"Accidental Love" by Gary Soto follows the heartfelt story of a young boy named Chato who finds himself navigating the complexities of first love. Set in a vibrant, relatable setting, Chato experiences the joys and challenges of adolescence as he develops a crush on a girl named Angela. The narrative beautifully captures the innocence and awkwardness of young love, weaving in themes of friendship, self-discovery, and cultural identity. As Chato tries to express his feelings, humorous mishaps and tender moments unfold, ultimately leading him to understand that love can sometimes arrive when least expected, and often in surprising ways. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 7th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 12-17 years.

This book is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed. This book was published in 2021 by Blackstone Publishing .

Gary Soto's first book for young readers, Baseball in April and Other Stories, won the California Library Association's Beatty Award and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. He has since published many novels, short stories, plays, and poetry collections for adults and young people. He lives in Berkeley, California. Visit his website at www. garysoto. com.