Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who post their favorites. Some weeks I find connections among the books I share. This time, each book centers around "hope", something everyone can use more of.
FYI - I shared Stonewall last Wednesday here in celebration of #PrideMonth!
Eleven-year-old December has landed in her umpteenth foster home with bird lover and taxidermist Eleanor, certainly not a person to trust. Eleanor might see that December is really a bird, lure her and eventually stuff her. Meeting December in a tree, ready to jump to see if her wings will emerge from the scar on her back so she could fly away took me into a child's hopes hard to imagine. For such a young person to have experienced the trauma she had is heartbreaking. Sandy Stark-McGinnis shows the powerful truth of December's strong methods of survival. The one thing from her mother is a bird guide inscribed with "In flight is where you'll find me." Stark-McGinnis shows how hard is December's journey to release her dream, to realize that trusting Eleanor might bring a 'home' instead of another 'house'. Though December's thoughts rarely waver; she WILL fly away someday! Slowly, a few cracks appear as December begins a new kind of journey. The scenes at her new school show also the heartbreak of bullying but a strong trans girl who becomes December's ally shows December that she can be one, too. There are many moments where I held my breath wishing that the truth shown was never so harsh for a child. I am reminded of these words: "Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle you know nothing about." For teachers and those who work with children and for children who might recognize themselves in this story and find new ways to be, this is the book.
