Off And Running

Off and Running

From BooklistGr. 3^-5. Miata Ramirez from The Skirt (1992) is running for school president against Rudy Herrera from Boys at Work (1995), and the fifth-grade comedy is as lighthearted and affectionate as ever. Miata and her running mate, Ana, are serious: they want to clean up the school, involve the parents, and plant flowers. The boys' platform is different: more recess and ice cream every day. Once again, Soto has created a warm picture of friends, family, and school in a Mexican American community in Fresno, California. The story is made up of loosely connected chapters--Miata and Ana get a perm, but they end up with frizzy, sticky hair; a magician visits the school, and Miata gets to saw Rudy in half; Miata and Rudy meet, and dance, at a girl's quinceanera (fifteenth birthday party). The main focus is on Miata, but Rudy often steals the show with his gross clowning. There isn't a mean character around, but the teasing humor subverts any danger of the reverential (he's not chewing gum in church, Rudy explains, it's just in his mouth). Eric Velasquez's black-and-white illustrations add to the fun, and the occasional Spanish expressions are a natural part of the dialogue. The plot has a few loose ends, but some chapters will make uproarious read-alouds. Hazel RochmanA lighthearted companion story to The Skirt and Boys at Work pits fifth-grader Miata Ramirez and her best friend and running mate, Ana, against class clown Rudy Herrera in a contest for class president.From School Library JournalGrade 4-6?Miata Ramirez, heroine of The Skirt (1992), is running for student-body president on a platform of school beautification. Unfortunately, her opponent, the irrepressible Rudy Herrera (from The Pool Party [1993, both Delacorte]), is promising longer recesses and Ice-Cream Day every day. How can Miata and her shy running mate, Ana, hope to compete with the popular Rudy and his cut-up friend, Alex? Miata works hard on her campaign, trying to rouse enthusiasm for graffiti cleanup and planting projects. Rudy gets attention and goofs off?sometimes he even gets Miata into trouble. In spite of various mishaps, Miata and her goals triumph. The tie-breaking votes come from Rudy and Alex, who would rather go out for soccer and who think the girls would do a better job. 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.?Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public LibraryCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Kirkus ReviewsMiata (The Skirt, 1992) is running for class president against Rudy and Alex (Boys at Work, 1995), but her campaign to beautify the school has less natural appeal than the boys' endearingly goofy promises of more recess and ice cream. It's hard for Miata to campaign against someone who's so good-natured, and she and Rudy are always being thrown together: as volunteers for a visiting magician, racing turtles at the zoo, or dancing at a quincea