Showing results by narrator "Robert Ramirez" in All Categories

The two things that Wilson Williams likes best about third grade are drawing and taking care of the class pet, Squiggles the hamster. What he likes the least are timed multiplication tests. Why think about all those numbers when he could be drawing pictures of Squiggles? With gentle humor, Claudia Mills works through a common childhood problem to a surprising resolution.

As he prepares to recite the Declaration of Independence before his eighth grade social studies class in California, the thing Francisco has feared for 10 years finally happens. La migra, the immigration police, come to his classroom and pick him up for deportation to Mexico. Soon back in the United States with a "green card", Francisco struggles through adolescence, working two or three jobs a day and striving to excel at school.

Adept at portraying Latino teenage culture, author Gary Soto has won many honors, including an ALA Best Book Award for his young adult novels. After an East Fresno student is murdered, his mind leaves his body. Now he must get used to being an invisible spirit, one who watches his friends and family deal with his death.

Growing up Mexican-American in Fresno, California in the 1950’s and 60’s might not have been easy, but it was certainly never boring for young Gary Soto, his brother Rick and sister Debra. As this compilation of 21 short stories and articles illustrates, there is no limit to the amount of fun a child can have, or how much he can terrorize siblings and neighbors if his imagination is active.

Graham Salisbury has received numerous high-profile accolades from the ALA, VOYA, and several parent organizations. A Junior Library Guild Premier election, Night of the Howling Dogs is a rousing adventure set in Hawaii. On a Boy Scout trip, Dylan is looking forward to camping out at the foot of the Pu¹u Kapukapu volcano. But when an earthquake strikes, Dylan is forced to team up with a bully named Louie on a daring mission to rescue many of their scattered comrades.

After young Carlo Chuchio is dismissed from the service of his merchant uncle for daydreaming too much, he finds a treasure map and plunges headlong into an unimaginable adventure across Asia.

Orasmyn lives a peaceful life of quiet duty and thoughtful obedience. But a single wrong decision sets in motion an ancient curse that changes Orasmyn's fate forever. Told he will be killed by his own father, he is transformed into a lion on the day of a great hunt. The prince has no choice but to flee beloved Persia and his precious family. Balancing his fading human memories with his new beastly impulses, he makes his way to Europe - where his destiny awaits in the person of a French beauty.

Eighth-grader Linc Mendoza has moved from a dusty San Francisco barrio to a well-groomed suburb and a new junior high school. Suddenly he's in the minority, a Mexican-American in a mostly white school. The basketball coach is tough on him. Classes are even tougher. And his best friend is back in the old neighborhood. To make things worse, the basketball team is scheduled to play against Linc's old school in a league game. How can Linc play his best when he's shooting against his former teammates?

To get away from his chaotic, often violent parents, 17-year-old Jesse has moved into an apartment with his brother. They are both taking community college courses in Fresno. But to pay for them, they must take whatever jobs they can find, even backbreaking field work. The path to a good education isn't going to be an easy one for these two young Mexican-Americans. As Jesse absorbs information in his classes, he learns harsher lessons from the people around him.

One of the most critically acclaimed books of 2001, Lord of the Deep is a vivid fishing adventure that takes place off of the great blue island of Hawaii. Since Bill married Mikey’s mom, Mikey’s life has become truly incredible. At age 13, Mikey is the youngest deckhand on the whole island, working hard on Bill’s deep-sea charter fishing boat. It’s his second week out on the boat, and he’s busy trying to prove himself to both Bill and the disrespectful charter guests. But after making a mistake at a crucial moment, Mikey begins to feel more and more alone.

Artist, author, and Texas Renaissance man, Tom Lea was a widely acclaimed man of many talents. His triumphant New York Times best-selling novel The Brave Bulls is considered a classic of Southwestern literature. Here, listeners are invited to explore the fascinating, visually evocative world of Mexican bullfighting in all its brutal glory.

When young Pablo is given some poppy seeds, he dreams of spreading color and beauty throughout his dusty Mexican village. Daring to enter Old Antonio's walled yard to plant the seeds, he is chased away with angry words and a stick. The stingy old man thinks Pablo has come to steal his precious spring water. Poor Pablo becomes sick from staying too long in the hot sun and cannot leave his bed. Meanwhile, the seeds he dropped by the spring have grown into beautiful red poppies.

Lincoln is happy to be going to Japan as a martial arts exchange student. So is Tony, his barrio brother from San Francisco. They're excited about living in a dojo, or school for martial arts, and practicing the art of kempo. When Lincoln arrives in Japan, he is surprised to find that the dojo is a vacant lot. He will be living on a small farm with the Ono family, whose mother reminds him of his own. The father likes to play practical jokes, and the son, Mitsuo, likes baseball.

This collection of short poems from Newbery Award-winning author Paul Fleischman delightfully celebrates the essence of birds. The companion to Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, its poems feature two voices speaking sometimes together and sometimes in turn. Experience the magic and magnificence of the immortal phoenix. Enjoy the fluttering elation of finches at dawn and the swiftness of swallows at dusk. And empathize with the loneliness of the pigeon in the Cincinnati Zoo.

Author of the critically acclaimed Martha Chainey mystery series, Gary Phillips is a master at capturing the gritty reality of the streets. Bangers takes listeners to the crime infested L.A. neighborhood of Venice Heights, where an elite team of cops struggles to maintain order. They are on the right side of the law, yet these officers will bend or break any rule to bring gangsters down - but too much power leads to corruption and chaos.

A rough-and-tumble band of batsmen from a California boomtown insist they're the country's best baseball team. To back up their boast, the Dillontown Nine make the 1881 champion ChicagoWhite Stockings an offer they can't refuse - a wager so bold it may completely transform life in their gold mining settlement. Into this explosive high-stakes climate rides 12-year-old baseball virtuoso Jack Dillon.

Teenager Murray Keifer just doesn't fit in at school. And it doesn't help that his mother is too busy entertaining male friends to be involved in his life. His only friends are "Dearly" and "Beloved": dead people buried in the local cemetery. That's right, Murray talks to the dead. But Murray's peaceful and unusual world is torn asunder when he hears the voice of missing teen Nikki Parker, buried in someone else's grave.

In books like Buried Onions and Boys at Work, Gary Soto displays a gift for revealing the tough, heart-breaking life of contemporary urban kids. In Petty Crimes, Soto offers 10 stories about the risky situations and dangerous little scams faced by young people growing up on the harsh streets of the city.

La señora de los sueños explores the life of Ana Fernandez, a housewife who seeks a release from the routine of domestic duty. She finds her escape through reading novels that transport her to far away places.

This bold Southwestern tale by award-winning author C.W. Smith comes from the TCU Press’ Texas Tradition Series. Raised by an Anglo family after being orphaned, Méndez has been given the chance to succeed. His cousin Manuelo, however, is struggling just to survive. When Manuelo breaks the law, Méndez must decide whether to continue living a comfortable life or to risk it all and fight for his kin.