The Junkyard Wonders-Picture Book #22

Author: Patricia Polacco
Title: The Junkyard Wonders
Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Readability Score: Grade 2
Theme: being content with yourself and your abilities and working with others
Genre: Non-Fiction
Sub genre: Diversity
Primary and secondary characters: The primary character is the narrator, who is telling the story and the secondary characters are the students in the classroom such as (Mrs. Peterson, Thom, Gibbie, etc.), her parents, Jody.
Awards: N/A
Publishing Company: Philomel Books
Date of Publication: 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Summary: This book is about a young girl who begs her father to stay with him and her Gramma for the school year instead of going back to California with her mother. She really wants to start the school year fresh and meet new friends. She wants to be a part of new classes where nobody knows who she really is. She used to be in all the "dumb" classes at her old school. When she starts her first day she is shocked to see that everyone seems to be rude. She is placed in room 206, which is considered to be the "special class." She notices that everyone in the class is different and unique, but she immediately meets a boy next to her named Thom, who is rather tall for his age. As weeks go on she learns that everyone in this class is different from one another. One boy has Tourettes, there is a non-verbal girl, and Thom has a disease that makes him grow faster than his body can keep up with. The teacher calls their class "The Junkyard" because they are made up of different qualities, yet contain wonderful aspects about them. One day after a bully hurts the main character's feelings when he says that she is just a "retard" Jody has her back and stands up for her. Mrs. Peterson decides to take the class on a field trip to the junkyard because she said that they can find many wonders there out of what others consider to be junk. The class breaks up into groups to find the thing that stands out to them the most and her group chooses an old model airplane. As time passes, Jody becomes very sick and he passes away. The class mourns his loss and wants to remember him by finishing up the airplane and flying it to the moon! They finish it together and accomplish their goal for him. This book is based on a true story which is dedicated to Mrs. Peterson.

This book was so great in that it contained so many elements. The topic of bullying is an issue that stands out. Students with disabilities or students in general need to learn that just because another student is different that it doesn't call for judgement. Acceptance is the key and that's what this book really focuses on in Mrs. Peterson's class. Students can take their own field trip, search for things around the classroom, or even for things at home that stand out to them as a treasure. They can work in groups to find its significance or make it operate better. The concept of working together to defy differences is what they can overcome in this lesson. They can also spend some class time during the week working with special education students on projects, reading, or math.