Stylistically, these storied reminiscences [in Stories from El Barrio] suffer from restraints imposed by a writer not totally at home with a juvenile audience. They also lack the breadth of vision of, say, [Nicholasa Mohr's El Bronx Remembered]…. But there's a pervasive, gut-level honesty that breaks through that thin veneer of stiffness; personalities emerge intact, and pace is fluid. The stories, whether humorous, touching, or tragic, strongly voice their settings; their concerns … sharply present the barrio's multifaceted character. Street language is restrained and unexploitive. This is warm-serious-funny blend, authentic and stronger for it. (pp. 620-21)
Denise M. Wilms, "Children's Books: 'Stories from El Barrio'," in Booklist (reprinted by permission of the American Library Association; copyright 1978 by the American Library Association), Vol. 75, No. 7, December 1, 1978, pp. 620-21.
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