Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1426376
In the Know In Front Desk (Kelly Yang, grades 3-5), 10-year-old Mia Tang lives in a motel. Every day while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, she manages the front desk. Her parents let immigrants stay in the empty rooms for free, and if the motel owner finds out, the family is doomed. Another problem: Mia wants to be a writer, but because English is not her first language, her mom thinks she should stick to math. It will take all of Mia's courage, kindness and hard work to get through the year and follow her dream. When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos San- tana (Michael Mahin and Jose Ramirez, grades 1-2) is a story of persistence in pursuing goals, with vibrant illustra- tions. Young Santana loved to listen to his father play el violín — a sound that to him made angels real. He tried el clarinete and el violín, but there were no angels. Then he picked up la guitarra. He took the soul of the blues, the brains of jazz, the energy of rock 'n' roll, the heat of Afro Cuban drums, and the sway of the music he'd grown up with in Mexico. Had he finally found the music that would make his angels real? The Educator 's (Digital) New Look! Beginning June 18, California Educator content will be on CTA's main website, at cta.org/educator. The new format makes featured stories, latest news and other relevant articles easy to find, read, comment on and share. And the clean, responsive design aligns with CTA's compel- ling new look, on any device. Check it out and tell us what you think at editor@cta.org. (See page 50 for five cool new features on the main CTA site you need to know about.) Summer Reads Summertime is not only to catch up on sleep, watch videos and take in the sunshine, but to read! Get kids excited with the teacher-recommended books listed at cta.org/californiareads. Among them: A mockup of the new Educator homepage. Summer of the Mariposas (Guadalupe Garcia McCall, grades 9-12) is a magical Mexican American retelling of Homer's Odyssey, and a celebration of sisterhood and maternal love. Odilia and her four sisters return a dead man from their town in Texas to his family in Mexico. Coming home, they must outsmart a witch, a warlock, half-human barn owls and bloodthirsty monsters. Can this prepare them for when they get back to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them? 12 cta.org N E W S & N O T E S