Semiprofesional, parte 1 by Adam Giedd (Span)

Finally a novel for all the gamers in your classes! Written for new language learners, this book steps into the life of Cruz whose parents don't understand the serious money he could make playing video games professionally and want him to focus on his academics. Lots of cognates and high frequency vocabulary help keep the story front and center.

Adam has deftly found a niche in CI novels that needed filling- videogames. So many teens and children play videogames that this is the perfect subject matter to attract their attention. Adam creates a perfect amount of tension with the struggles of Cruz to balance friends, family, and his passion for video games. This is a necessary addition to any FVR library.

Teachers, this is the novel you have been waiting for! Perfect for your FVR collection with extra appeal to video game aficionados. The main character, Cruz, is an underachieving student who competes and excels at gaming. Do you know any students like this? Do you think any of your students can relate and connect to this character? Cruz is almost every student in my (former) classes, and how I wish I could have handed them this book during reading time. Add this to your classroom library, and watch it get read and passed around and worn and enjoyed.