Ellen Foster
Publication Information
Author:  Gibbons, Kaye	Illustrator:
Title:  Ellen Foster	Date:  1987
Publisher:  Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill	City:  Chapel Hill, NC
ISBN, paperback:  1-56512-205-4	ISBN, hardback:
Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:	ESOL:
Family:   Yes	Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:
General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction
HSE Descriptor(s):
Summary:
11-year-old Ellen tells her own story in this "Oprah Book about a foster childhood." She is an amazingly resilient child and an amazingly perceptive observer of others.
Teaching Ideas:
Teachers may want to invite occasional discussion of "home" as students read. Students may want to evaluate each of Ellen's homes and, perhaps, to keep track of what she learns from each encounter. Ellen's friendship with Starletta is another good area for focus. Learners may want to keep track of Ellen's changing opinions about all African American people as her friendship with Starletta persists and grows. Ellen's comments make interesting prompts for writing: "Sometimes I think that I was cut out to be colored," and "I got bleached and sent to the wrong bunch of folks." Pair the book with Woodson's Our Gracie Aunt and MacLachlan's Mama One and Mama Two. The writing style may be difficult for some learners; in such cases, reading sections aloud may help, as Ellen's voice is an oral one.
Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
Education > teachers Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > coming-of-age Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > group > relationships > friendships Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > relocation, personal Communities > rural > small town life Family > extended family Communities > belonging Family > children > foster children Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > independence

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