BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn. 2007. reaching for sun. ill. Shadra Strickland. New York, NY: Bloomsbury U. S. A. Children's Books. ISBN-10: 159990378 ISBN-13: 9781599900377
PLOT SUMMARY
This is a story about a 13 year-old girl, just like any young girl you would know. She fights with her mother, likes the new boy, loves her grandmother, and deals with popular girls who are mean to her. Normal everyday life except Josie has cerebral palsy. reaching for sun is told by seasons – winter, spring, summer and fall through verse poetry. A wonderful story!
CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
reaching for sun is divided into four sections based on the seasons of the year. Beginning with winter and ending with fall. School is a hard time especially if you have challenges that cause the other students to look at you differently. Josie is a normal girl who has cerebral palsy.
tomatoes
With my odd walk
and slow speech
everyone knows
I’ve got special ed,
but if I wait
until the hall clears,
taunts like tomatoes
don’t splatter
the back of my head.
(Zimmer pg. 4)
The author’s use of symbolism truly paints a picture of how Josie must feel. The description in the poem points out the cultural markers of having a disability. Other cultural markers include special education, OT (occupational therapy), physical therapy, speech therapy, deformity of her hand, slow walk and she has to wear a splint. Josie lives on the family farm that has been in her grandmother’s family for years but her mother wanted to go to college so her grandmother sold off the farm in pieces to pay for college. Her mother is never home, with school and working. She never knew her dad because he left very early in her life. Her grandmother is the principle adult in her life and she loves her very much. Her grandmother’s love of gardening and plants is also a love of Josie’s. She works with her grandmother in the gardens and is learning so much about the plants. Tracie Vaughn Zimmer uses the plants in describing how Josie feels. I was impressed with the comparison of the plants to Josie. Josie’s mother signs her up for therapy classes in the summer and she is truly upset about having to spend her summer with therapy classes. The book clearly portrays the feelings that Josie experiences. Here is a quote that uses the symbolism of the plants to describe how she feels.
wildflower mix
Summer’s not far away—
I dream of
sleeping in late
with no nagging from Mom
for ten whole weeks.
But without asking,
Mom registered me
for a summer clinic
so speech and occupational therapist
can test their latest methods
on me.
But I’m sick of spending
all my time working
on what’s wrong
with me.
I don’t want to be
pruned or pinched back like
a wilting petunia.
(Zimmer pg. 80)
These are all stresses that Josie deals with on top of her cerebral palsy. The bright spot of her life was when the new boy, Jordon, moved in close to her property. He didn’t care that she has cerebral palsy and is the best friend she has had, not to mention that she has a crush on him. He is a science geek and includes her in his experiments, which she loves. Summer arrives and Jordon is going to a science camp and Josie has her therapy camp. Angry that Jordon will be gone, not wanting to spend the summer in therapy; Josie lies to her grandmother and mother and doesn’t go. She does get caught up in lies and has to make amends with her mother. Her grandmother suffers a stroke and this tragedy brings Josie and her mother back together.
This is a wonderful book of free verse poems that are easy and quick to read. Girls and boys will enjoy this story and see into the life of someone their age who feels the same way they do, experiencing the same dreams, and emotions, while also dealing with a disability. Josie grows and thrives like the plants into a young woman, with more confidence and fortitude concerning her challenges in her life. A book to recommend to all junior high students and up.
The right hand corner of the first page has a small seedling drawn in the corner. As the book progresses and Josie begins to build her confidence the seedling changes into a flower that grows with Josie to the end of the book. I like the imagery of the flower compared to the young lady that Josie becomes.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up—Josie, a girl with cerebral palsy, lives on the shrinking farmland owned by her family for generations and now being sold to developers. Her mother works and attends college and her grandmother tends her diminished patch of land. The story is told in the seventh-grader's voice in a series of free-verse poems. She is a bright and wry narrator, acutely aware of her limitations and her strengths. When Jordan, wealthy but neglected by his widowed father, moves into a mansion behind her farmhouse, they discover a common love of nature and science, and Josie finally has a real friend. She and her grandmother are both passionate about plants and gardening, and Zimmer does a nice job integrating botanical images throughout the novel. Josie feels like a "dandelion in a purple petunia patch" and thinks, "I must be a real disappointment—/stunted foliage,/no yield." Through growing maturity and Granny's wisdom, she gains confidence in herself. Reaching for Sun will have wide appeal for readers of diverse ability. Reluctant readers will be attracted to the seeming simplicity of the text, with short chapters and lots of white space on the page. They may not even realize that they are reading poetry. More sophisticated readers will find added enjoyment as they begin to appreciate the poetic structure and imagery. Readers of all levels will enjoy spending time with Josie and may gain an increased awareness of what it's like to live with a disability.—Nancy Brown, Fox Lane High School, Bedford, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
As if seventh grade weren't enough of a challenge for anyone, Josie also struggles with cerebral palsy, social isolation, a mom she needs more time and support from, and monster bulldozers that are carving up the countryside to build huge homes around her family's old farmhouse. Enter new neighbor Jordan, a sensitive kid whose geeky, science-loving ways bring a fun spirit of discovery into Josie's days. He melds with her and her family, especially the warm and wise Gram, and the friends create a kind of magic as they conduct all kinds of plant and pond experiments. Further challenges face Josie when Gram becomes ill and Jordan goes off to camp. Then, risking her mom's wrath, Josie secretly ditches her hated therapy sessions; when mother and daughter eventually reconcile, Josie emerges from her rough patch in a believable and transforming way. Written in verse, this quick-reading, appealing story will capture readers' hearts with its winsome heroine and affecting situations. Anne O'Malley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
AWARDS/HONORS
Schneider Family Book Award Winner
CONNECTIONS
This book would be excellent to use to talk about disabilities with students in middle school or high school. Check out Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s Website. She offers excellent lesson plans, discussion guides and book club guides for your classroom or library!
http://www.tracievaughnzimmer.com/
Other books by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer:
42 Miles ISBN 9780618618675
Sketches form a Spy Tree ISBN 9780618234790
Other books about children with disabilities:
Helfman, Elizabeth. Oh Being Sarah. ISBN 9780807560686
Myers, Anna. Hoggee. ISBN 9780802789266
Slepian, Jan. The Alfred Summer. ISBN 9780399237478
No comments:
Post a Comment