What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1. *Isabella is eleven and is "blended" between her two families.
2. *Her parents are divorced. Her father is black. Her mother is white. She divides her time between the two homes. Each environment is quite different from each other.
3. *Isabella is trying to figure out where she fits in. Does she find herself more at "home" with her wealthy father and his new family or her working-class mother and her "people".
4. When her parents engage in an argument over Isabella, she feels more divided than ever.
5. Isabella has an incredible support system between all the adults in her life, along with her friends, but she realizes she must depend on herself to find her own place in the world.
What I Thought Of It: Sharon M. Draper does an excellent job of writing a compelling story for the middle-grade reader. This particular story was quite different from her other works of fiction. I enjoyed reading about Isabella and her feelings about being 1/2 white and 1/2 black. I've had students in that same situation and I know this story will resonate with them. The format of "mom's week" and "dad's week" alternating with each chapter worked well and represented her going back and forth each week. There were several sub-plots that surrounded Isabella. Some of them worked for me and others weren't that necessary; in my opinion. Overall, I enjoyed the story and look forward to book talking it with my students.
Who Should Read It: I'm thinking the best audience for this book would be a fifth and/or sixth grade reader. I do think a strong fourth grade reader could also handle the context and text of the story. As always, middle-school readers should also be considered. Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 STARS out of 5 Stars!
No comments:
Post a Comment