Gary Soto : An Annotated Bibliography
Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center Gary Soto bibliography page. The ISLMC is a meta-site for librarians, teachers, parents and students. You can search this site, use an index or sitemap to locate resources at this site. 2/22/03

Annotations are from the Library of Congress or where specified from Barnes & Noble.

[Biography] [Juvenile Fiction] [Juvenile Nonfiction] [Adult Nonfiction] [Adult Fiction] [Curriculum Materials]

Biography

  • The Effects of Knut Hamsun on a Fresno Boy: Recollections and Short Essays. 1st ed. New York: Persea Books, 2000.

  • Let's Read Biography: Gary Soto Grade 1. McDougal Littell

  • Living Up the Street: Narrative Recollections Laurel Leaf, 1992. Young Adult. Biography. Prose
    Collection of short prose pieces, describing Soto's growing up in the barrio during the 1950s and 1960s; Little League; parochial school life.

  • A Summer Life. Laurel Leaf, 1991. Biography. Young adults essays
    39 brief essays on Soto's years from ages 5 to 17 in Fresno. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

  • California Childhood: Recollections and Stories of the Golden State. Creative Arts Books, 1988. Biography. Essays.

  • The Effects of Knut Hamsun on a Fresno Boy: Recollections and Short Essays. 1st ed. New York: Persea Books, 2000.

  • Lesser Evils: Ten Quartets. Arte Publico, 1988. 142p. Biography
    Autobiographical essays; thematic; "each of the four independent parts engages an essay's theme from a different angle" [Publishers's Weekly]; see review at Barnes & Noble

  • Living Up the Street. San Francisco: Strawberry Hill Press, 1985. Young Adult. Biography/ Prose
    Describes growing up in Mexican American Fresno.

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    Juvenile Fiction

  • Baseball in April. SD: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 1990. Young Adult short stories 137p.
    11 short stories on everyday adventures of Hispanic young people growing up in Fresno, California.

  • Beisbol En Abril/Baseball in April Fonda De Cultura Economica, 1995. Young Adult short stories

  • Beisbol En Abril y Otras Historias. pa. Lectorum Publications, 1998. Young Adult
    Baseball in April Spanish ed.

  • Big Bushy Mustache. Illus. by Joe Cepeda. Knopf, 1998. [Ages 4-8]
    Ricky borrows a mustache to look more like his father but loses it.

  • Boys at Work. Illus.by Robert Casilla. NY: Delacorte Press, 1995. [Ages 9-12] Companion to The Pool Party
    10-year-old Rudy breaks an older boy's Discman at a baseball game. He and his friend Alex come up with ways to make money to replace it. Review at Amazon

  • Buried Onions. Harcourt Brace 1997; 1st pbk. ed. HarperCollins, 1999. Young Adult Fiction
    19-year-old Eddie leaves college and must struggle to find a place for himself in a violence-infested Fresno neighborhood. Reviews at Amazon

  • The Cat's Meow. Illus. by Joe Cepeda. Scholastic, 1995. [Ages 9-12]
    8-year-old Graciela who is half Mexican is amazed when her cat starts to speak Spanish. Review at Amazon

  • The Cat's Meow. Illus. by Carolyn Soto. San Francisco: Strawberry Hill Pr., 1987. 64p. [Ages 4-8]
    8-year-old Nicole, who is part Mexican is amazed when her cat starts to speak Spanish.

  • El Maullido De LA Gato. pa. Scholastic Trade, 1996. [Ages 9-12]
  • The Cat's Meow Spanish language ed.

  • Chato and the Party Animals. Illus. by Susan Guevara. Putnam, 1998.
    Chato, the cat, decides to throw "a pachanga" for his friend, Novio Boy, who has never had a birthday party.

  • Chato's Kitchen. Illus. by Susan Guevara. NY: Putnam, 1995. [AGes 4-8]
    Chato, the cat, plots to catch the barrio mice by cooking all kinds of Mexican food, tamales, etc..

  • Chato Y Su Cena/Chato's Kitchen. Illus. by Susan Guevara. Paper Star, 1997. [Ages 4-8]
    Chato, the cat, tries to lure the mice to his house by providing Mexican food.

  • Crazy Weekend. Scholastic, 1994. [Ages 9-12] 144p.
    After their photograph of a robbery appears in the newspaper, Hector and Mondo are pursued by two goofy thieves.

  • If the Shoe Fits. Illustrated by Terry Widener. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2002. Picture Book.
    After being teased about his brand new loafers, Rigo puts them away for so long he grows out of them.

  • Jesse. Harcourt Brace, 1994. Young Adult Fiction 166p.
    Two Mexican American brothers hope that junior college will help them escape their heritage of tedious physical labor. Review at Amazon

  • Local News. Harcourt Brace, 1993. [Ages 9-12] 148p.
    13 short stories about the everyday lives of Mexican American young people in California's Central Valley. Reviews at Amazon

  • My Little Car (Mi Carrito). Illustrated by Linda Sawaya. New York: Putnam, 2000. Easy
    Teresa enjoys parading the new lowrider car from Grandpa and making it dance, and when it becomes old and damaged Grandpa helps her fix it.

  • Off and Running. Delacorte, 1996. [Ages 9-12]
    Miata and her friend face a tough school election when Rudy and Alex, two fifth-grade-clowns, decide to run.

  • The Old Man and His Door. Illus. by Joe Cepeda. Philomel, 1996. [Ages 4-8]
    An old man misunderstands his wife's instructions and sets out for a party with a door on his back.

  • El Viejo Y Su Puerta. Paper Star, 1998.
    The Old Man and His Door Spanish language ed.

  • Pacific Crossing. Harcourt Brace, 1992. [Ages 9-12] 134p.
    14-year-old Lincoln Mendoza spends a summer with a host family in Japan.

  • Petty Crimes. Harcourt Brace, 1998. Young Adult Fiction-Short Stories
    "Mother's Clothes," "Try to Remember," "The Boxing Lesson," and other short stories.

  • The Pool Party. Illus. by Robert Casilla. NY: Delacorte Press, 1993. [Ages 9-12]
    While helping his father and grandfather work as gardeners in Fresno, 10-year-old Rudy sees some differences between his Mexican American family and the wealthy families that live nearby.

  • The Skirt. Illus. by Erick Velasquez. Yearling, 1994. [Ages 9-12]
    Marita leaves the skirt she is to wear at a dance performance on the school bus and must get it back before her parents find out she has lost something again.

  • Snapshots from the Wedding. Illus. by Stephanie Garcia. Putnam, 1997. [Ages 4-8]
    Maya, the flower girl, describes a Mexican-American wedding.

  • Summer on Wheels. Scholastic, 1995. [Ages 9-12]
    Hector and his friend Mondo take an adventure filled bike trip from East Los Angeles to the Santa Monica beach while on summer vacation.

  • Taking Sides. SD: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. [Ages 9-12] 138p.
    14-year-old Lincoln Mendoza, an aspiring basketball player, must come to terms with his divided loyalties when he moves from his Hispanic inner city neighborhood to a white suburban one.

  • Tomando Partido/Taking Sides. Fonde de Cultura Economica. [Ages 9-12]

  • Too Many Tamales. Illus. by Ed Martinez. NY: Putnam, 1993. [Ages 4-8]
    Maria loses her mother's wedding ring while they are preparing tamales for the family's Christmas celebration.

  • Que Monton de Tamales/Too Many Tamales. Illus. by Ed Martinez. Paper Star, 1996 [Ages 4-8]
    Maria loses her mother's wedding ring while they are making tamales for the family's Christmas celebration.

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    Juvenile Nonfiction

  • Canto Familiar. Illus. by Annika Nelson. SF: Harcourt Brace 1995. [Ages 9-12] 79p.
    25 poems about pleasures and pains of growing up Mexican-American . Reviews at Amazon

  • Fearless Fernie: Hanging Out with Fernie and Me. Poems by Gary Soto; illustrated by Regan Dunnick. Putnam, 2002.
    Grades 4-9; a collection of 41 short poems about childhood friends, growing up. See reviews at Barnes & Noble

  • A Fire in My Hands: A Book of Poems. Demco Media, 1992; Scholastic, 1990. 63p. Grades 7-12
    21 poems about the themes of life; each is preceded by a personal anecdote. Review at Barnes & Noble

  • Jessie De La Cruz: Profile of a United Farm Worker. 1st ed. Persea Books, 2000.
    Biography of De La Cruz

  • Neighborhood Odes. Illus. by David Diaz. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1992. Poetry. [Ages 9-12]
    Collection of poetry which explores neighborhoods -playing in sprinklers, eating snowcones; etc. Reviews at Amazon

  • Nerdlania : A Play. New York: Paper Star, 1999. Ages 9-12

    A humorous play in which Martin, a Chicano nerd, undergoes a transformation with the help of his friends and experiences true love. Includes a glossary of Spanish words and phrases used in the dialogue. Annotation from Barnes & Noble. Review at Amazon

  • Novio Boy: A Play Harcourt Brace, 1997. Play. [Ages 9-12]
    Rudy prepares for his first date with a girl who is older than he is. Review at Amazon

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    Adult Nonfiction

  • Amnesia in a Republican County. 1st ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.
    "anti-Republican novel"; features a low-class Chicano poet, Silver Mendez, who finds himself teaching at a Baptist College. See Gary Soto Interview from Pedestal Magazine

  • Black Hair. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985. 78p. Poetry

  • The Elements of San Joaquin. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburg Pr., 1977. 56p. Poetry.

  • Father Is a Pillow Tied to a Broom. Slow Loris Press, 1980. 20p. Poetry

  • Gary Soto: New and Selected Poems SF: Chronicle Books, 1995.
    A collection of new and older poetry, much of which is out-of-print. Also recommended for YAs. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

  • Home Course in Religion: New Poems by Gary Soto. SF: Chronicle Books, 1991. 77p.

  • Junior College: Poems Chronicle Books, 1997.
    Collection of forty poems which explore the many faces of angst, anxiety and misguided realities of childhood and adolescence.

  • A Natural Man
    • . San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000.
    A collection of poetry in which Soto addresses "the shabby reality of the world around him and turns it into vivid poetry." From Barnes& Noble

  • Nickel and Dime. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2000.
    Contents: "We Ain't Asking Much" -- "Literary Life" -- "The Untimely Passing of the Clock Radio"

  • Poetry Lover. 1st ed. University of New Mexico Press, 2001.

  • Small Faces. Demco Media, 1993; Houston: Arte Publico, University of Houston, 1985.

  • The Tale of Sunlight. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1978. 61p. Poetry

  • Where Sparrows Work Hard. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1981. 65p. Poetry

  • Who Will Know Us?. SF: Chronicle Books, 1990. Poetry. 69p.

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    Adult Fiction

  • Amnesia in a Republican County. 1st ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.

  • Nickel and Dime. 1st ed. University of New Mexico Press, 2000.
    Short stories collection

  • Pieces of the Heart: New Chicano Fiction. Edited by Gary Soto. SF: Chronicle Books, 1993. Adult fiction
    Collection of stories by Mexican American authors.

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    Curriculum Materials

    Taking sides and Related Readings. McDougal Littell. Literature Connections Series. Grade 8

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