Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller

Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job -- teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire.

For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 07/10/2007
ISBN: 9781416925422
Pages: 240
Weight: 0.76lbs
Size: 8.52h x 5.84w x 0.91d
Award: Great Lakes Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Jefferson Cup - Honor Book
Award: William Allen White Childens Book Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Iowa Children's Choice (ICCA) Award - Nominee
Award: Cybils - Finalist

Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 06/01/2007 pg. 558
School Library Journal 07/01/2007 pg. 107
Kliatt 07/01/2007 pg. 18
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2007 pg. 246 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Booklist 08/01/2007 pg. 70
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2008 pg. 12
ALA Best Books Young Adults 01/01/2008 pg. 1

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 116359 / Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller
Reading Level: 5.8 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 8