Award Novel

Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant

Reader:  As a reader I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the story line. I found it very unpredictable which is slightly uncommon for books of this genre. The format of the book was my favorite. The journal entries/poems really add an interesting depth to the book that you don't find in many others.
Teacher: As a teacher I think it would be great to use this book to teach format and the impact it can or cannot have on a story. I feel that this book is best suited for fourth through fifth graders. The students could read this book and then use this format to write a story of their own. They could also tell the story in the regular story format and compare the differences between their work. This would help them learn the power of storytelling and format.