A New Dog
by Luisa Figueroa
As you read the story, write your questions and ideas about it on a separate piece of paper. Then complete the next page.

When my dog Maia died, I thought my heart would break--literally break into pieces. She was just my age, twelve, when she died. We'd grown up together, played together, and gotten into trouble together. She ate scraps from my meals and slept on my bed. Now she had gone somewhere without me. It hurt terribly to remember her, so I put her out of my mind. I didn't know I could be so lonely.

My parents wanted me to get another dog, but I couldn't bear the idea. To me, it just meant another friend who would leave me. I said no.

Then something wonderful happened. My mother had a new baby--my brother Juan. He was so little and so sweet that I hated to leave him to go to school. Mom said he cried for me when I left and spent all day waiting for me to come home. She thought Juan was lonely without me.

I started thinking. When I was a baby, I had Maia. Shouldn't Juan have a friend like that? When I thought that way, suddenly I could remember how much fun Maia was. What a great time we'd had together! I said to my mother, "Juan needs a friend."

The whole family went to the pound. There were lots of dogs, but Juan picked Sparkle out right away. They're already best friends. Even though I'm a little jealous, I'm glad Juan isn't lonely anymore. And I was proud when mom told me, "You're a good siser to Juan." She knew getting a new dog was hard for me, and she admired me for doing it.

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