Debby Waldman

Addy has worn hearing aids for most of her life and as she starts sixth grade, she is tired of being defined by her disability. She wants to be noticed for only what she can do. She ends up joining the school running club, to support a friend, but discovers she has a real talent for it and along the way she also discovers her voice.

As the mom of a special needs child, I particularly enjoyed this story. I have been guilty of over- telling my child’s story and there have been times when he wished I would just shut up. It is nice to be reminded that our kids grow up and learn to deal with what life throws at them all on their own.

This is a great middle grade/chapter book and I can see why it is still popular as the themes of friendship, self-advocacy, and schoolyard bullies are always relatable to school-aged kids.… (mere)

I have mixed opinions about this book. I like that this book pushes readers to see a different perspective than they are used to, especially being able to learn more about the Jewish holiday of Passover. I am Catholic so I do not know much about the Jewish religion and was able to learn more about Passover by reading this book. I like that the author explains Passover through Miriam telling it to her friend, Cissy, when Cissy was hiding in Miriam’s grandparents barn. I like that I was learning about Passover without having to read an article or passage on it, which made it feel as though I was celebrating Passover with Miriam as well. What I do not like about this book is that the end feels like a cliff hanger that I want answers to. I want to know if Miriam’s parents, cousin and uncle return to America safely because it was the whole reason why Miriam was at her grandparent’s house for Passover. I also want to know what happened to Cissy and Joe and whether they were able to find their relative in New York City. Overall, I liked this book but would have preferred a different ending. This book is about friendship and Passover.… (mere)

I really liked this story and the message it portrayed. I really liked the writing, each time the mom added an item to Daisy’s room and she tripped over it she repeated the pattern in which she tripped. “Tripped over the plastic purse, twisted herself up in the dress up clothes and crashed onto the tea sets.” This was written and something was added each time. This helped the reader fully visualize how small and crowded the room was. I thought that Daisy the character was well developed by the end of the story and also very relatable for children. Even at my age, I still compare what I have to what others have, and sometimes desire what they have that I don’t. I think many children can place themselves in Daisy’s shoes and know exactly how she feels and what she is thinking. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book, not only are they colorful, and engaging, they also really help the reader to feel the crowded ness of the room. In some of the pictures of Daisy’s room you can barely see the floor. Also as she trips and falls over her things, she gets bruises and bumps all over her body, which the illustrator draws on her. I think this helps readers to see how often she is falling because of her crowded space. In addition at the end of the story the author explained what Mitzvah Day was, which was referenced in the story. This is a great way for readers to learn about a different culture. The message/big idea of this story is great, it shows the importance of sharing and also the great thing of donating things you don’t need to others who might need them.… (mere)