Growing up Mexican-American in Fresno, California, in the 1950s and ’60s might not have been easy, but it was certainly never boring for young Gary Soto, his brother Rick and sister Debra.

As this compilation of 21 short stories and articles illustrates, there is no limit to the amount of fun a child can have, or how much he can terrorize siblings and neighbors if his imagination is active. Whether it’s beating the new neighbor kids with bagged cats, or staring into a fan for an hour without blinking while imagining he is a World War I biplane pilot, Soto passes along humorous and compelling life lessons and tales of coming of age.

“A warm, human, forgiving (but never forgetting) account of growing up in the barrio … ”—Russell Banks