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. #8220;The author #8217;s keen understanding of his characters produces a story that is both touching and enlightening. #8221;-Publishers Weekly Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 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 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 6-9. In this sequel to Taking Sides , Soto writes about open minds, not closed ones, as he turns once more to multicultural themes. Lincoln Mendoza, now happily out of the suburbs, is selected for a summer exchange program to Japan, where he will continue the martial arts training he began in San Francisco. Lincoln discovers that Mr. and Mrs. Ono and their son, Mitsuo--his host family--are congenial guardians and as eager to learn about the U.S. and his Mexican American heritage as 14-year-old Lincoln is to learn about Japan. Their cultural collisions are affable and gently humorous, as when Lincoln, who's not a good cook, prepares frijoles for his "family," and when he visits the sento, a men's public bath, for the first time. The episodic plot is not particularly dramatic, except for one incident, when Lincoln, who can't drive, must rush an ailing Mr. Ono to the hospital. It's the language that seems to punch things up: Soto uses a heroic combination of contemporary American slang ("fresh," "bad") and Spanish and Japanese terms likely to have readers making good use of the book's two glossaries. Yet the strange word mix works more often than not; the story, though slight, is warm and winning; and its setting is strikingly authentic. (Reviewed Nov. 1, 1992)0152591877Stephanie Zvirin From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.