Baseball in April (and Other Short Stories)

 Baseball in April (and Other Short Stories) by Gary Soto

Through a collection of short stories, Gary Soto reveals some the big issues of every-day life for young adults. The Mexican-American author relates to the major concerns of adolescents, such as friendship, love, and growing up, that virtually every early teen experiences.  Whether it is a story of a boy with his first crush or a girl with a broken Barbie, Soto finds a way to connect with practically every young adult in this coming-of-age collection.

This is a book that I would highly recommend teaching in middle schools. Each story features a new theme relevant to students of that age and can be read in almost any class grade 6-8. Students at a lower reading level would be able to keep up with this text, but it is interesting enough to captivate the more advanced readers as well. Littered throughout the book are a variety of Spanish words that are catalogued in the back. Discussion of the text might encourage the participation of Spanish speaking students who are newer to the English language. This would not only provide additional opportunity for students to feel smart, but it would also expand the bilingual vocabulary of those who read it.