Reviews for Mia's Story: A Sketchbook of Hopes and Dreams

The average rating for Mia's Story: A Sketchbook of Hopes and Dreams based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-10-11 00:00:00 Catherine Tarbell I thought that Foreman used the shape of the book well, choosing the landscape format to illustrate the long, majestic Andes mountain range of Santiago, Chile. The author uses a range of narrative and illustrative devices to move the story along including handwriting, scraps of paper and mock photos. This brought to the story a sense of intimacy and made the retelling feel more real. For me, this is a welcome change to the constant diary-entry formats or chronological retellings which can stymie the creative writing progress in schools. Mia's world offers a stark contrast to the warm homes that the child reader might be used to and it offers a way into understanding how different people live their lives in different parts of the world. Foreman shows us how Mia's family make money (selling scrap), what Mia's school looks like and touches, very lightly, on the feelings that can come with living in poverty (Mia's father dreams of a home made of bricks rather than scrap iron). I was also touched by Foreman's use of teared brown paper and rough sketches to show Mia's concern over the loss of Poco, her dog. A lovely use of the endpapers to show the change in landscape.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-12-05 00:00:00 Barry Elston A very endearing story about a girl called Mia. Mia lives with her mama, papa and dog Pacco (who one day disappears). They live in a small village between a big city and the snowy mountains, a place she likes to call home and her world. Mia and her family live in a house made from bits of rubbish and odd bits they find from around the scrap yards. As Mia goes to search for Pacco she comes across a field of beautiful flowers which she then takes back home to grow in remembrance of Pacco. A beautiful journey covering many aspects of life, particularly how Mia finds hope. I very much enjoyed the well written book as it took me on a journey to meet Mia and see her life from her perspective. I feel the book can be brought to the classroom for inspiration, but also to cover different writing styles as the author has done so very well, the way in which the book is written and with the illustrations placed in terms of a personal journal with pictures and annotations added to the story. The book can also be related to geography; the difference between the city and urban areas, as well as planting and weather. I believe the book is suitable for key stage 2 children