Chicken by Charlie — Tana Reiff

This high-interest, low-vocabulary novella is intended for adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) readers. Charlie is a chef for a fancy restaurant. But Charlie is not as happy as the people she cooks for. One day, a customer says, "You are a fine chef. Have you ever thought of starting your own restaurant?" The customer's kind words give Charlie the confidence to follow her dream. Charlie opens up a restaurant. Soon she is in deep water. Money is short. Staff come and go. Her best worker lets her down. What else can go wrong? Charlie finds out. Will she give up? Or does Charlie find a way to follow her dream?