a finer world

At school, V is studying civil rights and reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis. We had already read The Mighty Miss Malone by Curtis and loved it, so I'm sure 'The Watsons' will be just as informative and inspirational.

Historical fiction is a great way to experience a moment in history. The struggle for civil rights isn't something that happens to strangers, it's something that happens to families and children and people just like you and me. Inspired by Mr. Schu's Road Trip, we decided to read Glory Be.

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (a super awesome name) is full of history. Glory is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in Hanging Moss, Mississippi during the summer of 1964 (also known as Freedom Summer). You'll be able to experience what it would have been like to be part of one important summer in American history. 

Could I have been as brave as Glory? I'm not sure.

We are heading to Washington DC next month to see the Martin Luther King Memorial. One of the quotes on the Inscription Wall is:

 "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." 

~ MLK Jr.  (18 April 1959, Washington, DC)

Words

I have never spoken one single word. 

I am almost eleven years old.

I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions.

Cathedral. Mayonnaise. Pomegranate.

Mississippi. Neapolitan. Hippopotamus.

Silky. Terrifying. Iridescent.

Tickle. Sneeze. Wish. Worry.

Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes - each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands.

Melody Brooks has Spastic Quadriplegia, a severe type of Cerebral Palsy. She can't walk; she can't talk; she can't feed herself; she can barely move. But from Melody's perspective, in which the story is told, she is brilliant, poetic, and has a photographic memory. She is ... trapped in her own body. Imagine how frustrating that would be. Imagine life from that perspective.

Melody is brave and grateful and authentic. Just because her body is broken doesn't mean her mind is too. Her everyday challenges are things we often take for granted. Just imagine...

One line in the book:

There's so much my mother doesn't know.

I read it several times... so much my mother doesn't know. It makes you wonder... do you really ever know, or can you possibly ever really understand anyone else's experience in life? All you can do is imagine.

Update: I found this awesome quote:
"Quiet people have the loudest minds." 

- Stephen Hawking

what story will you try on next?

poor moe

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban... love.

Mattie Breen, Uncle Potluck, Quincy... I love them all.

Mattie is the kind of character that will remind you of children you know. She sticks with you. You want to encourage her and protect her at the same time. You want to tell her, "I see you. I get you. I know you." You want to do what Uncle Potluck seems to do perfectly, simply, naturally...

My favorite bits:

This is what Principal Bonnet says. She says, "You can't have brave without scared."

Quincy had a way of talking - flat and dull, like stones dropping plunk, plunk in a puddle. Matter-of-fact, Mama called it. Matter-of-fact. Relating to or adhering to facts. Literal. Straightforward or unemotional. What would it be like to be that way? To tell a story plunk, plunk, plunk, not caring what people think?

Mattie thinks about this. About tricks and understanding. Thinks, too, about how maybe even Stella didn't know the truth until she had to.

Eenie, Meenie, and Miney ... this is a heartwarming book! 
 

 

I just pre-ordered....

... Abe Lincoln's Dream. When two of my favorites come together (our 16th president and Lane Smith) magic is sure to happen.
Quincy, a schoolgirl, gets separated from her tour of the White House and finds herself in the Lincoln bedroom, she also discovers the ghost of the great man himself. Together they embark on a journey across the country to answer Lincoln’s questions and quiet his concerns about the nation.

a story told through stuff

I just read Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: 

Ginny Davis's Year in Stuff 

by Jennifer L. Holm

What a fun breath of fresh air! The story of eight grader Ginny Davis is told through photographs, post-it notes, grocery lists, homework assignments, IMs, and report cards. It feels like snooping through Ginny's personal effects. I loved the photo-collages that make up the life of a middle schooler.

Part scrapbook, part comic, part diary... entirely relatable.

and the ridiculous dog

From the publisher: 

“Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, (respectively), John and Abigail Templeton. Let’s say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometimes confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins- adults- named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton Twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, I said kidnapped. Wouldn’t it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Luckily for you, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins) and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn’t?!).”

You may think from the title of this book that John and Abigail Templeton (The Templeton Twins) are the main characters of this book... but think again. The sassy, sarcastic, snarky narrator steals the show.

This book is a FUN read. The story is clever and silly and wacky. The illustrations are creative and the end of chapter summary questions are hilarious.  
For example:

• Why is it a good idea to call something that sinks a "sinker"? Write your answer in the form of a brief opera.
• Mary has five oranges. She gives two of them to Tom. Tom then buys twice as many as Mary has left and gives half of them to her. Who Cares?
• True or False (circle one): The Narrator is a wonderful person?  T   T
• Essay Question: Write an essay on how clever you think you are. It should be at least 500,000 words and in French. Well, go ahead.

If you know a 10-year-old who is burnt out on reading serious stuff and taking serious tests... and wants to get back to the fun of it all, then The Templeton Twins Have an Idea is the book for you.

*After you read the book, check out this Video ... hmmmm, that's interesting!