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 of working in the United States, 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 looked to buy a new vehicle to grow the enterprise. Offered a truck at an incredible price, he had to travel to San Antonio to pick it up, but what should have been a quick two-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. The two of them worked hard—she as a delivery driver and he as a restaurant manager—in the hopes of bringing the rest of the family to live with them in New Mexico. Marcos, originally from Mexico, had two daughters who still lived there with his mother. What the couple needed, however, was the money to secure a lawyer to help with legal paperwork. On one particular trip to San Antonio, though, Michelle’s luck turned when she found a large sum of cash—a perfect solution to her problem. Or was it?

Level 2
Unique Words: 241
Total Words: 4,334
Tense(s): presente, pretérito, imperfecto
Glossary: yes

©2022. Spanish. Level 2. Middle school, high school. 5 x 8 inches. Softcover, 42 pages plus glossary.

About the Author

Jennifer Degenhardt taught middle and high school Spanish for 24 years. She decided to combine her language skills with storytelling, specifically involving kids and culture. Her books highlight cultural, social, economic, and political themes necessary for continued conversation, both inside and outside the classroom. She hopes her stories will provide a platform for discussion, as anything can be solved—to some degree—with a conversation.