Vale and Don Rafael's Drum

Everyone is laughing. So why does it feel so wrong?

Valeria "Vale" Ortiz notices everything, and she can copy anyone: Profe Camila, the football commentators on the radio, even the slow, shuffling steps of Don Rafael, the old man who guards the school gate. When her impressions of Don Rafael and of Samuel's Chocó accent end up in a video on the class group chat, Vale is the funniest girl in Year 6.

But Samuel stops talking in class. And Don Rafael stops saying good morning.

With the school talent show coming, Vale discovers there is much more to the quiet man at the gate than she ever imagined. Now she has to learn the difference between laughing with someone and laughing at them and find a way to show respect, not just say sorry.

Vale and Don Rafael's Drum is Book 2 in The Las Flores Kids, a chapter book series for children aged 8 to 12 who speak Spanish at home and are learning English.

Inside this book:

• 7 short chapters, each opening with an illustration
• Key English words in bold in the story
• A Word Box after every chapter: English words, how to say them, and what they mean in Spanish
• A Sound Tip in every chapter for sounds Spanish speakers often find hard
• An English word list and a teacher and parent guide with discussion questions and activities