Recommendations for short novels

In planning a course for next Fall I would like to include a short novel from a (contemporary?) Spanish author. I would like to find an annotated edition of the novel, so the vocabulary is not too much of an issue. This would be for an advanced high school junior class. They are in their 5th year of Spanish. I have thought about Historia de una escalera and En la ardiente oscuridad,both by Antonio Buero Vallejo; but I am hoping to get some other ideas. I would like to find something that is approachable and would inspire good discussions. Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might come up with.

How about El tesoro by Miguel Delibes? It's only 128 pages...and, possibly, most importantly, written after the Franco era. It subtlely deals with the history of the country...from fascism to the present day democracy.

Sheryl

La tesis de Nancy by Ramón J. Sender is not too difficult and is quite humorous. It is about the adventures of a young American girl who goes to live near Sevilla to study and write her thesis. Her cultural errors and misunderstandings introduce a great deal about the Spanish culture, etc. It has 242 pages.

LA TESIS DE NANCY - I second this suggestion! What a fun book to read because of the Spanish culture it "explains".

Hi! I'm a new member and a Spanish teacher. I would recommend a couple of titles: 1)La Casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Easy to read and a great tool to encourage discussions about both cultures, assimilation issues, and so forth. 2) El Sueño Americano by Eduardo Gonzales Viaña. This is a little known Peruvian author with a really cool style. In this book, he tells the stories of immigrants who come to the States looking for a better life. What makes the book interesting? Gonzalez mixes reality with fantasy in a very entertaining way. For example, he tells the true story of a Mexican family who crossed the border (illegally of course!) and brought their donkey to help them carry their belongings. That, by itself is a great story line. Gonzalez makes even more entertainiing because he gives the donkey human qualities and the donkey eventually learns to speak English! Sounds cheesy but it is actually a very funny story. Check it out. The book is available through Barnes & Noble. Gonzales Viaña has a web page but I can't remember the addres right now. Look it up on Google. Hope this helps!