Since 2011, I’ve written so many teacher guides—starting with my early work for TPRStorytelling and continuing through the 10 classroom readers I’ve authored or collaborated on since. I absolutely love creating resources that make it easier for teachers to bring reading to life in the classroom. But over the years, I’ve realized something: a lot of the materials I created assumed the teacher already knew how to teach with a classroom novel.

This time, I wanted to do something different.

When I sat down to write the teacher guide for El espíritu de Xólotl—the first book I’ve published through Somewhere to Share—I wanted to reimagine how we teach a reader from the ground up. I asked myself, “What would it look like if teaching this book felt more like teaching a full unit from my Huellas curriculum?”

The result? A complete 14-day unit that begins with pre-reading and ends with a summative assessment. It’s not just a collection of activities—it’s a fully scaffolded journey that builds language, confidence, and comprehension each step of the way. While the story is designed for late Level 1 to Level 2 students, its cultural depth and thematic richness can spark meaningful conversations in Level 3 or 4 classrooms as well. Sometimes an accessible text is the perfect foundation for deep discussion.

I can’t wait to roll it out with my own level 2 students this spring—and I’m so excited to share it with other teachers, too.

Get ready for a shared classroom reading experience that connects students and teachers around the world. This February, we’re inviting you to read El espíritu de Xólotl as part of a collaborative book club. Whether it’s your first time teaching a reader or your tenth, you’ll have support, community, and some fun surprises along the way.

Order a class set of 25 or more books, and we’ll gift you the full teacher guide and the audiobook version (take a listen). Just send us proof of purchase and we’ll send the extras your way. Find the resource links here.

In early January, you’ll get a flexible reading calendar to pace your unit across 20 school days. For each day, I’ll post a short five-minute video explaining the lesson plan, offering tips, and helping you prep. We know snow days, institute days, and life happen—so don’t worry if your class gets off track. You’ll have a full month (or more) to work through the book at your own pace.

In late January, we’ll host a casual webinar to walk through teacher questions, ideas, and strategies. Yes, there will be prizes. If you can’t make it live, the recording will be posted in the Facebook group.

On February 2, we’ll officially launch the book club in the Facebook group called “El espíritu de Xólotl Reader Collab.” Dylan, Meghan, and I will post about the daily lesson plans with our reflections, and ideas. We hope you’ll post too. You don’t have to share pictures from your classroom (we know that’s not allowed in every school), but if you can, we’d love to see how it’s going for you.

There are 20 weekdays in February, but nobody expects you to hit them all perfectly. Some of us live in the “ice belt” and already know we’ll be off winter weather… and also for institute days or holidays. Whether you take detours, go deeper into certain chapters, or even lap into March, it’s totally fine. Follow student interest and take the time you need.

We created this guide to feel more like a full unit from Huellas than just a set of questions. It includes pre-reading, daily plans with culture and vocabulary support, interpretive and interpersonal tasks, and assessment ideas. Our goal is to walk alongside you in making this reader a meaningful part of your curriculum—rich in language, culture, and visuals.

We’re also working on a French adaptation of the story called L’esprit de Mélusine, featuring Léo, un petit lutin d’eau. Next year, we’ll have a multilingual book club!

If you have questions, just reach out. This is our first time launching a reader-based book club, and we can’t wait to learn alongside you. Let’s make it fun.