Description
When Clementine and her mother receive an unexpected call in the middle of the night, they are relieved to hear from Clementine’s brother, Óliver. Óliver and his twin brother Cooper are spending their break with family friends at an archaeological site in Texas when they make a huge discovery about the origins of the Aztecs.
Unfortunately, that discovery has become a life-or-death situation. Óliver is trapped in the caves of Aztlán after trying to solve an ancient Aztec riddle.
Now, with dwindling oxygen, mysterious puzzles, and other hidden dangers, Clementine and the others must find a way to rescue Óliver before the secrets of the Aztecs take him to the grave.
La isla más peligrosa is the first novel, and La decisión más peligrosa is the second in a series of suspense-filled stories focused on delivering comprehensible Spanish while not leaving out a compelling plot.
Targeted Level:
- Level 2
- Unique Word Count: 280
- Total Word Count: 4,780
Bryce Hedstrom –
This second-in-the-series book by John Sifert is…WOW!
The story has some new characters than the first book, but don’t go thinking that there is no connection, because oh, there sure is!
We meet Juan’s wife, Melissa, their twins, Óliver and Cooper and their whip smart daughter, Clementine.
The twins, as boys tend to do, find some trouble and need to be helped out of that trouble. But it’s not just any trouble… They have found themselves in a challenging situation after having discovered a part of ancient history…
Listen, I don’t want to give away the story. You will have to read it for yourselves.
I could not put it down!
What I love as a teacher:
-The book is totally comprehensible for novice readers and can be managed even more easily with the glossary.
-There is something for everyone in this story: science, history, drama, adventure, technology, family relationships and of course, mystery. All students can find something to grab onto in this story.
-The formatting of the text that makes it easy to read, even for students with learning challenges.
-The illustrations and how they bring to life the action of the book (though, I’m telling you, the balance between the description and dialogue is so wonderfully done that the action really doesn’t need the illustrations – and I mean this as a compliment.)
What I think students will love:
-The suspense and adventure that starts from the get-go.
-The illustrations (which are GORGEOUS) that draw them into the story.
-The humor and sarcasm. It’s so teenagery.
-The facility to understand what is going on so that students get the language as a happy bonus – you know, because they’re too busy trying to figure out how the heck the story is going to unfold.
That’s the magic of this book. The acquisition of language is a smiley byproduct.
I foresee this book both as a great choice for FVR/SSR and as a class novel. There are plenty of places to stop the reading and sidebar to do a little science or history or even chat about mysteries in general.
Let this book do your planning for you for a time in the spring – especially if you like all of the things mentioned above. You’ll have a blast and so will the students.
Jen Degenhardt-Author