Amelia's Notebook

Moss, Marissa. Amelia’s Notebook. Pleasant Company Publications, 1999. ISBN 1-56247-785-4

Plot

Nine-year-old Amelia writes in the notebook her mom gave her when her family moves. She is not happy about the move. Her big sister, Cleo, is happy about the move since the girls will no longer share a bedroom. Amelia misses her best friend, Nadia. She writes to Nadia to tell her about her new school. She has positive things to say about the teachers and says the kids are alright. A letter from Nadia arrives telling Amelia about the Young Author’s Faire. Emilia tries to write a story, too, but she thinks her work is not good enough, and she is distracted as she thinks about other things. She talks to Nadia on the phone regularly. They enjoy talking about Nadia’s birthday party. Amelia sent Nadia a Do-It-Yourself Experiment kit as a birthday present. Amelia meets a new friend. Her name is Leah. She likes to create art just like Amelia. Amelia recognizes that she is a good artist, too. She draws a picture of herself with Leah and Nadia. Then she is ready to write her story for the Young Author’s Faire. She writes a story about a girl who pretends the clouds are her pets, and they give her a birthday party. She is very happy. Amelia invites Leah to go to Space World with her on her birthday. She makes plans to visit Nadia over the summer.

Critical Evaluation

The journal style of this book captures the creativity and spirit of a nine-year-old girl. The doodles and mementos collected in the book show the reader what it is like to experience life as a child. Forget-me-not stamps, a drawing of a friendship necklace, and images of postcards sum up Amelia’s feelings for her friend. Gross details about Cleo, like which finger she uses to pick her nose, give insight into Amelia’s life with her sister. As Amelia fills her notebook with drawings and stories, she gives herself comfort. The reader may feel a similar sense of peace as they experience the changes in Amelia’s inner and outer worlds through the pages of this book.

Annotations

Amelia is unhappy that her family is moving and that her mother expects her to write about it in a notebook. The notebook becomes, however, the creative outlet for writing and drawing that Amelia needs at this transitional time in her life.

Author

Marissa Moss has been drawing, writing, and keeping a journal/notebook since she was a kid. She also writes a series of historical stories for children.

Genre

Fiction – journal writing

Curriculum Ties

Language arts

Health – emotional health during transitional experiences

Booktalk Ideas

Briefly discuss how keeping a journal can be a fun way to express feelings. Then display Amelia’s Notebook and read the first few pages.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 3 to 5 (age 8 to 11).

Challenge Issues and Defense

None.

Why is it here?

I was intrigued by the cover which looks like a typical black and white composition notebook.