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Apr 24, 2015mmcbeth29 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A well known author, Ms. Mirabel, comes to a fourth grade classroom. She shares her love of writing with the students and inspires them to write. A group of five children gather under the lilac tree at Henry's house and talk about life which inspires their writing. The kids are all going through emotional times. One's mother is recovering from cancer. Another's parents have split up. Another is expecting a new baby in her home. The children write and share their inspiring poems during class time with Ms. Mirabel. As expected from Patricia MacLachlan this was an extremely inspiring, moving, and well written story. It was short, simple and to the point. It flowed well. She touched on these sad times in the children's lives without dwelling on the darkness of it all. She illuminated the power of writing. The only difficulty is, I have taught fourth and fifth grade and this poetry is far more mature than anything that would be expected from 99% of this age group. When reading the story, I assumed the children were older. This book would have made much more sense if it had been set in a junior high classroom, especially with the mature way the children thought and talked. Otherwise, it is a brilliant piece that celebrates writing for what it can do to make a difference and I highly recommend it for any age in grades 4 and up.