CONTENTS
Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Learn how authors include themes in stories.
Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Read, write, and learn the meanings of new words.
“The Night of San Juan” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150
by Lulu Delacre • illustrated by Josée Masse
• Learn the features of realistic fiction.
• Learn how to ask questions about the author’s message.
“Tejano Conjunto Festival” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
by Kathleen D. Lindsey
Read about a music festival that happens every year in Texas.
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
• Compare texts.
• Review vocabulary.
• Reread for fluency.
• Write a short story.
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Genr e:
s t ic
Re a li
Fic t ion
Genr e: Pho t o Ess ay
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Theme
All stories have a theme, or message, that runs through them. A
story’s theme is not usually stated directly. The reader may determine
the theme of a story by looking at the characters’ qualities and motives
and the way in which they respond to plot conflicts. Readers should
look for the message about life that the author wants to give them.
Character’s
Qualities
Character’s
Motives
Character’s
Actions
Theme
Look for the conflicts in the story.
The characters’ reactions to problems
may provide clues to the theme.
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Read the paragraph below. Then look at the graphic
organizer. Note the ways in which Carolina’s personality,
motives, and actions contribute to the theme of the paragraph.
Carolina had never left San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and now her family was packing up
to move to the United States. Her parents
assured Carolina that before long, she would
feel right at home in Denver, Colorado.
Carolina didn’t see how. Denver would be
nothing like San Juan. There was no ocean
nearby, and it snowed there. It never snowed
in San Juan. Instead of starting to pack her
things, Carolina went out for a walk.
Character’s Qualities
worried, sad
Character’s Motives
does not want to
accept her new home,
Colorado
Character’s Actions
Carolina goes for a
walk instead of packing
her things.
Theme
Moving to a new place can be scary.
Try This
Look back at the paragraph. How would the theme be
different if Carolina were excited about the move to Denver?
www.harcourtschool.com/storytown
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Build Robust Vocabulary
The Birthday Piñata
wistful
grateful
irresistible
revelers
grim
raspy
swarmed
When Maria arrived at her friend Arturo’s
birthday party, she noticed a colorful piñata
hanging outside. “I wonder if I can stay long
enough to help break it,” she told Arturo
with a wistful sigh. “My mom is picking me
up early.”
“I’ll ask Dad if we can
do it now,” said Arturo.
“Oh, thank you!” Maria
was grateful that her friend
wasn’t going to let
her miss the fun. She
imagined the inside of
the piñata, stuffed full of
irresistible treats.
Arturo went to talk to
his dad, and soon Maria
heard Arturo’s father calling
the birthday revelers into
the dining room.
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Juliana was the first to take a turn. She put on a blindfold
and grasped the broom. With a grim and determined look
on her face, Juliana swung. Whap! The broom hit the piñata
squarely.
Now it was Maria’s turn. The broom scraped the side of
the piñata, making a raspy sound. No luck for her!
Finally, after everyone had swung several times, the piñata
spilled its contents. Cheering, the children swarmed toward
the treats that lay scattered on the floor.
www.harcourtschool.com/storytown
Word Scribe
This week, your task is to use the Vocabulary
Words in your writing. In your vocabulary
journal, write sentences to show the meanings
of the words. For example, you could write about something
that was irresistible or about a time when you felt grateful for
a friend’s help. Use as many of the Vocabulary Words in your
writing as you can. Share your writing with your classmates.
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Re a lis t ic Fic t ion
Genre Study
Realistic fiction has characters
and events that are like people
and events in real life. As you
read, look for
• a setting that could be a real
place.
• challenges and problems that
might happen in real life.
Character’s
Qualities
Character’s
Motives
Character’s
Actions
Theme
Comprehension
Strategy
Ask questions about the
author’s message in the text.
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L
by
D
u lu
e la c r e
i ll u s t r a t e d
by J
osé
eM
ass
e
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Back in the 1940s, in Puerto Rico’s walled city of Old
San Juan, everybody knew everybody else. We neighborhood
children played freely together on the narrow streets, while
from windows and balconies adults kept a watchful eye on us.
It was only my lonely friend José Manuel who was forbidden
from joining us.
“Look, Evelyn,” whispered Amalia. “He’s up there again,
watching us play.”
Aitza and I looked up. There he was, sitting on his balcony
floor. He peered sadly down at us through the wrought iron
railing, while his grandma’s soap opera blared from the radio
inside. No matter how hard José Manuel tried, he could not
convince his grandma to let him play out on the street.
“Too many crazy drivers! Too hard, the cobblestones!
¡Muy peligroso!”1 His grandma would shake her head
and say, “Too dangerous!”
Besides her fear of danger on the street, José Manuel’s
grandma kept to herself and never smiled, so most of us were
afraid of her. That is, until my sisters and I changed all that.
1 muy peligroso (MWEE peh•lee•GROH•soh): too dangerous
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“One day,” Amalia suddenly announced, “I’m going to ask his
grandma to let him come down and play.” If anyone would have
the courage to do that, it was my little sister Amalia. Even though
she was only seven, she was also the most daring of the three of us.
We never knew what she would do next. In fact, at that very
moment I could see a mischievous grin spreading across her
freckled face as two elegant women turned the corner of Calle Sol.
Once they strolled down the street in front of us, Amalia swiftly
snuck up behind them and flipped their skirts up to expose their
lace-trimmed slips.
“¡Sinvergüenza!”2 the women cried out. “Little rascal!”
We could hardly hold our laughter in. We all looked up to make
sure none of the neighbors had seen her. If anyone had, we would
surely have been scolded as soon as we got home. News traveled
fast in our neighborhood.
Luckily, only José Manuel was watching us with amusement
in his wistful eyes. Grateful for an audience, Amalia smiled at him,
curtsied, and ran down the street toward the old cathedral with
us chasing after her. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for my friend
as we left him behind.
There was hardly any sea breeze that day, and running in the
humidity made us quite hot.
“Let’s get some coconut sherbet,” said Amalia, peeling her
damp red curls away from her sweaty neck.
“¡Sí, sí!”3 we agreed, and we chattered excitedly about our
plans for that night all the way to the ice cream vendor’s wooden
cart by the harbor.
2 sinvergüenza (sin•vair•GWEHN•zah): little rascal
3 sí (SEE): yes
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It was June twenty-third, and that night was the Night of
San Juan. For this holiday, the tradition was to go to the beach,
and at exactly midnight, everyone would walk backward into
the sea. People say that doing this three times on the Night of
San Juan brings good luck. I thought of my friend José Manuel.
Perhaps if he did this with us, his luck would change, and his
grandma would allow him to play with us outside on the street.
I thought about this as we bought our coconut sherbet and
then ate it perched on the knobby roots of the ancient tree
above the port. Excitement stirred in me while the distant
ships disappeared over the horizon.
“How can we get José Manuel to go to the beach tonight?”
I asked my sisters.
“Evelyn, you know very well his grandma will never
let him go,” Aitza said. “You know what she will say—”
“¡Muy peligroso!” Aitza and Amalia teased at once.
“Too dangerous!”
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It was getting close to dinnertime, and we knew we had to be
home soon if we wanted our parents to take us to the beach that
night. So we took the shortcut back across the main square.
In the plaza, groups of men played dominoes while the women
sat by the fountain and gossiped. Back on the street we heard
the vegetable vendor chanting:
“¡Vendo yuca, plátanos, tomates!”4
He came around every evening to sell his fresh cassava,
plantains, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.
Leaning from her balcony, a big woman lowered a basket that
was tied by a cord to the rail. In it was the money that the vendor
replaced with two green plantains. As we approached our street
I saw José Manuel and his grandma out on the second floor. She
gave José Manuel money and went back inside. He was about
to lower his basket when I had an idea. Maybe there was a way
we could ask him to join us.
“What if we send José Manuel a note in his grandma’s basket
inviting him to go to the beach with us tonight?” I offered.
“It will never work,” Aitza said. “His grandma will not like it.
We could get into trouble.”
“Then we could ask her personally,” I said.
“But what excuse could we use to go up there?” said Aitza.
“Nobody ever shows up uninvited at José Manuel’s house.”
“Wait! I know what we can do,” Amalia said, jumping
up and down. “We’ll tell him to drop something. Then we’ll
go up to return it.”
4 vendo yuca, plátanos, tomates (VEN•doh YOO•kah PLAH•tah•nohs
toh•MAH•tehs): I sell cassava, plantains, tomatoes
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Even though Aitza was very reluctant, we convinced her
to try our plan. We wrote the note and asked the vegetable vendor
to please place it in José Manuel’s basket next to the vegetables. We
impatiently waited on the corner as we watched. When he opened
the note, he looked puzzled. He took the tomatoes he had purchased
in to his grandmother. Soon he returned with his little red ball. He
had just sat down to play when suddenly the ball fell from the
balcony. It bounced several times, rolled down the hill, and
bumped into a wall. Amalia flew after it. “I got it!” she called
triumphantly, offering me her find.
With José Manuel’s ball in my hand we climbed up the
worn stairs of his pink apartment house. And while
Aitza and I stood nervously outside his apartment
trying to catch our breath, Amalia knocked loudly
on the wooden door. With a squeaking sound it
slowly opened, and there stood José Manuel’s
grandma wearing a frown as grim as her black
widow’s dress.
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“¿Sí?” she said. “How can I help you?”
Aitza and I looked at each other. She looked as afraid as I felt.
But without hesitation, Amalia took the little ball from my hand and
proudly showed it to José Manuel’s grandma. I wanted to run, but a
glimpse of José Manuel’s hopeful expression made me stay.
“This belongs to José Manuel,” Amalia declared. “We came to
return it.” Amalia took a deep breath, then took a step forward.
“We also wanted to know if he could come to the beach tonight with
our family.”
Aitza and I meekly stood behind Amalia.
“The beach?” José Manuel’s grandma asked, surprised, as she
took the little ball from Amalia’s palm.
“Y-y-yes,” I stuttered. “Tonight is the Night of San Juan, and our
parents take us to the beach every year.”
José Manuel’s grandma scowled at us. How silly to think she
would ever let him go. I suddenly felt embarrassed and turned to
leave, pulling both sisters with me by their arms.
“Wait,” we heard her raspy voice behind us. “Come inside for a
surullito de maíz.”5
It was then that I smelled the aroma of the corn fritters that was
escaping from the kitchen. José Manuel’s grandma was making
surullitos for dinner.
“Oh, yes!” Amalia followed her in without a thought. And before
we knew it, we were all seated in the living room rocking chairs
next to José Manuel, eating the most delicious corn fritters that we
dipped in garlicky sauce. Somehow, sitting there with José Manuel,
his grandma seemed less scary. After we finished, José Manuel’s
grandma thanked us for our invitation and said she would let
us know.
José Manuel smiled.
5 surullito de maíz (soo•roo•LYEE•toh day mah•YEES): a cornmeal-and-cheese dish
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When we got home we found Mami waiting with her hands
on her hips. She had just hung up the phone with José Manuel’s
grandma. She had reason to be upset. Not only were we late
for supper, but in our excitement we had forgotten to ask for
permission before inviting José Manuel to the beach. We all
looked down, not knowing what to do or say.
“It wasn’t my fault. It was Evelyn and Amalia’s idea,”
volunteered Aitza, the coward.
“Bendito,6 Mami,” I said. “Don’t punish us, we forgot.”
“Forgot?” Mami asked.
“Sí, Mami,” we all said at once. “We are sorry.”
“Actually it was very nice of you girls to invite him,”
said Mami. “But please remember to ask me first next time.”
6 bendito (ben•DEE•toh): I’m sorry
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Late that night the whole family went to the beach as was our
tradition on the Night of San Juan. But this time was special, for we
had José Manuel with us.
The full moon shone against the velvet sky. The tide was high, and
the beach swarmed with young revelers who, like us, had waited all
year for this night’s irresistible dip in the dark ocean. The moment
we reached the water we all turned around, held hands, and jumped
backward into the rushing waves. Amalia stumbled forward, Aitza
joyfully splashed back, and so did I as I let go of my sister’s hand.
But my other hand remained tightly clasped to José Manuel’s. When
my friend and I took our third plunge into the sea, I wished good
luck would come to him, and that from then on, his grandma would
allow him to play with us out on the street. And as a wave lifted us
high in the water, I suddenly knew this wish would come true.
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1 What theme about friendship do the character’s actions
suggest?
THEME
2 The characters in “The Night of San Juan” look forward to
this special event all year. What yearly celebration or event do
you especially look forward to? MAKE CONNECTIONS
3 Explain how the adults in San Juan keep a careful watch over
the children, despite the freedom the children enjoy.
SYNTHESIZE
4 How do you think José Manuel’s life will change after the
Night of San Juan?
5
MAKE PREDICTIONS
WR ITE Why do you think José Manuel’s grandma seems
less scary when the girls sit down with her to eat corn
fritters? Use details from the story to support your
response. SHORT RESPONSE
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Lulu Delacre was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. She grew up
hunting lizards and climbing tamarind trees. When she was young,
she drew scenes from her homeland and wrote stories about her
cultural heritage. Now Lulu Delacre is fulfilling her dream of writing
books about the traditions and folklore of Latin America.
www.harcourtschool.com/storytown
Josée Masse lives and works near Montreal,
Canada, and has been drawing as long as she can
remember. Josée Masse says that she feels complete
freedom to use her imagination when she illustrates
a children’s book. She advises readers to “let yourself
be transported by the illustrations, because they have
as much power as the words.”
www.harcourtschool.com
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Social Studies
Pho t o Ess ay
by Kathleen D. Lindsey
May is a special time in San Antonio, Texas. It’s when
musicians and fans gather for the Tejano Conjunto festival. This
festival celebrates conjunto (kon•HOON•toe), a unique sound
that began in Texas.
Texans with Mexican heritages call themselves tejanos.
(tay•HA•nohs) In the late 1800’s, tejanos developed a new style
of music. They combined the sounds of the Mexican 12-string
bass guitar with the sounds of the accordion. The new sound
was conjunto. Conjunto means ensemble. Today, musicians still
use the accordion and the Mexican guitar. They also add drums,
saxophones, keyboards, and other instruments to make the
sound unique to them.
German settlers
brought the button
accordion with
them to Texas.
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Dancing is a big part of the celebration.
Like the music, the dances are a mix of
styles. Mexican Americans combined
European waltzes and polkas with their
own dances to create new ones.
At first, conjunto bands used only two
instruments, the Mexican 12-string guitar
for rhythm and the accordian for melody.
To appeal to larger audiences, conjunto
bands started using microphones and
adding new instruments, such as drums,
electric basses, or saxophones.
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Comparing Texts
1. In “The Night of San Juan,” the sisters make a plan.
Describe a time when you made a plan to achieve a goal.
2. What common characteristics of culture are expressed
in both “The Night of San Juan” and the “Tejano
Conjunto Festival”?
3. Evelyn and her sisters change their opinion of José
Manuel’s grandmother. When have you changed your
opinion of someone?
Vocabulary Review
wistful
Rate a Situation
With a partner, read aloud each sentence below. Point
to a spot on the line to show how happy you would
feel in each situation. Explain your choices.
Least
Happy
•
•
•
•
Most
Happy
You woke up with a raspy voice.
A group of revelers made a lot of noise.
Bees swarmed near your favorite lunch spot.
Your mom cooked a meal you found irresistible.
grateful
grim
raspy
swarmed
revelers
irresistible
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Fluency Practice
Par tner Reading
Work with a partner to reread aloud a
portion of dialogue from “The Night of
San Juan.” For example, you may read
several lines of dialogue on page 156. Ask
your partner for feedback on how well you
read with expression. Then switch roles.
Writing
Write a Shor t Stor y
✔ My writing is
Imagine the experience of a first-time
visitor to the beach on the Night of
San Juan. Write a short story about this
character’s experience.
Character’s
Qualities
Character’s
Motives
one charac te
ac tions.
Ideas
focused on
r’s feelings an
d
✔ I used a grap
hic organizer
to
help me devel
op my charac
ter.
✔ My story has
a beginning,
middle, and en
d.
Character’s
Actions
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