Reaching for Sun
by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer (Goodreads author!)
published
2007
by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
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binding
Hardcover, 144 pages
literary awards
Schneider Family Book Award
isbn
1599900378
(isbn13: 9781599900377)
description
Josie Wyatt knows what it means to be different. Her family’s small farmhouse seems to shrink each time another mansion grows up behind it. She ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 123)
Read in February, 2008
Usually, I don’t like verse at all. I haven’t read a book in verse since my “conversion” into liking poetry this summer. I got Reaching for Sun without knowing it is written in verse, and surprised myself by liking the first poem. I figured that if I liked the first poem, I might like the second. If I liked the second, I might like the third, etc. until I had read the entire book.
Josie suffers from cerebral palsy, and everything not thought about by people without cerebral palsy is p...more
Josie suffers from cerebral palsy, and everything not thought about by people without cerebral palsy is p...more
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Reviewd by Kylie for TeensReadToo.com
Josie Wyatt is trying to live as normal a life as possible, but there's one thing that's stopping her--her cerebral palsy.
Josie lives in a small farmhouse with her mother and grandma that is surrounded by huge mansions. Josie's mother is always at work and whenever she's at home she's always busy. Her grandmother loves gardening and never keeps any comments to herself. At school, everyone knows that Josie attends special ed, but when a strange new bo...more
Josie Wyatt is trying to live as normal a life as possible, but there's one thing that's stopping her--her cerebral palsy.
Josie lives in a small farmhouse with her mother and grandma that is surrounded by huge mansions. Josie's mother is always at work and whenever she's at home she's always busy. Her grandmother loves gardening and never keeps any comments to herself. At school, everyone knows that Josie attends special ed, but when a strange new bo...more
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Read in September, 2008
This was a nice, sweet verse novel that would appeal to reluctant girl readers. People treat Josie Wyatt differently becuase of her cerebral palsy. Some treat her with kid gloves, some assume she must be mentally handicapped and others just ignore her completely. Her home life is also atypical, due to work and school her single mom is never around, she spends most of her time with her outspoken, free spirited grandmother. However, things start to look up when a new boy named Jordan moves nearby ...more
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Read in December, 2007
Sometimes novels in verse feel clunky to me, but here the form enhances the story of 7th grader Josie's growing independence.
Favorite lines include:
p. 6--"But my thumb will always be pasted to my palm,/ and my left wrist and shoulder/ connected/ by an invisible rubber band/ called cerebral palsy."
p. 16--(wondering about her father)
"If we met one day/ accidentally/ say, in an airport/ I wonder/ if he'd be carrying/ my baby picture/ behind his license."
p. 46--...more
Favorite lines include:
p. 6--"But my thumb will always be pasted to my palm,/ and my left wrist and shoulder/ connected/ by an invisible rubber band/ called cerebral palsy."
p. 16--(wondering about her father)
"If we met one day/ accidentally/ say, in an airport/ I wonder/ if he'd be carrying/ my baby picture/ behind his license."
p. 46--...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Upper Elementary and Middle School Students along with all Adults
Genre: Poetic Novel
I really enjoyed this poetic novel told through the eyes of Josie, a seventh grader with cerebral palsy. The story is broken down by seasons of the year. The growth, maturity, and death of plants is documented throughout the seasons and in many ways is a parallel to Josie's own life. After feeling the isolation of her disability and the disconnect of her mother, she finally finds a friend other than her grandmother.
This book not only documents differences, but also t...more
I really enjoyed this poetic novel told through the eyes of Josie, a seventh grader with cerebral palsy. The story is broken down by seasons of the year. The growth, maturity, and death of plants is documented throughout the seasons and in many ways is a parallel to Josie's own life. After feeling the isolation of her disability and the disconnect of her mother, she finally finds a friend other than her grandmother.
This book not only documents differences, but also t...more
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1 comments
Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
tomatoes
With my odd walk
and slow speech
everyone knows
I’ve got special ed,
but if I wait
until the hall clears
taunts like tomatoes
don’t splatter
the back of my head
These are Josie’s words.
Her poems tell her story of how she lies low, but keeps reaching for sun.
Of how she dreams of change, but doesn’t want anything to change, especially after she accidentally discovers Jordan, a neighbor boy who becomes her best frie...more
tomatoes
With my odd walk
and slow speech
everyone knows
I’ve got special ed,
but if I wait
until the hall clears
taunts like tomatoes
don’t splatter
the back of my head
These are Josie’s words.
Her poems tell her story of how she lies low, but keeps reaching for sun.
Of how she dreams of change, but doesn’t want anything to change, especially after she accidentally discovers Jordan, a neighbor boy who becomes her best frie...more
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Read in March, 2008
The author poet, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, knows how to make words work their magic, describing abstract concepts with concrete imagery. I have many favorites in this novel of free verse poetry, but I'll only share this one from pages 43-44:
poppies
When poppies first
push themselves
out of the ground
they look like a weed --
hairy, grayish, saw-toothed foliage --
easily a member
of the ugly family.
When I push
sounds from my mouth
it's not elegant either.
I wrestle to wrap
my lips
around syllables,
struggle with my tongue
to press the right points.
When poppies bloom
the same red
as a Chinese wedding dress--
satiny cups with ruffled edges,
purplish black eyes --
they're a prize for patience,
and if I take all that trouble
to say something,
I promise
to try
to make it worth
the wait too....more
poppies
When poppies first
push themselves
out of the ground
they look like a weed --
hairy, grayish, saw-toothed foliage --
easily a member
of the ugly family.
When I push
sounds from my mouth
it's not elegant either.
I wrestle to wrap
my lips
around syllables,
struggle with my tongue
to press the right points.
When poppies bloom
the same red
as a Chinese wedding dress--
satiny cups with ruffled edges,
purplish black eyes --
they're a prize for patience,
and if I take all that trouble
to say something,
I promise
to try
to make it worth
the wait too....more
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Read in July, 2008
As a teacher there are several reasons why I would choose to include this book in my classrom library and in my literature circles. I read this book because it was written in poetic verse. I wanted to find texts that supported the 6th grade curriculum that involves reading and writing poetry. The book Reaching for Sun does give an excellent example of poetic prose.
The other reason why I would want to include this book in my classroom library is because it is written from the perspective of ...more
The other reason why I would want to include this book in my classroom library is because it is written from the perspective of ...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
7th gr. up
I'm a sucker for these free-verse stories and this one is no exception. Josie is a seventh grader with a lot going on - she has cerebral palsy, no friends and a mom who loves her but is rarely around as she works and goes to college. To top it off, her family has been forced to sell all but 5 acres of their family farm to pay for medical expenses and Josie watches each day as a developer bulldozes acreage for a housing development. Thankfully she has her beloved Gram and a new neighbor who ...more
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Read in July, 2008
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for best middle school book depicting someone with a disability, in this case a girl with cerebral palsy. Josie blooms like the flowers in her grandmother's garden over the course of a summer as she makes a friend, gets her period, and learns some truths about herself. I especially liked the poem entitled "Daring the Rain", in which a storm's power is compared to a person's anger and destructiveness. I re-read that one several time for the ...more
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Read in June, 2008
Reaching for the Sun is a novel in verse form. 13-year-old Josie has cerebral palsy and no friends. All the kids at school think she’s retarded. (Her words, not mine.) Josie lives with her mother and grandmother on a beautiful piece of property covered with plants and flowers. Josie’s mom is going back to college and Josie barely sees her anymore. Seventh grade is horrible until a new boy moves into the neighborhood. Jordan is extremely smart and knows lots of random facts. He and Jo...more
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This book is has some really great poems that can be used individually. Overall I liked the book and did not expect it to be so sad at the end i wanted to cry. Kids with or without a disability can relate to the book due to different emontions. The main character developes and is forced to grow up in the book in her growing up she becomes less self centered. This book could be used for a readalout, poetry, individual reading, tolerance and diversity and self confindence.
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Read in June, 2008
Reaching for the Sun develops the reader’s empathy for the feelings and difficulties that Josie has as an adolescent and as a person with a physical disability. This story depicts the maturing of Josie’s relationships with her mother, grandmother, and friend Jordan with exacting imagery. The timing of events in the story mirrors real life, like the saying, “When it rains, it pours.” This is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone.
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Fans of Rules, So B. It, and A Mango Shaped Space
What a sweet and lovely book. It's refreshing to have a book about ordinary tweens/teens who don't have either perfectly horrible or horribly perfect lives. The fact that Josie (the main character) has cerebral palsy is included in a way that fits into the plot without taking it over. The character struggles with her disability without being defined by it.
Fans of Rules, So B. It, and A Mango Shaped Space would enjoy this one.
Fans of Rules, So B. It, and A Mango Shaped Space would enjoy this one.
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This would be a great adition to for any classroom library. It is a really fast read and pervockes lots of emotion. I don't think that i would use this for anything other that in a poetry unit at school. It could be used to show how authors can evoke emotion. On the other hand this would be a great book to read aloud for a week to the class just to help them be aware of diablities and how they treat the people with them.
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A powerful, moving story of a girl with physical disabilities and the power that a friendship can have on an entire family. In addition to the countless ways this book can be used to explore concepts of tolerance, misconception , and disabilities, this book is an excellent text to introduce many literary element including free verse, perspective and symbolism. This would be a great addition to any classroom library.
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Read in April, 2007
Everyone at school thinks Josie is a freak and a retard because of her cerebral palsy. Having to go to special ed and therapy classes during the day doesn't help either. Josie feels all alone at school until a new boy shows up. Jordan isn't repulsed by Josie's disability and the two form a fast friendship. Though Josie's life doesn't immediately become perfect, she learns what it means to have and to be a friend.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
teenaged girls
written in free verse, Zimmer creates a clear portrait of a tween girl with cerebral palsy. Josie is smart and caring, and she doesn't spend her time feeling sorry for herself--but she does feel the stings of other kids' insults. When Jordan moves to the neighborhood she finds herself finally with a real friend. Zimmer knows her subject well and creates a likeable, believable protagonist. A very strong book.
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This was literally my first verse book. And I absolutely loved it.
Josie Wyatt is a girl with cerebral palsy and this story spans through a year of her life and tells of her life on there family farmhouse. And the daily ups and downs she goes through.
Reaching for the sun for me was a refreshing change and it just takes me back to how much I love poetry.
(It's a very quick read as well)
Josie Wyatt is a girl with cerebral palsy and this story spans through a year of her life and tells of her life on there family farmhouse. And the daily ups and downs she goes through.
Reaching for the sun for me was a refreshing change and it just takes me back to how much I love poetry.
(It's a very quick read as well)
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I thought this was a beautiful story of friendship. I also liked how nature was a strong element throughout the book. It would be fun to bring in some nature/botanical lessons in conjunction with reading the story. The book can also be used to discuss cerebral palsy, debilitating illnesses with grandparents, and non-traditional families.
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