I love words. I don’t just mean I enjoy reading, which I do, but I like the sounds of the words. I like playing with words and meanings, have fun making up ridiculous scenarios with Amber. I may even make up words occasionally. The audio book I’m currently listening to talks a lot about words and meaning, but I’m not near finished with it yet.
I did, however, run across a good book aimed at middle elementary kids that I really liked and might have had me in tears in a couple of spots.
Title: Word After Word After Word
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Category: Juvenile Fiction
Ebook published: January 18, 2011 Harper Collins (First published May 18, 2010)
Rating: 4½ out of 5 stars
Add: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository | IndieBound
Every school day feels the same for fourth graders Lucy and Henry and Evie and Russell and May. Then Ms. Mirabel comes to their class—bringing magical words and a whole new way of seeing and understanding.
From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes an honest, inspiring story about what is real and what is unreal, and about the ways that writing can change our lives and connect us to our own stories—word after word after word.
In Word After Word After Word, Patricia MacLachlan teaches us about the power of words, of writing, by showing us the impact it has on five children’s lives. Each of the children is dealing with something, from a pet dying to a mom having cancer of parents separating. Life is tough, even for fourth-graders. Ms. Mirabel is a breath of fresh air. She’s unconventional and inspiring. She tells the children she writes to change her life, but others write for other reasons, to see more clearly what they are thinking or what they are afraid of, to solve a problem or answer their own questions, but she stresses that all reasons are good reasons. She gives the kids freedom. I have to admit that a couple of the poems they wrote brought tears to my eyes.
This is a short, simple chapter book, only 120-some pages. I think kids will enjoy it and get something out of it too, especially those who already lean toward writing and making up stories or journalling. It makes me want to write my own story.
Words 😀 Yes what would be be without them
You’ve got to love words! but some of them just have a lovely sound don’t they – like : quintessential, or blueberry, or jumble.
Lynn 😀
I’ll have to keep this one in mind for later. The niece is too old, and the eldest nephew is just a bit young.
I love words, too. All the crazy and weird ways the English language comes together that sometimes does and sometimes does not make sense. If you get a chance you should stop by my #15tt hashtag on twitter. I present a new rare word each day for writing tweet tales. There are some real crazy words out there. 🙂
I’m a word junkie. Some of my favorite words to say out loud are: defenestration, miasma, and owl