May B

Recommended grades 5-8.  Author Caroline Starr Rose cites her inspiration for her historical novel in verse, May B (Random House 2012) to a childhood of reading Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Reading about Laura's schooldays made her wonder about Laura's contemporaries with learning disorders.  How were they taught?  What cultural assumptions were made about them?  To satisfy this thought experiment, Rose created May B, a twelve year old girl with dyslexia who dreams of becoming a teacher, if she could only read the poems her teacher places in front of her!  May B does not only have to overcome her teacher's disdainful comments, but also the natural elements of the prairie as she is deserted in a homestead alone after being pulled from school.  With a historical novel in verse, particularly about people living on the outskirts of American society, it is hard not to compare it to Karen Hesse's brilliant Out of the Dust.  Rose's verse does not stand alone as Hesse's does, but it still finds its place in May B's love and obsession with memorizing lines of poetry.  Rose creates a memorable leading character and brings readers a compelling narratives that captures both the loneliness of the prairie and of students living with learning disabilities.  Recommended, ***.