Friday, September 16, 2011

Book Review: Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer





Title: Reaching for Sun
Author: Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
# Of Pages: 144
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Publication Date: March 6, 2007
Level: Middle Grade
Rating: 5 Hearts






Synopsis

(From inside flap)

Josie Wyatt knows what it means to be different. Her family’s small farmhouse seems to shrink each time another new mansion goes up behind it. Her mom is demanding, her gran is opinionated, and her father- well, she’s never known him. Then there’s her cerebral palsy: even if Josie wants to forget that she was born with a disability, her mom can’t seem to let it go. Yet when a strange new boy- Jordan- moves into one of the houses nearby, he seems oblivious to all the things that make Josie different. And before long, Josie finds her herself reaching for something she’s never really known: a friend… and possibly more.

Interlinked free-verse poems tell the beautiful, heartfelt story of a girl, a proud family farm reduced to a garden, and a year of unforgettable growth.

My Verdict

Reaching for Sun was a great lazy-day read that took me only about an hour from start to finish. It is written in a series of free-verse poems, which I love.

I’ve come to find out that formatting is a big deal when it comes to novels in verse. All of my favorite books in verse share a common thread, the format, which is short and sweet. The lines are all short and to the point, each poem containing its own heading, kind off like a chapter title, that ties in with what is being said. This book was also broken into seasons, which I really liked. I thought it worked really well with the book because the story has so much to do with gardens and plants, which all change due to the season.

The author made it easy to get into Josie’s head. Her thoughts were so true, so pure, so real. This was an uplifting, heartfelt story of a young girl finding her place and her voice in life. 

5 comments:

  1. Ooo ... just came over from your Mom's blog. What a lovely, blog you have here, Amanda! Keep up the good work!

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  2. I love the layout of your blog!

    I stopped by from your Mom's blog and just wanted to say hi and that I think I might pick this book up thanks to your review=)

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  3. Thanks for stopping by Kathleen! I'm glad you enjoyed my review. Let me know what you think if you end up reading it =)

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  4. Amdanda,
    How cool -- a mother and daughter wrting team. Have heard tood things about the Book Thief and its on my list of books to read. Very lifting blog.

    Patricia T.

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