The Secret Staircase

The book The Secret Staircase is a very good book for kids in 3rd-5th grades. The first time that I read it I liked it very much and so I read it again. The book is about 2 boys named Tom, and Ricky, and a neighbor of theirs named Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell is a very old man and does not know that his 2 story house has gold in it. But when Tom and Ricky volunteer to do his yard they find the gold. Mr. Bell is in the hospital and askes Tom and Ricky to go get him his glasses but when they are at the house they hear a noise and go up stairs and find the gold. Then they take it to Mr. Bell and he gives them each $50 for doing his yard and finding the gold for him. THE END!

First, the book is presented in a side by side format (english, left...spanish, right)which provides you with an instant reference to troublesome words. The story line is interesting and even though the book is targeted for a younger audience, it is nevertheless one of the better Spanish instructional books for any age. I did find some of the translations to be not quite exact, but on the whole true to the Spanish language. The verb tenses are occasionally vague, but understandable. I recommend the book to any serious student of Spanish, who is interested in an intermediate level of reading. Mr. Wright has written a series of other side by side books and I recommend them as well. Great practice books.