The Pool Party

Invited to Tiffany Perez's pool party, Rudy Herrara longs to make a big impression on Tiffany and his classmates. By the author of Living up the Street.

Grade 4-7-- Rudy is an average kid from a nice family. In his young life, between the time he receives an invitation to a rich girl's pool party and his subsequent social success there, various episodes occur that will entertain readers with their humor and assure them with their familiarity. In one scene, Rudy astonishes the mother of his hostess by overdoing it on the small talk his father has advised him to employ. In another episode, a sense of relief at the boys' close call is inevitable when, thinking they're performing a good deed, they help two men steal a Mercedes. A few elements make this story special: the poetic perfection Soto exhibits both in description and in authentic dialogue and the immersion of readers into the bosom of a loving, hard-working Mexican-American family. --Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Needham, MA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

As he did in The Skirt , Soto again portrays a working-class Mexican American family. When Rudy Herrera is invited to a pool party by a wealthy classmate, he muses about what it will be like and tries to come up with an appropriate gift for his hostess. Rudy's relatives offer plenty of advice on how to make small talk and his father stresses that Rudy be proud of his heritage and his family--no matter what. In the days leading up to the big event Rudy and his friend Alex get into a few scrapes, but the pool toy that they finally find ends up being the hit of the party. This time out Soto delivers a quick read, liberally flavored with slapstick humor and sprinkled with a few stereotypical situations (the boys hitch a ride with two guys who have stolen a car, for example). The novel, however, lacks the flashes of emotional intensity found in the author's other works. Nonetheless, Rudy's eccentric grandfather, self-conscious teenage sister and other colorful characters, along with snippets of Spanish, lend authenticity to this breezy slice of Hispanic life. Casilla's black-and-white pencil drawings allow for some warm facial expressions, but are otherwise fairly static and do not elaborate much on the text. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Herreras are living in a Fresno, California, barrio when Tiffany Perez, one of the richest kids in school, invites Rudy Herrera to a pool party. His whole family helps him get ready: Grandfather (``El Shorty'') advises that a pool party is ``when a bunch of guys get together and shoot pool''; older sister Estela urges an improvement in manners lest Rudy embarrass the whole family; his father finds a huge inner tube to take along and tries to teach Rudy how to make small talk; but when the big day comes, the boy's main concern is having a good time. This Latino family has an exemplary warmth and dignity; no matter how often Grandfather tells the same stories, they listen politely; and they all pitch in when Father needs help with his gardening jobs. ``Work is honorable,'' Grandfather asserts as he shows hands ``rough as bark.'' Mexican-American colloquialisms sprinkled throughout the dialogue (and nicely defined by the context--no glossary this time) give it an authentic, playful tone. Engaging, gently humorous--with plenty of realistic full-page drawings and a jacket that's sure to attract readers. (Fiction. 7-10) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.