Ricardo's Dilemma
Realistic (fiction) 1,480 words, Level T (Grade 3), Lexile 800L
Ricardo is a star hockey player and not too excited about having to attend a ballet performance of Cinderella with his class. His perspective changes, however, when he goes backstage and sees serious athletes warming up. Ricardo is so impressed with the performance that he decides to take ballet classes. At first, he is too nervous to tell his friends. When he finally works up the courage to share, he is surprised to find that his friends think his choice to try ballet is cool. They even come to watch him perform.