Sahara Special

"I don't like bureaucrats," she told Darrell, "but I don't mind cynics."
"What's a bureaucrat?" Darrell asked suspiciously.
"A tattletale who likes to write things down," Miss Pointy explained.

This story will be very familiar to anyone who has read Raji Codell's Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, as it is kind of a fictionalized version of it, told from a student's point of view. Sahara is a bright girl, completely traumatized by her father's abandonment. She writes secretly, and keeps her 'book' hidden in the public library. She also writes letters to her father, which are discovered at school and placed in her File. She can't seem to overcome her wounds, and is crippled in school by fear and anxiety. She doesn't do show more assignments, she never raises her hand, and tries her hardest to be invisible. This only lands her in special ed, receiving 'services' in the hall in full view of everyone, and in the company of an extremely volatile student named Darrell. In her second year of fifth grade, her new teacher is wildly unconventional, wanting to make up her own mind about students, and clearly communicating to each one of them that she has faith in them. She gradually draws Sahara out of herself, revealing a profoundly gifted writer. While not a perfect book, it is a moving book, and raises interesting issues about the status quo of urban education.

Codell, E. (2003). Sahara Special. New York: Hyperion Books For Children. show less

I really enjoyed reading this book by Codell. It has a strange familiarity that reminds me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Both protagonists are females that are struggling with their identity. Sahara grows up to be a flower despite having an absent father. She keeps many letters that she has written to him in her collection hoping one day that he will return; I found this to be really sad. She does not care about the fact that her father has not been in her life, she just wants him to return and accept her (tear). As a reader, you kind of understand why she acts the way she does. She is very private and finds it difficult to interact with people.
My favorite character of the story is Madame Portier or Ms. Pointy. Her show more unconventional teaching methods has succeeded in fostering learning and building confidence in her students. She is a prize to behold. I truly admire how she handled Darrell and his mother. You can sense her passion for teaching in the scene when she gets confronted by Darrell's mother. I hope one day that I may be able teach with as much zeal that Ms. Pointy possess. show less

Narrated by Phylicia Rashad. Fifth-grade Sahara has been in special ed classes until this year when her mother insists that she be pulled out. Sahara is a strong reader and creative writer but she lacks confidence and friends. Her 5th grade teacher is the quirky but patient "Miss Pointy" (Poitier) who accepts her troubled students on their terms. (She has never read the student files.) Her acceptance, support, and creative teaching methods inspire Sahara to come out of her shell through her writing. A little sappy at times.

A little slow to start and then, wham! right in the feels. Between the marvelous Ms. Pointy and Sahara's magical prose, it's an absolute delight.

Written from the point of view of a girl repeating fifth grade, Sahara Special is a story of personal development, making friends, and not judging a book by its cover. Sahara's difficult life is very relatable for students from all backgrounds, from her poor performance in school to her single-parent household, as well as her love of reading and her lack of friends.

Sahara gets the nickname Sahara Special during her first fifth grade year, when she has to sit in the hall with the Special Needs teacher each day, who she only thinks of as Ms. Peaches. After her mother has an argument with her teacher Sahara is taken out of Special Needs, fails the year and must repeat fifth grade. Her new fifth grade class gets a new, unique teacher named show more Ms. Poitier, who has very clever and unusual teaching methods that seem to get through to the more troubled students. One method is the Trouble Basket, into which students put their troubles at the beginning of each school day as they enter the classroom. Ms. Poitier offers the students their troubles to take back on their way home, but no one ever takes them. The teacher also has students keep a journal that they write in each day, and through the journals she communicates with Sahara about her wanting to be a writer.

Sahara's point of view is colored by the fact that her father left when she was in third grade. The family troubles of her classmates are also revealed throughout the story, and the classmates help or hurt each other just students their age really do. The realistic narrative, Sahara's unique perspective, and the students' constant battering with the quirky Ms. Poitier make "Sahara Special" a very good read. It is especially appropriate for readers ages 8 to 12. show less

Sahara has been mistakenly labeled as a special needs student because she refuses to do her work and writes letters to her absent father instead. When Sahara's mother insists on removing her from the special ed program, Sahara must repeat fifth grade. The moment her new teacher walks in the classroom, Sahara knows that this year will be different. Miss Poitier (a.k.a. Miss Pointy) is unlike any teacher the students have ever had before, and she won't give up on any of them.

Having read Codell's memoir about teaching, I know that the teacher character is based on herself. I liked that she tried to get inside the mind of a student and she brought up the issue of labeling students. Because Sahara had been labeled "special needs", other show more teachers might have been tempted to treat her differently. The story is told with a real warmth and it kept my interest. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Phylicia Rashad (of The Cosby Show fame, among other things). I really enjoyed Rashad's reading and she's a narrator I will look for in the future. show less

Grade 3-6-In this delightful first novel, readers meet Sahara Jones in the school hallway, where she's been pulled out of class for sessions with the Special Needs teacher. It seems that Sahara's official school file is filled with her letters to her father, who had left the family, instead of her completed assignments. Sahara is a secretive writer; she fills her journal at home, then rips out the pages and stuffs them on the public library shelves behind the 940s for someone to discover someday. At her mother's insistence, the girl is taken out of the Special Needs program but is forced to repeat fifth grade. Enter a new teacher, Madame Poitier, who encourages her class to do, to write, to be, as never before. Sahara is sweeter than show more Harriet the Spy, as needy and engaging as Ramona, and is sure to be a character whom children will want to read about and get to know. Codell's take on fifth graders, teachers, Special Needs students, and mothers is very funny, and underneath the humor glows real warmth and love. A special novel that readers will not be able to put down. show less