Saving lives with "Gifted Hands" (Week 7: Biography Children's Book Selection)

“Ben learned an important lesson: sometimes to survive you need to face your fear and overcome it.”-- Greg Lewis

 

         For this week’s biography selection, I chose a book that is very near and dear to my heart, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Greg and Deborah Shaw Lewis. This was a book I required my daughters to read during the summer of their fifth-grade year and I truly believe the life lessons in this book are invaluable. It paired very nicely with the message I always tried to instill: “No matter what obstacles are in your way, you can achieve whatever you can dream”. While my girls may question some of Ben’s controversial opinions, the value of this story holds true.

         The Ben Carson Story is the tale of how a child that couldn’t read became the first pediatric surgeon to separate twins that were conjoined at the head. Ben was eight years old when his parents divorced when he was eight. Afterward, he grew up with his mother and his brother. His mother worked hard, but made sure to challenge her children. Ben went through many trials and tribulations. He made many mistakes, some violent, but he persevered and became a successful medical Dr. who saved lives.

   In the Classroom

         This book is a children’s adaptation of Gifted Hands by Ben Carson. The book has child friendly language and is appropriate for children in 4-6^th grade. It contains child appropriate language but does discuss violence that Ben inflicted on other people. Additionally, Dr. Carson’s faith has a profound impact on his life and is included in this book. I would use this book as a choice for individual reading. I also believe Chapter 3: The Dumbest Kid in Fifth Grade is very appropriate as a read aloud. In this short chapter, Ben discovers that his reading difficulties are due to his eyesight. I think it is important for struggling readers to know that they can overcome this challenge.

An adventure in "The Forest Grimm" (Week 7: Fairytales YA Selection)

“Love is stronger than death, stronger than fate"-- Kathryn Purdie        

        For this week, I wanted to explore an adaptation of Grimm’s fairytales. They have always been a favorite of mine and I thought it would be fun to see another’s twist on the classic. This week, I read the audible version of Katheryn Purdie’s young adult novel, The Forest Grimm. I will start off by saying the narrator, Sarah Evans, did an excellent job with this production. Her British accent and enchanting voice truly made the book come to life and made me feel like I was reading a bedtime story.

        The story follows Clara whose prophesy of a young death was told via reading from her grandmother’s cards. No matter how many times her cards are read, her future remains the same. Clara is a resident of Grimm’s Hallow, the once charmed town where villagers were allowed to ask book, Sortes Fortunae, for one wish. When one villager wishes for death upon another resident, the book disappears into the forest and the town is cursed. Villagers can no longer enter the forest freely, those that do are either rejected by the forest or lost. Clara’s mother is among the villagers lost after her mother attempts to find Clara’s father. Clara must find her way into the forest to save her mother. However, accomplishing this is far from easy. Along her way, she finds some villages, but they have been transformed into characters from Grimm’s fairytales. Will Clara be able to save her mother and the other villagers or will her fated death catch her before she is able to?

        I love this book for its world building. The plot is easy to follow and the story is written in a way that character motivations are clear. It is fast paced and holds an air of mystery. Students that enjoy fairy tales, mystery, or star-crossed lovers stories will love this book.

In the Classroom

        I would use this story with middle school to tenth grade students. The themes are not difficult to understand, but leave room for students to analyze the tone, plot, character development, and author motivations. Students could briefly read the Grimm’s fairytales that the story covers prior to the reading and compare them to the story as they encounter the characters. Students could use this as a creative writing experience to create their own rendition of a Grimm’s fairytale.