Encouraging students to read is important. As a teacher, modeling reading is even more important! So today I gave a book talk on one of my favorite books from elementary/middle school: A Face First.
I love A Face First, by Priscilla Cummings, because it was one of the first stories I really connected to. The main character, Kelley, get in a terrible car crash and goes through some very scary things. She starts to live and view her life almost outside of her body and she gets badly burned on her face, so now isn’t sure who she is or how she will continue to lead a normal life post-accident.
The narrator’s voice is very engaging and the story is told in a way that’s easy to connect to. Plus, the story wrestles with relevant questions of identity, fear, perseverance, fitting in, and overcoming obstacles–perfect for middle schoolers!
I gave a short Prezi book talk for my sixth graders and brought some copies of the book over to the middle school for them to check out. Hopefully they get excited about this book as much as I still am, even as a twenty-two year old!