Too Many Tamales
Written by Gary Soto
Illustrated by Ed Martinez
Reviewed by Laila S. (age 9), Seung W. (age 9) & Jessica S. (age 9)
A girl named Maria puts on her mother's ring and loses it in the tamales that they are making for a party. Tamales are a Mexican dish of corn and minced meat. Maria then goes up the stairs and plays with her three cousins. She realized that the ring is gone and is very nervous. Then all three cousins go downstairs and eat every tamale except for one to look for the ring. The first cousin takes a bite, nothing. The second cousin takes a bite, nothing. The third cousin takes a bite, nothing. Now it is Maria's turn. She feels really nervous. She takes a deep breath and takes the last bite. To find out where the ring is, you will have to read the book. The lesson we learned from the book is ask before you take.
Laila liked the book because she liked the mystery in it. Jessica liked the book because Maria was helping her mother throughout the book. Seung Won liked the book because she liked when Danny was big and fat. We think this is a great book. You will learn a lesson in it that you will never forget. We think the illustrations are painted with beautiful pastel colors. We were excited about what was going to happen next.
We recommend this book to people who like books that have mysteries in them. And we recommend this book to people who like books that end with a smile. You also might like this book if you like characters that always tell the truth.