International university students are often multilingual with proficiency in their native or heritage languages, but may have very little exposure to the English language; hence, listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English can be challenging to them. As a result, using texts with difficult vocabulary and organization may pose a threat to their understanding of the language. As an alternate to using difficult texts with challenging structures, a novel may be beneficial for English language learners (ELLs), especially during their first semester at an American university. Further, using graphic organizers with a novel may provide additional support in the language acquisition process because graphic organizers are beneficial in establishing the connections between concepts in a text. In this article, the author shares how she used graphic organizers as a strategy to help her English as Second Language (ESL) learners acquire language skills for success across the disciplines.