Valeria, a 14-year-old girl, is different from her peers, mostly because she is interested in activities that are different than what she is “supposed” to like. She wants to try things that other girls tend to shy away from, for whatever reasons. Tired of feeling limited, Valeria shares her frustrations with her teacher, Mrs. Reid. Inspired by Mrs.Reid's advice, Valeria creates a list of five activities she wants to try. On the way to accomplishing her goals, she faces obstacles and encounters ridicule from her family, boys, and girls. Still, will Valeria learn that there are limits based on gender expectations?

Cheryl and her mother have just moved into an old house on Verdon Street. From the minute they pull into the driveway, Cheryl is struck with a strange feeling. Following the death of her father, the already difficult becomes more terrifying when Cheryl begins to question exactly who - or what - is living in the house. In the first couple of days on Verdon Street Cheryl is plagued by strange noises and sightings that force her to believe that the house is haunted, a feeling that her mother does not share. Then, when Cheryl's best friend Lara visits for the weekend, she experiences similarly strange things. The girls set out to learn more about the house and its past. Will they be able to uncover the truth before it's too late?

While Bárbara lies in the hospital after an accident she can’t stop thinking about her last conversation with her mom. Well...her last argument with her mom. Meanwhile, Bárbara's mom is frantic. True, she was less than pleased with her daughter after their last argument that morning, but her anger turns to pure worry when Bárbara doesn’t return any of her phone calls, nor does she return home. But it is a news broadcast that might be the only thing that will help reunite mother and daughter. Does Bárbara's mom figure out what happened? Will Bárbara figure out how to see eye to eye with her mom?

One day Sebastián is a soccer phenom, dancing his way around the ball up and down the pitch. The next day he isn’t. As if coming to terms with needing to use a wheelchair isn’t enough at 14 years old, Sebastián also has to face more changes and all at once. Switching schools because of the family’s move to a new neighborhood, and changes in the relationship with his father, due to the sudden absence of soccer in their lives, causes way too much stress. This new reality is NOT a good time for Sebas. Anthony is struggling in his relationship with his dad, too, mostly because he thinks his father wants him to be something he’s not - or at least Anthony doesn’t think he is. Instead of practicing his guitar and trying to be as good as a musician as his father, Anthony just wants to be left alone to play video games with his friends. The two boys meet at Sebastián’s new school, and, after a bit of a rocky start, the boys develop a friendship. Later, with the help of a professional hockey player, who is also facing his own challenges, both Sebastián and Anthony begin to realize that what they think is reality is not the same as what really is.

At 15, Lia has been toting around her pink violin case for most of her life - and pretty much, happily so. But lately, she is starting to think that the weight of the instrument is not just physical, but mental and emotional, too. As the only child of a musician mother who missed her own chance in becoming first violin chair in an orchestra, Lia wonders if she is continuing to study the instrument for her own benefit, or that of her mom. If that wasn’t enough of an issue, Lia also meets musician and develops a relationship which only causes further friction between her and her mother. Through a musical tour of the famous music city of Austin, Texas where the family lives, Lia begins to realize that her choice about the violin does not have to be black or white, but can be as colorful as her love of all of the new music she is discovering.

Leonardo is a Venezuelan engineer who lives and works for a U.S. petroleum company in Florida. He is used to solving problems in his work life. In fact, he is really good at it. He is so good that the company is going to honor him at a special event. But Leonardo’s problem-solving skills are put to the test when he is forced to deal with family issues, both with his son in Florida, and back home in Venezuela where his daughter still lives with her family in Venezuela. Gustavo was a doctor and a prominent member of the community. He and his wife were living a good life with their two boys - at least until the accident. Unable to deal with the loss of his wife and younger son, Gustavo is forced to leave Venezuela behind and start anew with his older son at his parents’ home in Florida. Sad and angry with his new reality in the United States he tries to numb his pain and in doing so, alienates his parents and his son, Samuel. Samuel had just started high school a couple of years ago when his mom and brother died in an accident in Venezuela. Like his father he is still sad and angry, but Samuel always has his music. Rock music. He loves his guitar and how playing it makes him feel: free. As if losing half of his family wasn’t enough of a burden, Samuel also has to contend with the typical teen issues - especially when it comes to relationships. And these relationships, while accepted by both of his grandparents, are the cause of some huge problems between Samuel and his father.How will the men of the Medina family navigate it all?

The same, great story of La chica nueva now in the past tense. Taruka is the new girl at the high school in town, about to begin a year of high school that she is unlikely to forget. She makes friends and meets a boy, Cooper. Like Cooper and many of the students at the school, she is involved in sports, so she gets along with her new classmates well. But issues arise with her newfound friendship with Cooper when their differences are highlighted by the adults in their lives. How will the teenagers handle the pressures? Is there a common ground to be found? The story has a plot similar to the classic one of Romeo and Juliet or Tony and Maria, but set in modern day suburbia. As a story intended as a reader for students learning Spanish, the plot is engaging enough to be compelling, and simple enough so that students can dive into the verbs in the past tense just starting out, or as a review.

Though it is a story that involves travel, it is not typical in any way... After some time living in San Francisco and with many signs indicating as such, Chelsea has a niggling feeling that it is time to leave that city. As an artist and a creative, she finds that life in the bay area is a little stale for her which seems to be affecting not only her art, but also every fiber of her being. So, she decides to build a new lifestyle for herself that will allow her to travel all over the world, practice her art, meet new people and build community with them. And she is going to do it all with her best pal, her motorcycle named The Phoenix. The journey is moving along swimmingly until that one day… Chelsea’s new life and lifestyle are almost brought to an abrupt halt when a catastrophic event occurs while she and The Phoenix are riding - alone - in a Mexican desert. Will her trusty companion start again or will Chelsea’s vision end before it really has a chance to begin?

Sofía had been training hard for a long time for an important competition coming up in a few months: the Special Olympics. Sofía was a weightlifter who would spend three days a week (her favorite days!) training to compete in the events of squats, bench presses and deadlifts. She liked it because she was good at it, but even more so, she loved going to the gym to spend time with all of her friends there. Yet one day, the easy lifting vibe in the gym was upset with the arrival of a new girl, Bleu. Bleu was definitely strong, which was great for fending off the bullies she had to deal with, but along with her brightly colored hair, she was also sporting an enormous attitude - one that got in her way of her moving forward on so many levels, and one that was a potential problem for the folks at the gym. Would the weight of the new dynamic at the gym affect Sofía’s progress? Would Bleu be able to lift herself out of her troubles?

The same, beautiful story of El jersey now in the past tense. Matías is a typical 7-year-old boy. He’s a huge fan of the professional soccer teams in Europe, especially the teams in the Spanish league, La Liga. When Matías is not playing soccer, he is watching soccer videos on his iPad. He always looks the part, too, as he can mostly be found wearing uniforms of players on his favorite team, FC Barcelona. His focus on the ball continues when he travels to Guatemala with his family on an annual trip where he meets Brayan. Brayan is a 6-year-old Guatemalan boy who also loves soccer. Like Matías, he plays every chance he gets. Also like Matías, Brayan idolizes his favorite player on the Barça team, Lionel Messi, #10. He wants nothing more than to wear a jersey with the famous forward’s name and number, but those are difficult to find where he lives on Lake Atitlán. In this level 1-2 book, readers will learn about the culture of Guatemala and how a soccer jersey further connects two soccer-obsessed boys from two different countries.

A story of the times. José and his family live in a small town in the department of Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. Their life, which is simple and good, becomes challenging when their earnings become insufficient to maintain the family. Concerned for the welfare of his family whom he loves, José makes the difficult decision to make his way to the United States in search of work opportunities. Based on a story told to the author, this book recounts José’s journey north as well as examines the effect of his absence on the family he leaves behind. Readers learn facets of Guatemalan culture through entry level vocabulary and grammar. Same great story as El viaje difícil, but narrated in the past tense.

For Oscar, life was good. Living and working with his cousins in Dodge City, Kansas, he was living what one might call the American Dream. After many years Oscar finally received his permanent resident card (green card), and opened a business, a house-painting company. The work was steady and honest. In fact, it was so constant that Oscar was looking to buy a new vehicle to support the business. He was offered a truck at an incredible price, but he would have to travel to San Antonio in order to pick it up. What should have been a quick 2-day trip, turned into one of panic when Oscar lost something he had worked so hard to achieve. Michelle was also living a good life. She and her husband, Marcos, were living in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Michelle and Marcos worked hard - she was a delivery driver and he was a restaurant manager - in the hopes of bringing the rest of the family to live with them in New Mexico. Marcos is originally from Mexico and had two daughters who still lived there with his mother. What the couple lacked, however, was the money needed to secure a lawyer to help with legal paperwork. On one particular trip to San Antonio, though, Michelle’s luck seemed to turn when she found a large sum of cash - a perfect solution to her problem. Or was it? Learn how the lives of two people on separate journeys intersect in San Antonio, one of the colonial cities of the southwest United States.