The Junkyard Wonders

Incidentally, it is my birthday. No, I am not writing reviews on my birthday. I am a great review scheduler. At this exact moment, I am probably asleep. Or at the zoo looking at tigers and the octopus.
So.
Like many of Patricia Polacco's stories, this deeply emotional and intense story is drawn from her own experiences as a child. In the story, a girl named Trisha decides to stay with her father and grandmother instead of returning to her mother in California. She wants this because she hopes to be in a "normal" class at school and finally have friends. Unfortunately, she immediately finds herself in "the junkyard" and completely deserted by her summer friends. In this class are all the kids who don't fit in; they have learning show more disabilities, physical illnesses, and other problems. Scorned and bullied by the other students and ignored by the rest of the school, Trisha and her classmates nevertheless blossom under the determined love and care of Mrs. Peterson. They become friends and start having hope that they are, as Mrs. Peterson claims, geniuses. They even visit and junkyard and get a wonderful idea; to reclaim a broken model airplane and make it "bigger and better." But then things go wrong. Jody, the boy who protected them from bullies, dies. One of the bullies tells the principal about their plans to fly the reconstructed plane in Jody's honor and the flight is cancelled. But Mrs. Peterson always has a plan...
In the author's note at the end of the story, Patricia Polacco tells us how her friends in the "junkyard" became amazing, successful people - Junkyard Wonders.
The length and plot of this story are not going to appeal to younger children. The youngest age I would hand this to would be a mature 1st grader. This story is best suited for older elementary ages up through middle school, as well as for teachers. Although some people are going to want to try to use this as a deterrent for would-be bullies, I don't think it will make much difference there. Children who lack empathy and compassion are rarely changed by a story, not matter how much emotional punch it packs. They simply won't draw a connection between the "weird kid" they tease in the hallways and Trisha and her friends. This story is for the kids who think they don't matter. For the ones who are told they're useless and damaged. For the kids who get left out and overlooked. It gives them hope that they do have potential, that they can overcome difficulties and realize their dreams. That they too can become Junkyard Wonders.
Verdict: Recommended, if you happen to have a juvenile picturebook section, this would be a good place to put this book. show less

When Trisha convinces her parents that she should spend the school-year in Michigan, with her father and grandmother, rather than with her mother in California, she is motivated by a desire to escape from the stigma of having been a late-comer to reading. But her placement in Mrs. Peterson's class - known as the "junkyard," because all of the students have some kind of disability or problem - would seem to indicate that she hadn't escaped "special education," and the ridicule it sometimes invites, after all. It takes an extraordinary teacher, and some wonderful classmate and friends - her "tribe" - to show Trisha that she isn't a piece of "junk" at all, but a genius full of potential. A true wonder...

In the same vein as Thank You, Mr. show more Falker, in which Polacco pays tribute to the (California) elementary-school teacher who first helped her to read, or Mr. Lincoln's Way, in which she tells the true tale of a wise principle who helped a disturbed young boy onto a better path, this lovely autobiographical picture-book - the author's latest - is a pean to the transformative power of a truly remarkable educator. I found the story inspiring, one of the later developments quite moving (yes, I was tearing up - again!), and the illustrations quite appealing. It's funny, but although I probably wouldn't be a fan of Polacco's art, on its own - not that there's anything wrong with it, it just isn't really my "style" - when it is combined with her stories, it just feel right! All in all, a wonderful addition of Polacco's already large body of excellent picture-books! show less

This book wasn't what I was expected but I really enjoyed it. Patricia has become one of my favorite authors. I like how realistic this book is with the reason Patricia wanted to change schools. I've met several people who wanted to change schools to get away from people talking about them and not wanting to be their friends. I think this would be good for younger audiences to give them perspective on how they could make other students feel when they pick on them or ostracize them for being different. After reading this book, I came to love the analogy behind the title. My favorite thing about this book is how encouraging the teacher is and starts off reading them the definition of being a genius.

[b:The Junkyard Wonders|7692533|The Junkyard Wonders|Patricia Polacco|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1288186555s/7692533.jpg|10364750] (written and illustrated by the amazing [a:Patricia Polacco|46688|Patricia Polacco|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1289113186p2/46688.jpg]) is, indeed, an absolute wonder, evocative, heartwarming, emotionally wrenching. When Tricia decides that she wants to live with her father for a while, she is dismayed when she is, yet again, put into a special education class, the junkyard. However, Mrs. Peterson's class has incredible, wonderful classmates (friends) for Tricia, and an extraordinary teacher, who inspires her students to be creative, imaginative, to believe in themselves, who shows them that they are show more truly "special" in the best, most positive sense of the word.

I found myself both inspired and enveloped by the many emotions, the many themes, messages flowing into and out of this absolute gem of a story (and a true story at that, based on Patricia Polacco's own experiences); a rich and varied tapestry of happiness, sadness, anger, fear and frustration entered my soul, my very being. And then there is Mrs. Peterson, a truly one-of-a-kind teacher. She makes Tricia and her classmates believe in themselves. She encourages their creativity, their dreams and ideas, at a time when most of the other teachers and students only see that the students in Mrs. Peterson's junkyard are somehow "different" that they are "weird" that they are "challenged." While Mrs. Peterson might not actually be able to stop the bullying, the negativity that is often directed at her students, she makes her students realise that they "can" that life is full of wonder and endless possibility.

I would recommend [b:The Junkyard Wonders|7692533|The Junkyard Wonders|Patricia Polacco|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1288186555s/7692533.jpg|10364750] to older children, above the age of seven or eight. Although there is quite a lot of descriptive text, it is not primarily that which makes me hesitate to recommend this amazing and heartfelt narrative to very young children, but the fact that the story does cover some rather heavy themes, such as bullying and the unexpected death of a classmate (I, myself, cried while reading [b:The Junkyard Wonders|7692533|The Junkyard Wonders|Patricia Polacco|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1288186555s/7692533.jpg|10364750], I was also fuming with indignation at the bullying and the fact that the principal chose to listen to the tales told by the school bully).

Like other reviewers have also mentioned, I don't think that [a:Patricia Polacco|46688|Patricia Polacco|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1289113186p2/46688.jpg]'s bold and colourful illustrations would be all that appealing to me on their own. However, in combination with the text, they work amazingly well. A fitting complement to the story, the illustrations mirror and expand on the joy, the heartbreak, the love, the hope, all of the emotions portrayed and described in and by the narrative. Very highly recommended. show less

This just hurts my heart! I like how the kids tried to reclaim the word junkyard as their own and use it as a sign of pride. Jody's death pushed this book into too dark of a place for me, but I think the idea of being appreciative of your peers is really powerful. Like other Pollacco books, this one is based on her own life experiences.

Trisha makes a the move to her father's town and starts at a new school in hopes of fitting in and making friends. She believed her dyslexia held her back and a fresh start would help her make friends. To her surprise, the classroom she is placed in (aka "the Junkyard") is filled with students with all sorts of special needs. This immediately closes the doors to a fresh start with the "normal" kids but with the help of a wonderful teacher, each student in the "Junkyard" embraces who they are and they naturally support and love one another. The rest of the book follows the students through their classroom experiences and shows how they can turn something they found in a junkyard into to a wonderful project. The symbolism between the show more junkyard and the students was beautifully connected and displays how they can take things to new heights with love and hard work. show less

"Junkyard Wonders" is by far my favorite book that I've read this semester. It can be difficult knowing that you're not on the same level as your peers and knowing that your peers know it too. When your classroom is referred to as the "Junkyard," it's had to have a positive outlook on school and on yourself. Luckily, the students in this junkyard have an amazing teacher. From the very beginning, she makes sure that they are all aware that they are geniuses and that greatness can come from the junkyard too. This book is about the importance of friendship, self-esteem, and great teaching. I hope to be half as amazing as this teacher was. Even though I enjoyed it and recognized it's power as a future teacher, it's a great read for anyone.