16 Cuentos Latinoamericanos. (16 Latin American Short Stories)

Reviewed by Veronica Covington, Univ. of Texas, Austin -- Críticas, 10/15/2006

Gr 6 Up—A reprint of an earlier edition, this anthology includes selections by some of Latin America’s most prominent writers. Geared to teen readers, the collection includes stories about adolescence, coming of age, love, legends and myths, ghosts, fantastic animals, and enchanted settings. “El Circulo” by Oscar Cerruto about a young girl who has been left behind by her fiancée will send chills up readers’ spines with the unexpected ending. The authors represented are a who’s who in Latin American literature: Julio Cortázar (Argentina); Óscar Cerruto (Bolivia); Murilo Rubião (Brazil); Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia); Rodrigo Soto (Costa Rica); Senel Paz (Cuba); Antonio Skármeta (Chile); Iván Egüez (Ecuador); Augusto Monterroso (Guatemala); José Emilio Pacheco (México); Sergio Ramírez (Nicaragua); Alfredo Bryce Echenique (Perú); Magaly García Ramis (Puerto Rico); and Mario Benedetti (Uruguay), among others. The stories date from the 1970s through the 90s, and each one is introduced by a photograph and a short biography of the author. Recommended for middle and high school libraries.