Thursday, October 28, 2010

Backwater by Joan Bauer












Bauer, Joan. Backwater. New York: Putnam, 1999. Print. 192 pages.

  • ISBN-10: 0399231412
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399231414

Ivy Breedlove longs to be understood, to break free from her family's expectations that she study law. All Breedloves are lawyers. Ivy is researching her family's history when she finds a Breedlove who left the family, a Breedlove who isn't a lawyer, Ivy's Aunt Josephine. No one will talk about Josephine who is a "backwater," Ivy's family's word for someone who doesn't fit in. Ivy believes she is a backwater too and is determined to locate her mysterious aunt.
http://www.multcolib.org/talk/guides-backwater.html


This book could be good for students who feel a little outcast sometimes.  Ivy Breedlove is a relatable character that I think some middle school students could really connect with.  This could be a fun project in class to have students see that it is okay to be a little different, and talk about what sets each of the apart from their families, peers, etc.

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