Rhumus is a rat who can read and write. He lives under the streets of Madrid, Spain with his mom and dad. One day, the rats experience a loud explosion that not only separates Rhumus from his parents but leaves him hard of hearing. How will Rhumus be able to find his parents if he can't hear? Will he venture alone into the streets of Madrid? Can his special talent help him to find his family?

Three teens: one girl, two boys. Two friends to start. Then three. Then two. As if teenage friendships aren’t hard enough...Marissa and Jack have been best friends for as long as they can remember, only having troubles when Jack wasn’t always honest about himself. Despite their differences, however, their friendship endures. But, that friendship is challenged when a new student Jules moves to town and upsets the longstanding dynamic between Marissa and Jack. Through an uncomplicated plot learn how the teens navigate some fairly complex emotions.

Three teens: one girl, two boys. Two friends to start. Then three. Then two. As if teenage friendships aren’t hard enough… Marissa and Jack have been best friends for as long as they can remember, only having troubles when Jack wasn’t always honest about himself. Despite their differences, however, their friendship endures. But that friendship is challenged when a new student, Julien, moves to town and upsets the longstanding dynamic between Marissa and Jack. Through an uncomplicated plot learn how the teens navigate some fairly complex emotions.

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?