Sahara Special

by Esmé Raji Codell

Overview

Sahara Jones is going into fifth grade-again. Although she won't be "Sahara Special" anymore (special needs, that is), she doesn't expect this year to be any better than last year. Fifth grade is going to be different, though, because Sahara's class is getting a new teacher: Miss Pointy. From her eggplant-colored lipstick to the strange subjects she teaches, like "Puzzling" and "Time Travel," she is like no other teacher Sahara has ever known. With Miss Pointy's help, Sahara just might find a way to redefine special for herself.
The latest chapter in her book unfolds when her mother insists that she be taken out of special Ed. So Sahara is facing fifth grade in the regular classroom, again. But why even try to do the work, Sahara wonders, if everything just winds up in the counselor's file?
Enter Miss Pointy, the new fifth-grade teacher. With her eggplant-colored lipstick, and strange subjects such as "Puzzling" and "Time Travel," she's like no other teacher Sahara has ever known. Through Miss Pointy's unusual teaching, storytelling, and quiet support, Sahara finds the courage to overcome her fears and prove which file shows her true self.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786816118
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	607,618
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Esmé Raji Codell is the author of Hanukkah, Shmanukkah!, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, Diary of a Fairy Godmother, with illustrations by Drazen Kozjan a memoir for young readers, Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: Hard-to-Swallow Stories from Fifth Grade, and the IRA Children's Book Award winner, Sahara Special. Her first book was the memoir Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, and her most recent book for adults is How To Get Your Child to Love Reading.  She has worked as a children's bookseller, teacher, and school librarian, and now runs the popular children's literature Web site www.planetesme.com, and literary salon, The Planet Esmé Bookroom. Esmé lives in Chicago with her husband and son.  

Table of Contents

1	Me and Darrell Sikes	1
2	My True Ambition	14
3	At the Library	24
4	New Things All the Time	30
5	We Got Her	37
6	The Lion's Lesson	56
7	George Gets Busted	68
8	The Way Things Are Built	78
9	Miss Pointy Gets Me Where I Live	95
10	Orphans	110
11	Why Teachers Get Apples	124
12	Name-calling	150
13	Autobiographia Literaria	167

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
First-time children's book author Esmè Raji Codell delivers an uplifting tale of one girl's discovery of her inner talent with the aid of a remarkable teacher.

When a self-conscious and quiet Sahara Jones gets put into Special Needs class, she gets dubbed "Sahara Special." Thankfully, her mom insists that she be put with the other kids, and Sahara winds up with Madame Poitier, or "Miss Pointy," as her teacher. Miss Pointy exposes her class to eccentric subjects like Puzzling and Mad Science, talks one-on-one to students through class journals and notes, and treats her students with respect and fairness. Slowly, Sahara begins to feel like a talented human being as Miss Pointy encourages her to tap into her writing talent, and when Sahara receives a personal gift, she feels extra-special indeed.

Quiet and gentle, with an underlying sense of power -- a reflection of the main character herself -- Codell's novel is an inspiring read that will touch readers' spirits. Audiences will be entranced by the author's almost magical storytelling, while budding writers in particular will be encouraged by Sahara's inner shine. An excellent read that will speak to kids, parents, and especially teachers. Matt Warner

bn.com

In her first book for children, the author of Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year shows a keen understanding of classroom dynamics, a finely tuned ear for preadolescent voices and a lively, original wit. Her feisty narrator, Sahara Jones, does none of her schoolwork even though she loves to read and writes in secret she's been traumatized by her father's abandonment. Her classmates call her Sahara Special because she has to work with the special-needs teacher out in the hall along with the disruptive Darrell Sikes. When Sahara's mother objects to the arrangement, Sahara is held back to repeat the fifth grade; Sahara is thrilled to transfer from the land of special dumb to the realm of normal dumb. Her new fifth-grade teacher, Madame Poitier, better known as Miss Pointy, is dedicated but irreverent, and not easily categorized (She was pale, but I couldn't tell for sure if she was white or Asian or Puerto Rican, or maybe light-skinned black, observes the narrator. Miss Pointy wins her students' trust and manages to instill in them hope and confidence; while the outcome can be predicted, Miss Pointy's methods (and Sahara's responses) are full of surprises. Presenting memorable characters in spirited scenes, this novel will surely be empowering for reluctant learners and thought-provoking and gratifying for everyone. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-6-Sahara Jones finds a way out of the special-needs classroom and into the mainstream school population, where she not only learns quite a bit about herself, but also teaches others in the process. In the audio production Phylicia Rashad performs brilliantly, portraying children from a variety of backgrounds. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Sahara Jones really is Sahara Special. Although she's given the name because she receives Special Education services, it becomes a true description of the person hidden within her. Her mother recognizes these hidden depths and demands that she be removed from Special Education and given the chance to succeed or fail by her own will. Enter Miss Poitier, usually called Miss Pointy, an extraordinary new teacher who teaches "time travel," "puzzling," and other odd subjects. She challenges, probes, inspires, praises, chides, and otherwise awakens Sahara and most of her classmates. Sahara has always written in her secret journals, tearing out pages and hiding them in the back of the "900" shelves in the public library for them to be found and marveled at by some future reader. Some of her writing, especially unsent letters to her runaway father, have been confiscated and placed in an official school file. Now she has a school journal, read only by her teacher. At first terrified of writing anything that will be seen by a teacher, she spends her time really listening, soaking up the evocative vocabulary that fills every discussion, and immersing herself in the poetry that Miss Pointy provides without comment or direction. When she finally allows herself to raise her hand in class, to open herself to friendships, and most of all, to write from the heart, she recognizes that she truly is Sahara Special. Codell has created a remarkable, unforgettable cast of characters. Sahara's first-person account beautifully and poignantly captures her tenuous steps to a sense of self-understanding and maturity that is rare indeed. Oh that a teacher the likes of Miss Poitier could really survive and multiply inour regimented, standards- and test-driven public schools. An absolutely lovely debut for children from the author of Educating Esmé (1999). (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Sahara Jones (aka "Sahara Special") is a writer, a reader, the daughter of divorced parents, and a repeat fifth-grader who has "gone special ed." In this accomplished reading, Phylicia Rashad captures Codell's feisty heroine as she expresses a tangle of emotions. Her characterization of the cooing special needs teacher who provides "individualized attention" by way of useless board games draws the listener squarely into Sahara's court. When, at last, Sahara encounters her new teacher, Miss Pointy--dressed out with imagination and a joyful approach to life--Rashad nails the educator's iconoclastic enthusiasm and captures the new empowerment of her students, from the belligerent Darrell Sikes to the now gentle and lovable Sahara Jones. T.B. Winner of 2004 ALA Notable Recording © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

DEC 03/JAN 04 - AudioFile