Pacific Crossing [Hardcover]

Gary Soto (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When Lincoln and Tony take up the martial art of kempo, they never imagine that it will lead them to Japan as exchange students. They have little idea of what lies ahead when they fly from San Francisco to Tokyo, but when it comes time to return home, Lincoln has learned that his Japanese family, and people everywhere, are not unlike his family back in California. “The author’s keen understanding of his characters produces a story that is both touching and enlightening.”-Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-- Mexican-Americans Lincoln and Tony, both 14, are chosen as exchange students for a summer in Japan. They reside with different families and the focus is on Lincoln, with Tony appearing only when a sounding board is needed. The boys prepare a botched Mexican meal for their hosts, and Lincoln saves his host family's father's life by driving, unlicensed, to a hospital. Other than these episodes, little happens in what is essentially a novel of manners contrasting cultural mores. The writing is very good, often elegant, and the point of view is in keeping with a 14-year-old. The text contains many words and phrases in Spanish and Japanese, set off in italics and defined in separate glossaries. Unfortunately, this becomes distracting and often vexing, slowing down an already uneventful narrative. Readers will wonder just what is the lingua franca between the boys and their hosts. All of the Japanese exhibit a complete mastery of English, a nearly universal proficiency that is never explained. Though not without interest, the story is too languid and linguistically confusing to hold the attention of this age group. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Pub. Lib.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The author's keen understanding . . . produces a story that is both touching and enlightening."--Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152591877
• ISBN-13: 978-0152591878
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,020,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Fresno, California to Mexican American parents, Gary Soto learned the hard work ethic through his share of chores, including mowing lawns, picking grapes, painting house numbers on street curbs, and washing cars. His hard work paid off at California State University at Fresno, from which he graduated with an English degree, and later at the University of California at Irvine, where he earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.Gary Soto is an acclaimed poet, essayist, and fiction writer. The awards for this multi-talented author are many, ranging from the U.S. Award for International Poetry Forum in 1977 for his first published book of poetry, The Elements of San Joaquin, to a Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award in 1985 for Living Up the Street, his first published work of prose recollections. His short story collection Baseball in April, was named an American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults. In 1993 Gary Soto received the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for Pool Party, and in 1995 he was nominated for a National Book Award.His other credits include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the California Arts Council. Gary Soto is also one of the youngest poets to appear in the Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. Several of his books have been translated into French, Spanish and Italian.Too Many Tamales was named a Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choices of 1993. Hazel Rochman of Booklist said, "Gary Soto is an accomplished poet and adult writer, and his children's stories are widely popular. His first entry into the picture book genre is a joyful success."When he is not writing, Mr. Soto serves as a volunteer English teacher at his church. He also enjoys eating at new restaurants, which he does often with his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter Mariko. Other members of the Soto household include their two cats, Corky and Sharkie. The Soto family resides in Berkeley, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Martial Arts Adventure, May 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pacific Crossing (Paperback)

A Review by Geoff

This book is about a boy named Lincoln and his friend Tony. They are two Mexican-American teenagers who live in San Francisco and get the opportunity to go to Japan on a foreign-exchange student program. Lincoln stays with Mr.Ono and his family and he studies martial arts with their son Mitsuo. Lincoln is very good and is trying to become a black belt. Lincoln and Tony have an amazing experience in Japan and they have a lot of fun. Lincoln and Mitsuo have lot's of fun and they both work hard in the families fields.

The first thing that I liked about this book was that it's really fun and the book has a fast pace so you don't get bored but it's not too fast so that you don't get lost. The second thing that I like about this book is that Mr.Ono is a big funny man who gives the book some good comic relief. The third thing I liked about this book were the characters because all of them seem so real like they are real people in some far off place in the east. The characters help paint a vivid picture of Japan.

I think that this book would appeal to people who want to enjoy a good martial arts foreign action book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Pacific Crossing, February 6, 2007

By 

C. Stacy "book lover" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pacific Crossing (Paperback)

My 95% Hispanic charter high school students (both male and female) enjoyed this book. They liked Lincoln and Mitsuo and said they'd like to go to Japan if given the opportunity. They thought the summer was best time,because they said they'd be scared that school would be too hard there. Two English as a Second Language students are anxiously awaiting the copy in Spanish read to be sure that they didn't miss anything crucial in the novel. I ordered it in December and it hasn't arrived yet.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring!, November 8, 2001

By 

Rebecca I. (Towson, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pacific Crossing (Paperback)

It is a really good concept for a book - two boys spending the summer in Japan and if some of the ideas had been expanded, Crossing Pacific could have been a very interesting book. But instead it just skims over the surface, with no details to really interest the reader. There are no conflicts between Lincoln and his host family - they manage to speak impecable English. He teaches them American slang and practices kempo. There is no development of Mitsuo's interest in baseball or how they can all speak English so well. It might be interesting for younger students looking for a quick read, but if you want more details about a summer spent in Japan, look elsewhere!