It “Ain’t” Always So: Sixth Graders’ Interpretations of Hispanic-American Stories with Universal Themes

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This article examines the responses of eight sixth grade students discussing four realistic fiction Hispanic-American multicultural stories with universal themes by Gary Soto in peer-led literature discussion groups. The results indicate the importance of a reader’s sociocultural frame—class, race, and gender, on their interpretation of multicultural stories with universal themes. As the socio-economic status and ethnicity of the students varied from those of the protagonists,’ most of the universal experiences of the protagonists were not accessible to the students, as evidenced in the students’ interpretations of the character’s actions. The exception was a story focusing on social acceptance. The children’s norms for physical appearance, language, and food customs also influenced their interpretations.