Here is a 2011 Monarch Nominee that startles me. It surprises me how
much the main character reminds me of myself when I was a young elementary
school girl. Keena Ford doesn’t just share some of my good qualities, but more
importantly she also shares some of my negative attributes. The author shows how
easy it is to get caught up in a mistake and then how embarrassing it can be to
try to right a wrong. And she shows the reader exceptionally well. I am sure I
was not the only child who had such troubles and I guarantee kids are still
dealing with these issues today.
Keena has many things in common with kids at present. Summer is over
and it is time to head back to school. She is experiencing the excitement and
trepidation of advancing to a new grade with a new teacher and hoping for
shared classes with best friends.
My one point of contention: I find it highly unusual that Keena’s
school has decided to take the second-grade class and split it in two – boys in
one class and girls in the other. The book reads as though this is new and
unique to the second-grade class. I simply don’t see that actually happening in
a regular public school. I am extremely curious as to a reason why faculty
would choose to do that. It is all rather irrelevant except that it places
Keena’s best friend, a boy named Eric, in the other classroom and Keena’s
nemesis, a girl called Linny, in Keena’s classroom. I don’t think that required
an elaborate set-up to make it happen. I see it as the only flaw to the novel.
Here is where it excels. Keena is well aware that she has made a habit
of getting into trouble. She knows that she tends to say things out loud that
are better left unsaid. She realizes that she spends too much time worrying
about other people’s business. Many kids continue to get into trouble because
they are unable to understand that what they have done is wrong and therefore
continue to make the same mistakes. Keena genuinely understands where she is
breaking the rules and making the mistakes, she just hasn’t figured out a way
to direct her energies in a different direction. Luckily her mother has
introduced her to the art of journaling. Keena knows she has a talent for
writing. Hopefully in future volumes, Keena will learn how to make use of the
two.
Until that time… Keena is eager to show her teacher how smart and
grown-up she is. Keena’s older brother taught her over summer break how to
write dates in numerical format like a big kid. Keena’s teacher is asking for
everyone’s birthday and Keena writes down 9/2 which happens to be the next
school day, September 2, and not Keena’s actual birthday, February 9. So when
the teacher gets excited to celebrate a birthday so quickly in the school year,
Keena is ready to correct her. That is until her teacher mentions chocolate
cake and a crown. Yeah, chocolate cake is way too tempting.
To make matters worse, Keena loves her new classroom and her teacher.
They get to make their own rules and use a journal. The teacher will even let
Keena use her own personal, special, different journal. Yes, I said worse,
because Keena gushes about her class to her best friend Eric. Eric feels it
necessary to one up Keena to disguise the fact that he doesn’t like his new
classroom as much as Keena. Not just one up… three up. Eric elaborates quite a
bit. (Oh no! I just realized that I can identify with Eric too. I was quite the
little elaborator myself. Shhhh.) Keena happens to be curious about Eric’s
amazing classroom and decides she needs to check it out for herself. Well, at
least there is one thing that I’m not – a sneaky spy!
Recommended for girls K-3rd.
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