COMMENDED LIST: It Doesn't Have to Be This Way: A Barrio Story
Staff -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2000
COMMENDED LIST
RODRÍQUEZ, Luis J.
It
Doesn't Have to Be This Way: A Barrio Story/
No tiene que ser así:
una historia del barrio.
illus. by
Daniel Galvez. Children's Book Press. RTE $15.95. ISBN 0-89239-161-8.
The author of Always Running: La vida loca: Gang Days in L.A. (S & S, 1994) turns his considerable talents and his own personal experiences toward young readers in a bilingual story about 10-year-old Monchi, who gives in to the pressure to join his neighborhood gang. After his 12-year-old cousin is caught in gang crossfire, he realizes the seriousness of his decision to join and, with the help of his uncle, manages to extricate himself. Realistic illustrations enhance the true-to-life nature of this picture book for older readers, which will inspire discussions about peer pressure, making tough choices, and the consequences of decisions we make. (Gr 3-8)
