Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 1))
Salda-a's (The Jumping Tree, 2001) collection of short stories offers daily dramas of friends, grandparents, teachers, brothers, and parents. The themes of growing up, proving yourself, reinventing yourself, and-ultimately-finding your way will play well for the suggested audience. Set in a Georgia town and in Texas on the Mexican border, the best stories delineate that tentative line between self and larger community. In "Chuy's Beginnings," Chuy is kicked out of class and sent to the office. In the conflict he causes between teacher and principal, Chuy begins to see a bit beyond himself to the consequences of his actions. His halting attempt at apology fails but offers hope in his growth as a person. These are hopeful stories, and the characters, despite their troubles, seem capable of finding their way, often with the subtle guidance of a grandparent or teacher. "Dive" is about Melly Otero, who must decide whether or not to jump off Jensen's Bridge, the rite of passage in her town, but her grandmother helps her see that she is already grown and has "nothing to prove to anybody." In "Alternative," Arturo has been thrown out of school for drug use and is writing about how he ended up at the Alternative Center. His autobiography is a vehicle for looking at where he is right now and realizing "there are other ways out." The messages woven into the story about writing personal narratives and poetry make it an excellent choice for high school writing classes. The collection is strong, with several excellent models for young short-story writers. 2003, Wendy Lamb/Random, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 12 up. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 8))
Saldaña, author of The Jumping Tree (BCCB 9/01), offers eleven stories (nine published here for the first time) about growing up--growing up wise, growing up confused, growing up alone, and growing up surrounded by family and friends. The author has a sharp eye for the culture of young adults, those junior-high and high-school students whose lives are frequently lived outside adult intervention or understanding. The characters are Latino, and their stories are shaped by their ethnicity but not constrained by it; the issues they wrestle with are universal. There’s a range of experience among the protagonists, from Rey, who stops to help an undeserving neighbor in "The Good Samaritan," to Arturo, who is trying to straighten up in "Alternative"; from Andy, who takes his Ruthie just a little too much for granted in "Andy and Ruthie," to Kiko, who tries to change his future and life in "Un Faite." Each story depicts an individual character’s moment of truth, where he or she either learns the needed lesson and moves on or crashes and burns. Saldaña’s prose, peppered with Spanish words and phrases (understandable in context), is sharp and colloquial. While much is revealed, just as much is implied, making the stories layered and rich while still rendering them accessible. These are thought-provoking discussion starters from a writer to watch. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Lamb, 117p, $17.99 and $15.95. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2003)
As we find our way through these eleven disparate coming-of-age cuentos about Chicano culture, Saldaña forces us to experience the linguistic world of many of his protagonists--the decision to offer no glossary for the Spanish phrases that infuse his text serves as a curative disadvantage for the English-speaking reader. Never maudlin or overdrawn, these taut but lyrical tales bring light into the corners of kids' lives. Category: Older Fiction. 2003, Random/Lamb, 119pp, $15.95, $17.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Aida Franco (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 2))
This collection of short stories provides an inside view of various teens' lives. Each story has a reality-based theme. The themes are so varied the reader will be able to relate to at least one of the stories, but all should hold the reader's interest. The title short story, "Finding Our Way," shows how family, neighbors, and young people can come together in times of need. Each story will keep the reader wondering what else happens after the story ends. Fiction. Grades 6-12. 2003, Wendy Lamb Books, 117p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.

Sherry York (VOYA, August 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 3))
In these eleven short stories, the reader experiences the complicated lives of several young protagonists in contemporary situations. In The Good Samaritan, Rey chooses to trade goodness for meanness when dealing with a neighborhood snob with political aspirations. Chuy's Beginnings portrays a ne'er-do-well student who sadly realizes how his behavior has complicated the lives of an understanding but fed-up teacher and a principal. In Andy and Ruthie, a guy takes his girlfriend for granted and ends up without a prom date. Kids taunting kids, a drama teacher whose students refuse to sing in a Christmas play, being the new kid, life in the school alternative center, ruined reputations and new starts, dealing with gang members and bullies, accepting the death of a grandparent, trying to find one's true self as a young woman, mysterious death and changes in a neighborhood, dealing with brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents-all are a part of these stories about young people trying to find their way. Most characters have Latino names and the settings are in Texas, but these tales are much more than ethnic stories in the land of growing up. Saldaña's previous novel, The Jumping Tree (Delacorte, 2001), was named a Booklist Top Ten Youth First Novel. With this collection, Saldaña makes a significant contribution to the field of Latino short stories for young readers, a field that also includes authors Diane de Anda, Gary Soto, David Rice, Viola Canales, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Anilú Bernardo. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 160p, $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.