Going Up by Sherry Lee
reviewed by Susan Kennedy
As we are going back to school in whatever form that is taking, hopefully we are returning to writing. I love writing with students and hearing them storytell their narrative plans. Returning to school this fall, I hope we’ll start with some narratives: small moments, memoirs, trouble stories. We’ll pull out some mentor text, some familiar and some new, to spark memories in students. We’ll create some mentors and study some author for ideas to try out in our writing.
Going Up is one such book. A simple narrative, told in first person by our main character, Sophie. She and her father are invited to Olive’s birthday party on the 10th floor of their building. During the course of the story, they prepare for the party and travel up the floors in their building sharing the elevator with their neighbors. The elevator becomes crowded showcasing without flash a diverse population friendly to all.
Teachers of small moment will appreciate this simple story with a ‘trouble story’ plot. A repetitive line or two. A folding page that opens up to a surprise. Collaborative problem solving. Dialogue. This book has a lot to offer students as they begin to consider writing narratives this fall.
The small wonderful additional gift of this book is the author’s blurb where we get a glimpse of why this author wrote her first story about this elevator ride to a dog birthday party.
This sweet title new from Kids Can Press could be a versatile addition in both narrative reading and writing in a primary classroom. Along with being an author’s purpose mentor for students of all elementary ages. I can’t wait to keep this book near for just such a quick lesson, a small group, or a conference.
