A Wonderful Reading Experience

     One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail," starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This movie is about a woman who owns a small children's bookstore in New York and is fighting to keep it open while the man is opening a large chain store just around the corning. I really love the fact that she owns just a children's book store, and this has been a dream of mine since I first saw this movie. One of my favorite things said in this movie is when Meg Ryan's character says something along the lines of, "Children's books shape the person the child becomes." I fully agree with this. I know that I am who I am based on what I have read in my life as a reader. I am still seeing that children's literature is shaping the kind of person that I want to become.

I wanted to share these just in case you haven't had the pleasure of seeing the movie.

     This week, I had a book really touch me and I think that as a future teacher it will help me be more understanding of my students. For my children's literature class I was asked to read the book, "Mockingbird," by Kathryn Erskine. This is the story of a girl with aspergers syndrome. Her brother is killed in a middle school shooting and she and her father are working to find closure in this time of tragedy.

http://www.amazon.com/Mockingbird-Kathryn-Erskine/dp/0142417750/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378945825&sr=8-1&keywords=mockingbird

     For me, this book looked at aspergers in a way I never have. I know people who have this, but I never have really understood how it effects a person. This book had me crying because it really takes you into the main character, Caitlin's, mind and makes you see how different her life is compared to other kids. I went through a lot of emotional ups and downs with this book. There were times that I was smiling and laughing and then by the end I was crying about how much Caitlin had grown. This book taught me to always have faith that my students can reach their full potential, even if they have to do so in a different way.

      When I was reading this book, I was learning how to make text-to-self connections in my teaching reading class. I had not expected to have such a profound connection with this particular book, but something about it really touched my heart. For those of you reading this and don't know aspergers sometimes makes it hard for a person to recognize or read emotion. All through out the book Caitlin is working to find how she can make friends and understand how these people around her are feeling. 

     There is a common theme in the book involving "To Kill a Mockingbird." The family in the story has a love for this movie and they all compare themselves to the different characters in it. Caitlin is Scout and her brother calls her that. Her brother, Devon, who is killed in the school shooting is closely connected to Scouts brother Jem. Although as a reader we never know Devon alive we still feel closely connected to him because of the way the author as developed the character. 

     At the end of the book Caitlin is beginning to really understand the feelings of others. When She does she asks her father if he is like Atticus, who is the father in "To Kill A Mockingbird." After they discuss it some Caitlin looks at her father and says that he is brave like Atticus. This is a real turning point in the book and it is a moment that really touched me.

     For me, "To Kill a Mockingbird," has always played a big part in my life. I saw the movie at a pretty young age and it really played a role in how I grew up. I spent almost every day of my childhood with my Grammy. "To Kill a Mockingbird, " is her favorite book and movie. She even named her dog after Scout Finch. 

      Lately, Grammy and I have been talking a lot about her parents. She calls them Mother and Daddy so of course I do too. On Sunday, we were talking about Daddy as we road to church. She was saying that he was a strong, smart, and handsome man. When she was talking I was forming a very clear image of this man whom I have never met. After she spoke, she was quiet for a few minutes. I said, "Grammy, I think that Daddy must have been just like Atticus Finch. He must have been a strong brave man." When I said this I could see that it made her so happy.

      When I later read about Caitlin and her father having a similar conversation it made me cry. Not just cry... it made me ugly cry. I was so glad that Atticus meant so much to someone else as well. I have never had a connection to a book in this way. It made me want to reread the book and understand the charachers even more. The book is now one that I am recommending to everyone. So of course I recommend it to you dear readers. 

      As always thank you for reading. If you have any books that you have had deeps connections to I would love to hear about them. Please leave comments. I hope you enjoyed today. Friday I will be giving to a preview of how much I love Mo Willems. The Preschoolers and I will be reading Knuffle Bunny which is one of my favorites right now. Have a great week. 

                                                                                          Happy Reading,

                                                                                              Ms. Cara