Off and Running

Soto, Gary. 1996. Off and Running. Ill. by Eric Velasquez. New York: Delacorte. ISBN 0-385-32181-3.

Gary Soto's novel Off and Running captures protagonists Miata, Ana, Rudy, and Alex at a time in life that will resonate with a lot of readers - the stage when you can't believe how completely foreign the opposite sex is, and you can't figure out why you're so preoccupied with them either. Soto's characters are true to life and quickly seem like kids you might know. His descriptions of school and family life in a predominately Hispanic area include rich details, such as his narration of a quinceanera celebration.

Fifth-graders Miata and Ana are running against their schoolmates Rudy and Alex in the school elections. Miata wants to get rid of the graffiti and plant flowers to beautify the school. Rudy wants longer recess and more ice cream. The story unfolds through Miata's eyes as she plans her campaign and thinks about what she will do as president. Refreshingly, Soto avoids the overdone device of boys-against-girls and vice versa, and all four kids remain friends throughout the campaign, which ends in a way that satisfies everyone.

It's very clear why Soto is considered an exemplary author of multicultural children's books. The cultural markers in this story feel both abundant and authentic, from the music (Cielito Lindo and Donna) to the popularity of baseball and soccer. Hispanic characters are shown in a variety of occupations: the school principal, Miata's teacher, construction workers, a zookeeper, an elderly woman who used to be the mayor of her town in Mexico, and even the zookeeper's alter ego, a magician named Senor Gomez the Magnificent.

Erik Velasquez' illustrations are slightly dated, but that's something that can't be helped in realistic fiction. Soto's writing is often poetic, like when Miata eats an animal cracker shaped like a lion by putting "the lion to sleep on the bed of her pink tongue" (67).

I would read the first chapter of this book as a book talk and then give kids a chance to check it out. I think it's a story that would be very easy for kids of all ethnicities to appreciate.

Anne Connor said in School Library Journal, "This book offers an engaging look at student politics. But, more importantly, it is a realistic, warm portrayal of a Latino school in California: the kids, their families, and traditions. A humorous, light, good-natured story about everyday life in one community that will have great appeal for kids everywhere."

Connor, Anne. School Library Journal. Qtd. in Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Off-Running-Gary-Soto/dp/0440414326/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-1796065-2716726?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183145578&sr=1-1.