Title: Mia's Story: A Sketchbook of Hopes & Dreams
Illustrator: Michel Foreman
Readability Score 2
Theme: never giving up no matter where you come from
Genre: Non-Fiction
Sub genre: Diversity
Primary and secondary characters: Mia is the primary and the secondary are her father and Poco
Awards: N/A
Publishing Company: Candlewick Press
Date of Publication: 2006
ISBN: 076363063-2
Summary: This book is about how the narrator meets Mia one day. The narrator telling the story writes that her bus had broken down and she was in Mia's village. They became friends and she wants to tell the audience about her story. Mia lives in Campamento, San Francisco, which is between the city and snowy mountains. There are no pretty gardens or trees, just a muddy track as a road. Mia's father travels into the city everyday to sell scrap. Mia's home, which she lives with her mother and father, is made of mostly odds and ends and bits of trash. The book also contains illustrations of Mia's tiny school, where the people of the village bake their bread, and also where they search for things in the nearby dump. The family has dreams of living in a house made of bricks. Mia is happy one day when her father brings home a puppy that she names Poco. She takes him everywhere until one day during winter he disappeared. She began to search for him everywhere, she eventually ends up high on the snowy mountains. One her journey back home, disappointed and sad, her horse suddenly stops and finds flowers. Mia is shocked that these beautiful flowers would grow in such cold, snowy conditions. She takes some home with her and plants them. Eventually they begin to spread and their seeds spread out. By spring there were flowers everywhere in her village. She began to go into the city to try to sell her flowers, alongside her father, who was selling scrap. Mia had so many customers that her father had to quit his job to help her.
This story held a powerful meaning of never giving up. Mia was from a lower SES even though she was given the opportunities for an education and work. This book gives the message for all students that it doesn't matter where you come from that you can still accomplish your goals and dreams. This book also shows the life of a girl from a low SES and some students may be able to relate to Mia. I would have the students discuss the book in a book club for more in depth understanding of its concepts. The issue of poverty is clearly stated and students can have a better understanding of this.
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