Thu, Oct 5, 2006
After Maggie arrives late for class one day and talks back to Mr. Nguyen, he issues her an "after school" - requiring her to stay late one day. Maggie is appalled, since this has never happened to her before, and she tries every trick in her book to get Mr. Nguyen to change his mind.
Thu, Jan 26, 2006
Maya decides that the lackluster school newspaper needs some zing, so she agrees to be editor and enlists all her friends to help out. But when their articles are a little too ordinary, she injects a dose of creative editing that makes the paper the talk of the school. But when people realize Maya doesn't have her facts straight, her reputation as a journalist is on the line, and she has to make amends -- before the midnight deadline.
Tue, Oct 3, 2006
When Abuela Elena leaves town for a few days, she entrusts an eager Maya with the care and feeding of her prized roses. Unfortunately, while Maya's heart is in the right place, she is too eager to get Abuela's roses growing quickly. Miguel, meanwhile, wants to become a wrestler and begins taking lessons from Gus "El Guamazo" Lopez, former luchador. But instead of getting an exciting luchador costume and learning show-wrestling moves, Gus teaches Miguel the actual principles of wrestling (which often, to Miguel's horror, resemble baking in Gus' bakery). As Maya slowly destroys Abuela's roses, Miguel gets frustrated with the slow pace of his training and quits. But when Maya's overzealousness in the garden leads to a flood of over-watering, Miguel hops into action, using the moves taught to him by Gus Lopez to overcome the flood. In the end, both Maya and Miguel learn the value of patience and consistency - in gardening, wrestling and life.
Thu, Jan 18, 2007
Miguel's soccer team has made it to the championships, and he's nervous. Maya has a great idea to quell his nerves: intensive training the morning of the game. Miguel is skeptical of Maya's idea, worried that he might be late to catch the bus to the game, but Maya assures him she will keep him on schedule. Unfortunately, she fails and Miguel misses the bus. He fumes and blames Maya and her "big ideas," which always cause grief. Maya defends her big ideas, while also promising Miguel to get him to the game on time. Maya and Miguel, accompanied by Abuela, go on a transportation-hopping adventure as they take trains, trucks, buses and finally a horse and carriage, in a desperate effort to get Miguel to the game on time. Through it all, Maya asserts that the reason her ideas work is that she believes in the person she's trying to help. In the end, they make it to the game, Miguel helps his team win the Championship, and he finally admits that Maya's ideas are big and beautiful.
Thu, Oct 14, 2004
When Chrissy's kitten runs away, Maya and her friends put up signs and spread the word about the lost "gato." Unfortunately, Maggie's Spanish is terrible, and she tells people they're missing a "pato" - a duck. Soon Maya is stuck with a disgruntled and irascible duck in her apartment, on the same afternoon, it turns out, that the landlord is coming by to make some repairs. And she still has to find the lost kitty.
Wed, Feb 16, 2005
Maya and Miguel seem to have an aptitude for their favorite TV game show. But when they decide to audition, they discover that they have very different approaches to training. As they move from one stage to the next -- preparing for the audition, passing the trial, training for the show -- their own rivalry grows more intense, and they lose the knack of working together. Only when they are on live TV, confronted by an unscrupulous contestant who will do anything to win, are they able to put aside their little differences and work together as sister and brother.
Mon, Oct 18, 2004
Maya finds an abandoned letter on Miguel's desk, written to a pretty girl in their class named Esperanza. Thinking that her brother might need a little help in making friends, Maya (with the eager assistance of Maggie and Chrissy) tells Esperanza how wonderful Miguel is. No sooner does Esperanza decide that Miguel is the coolest boy in the fifth grade than Maya learns that the real author of the letter wasn't Miguel, but Andy! Suddenly, the Tres Amigas have a lot of explaining to do.
Wed, Oct 13, 2004
When Paco unwittingly destroys Miguel's favorite Orlando Cruz baseball card, Maya decides to fix the situation by getting an autograph from Orlando himself, who is coming to town that weekend with his team. What ensues is a "Naked Gun"-like series of escapades where the kids try to get ever closer to the star by impersonating a boy-band, hot dog vendors, and a big furry mascot.
Sun, Oct 10, 2004
When the usually meticulous Rosa scorches the family breakfast, Maya thinks the apartment is cursed with bad luck. Using Maggie's grandmother's Guide to Feng Shui (which they don't really have time to read thoroughly), Maya, Miguel and the gang redecorate the entire place in an effort to restore positive energy before Santiago brings home an important supplier for dinner that evening. But at dinner that night, the kids' freshly painted walls, makeshift Asian fountains, and rearranged furniture cause a lot more harm than good.
Sun, Nov 7, 2004
Maggie wants to star in the upcoming School Assembly Day show. Her teacher, Mrs. Langley, recognizes her talent and assigns her the starring role, which she must share with non-dancer Miguel. Horrified, Miguel wants to have nothing to do with this show, but Mrs. Langley won't let him out of the deal. The only person who could do that is the Class President. Maya has a bright idea: Maggie will run for Class President. She's popular, and nobody else is running! Then she can change the show to suit both her and Miguel. Unfortunately, someone else decides to run, an unassuming kid named Simon. Maya and Maggie try to out-glitz Simon, by sponsoring makeovers and re-decorating the cafeteria, with comically disastrous results. Simon, meanwhile, takes the time to listen to the concerns of the other students. In the end, Maggie comes to realize that Simon cares about what the other students want, while she was only running for selfish reasons... and so she announces at the presidential debate that she is supporting Simon. Simon wins by a landslide... and his first act as President is to appoint Maggie to be director of School Assembly Day, to change the show however she wants.