The Alphabet War

by Diane Burton Robb and illustrated by Gail Piazza
Published Ablert Whitman & Company 2004
Reading Level 2-3
32 Pages
Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Summary:
Adam grew up loving to listen to his mother read him books. However as he gets into school he does not excel in reading. He does well with math and other subjects, but he cannot read, and this frustrates his teacher. He finds himself unmotivated and angry as he tries to work through his class work. As he tells himself he cannot do it, he learns that he can. His mother and many different teachers and aids help him to see his potential and teach him trick to progress in reading. He works hard and does his best. I thought the pictures in this book were fabulous. The simple colors took us into the world of Adam's mind. As he fought off life size letters and spent time on the moon, would could see through the pictures how isolated he felt in the class room and among his peers.

Reaction:
I really loved reading about Adam. In Jr. High and High school I had a really hard time with reading until I was able to get some help. I could see that through Adam this book could be very motivational for children who are struggling with their reading. Especially when they don't understand why the are different and believe they cannot change it.

Potential Problems:
None

Recommendations:
I would recommend this to any child who was having a hard time reading, or even a parent of one of these children. This book makes it so much easier to understand how children in these situations feel.