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EE ll nn uu eevvoo
HH oo uu dd ii nn ii
CC aa rroo ll GGaa aa bb
Brandon Brown is dying to drive his faBrandon Brown is dying to drive his fa--ther's 1956 T-bird while his parents arether's 1956 T-bird while his parents areon vacation. Will he fool his parentson vacation. Will he fool his parentsand drive the car without them knowand drive the car without them know--ing and win the girl of his dreams ining and win the girl of his dreams inthe process?the process?
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EE ll nuevo Houdin inuevo Houdin iPresent Tense Version
Cover and Chapter Art byRobert Matsudaira
byCarol Gaab
Copyright © 2010 by Fluency MattersAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-935575-14-6
Fluency Matters, P.O. Box 11624, Chandler, AZ 85248
[email protected] • FluencyMatters.com
A NOTE TO THE READERThis fictitious novel is based on the top 200 words
in Spanish. It contains a manageable amount ofhigh-frequency vocabulary and countless cognates(words that are similar in two languages), making itan ideal first read for beginning language students.
Essential vocabulary is listed in the glossary at theback of the book. Keep in mind that many verbs arelisted in the glossary more than once, as most appearthroughout the book in various forms and tenses.(Ex.: I go, he goes, he went, etc.) Vocabulary thatwould be considered beyond a ‘novice-low’ level isfootnoted within the text, and their meanings givenat the bottom of the page where each occurs.
You may have already noticed that there are twoversions to this story, a past-tense version and a pre-sent-tense version. You may choose to read one orthe other, or both. Whatever version you choose, weencourage you to focus on enjoying the story versusstudying the tense in which it is written.
The opinions and events in this story do not reflector represent the opinions or beliefs of Fluency Mat-ters. This novel is intended for educational entertain-ment only. We hope you enjoy reading it!
Índice
Capítulo 1: Una situación horrible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Capítulo 2: ¡Adiós! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Capítulo 3: El carro no funciona . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Capítulo 4: El accidente horrible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Capítulo 5: Una misión importante . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Capítulo 6: ¡Un beso increíble! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Capítulo 7: Una reparación urgente . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Capítulo 8: Una cita indescriptible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Capítulo 9: Una foto especial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Capítulo 10: El nuevo Houdini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Glosario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1
Glosario de Cognados (after past tense glossary) . . . . . . C-1
Capítulo 1Una situación horrible
– Braaaandon –llama la madre de Brandon.Brandon está en su dormitorio, cuando su madre
lo llama. Él conversa con sus amigos en Facebook.Brandon y sus amigos conversan sobre las vacacio-nes de sus padres. Los padres de Brandon se van devacaciones y su hermana, Katie, va a venir a casa.
1
Brandon sólo tiene una hermana. Él no tienehermanos. Su hermana, Katie, tiene veinte años yno vive en casa. Ella vive en un apartamento en launiversidad. Brandon vive en casa con sus padres.Él está muy feliz porque sus padres se van de vaca-ciones y su hermana va a quedarse en casa.
El nuevo Houdini
2
– ¡Braaaandon! –su madre lo llama impa-cientemente.
– Un momento, mamá –Brandon le res-ponde.
Brandon va a hablar con su madre. Su madre ysu padre están en el dormitorio de los padres prepa-rándose para las vacaciones. Brandon entra en eldormitorio y le responde a su madre:
– ¿Sí?– Brandon, tu hermana no puede venir ma-
ñana.– ¡¿Qué?! ¿Katie no puede venir? – No, Brandon. Tu hermana no puede venir.
No puede quedarse contigo.
Capítulo 1
3
Para Brandon, quedarse solo no es un problema.Tiene diecisiete años y es muy responsable. Casi esadulto. Él les dice a sus padres:
– Casi soy adulto. Puedo quedarme solo.– Brandon, tú no puedes quedarte solo.– Tengo diecisiete años. ¡¡¡Sí puedo que-
darme solo!!!– Brandon, tú no vas a quedarte solo. Tu
abuela va a venir. Ella va a quedarse con-tigo.
¡Brandon no está feliz! Él prefiere quedarse consu hermana, ¡no con su abuela! Su abuela es muyestricta. Para Brandon, esta situación no es tolerable.¡Es una situación horrible! Él les dice a sus padres:
– ¡Ay! Abuelita es muy estricta. ¡¿Por qué nopuedo quedarme solo?!
– Porque tu madre y yo preferimos que tequedes con un adulto –le responde supadre.
¡Brandon está furioso! Va a su dormitorio y seconecta con sus amigos en Facebook. «¡Increíble!»,él les dice por la computadora. «Mi hermana noviene. Mi ABUELA viene. ¡Mi ABUELA va a quedarseconmigo!». Brandon se queda en su dormitorio por
El nuevo Houdini
4
dos horas. A las siete, su abuela viene a la casa y la
madre de Brandon lo llama:
– Braaandon...
Brandon continúa hablando con sus amigos.
– ¡Braaandon!...
Brandon se desconecta de Facebook y va a ha-
blar con su abuela.
– Hola abuelita.
– ¡Hola Brandi! ¿Cómo estás?
– Bien, ¿y tú?
– Feliz. Estoy muy feliz. Quedarme en casa
contigo es una experiencia maravillosa –su
abuela le responde– Te adoro. ji ji ji
Brandon no le responde y su padre nota su si-
lencio. Rápidamente, su padre habla para salvar la
situación:
Capítulo 1
5
– Abuelita, tengo el itinerario de las vacacio-nes. Nos vamos mañana a las cinco de lamañana.
El padre tiene dos papeles y le dice a la abuela: – Este papel tiene información sobre Bran-
don y este papel tiene información sobreel itinerario.
El nuevo Houdini
6
Brandon ...
1) No puede teneramigos en la casa .
2) Debe1 ir directa-mente a la escuela y regresar directa-mente de la escuela .
3) ¡NO puede con-
ducir mi carro!
Itinerariodomingo, 1 de mayoAerolínea Buena - Vuelo2 #227
- llegada3: 11:45 a.m. Aeropuerto de Hawaii
sábado, 8 de mayoAerolínea Buena - Vuelo #555
- llegada: 3:15p.m. Aeropuerto de Denver
Hotel: Palacio Tropical (555)555-5555
La abuela nota la información sobre Brandon:– ¿Brandon no puede conducir tu carro?– ¡No! Brandon no puede conducir mi carro.
Mi carro es muy especial. ¡Mi carro es mibebé!
Brandon comenta sarcásticamente:– Sí abuelita, su carro es más importante
que yo. Es más importante que todo.Brandon no habla más. Se va a su dormitorio si-
lenciosamente.
1debe - s/he should2vuelo - flight3llegada - arrival
Capítulo 1
7
Capítulo 2¡Adiós!
A las cinco de la mañana, los padres de Brandonentran al dormitorio de Brandon para decirle«Adiós». Su madre le dice:
– Brandon... Brandon duerme y no le responde.
– Brandon...nos vamos.Brandon no le responde y su madre toca la
cama1. Brandon continúa durmiendo. Entonces, su
1cama - bed
El nuevo Houdini
8
Adiós
madre le toca la cabeza y le repite:– Brandon, nos vamos.
Brandon ya no duerme. Es obvio que Brandonestá enojado. Su madre le toca la cabeza suave-mente y le dice:
– Adiós Brandon. Ya nos vamos.Brandon le responde con un tono enojado:
– Adiós.– Brandon, –le dice su madre– yo sé que tú
estás enojado, pero no hay otra opción.Brandon está enojado y no le responde a su
madre. Ella continúa hablando:– Brandon, por favor, respeta a tu abuela y res-
peta las reglas2 de la casa también.– Está bien –Brandon le responde sarcástica-
mente.– ¡Brandon! –grita su padre– Respeta a tu
madre. ¡No le hables sarcásticamente!Su padre está enojado y continúa gritándole a
Brandon:– Brandon, no hay otra opción. Tú vas a
quedarte con tu abuela y vas a respetarla.¡Y vas a respetar las reglas de la casa!
2reglas - rules
Capítulo 2
9
– Sí, Papá. Voy a respetar las reglas: Notener amigos en casa. Ir directamente a laescuela. No conducir tu carro –Brandonrepite las reglas sarcásticamente.
Ahora, su padre está muy enojado, pero no legrita más. Le dice «Adiós» y se va. Su madre le tocala cabeza y le dice:
– Brandon, yo sé que estás enojado, pero nohay otra opción. Tú eres un chico obe-diente y yo sé que vas a respetar a tuabuela. Adiós.
El nuevo Houdini
10
Adiós
Su madre se va y Brandon no le responde. Élestá muy enojado con la situación. Está enojado consu hermana por no venir a la casa y está enojado consu padre por no permitirle conducir su carro. ¡Estáenojado por todo!
Brandon se queda en la cama. Se queda en lacama por tres horas, pero no duerme. Se comunicacon sus amigos por textos en su teléfono celular.Tiene una conversación interesante con un amigo enparticular. El amigo se llama Jake.
Capítulo 2
11
Mis padres se fueron.
¿Puedo ir a tu casa?
3iglesia - church
El nuevo Houdini
12
No, no puedes. Nopuedo tener amigos en la
casa.
¿Puedes venir a micasa?
Nada es absoluto.Tengo una idea.¡Llámame en la
mañana!
No. Mi abuela y yovamos a la iglesia3 y después a Pizzeria
Bianco.
¿Van en el carro de tupadre?
¡No! Nadie puede con-ducir su carro.
¡¿No puedes conducirel carro de tu padre?!
¡Absolutamente no!
abre - s/he opensabrió - s/he openedabrir - to openabuela - grandmotherabuelita - grandma (term of
endearment)adiós - good-bye adónde - to whereahora - now al - to theamigo(a) - friendaño(s) - year(s)aseguradas - locked así que - so atrás - behindayuda - s/he helps, help
(noun)ayúdame - help meayudó - s/he helped azul - bluebailaban - they danced, were
dancingbailar - to dancebesar(la) - to kiss (her) besaron - they kissedbesito - a little kissbeso - a kiss
bien - well, finebueno(a) - goodbusca - s/he looks forbuscaba - s/he looked for,
was looking forbuscar - to look forbuscas - you look forbuscó - s/he looked forcabeza - head cama - bedcansado - tiredcasa - housecasi - almostchica - girlchico - boychocaron - they crashed, col-
lidedchocó - s/he crashed, col-
lidedchoque - crash, collisioncien - hundred (100)cinco - five (5)cinco y cuarenta y cinco -
5:45cinco y treinta - 5:30cincuenta - fifty (50)cita - date, appointment
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-1
Glosario
cocina - kitchencomer(los) - to eat themcomes - you eatcomían - they ate, were eat-
ingcomida - foodcomiendo - eatingcomió - s/he atecómo/como - howcon - withconducía - s/he drove, was
drivingconduciendo - drivingconducir(lo) - to drive itcondujera - s/he drove (sub-
junctive)condujo - s/he droveconmigo - with mecontigo - with youcorre - s/he runs, Run! (com-
mand)corrieron - they rancorriendo - runningcuál/cual - whichcuándo/cuando - whencuánto - how muchcuarenta - forty (40)cuesta - it costsdas - you give
de - of, fromdecir(le) - to say to (him/her)del - of/from thedespués - afterdía(s) - day(s)diecisiete - seventeendiez - ten dijo - s/he saiddio - s/he gavedirigía - s/he was directing,
guidingdirigió - s/he directed,
guideddoce - twelve (12) domingo - Sundaydónde/donde - wheredormía - s/he was sleepingdormida - asleepdormir - to sleepdormirse - to fall sleepdos - two (2)doscientos - two hundred
(200)durante - duringdurmiendo - sleepingdurmió - s/he slepte - andechó - pouredél - he
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-2
el - theella - sheellos - theyembargo - neverthelessen - in, onencontré - I encountered,
foundencontró - s/he encountered,
foundenfrente de - in front ofenojado(a) - angryenojo - angerentonces - thenenviar - to sendenvió - s/he sentera - s/he, it waseran - they wereeres - you areescuela - schoolese/eso - thatesta(e) - thisestaba - s/he wasestaban - they wereestán - they areestás - you areestoy - I amestuvo - s/he, it wasfeliz - happyfelizmente - happily
fiesta - partyfue - s/he went, s/he it wasfueron - they wentfui - I wentgracias - thank yougrande - biggritándole - yelling at himgritaron - they yelledgritó - s/he yelledhabía - there was, there werehabla - s/he speakshablaba - s/he was speakinghablaban - there were speak-
inghablamos - we spokehablan - they speakhablando - speakinghablar(le) - to speak/talk (to
him/her)hablaron - they spoke(no) hables - don’t speakhabló - s/he spokehacer(lo) - to do, make (it)haces - you do, makehacia - towardhambre - hungerhasta - untilhay - there is, arehermano(a) - brother (sister)
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-3
hice - I did, madehicieron - they did, madehizo - s/he did, madehola - hello, hihoy - todayiba - s/he went, was goingiban - they went, were goingir - to goir(me) - to leave (I)ir(nos) - to leave (we)la(s) - thele(s) - him/her (them)levantó - s/he got uplimpian- they cleanlimpiando- cleaninglimpiar(lo) - to clean (it)limpiaron - they cleanedlimpieza - cleaning (noun)limpió - s/he cleanedlimpio(s) - clean (adj.)llovía - it rained, was raininglloviendo - raininglo - itlunes - Mondaylláma(lo) - call (him)
(command)llamaba - s/he called, was
calling
llamaban - they called, werecalling
llamando - callingllamar(te) - to call (you)(me) llamo - I call myselfllamó - s/he calledllaves - keysllegar - to arrivellegaron - they arrivedllegó - s/he arrivedmadre - mothermalas - badmañana - tomorrowmi(s) - mymientras - whilemira - look at (command)miraba - s/he was looking atmiraban - they were looking
atmirando - looking atmiraron - they looked atmás - moremuchísimo - very muchmuy - verynada - nothingnadie - nobodyni - neithernoche - nightnueve - nine (9)
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-4
once - elevenonce y cuarenta - 11:40otra vez - another time,
againpadre - fatherpadres - parentspara - for, in orderpartido - gamepasaba - s/he was passingpasaron - they passedpensando - thinking pensó - s/he thoughtpequeño - smallpero - butpiensa - s/he thinkspintar - to paintpintaron - they paintedpintura(s) - paint(s) (noun)poco - few, a littlepodemos - we are ablepodía - s/he was ablepor - forpor fin - finallyporque - becausepreguntaron - they asked (a
question)pregunta(s) - question(s)
(noun)
preguntó - s/he questioned,asked a question
pronto - soonpuede - s/he is ablepueden - they, you pl. are
ablepuedes - you are ablepuedo - I am ablepuerta(s) - door(s)pues - well (interjection)qué - whatque - that¿Qué pasa? - What’s up?,
What’s happening?(se) queda - s/he remains,
staysquedar - to end upquedarse - to stay, remain(se) quedaron - they stayed,
remained(te) quedes - you stay, remainquedó - s/he, it ends upquería - s/he wantedquerían - they wantedquiere - s/he wants, you (for-
mal) wantsquieres - you (informal) wantquiero - I wantquince - fifteen (15)
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-5
quinientos - five hundred(500)
rasguño - scratchreglas - rulesregresa - return (command)regresar - to returnregresó - s/he returnedsábado - Satrudaysaber - to know (a fact)salía - s/he was leaving (a
place)salieron - they left (a place)salió - s/he left (a place)salir - to leave (a place)sé - I know (a fact)seis - sixseis y treinta - 6:30seiscientos - six hundredsemana - weekseñor/Sr. - mister, Mr.si - ifsí - yessiempre - alwayslo siento - I am sorrysiete - seven (7)siete y cincuenta y cinco -
7:55siete y diez - 7:10 siguiente(s) - following
sin - withoutsobre - aboutsólo - onlyson - they aresoy - I amsu(s) - his/hertambién - also, tootarde - late, afternoontemprano - earlytenemos - we havetener - to havetengo - I havetenía - s/he hadti - youtiempo - timetienda - storetiene - s/he hastienes - you havetocó - s/he touchedtodo(a) - alltodos(as) - everyonetodavía - stilltomando - drinkingtomar - to drinktreinta - thirty (30)tres - three (3)trescientos - three hundred
(300)tú - you
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-6
tu - yourtuyo - yoursun(a) - aunos - someva - s/he goesvamos - we govan - they govas - you goveinte - twenty (20)ven - come (command)venir - to comever - to seeviene - s/he comesviernes - Fridayvino - s/he camevio - s/he sawvivía - s/he lived, was livingvoy - I govoz - voicey - andya - already, anymore yo - I
Glosario - (Past Tense)
G-7
absolutamente - absolutelyabsoluto - absoluteaccidente - accidentadmiración - admirationadmirados - admired (im-
pressed)adoro - I adoreadulto - adult americano - American anticipa - s/he anticipatesanticipaba - s/he anticipatedapartamento - apartmentaparato - apparatusarruinarme - to ruin meartista - artistatractiva - attractiveauto - auto autoservicio - auto-service
(drive-through)avenida - avenuebebé - babybiología - biologybrillante - brilliantcable - cablecafé - café (coffee)cálculos - calculations
calma - calmcálmate - calm (yourself)
down calmó - s/he calmed downcalmadamente - calmlycancelado - canceledcarro(s) - car(s)catástrofe - catastrophecausan - they causecausaban - they causedcelebraban - they celebratedcelebran - they celebratecelular - cellularcentavos - centscereal - cerealchance - chancechofer - chauffeur, driverclase - classclic - clickcolor - colorcombina - combinecomenta - s/he commentscomentario - commentcómico(a) - comical, funnycompletamente - completelycompleto - complete
Cognados
C-1
Cognados
computadora - computercomunicaban - they commu-
nicated, were communi-cating
comunica(n) - (they) commu-nicate
comunicar(se) - to communi-cate (with each other)
conducir - to conduct, driveconecta - s/he connectsconectó - s/he connectedconfirma - s/he confirmsconfirmó - s/he confirmedconfusa - confusedconsecuencia(s) - conse-
quence(s)consultar - to consultcontemplando - contemplat-
ingcontento(s) - content, happycontinúa - s/he continuescontinuó - s/he continuedconvencer - to convinceconversación - conversationconversar - to conversecuriosamente - curiouslydeciden - they decidedecidieron - they decideddeliciosa - delicious
desafortunadamente - unfor-tunately
desastre - disasterdesconecta - disconnectdesconectó - disconnecteddesesperación - desperationdesesperado - desperatedeshonesta - dishonestdesodorizar(lo) - deodorize
(it)directamente - directlydoctor - doctordólares - dollarsdormitorio - dormitory, bed-
roomelegante - elegantencontrar - to encounterenorme - enormousentrar - to enterentusiasmadamente - enthu-
siasticallyentusiasmo - enthusiasmes - s/he isescapas - you escapeescapes - escapes (noun)escepticismo - skepticismespecial - specialesponja - spongeestimado - estimate
Cognados
C-2
estrés - stressestricta - strictestudiantes - studentseternidad - eternityevento - eventexactamente - exactlyexcelente - excellentexclama - exclaimexclamó - exclaimedexcusa - excuseexhausto - exhaustedexperiencia - experienceexperimentar - to experi-
ment, to experienceexperimento - experimentexpertas - expertsexplica - s/he explainsexplicó - s/he explainedexplosión - explosionexplota - it explodesexplotó - it explodedfabuloso(a) - fabulousfamilia - familyfamiliar - familiarfantasía - fantasyfantástico(a) - fantasticfinal - final, endflash - flashfoto(s) -photo(s)
frente - front frenético - frenetic, franticfunciona - functionfuria - furyfurioso - furiousfútbol (americano) - footballgaraje - garagegimnasio - gymnasiumgrupo - grouphamburguesas - hamburgers hora(s) - hour(s)horrible - horriblehotel - hotelidea - ideaimagina - s/he imaginesimaginaba - s/he imagined,
was imaginingimpaciente - impatientimpacientemente - impa-
tientlyimportante - importantimpresionar(la) - to impress
(her)incluso - includingincreíble - incredibleinformación - informationinforme - inform, reportinmediatamente - immedi-
ately
Cognados
C-3
inspeccionar - to inspectinstante - instantintensamente - intenselyinteresante - interestinginterior - interiorInternet - internetinterrumpe - s/he interruptsinterrumpió - s/he inter-
ruptedinvade - s/he invadesinventa - s/he inventsinventó - s/he inventeditinerario - itinerarylaboratorio - laboratoryleón - lionlevanta - (s/he levitates), s/he
gets up) levantó - (s/he levitated), s/he
got upmagnífico(a) - magnificentmamá - mommaravillosa - marvelousmarcador - markermarcadores - markersmatemáticas - mathematicsmenciona - s/he mentionsmencionó - s/he mentionedmexicano - Mexicanmí - me
minuto (s) - minute(s)momento - momentmotor - motormucho(a) - much, a lotmúsica - musicnecesita - s/he needsnecesito - I neednerviosamente - nervouslynervioso - nervousángel - angelnormalmente - normallynota - s/he notesnotó - s/he notedo - orobediente - obedientobviamente - obviouslyobvio - obviousocurre - it occursocurrió - it occurredolor - odoropción - optionoportunidad - opportunityorden - orderordena - s/he ordersordenó - s/he orderedotro(s)/otra(s) - other(s)palacio - palacepánico - panicpanqueques - pancakes
Cognados
C-4
papá - papapapel(es) - paper(s)parquea - s/he parksparqueó - s/he parkedpaquete - packetpartes - partsparticular - particularpasa - s/he passes, spends
(time)pásame - pass mepasan - they passpasaron - they passedperdón - pardonperfecta - perfectperfectamente - perfectlyperfecto - perfectpermitirle - to permit
him/herplanes - planspolicía - policeposiblemente - possibly prefería - s/he preferredpreferimos - we preferprefiere - s/he prefersprepara - s/he preparespreparaciones - preparationspreparando - preparingpresentación - presentationpretender - to pretend
problema(s) - problem(s)prohibido - prohibitedproyecto - projectrápido - rapidrápidamente - rapidlyreacciona - s/he reactsreaccionó - s/he reactedrealmente - reallyrecibe - s/he receivesrecibió - s/he receivedrecomendaciones - recom-
mendationsregresa - s/he regresses, re-
turnsregresar - to return, regressregresó - s/he regressed, re-
turnedreparación - repairreparadores - repairmenreparar(lo) - to repair(it)repite - s/he repeatsrepitió - s/he repeatedrepresentante - representa-
tiverespeta - s/he respectsrespetar(la) - to respect (her)responde - s/he responds respondió - s/he respondedresponsable - responsible
Cognados
C-5
restaurante - restaurantresto - restresulta - it resultsresultó - it resultedresultado - resultromántico(a) - romanticrománticamente - romanti-
callysalsa - salsa, saucesalvar - to savesarcásticamente - sarcasti-
callysilencio - silencesilenciosamente - silentlysinceramente - sincerelysituación - situationsolo - alonesúper - supersuavemente - suavely, softlytacos - tacoteléfono - telephonetelevisión - televisiontexto(s) - text(s)tolerable - tolerabletomate - tomatotono - tonetotal - totaltrágico - tragicuniversidad - university
usar - to useusualmente - usuallyvacaciones - vacationvarias - variousvideos - videosvinagre - vinegarviolenta - violentvolcán - volcanovolumen - volume
Cognados
C-6
Leyendas ImpactantesNovice and Intermediate versions(Two versions under one cover!)
6 traditional legends, from 6 different Latin Amer-ican cultures, each told twice to make them acces-sible for both novice and intermediate students!Students will enjoy tales of love, mystery, in-trigue, deception, helpful and dangerous dieties,demons and curses!
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Brandon is dying to drive his father's T-bird while hisparents are on vacation. Will he fool his parents andwin the girl of his dreams in the process? (Also avail-able in French & Russian)
Brandon Brown quiere un perroPresent Tense - 103 unique words
Determined to get a dog, Brandon will do almost any-thing, but will he do everything it takes to keep one…a secret? (Also available in French, Italian, Latin, Chi-nese & German)
Brandon Brown dice la verdadPresent Tense - 75 unique words
Brandon quickly discovers that not telling the truth cancreate big problems and a lot of stress! Will he win inthe end, or will he decide that honesty is the best pol-icy? (Also available in French)
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Brandon Brown Series
Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritosPast Tense - 150 unique wordsBullfighting is a dangerous sport, and there is noth-ing more menacing than facing a raging bull in themiddle of the ring. All eyes are on the great torero,‘El Julí,’ as he faces off against the most ferociousbull in the land, but nobody, aside from his daugh-ter, Bianca, seems to notice that his greatest threatwalks on two legs, not four. In her attempt to warn
and save her father, Bianca soon realizes that fighting an angry bull ismuch safer than battling greed and deception.
Additional Titles
Frida KahloPast Tense - 160 unique wordsFrida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of Mexico's greatestartists, a remarkable achievement for someone whospent most of her relatively short life wracked withpain. Frida expressed her pain through her art, pro-ducing some 143 paintings, 55 of which were self-portraits. To this day, she remains an icon of strength,
courage and audacity. This brief biography provides a glimpse into herturbulent life and her symbolic art.
El Ekeko: Un misterio bolivianoPresent Tense - 190 unique wordsPaco is disappointed when his mother suggests thathe replace his worn out shoes with his grandfather’sold boots. He reluctantly goes to the closet and grad-ually realizes that the closet holds much more thanhis grandfather’s old boots and a box of letters. Hid-den among his grandfather’s possessions is a gift that
has potential to bring some startling surprises and unexpected conse-quences.
Felipe Alou: Desde los valles a las montañasPast Tense - 150 unique wordsThis is the true story of one of Major League Base-ball’s greatest players and managers, Felipe RojasAlou. When Felipe left the Dominican Republic in1955 to play professional baseball in the UnitedStates, he had no idea that making it to the ‘BigLeague’ would require much more than athelticismand talent. He soon discovers that language barriers,
discrimination and a host of other obstacles would prove to be the mostmenacing threats to his success. (Also available in English & French;unique word count approximately 300.)
EsperanzaPresent Tense, 1st person - 200 unique words
This is the true story of a family caught in the middleof political corruption during Guatemala's 36-yearcivil war. Tired of watching city workers endurecountless human rights violations, Alberto organizesa union. When he and his co-workers go on strike,Alberto’s family is added to the government's "exter-
mination" list. The violent situation leaves Alberto separated from hisfamily and forces them all to flee for their lives. Will their will to survivebe enough to help them escape and reunite?
Piratas del Caribe y el mapa secretoPresent Tense - 180 unique wordsThe tumultuous, pirate-infested seas of the 1600'sserve as the historical backdrop for this fictitiousstory of adventure, suspense and deception. Rumorsof a secret map abound in the Caribbean, and HenryMorgan (François Granmont, French version) willstop at nothing to find it. (Also available in French)
Piratas del Caribe y el Triángulo de lasBermudasPast Tense - 280 unique wordsWhen Tito and his father set sail from Florida toMaryland, they have no idea that their decision topass through the Bermuda Triangle could completelychange the course of their voyage, not to mention thecourse of their entire lives!
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Noches misteriosas en GranadaPresent Tense - Fewer than 300 unique wordsKevin leaves for a summer in Spain, and his lifeseems anything but perfect. He escapes into a bookand enters a world of long-ago adventures. As theboundaries between his two worlds begin to blur, hediscovers that nothing is as it appears...especially atnight! (Also available in French)
Noche de oroPast Tense - 290 unique wordsNow a college student, Makenna Parker returns toCosta Rica as a volunteer and finds unexpected ro-mance that lands her in the middle of a perilousscheme. Does Martín really have good intentions, andwhat are he and his stepfather up to? Will Makennadiscover the truth before it’s too late?’
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Kristy Placido
Robo en la noche (Prequel to Noche de Oro)Past & Present Tense - 380 unique wordsFifteen-year-old Makenna Parker had reservationsabout moving to Costa Rica, but didn’t know that miss-ing her home would be the least of her worries. Shefinds herself in the middle of an illegal scheme, andit’s a race against time to save the treasured macaws.(Present tense version available in French)
Problemas en ParaísoPast Tense - 250 unique wordsVictoria Andalucci and her 16-year-old son are enjoy-ing a fun-filled vacation in Mexico. A typicalteenager, Tyler spends his days on the beach with theother teens from Club Chévere, while his mother at-tends a conference and explores Mexico. Her questfor adventure is definitely quenched, as she ventures
out of the resort and finds herself alone and in a perilous fight for her life!Will anyone be able to save her? (Also available in French)
Santana Past tense - 210 unique words
Carlos Santana is a legendary Mexican Americanmusician. He started out as a poor child in a tiny Mex-ican village and transformed himself into an icon ofRock ‘n’ Roll. His story illustrates the ups and downsinherent in any journey of success and the power ofperseverance. Whether or not you are a fan of Santana,
his story will leave you inspired!
Vidas impactantes Past tense - 250 unique wordsExplore the fascinating stories of six influential and in-spirational Spanish-speakers whose lives have beenimpactful. A baseball star who gave his life helpingothers, a Cuban exile turned superstar, a mother whonever gave up the search for her missing son, a para-lyzed soccer star who fought his way to the top in a
new profession, a woman who revealed the secrets of history, and a shiftsupervisor in a mine who didn’t realize his shift would last 70 days! Youmay have heard of these impactful individuals, but after reading their sto-ries you are sure to feel inspired.
Kristy Placido
Los Baker van a Perú375 unique words(Past & Present Tense - 2 versions under one cover!)Are the Baker family’s unfortunate mishaps brought onby bad luck or by the curse of the shrunken head? Jointhe Bakers as they travel through Peru and experiencea host of cultural (mis)adventures that are full of fun,excitement and suspense!
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La maldición de la cabeza reducida375 unique wordsHailey and Jason think they have rid themselves of thecursed shrunken head now that they are back homefrom their family trip to Peru. Their relief quickly givesway to shock, as they realize that their ordeal has onlyjust begun. Returning the head and appeasing the Jí-varo tribe become a matter of life and death! Will Hai-ley and Jason beat the odds?
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La Llorona de MazatlánPast Tense - Fewer than 300 unique wordsLaney Morales’ dream of playing soccer in Mexicosoon turns into a nightmare, as she discovers that thespine-chilling legends of old may actually be modernmysteries. Why does no one else seem to hear or seethe weeping woman in the long white dress? Laneymust stop the dreadful visits, even if it means comingface to face with…La Llorona.
Rebeldes de TejasPast Tense - Fewer than 280 unique wordsWhen Mexican dictator, Santa Anna, discovers thatthousands of U.S. citizens have spilled into the Mex-ican state of Texas and seized the Alamo, he is deter-mined to expel or kill all of them. What will happenwhen Mexican Juan Seguín finds himself fighting forTexas and against his country’s dictator?
Hasta la sepulturaPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsIn 1500, Queen Isabella issued an official decree per-manently closing the secret passageways that lie belowthe city of Salamanca... Nico and Adriana decided to ex-plore them and it will prove more dangerous than eitherimagined. They discover that the legendary evil thatlurks below Salamanca is not so mythical after all…
VectorPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsA vector of venom infects Antonio, a Panamanianteenager, with an illness that has far-reaching conse-quences. He is transported back in time to work on theconstruction of the Panama Canal. Is his eerie displace-ment reversible or will he finish his life working on oneof the most dangerous construction sites in history?
La hija del sastrePast tense - Fewer than 500 unique wordsGrowing up in a Republican family during Franco'sfascist rule of Spain, Emilia Matamoros discovers justhow important keeping a secret can be! After her fa-ther, a former captain in the Republican army, goesinto hiding, Emilia not only must work as a seam-stress to support her family, she must work to guard asecret that will protect her father and save her familyfrom certain death. Will her innocence be lost and will
she succumb to the violent tactics of Franco's fascist regime?
La Guerra SuciaPast tense - Fewer than 600 unique wordsAmerican Journalist and single mother, Leslie Cor-rales travels to Argentina to investigate the suspiciousdisappearance of ‘Raúl,’ the son of Magdalena Casas-novas. When Leslie discovers that Raúl, along with10’s of thousands of other suspected dissidents, hassuffered horrific atrocities at the hands of the Argen-tine government, she finds herself in a life-altering
series of events. Will she escape with her life and with the informationshe needs to help the Argentine people?
La Calaca AlegrePast tense - Fewer than 425 unique wordsDoes Carlos really suffer from post-traumatic stress dis-order, or are his strange sensations and life-like night-mares much more real than anyone, including Carlos,believes? Determined to solve the mystery of hismother’s disappearance, Carlos decides to return toChicago to face his fears and find his mother, even if itmeans living out his nightmares in real life. As he un-
covers the mystery, he discovers the truth is much more complex and evilthan he ever imagined.
Vida y muerte en La Mara SalvatruchaPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsThis compelling drama recounts life (and death) in oneof the most violent and well-known gangs in Los Ange-les, La Mara Salvatrucha 13. This is a gripping story ofone gang member’s struggle to find freedom.
