They both try out for a baseball team and while Jesse struggles in the tryouts Michael lights them up. He did just about everything right and performed well. When the team was decided it turns out that neither Michael nor Jesse made it and they were both disappointed until their friend told them about this travel team that he was trying out for. It was a little lower ranked but the brothers just wanted to play some baseball so they tried out and both made the team. My favorite character in this book was Jesse because it is from his point of view and I could relate to him as a struggling athlete when you want nothing more than to be good and do everything right but when the time comes you just flop down and don't make a team. I also enjoyed this story because it was a baseball book and I personally enjoy reading those the most because they have high suspense moments that can be stretched into a slow motion period. Something I did not like about this story was that it did not continue for very long. I would have liked it to carry into the team that they made and maybe even have them face the team that they did not make originally in a game. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys to read about baseball books and people overcoming adversity.
January 24, 2010
This book is a novel recommended for children ages 9-12 and is A Booklist Editors Choice, A Hornbook Fanfare Selection, A Judy Lopez Memorial Honor Book, A Parenting Reading Magic Award Book, A Beatty Award Winner, A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. It is a unique collection short stories that display the themes of love, friendship, growing up, success, and failure. Through this book, readers get to see and feel the joy and pain poor Latino Mexican Americans living in California’s Central Valley feel everyday.
The short stories represented in this book are moving, humorous, and entertaining, while the themes represented are quite subtle. The stories tell about the joy of receiving a new doll, anxiety over little league tryouts, and the desire to be better and stand out above the crowd, among others. They demonstrate the themes of love, friendship, growing up, success, and failure. The stories represented are honest and moving, yet simple. It is clear through his writing that the author has sensitivity to teens’ concerns and does a nice job of portraying these concerns through the eyes of teenagers. This book is a must read for any teenager, as I believe they will be able to greatly relate to the stories represented throughout the book.
The short stories represented in this book are moving, humorous, and entertaining, while the themes represented are quite subtle. The stories tell about the joy of receiving a new doll, anxiety over little league tryouts, and the desire to be better and stand out above the crowd, among others. They demonstrate the themes of love, friendship, growing up, success, and failure. The stories represented are honest and moving, yet simple. It is clear through his writing that the author has sensitivity to teens’ concerns and does a nice job of portraying these concerns through the eyes of teenagers. This book is a must read for any teenager, as I believe they will be able to greatly relate to the stories represented throughout the book.
September 2, 2013
These stories made me smile. They filled me with nostalgia for my own childhood (or at least the parts of it where I wasn't being beat up for being a fag) and reminded me of the resilience of children, who manage to rise up through the cracks of pavement meant to choke out community, isolate and alienate us as immigrants, people of color, and exploited workers. In relative ignorance of what it feels like to know that no matter how hard you try, the finish line for you is this tenement, project, plantation camp, barrio, or hood, kids still dream and play, making the most of what may be the only time in their lives when they will not work, not wonder and struggle over bills, and worry about the futures of their own children in a society that only makes room for them as exploited workers.
I loved it, though not as much as it's almost twin, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros. It made me that much more sure that young people hold promise those of us who have to rely on books to remember childhood have lost.
I loved it, though not as much as it's almost twin, The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros. It made me that much more sure that young people hold promise those of us who have to rely on books to remember childhood have lost.
September 11, 2013
I did not like Gary Soto's baseball in April and other stories because it was hard to follow with all the different stories. To start off this novel absolutely nothing to do with actual baseball so I was kind of mis-lead by the title. The changing of the stories that did not connect with one another confused me, I was getting mixed up between stories because some were quite similar. I only liked one passage from the whole novel and that was the one that actually had something to do with baseball all the others were just annoying. I also didn't realize that each passage had nothing to do with the one before until about page 40. Another thing is that in some passages it left u hanging for a page and just when you think something good might happen it doesn't. I urge people not to read this book
By, Michael Martino
By, Michael Martino
September 23, 2017
This book is made up of a collection of short stories about Latino kids in California. The kids are mainly early teenagers which makes this book a hard one to figure out what is the appropriate age for the reader. The reading level is not too complex but the characters are mature so I would recommend this book for junior high age kids. None of the stories really grabbed me but as I've mentioned in other reviews, I'm not a fan of short stories. The characters and language seemed a little dated which makes sense as this book is copyrighted in 1990. I'm not sure that kids today would relate to the stories. Some books are written in a way that make the book timeless but this one was not.
December 1, 2015
Baseball in April and others stories by Gary Soto is a fantastic book. Because I love every sport existing. But my opinion, is that it was made only for baseball players. Thats basically what the story is all about. Jesse practices and practices with his brother Michael to make the team. But what’s funny, is that Michael has never made the team. And he’s good. However, I might recommend this book to any reader, but mostly to baseball players. Otherwise I do love this book.
June 12, 2025
I thought this was going to be a book about baseball, but it's a collection of shorts about being Mexican American in and around Fresno. Just the kind of book my 7 grade teacher thought I should be reading, and I avoided like the plague. The more things change...
November 6, 2008
great book with many little stories..
January 30, 2008
Reference information:
Title: Baseball in April and other stories
Author: Gary Soto
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Year: 1990
# of pages: 107 Genre: short story
Reading level Interest level: ages 11 – 16
Potential hot lava: none
General response/reaction:
I enjoyed the book because it showed a different side to life. There were some stories that were sad, yet true to life. This book contains stories about families who are poor and money is a major theme, but I was still able to connect with the characters in each story. No two stories are alike, but each character shows an aspect of teenage life in a different way.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
• Family
• Money
• Want of material objects
• Pride
Characters:
Since this is a book of short stories, there are many different characters. Some memorable ones include:
• Grandfather in “Two Dreamers” – he dreams of living a comfortable life but is unable to realize his dreams because of his shortcomings.
• Gilbert Sanchez in “The Karate Kid” – he is a regular kid who goes through the phase of being passionate about something, and then getting bored with it.
• Maria in “Growing Up” – she is the type of girl who wants to rebel, but then feels guilty about it.
Plot summary:
Each story is different, so I will highlight two here.
• “Broken Chain” – Alfonso and Ernie are brothers and both of them have nice bicycles. Alfonso sees a girl in his grade that he likes and asked her if she wanted to go bike riding with him. Sandra did not have a bike, so Alfonso said he would ask his brother to borrow his. Ernie wouldn’t let Alfonso borrow his bike. Frustrated, Alfonso went home and started cleaning his bike. When he took the bike chain off to clean it, the chain broke. Alfonso panicked because he thought that his date with Sandra would be ruined. As Alfonso reached Sandra’s house, Ernie rides up behind him, sees Alfonso’s worry about not having a bike for Sandra, and then lets Alfonso take his bike. Ernie saves the day for his little brother.
• “Growing Up” – Maria believes that she is old enough to stay home while her family goes on vacation. The past family vacations have been boring and she doesn’t want to go this year. She asks her father if she could stay home and he gets angry for even suggesting it because he values family time. Maria’s mother convinces her father to let Maria stay home with her godmother. After guilty apologies between father and daughter, the family leaves. Maria is still angry, but glad that she got to stay home. She then hears about an accident on the same interstate that her family was going to use on the way to their vacation destination. She begins to feel guilty and worry because she hears no word about who the family is or whether that family survived. Maria starts visualizing her family being killed and feels horrible for being so mean to them before they left. She doesn’t hear from her family for a week. They come home from their vacation unharmed and chatting about how much fun they had. Maria’s worry turns into crabbiness because “how dare they have fun without her!”
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• ALA Pura Belpre Book Award Honor Book
• Beatty Award (California)
• Booklist Editors’ Choice
• Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• Judy Lopez Memorial Award
• New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
• Parenting Reading Magic Award
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
Drawbacks or other cautions:
Teaching ideas:
I think I would use this book to teach diversity. Each story has good themes which could be brought up in class as a way of showing different cultures. This collection could be used in conjunction with other books in a unit on cultures from around the world. Since the United States has such a diverse population, it would be fun to teach students about those cultures using literature that depicts everyday life from their point of view (much like this book does). We could also do an International Day where groups do a little more research on a culture and brings in food or shows a particular tradition from that country.
Title: Baseball in April and other stories
Author: Gary Soto
Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Year: 1990
# of pages: 107 Genre: short story
Reading level Interest level: ages 11 – 16
Potential hot lava: none
General response/reaction:
I enjoyed the book because it showed a different side to life. There were some stories that were sad, yet true to life. This book contains stories about families who are poor and money is a major theme, but I was still able to connect with the characters in each story. No two stories are alike, but each character shows an aspect of teenage life in a different way.
Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas:
• Family
• Money
• Want of material objects
• Pride
Characters:
Since this is a book of short stories, there are many different characters. Some memorable ones include:
• Grandfather in “Two Dreamers” – he dreams of living a comfortable life but is unable to realize his dreams because of his shortcomings.
• Gilbert Sanchez in “The Karate Kid” – he is a regular kid who goes through the phase of being passionate about something, and then getting bored with it.
• Maria in “Growing Up” – she is the type of girl who wants to rebel, but then feels guilty about it.
Plot summary:
Each story is different, so I will highlight two here.
• “Broken Chain” – Alfonso and Ernie are brothers and both of them have nice bicycles. Alfonso sees a girl in his grade that he likes and asked her if she wanted to go bike riding with him. Sandra did not have a bike, so Alfonso said he would ask his brother to borrow his. Ernie wouldn’t let Alfonso borrow his bike. Frustrated, Alfonso went home and started cleaning his bike. When he took the bike chain off to clean it, the chain broke. Alfonso panicked because he thought that his date with Sandra would be ruined. As Alfonso reached Sandra’s house, Ernie rides up behind him, sees Alfonso’s worry about not having a bike for Sandra, and then lets Alfonso take his bike. Ernie saves the day for his little brother.
• “Growing Up” – Maria believes that she is old enough to stay home while her family goes on vacation. The past family vacations have been boring and she doesn’t want to go this year. She asks her father if she could stay home and he gets angry for even suggesting it because he values family time. Maria’s mother convinces her father to let Maria stay home with her godmother. After guilty apologies between father and daughter, the family leaves. Maria is still angry, but glad that she got to stay home. She then hears about an accident on the same interstate that her family was going to use on the way to their vacation destination. She begins to feel guilty and worry because she hears no word about who the family is or whether that family survived. Maria starts visualizing her family being killed and feels horrible for being so mean to them before they left. She doesn’t hear from her family for a week. They come home from their vacation unharmed and chatting about how much fun they had. Maria’s worry turns into crabbiness because “how dare they have fun without her!”
Strengths (including reviews and awards):
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• ALA Pura Belpre Book Award Honor Book
• Beatty Award (California)
• Booklist Editors’ Choice
• Horn Book Fanfare Selection
• Judy Lopez Memorial Award
• New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
• Parenting Reading Magic Award
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
Drawbacks or other cautions:
Teaching ideas:
I think I would use this book to teach diversity. Each story has good themes which could be brought up in class as a way of showing different cultures. This collection could be used in conjunction with other books in a unit on cultures from around the world. Since the United States has such a diverse population, it would be fun to teach students about those cultures using literature that depicts everyday life from their point of view (much like this book does). We could also do an International Day where groups do a little more research on a culture and brings in food or shows a particular tradition from that country.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2011
Purpose: Multicultural Literature (Wide Reading Project)
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Short story
Age Level: Intermediate (I): grades 3-5/6 (ages 9-12)
Themes: adolescence; poverty; “young love”; sports; family; acceptance; dreams; materialism; school
Cultures: Mexican American culture
Read Aloud: No
Literary Elements: Various short stories on multiple, relevant topics for adolescents, including dealing with crushes and bullies, wanting to be sports stars or guitar Gods, yearning to be independent from parents, longing for material goods but being unable to afford them, etc.; introduction of various characters and different perspectives on relevant adolescent themes via a quick pace that may be more appealing to certain types of readers.
Awards: John and Patricia Beatty Award Winner (1991); ALA Best book for Young Adults; Booklist Editors Choice; Horn Book Fanfare Selection; Judy Lopez Memorial Award; New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age; Parenting Reading Magic Award
Uses: I would probably include Baseball in April… in a classroom library or suggest it to a specific student who may share a similar interest/hobby/personal background with one of the various characters in the book, though I do not think it should be required reading for an entire class. In my opinion some of the short stories are not as strong as the others; with that said, particular short stories like “Growing Up”, a tale about a high school sophomore who yearns for independence from her parents, could be a relevant and intriguing story for students during a lesson on the elements of the short story, as just one possibility.
My Review: Apparently a compilation of various short stories that are supposed to entail author Gary Soto’s own experiences growing up as a Mexican American in California, Baseball in April and Other Stories surprisingly lacked the multiculturalism that I was expecting. While we are provided glimpses of some of the challenges that Mexican Americans experience in the United States, including an interesting take on a baseball team full of kids whom “…didn’t have fathers, or had fathers who were so beaten from hard work that they came home and fell asleep in front of the TV set” (p. 18), Baseball in April… seemed more universal than culturally-specific in its adolescent themes of hormones, poverty, etc., leaving me longing for more insight into the Mexican American experience. Could the set up of Baseball in April…, specifically the relatively quick short stories, have limited Soto from providing more insightful glimpses of what it is like to be Mexican American? While well-known and popular, Baseball in April... is nowhere near as strong as Toni Johnston’s less-recognized Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio, which does a far better job of addressing the similar topic of Mexican American adolescents growing up in Los Angeles, California (as compared to Soto’s Fresno, California), especially when it comes to the issues of language, peer pressures and poverty.
Even though Baseball in April… left something to be desired in regards to its depiction of the Mexican American experience, this book certainly has its strengths, including a universal appeal to not only Mexican American but all adolescents, who deal with similar issues on a daily basis and may relate more than this adult reader did. Ultimately, some of Soto’s stories are strong but not all that memorable, while others were reading for the sake of reading, resulting in an experience that was more like a single and maybe a double than a home run.
November 24, 2020
The world is tough for some people like Lupe, a lot of the world likes sports. Lupe tries so hard but she is not any good at any sport until she finds out about marbles. In the book Marble Champ by Gary Soto Lupe is not good at sports she finds out about marbles on one rainy day. The text teaches that practice makes perfect. This goes for Lupe and everyone that is trying to do something you have to practice then you will be good. The reasons I had where she did push ups on her finger tips, squeezed a rubber eraser and she won the championship.
One reason is she squeezed erasers. To support my reason, the main character is having a lot of trouble with sports that she can think of. That is until one rainy day she saw some marbles in her closet. She tried to roll the marble but she wasn't doing any good until she decided to work out. The text teaches practice makes perfect for example it said “ she squeezed a rubber eraser 100 times hoping to strengthen her thumb”. This shows that practice makes perfect one reason is she squeezed erasers.
Another reason is she did push ups on her finger tips. For example in the middle of the story in the book marble champ Lupe is not good at sports but there is one sport she is good at and guess what it is MARBLES! That is the one sport that she is good at that is if you consider marbles a sport. This shows practice makes perfect one reason is she did “push ups on her finger tips”.
The last reason is she won the championship. At the end of marble champ I saw my theory come true that practice makes perfect and my reason was right to go. She was in a hard match of marbles but it went out well for Lupe since she has been practicing really hard. See practice is the way to go . The text teaches practice makes perfect for example the text said ”she was the winner “I did it “ Lupe said under her breath”. The author used multiple points of view to show there are multiple people talking for example her father and her mom and herself. This shows the reader there are multiple points of view. This shows practice makes perfect for example “she won the championship”.
As you can see the text teaches that practice makes perfect and the reasons where that she sqseed erasers 100 times she did push ups on her finger tips and she won the marble championship. Next time I do something I will practice so I can do it better like soccer. I will practice before I start so I can be the best I can . They can over grow not being good at something to be good by practicing you are not good if you don’t practice you are not the best in the world right away for example the best soccer player, he practiced every day every hour of the day just to be as good as he is and let me tell you, he is good when I say good I mean the best in the world.
December 4, 2017
This collection of short stories captures a slice of life. I don't have any other words to describe how charming this book is. I feel like Soto writes about childhood and captures all of our childhood quirks, our childhood growth spurts, our unrealistic expectations, our childhood hopes, dreams, shortcomings, silliness, innocence, and our beauty. There wasn't a single story that didn't resonate from my own childhood experiences. And I simply love these stories.
As a reader, I feel like the short story I need to tease apart a bit more is "Barbie." In this short story, Veronica gets a doll that is more of a reflection of who she is as a Mexican girl - a dark haired doll. She is disgusted with this "ugly" doll and longs for a "good" doll - a blonde, blue-eyed Barbie. Soto never hits the reader over the head with a moralistic lesson cautioning readers to not fall into the trap of self-loathing. He simply puts forward the ways in which we did so as children. Brown kids all over the world want blonde haired, blue-eyed Barbies.
At the ISD Library, my student population is predominantly African. Little African girls want to be princesses as well, but when I pull out the Black Rapunzel, or the Black princess, they balk. When I offer Munch's Paper Bag Princess, they scrunch their noses. When I put Princess Justina Albertina in front of them, she's too fat. As soon I pull the picture books that have pink covers with blonde haired princesses, they frantically grab for the "real" princesses. Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, blonde Cinderellas and blonde Sleeping Beauties are the real deal. As a reader of Soto's work, I can see what he's teasing out, and sadly, this same frantic stretch for the "good" princess or the "good" doll compels my African students to behave like Veronica from "Barbie."
I continue to offer alternative princesses though. The self-sufficient princess. The can-do princess. The princess who can save herself. It crushes my heart when my students reach for the Disney princess instead.
As a reader, I feel like the short story I need to tease apart a bit more is "Barbie." In this short story, Veronica gets a doll that is more of a reflection of who she is as a Mexican girl - a dark haired doll. She is disgusted with this "ugly" doll and longs for a "good" doll - a blonde, blue-eyed Barbie. Soto never hits the reader over the head with a moralistic lesson cautioning readers to not fall into the trap of self-loathing. He simply puts forward the ways in which we did so as children. Brown kids all over the world want blonde haired, blue-eyed Barbies.
At the ISD Library, my student population is predominantly African. Little African girls want to be princesses as well, but when I pull out the Black Rapunzel, or the Black princess, they balk. When I offer Munch's Paper Bag Princess, they scrunch their noses. When I put Princess Justina Albertina in front of them, she's too fat. As soon I pull the picture books that have pink covers with blonde haired princesses, they frantically grab for the "real" princesses. Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, blonde Cinderellas and blonde Sleeping Beauties are the real deal. As a reader of Soto's work, I can see what he's teasing out, and sadly, this same frantic stretch for the "good" princess or the "good" doll compels my African students to behave like Veronica from "Barbie."
I continue to offer alternative princesses though. The self-sufficient princess. The can-do princess. The princess who can save herself. It crushes my heart when my students reach for the Disney princess instead.
October 24, 2016
Baseball In April and Other Short Stories by Gary Soto is one of my favorite books. It includes 11 short stories. My favorite story was Broken Chains, the story starts of a week after Halloween when Ernie and some of his other friends meet some girls. They arrange to meet later but the girls never arrive. Alfonso on the other hand is the main character in the story. He's teeth are crooked and he cuts his hair to look like someone in a magazine to empress girls. His family is Hispanic and they live in an Urban area. Alfonso is always trying to make his teeth straight. There father is always to occupied with his baseball team. There mother is very nice and realistic. Alfonso then meets a girl named Sandra. They quickly realize they go to the same school and are in the same grade, so Alfonso asks her if she wants to go on a bike ride together. When Alfonso is preparing the bike he accidentally breaks the chain on his bike. He then asks Ernie (his brother) if he can borrow his bike but Ernie being jealous that Alfonso has actually met a girl says no. Alfonso plans to tell Sandra what happen where they are suppose to meet. He goes to the location and his brother is there with the bike. He finally gives it to Alfonso and Alfonso waits until Sandra comes. At the end Alfonso and Sandra ride the bike together. I love the book because all the stories somehow connect. For example the fact that Alfonso's dad is the coach of a baseball team could mean that he is the couch in the story Baseball In April!!!
April 21, 2020
Over the break, I read Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto and I liked it. I decided to read this book because the overall summary sounded very interesting and my sister requested it saying that “it was a very good book”.
This book was great because since it was a book that contained mini stories, there were a lot of different settings, plots, characters, conflicts, and resolutions. One of my favorite mini stories from the book was when a character, Maria, was being left home alone while her family was going on a trip. This plot took place in her home. Well the family knew they were gonna take long but didn't bother telling Maria which led to a consequence. After the family had left and days had passed by, MAria was worried because they didn't expect her family to take really long. In the news, Maria had heard that a family got into a car crash and she panicked because she thought it was her family which made her answer her question of why they were taking so long. A few days later after being panicked, her family had come home from their trip and Maria was relieved that they came back and got very angry at her family for making her panic about nothing. This book could be better if it showed what happened on the family’s trip, not just Maria’s side of the story. It could've been interesting with both parts of the story. I think people who panic about their family should definitely read this part of the story, it can help you realize that your family will be okay, there's nothing to panic about.
This book was great because since it was a book that contained mini stories, there were a lot of different settings, plots, characters, conflicts, and resolutions. One of my favorite mini stories from the book was when a character, Maria, was being left home alone while her family was going on a trip. This plot took place in her home. Well the family knew they were gonna take long but didn't bother telling Maria which led to a consequence. After the family had left and days had passed by, MAria was worried because they didn't expect her family to take really long. In the news, Maria had heard that a family got into a car crash and she panicked because she thought it was her family which made her answer her question of why they were taking so long. A few days later after being panicked, her family had come home from their trip and Maria was relieved that they came back and got very angry at her family for making her panic about nothing. This book could be better if it showed what happened on the family’s trip, not just Maria’s side of the story. It could've been interesting with both parts of the story. I think people who panic about their family should definitely read this part of the story, it can help you realize that your family will be okay, there's nothing to panic about.
January 16, 2013
In this book there are quite a bit of themes people growing up, kids, kids growing up, family members, getting along with family, heritage, friendships, and getting over hard times, love, and success and failure. I believe the author tried hard to show what goes on in a middle school student’s life. This book is split into eleven short stories which are just the chapters in each one it teaches different morals and portray different ideas. All the kids are of Latino decent and they are all different some are smart, tough, vulnerable, and athletic. Even though some face big adversity like getting embarrassed in front of the whole class or not making the baseball team over and over again, there dreams and desires that keep them going are very relatable. The author’s style was hard to pin point due to the array of stories but I would say it is descriptive because he uses his own personal opinions. The pace of the book was very good for me personally because I cannot stay focused for long times so splitting the stories up made it a very easy read because it kept throwing new stuff at you. If you don’t like reading a lot or are not a heavy book reader this might be the right choice for you because the book is easier book to follow but still very well written and interesting. If you like books about middle school, sports it’s a good book and don’t just think it’s a book about baseball because it’s got a lot more.
July 11, 2016
Ah, Gary Soto and his quirky writing. There are things about his stories that are maybe not perfect, but they become endearing over time. For example:
* The place is always Fresno, CA, but the time varies from the 50s to the 90s, sometimes in the same story.
* Spanish phrases that keep me flipping back to the glossary
* Believable, silly characters
* Snide comments about overweight people
* Intimidating female athletes
* Guys who do idiotic things to attract girls
* Those weird Gary Soto endings- Nothing is particularly resolved, the protagonist's efforts fail utterly, and the initial problem remains.
My students get a kick out of these tales. They enjoy the humor, romance, and "bad" endings. I make a big deal of being disappointed a story ends in failure and humiliation, and my middle-schoolers just eat it up.
The best stories you've probably heard of from this collection are "Seventh Grade" and "Marble Champ." The one that deserves more attention is "Broken Chain."
Although this collection is very good, I slightly prefer Local News: Stories because it is even crazier and more adolescent.
* The place is always Fresno, CA, but the time varies from the 50s to the 90s, sometimes in the same story.
* Spanish phrases that keep me flipping back to the glossary
* Believable, silly characters
* Snide comments about overweight people
* Intimidating female athletes
* Guys who do idiotic things to attract girls
* Those weird Gary Soto endings- Nothing is particularly resolved, the protagonist's efforts fail utterly, and the initial problem remains.
My students get a kick out of these tales. They enjoy the humor, romance, and "bad" endings. I make a big deal of being disappointed a story ends in failure and humiliation, and my middle-schoolers just eat it up.
The best stories you've probably heard of from this collection are "Seventh Grade" and "Marble Champ." The one that deserves more attention is "Broken Chain."
Although this collection is very good, I slightly prefer Local News: Stories because it is even crazier and more adolescent.
December 22, 2015
Baseball in April and other Stories is beautiful because of its humility. Mr. Soto's voice is ordinary, but his words paint clear pictures. He writes with Zen-like accuracy and simplicity.
The book is a series of short stories about growing up Mexican-American in Southern California. After having re-visited Las Angeles in 2013, it was wonderful to be transported back to the warm cloudless skies of Fresno and Inglewood. The book has a pure Chicano accent and I felt as if I’d met his characters before. The stories do not teach lessons, or have a great moral message – as far as I can see – but that is exactly why I loved this book. Reading the stories felt like looking through a window and watching a few Latino families trying to find happiness, and even some fame, in Southern California.
I gave this book a 4 star review on Goodreads simply because I couldn’t wait to read it again, every time I put it down. I would save stories for reading at just the right minute. The one entitled, Karate Kid goes great with a cup of coffee and buttered bread.
The book is a series of short stories about growing up Mexican-American in Southern California. After having re-visited Las Angeles in 2013, it was wonderful to be transported back to the warm cloudless skies of Fresno and Inglewood. The book has a pure Chicano accent and I felt as if I’d met his characters before. The stories do not teach lessons, or have a great moral message – as far as I can see – but that is exactly why I loved this book. Reading the stories felt like looking through a window and watching a few Latino families trying to find happiness, and even some fame, in Southern California.
I gave this book a 4 star review on Goodreads simply because I couldn’t wait to read it again, every time I put it down. I would save stories for reading at just the right minute. The one entitled, Karate Kid goes great with a cup of coffee and buttered bread.
April 17, 2011
This book is most about baseball, but it also talk about deferent things, I mean each capitol talk about different character.Is most about love and friendship. The first capitol talk about Michael and Jesse, they both love baseball, one good than another, but both of them were trying to do their best. I like this book because is about two brothers and good friends with love to play baseball together and fighting to do their best. also i like the part when Victor shows off in French class just to impress Teresa. He was speaking French in class, in the beginning of school just to show up, because him and Teresa were in same class and he said to his self, "this is the girl that i want this year" that why he was trying to do anything to impress or to get Teresa's attention.this book reminded me of my year in Cape Verde, in math class, i was doing the same thing as Victor.It make me thing about the description.
January 29, 2014
This book that am reading is called Baseball In April written by Gary Soto. The genre of the book is fiction and was published on the 1990. Also I had picked this book because it remind of me playing baseball. Even my expectations were to read more Gary Soto books.
One of my favorite scene is when Alfonso was sitting on the porch fixing his teeth to make it straight then comes his older brother Ernie to tell him to go eat and smacked him. On the other hand my favorite character was Alfonso because he was an smart and good kid. Also the thing that surprise me about the book was when the kid Alfonso started to play baseball and karate lesson and embarrassing his grandfather. By the way the theme I like was when they played their first baseball game. Also I gave this book a four star.
In conclusion I would to recommend Baseball In April to all fans who love fiction and sports. Plus this book might relate to your life.
One of my favorite scene is when Alfonso was sitting on the porch fixing his teeth to make it straight then comes his older brother Ernie to tell him to go eat and smacked him. On the other hand my favorite character was Alfonso because he was an smart and good kid. Also the thing that surprise me about the book was when the kid Alfonso started to play baseball and karate lesson and embarrassing his grandfather. By the way the theme I like was when they played their first baseball game. Also I gave this book a four star.
In conclusion I would to recommend Baseball In April to all fans who love fiction and sports. Plus this book might relate to your life.
November 9, 2016
A group of kids play baseball in California. Most of them are growing up failure & success. They all have struggles while playing baseball. There are a lot of secrets that are kept from each other.
A believe the main lesson in this book is, no matter how you grow up you will grow up with failure & success never give up. It is also like the way the book is written that you go through struggles in pretty much everything in life. It says that people can cause problems/make those problems better. Gift's can come from unexpected people or even places.
My opinion is that the book is decent but not that good. I gave it a 3 star because it says some things too many times and switch's point of view at least 1-2 times a page. The title of the book also doesn't make much sense to me (Baseball in April and other stories). It doesn't give much of a summary it just says how you live in failure & success & where they grew up.
A believe the main lesson in this book is, no matter how you grow up you will grow up with failure & success never give up. It is also like the way the book is written that you go through struggles in pretty much everything in life. It says that people can cause problems/make those problems better. Gift's can come from unexpected people or even places.
My opinion is that the book is decent but not that good. I gave it a 3 star because it says some things too many times and switch's point of view at least 1-2 times a page. The title of the book also doesn't make much sense to me (Baseball in April and other stories). It doesn't give much of a summary it just says how you live in failure & success & where they grew up.
January 8, 2018
I realy liked baseball in April because its not a traditional chapter book Gary Soto was realy smart in writing a completion of short story's what was so great about it was it was trying to relate to every one and is about more than one genre some storys include comedy,Drama,action and trys to relate to people by there favorite genre or their age or favorite hobby's and the author is start for it
what i dont like about it is that some story's may be hard to relate one story is about a musician it may be harder to relate or if your not a musician Latino you might not under stand the culture.for example one of the story's is about a base ball game and i did not understand because i dont play base ball.
but in the end i liked it because even if i cant understand the base ball story i can realate to the other stories and that is what is great about the book and i recommend this book to any one because sooner or later you will like it.
what i dont like about it is that some story's may be hard to relate one story is about a musician it may be harder to relate or if your not a musician Latino you might not under stand the culture.for example one of the story's is about a base ball game and i did not understand because i dont play base ball.
but in the end i liked it because even if i cant understand the base ball story i can realate to the other stories and that is what is great about the book and i recommend this book to any one because sooner or later you will like it.
June 12, 2010
This collection of short stories paints the reader a picture of what life is like for Hispanic-American young adults growing up in California. Major themes include age, love, friendship, success, and failure. The stories are very relatable for young teens because they deal with everyday issues such as school, baseball, and family relationships. These stories also give insight into the Hispanic heritage of the characters and the area where they are growing up.
I really liked these stories. I think they were a good representation of the Hispanic-American youth experience. Soto is a good storyteller who makes his characters real. Part of this reality comes from Soto’s own experience growing up as a Mexican-American. I recommend this book for those who like short stories and those who like stories that deal with ethnic issues.
I really liked these stories. I think they were a good representation of the Hispanic-American youth experience. Soto is a good storyteller who makes his characters real. Part of this reality comes from Soto’s own experience growing up as a Mexican-American. I recommend this book for those who like short stories and those who like stories that deal with ethnic issues.
September 4, 2013
The book Baseball in April and Other Stories is very entertaining and full of different stories that chicanos had during their childhood. There are lots of characters in the book since there are so many stories in the book like in the character in one stories is Alfonso in Broken Chains. Alfonso is thirteen years old and is trying to look handsome so that he could impress the girls. The setting in the books usually takes place in California. One conflict in the book is that Jesse and Micheal try out for the Little League Baseball team and Micheal makes it and Jesse didn't and he was sad because his friend made it and he didn't but he kept trying and practice with him and he got a spot in the team. I would recommend this book if you want to learn how the life of a hispanic kids are like. This book shows you how parents and kids like to do in the hispanic culture.
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