The Junkyard Wonders
The Junkyard Wonders
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Penguin
Annotation: Inspired by a teacher who believes each of them is a genius, a class of special-needs students invents something that could convince the whole school they are justifiably proud to be "Junkyard Wonders."
 
Reviews: 6
Catalog Number: #44526
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Common Core/STEAM: Common Core Common Core
Publisher: Penguin
Copyright Date: 2010
Edition Date: 2010 Release Date: 07/08/10
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: Publisher: 0-399-25078-6 Perma-Bound: 0-605-43803-X
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-399-25078-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-43803-3
Dewey: E
LCCN: 2009027145
Dimensions: 28 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews

Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson's special-ed class, aka, "the junkyard." But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco's trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha's group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story's warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author's note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)

School Library Journal (Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 3-5 Based on true events, this inspiring story celebrates the extraordinary influence a teacher can have on her students. As Trisha enters a new school in Michigan, she hopes she won&9;t be relegated to a &4;special&4; class. At her old school, she had trouble learning to read. On the first day, she is disappointed to learn that Room 206 is known as the junkyard. Fortunately, their teacher, Mrs. Peterson, doesn&9;t allow her students to feel like misfits. She divides her &4;Junkyard Wonders&4; into tribes, creating a sense of unity among them. One day, the children visit a local junkyard where they discover &4;a place full of wondrous possibilities&4; and collect objects for a class project. Trisha and her tribe retrieve an old model plane, which they refurbish. The whole class looks forward to the science fair when they will fly the plane from the roof of the school in remembrance of a classmate who has died. The school bully tries to foil their plans, but in the end the Junkyard Wonders launch the plane and watch it soar up into the stratosphere. The touching story is accompanied by Polacco&9;s trademark illustrations in which a motherly Mrs. Peterson presides over her busy classroom. The children&9;s expressive faces convey their devotion to her and to each other. Pair this title with Lester L. Laminack&9;s Saturdays and Teacakes (Peachtree, 2004), another nod to a fondly remembered past. Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

As in Thank You, Mr. Falker, Polacco examines her childhood, her confused awareness of herself and her schoolmates as different%E2%80%94""retards,"" according to their common nemesis%E2%80%94and her teacher, an imposing and passionate woman who changes their lives. Mrs. Parkinson makes her mark immediately in a class of children who involuntarily shout (Gibbie, who has Tourette's), do not speak (Ravanne, a foster child), or don't seem able to learn fast enough (Polacco herself). Stung when the ""normal"" kids call their class ""the junkyard,"" the students accompany Mrs. Parkinson to a real junkyard, where she urges them to find treasures and build something new: ""Forget what the object was... imagine what it could be!"" Like her earlier autobiographical stories, this tale of Polacco's group and of the model plane they restore (""This baby is goin' all the way to the moon!"") thrills, saddens, touches, and inspires, all at once. The death of their kindest classmate and loyal guardian, Jody, whose too-rapid growth defeats his heart, is the most difficult moment in this complex and deeply felt book. Not to be missed. Ages 6%E2%80%939. (July)

ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Looking forward to a fresh start at a new school, Trisha is crestfallen when she is assigned to a special class with children who are different. Their teacher, Mrs. Peterson, proudly calls them the junkyard and takes them to an actual junkyard, which she describes as a place of wondrous possibilities . . . amazing things waiting to be made into something new. It's clear that she sees her class the same way as she divides them into tribes and urges their creativity. Reclaiming and rebuilding an old model plane they intend to send to the moon, Trisha's tribe manages a triumphant launch. Illustrations, rendered in pencil and marker, portray children in saddle oxfords and poodle skirts brimming with energy and excitement, guided by a model teacher. Based on her own childhood, Polacco's inspiring story will touch children and teachers alike. In an appended note, Polacco updates the subsequent successful lives of her former tribe members and reveals how they did make it to the moon after all.

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

In this story based on Polacco's childhood, young Patricia is upset to be assigned to a special-needs class known colloquially as "the junkyard." However, she's heartened when her extraordinary teacher urges the students to think of themselves as "Wonders," full of exciting potential. Though the text can be preachy, Polacco's illustrations create memorable characters and mirror the enthusiasm fostered in the classroom.

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal (Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)
Starred Review for Publishers Weekly
ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)
Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)
Word Count: 3,565
Reading Level: 4.0
Interest Level: K-3
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.0 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 140945 / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:3.8 / points:3.0 / quiz:Q50275
Lexile: 660L
Guided Reading Level: P

A heartwarming story of friendship and celebrating our differences--and the teachers who help us shine--from master storyteller Patricia Polacco, author of Thank You, Mr. Falker.
In this story based on the author-illustrator's own childhood, Patricia Polacco once again celebrates the power teachers have to help us discover the potential we each hold.

Young Trisha is devastated when she finds out that her class at her new school is known as the junkyard. It is a special class, and she had moved from where she used to live so she wouldn’t be in a special class anymore! But then she meets her teacher, the amazing Mrs. Peterson, and her classmates, an oddly brilliant group of misfit kids, whom the other kids in school call the junkyard kids. Much to her own surprise, it is here in the junkyard that Trisha discovers the true meaning of genius, and that this group of misfits are, in fact, Junkyard Wonders, each and every one of them.


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