Vanished Book Review

Vanished by Sheela Chari

Vanished

I am not sure how Vanished by Sheela Chari came to my attention. Truly, I have only really been looking at middle school and young adult novels written and published in the past couple of years for my school library. Yet somehow I found it, and somehow I bought two copies.

I so enjoyed this story of Neela, and Indian - American girl, whose cherished instrument, a veena, is stolen from under her nose. Determined to find it, Neela fits together clues; enlist the help of an unlikely friend, and travels to India in pursuit of it.

I love learning from books. I learned about the veena - an instrument I am not at all familiar with.

And if one talks about the music of India, one must start with the veena.

Neela and her family speak Tamil. I was also not familiar at all with this South Asian language till this book. I also loved that Neela was both American and Indian. Many times, books by and of POC are about the struggle of assimilating into the America, fitting in, and the racism they experience. And though there are parts of the book that touches these issues, the story is more about the mystery of the stolen veena. This was important to me because as much as I want books in my library to be mirrors (and windows) for my students, I also do not want the stories to ALWAYS be about the struggle. I do not want my students to only see themselves portrayed in books one way.

I just recently finished watching Schitt's Creek, and I fell in love with the love story between David and Patrick. I read somewhere that they just presented the love story, and nobody in the town of Schitt's Creek questioned it, opposed it, were disgusted by it - it was just it - they accepted and supported the love between these two characters. I want books also like this - books about the struggle, AND the acceptance.

I loved Neela! She is so perceptive,( even as she struggles with her own inner voice). She and her friend, Matt, are looking at a giant inflatable lawn snowman. Matt tells her how it is ugly and gives him nightmares. But Neela does not feel this way about the snowman. In fact she states:

"Isn't it strange how different people can see the same thing and have completely different ideas about it."

This was an important quote to me, because of its truth. Two people experiencing the same thing are going to have different perspectives on it based off of their experiences and values. In order for us to understand one another, AND accept each other, we need to be aware of this. Neela takes this truth with her as the mystery of her veena begins to unravel.

I would highly recommend this book if you love a good mystery and want to learn a little bit about another culture.

Comments

The Reading Strategies Book Using The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt

On a different no As I progress through The Reading Strategies book by Jennifer Serravalino, I stumble through new and familiar strategies. Strategy 5.4 is the good old plot map. I added it to my sketch notes, in order to turn my sketch notes into a one pager. Depending on the reader, this is an activity that be done as the reader progresses through the book, or at the end of the reading. In the past, I have asked students to pick the five most important events only. After, students can write a summary of the book if required. On a different note, at one of our professional developments, Penny Kittle spoke. She briefed over thematic notebooks, in which students write to the theme based off the book they are reading. Because books hold various themes throughout them, students can write to theme prompts reading a singular book. (At least this is my understanding). I created several theme notebooks to practice this. I try to just pick the next notebook in the pile, as if it was

Book Reviw: The Radius of Us

The Radius of Us by Marie Marquardt is about Gretchen and Phoenix. Both have experienced extreme trauma resulting in mental health issues that plague them and prevent them from moving forward in life. Despite Phoenix inadvertently triggering a panic attach in Gretchen, they come together and support one another as they battle through extreme anxiety and halting guilt. What I loved about the book was that the author, Marie Marquardt, is an active member at El Refugio - a non profit that serves detained immigrants. When she tells Phoenix's story as he makes his way out of El Salvador with his younger brother, and awaits the US Courts decisions about remaining in the US, it is authentic. She knows the stories of people like Phoenix and writes his story with compassion and empathy. What I did not understand was why Gretchen seeks out Phoenix, after fleeing from him when he appears out of nowhere at the park. Not only does she take off with her little cousins, but she has a full

The Reading Strategies Using War Games by Audrey & Akila Couloumbias

This summer, I have been trying to go through Jennifer Serravallo's book The Reading Strategies. I have always been a big fan of sketch-notes/one pagers, and have incorporated many of her strategies into them. Strategy 2.16 Choose Books with your ID in Mind I really liked this strategy because knowing what your likes and dislikes are, it is easier for students to find a genre that will interest them, thus making it easier for them to read. If I think about building a reading habit, and thinking of James Clear's Atomic Habits , he states that habits should be attractive and satisfying. Knowing what you like, and finding a book that fits your identity, not only makes the book both attractive and satisfying, but also allows the reader to better connect to the story and want to pick another book when completed. 2.17 Visualize to Focus This a great strategy to help readers visualize and make a movie in their mind's eye while reading. It is not an unknown strateg

Mrs. HP Teacher Librarian!

Search This Blog