He Crabapple Tree

The Crabapple Tree

Busy Wheeler, a spirited tomboy who's adopted and best friends with a mentally handicapped boy named Billy, is suddenly having strange feelings for the new girl at school and fighting an overwhelming sensation that she's growing up too fast. After getting into trouble too many times at school, she is sent away to live for the entire summer with an aunt she's never met. As the summer unfolds, so does a deep-seated family secret, and Busy comes face to face with her birth mother. With the help of a new friend, Busy must learn to swallow her pride and make amends with a mother she's never known while laughter, unexpected kisses and a continuous trail of mischief lead her on an endless journey of adolescent discoveries.

A Treasure of Short Stories for English Language Learners

This book includes thirteen short stories, chosen to illustrate various modes of narration and to provoke reflection on a range of issues. The texts illustrate how great writers can, with their insight and gift for words, help us to see the world in which we live in new probing and exciting ways. Upon the completion of this book, learners will be able to read to find and handle information for a range of purposes, as well as read to enjoy and respond to a variety of texts. The book will also equip the reader to write for a range of purposes, conveying meaning in language appropriate to purpose and audience, and communicate effectively with native and non-native speakers of English, manipulating language as appropriate. What characterises this book is its integration of literary competence, communicative competence, and critical thinking skills. This combined input incorporates the receptive skills of listening and reading, and the productive skills of speaking and writing.

The Crab-apple Tree