Using a soap opera storyline approach, Samantha: A Soap Opera and Vocabulary Book for Students of English as a Second Language and Samantha: The Sequel build students' vocabulary and offer substantial practice in reading. Because the content deals with real-life social and ethical issues, students are quickly drawn into the text, and, as a result, become more enthusiastic about learning vocabulary and idioms and participating in classroom discussions. The stimulating and intriguing storylines offer continuing topics for discussion on social, moral, and cross-cultural issues such as love, marriage, dating customs, and gender roles in all societies. Well organized and easy to use, chapters contain prereading and comprehension questions, as well as exercises that reinforce the vocabulary and idiomatic expressions. The book's chapters have been sealed but perforated to help build suspense and keep students from reading ahead.