Book Detail

Missing May

Publication Information
Author:  Rylant, Cynthia Illustrator:  
Title:  Missing May Date:  1992
Publisher:  Yearling City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:   ISBN, hardback:  0-440-40865-2

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction

HSE Descriptor(s):   

Summary:
A twelve-year-old girl named Summer and her uncle are dealing with the death of Aunt May (his wife). They decide, with the help of a strange boy from Summer's school, to try to contact May's spirit, and in the process learn how to let go.

Teaching Ideas:
It might be fun to do a whole unit on the books of C. Rylant. Certainly this would pair well with Appalachia: Voices of Sleeping Birds. Teachers should be sure to talk about geography with this book, since the setting is very important. The characters' seemingly strange ways and the issue of how we see ourselves may provoke reflections and journal entries. Students may also want to discuss the special dynamics of nontraditional families or their own attempts to deal with loss or think through their own creativity (Ob's whirligigs). For additional teaching ideas, see http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/ Pubs/0300.htm For more information on this topic, see the website www.isive.com/welcome.cfm/appalachia

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > grief
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > intergenerational
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > friendships
bullet Geography > locations > U.S. states/regions > Appalachia
bullet Family > extended family


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