Pobre Ana
A classic of US Spanish classes: a teenage girl from California spends a few months with a family in Mexico. Very short chapters and the same core words again and again, so it builds confidence fast.
What it's about
Ana is a 15-year-old girl from Hermosa Beach, California, who feels unhappy at home: her family doesn't have much money, while her best friends' families are rich. She gets the chance to spend a few months in Tepic, Mexico, living with a host family, the Sánchez family, who have even less than her own. Seeing their everyday life changes how she looks at her own family and at what she has. The book is written for first-year Spanish students using TPRS (comprehensible input): very short chapters and a small set of words repeated many times.
Resumen en español fácil
Tap any underlined word for its meaning
Ana es una chica de quince años de California. No está contenta con su vida: su familia no tiene mucho dinero y sus amigas son ricas. Un día tiene la oportunidad de viajar a Tepic, en México, y vivir unos meses con una familia mexicana, los Sánchez. Ellos tienen menos que su familia, pero son felices. Allí Ana aprende a ver su casa con otros ojos.
Main characters
- Ana — a 15-year-old girl from Hermosa Beach, California, who feels nobody understands her
- Ana's family — her parents and siblings back in California
- The Sánchez family — her host family in Tepic, Mexico
How to read it in Spanish
Written for absolute beginners (A1): very short chapters, a small vocabulary repeated on purpose and a glossary at the back. Many US schools read it in Spanish 1.
Where to read it
The book is under copyright, so there is no legal free PDF. Schools usually have class sets; you can also buy it new from the publisher.
