Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, May 3, 2020

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

How I Heard About It:
*Another title that came to me via #bookexpedition.  I was excited to read Renee Watson's new work geared more toward the younger middle-grade reader. 


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:
1.  *This is the first installment in the life of Ryan Hart.  

2.  *Ryan always tries to look on the bright side of her life.  She makes "sunshine" even out of the most difficult situations.  


3.  *Ryan's family is faced transitioning from what they knew to the unknown after finding themselves relocating to a new house, which is actually an "old" house.  

4.   *Through tough times, Ryan keeps her head held high and adjusts to the changes with a positive and upbeat attitude.  

5.   *The reader gets to know Ryan through her actions both within the family at at school. 
 

What I Thought Of It - Five Observations/Reflections:
1.  *There isn't a real plot, but more of a character/family driven story.

2.  *The story held a sweet story about a young girl facing some real-life changes.  As a reader, I appreciated how positive she was and never felt sorry for herself. 

3.  *Because not much happened within the first story, I found myself not completely interested, but did read the entire book.

4.  *I liked that Ryan was a young black girl who make "sunshine" out of some cloudy days.

5.  *Renee Watson emphasized how strength can be an assest to not only grown-ups, but our young people as well. 


Who Should Read It:

*The perfect book for a second, third, and/or fourth grade classroom.  The novel includes illustrations every few pages, the chapters are on the shorter side, and the content is perfect for the young reader.  I think readers this age will enjoy the story and love that they are reading from real chapter books.  Happy Reading! 


Rating:  3 STARS out of 5 Stars

No comments:

Post a Comment