Description
A unique blend of fiction, myth and history!Deep in the dense Colombian jungle, a mysterious emerald has been plundered by an odd band of backstabbing pirates. An unlikely character, Sara Gomez, is thrust into the action. With fang-like teeth and inexplicable nocturnal walks, she is no longer safe in her vampire-frenzied community. But alas, in 1741 the high seas are just as dangerous as lingering with landlubbers ;hellip; La Vampirata/em is an easy Spanish reader guaranteed to hold the interest of your first- and second-year high school students. The dialogue is written entirely in the present tense, and the descriptive passages contain past tenses. This entertaining story contains just 240 unique vocabulary words, many English-Spanish cognates, a complete glossary, and a verb conjugation chart!Level 2br /Unique Words: 240br /Tense(s): multiplebr /Glossary: yesCopyright 2011. Spanish. Level 2. High school. 83 pages. Print Book: Softcover. 5 x 7 inches.The Audio Book is a recording of the reader text read by a native speaker.Copyright 2011. Spanish. Level 2.Audio Book on CD: CD.The Teacher’s Manual on CD includes activities, authentic resources, tests, and teaching ideas. Copyright 2013. Spanish, English. Level 2. 256 pages.Teacher’s Manual on CD: CD (PDF). Adobe Reader required to view PDF.A Note From the Author:br /;ldquo;Vampires and pirates? When I visited the tomb of Mercy Brown, the last alleged vampire in Rhode Island, I stumbled upon lots of interesting history. Colonial Newport was once a haven for pirates like Blackbeard, Thomas Tew and Captain Kidd. Piracy brought much wealth to Newport, and trade in the Caribbean greatly increased its prosperity ;hellip; So it’s time to sail the seas of history and fiction. Hoist the sails and weigh anchor! Sail on, me hearties! Yo ho!;rdquo;/em –Mira Canionspan style=”color: #a52a2a;”br / What Teachers Are Saying …/spanbr / “I just finished reading the book La Vampirata /emby Mira Canion. The book is about Sara Gomez, a teenager who is thought to be a vampire because of her very pale skin, over-sized teeth and her sleepwalking. The plot centers on a missing emerald that everyone is searching for because of its magical powers! As Sara tries to escape the criticism and ridicule of her peers and that of the community she lives in, she mistakenly hides out aboard a pirate ship. Here she finds that being thought of as a ;ldquo;vampire,” even erroneously, comes in handy. br /br /As a Spanish teacher, I really liked this story because it has all the elements that would draw a teenager into a novel. The young reader can easily identify with Sara, who is ousted by her community and ;ldquo;bullied;rdquo; because she is different. The story contains some scary and dangerous situations, and an emerald with magical powers, which intrigues the reader even further! The characters are engaging and interesting.br /br /The book is the perfect length to ;ldquo;hook;rdquo; my students and keep their interest. Each chapter is short and fast-paced. The Spanish vocabulary used is simple with lots of cognates to help the students understand the story. I will first introduce the students to the new vocabulary words at the beginning of each chapter to make sure we don’t lose anyone along the way.br /br / At the end of each chapter there are photos, maps and helpful illustrations to increase the reader’s comprehension of plot. There is a suggested list of ;ldquo;Find out more;rdquo; topics, which adds a research component to the story and invites students to go beyond and learn more. There is an easy-to-use glossary at the end of the book for students to check on the meanings of words they encounter in the story.br / br / I plan to use La Vampirata/em as a first full novel with my Spanish I students. My students will read it mid-year after they have become familiar with basic verbs and their tenses. By that time, my students will be ready to see the Spanish we have learned so far in real ;ldquo;print;rdquo; form, and reading a book in their target language will encourage them to see how much they have learned by that point in the year. I think reading a novel in Spanish will give them a sense of accomplishment and be a terrific motivator. br /br /John Grande, Spanish and French Teacherbr / Willow Grove, PAimg
