A Face First
by Priscilla Cummings
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Description
Twelve-year-old Kelley decides to cut off contact with her friends and classmates after suffering third-degree burns to her face and body in a car accident near her home on Maryland's Kent Island.Tags
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Member Reviews
This is one of my favorite books. I enjoy this novel because of the descriptive language that is emotion provoking. Priscilla Cummings uses extensive research as the basis of her novel. With this she is able to write with knowledge and the description. She transforms the words to create visuals and to transport the reader to feel along with Kelly while she is in the burn unit and going back to school. I got emotional when reading this novel due to the words that Priscilla Cummings uses. The novel is about Kelly and her journey of recovery after a car crash on her way to school. Kelly ends up being burned and sent to the local burn unit in Baltimore. Kelly undergoes multiple skin graphs and extensive physical therapy before being allowed show more to go home. Once home she struggles with her self-identity and her looks. She has a hard time seeing her old friends and accepting herself. The novel is about one girl’s ability to survive and the struggles she faces along the way. The big idea is about loving you and accepting yourself despite the thoughts of others. show less
Kelley suffers severe burns in a car accident and which disfigure her face. She has to cope with the anger and depression of her situation, the enduring surgeries, her worries about the reactions of the outside world, and having to wear a plastic mask to aid in the healing of her face. She is also dealing with the realization that her mother was at fault in the accident.
A story of finding inner strength. Kelly Brennan got into an almost fatal car accident when she and her mother were driving to an awards ceremony. Kelley is left to face many injuries including severely burned limbs and face. Throughout this story Kelley experiences many emotions including blame and self-pity. It takes many tough events for Kelley to realize that she is lucky to be alive though the pain makes it hard.
every time I read this book, it's a different experience. it's a very influential read and I learn so much from it. this book will always be a favorite
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ThingScore 88
Gr 6-10 -- Unable to remember the horrific automobile accident and resulting explosion that melted her earrings as well as much of her skin, 12-year-old Kelley finds her world of horses, ballet lessons, and environmental projects reduced to a vise of pain in a Baltimore hospital's burn unit. ... She quits all human communication. Finally weaned from her self-pity by the cries of a burned baby, show more she begins to speak once again.... Cummings gives a good explanation of medical procedure, but really shines in showing the careful balance of push, pull, and nurturing that must be maintained by the dedicated medical staff who choose to work with fire victims. She understands appearance-conscious adolescents, and leads readers to pull with Kelley in working through the layers of her inner being to reach beyond the mask. show less
added by CourtyardSchool
When sixth-grader Kelley and her mother get into a car accident, Kelley is rushed to the hospital with a broken leg and severe burns, especially to her face. She is in physical pain, and her mental anguish grows throughout the novel, as she wonders why this happened to her, and who she is now that her appearance has been dramatically altered. ... Cummings (Autumn Journey) incorporates medical show more vocabulary and treatments into her narrative..., and while these passages are sometimes clunky, readers learn a great deal about burn recovery. The mystery surrounding her mother's responsibility, on the other hand, seems like an unnecessary complication, and some of the descriptions of Kelley's emotions are clichéd.... Ultimately, Cummings's careful pacing makes this story work; she helps readers to empathize with the heroine, to follow her from her post-trauma confusion to her rage and withdrawal from the world, and ultimately to her discovery of inner strength. Ages 10-up. show less
added by CourtyardSchool
Lists
Survival, car accident -- children's/young adult fiction
15 works; 1 member
Author Information
25 Works 2,120 Members
Priscilla Cummings is the author of thirteen books for children, including the novels Autumn Journey and A Face First, which was named an ALA Notable Children's Book A former newspaper reporter and magazine writer, Ms. Cummings is a native of western Massachusetts and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire. She lives with her husband, two show more children, and several pets in Annapolis, Maryland show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2001
- People/Characters
- Kelley Brennan
- Important places
- Kent Island, Maryland, USA; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Maryland, USA
- Epigraph
- God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
- Reinhold Niebuhr - Dedication
- For Hannah
- First words
- The day of the accident Kelley got up early to paint the world on her left thumbnail.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Anything was possible now. And here to prove it was one girl's face, behind a mask, smiling back at the world.
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 127
- Popularity
- 256,196
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.09)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 6
