Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of Mexico's greatest artists, a remarkable achievement for someone who spent most of her relatively short liferacked with pain. Frida expressed her pain throughher art, producing some 143 paintings, 55 of whichwere self-portraits. To this day, she remains an iconof strength, courage and audacity. This brief biogra-phy provides a glimpse into her turbulent life and hersymbolic art.

https://fluencymatters.com/product/frida-kahlo-reader/

Frida KahloFrida Kahlo

by

Kristy Placido

Cover Art by

Irene Jimenez Casasnovas

Illustrated by

Christianna Meggert

edited by

Carol Gaab

Copyright © 2015 by Fluency Matters

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

including photocopying, scanning, recording, or by any

information storage or retrieval system, without permis-

sion in writing from Fluency Matters.

ISBN: 978-1-940408-36-1

FluencyMatters, P.O. Box 11624, Chandler, AZ 85248

info@FluencyMatters.com • FluencyMatters.com

Nota de la autora

Admiro mucho a Frida Kahlo. Ha sido una de

las artistas más importantes en el mundo, y uno

de los personajes más célebres de México. Su

vida es un ejemplo de cómo enfrentarse a las tra-

gedias de la vida y vivir al máximo.

Frida revela su tragedia y su victoria a través

de su arte. Era extremadamente humana y una

persona extraordinaria a la vez. Espero que le

guste su historia.

Note to the Reader

This biographical novel is based on approxi-

mately 150 high-frequency words. It contains a

manageable amount of vocabulary and nume-

rous cognates (words that are similar in two lan-

guages), making it an ideal first read for

beginning language students.

All vocabulary is listed in the glossary at the

back of the book. Keep in mind that many words

are listed in the glossary more than once, as most

appear throughout the book in various forms

and/or tenses. (Ex.: he went, he goes; boy, boys,

etc.) Vocabulary words and phrases that would

be considered beyond a ‘novice’ level are foot-

noted within the text, and their meanings given

at the bottom of the page where each occurs.

Frida Kahlo’s life was as interesting and pas-

sionate as her art. We hope you enjoy reading

her story.

Índice

Capítulo 1: Guillermo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Capítulo 2: Dos familias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Capítulo 3: Monstruos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Capítulo 4: Pata de Palo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Capítulo 5: Frida, lieber Frida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Capítulo 6: Perspectivas diferentes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Capítulo 7: Amigos especiales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Capítulo 8: Alejandro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Capítulo 9: El tranvía . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Capítulo 10: El accidente terrible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Capítulo 11: El arte y Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Capítulo 12: La China poblana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Capítulo 13: La vida con Diego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Epílogo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Glosario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Cognados . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Capítulo 1

Guillermo

En 1890, la vida de Wilhelm Kahlo, un joven alemán

de 19 años, no iba muy bien. Wilhelm se cayó y sufrió

un trauma cerebral que le causó ataques epilépticos. Su

madre murió y su padre se casó con otra mujer. Wilhelm

no se llevaba bien con su madrastra. Para Wilhelm, su

madrastra no era una mujer atractiva y tenía una perso-

nalidad terrible. Su madrastra nunca estaba contenta.

1

Foto: Guillermo Kahlo

Una foto de Guillermo Kahlo en 1920

Un día Wilhelm

entró a su casa y oyó a

su madrastra hablando

con su padre. Ella gri-

taba «Ese joven no me

respeta. ¡Tiene que res-

petarme porque soy su

madrastra! ¡Necesita

buscar un trabajo. ¡Ne-

cesita buscar a una es-

posa! ¡No puede ser un

niño siempre! ¡Que se

vaya ya! ¡No quiero

que viva más en esta casa!». Su padre no le respondió y

Wilhelm podía ver que su padre pensaba que su madras-

tra tenía razón.

Su padre deci-

dió que el joven ne-

cesitaba irse. Le

compró un pasaje

de barco a México.

Su padre le dijo

«Hijo, esta es una

gran oportunidad

para ti. Tú vas a ver

Frida Kahlo

2

Foto: Detroit Publishing Company 1890s

El barco, que se llamaba La Bretagne,

tenía la capacidad de llevar casi 1.000

pasajeros.

el mundo. Cuando me vuelvas a ver, ¡me vas a decir ‘gra-

cias’!». Lo que el padre no sabía era que no iba a volver

a ver a su hijo. Wilhelm salió de Alemania en barco y

llegó a México en 1891.

A Wilhelm le gustaba México. Un día, Wilhelm

Kahlo entró en una joyería1, buscando trabajo. En la jo-

yería Wilhelm vio a una mujer muy atractiva. Wilhelm

miró a la joven y le dijo: «Mucho gusto. Soy Wilhelm

Kahlo, pero por favor llámeme Guillermo». (Guillermo es

el equivalente de Wilhelm en español.) La joven respon-

dió: «Buenos días, yo soy Matilde Calderón». Matilde

era hija de madre española y padre mexicano. Su padre

Capítulo 1

3

1joyería - jewelry store

era fotógrafo.

Matilde pensó que Gui-

llermo era un poco atractivo

y cuando Matilde oyó su

acento alemán, sintió emo-

ciones profundas. Al oír a

Guillermo hablar con su

acento alemán, Matilde sin-

tió una avalancha de emo-

ciones. Guillermo vio

tristeza en los ojos de Ma-

tilde pero no comprendió

por qué. No tenía ni idea de

la tragedia que había ocurrido en la vida de la mucha-

cha: su novio, Wilfried, un joven alemán, se suicidó en

su presencia. Fue una tragedia increíble en su vida.

Como Wilfried, Guillermo hablaba perfectamente

español y tenía un acento alemán adorable. Al mirar a

Guillermo y al escucharlo, Matilde recordaba a Wil-

fried...Veía la imagen de su cadáver. Aunque ya no podía

estar con Wilfried, él vivía en su memoria. Matilde sentía

una atracción por Guillermo, pero ella no sabía que Gui-

llermo ya tenía novia.

Frida Kahlo

4

Foto: Guillermo Kahlo, 1897

Matilde Calderón

Capítulo 2

Dos familias

Guillermo tenía novia, María Cardena. Se casó con

ella y tuvieron una hija. Poco después, tuvieron una se-

gunda hija. La segunda hija murió. Guillermo estaba muy

triste pero trabajaba mucho para no pensar en su tristeza.

Le gustaba su trabajo y le gustaba trabajar con Matilde.

Ella era una joven inteligente y muy religiosa. Aunque

había tristeza en sus ojos, cuando oía la voz de Gui-

llermo, se sentía contenta. Ellos hablaban mucho durante

los días de trabajo, pero Guillermo nunca hablaba con

Matilde sobre su vida personal. Matilde no sabía que

5

Guillermo tenía familia. Ellos se llevaban bien y eran

buenos amigos.

María y Guillermo tuvieron otra hija, pero María

murió en el parto1. La noche que su esposa María murió

y lo dejó solo con dos pequeñas hijas, Guillermo fue a

hablar con Matilde Calderón. No le dijo que su esposa

había muerto, le dijo que quería que se casara con él.

Guillermo le dijo «Matilde, me gusta mucho trabajar

contigo. Eres buena mujer. ¿Quieres casarte conmigo?».

Ella no estaba ena-

morada de él, pero

le gustaba. Había

una atracción y

también, ella quería

tener hijos porque

ya tenía 24 años...

(En los años 1890s,

24 años era una

edad2

avanzada

para no tener es-

poso). Así que lo aceptó.

Poco tiempo después, Guillermo le dijo a Matilde

que su esposa había muerto y que tenía dos hijas. ¡Ella

Frida Kahlo

6

Foto: Guillermo Kahlo

Matilde Calderón y Guillermo Kahlo.

1parto - delivery, childbirth

2edad - age

se sorprendió! Matilde quería ser madre, pero no quería

ser madre de las hijas de otra mujer. Matilde le dijo a

Guillermo: «Amor, lo siento, pero no quiero ser madre

de las hijas de María. Quiero tener hijos contigo. Quiero

una familia contigo». Guillermo respondió: «Pero son mis

hijas también». «Claro, Guillermo» Matilde le respondió.

«Comprendo que son tus hijas. Ellas pueden vivir en el

convento, y tú puedes visitarlas. No hay problema».

Guillermo no pensaba que era correcto abandonar

a sus hijas, pero quería que Matilde se sintiera contenta.

Así que las hijas de Guillermo y María se fueron a vivir

en el convento y Guillermo empezó su nueva vida con

Matilde.

Guillermo aprendió fotografía con la ayuda del

padre de Matilde y empezó a trabajar como fotógrafo

profesional. Trabajaba mucho para el gobierno3

mexi-

cano y también fotografiaba la arquitectura de México.

Guillermo era un artista muy talentoso. Aprendió a poner

color a sus fotos. También le gustaba pintar y frecuente-

mente pasaba el día pintando en el parque.

Aunque Matilde y Guillermo no tenían un matrimo-

nio ideal, Guillermo construyó una casa en Coyoacán,

un suburbio de la Ciudad de México. La casa se llamaba

‘La Casa Azul’. En la Casa Azul, nacieron los cinco hijos

Capítulo 2

7

3gobierno - government

de Matilde y Guillermo: Primero nacieron dos niñas, Ma-

tilde (Maty) y Adriana y luego nació un niño que murió

a los pocos días.

En 1907, un año

después de la muerte

del bebé, nació Frida.

Matilde todavía lloraba

la muerte de su niño

cuando nació Frida.

Fue un tiempo muy difí-

cil para la joven madre:

Sufrió la muerte de un

bebé, ya tenía tres niñas

pequeñas y solo once

(11) meses después,

nació otra, Cristina.

Matilde estaba muy

triste y enferma y no

podía cuidar a las niñas.

Frida no tuvo una relación buena con su madre por-

que su madre no la cuidó mucho durante su infancia. Sin

embargo, Frida tenía muy buena relación con su her-

mana Cristina. Ella era su mejor4

amiga.

Frida Kahlo

8

Foto: Guillermo Kahlo

Frida Kahlo a los dos años

4su mejor - her best

aburrido - bored; boringagarró - s/he grabbedahí - thereagua - wateralemán - GermanAlemania - Germanyamiga - friendaño - yearaprendió - s/he learneda través - through, acrossaunque - althoughayuda - s/he helpsayudaba - s/he helped; was

helpingayudar(le) - to help (him or

her)(que) ayudes - (that) you help

(subjunctive)ayudó - s/he helpedazul - bluebalero - a small wooden toybarco - boatbien - well; goodbolígrafos - pensbordadas - embroideredbuen(a) - goodburro - burro, donkey

buscando - looking forbuscar - to look forbuscó - s/he looked forcaja - boxcalcetines - sockscama - bedcambió - s/he or it changedcaminando - walkingcaminar - to walkcaminaron - they walkedcara - facecarta - letter(que) cayera - (that) s/he fellcayó - s/he fellcerró - s/he or it closedchica - girlchico - boychocó - s/he or it crashedchurros - long fried sweet

bread similar to adoughnut

ciudad - citycomerciante - businessper-

son; tradercomían - they ate; were eat-

ingcomida - food

59

Glosario

comieron - they atecomió - s/he atecomprar - to buycompraron - they bought(que) compre - (that) s/he

buycompró - s/he bought(que) corra - (that) s/he run

(subjunctive)correr - to runcorría - s/he was running;

used to runcorriendo - runningcorrió - s/he rancrees - you believecreía - s/he believedcreo - I believecuates - friendscuatro - fourcuidaba - s/he cared forcuidado - carecuidar - to care fordecir - to say/telldeja - s/he leavesdejaron - they leftdejó - s/he leftdespués - after; laterdijeron - they saiddijo - s/he said

dolor - paindormitorio - bedroomedad - ageempezó - s/he or it beganenamorada - in loveencontraron - they foundencontró - s/he foundenferma - sickenfermedad - disease/illnessentre - betweenera - waseran - wereeras - you wereeres - you areesa - thatesas - thoseescaleras - stairsescribía - s/he was writingescribían - they were writingescribió - s/he wroteescribir - to writeescuela(s) - school(s)eso - thatesos - thoseesta - thisestaba - wasestar - to beestás - you areeste - this

Glosario

60

estuviera - were (past sub-junctive)

estuvo - waséter - ether (a type of anes-

thesia)exnovio - ex-boyfriendfaldas - skirtsfin - endfue - was; wentfuego - firefuera - were; wentfueron - they went; they

wereganar dinero - to earn moneygente - peoplegordo - fatgracias - thanksgran - great; largegrande - largegritaba - s/he was shoutinggritó - s/he shouted(le) gustaba - was pleasing(to

him/her); s/he liked(le) gustaban - were pleas-

ing(to him/her); s/heliked

(le) gustó - pleased(him/her);s/he liked

había - there was; there were

hablaba - s/he was talkinghablaban - they were talkinghablando - talkinghablar - to talkhabló - s/he talkedhace - makes; doeshacer - to make; to dohecho - made; doneherida - wound; injuryhicieron - they made; they

didhiciste - you made; you didhijo(a)- son/daughterhizo - s/he made; s/he did

hermana - sister

hombre - man

huesos - bones

iba - was going

iban - they were going

ir - to go

irse - to leave

jabón - soap

joven - young

juegue - play (subjunctive)

jueves - Thursday

jugaba - was playing

jugaban - they were playing

jugar - to play

Glosario

61

jugara - play (past subjunc-tive)

leer - to read

leía - was reading

lenta - slow

lentamente - slowly

leyó - s/he read

libro - book

llamaba - s/he called

llamaban - they called

llamada - call (noun)

llámame - call me

llegaron - they arrived

llegó - s/he arrived

llevaba - was wearing; carry-ing

llevaban - they were wear-ing; carrying

(se) llevaban bien - they gotalong well

llevó - s/he wore; carriedlloraba - was cryingllorando - cryingloca - crazymadrastra - stepmothermalo(a) - badmato - I killmató - s/he killed

meses - monthsmiedo - fearmientras - whilemija (mi hija) - my daughtermira - s/he looks; watchesmiraron - they looked;

watchedmiró - s/he looked; watchedmisa - Mass (Catholic church

service)montar - to ridemontaba - was ridingmonta - s/he ridesmorir(se) - to diemuchacho(a) - boy/girlmuerte - deathmujer - womanmundo - worldmurió - s/he diednacieron - they were bornnació - s/he was bornNavidad - Christmasnegro - blackniño(a) - childnoche - nightnovio(a) - boyfriend/girl-

friendnueva(s)/nuevo(s) - newoía - heard

Glosario

62

oír - to hearojos - eyesotro(a) - anotheroyera - hear (past subjunc-

tive)oyó - s/he heardpadre - fatherpadres - parentspalabras - wordsparaguas - umbrella(se) paró - s/he stopped; s/he

stoodparto - birthpata de palo - peglegpensaba - was thinkingpensar - to thinkpequeño(a) - smallperiódico - newspaperpero - butperro - dogpidió - s/he asked forpie - footpierna - legpoblano - person from the

Mexican state of Pueblapobre - poorpoco(s) - little; fewpodemos - we canpodía - could

podían - they couldposada - a Christmas celebra-

tionprendieron - they litprimera comunión - first

communionpuede - s/he canqué - whatquería - wantedquerían - they wantedquiere - s/he wantsquiero - I wantquince - fifteenrara - strangereunirse - to reunite; to meet(de) repente - suddenlyrompió - s/he brokeropa - clothessabía - knewsacar - to take (out)sacó - s/he took (out)salga - leavesalían - they were leavingsaliera - leave (past subjunc-

tive)salió - s/he leftsalir - to leavesangre - bloodse casó - s/he got married

Glosario

63

segundo - secondseis - sixseñor - sir; Mr.; manseñora - madame; Mrs.;

womansentía - feltsentido - feeling (noun)sentir - to feelser - to besería - would be(había) sido - (had) beensiempre - always(lo) siento - I feel (sorry); I’m

sorrysiete - sevensin embargo - however; nev-

erthelesssintió - s/he feltsitio - place, sitesobre - about; envelopesolo(a) - only; alone; lonelyson - they aresoy - I amsueño - dream(por) supuesto - of coursetambién - alsotan - sotarde - afternoon; latetendría - would have

tenemos - we havetener - to havetengo - I havetenía - had; used to havetenían - they had; used to

havetodavía - still; yettodo(a) - alltomaba - was takingtomar - to taketomó - s/he took¡No toques! - don’t touch trabajaba - used to worktrabajar - to worktrabajara - workedtrabajo - worktranvía - tram; streetcartres - threetriste - sadtristeza - sadnesstuviera - had (past subjunc-

tive)tuvieron - they hadtuvo - s/he hadvamos - we govan - they govas - you goveía - sawvender - to sell

Glosario

64

ver - to seeviajar - to travelviaje - trip, voyagevida - lifeviera - see (past subjunctive)vieron - they sawvio - s/he sawvivía - livedvivir - to live

vivos - alivevolver - to return; to do againvolvieron - they returnedvolvió - s/he returnedvoy - I govuelvas - you return (sub-

junctive)yeso - cast

Glosario

65

Cognados

accidente - accidentacento - accentacompañó - accompaniedadoptivos - adoptiveadora - adoresadorable - adorableafectaba - s/he, it affectedafectuosa - affectionateafortunadamente - fortu-

natelyagresivo - aggressivealcohol - alcoholamputaron - they amputatedanimal - animalapareció - s/he appearedarquitectura - arquitecturearruinando - ruined

artista - artistatacaba - was attackingatacar(la) - to attack (her)atacó - s/he attackedataque - attackautobuses - busesavalancha - avalanchebebé - babycadáver - cadaver; dead

bodycatólica - Catholiccerebral - cerebral; of the

brainchofer - driver; chauffercientíficos - scientistsclase - classcollar - collar

colores - colorscolumna - columncomentarios - commentscomisionó - s/he commis-

sionedcompletar - to completecomprendió - s/he under-

stood/ comprehendedcomunión - communionconmoción - commotionconsideraba - s/he consid-

eredconsideró - s/he consideredconstruyó - s/he constructedcontagioso - contagiouscontenta - happy; contentcontinuó - s/he continuedcontrolarla - to control(her)convento - conventcorredores - corridors; hall-

wayscorsé - corset (garment worn

around abdomen andchest area)

costa - coastcuarentena - quarantinedecidió - s/he decideddedicado - dedicateddedicó - s/he dedicated

deformada - deformeddesapareció - s/he, it disap-

peareddesconexión - disconnectiondesconsoladamente - incon-

solablydestruyó - s/he destroyeddeterioró - s/he, it deterio-

rateddiciembre Decemberdiferente - differentdirector - directordistinta - distinct; differentdistraída - distracteddivisión - divisiondoctora - doctordurante - during; for a timeeducación - education; man-

nersejercicio - exerciseelegante - elegantempleado - employeeenfrente - in frontentrar - to enterentró - s/he enteredepilépticos - epilepticequivalente - equivalentescapaban - they used to es-

cape

Cognados

66

escapar - to escapeescapó - s/he, it escapedespacio - spaceespañol - Spanish; Spanish

languageespañola - Spanishespecial - specialespecialmente - especiallyesposa - wifeestilo - styleestómago - stomachestrangular - to strangleestudiaban - they studiedestudiantes - studentsestudiar - to studyeventualmente - eventuallyexclusiva - exclusiveexhausta - exhaustedexperta - expertexplorar - to exploreexplosión - explosionexplosivo - explosiveexpulsado - expelledextendió - s/he, it extendedextra - extrafalso - falsefamilias - familiesfamoso - famousfantástica - fantastic

favorita - favoriteferoces - ferociousfilipinas - Phillipinesfilosofía - philosophyfilósofos - philosophersfinal - finalfinancieros - financialflores - flowersformal - formalfoto - photofotografió - photographedfotógrafo - photographerfotografía - photographyfrenéticamente - franticallyfrutas - fruitsfuerza - force; strengthfuria - furyfuriosa - furiousfuturo - futuregobierno - governmentgrave - grave; seriousgrupo - grouphistoria - historyhonrar - to honorhorrorosas - horrifyinghumor - humoridea - ideaideal - idealidiota - idiot

Cognados

67

imagen - imageimaginaba - s/he imaginedimaginación - imaginationimaginaria - imaginary(le) importaba - was impor-

tant (to him/her); mat-tered (to him/her)

importante - importantincompetentes - incompetentindependencia - independ-

enceindígena - indigenousinformó - s/he informedinsistió - s/he insistedinstante - instantinsultos - insultsinteligente - intelligent(le) interesaba - was interest-

ing (to him/her)interfiriera - s/he interferedinvestigó - s/he investigatedirritación - irritationirritado - irritatedjardín - garden; yardkínder - kindergartenlección - lessonleyenda - legendlímites - limitsliteratura - literature

localizaba - it was locatedmamá - mommatemáticos - mathemati-

ciansmatrimonio - marriagemayoría - majoritymedicina - medicinemédico - doctormemoria - memorymercado - marketmexicano - Mexicanminutos - minutesmodelo - modelmomento - momentmonstruo - monstermonstruosidad - monstrositymonumento - monumentmoverse - to movemural - muralmuseo - museumnecesita - s/he needsnecesitaba - s/he needednecesito - I neednervioso - nervousnoviembre - Novembernunca - neverobservaba - s/he was observ-

ingobservar - to observe

Cognados

68

observó - s/he observedocasión - occasionocurrió - occurredoperaron - they operatedopinión - opinionoportunidad - opportunitypaciencia - patiencepánico - panicpapá - papa; dadpapel - paperparque - parkparte - partpasaba - passed; were spend-

ingpasado - pastpasaje (de barco) - passage

or ticket (on a ship)pasamos - we pass; we spendpasar - to pass; to spendpasó - passedpatio - patiopaz - peacepelvis - pelvisperfectamente - perfectlyperforado - perforated;

piercedperforó - s/he perforated;

piercedpermisible - permissible

permitía - s/he permitted; al-lowed

permitió - s/he permitted; al-lowed

personal - personalpersonalidad - personalitypersonas - persons, peoplepintaba - s/he paintedpintando - paintingpintar - to paintpintora - painterpipi - pee; urinepiratas - piratesplaneaban - they planned;

they were planningplanear - to planplanearon - they plannedpolio - poliopolítica - politics; politicalposesiones - possessionsposibilidad - possibilitypráctica - practice; practicalprecio - pricepreciosa - preciousprefería - s/he preferredpreparaba - s/he prepared;

s/he was preparingpresidente - presidentprincesa - princess

Cognados

69

principalmente - principally;mainly

problema - problemproceso - processproductos - productsprofesional - professionalprofesor - profesor; teacherpromesa - promiseranchero - rancher; farmerrápidamente - rapidly;

quicklyrata - rat

realmente - really

rebeldes - rebels; rebellious

rebelión - rebellion

recuperaba - s/he was recu-perating; s/he was re-covering

recuperar(se) - to recuperate;to recover

recuperó - s/he recuperated;recovered

reflexionar - to reflect; tothink about

relación - relationship

religión - religion

religiosa - religious

rentaba - s/he was renting;

s/he used to rent

respetar - to respect

respeto - respect

respondió - s/he responded

respuesta - response

restaurante - restaurant

revelar - to reveal

revolución - revolution

robaba - s/he was stealing;s/he used to steal

robar - to steal; to robroca - rockromántica - romanticrománticamente - romanti-

callysecreto - secretseptiembre - Septemberseria - serioussilenciosa - silentsimplemente - simplysolitarios - solitary; alonesonido - soundsorprendente - surprisingsuburbio - suburbsufría - s/he was sufferingsufrió - s/he sufferedsuicidó - s/he committed sui-

cide

Cognados

70

talentoso - talentedterrible - terribletiempo - timetortillas - tortillastragedia - tragedytrauma - traumaunidos - united; closeuniversidad - universityusaba - s/he was using; used

to use(que) usara - (that) s/he use

(past subjunctive)

usarlos - to use them

varias - various; several

venganza - vengeance; re-venge

vertebral - vertebral; relatingto the spine

virus - virusvisitaba - was visiting; used

to visitvisitaban - they were visiting;

they used to visitvisitar - to visitvisitaron - they visitedvisitó - s/he visitedvoz - voice

Cognados

71

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Leyendas ImpactantesNovice and Intermediate versions(Two versions under one cover!)

6 traditional legends, from 6 different Latin Amer-ican cultures, each told twice to make them acces-sible for both novice and intermediate students!Students will enjoy tales of love, mystery, in-trigue, deception, helpful and dangerous dieties,demons and curses!

More compelling reads from...

Edi el elefante Perfect picture book for beginners!Present & Past Tense - 55 unique wordsEdi is a talented elephant, but he is very small.Edi does not want to be talented or small; hewants to be BIG! One day, Edi discovers that asmall animal can solve a big problem and thatbeing small is not so horrible after all.

NEW TITLES

Available July 2018!

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Brandon Brown versus YucatánPast & Present Tense - 140 unique words(Two versions under one cover!)

In Mexico, bad decisions and careless mischief canbring much more trouble than a 12-year-old boy canhandle alone. Will he and his new friend, outwit theirparents? (Also available in French)

El nuevo HoudiniPast & Present Tense - 200 unique words(Two versions under one cover!)

Brandon is dying to drive his father's T-bird while hisparents are on vacation. Will he fool his parents andwin the girl of his dreams in the process? (Also avail-able in French & Russian)

Brandon Brown quiere un perroPresent Tense - 103 unique words

Determined to get a dog, Brandon will do almost any-thing, but will he do everything it takes to keep one…a secret? (Also available in French, Italian, Latin, Chi-nese & German)

Brandon Brown dice la verdadPresent Tense - 75 unique words

Brandon quickly discovers that not telling the truth cancreate big problems and a lot of stress! Will he win inthe end, or will he decide that honesty is the best pol-icy? (Also available in French)

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Brandon Brown Series

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Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritosPast Tense - 150 unique wordsBullfighting is a dangerous sport, and there is noth-ing more menacing than facing a raging bull in themiddle of the ring. All eyes are on the great torero,‘El Julí,’ as he faces off against the most ferociousbull in the land, but nobody, aside from his daugh-ter, Bianca, seems to notice that his greatest threatwalks on two legs, not four. In her attempt to warn

and save her father, Bianca soon realizes that fighting an angry bull ismuch safer than battling greed and deception.

Additional Titles

Frida KahloPast Tense - 160 unique wordsFrida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of Mexico's greatestartists, a remarkable achievement for someone whospent most of her relatively short life wracked withpain. Frida expressed her pain through her art, pro-ducing some 143 paintings, 55 of which were self-portraits. To this day, she remains an icon of strength,

courage and audacity. This brief biography provides a glimpse into herturbulent life and her symbolic art.

El Ekeko: Un misterio bolivianoPresent Tense - 190 unique wordsPaco is disappointed when his mother suggests thathe replace his worn out shoes with his grandfather’sold boots. He reluctantly goes to the closet and grad-ually realizes that the closet holds much more thanhis grandfather’s old boots and a box of letters. Hid-den among his grandfather’s possessions is a gift that

has potential to bring some startling surprises and unexpected conse-quences.

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Felipe Alou: Desde los valles a las montañasPast Tense - 150 unique wordsThis is the true story of one of Major League Base-ball’s greatest players and managers, Felipe RojasAlou. When Felipe left the Dominican Republic in1955 to play professional baseball in the UnitedStates, he had no idea that making it to the ‘BigLeague’ would require much more than athelticismand talent. He soon discovers that language barriers,

discrimination and a host of other obstacles would prove to be the mostmenacing threats to his success. (Also available in English & French;unique word count approximately 300.)

EsperanzaPresent Tense, 1st person - 200 unique words

This is the true story of a family caught in the middleof political corruption during Guatemala's 36-yearcivil war. Tired of watching city workers endurecountless human rights violations, Alberto organizesa union. When he and his co-workers go on strike,Alberto’s family is added to the government's "exter-

mination" list. The violent situation leaves Alberto separated from hisfamily and forces them all to flee for their lives. Will their will to survivebe enough to help them escape and reunite?

Piratas del Caribe y el mapa secretoPresent Tense - 180 unique wordsThe tumultuous, pirate-infested seas of the 1600'sserve as the historical backdrop for this fictitiousstory of adventure, suspense and deception. Rumorsof a secret map abound in the Caribbean, and HenryMorgan (François Granmont, French version) willstop at nothing to find it. (Also available in French)

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Piratas del Caribe y el Triángulo de lasBermudasPast Tense - 280 unique wordsWhen Tito and his father set sail from Florida toMaryland, they have no idea that their decision topass through the Bermuda Triangle could completelychange the course of their voyage, not to mention thecourse of their entire lives!

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Noches misteriosas en GranadaPresent Tense - Fewer than 300 unique wordsKevin leaves for a summer in Spain, and his lifeseems anything but perfect. He escapes into a bookand enters a world of long-ago adventures. As theboundaries between his two worlds begin to blur, hediscovers that nothing is as it appears...especially atnight! (Also available in French)

Noche de oroPast Tense - 290 unique wordsNow a college student, Makenna Parker returns toCosta Rica as a volunteer and finds unexpected ro-mance that lands her in the middle of a perilousscheme. Does Martín really have good intentions, andwhat are he and his stepfather up to? Will Makennadiscover the truth before it’s too late?’

Noche oro

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Kristy Placido

Robo en la noche (Prequel to Noche de Oro)Past & Present Tense - 380 unique wordsFifteen-year-old Makenna Parker had reservationsabout moving to Costa Rica, but didn’t know that miss-ing her home would be the least of her worries. Shefinds herself in the middle of an illegal scheme, andit’s a race against time to save the treasured macaws.(Present tense version available in French)

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Problemas en ParaísoPast Tense - 250 unique wordsVictoria Andalucci and her 16-year-old son are enjoy-ing a fun-filled vacation in Mexico. A typicalteenager, Tyler spends his days on the beach with theother teens from Club Chévere, while his mother at-tends a conference and explores Mexico. Her questfor adventure is definitely quenched, as she ventures

out of the resort and finds herself alone and in a perilous fight for her life!Will anyone be able to save her? (Also available in French)

Santana Past tense - 210 unique words

Carlos Santana is a legendary Mexican Americanmusician. He started out as a poor child in a tiny Mex-ican village and transformed himself into an icon ofRock ‘n’ Roll. His story illustrates the ups and downsinherent in any journey of success and the power ofperseverance. Whether or not you are a fan of Santana,

his story will leave you inspired!

Vidas impactantes Past tense - 250 unique wordsExplore the fascinating stories of six influential and in-spirational Spanish-speakers whose lives have beenimpactful. A baseball star who gave his life helpingothers, a Cuban exile turned superstar, a mother whonever gave up the search for her missing son, a para-lyzed soccer star who fought his way to the top in a

new profession, a woman who revealed the secrets of history, and a shiftsupervisor in a mine who didn’t realize his shift would last 70 days! Youmay have heard of these impactful individuals, but after reading their sto-ries you are sure to feel inspired.

Kristy Placido

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Los Baker van a Perú375 unique words(Past & Present Tense - 2 versions under one cover!)Are the Baker family’s unfortunate mishaps brought onby bad luck or by the curse of the shrunken head? Jointhe Bakers as they travel through Peru and experiencea host of cultural (mis)adventures that are full of fun,excitement and suspense!

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Hasta la sepulturaPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsIn 1500, Queen Isabella issued an official decree per-manently closing the secret passageways that lie belowthe city of Salamanca... Nico and Adriana decided to ex-plore them and it will prove more dangerous than eitherimagined. They discover that the legendary evil thatlurks below Salamanca is not so mythical after all…

VectorPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsA vector of venom infects Antonio, a Panamanianteenager, with an illness that has far-reaching conse-quences. He is transported back in time to work on theconstruction of the Panama Canal. Is his eerie displace-ment reversible or will he finish his life working on oneof the most dangerous construction sites in history?

La hija del sastrePast tense - Fewer than 500 unique wordsGrowing up in a Republican family during Franco'sfascist rule of Spain, Emilia Matamoros discovers justhow important keeping a secret can be! After her fa-ther, a former captain in the Republican army, goesinto hiding, Emilia not only must work as a seam-stress to support her family, she must work to guard asecret that will protect her father and save her familyfrom certain death. Will her innocence be lost and will

she succumb to the violent tactics of Franco's fascist regime?

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La Guerra SuciaPast tense - Fewer than 600 unique wordsAmerican Journalist and single mother, Leslie Cor-rales travels to Argentina to investigate the suspiciousdisappearance of ‘Raúl,’ the son of Magdalena Casas-novas. When Leslie discovers that Raúl, along with10’s of thousands of other suspected dissidents, hassuffered horrific atrocities at the hands of the Argen-tine government, she finds herself in a life-altering

series of events. Will she escape with her life and with the informationshe needs to help the Argentine people?

La Calaca AlegrePast tense - Fewer than 425 unique wordsDoes Carlos really suffer from post-traumatic stress dis-order, or are his strange sensations and life-like night-mares much more real than anyone, including Carlos,believes? Determined to solve the mystery of hismother’s disappearance, Carlos decides to return toChicago to face his fears and find his mother, even if itmeans living out his nightmares in real life. As he un-

covers the mystery, he discovers the truth is much more complex and evilthan he ever imagined.

Vida y muerte en La Mara SalvatruchaPast tense - Fewer than 400 unique wordsThis compelling drama recounts life (and death) in oneof the most violent and well-known gangs in Los Ange-les, La Mara Salvatrucha 13. This is a gripping story ofone gang member’s struggle to find freedom.

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