Part of Me
My dream of becoming a writer is like a fallen leaf swept up by the wind—dancing inches from my reach, teasing, never letting me touch it. But somehow I hope that my life will have meaning one day.

The story begins in 1939 with Rose, who takes a job driving a bookmobile when she moves with her family from rural Texas to the Louisiana bayou. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping mink than reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on her own real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library. Touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, this family's story reveals how a love of books creates a powerful bond that spans generations.

Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

"1102244879"
Part of Me
My dream of becoming a writer is like a fallen leaf swept up by the wind—dancing inches from my reach, teasing, never letting me touch it. But somehow I hope that my life will have meaning one day.

The story begins in 1939 with Rose, who takes a job driving a bookmobile when she moves with her family from rural Texas to the Louisiana bayou. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping mink than reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on her own real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library. Touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, this family's story reveals how a love of books creates a powerful bond that spans generations.

Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

14.99 In Stock
Part of Me

Part of Me

by Kimberly Willis Holt
Part of Me

Part of Me

by Kimberly Willis Holt

Paperback(First Edition)

$14.99 
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Overview

My dream of becoming a writer is like a fallen leaf swept up by the wind—dancing inches from my reach, teasing, never letting me touch it. But somehow I hope that my life will have meaning one day.

The story begins in 1939 with Rose, who takes a job driving a bookmobile when she moves with her family from rural Texas to the Louisiana bayou. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping mink than reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on her own real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library. Touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, this family's story reveals how a love of books creates a powerful bond that spans generations.

Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780312581459
Publisher: Square Fish
Publication date: 09/29/2009
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile: 770L (what's this?)
Age Range: 10 - 15 Years

About the Author

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of the many award-winning novels for young adults and children, including The Water Seeker, My Louisiana Sky, Keeper of the Night, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, winner of a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also the author of the bestselling Piper Reed series of chapter books, and picture books including Waiting for Gregory and Skinny Brown Dog. Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and lived all over the U.S. and the world—from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. She long dreamed of being a writer, but first worked as a radio news director, marketed a water park, and was an interior decorator, among other jobs. She lives in West Texas with her family.

Read an Excerpt

Part of Me

Stories of a Louisiana Family
By Holt, Kimberly Willis

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Copyright © 2006 Holt, Kimberly Willis
All right reserved.

ISBN: 0805063609


Time drags when you're waiting for an alligator to wake up and move. I thought of a song I taught Pie to sing when she jumped rope. And out there in the middle of nowhere, I started to sing, "Mumps, said the doctor. Measles, said the nurse. Vote, said the lady with the alligator purse!"

Marlene stared at me all bug-eyed. I guess I couldn't blame her. She'd never seen me act silly. By the second time around, though, she was singing with me. We sang louder and louder and darn if that old alligator finally opened his eyes. When he did, we screamed and clung to each other, then burst out laughing. The alligator started slowly moving across the road, dragging his long tail behind him. When he finally had cleared enough road that I could get around him, I held my breath and took off with a chug-chug and pressed down on the accelerator. My heart beat so hard I heard it pounding in my ears. When we'd gone a safe distance, we exhaled together and laughed again.

Continues...

Excerpted from Part of Me by Holt, Kimberly Willis Copyright © 2006 by Holt, Kimberly Willis. Excerpted by permission.
Allrights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1. Momma refuses to accept help from the government or members of her community, even as her family begins to run out of food and realizes that Papa won't return. Why do you think she will not accept help?

2. When Rose is reluctant to lie about her age to get the bookmobile job, Momma says, "Dat's surviving" (page 24). What distinction is she making? Do you think it is ever okay to tell a lie?

3. Rose's family is one of the most important things in her life. Why is her family so important to Rose?

4. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things and is introduced by like or as. What are some examples of similes in Part of Me? Why does Kimberly Willis Holt use similies in her writing?

5. Luther describes Aunt Pie as "like a stray cat, always looking for a better fish" (page 83). Why do you think Aunt Pie is unable to stay with one boyfriend for very long?

6. Why do you think Merle Henry and Lily Bea decide to go by Merle and Lily only (page 106)?

7. Why is it so important to Rose that Merle Henry (page 90) and Annabeth (page 116) think about becoming writers?

8. Is Annabeth's honesty in dealing with Melody worth the harassment she suffers from Melody and the popular girls? How would you behave in Annabeth's situation, knowing the outcome?

9. Part of Me is a collection of short stories about the same family. What effect does that structure have on how you read the book? How does it compare to other novels you've read?

10. Part of Me spans sixty years and shares the stories of four generations of one family. How does the family dynamic differ in each generation?

11. How are Rose, Aunt Pie, Merle Henry, and Annabeth characterized as children" How do they change or stay the same when they grow up?

12. Books play an important role in the some of the characters in Part of Me. Who are these characters? How does their love of books alter how you view these characters? Do books play an important role in your life?

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