Title:
Finding Miracles
Bibliographic Information:
Alvarez, J. (2004). Finding miracles. New York: Alfred A. Knopf
Finding Miracles
Bibliographic Information:
Alvarez, J. (2004). Finding miracles. New York: Alfred A. Knopf
Weekly Requirement:
Pleasure Reading Middle School/High School
Plot Description:
Teenager Milly Kaufman has always felt out of place in her home. She knows she was adopted as a baby from a Latin American country, but doesn't know much else about where she came from or who her birth parents were. She is ashamed of being adopted and doesn't want to discuss it and even goes as far as to hide it from her classmates. That slowly starts to change the day a new student arrives at school named Pablo, who she discovers is from her birth country. Very slowly the two strike up a friendship and Milly opens up about her past. Milly decides to travel with Pablo to her birth country to see the land where she came from and perhaps learn more about her mysterious past.
Quantitative Reading Level:
Lexile 770
Gunning-Fog Score 6.4
Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The book is told in the first person from Milly's point of view. It is written in American English with brief Spanish words and phrases spoken by characters, which adds some complexity to the text. It is told in chronological order from the fall of the school year when Pablo arrives to the end when Milly's adopted family meets her in her home country. Alvarez does not mention the name of the country where Milly is from but does describe events from the country's past. It is not necessary to know where Milly is from to understand the story, but those who are curious will need background knowledge of Latin American history to make an educated guess. The book's title Finding Miracles is a play on words because Milly's birth name was Milagros, which means miracles in Spanish.
Content Area:
English Literature
Maine Common Core Content Area Standard:
Curriculum Suggestion:
This is a great book for students to use during Latin American history month. Teachers can also compare and contrast this to another story by Alvarez called Before We Were Free about a girl about Milly's age escaping war in the Dominican Republic. Students can compare and contrast the lives of these two girls.
Subject/Themes:
Gunning-Fog Score 6.4
Qualitative Reading Analysis:
The book is told in the first person from Milly's point of view. It is written in American English with brief Spanish words and phrases spoken by characters, which adds some complexity to the text. It is told in chronological order from the fall of the school year when Pablo arrives to the end when Milly's adopted family meets her in her home country. Alvarez does not mention the name of the country where Milly is from but does describe events from the country's past. It is not necessary to know where Milly is from to understand the story, but those who are curious will need background knowledge of Latin American history to make an educated guess. The book's title Finding Miracles is a play on words because Milly's birth name was Milagros, which means miracles in Spanish.
Content Area:
English Literature
Maine Common Core Content Area Standard:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.5
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.9
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.
This is a great book for students to use during Latin American history month. Teachers can also compare and contrast this to another story by Alvarez called Before We Were Free about a girl about Milly's age escaping war in the Dominican Republic. Students can compare and contrast the lives of these two girls.
Subject/Themes:
Adoption, self-discovery, teen romance, Latin American history, Latin American uprisings
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