《棚车少年》系列是由一个美国女教师用500个基本英语单词写成的探索励志故事，让孩子学会笑着面对生活。
第一册概要：
亨利、杰茜、维奥利特、班尼四兄妹是孤儿。为了不被人发现，能够四兄妹一直在一起，他们小心翼翼地四处流浪。虽然他们知道自己有一个爷爷在绿野镇，但是他们害怕他。在逃亡的路上，孩子们在树林发现了一个破旧的棚车，并在此安了家，开始相依为命的生活。他们积极向上，阳光开朗，不惧生活的挫折。他们还遇到了善良的一家人——摩尔医生一家。在树林里，在医生家，孩子们度过了许多美好的时光……最后爷爷找到了他们，原来爷爷很年轻、慈祥，很爱他们。最后他们跟爷爷一起回家，过上了幸福快乐的日子。
queer
adjective (STRANGE)
UK /kwɪər/ US /kwɪr/
old-fashioned
strange, unusual, or not expected:
●What a queer thing to say!
garage
noun [ C ] (CARS）
UK /ˈɡær.ɑːʒ/ /ˈɡær.ɪdʒ/ US /ɡəˈrɑːʒ/
a building where a car is kept, built next to or as part of a house:
●Did you put the car in the garage?
orchard
noun [ C ]
UK /ˈɔː.tʃəd/ US /ˈɔːr.tʃɚd/
an area of land where fruit trees (but not orange trees or other citrus trees) are grown:
●an apple/cherry orchard
hem
verb [ T ]
UK /hem/ US /hem/
-mm-
to sew a hem on a piece of clothing or cloth:
●I need to hem those curtains.
broom
noun [ C ] (BRUSH)
UK /bruːm/ /brʊm/ US /bruːm/ /brʊm/
a brush with a long handle and bristles (= short, stiff hairs or pieces of plastic), used for cleaning the floor or the ground:
●On his first day at work he was given a broom and told to sweep the floor.
log
noun [ C ] (WOOD)
UK /lɒɡ/ US /lɑːɡ/
a thick piece of tree trunk or branch, especially one cut for burning on a fire
