Type of bind: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 128
Printing Date: September 01, 2001
Sale Popularity Level: 1735117
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
In this quiet, gentle novella reminiscent of Sarah, Plain and Tall, award-winning picture book writer Tony Johnston creates a moving story about a loving Chicano family in East LA. Filled with love, hope, and the exquisite beauty of a very special community, Tony Johnston¹s very first novel is a warm and memorable gem.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
Beware: If you read this book you will die from how amazing it is. It has a message that is important and it stops teenagers or anybody from doing improper things. Any Small Goodness comes to mind when you are going to be violent and it reminds you of the most important things in your life. Any Small Goodness has a glossary that helps you with the Spanish words used throughout the story. This story has an amazing family and it has lots of action in the story to keep you interested. We give this story a star rating of four. Our opinion is that the author, Tony Johnston, should have limited the amount of time spent discussing Gangs because it is frightening at times. Also, the author needs to spend more time discussing the kindness shown in the barrio. The author has wonderful ideas. He teaches a lesson which is we should share more.
Rated by buyers 
-
The reviews on the inside cover of this book describe Arturo, the protagonist, as `a Latino Holden Caulfield'. Well, no.
After reading a few Hispanic American novels, I am beginning to see some similarities. They have all been family based, family oriented. They each include a glossary to help readers with the Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text. They are life affirming and tell an uplifting tale.
Any Small Goodness runs along the same lines. The title comes from what Arturo's father tells him: "In life there is bueno and there is malo. If you do not find enough of the good, you must yourself create it ... Remember this thing - any small goodness is of value."
To this end, Arturo and his friends form the Green Needle gang. In the Los Angeles barrio that is their home, they must deal with real street gangs. But the Green Needle gang sneaks up to people's houses and leave Christmas trees and gifts on the porch. This is only one of the ways they concoct to make their lives and neighborhood better.
Arturo and his friends resist their teacher's efforts to Americanize their names (Arturo, Jaime, Alicia, Raul become Arthur, James, Alice, and Ralph, but only briefly). They are proud of their Hispanic heritage and look to Arturo's grandmother as a touchstone to the traditional ways. She cooks Mexican food, uses old time utensils, and speaks Spanish. Arturo is both proud of his grandmother and embarrassed by her - in the fashion of all teens. But they are Americans, after all, and participate in all that is American. Some of the characters that walk on are an ex-NBA player who volunteers to coach at their school, a media specialist with a flair for choosing the perfect book, and a do-gooder piano teacher who keeps candy atop the piano to stave off sinking spells.
While this is a worthwhile and enjoyable book, each chapter is a little story unto itself. There is not as much continuity of story as in an ordinary book. Some of the story does spill over into the culminating formation of the Green Needle gang at the end, thus bringing the message home.
Rated by buyers -
Overall, a very touching story about Arturo and his familia y amigos (family and friends) and even a few malditos (bad guys). Arturo learns that, "any small goodness is of value."
While this book focuses on a Mexican family, it may also reach children of non-Anglo descent, particularly very first generation students.
Rated by buyers 
-
Arturo's family has emigrated from Mexico to East L.A. The teacher at his new school wants to change the kid's names to their American counterparts. Arturo's story reveals the need to adjust and assimilate to a new, sub-culture while retaining the need to maintain integral parts of his own culture. For many, family love and values aren't enough to keep you from the outside influences that can lead you down the wrong road. How do Arturo and his amigos maintain orgullo? This is a great book to open the doors to understanding the unfamiliar characteristics that lie within Mexican culture for school children that are subject to this integration. At the same time the book will offer a sense of pride within their Mexican culture.
Rated by buyers -
In the book Any Small Goodness, the characater Arturo gets a thumbs up. He lives in L.A. in a place where random acts of generosity and good will improve the lives of L.A. There is also another L.A. , a place of movie stars and people who are too rich and people who are too poor. But Arturo manages to survive. We like Arturo because he is a good friend that could also make him a good person. He never talks down to his friends or talks behind their backs. We also like him because he's a growing kid- just like us. Another reason is he thinks about what will happen next, the reason he has so many friends is because knows he would lose them if he talked bad about them. We make good and bad desisions just like him. We think other kids should read this book because it explains a lot about growing up.
Find other books like this one:
