Ten-year-old Rosario Ramirez and her family are political refugees from Mexico, trying to make a new life in Canada. After being teased at school, Rosario vows not to speak English again until she can speak with an accent that's one hundred percent Canadian. Since she and her parents plan to spend the whole summer working on BC fruit farms, she will be surrounded by Spanish speakers again. But when her family's closest friend Jose gets terribly sick, Rosario's plans start to unravel. Neither Jose nor Rosario's parents speak English well enough to get him the help he needs. Like it or not, Rosario must face her fears about letting her voice be heard.
Addison Addley hates math. He hates public speaking too. Actually, he hates anything that involves work, but he only has a couple of weeks to write and memorize his grade five speech. The problem is, he can't think of a single topic. When he finally comes up with an excellent idea for a speech, it almost writes itself, but it's his poor math skills that make speech day unforgettable.
Addy has worn hearing aids for as long as she can remember. Her mother tells her this makes her special, but now that Addy's in grade six, she wants to be special for what she's done. When Addy joins the school running club to keep her best friend, Lucy, company, she discovers she is a gifted runner. Lucy isn't, which is problematic. Further troubles surface when Addy gets paired on a school project with Sierra, a smart, self-assured new classmate who wears a cochlear implant. Addy is surprised to discover hearing loss is all they have in common and a shared disability is not enough of a foundation for a friendship. True friends support each other, even if they have different passions and dreams. More importantly, Addy comes to understand that she is defined by more than her hearing loss. She has the power to choose how people will see her, and she does.
Dickon wasn't happy in his old home or his old school. He hopes that in his new neighborhood he will meet children who never knew his old, hyper self, who will like him for who he is now. And he hopes for a dog of his own. Dickon's mother calls him Birdie. She feeds him milk from a teddy bear mug. She worries if he's out of her sight for a moment and she knows how filthy and vicious dogs can be. Dickon is delighted to discover that the Humane Society is right on the other side of the fence behind the new house, but only by disobeying his mother will he ever get close to a real dog.
Teach early Social Studies concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Science concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Science concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
Teach early Social and Emotional Development concepts and foundational reading skills with this precisely leveled text.
