O'Dell attempts a realistic portrayal of the Chicano culture in this fast-paced adventure story [Child of Fire]. He weaves together a fascinating tapestry of fact and fiction in this interpretation of Chicano culture: cock and bull fights, drugs, ghetto gangs, the farmworker's strikes…. The informed reader will find many of the elements of Chicano culture presented by O'Dell to be far off the mark, while others ring true. The teacher or librarian may wish to caution the reader against thinking that this picture of Chicano culture is complete. It is an exciting story unfortunately marred by some of the plot devices and stereotyped characterizations. (pp. 110-11)

Daniel Flores Duran, "Mexican American Resources: 'Child of Fire'," in Latino Materials: A Multimedia Guide for Children and Young Adults, edited by Daniel Flores Duran, Neal Schuman, Publishers, 1979, pp. 110-11.