The Thief of the Night

Carol, Alex, Alie, and Sally are four best friends. They go to the same school in Valencia, Spain. They do everything together: study, play, and do sports. They like to read mystery stories.

At their school, there is a very famous painting. The painting is called Old Woman Frying Eggs by Diego Velázquez. It is very old and very important. The painting is priceless. It is worth millions of euros.

The Painting Disappears

One morning, the students arrive at school. Everyone is shocked. The painting is gone. Someone stole the painting!

The teachers call the police. The students whisper and worry. Someone says, “Maybe it was The Thief of the Night,” a policeman says.

The Thief of the Night is very famous. No one knows his real name. No one has ever seen his face. He steals famous paintings and diamonds. He always wears a mask and a chef's hat.

The four friends decide to investigate. They love the painting and want to see it again in their school. They want to solve the mystery.

A Suspicious Cook

Carol thinks carefully. “Who works near the painting?” she asks.

“The cafeteria is close to where the painting was,” Alex answers.
Alie nods.

“The cook works late,” Carol says.

Sally says, “His name is Santo.”

Santo is quiet. He never talks to anyone in the cafeteria. He works at night. He wears expensive watches and rings. Why does he have so much money? The girls feel something is wrong.

A Short History of Diego Velázquez

Before they continue, their art teacher tells them more about Velázquez.

Diego Velázquez was born in Sevilla in 1599. He was a very talented painter. He painted real people and real life. Later, he moved to Madrid. He worked for King Philip IV. He painted the king and the royal family.

Velázquez loved light and shadow. His most famous painting is Las Meninas. It is in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

 The stolen painting is also very important. The police must find it.

Following Santo

After school one day, the four friends follow Santo. They are quiet and careful. Santo has a big package under his arm. What is in the package?

Many blocks from their school, they see Santo meet another man. He shows him the painting. The man is a fence — someone who buys stolen art. Sally calls the police.

Suddenly, police cars arrive. The police arrest Santo.

“The Thief of the Night is Santo!” everyone says.

A Big Reward

There is a big reward. Five millions euros!

The police thank the girls. They give them the reward.

“What will we do with the money?” Carol asks.

 “We should have a party for the whole school,” Alex says.

“Great idea!” Sally answers.

Alie smiles and nods. They all agree.

The Best Party Ever

The school party is enormous. There is music, games, and laughter. There is a lot of food. Of course, they cook two big paellas because this is Valencia. Everyone is happy.

After the party, the girls still have a lot of money.

“What will we do with all this money?” Alex asks.

“I want to buy Lego. It’s very expensive,” Sally says.

The girls are heroes — and best friends forever.

Vocabulary

Priceless – invaluable, inestimable, sin precio

To Whisper – murmurar, susurrar

To Nod - inclinación de cabeza, asentir

To Follow - seguir

Fence- cerca, valla, verja.  #2 Perista -Comprador de objetos robados.

 

 

 

The Old Man and the Sea

  by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream* and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. Santiago was an old fisherman. He lived near the sea in a small village. His house was simple, and he owned very little. Every day, he went out in his small boat to fish.

For many days, Santiago did not catch any fish. The other fishermen caught fish, but Santiago did not. Some people said he was unlucky. Still, Santiago did not give up. He loved the sea, and he believed his luck would return.

A young boy named Manolin liked Santiago very much. The boy had learned how to fish from him. Manolin wanted to fish with Santiago, but his parents told him to work with another fisherman who caught more fish. Even so, Manolin helped Santiago after school. He brought him food and talked with him. They were good friends.

One morning, Santiago went far out into the sea. The water was deep and blue. Birds flew above him, and the sun rose in the sky. Santiago felt calm. He put his fishing lines into the water and waited.

Suddenly, something pulled very hard on one line. It was a fish—much bigger than any fish Santiago had ever felt. The fish did not jump. Instead, it swam away and pulled the boat with it.

“This fish is strong,” Santiago said to himself. “But I am strong too.”

The fish pulled the boat for many hours. Santiago held the line with his hands. His hands hurt, and his back hurt. He was tired and hungry, but he did not let go. He spoke kindly to the fish and respected it.

“We are both fighters,” he said. “We will see who is stronger.”

During the night and the next day, the fish kept pulling. Santiago did not sleep much. He thought of the boy and wished he were there. Still, he stayed brave and patient.

At last, the fish grew tired. Santiago pulled it closer to the boat. When he saw the fish, he was amazed. It was long and beautiful, shining in the sun. With great effort, Santiago caught the fish and tied it to the side of his boat.

“I have never seen such a great fish,” he said softly.

Santiago began to sail back to shore. He felt proud, but also very tired. The fish was so big that part of it stayed in the water.

Soon, sharks smelled the fish’s blood. One shark came and bit the fish. Santiago fought the shark and chased it away, but the shark took a large piece of meat.

More sharks came. Santiago fought them with all his strength. He used a knife, a stick, and even an oar. But the sharks kept coming. They ate more and more of the fish.

By the time Santiago reached the shore, only the fish’s skeleton was left. Santiago was sad, but he knew he had done his best. He walked slowly back to his house and lay down to rest.

The next morning, the villagers saw the great skeleton by the boat. They were surprised by its size. They knew Santiago had caught a very special fish.

Manolin came to see Santiago. The boy was sad to see the old man tired and hurt.

“I want to fish with you again,” Manolin said. “We will fish together.”

Santiago smiled. He was not defeated. He knew that even when you lose something, you can still be strong inside. 

Vocabulary

• fisherman – pescador
• skiff - small boat 
• boat – barco
• sea – mar
• shore – orilla / costa
• fish – pez / pescado
• big fish – pez grande
• fishing line – línea de pesca / sedal
• hook – anzuelo
• bait – carnada / cebo
• net – red
• rope – cuerda
• knot – nudo
• oar – remo
• to row – remar
• to sail – navegar
• sail – vela
• to steer – dirigir / maniobrar
• to catch (a fish) – atrapar / pescar
• to pull – jalar / tirar
• to tie – atar / amarrar
• to hold – sostener
• deep water – agua profunda
• waves – olas
• current – corriente
• wind – viento
• shark – tiburón
• skeleton – esqueleto
• luck – suerte
• strength – fuerza
• patience – paciencia

The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway 

*The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm ocean current originating in the Gulf of Mexico, flowing up the U.S. East Coast and across the Atlantic to Europe, significantly warming the climate of the Eastern U.S. and Western Europe. The current can be  as fast as 9KPH.

 

Alejandra, the Young Mayor

Alejandra is a 12-year-old girl who lives in Valencia, Spain. She loves her city. She loves her school, her friends, and riding her bike. One day, something amazing happens. Alejandra becomes the mayor of Valencia. Her best friend is her assistant.

Alejandra wants to change things in the city. She listens to children and families. She has many good ideas. She works very hard, day and night, to make the changes in the city.

First, Alejandra says Christmas vacations should be one week longer. Students are very happy. Classes will begin one week after January 6. Now children can rest more and enjoy time with their families.

Second, Alejandra wants better food in school cafeterias. She says school food should be healthy and delicious. She decides that all school kitchens should have chefs. Soon, students eat better meals every day. The food is good and very healthy with lots of vegetables, fruits, rice, pasta, and no junk food. For dessert, the chefs make broccoli ice cream. Broccoli ice cream isn't very popular with the students for some strange reason.

Third, Alejandra wants Fallas to be ten days instead of five. She loves the festival and the fireworks. But people say no. They tell her, “There is too much tradition in the way Fallas is celebrated, and ten days would be too much for old people like your teachers because they can’t sleep during the festival.” So Fallas stays (remains) five days.

Fourth, Alejandra builds better bike lanes. Now kids can ride their bikes to school safely. Parents feel happy, and the streets are safer. The kids love it because they get a lot of exercise riding to school and back home at the end of the day.

Finally, Alejandra creates more parks in the city. She also builds three public swimming pools in Turia Park. During the hot days of summer, families swim, play, and relax together. Kids can take swimming classes in the morning. It is very important to be a good swimmer!

Valencia changes for the better. People are very happy with their young mayor. Alejandra smiles. She knows that even small changes can make a big difference.