Lisa Mary Vecchione
The Country Stars
Lisa Mary Vecchione
The Country Stars
Illustrated by Marco Bregolato
Teen Readers
Main Characters
Jesse Walston
A 16-year-old country boy with big plans for the future.
Oliver Grant
Jesse’s loyal best friend who helps him in everything he does.
Harper Anderson
A city girl who loves life in the countryside.
Uncle Roger
Jesse’s uncle who lives and works in New York City.
Mr. Walston
Jesse’s father is a hard-working farmer.
Dr. Winthrop
The man from Cumberland’s Dairy Farm who enters Buttercup the cow in the state fair competition.
Mrs. Walston
Jesse’s mother who loves her family and the farm.
Suzy
Jesse’s younger sister who adores her big brother and always wants to be with him.
Before you read
Vocabulary
1 Label the picture with the correct words from the box. barn • field • chick • cow • hen • hay • farmer • sheep • fence • pig • chicken
Writing B1 Preliminary
2 You are planning to stay with a family in another town for a summer exchange program. Write an email to the family and:
• tell them about yourself
• find out what outdoor activities there are to do
• ask what you should bring with you
3 Complete the text with the correct words.
The Country Stars about a boy named Jesse who (1) on a farm. He (2) living on the farm and (3) to live in New York City when he is older. One day, he (4) a girl named Harper, (5) loves staying on her grandmother’s farm. Will she make Jesse realize how lucky he is to live in nature?
A was B does C has D is
1 A live B leaves C lives D is living
2 A don’t like B doesn’t like C isn’t liking D liked
3 A hopes B dream C thinks D desired
4 A does meet B meets C knows D see
5 A who B which C that D where is
Speaking in Pairs
4 Jesse lives on his family farm. He helps his family but dreams of living in a big city. Discuss the following questions with your partner.
1 Do you think living in the countryside is healthier than living in the city?
2 Do you like animals? If so, what is your favorite animal?
3 Do you have any pets? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having pets?
4 Do you prefer doing indoor activities, like playing video games, or outdoor activities, like walking in the park?
5 What is your favorite season of the year? Why?
21st-century Skills
Jesse slowly gets out of bed to begin his morning chores. He gets up every morning at 6 o’clock to help his parents on the farm. His mother is making breakfast in the kitchen.
Good Morning
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Jesse couldn’t believe it. Morning already? It seemed like he had just fallen asleep. He reached for his cell phone on the table near his bed to turn the noise off, and saw it was already 6:01 in the morning. The horrible BEEP! stopped and he told himself: Time to get up.
Time to do my chores 1 .
Jesse lived on his family’s big farm with his parents and his little sister, Suzy. Every morning at 6 o’clock—rain or shine2—he got up to take care of the animals. It was tiring and difficult at times, but his parents needed his help.
Outside his window he could hear the hens clucking3 and knew they must be hungry. He slowly got out of bed and put his shoes on. As he was walking towards the door, his mom called from the kitchen, “Good morning, honey! Breakfast will be ready soon.” Jesse just waved his hand. His eyes were half open. 2 Chapter 1
1 chores jobs
2 rain or shine in any weather
3 cluck the sound hens make
The Country Stars
Jesse opened the door and saw the sun begin to rise although it was still quite dark. He heard a voice in the distance. It was female, singing a song. He looked at his phone. 6:14. Who is singing at this time? he thought . He looked across the field. There was a girl with long, red hair wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt. She was on a beautiful black horse. As she was riding the horse, she sang to it. How strange, he thought. Jesse always considered the animals as work. Instead, it looked like the horse was this girl’s friend. She seemed happy to be out of bed so early—unlike Jesse. He would love to be sleeping right now, instead of walking towards his chickens, hens, pigs, sheep and cows. Actually, he dreamed of living in a tall building in the middle of a busy city, just like his Uncle Roger.
Uncle Roger had a great life, Jesse thought, a life Jesse hoped to have one day. He worked on Wall Street in New York City and had a modern apartment in a really tall building. From his living-room window, you could see the whole city.
Jesse sees a girl with red hair singing and riding a horse. She looks happy and Jesse does not know why— he is tired! He hopes to have a life in the city like his Uncle Roger one day.
Harper is happy to be outside early on her horse.
The Country Stars
Whenever his uncle came to visit, he told Jesse stories about life in the Big Apple1—the city Jesse hoped to live in some day. Jesse always listened carefully to these stories. He wanted to know all of the details.
“Hey!” someone shouted. Jesse was suddenly awaken 2 from his thoughts of city living. He looked up. The singing girl with the red hair started walking towards him. What did she want? he thought. She smiled at him. When she reached him, she put out her hand. “Hi, I’m Harper!” Jesse looked at her but didn’t say anything. He took her hand and shook it.
“I’m Jesse.”
“Well, hello Jesse!” She breathed in the air and looked up at the blue sky, which was no longer dark. “Aaahhhhhh…nothing like fresh, clean air!” She looked at Jesse and said, “You are so lucky to live here all year round, in the middle of nature.” Jesse started to wonder who this crazy girl was. “I’m just here for the summer. My grandmother invited me. She thought the fresh air would be
Jesse dreams about living in a city, like his uncle. The girl with the red hair walks over to Jesse. She introduces herself. She breathes in the air and says it is fresh and clean.
1 Big Apple another name for New York City
2 awaken stop dreaming
Chapter 4
Happy Birthday
Jesse is brushing Betsy. It is early in the morning. His father is outside working, too. Jesse starts speaking to the cow. Suzy comes out to help him.
Jesse was up early and already brushing Betsy. It was still dark outside but the sun was coming up. The state fair started in less than a week so he didn’t have much time left 1 . He wanted to make sure that Betsy was perfect for the competition. She had to win! Every morning he fed her well and gave her a lot of special attention. His father was already outside driving his tractor 2 and his mother had just started preparing breakfast. He could smell the eggs and bacon and started to feel hungry.
“Well, Betsy, we have just one week to go. I need you to win. I need that money!” Jesse stopped and smiled. I’m becoming like Harper… talking to the animals! he thought. Just then, Suzy came running out in her pajamas 3 .
“Jesse!” she called to him.
“Suzy, why are you awake this early?” he asked her.
“I wanted to help.” She looked at him and smiled.
1 left remaining, the part of something that is still present 2 tractor a powerful vehicle with large wheels used on a farm
3 pajamas clothing you wear to sleep in > Jesse is up early to prepare Betsy for the competition.
Suzy asks Jesse what he is going to do for his birthday. He says he will probably invite his friends over for pizza. When it is his birthday, he realizes he needs to make decisions about his life.
Lisa Mary Vecchione
He gave her the brush he was using. “Here. I need to give the other cows their breakfast. You can finish brushing her.”
“Hey, Jesse…what are we going to do for your birthday? It’s in four days!”
Jesse was so busy worrying about the competition that he didn’t even have a chance to think about his birthday. “Yeah, um, I don’t know. Maybe we can have pizza here at the house. We can invite Oliver over.”
“And Harper…” She looked at him with a big smile on her face.
“ Yeah, sure. Let’s ask Mom if it is okay with her.”
“I already did. She said it’s fine.” Suzy continued brushing the cow.
“Oh you did, did you?” Her brother looked down at her and laughed.
* * *
Jesse’s birthday had finally arrived. He was 17… not yet a man but almost. In one more year he would be an adult—he would need to make some big decisions about his life. For his birthday he
The Country Stars
asked his parents for money. He was starting to save for his new life in the Big Apple. His sister was in the kitchen, setting the table, and his mother was taking something out of the oven. There was a knock at the door. It was Oliver.
“Mmmm… What’s that smell? It smells like chocolate,” he said as soon as he walked in.
“It’s the birthday cake!” Mrs. Walston was holding a giant, brown cake in her hands.
“Hey, friend, happy birthday!” Oliver said, and shook his friend’s hand. He gave his friend a white envelope. “Here, this is for you.”
Jesse looked surprised. “Aw, man, what’s this?”
“Open it!”
Jesse carefully opened the envelope. Inside there was a birthday card with fifty dollars in it. “I can’t take this, Oliver…” he said.
“Why not? That’s a whole week of serving people at the supermarket.” He looked at his friend and smiled. “I work… I can do what I want with my money. I don’t want you to leave here— you are my best friend. But I DO want you to be happy so… take it…”
Oliver arrives for Jesse’s birthday party. He has a white envelope for Jesse with money in it. Jesse says he can’t take it but Oliver insists it is a present for his friend.
Oliver arrives as everyone is preparing to celebrate Jesse’s birthday.
The Country Stars
“Thanks… thanks so much!” He gave his friend a big hug 1 .
There was another knock at the door. It was Harper. She had a small package in her hands. “Happy birthday, Jesse! This is just a little something for you.”
“Aw, thanks, Harper!” He opened the present. It was a pair of white socks with brown cows all over them.
“I thought you could use a pair of socks. Also, this way you will always remember Betsy and the other cows…”
He smiled. “How could I forget! Thanks, Harper.” She smiled back and they looked at each other, then Harper turned away.
* * *
After finishing a delicious dinner, everyone went into the living room, except for Mrs. Walston, who was writing “Happy 17th birthday” on the cake with Suzy. Mr. Walston had gone back out into the fields after dinner. Mrs. Walston looked out the window and called her husband. “Jim, hurry! I am about to light the candles!”
1 hug hold someone with your arms to show affection
Harper gives Jesse some funny socks for his birthday. After eating dinner everyone goes into the living room. Jesse’s mother calls Mr. Walston, who is out working in the fields, in the house and says she is about to light the birthday candles.
Mrs. Walston brings in the cake and everyone sings “Happy Birthday.” Suzy tells Jesse to make a wish and he wishes he could live in New York City. After, he offers to walk Harper home.
Lisa Mary Vecchione
Mrs. Walston walked into the living room with the big chocolate cake that had seventeen small candles on top. When Mr. Walston arrived, they lit the candles and sang “Happy Birthday” together. Suzy said, “Now you have to blow out the candles and make a wish!” Jesse knew what he was going to wish for. He closed his eyes and said to himself, “I wish I could live in New York City” and then blew out the candles.
Suzy looked at him and asked, “What did you wish for?” He looked back at her and smiled.
“If I told you, Suzy, it wouldn’t be a secret now, would it? Now let’s eat some cake!”
* * *
It was nearly 11 p.m. when they finished eating the cake. Oliver had to work early the next morning so he got on his bicycle and left. Jesse offered to walk Harper home. It was a beautiful, clear night and the sky was full of stars. Harper was looking above her as she walked.
“THIS is what I never see at home! Too many electric lights and skyscrapers block 1 the light
1 block stop from seeing
The Country Stars
from the stars!” she said. “And it is so nice and quiet, too.”
“Sounds fantastic! I have only been to the city once with my dad. We went to see my uncle. I loved all the lights and the gigantic1 buildings, all the noise…”
“Yeah, it is okay if you are visiting. Don’t get me wrong. I love the city but the country is just as amazing, if not more.” She stopped for a minute, looked up and opened her arms. “Look at all this… the country stars. There’s nothing like this in the city.”
Jesse was looking at her looking at the sky. He looked up, too. They were silent for a moment, when Harper said, “We should probably walk faster. I don’t want to worry my grandmother.”
“Yeah, sure. I have to get up early, too. There is so much still to do to get ready for the fair!”
As they are walking, Harper tells Jesse that she never sees the stars at night in the city because of the skyscrapers and lights. Jesse says he loves the city lights. She says that the city is nice but the country is quiet and beautiful.
Think What do you like to do to celebrate your birthday?
1 gigantic very big
Vocabulary
1 Unscramble the letters to make words from Chapter 4. Then write sentences with the words.
Reading Comprehension
Answer the questions about Chapter 4. When does the state fair start?
What does Oliver give Jesse for his birthday? Why?
What did Jesse wish for when he blew out the candles on his birthday cake? What doesn’t Harper like about living in the city?
Why did Harper want to walk faster on the way home?
3 Here are some sentences about farms and animals. Complete the second sentence with one word so it means the same as the first.
Farms usually have animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and sheep. There usually animals such as cows, chickens, pigs and sheep on a farm.
1 P igs are more intelligent than cows, chicken and sheep. P igs are the intelligent farm animals.
2 A few years ago, I went to a farm. I haven’t ___________ to a farm for a few years.
3 Chickens eat grains and seeds. Grains and sees are by chickens.
4 Working on a farm is not an easy job. Working on a farm is .
5 Cows make milk. Milk is by cows. are
Listening
4 Listen to the beginning of Chapter 5 and complete the sentences.
Suzy woke up at in the morning.
1 The fair at 10 a.m.
2 Jesse was in the ___________ eating breakfast.
3 Mr. Walston was working in the ___________.
4 Jesse wakes up at six to the animals.
5 Mr. Walston was Betsy.
6 He told Jesse that Cumberland’s Dairy Farm was an farm.
State Fairs: An American Tradition
State fairs are a big part of the culture in the United States. They are a moment for people to get together and share experiences about their lives and how they live. It is also a way to teach people about agriculture. Farmers have a chance to show their animals and there are competitions, entertainment and concerts as well. Children can enjoy rides like the ferris wheel and there is a large selection of local food to eat. But how, when and where did these fairs start?
The oldest state fair
The oldest state fair in the United States is the New York State Fair. A group of farmers created the New York State Agricultural Society in 1832. They wanted to encourage and educate people about agriculture and its importance. The society held its first fair on September 29-30 in 1841 in Syracuse, a town which is in the center of the state. There were speeches, animal shows and contests. In the
beginning, the New York State Fair was held in different cities every year. Then, in September 1890, the Syracuse Land Company gave a 100-acre piece of land to the Agricultural Society. This land is in Geddes, a town near Syracuse. It has become the permanent place for the state fair since then.
Fun facts about state fairs!
• At the Georgia State Fair you can see an unusual competition, the “Banana Derby” —dogs racing with monkeys on their backs!
• The Texas State Fair gives out its “Big Tex” prize for the most creative food. One of the past winners was the cotton candy taco.
• You can see a life-size cow statue made of butter at the Idaho State Fair.
• In Wisconsin, fair visitors can take part in “Moo-la-Palooza”—a competition where people try to sound like a cow. The winner is the person whose cow sound is the most realistic…and the prize is $1,000.
• Elvis Presley sang at a competition for the first time at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in 1945—and lost!
Crazy fair food
At state fairs, you can find some really interesting things to eat. Have you ever eaten an icecream sundae, with ice cream, chocolate, nuts and a cherry on top? Well, in Indiana, you can have a hot beef sundae. Instead of ice cream, there is beef, cheese and corn. And instead of a cherry, there is a cherry tomato on top!
Lots of different things are fried, too. At the Montana State Fair you can have deepfried butter balls, while in Massachusetts you can try deep-fried candy such as jelly beans, those candies that look like real beans.
Enjoy chocolate-covered bacon on a stick at the Ohio State Fair. Deep-fried pickle chips are a must-try at the Minnesota State Fair. And at the Alaska State Fair who can miss grilled reindeer sausage?
Which of these things would you like to try?
Fried butter
Chocolatecovered bacon on a stick
Focus on... Modern-day Young Superheroes!
Nature is a beautiful gift that the Earth gives us. It is our job to take care of it and everything it gives us. Some young people work really hard to do this by changing the way they live to protect the environment.
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Genesis Butler—a fighter for animals
Genesis Butler is an environmental and animalrights activist. She works non-stop to tell people about the environment and how to protect it, and animals as well. Genesis was only three years old when she decided to stop eating animals after learning what chicken nuggets were made of.
She soon found a relationship between fighting for animal rights and a clean environment.
When she was only ten years old, she gave a talk on what animal agriculture does to the environment. She even asked Pope Francis to go vegan in 2019!
Genesis founded two groups. Youth Climate Save works to make animal rights and food systems a part of climate reform. Genesis for Animals raises money for places that help animals that are rescued from the meat industry. She is a real warrior!
Autumn Peltier and the value of water
Autumn is a Native American. She was born on Wiikwemkong First Nation, in Ontario, Canada. She has always known the importance of clean water in our daily lives. At an early age, she understood the need to protect water from pollution—bad substances in the atmosphere.
At only 13 years old, she spoke for the first time at the United Nations General Assembly. She talked about the power of water. Now a young adult, she gives talks about indigenous rights and inclusion. Autumn is a voice for the future, fighting for a better world for everyone.
Climate Change activist
Alexandria Villaseñor
A cloud of smoke changed this girl’s life forever. Alexandria was visiting northern California when there were wildfires in 2018. Since she has asthma, the smoke made her feel sick. This made her think about what climate change is doing to the Earth. She created the climate-change education group Earth Uprising and spoke at the Global Citizen Festival in 2019. Along with 15 other young people—including Greta Thunberg—she filed a legal complaint with the United Nations in 2019 against five countries who have not reduced their carbon emissions as promised in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Alexandria truly cares about the future of our planet.
Task – Report
Research a climate change or animal rights activist that you know. Who is it? What positive changes have they made? How do they bring awareness to these problems? Make a digital presentation and present it to your class.
Test Yourself
What do you remember? Complete the sentences with no more than three words.
1 Jesse lives on a farm in __________________ .
2 He meets a girl from the city who is staying with her __________________ .
3 Oliver is Jesse’s .
4 Jesse wants to live in New York City like his .
5 Betsy the cow is also called
6 Dr. Winthrop works for .
7 A steroid is a .
8 Dr. Winthrop has a cow whose name is .
9 Betsy wins __________________ .
10 Jesse give the prize money to his for the farm.
Syllabus
Verb tenses
Present Simple; Past Continuous; Future forms: Will and Going to Present Perfect Simple; Past Perfect Simple: narrative, reported speech
Verb forms and patterns
Common phrasal verbs/verbs with prepositions; First conditional; Second conditional; Simple reported speech: statements, questions and commands with say, ask, tell
Modal verbs
could and might: possibility; have to/must: obligation
Types of clause
Time clauses introduced by when, while, until, before, after, as soon as; Clauses of purpose
Lisa Mary Vecchione
The Country Stars
Jesse is a country boy who wants to live in a big city. Harper—a city girl who loves the simple country life—is spending her summer on her grandparents’ farm next door. Despite their differences, they become friends. When Harper finds out about the upcoming state fair, she tells Jesse he should enter one of his cows in the livestock competition—the winning cow gets $500! However, they soon find out that not everyone is following the competition rules—even if it puts the animals in danger.
In this reader you’ll find:
- Focus on: State fairs, Agenda Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
- A glossary of difficult words
- Comprehension and grammar activities including B1 Preliminary style exercises and 21st-century Skills activities
- Final Test Tags