A. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, N.2013.WORDS WITH WINGS.Honesdale, PaWordSong. ISBN: 978-1590789858
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Gabby's world is filled with daydreams. However, what began as an escape from her parents' arguments has now taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, 'Gabby the dreamer' might just become 'Gabby the writer' and the words that once carried her away might allow her to soar. Written in vivid, accessible poems, this remarkable verse novel is a celebration of imagination, of friendship, of one girl's indomitable spirit, and of a teacher's ability to reach out and change a life.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
Although there were no cultural markers where any of the characters clashed with society or another ethnic group, the culture within Gabby’s life can be examined. For example, the culture in her home when her parents argued was one of fear, sadness, and anger. Gaby did not know how to handle the goings on other than by using her imagination to take her to happier places where she could take her mind off of the situation. Her escape was using the dictionary to find words that would “fly” her to a waterfall or a pile of leaves where she would jump in and play with the colorful bunch. When she and her mother moved, her imagination still took her places where she could find peace and happiness, although she still missed her father.
The culture in her first school was also a bit strange and uncomfortable for her as she was known as the “weird” one because of her active mind. When she moved to another school, however, things started to change. At first Gabby got into trouble for her overactive imagination, but after a while, she made a new friend and her teacher got to know her better and found a positive way to channel Gabby’s “skill.” Gabby inadvertently changed the culture in her new school as her teacher Mr. Spicer added a 15-minute free-writing period within the day where everyone could write about anything that came to their mind. Everyone, including Gabby and her new friend David, happily embrace the new addition.
Words with Wings, is a simple, to-the-point story of Gabby, a little girl whose active imagination helps her deal with her problems and daydreams about anything and everything. It shows how her imagination helps her cope with her parents’ fighting and subsequent separation. The craftily written story is not bogged down by too many unnecessary details or hard-to-read vocabulary words which makes it a very easy read. Despite its lack of detail, the content does not leave the reader wondering what is going on in the story.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Coretta Scott King Author Honor book
NCTE Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts
Kirkus Reviews Best Book
Booklist :". . . Grimes has written a novel in verse that is an enthusiastic celebration of the power of words and imagination. . . Always accessible, Grimes' language is vivid, rhythmic, and figurative. . . Grimes' words speak to the daydreamer in every reader."
Kirkus Reviews:"In this delightfully spare narrative in verse, Coretta Scott King Award-winning Grimes examines a marriage's end from the perspective of a child. . . Throughout this finely wrought narrative, Grimes' free verse is tight, with perfect breaks of line and effortless shifts from reality to dream states and back. An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child--one of Grimes' best."
E. CONNECTIONS
The students can answer the following question:
In a culture where we are bombarded with ideas and images of “what we should be,” how does one form an identity that remains true and authentic for her/himself?
Have the students brainstorm ways to help new people feel welcome and become involved.
Similar Books:
ONE LAST WORD:WISDOM FROM THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE ISBN:978-1681196022
A WALK IN THE WOODS ISBN:978-0823449651
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