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Dear Blue Sky – Literacious
There are a number of middle grade stories about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but Dear Blue Sky written by Mary Sullivan, is one of the most realistic, heart wrenching, and real accounts of what life is like both for Americans and for people across the globe. The story begins with a young girl named Cassie who feels as though her world is crashing down around her because her brother is going to be fighting in Iraq. He has always been the one to make her older sister smile, her younger brother protected, and always had time to spend with Cassie. But soon into the story Cassie’s brother leaves for Iraq and her world of family and friends completely changes. Cassie’s viewpoints on the war shift as she begins to learn more about a young Iraqi girl living in fear everyday. The young girl, known only as Blue Sky, writes a blog to tell the world about her side of the story, how she wakes to bombs being dropped in her town, her younger brother who has stopped speaking, and the possibility that her family must leave her own beloved country because they are no longer safe. I fell in love with this story because it provides Americans with a different viewpoint than the one they hear on the news. No one in my family is in the armed services currently, and I haven’t had to deal with someone I love being sent to war, but this story really opened my eyes to a family who had to deal with exactly that. This is story that can be used in so many – it’s a great discussion book, especially about current events and would be perfect for students in fifth grade and up. You can visit Mary Sullivan’s website to learn more about her and the book! Title: Dear Blue Sky Author: Mary Sullivan Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books Publication Date: 2012 Page Number: 248 pgs.
Laura Arnhold