Book cover image:
Book Summary: The
students in Miss Smith’s class love it when Miss Smith reads. When she reads,
the books come alive, and any characters and surroundings go back into the book
when it is finished being read. The students are soon transported into the
setting of the story, but they are warned that they must never interfere with
the characters in a story because the story can change. When Miss Smith reads a
story about dinosaurs in Doyle’s The Lost
World, a student interferes with a T-Rex attack, and they lose their
teacher in the jungle. The students must work together to save Miss Smith and
have her finish the story so that they can escape this dangerous story.
APA Reference of Book:
Garland, M. (2006). Miss Smith reads again!. New York, NY: Dutton
Children's Books.
Impressions: The
first thing that I noticed was that the class and teacher are very diverse!
This made me very happy because I am a huge supporter of books reflecting the
diverse people that we see in life today. I really liked how this book had a
clear plot with a problem that the students had to solve in order to finish the
book. This would be a great story to analyze for plot structure, imagery, and
conflict.
Professional Review:
Miss Smith reads again!. (2006). Kirkus Reviews, 74(11),
571.
The second-grade teacher with the fiery orange brush cut and
leather jacket introduced in Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook (2003) returns,
opening her magical volume to transform the classroom into Arthur Conan Doyle's
Lost World. Thrills ensue, as the class meets some of the characters, evades a
tyrannosaurus, rescues Miss Smith from a pterodactyl's nest and then, despite
having broken the cardinal rule not to interfere with the storyline, returns to
the present. In what reads like an editing error, readers are told twice that
the children have escaped the toothy predator, and the relationship between
Doyle's tale and this one is perfunctory at best. Still, the combination of
dinosaurs, exciting adventures and a decidedly unconventional teacher who
literally brings her lessons to life traverses familiar territory for Magic
School Bus fans, and the glossy, elaborately detailed illustrations are another
draw. (Picture book. 6-8)
Library Uses: Students can use this picture book in the library by
performing in reader’s theater. Students may choose scenes from a book and
dress up and act out what would happen if the book were to come to life through
reading. Students may also create visuals based on the descriptive words in the
book to portray the imagery in the book.
