Writing the Virginia Hamilton Response to Literature

There are a few things you need to include in your body paragraphs:
1.Discuss (briefly) the plot of the book
2.Discuss the theme
3.Add 1 quote to prove that theme.
4.Discuss how that quote proves the theme


Dear 7th grader,

Since you are reading this letter, you probably have many questions about Gary Soto. I am here to help answer as many of those questions as I can. Gary Soto is an award winning novelist and poet who writes mostly about Mexican-American adolescents. He was born in Fresno, California in 1952. Coincidentally, Soto often sets his stories in or around Fresno. As I began to read more stories by Gary Soto, I noticed a particular theme start to immerge. That theme, the search for love, can be seen throughout three stories in particular.

In a play called Novio Boy, by Gary Soto, we learn about a boy named Rudy and a girl named Patricia. Both of the main characters are new to dating and neither of them have a lot of money. But as the story progresses, we learn that each of them really likes one another. We also learn early on that Rudy is very concerned about his date with Patricia. As he is talking with his friend Alex, we see that Rudy really wants to make a good impression:
“Rudy: Sorry? You mean I should be sorry I look like Tom Cruise? (pause) You’re cold, homes. You’re no help at all.
Alex: (giggling) Just joking, Rudy. Listen, man, you got to start simple. Break the ice. Ask her…what her favorite color is or something,” (Pg. 1).
While each character is joking around, we see how serious they are taking this date. While friends will be friends, the search for love will always be taken seriously.

In a short story very similar to Novio Boy is “The 7th Grade,” also by Gary Soto. In this story the main character, Victor, is desperately trying to get a girl named Teresa to notice him on the first day of school. He is constantly trying different ways to get noticed and even pretends to know French! Just like in Novio Boy, the search for love in “The 7th Grade” is a very important theme. During the opening pages of “The 7th Grade” Victor says that “Teresa is going to be my girl this year,” (pg. 52). This quote proves how big of a crush Victor has on Teresa and how willing he is to impress her…in any way possible.

Along with plays and short stories, Gary Soto also writes a lot of poetry. In the poem “Between Words,” Soto discusses the search for love through the use of metaphor and figurative language. Soto describes love as being “between clouds/And we’re between words/That could deepen/But never arrive,” (lines 16-18). In this way, we learn that love is more than something to be named. It is a thing that exists between two people that do not need to say anything to one another to feel the love that exists between them. Just like in Novio Boy and “The 7th Grade” we see a character trying to make sense of his/her feelings over someone that they feel strongly towards.






Writing the Conclusion

1.Recap the name of the stories you discussed
2.Restate the purpose for writing the letter
3.Discuss why the theme/lesson you chose is important


As you can see, Gary Soto writes in a lot of different genres. I hope I was able to answer most of your questions about him and are now looking forward to reading more of his stories. Whether it is in Novio Boy, “The 7th Grade,” or “Between Words,” the search for love plays a tremendous role in Soto’s writing. Without this theme, much of the tenderness would be missing. We learn a lot about each character through their search for love and it is here that we begin to understand just how important love can be in anyone’s life.