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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I liked this story of a girl from the U.S. and a boy from Afghanistan who, through a school assignment become pen pals. They learn a little bit about what life is like for each other, and that there is prejudice and hatred towards the country their pen pal lives in.
Another good book club book for Owens 3rd grade class!
[a:Andrew Clements|63095|Andrew Clements|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was my first introduction to realistic fiction beyond the goofy style of Junie B. Jones and Amber Brown. As a kid, I read and reread [b:Frindle|439173|Frindle|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344395824l/439173._SX50_.jpg|1993854], [b:No Talking|235127|No Talking|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388688752l/235127._SX50_.jpg|6573248], [b:The Report Card|352179|The Report Card|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388296775l/352179._SY75_.jpg|6573245], [b:The School Story|235117|The School Story|Brian Selznick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363307762l/235117._SY75_.jpg|6573246], and [b:Lost and Found|3112733|Lost and Found|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1349080365l/3112733._SY75_.jpg|3144015], but [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] was never one of the ones that interested me beyond that first read. I think that may have been because it was written about and geared toward a slightly older audience than my childhood favorites, or at least it seemed that way at the time.
Now, it still doesn't resonate with me. The attitudes toward both Afghanistan foreign or cross-cultural interaction in general seem very dated, even though this book was from less than fifteen years ago. The whole thing seemed very performative. I also didn't like the attitude toward failing. It seemed like Abby was receiving no help from the school until it was too late. As someone who's been in her situation, and as an adult looking back while studying education and working with children, I was pretty uncomfortable with the way all of this was addressed.
I think that [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] introduces a lot of stereotypes about gender and international relations, and for some of the gender barriers that boys and girls in general experience, I think it does an okay job of addressing them. However, for stereotypes about Afghanistan and intercultural relations, I think [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] does more to perpetuate these stereotypes than to address or combat them.
For a stronger (own voices) book with a similar audience and similar content I would recommend the 2015 memoir in letters [b:I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives|22875069|I Will Always Write Back How One Letter Changed Two Lives|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415206347l/22875069._SY75_.jpg|42439363] by [a:Caitlin Alifirenka|8430981|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1426712201p2/8430981.jpg] and [a:Martin Ganda|8430980|Martin Ganda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1426697303p2/8430980.jpg], as I feel like it hits all the marks that [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] misses.
I will review further about audience, shortcomings, and the comparison to [b:I Will Always Write Back|22875069|I Will Always Write Back How One Letter Changed Two Lives|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415206347l/22875069._SY75_.jpg|42439363] on my children's book account when I have the chance.
Now, it still doesn't resonate with me. The attitudes toward both Afghanistan foreign or cross-cultural interaction in general seem very dated, even though this book was from less than fifteen years ago. The whole thing seemed very performative. I also didn't like the attitude toward failing. It seemed like Abby was receiving no help from the school until it was too late. As someone who's been in her situation, and as an adult looking back while studying education and working with children, I was pretty uncomfortable with the way all of this was addressed.
I think that [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] introduces a lot of stereotypes about gender and international relations, and for some of the gender barriers that boys and girls in general experience, I think it does an okay job of addressing them. However, for stereotypes about Afghanistan and intercultural relations, I think [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] does more to perpetuate these stereotypes than to address or combat them.
For a stronger (own voices) book with a similar audience and similar content I would recommend the 2015 memoir in letters [b:I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives|22875069|I Will Always Write Back How One Letter Changed Two Lives|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415206347l/22875069._SY75_.jpg|42439363] by [a:Caitlin Alifirenka|8430981|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1426712201p2/8430981.jpg] and [a:Martin Ganda|8430980|Martin Ganda|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1426697303p2/8430980.jpg], as I feel like it hits all the marks that [b:Extra Credit|6250208|Extra Credit|Andrew Clements|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998669l/6250208._SY75_.jpg|6573373] misses.
I will review further about audience, shortcomings, and the comparison to [b:I Will Always Write Back|22875069|I Will Always Write Back How One Letter Changed Two Lives|Caitlin Alifirenka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415206347l/22875069._SY75_.jpg|42439363] on my children's book account when I have the chance.
6. Personal Response: I felt like the character of Sadeed, but I felt that Abby fell flat. Maybe she's fleshed out enough for a middle reader character, but I just didn't feel that she had the spark that Sadeed did. Anyway, I'm a sucker for penpal books![return]7. Connections: author study on Andrew Clements, book club, interdisciplinary with current affairs/geography
This is a great book for 3rd/4th grade students to give them insight into how people live in other parts of the world. Abby has been checked out at school and now she may not advance to the next grade unless she can bring her grades up and do an extra credit project for one teacher. That extra credit project turns out to be forming a pen pal relationship with a child in a distant country--Afghanistan. Abby's life and the life of the boy and girl that she corresponds with are forever changed by this letter exchange. I will use this as a lower grade companion to I Will Always Write Back.
Abby is in danger of failing 6th grade, unless she takes on the extra credit project of corresponding with a pen pal in Afghanistan. She exchanges letters with a 10 year old girl,she thinks, but it is really the girl's brother who writes and finds he has a lot in common with this American girl. Abby learns about the culture and beliefs of the people of Afghanistan. She is sad when the letters have to stop to protect the safety of the children in the Afghan village. Some of the village elders there are concerned that the children are learning too much about America and will want a different life.
I want to read this with my students and do a project about it!
I read this in less than a day for our homeschool elementary book club. I hope the kids enjoy it as much as I did and learn the important lessons this book has to teach about international relations, especially regarding Afghanistan.
Great book that discusses cross cultural interactions!
The beginning was ok, the middle was kind of boring, and the end was more melancholy than I expected. Overall, pretty good and at the lower end of the battle of the books reading level.