Title: The Mermaid’s Purse
Author: Patricia Polacco
Main Character: Stella (the author’s grandmother)
Rating: Exceptional
Meggie (Rating: Exceptional)
I loved this book because it talks about a girl who uses her love of reading to transform the community around her. I found myself identifying with it. Highly recommended.
Mo (Rating: Exceptional)
This is a heart-warming book about one girl’s love of reading and how it lifts a community up. This is a true story about the author’s grandmother Stella, 150 years ago. She is born in a birth membrane, and many call it “the mermaid’s purse”. She learns to read at an early age, and collects books every chance she gets. She trades her earnings for books and builds up a library, and uses it to educate the village and town folk around her house. Until a twister destroys her library. What happens next is the power of a community coming together to give back to Stella what she gave to them.
It’s a great story about the power of books and the power of community. Highly recommended.