What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1. *The reader gets a glimpse into Ms. Graham's class via eight different student perspectives.
2. *Ms. Graham is that one special teacher that reaches each and every student she comes in contact with. This year she is stretching her students thinking and actions.
3. *Her class is made up of a variety of young children that each interact with the world in their own way. They are pushed, challenged, and tested by their teacher. They also come to love their class pet; Kermit the frog.
4. *During one class/group project, some of the students take their "project" a bit too far and there are consequences for everyone involved; especially Ms. Graham.
5. *The students in the class come together to "fix" what they have created. They each learn valuable life lessons and realize you can't always go "back".
What I Thought Of It: Do our actions speak louder than our words? That is the main lesson that the characters in his lovely story learn throughout their journey in Ms. Graham's class. I was drawn into the unique format of the book. Each chapter is told from a different student in the class. As a reader, we learn about the class from eight different children. It took me awhile to get to know the characters and keep them straight, but once I did; I found myself caring and rooting for each one of them. I liked how each character wrote in their own style and/or format. I'm a sucker for any story that has a teacher impacting the lives of young people and that is exactly what this fictional tale did. I know my fourth grade readers will be drawn to this novel when I book talk it in early 2019.
Who Should Read It: Because of the format, I think the novel will be easily accessible for readers in third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. If I remember right, the class is a group of fifth graders. Because each chapter is unique to the character, I think the hard copy of the book should be put in the hands of the reader. One character tells his version of the story through pictures. It could make for a read aloud, but in my opinion would be better suited for individual readers. Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 STARS out of 5 Stars!
