Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Scholastic Inc. (2002), 144 pages
Description
In 1932, a twelve-year-old girl who lost her sight in an accident keeps a diary, recorded by her twin sister, in which she describes life at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.
User reviews
LibraryThing member t1bclasslibrary
We follow Bess on her journey after tragically losing her vision to beginning at Perkins School for the Blind, to learning how to be independent. We get to know Bess, her twin (who also writes in the diary), and her friends at Perkins. The last entry is Bess writing for herself in braille, and we
Show More
presume that she has achieved this final step towards her independence of writing her own entries in braille. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmiersma
This autobiography portrays a young girl, Bess who is in a sledding accident and becomes blind. The entire book is a record of the girl’s journal and what it is like now living at Perkins School for the Blind.
This book is an excellent example of an autobiography because the entire book is
A teacher could use this book in the classroom to teach students about the Perkins School for the Blind and its history in America for blind people. A teacher could also explain how blind people are able to live lives just like regular people, but sometimes need a little extra help. The class could learn how to react and treat blind people and what they might be able to do for them if they did need help. A blind person could come in and speak with the class and share they experience being blind and how they would want the class to treat that person.
Since this is a dairy of a young girl, we see new characters come into her life and how they build relationships with one another. The characters are then engaging with the plot and necessary for the story to have the affect that it does, especially characters like Bess’s twin sister who play such an important and large role in her life.
Media: Photography
This book is an excellent example of an autobiography because the entire book is
Show More
written by Bess as the author. As a result, it gives an accurate description of her life and what she is going through at the time. A teacher could use this book in the classroom to teach students about the Perkins School for the Blind and its history in America for blind people. A teacher could also explain how blind people are able to live lives just like regular people, but sometimes need a little extra help. The class could learn how to react and treat blind people and what they might be able to do for them if they did need help. A blind person could come in and speak with the class and share they experience being blind and how they would want the class to treat that person.
Since this is a dairy of a young girl, we see new characters come into her life and how they build relationships with one another. The characters are then engaging with the plot and necessary for the story to have the affect that it does, especially characters like Bess’s twin sister who play such an important and large role in her life.
Media: Photography
Show Less
LibraryThing member ssadar
I found this a rather dry and not very interesting book, although that could just be a result of it being naturalistic. It might be more enjoyable to someone who was particularly interested in historical fiction. It could be valuable in a classroom or programming environment as a way of studying
Show More
the early 1930's or the historical experiences of people with physical disabilties. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
144 p.; 5.75 inches
ISBN
0439194466 / 9780439194464
Similar in this library
A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620 (Dear America Series) by Kathryn Lasky
One Eye Laughing, The Other Eye Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 1938 (Dear America Series) by Barry Denenberg
The Winter of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary of Abigail Jane Stewart, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 1777 by Kristiana Gregory
Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North, Chicago, Illinois, 1919 by Patricia C. McKissack
A Line in the Sand : The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, Gonzales, Texas, 1836 (Dear America Series) by Sherry Garland
Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 (Dear America) by Kathryn Lasky
The Great Railroad Race: The Diary of Libby West, Utah Territory, 1868 (Dear America Series) by Kristiana Gregory
My Heart is on the Ground: The Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania, 1880 by Ann Rinaldi
My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 (Dear America Series) by Mary Pope Osborne
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie: The Oregon Trail Diary of Hattie Campbell, 1847 (Dear America Series) by Kristiana Gregory
Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912 (Dear America Series) by Ellen Emerson White
A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation, Virginia 1859 by Patricia C. McKissack
When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 by Barry Denenberg
So Far From Home: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, An Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847 (Dear America Series) by Barry Denenberg
The Journal of Augustus Pelletier: The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804 (My Name is America) by Kathryn Lasky
Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 by Mary Pope Osborne