Genre: realistic fiction
Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Master List 2020-2021
Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee 2020
Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award NOMINEE 2021
Missouri Mark Twain Master List 2019
Summary:
Fifth-grader Bernice Buttman has a reputation as a fearsome bully, but really, she is a kind-hearted girl who's faced some difficult things in her life. Her mother is selfish, and her older brothers are protective but unruly, meaning Bernice has very little guidance in her life. She dreams of having friends and becoming a stuntwoman for movies, even if her methods for achieving this are unusual. A kind librarian encourages Bernice to research a stunt camp, and she devises a plan to get donations to get there. Unfortunately, her mom steals the money and runs off to California, leaving Bernice with her Aunt Josephine, better known as Sister Mary Margaret of St. Drogo's church. Bernice takes this surprising turn of events and makes a great personal change.
Teacher Evaluation:
I would use this book for third through fifth-grade classrooms to discuss characterization. The author differentiates the characters by emphasizing the types of language they use. My class would analyze different character quotes and identify key features that reemphasize the characters' personalities. We would also look at descriptions of the characters to create a character profile. To assess knowledge of characterization, I would ask students to write a journal entry as if they are a character from the book. The information from the profiles would help them get in the mindset of their person.
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