Bøker av Jennifer Degenhardt

Three boys. Three stories. And one sport that unites them - and maybe not the one you'd expect.For as long as they can remember, best friends Mario and Carlos have talked about playing professional baseball one day like one of their idols, Rafael Soriano of the Yankees. Though they have only played the game on the streets of the neighborhood, growing up the boys often repeated the same conversation about someday wearing the pinstriped uniform and giving post-game interviews to the press - in English and Spanish! It was wishful thinking, to be sure, but common for many young boys raised in the Bronx. It's not until one fateful day when the boys are on the block with Carlos's older brother that the trajectory of each of their lives changes - one for the better, and the other...well, not so much. The third boy, Elvin, lives in a smaller town in Nicaragua and has dreams of playing baseball in La Liga Nicaragüense de Béisbol Profesional. At school one day he learns of an opportunity to hone his skills by participating in a free camp organized by a youth baseball academy. With the permission form in hand and the excitement of learning more about the sport he loves, he arrives home only to be confronted with a family issue that will surely prevent him from attending the camp. A dream deferred. Adolescence anywhere is already hard enough without additional pressures. Will the friendship between Mario and Carlos survive? Will the opportunity for Elvin materialize? Will the boys get to play the sport they love? Find out how each of them endures his own challenges and how the three get to know one another through the love of the game.This is an advanced level book, in terms of quantity of vocabulary, complexity of grammatical structures and challenging themes.

One year just after Christmas when Ximena is thirteen, she overhears her parents talking - a conversation she is not supposed to hear. She catches the word, "father," but wonders why they are whispering? Federico is the only father Ximena has ever known since he and her mom married six years ago. Of course, she knows she has a biological father, but her mom never talks about him - and Ximena never asks. All she knows is that he is "away" and doesn't live near them. But after overhearing her parents' discussion, she starts to wonder why she has no contact with him. At the same time, too, life is becoming more challenging for Ximena in school - academically, but mostly socially. And, after learning what "away" really means, she is faced with a decision that will alter her life. At the age where her friends and cousins are having their quinceañeras (many of which are much more extravagant than the one she knows her parents will be able to afford for her), Ximena is also forced to confront some ugliness that arises with the occurrence of these parties. Feeling like an outsider even in her own community, she begins to question everything about who she is. It's not until she starts communicating with Daniel that her life changes even more - as if she needs the extra drama. In this story, read how a father and a daughter finally learn of each other's existence and how they navigate that connection in challenging times; ones of overwhelm and danger. Can their newfound relationship withstand the pressures of life? Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 1 or a level 2 book.

For Oscar, life is good. Living and working with his cousins in Dodge City, Kansas, he is living what one might call the American Dream. After many years Oscar finally receives his permanent resident card (green card), and opens a business, a house-painting company. The work is steady and honest. In fact, it is so constant that Oscar looks to buy a new vehicle to support the business. He is offered a truck at an incredible price, but he has to travel to San Antonio in order to pick it up. What should be a quick 2-day trip, turns into one of panic when Oscar loses something he worked so hard to achieve.Michelle is also living a good life. She and her husband, Marcos, live in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Michelle and Marcos work 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 is originally from Mexico and has two daughters who still live there with his mother. What the couple lacks, however, is the money needed to secure a lawyer to help with legal paperwork. On one particular trip to San Antonio, though, Michelle's luck seems to turn when she finds a large sum of cash - a perfect solution to her problem. Or is 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.Teachers: this is a level 1 book.

Imagínate. Imagine.Imagine having your life turned upside down before you even knew it could be. When Andrés is just a toddler, his parents leave their small town in Honduras in search of economic opportunities that no longer exist due to the deadly hurricane that devastated the country in 1998, Hurricane Mitch. He is left in the care of extended family members, some more caring than others, until a plan is formed that takes him from everything he knows in Quebrada Seca, Honduras, first to the border between Mexico and the United States, and then to a new life in New England. Take the journey with Andrés and his aunt, a girl not too much older than he, experiencing the trials they face along the way. Then learn how his life unfolds as he becomes reacquainted with his parents, a completely new language, and in a place that is nothing like the one he left behind. This fictional story is about a boy who arrives to the United States and how he navigates the simplicity of a kid's life with the complexities of his legal status. Andrés's experience is unique as it is his, though it is one of many that unfold with the arrivals of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors to the United States annually. Imagínate. Can you?Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 2 or a level 3 book.

Matías is a typical 7-year-old boy. He is 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 the iPad. He always looks the part, too, as he can mostly be found wearing uniforms of players on his favorite team, FC Barcelona. He focus on the ball continues as 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 book, readers will learn about the culture of Guatemala and how a soccer jersey further connects two soccer-obsessed boys from two different countries. Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 1 or a level 2 book.

Matías is a typical 7-year-old boy. He is 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 the iPad. He always looks the part, too, as he can mostly be found wearing uniforms of players on his favorite team, FC Barcelona. He focus on the ball continues as 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 book, readers will learn about the culture of Guatemala and how a soccer jersey further connects two soccer-obsessed boys from two different countries.

Taruka is the new girl at the high school in town. The story takes the reader through a year of high school that Taruka is not likely to forget. She makes friends and meets a boy, Cooper. Like Cooper and many of the students at the school Taruka is very 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. This book is intended as a reader for students learning English. While the story has a plot similar to the classic story of Romeo and Juliet or Tony and Maria, the vocabulary and grammar are simple and comprehensible even for those just beginning with English.

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.Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 1 or a level 2 book.

Kamila is a 9-year-old girl living with her parents in a little blue house in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Their life is simple and easy. Both of her parents work and she attends school nearby. The family is very close, especially given that Kamila's abuela, whom she loves dearly, lives just blocks away. Life goes along at a beautiful pace, as it does on the island, until a family matter in Connecticut requires Kamila's mom, Stefany, to travel there to spend a few weeks helping her sister recover from surgery. Though Stefany's absence is an upset to regular life for the family, the situation is further intensified by the impending arrival of Hurricane Maria, the storm that decimated many islands in the Caribbean. Learn how this family prepares for the coming of the storm and deals with its aftermath. Through these experiences, some of which are tremendous losses, Kamila gains knowledge of what it means to be boricua (Puerto Rican), both as a daughter of the island and in spirit.Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 2 or a level 3 book.

Kamila is a 9-year-old girl living with her parents in a little blue house in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. Their life is simple and easy. Both of her parents work and she attends school nearby. The family is very close, especially given that Kamila's abuela, whom she loves dearly, lives just blocks away. Life goes along at a beautiful pace, as it does on the island, until a family matter in Connecticut requires Kamila's mom, Stefany, to travel there to spend a few weeks helping her sister recover from surgery. Though Stefany's absence is an upset to regular life for the family, the situation is further intensified by the impending arrival of Hurricane Maria, the storm that decimated many islands in the Caribbean. Learn how this family prepares for the coming of the storm and deals with its aftermath. Through these experiences, some of which are tremendous losses, Kamila gains knowledge of what it means to be boricua (Puerto Rican), both as a daughter of the island and in spirit.

As if teenaged 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, their friendship endures. However, that friendship is challenged when a new student, Julio, moves to town and upsets the longstanding dynamic between Marissa and Jack.

After years of living with uncertainty, first with his mother and then in foster care, J.P.'s life is finally becoming more predictable, routine and even comfortable. Now that he is living with his father, his stepmother and his two half-sisters, J.P. finally has the opportunity to learn more about himself. As a fan of professional wrestling that he views on TV, he decides to pursue that sport at his new school. What he is not nearly as keen on is the idea of studying, mostly because it's hard for him. Nevertheless, he resolves to do well enough to ensure eligibility for participation on the wrestling team, as his sights are set on winning a state championship that year. J.P.'s father, Juan, is also learning. He is learning how to contend with the challenges that come with raising a teenager. Juan tries to better understand the son who recently came to live with him and attempts to connect with him further by letting J.P. know that he, too, was once a wrestler back in Mexico, a luchador mexicano. Wrestling serves as the topic of most of the father/son conversations as they get to know each other better at this stage of their lives - conversations that are peppered with J.P. constantly reminding his father of the desire to get his driver's license as soon as he turns 16. But there is a problem, one J.P. knows nothing about, and one that Juan hopes can be fixed before his son finds out.In this novel, readers are presented with a wealth of vocabulary and grammatical structures while delving into family and social issues. The cultural component is that of Mexican wrestling - la lucha mexicana.Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 3 or a level 4 book.

Alexis has a secret about her-...er, himself. Well, it's not really a secret-at least not outwardly-but it hasn't been expressed aloud to anyone else, except the therapist. He hasn't told anyone yet, but plans on telling Sofía first, mostly because she lives thousands of miles away in Buenos Aires. Alexis and Sofía have been pen pals since the 6th grade, and since they have never actually met IRL (in real life), Alexis feels more comfortable telling her first.Sofía, too, has just learned of a secret that her parents have been keeping from her, one that upends her life and changes the way she thinks about everything. In a letter that Sofía inadvertently finds in her father's desk drawer, she learns that her abuelos-her mother's parents-are not only not her real grandparents, but who they are and, more importantly, who they were, are in direct conflict with who Sofía is and what she believes. While Alexis struggles with identity, so too does Sofía. In this story, two virtual friends work together to solve their own mysteries, one intensely personal and the other about how she now relates to her own family as the secrets of the past-the family's and the country's-become even more real.Teachers: depending on your students this can be a level 3 or a level 4 book.

Sophia has been training hard for a long time for an important competition coming up in a few months: the Special Olympics. Sophia is a weightlifter who spends three days a week (her favorite days!) training to compete in the events of squats, bench presses and deadlifts. She likes it because she's good at it, but even more so, she loves going to the gym to spend time with all of her friends there.Yet one day, the easy lifting vibe in the gym is upset with the arrival of a new girl, Blue. Blue is definitely strong, which is great for fending off the bullies she has to deal with, but along with her brightly colored hair, she's also sporting an enormous attitude - one that gets in her way of her moving forward on so many levels, and one that is a potential problem for the folks at the gym.Will the weight of the new dynamic at the gym affect Sophia's progress?Will Blue be able to lift herself out of her troubles? This is a level 1 book with 5700 total words; 235 unique.

In Antigua, Guatemala......on the streets, on the farms, in the market and in many homes live lots of dogs and cats. Some are gray, some brown and still some are white; each living in different areas of the colonial city, such as the market, in the downtown and at Caoba Farms.The most important of all of the animals in Antigua (even he would say so) is Uno el Gato, a smart and pretty clever cat. Because he is able to escape the house where he lives, Uno acts as a messenger between all of the chuchos in the city. Though they are from different groups from different parts of the city, these chuchos, or street dogs, all rely on each other to stay safe. And, mostly, life is good for them.One day, however, Uno learns that a few of the dogs from Caoba Farms are missing and their chucho friends that live there are very worried. Where are the chuchos disappearing to? Which ones? How? And why? With the information that he learns on the streets, Uno el Gato calls on all of his skills in order to help out his amigos, the chuchos from Caoba Farms.Is Uno really as brilliant as he thinks, or is he just another cute cat who thinks he's 'all that'?

A story of the times. José and his family live in 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.This is the same great story, now told in the past tense. Teachers, this book is suitable for level 2 with some knowledge of the past tense.

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. Teachers: this book is level 2/3, depending on your students.

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?Teachers: This is a level 1 book, primarily in the present tense. 4600 words/300 unique words