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Sahara Special

Sahara Special Open the full-size image

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Contributors

By Esmé Raji Codell

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Sep 1, 2004
Page Count
192 pages
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13
9780786816118

Price

$7.99

Price

$11.99 CAD

Format

Trade Paperback

Format:

Trade Paperback $7.99 $11.99 CAD

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Sahara Jones is going into fifth grade-again. Although she won’t be “Sahara Special” anymore (special needs, that is), she doesn’t expect this year to be any better than last year. Fifth grade is going to be different, though, because Sahara’s class is getting a new teacher: Miss Pointy. From her eggplant-colored lipstick to the strange subjects she teaches, like “Puzzling” and “Time Travel,” she is like no other teacher Sahara has ever known. With Miss Pointy’s help, Sahara just might find a way to redefine special for herself.
The latest chapter in her book unfolds when her mother insists that she be taken out of special Ed. So Sahara is facing fifth grade in the regular classroom, again. But why even try to do the work, Sahara wonders, if everything just winds up in the counselor’s file?
Enter Miss Pointy, the new fifth-grade teacher. With her eggplant-colored lipstick, and strange subjects such as “Puzzling” and “Time Travel,” she’s like no other teacher Sahara has ever known. Through Miss Pointy’s unusual teaching, storytelling, and quiet support, Sahara finds the courage to overcome her fears and prove which file shows her true self.

Genre:

  • Children's Books
  • Juvenile Fiction
  • Readers
  • Intermediate

Esmé Raji Codell is the author of Hanukkah, Shmanukkah!, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, Diary of a Fairy Godmother, with illustrations by Drazen Kozjan a memoir for young readers, Sing a Song of Tuna Fish: Hard-to-Swallow Stories from Fifth Grade, and the IRA Children's Book Award winner, Sahara Special. Her first book was the memoir Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year, and her most recent book for adults is How To Get Your Child to Love Reading.  She has worked as a children's bookseller, teacher, and school librarian, and now runs the popular children's literature Web site www.planetesme.com, and literary salon, The Planet Esmé Bookroom. Esmé lives in Chicago with her husband and son.  

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Esmé Raji Codell

About the Author

A nationally renowned advocate for literacy and literature-based instruction, Esmé Raji Codell is today “one of the nation’s most sought-after voices for empowering teachers” (People) and a “Superstar of Education” (Scolastic Instructor). Esmé has been interviewed on CBS This Morning, CNN, C-SPAN’s Book Talk, and NPR. The author of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading as well as award-winning books for children, Esmé lives with her husband and son in Chicago, where she spent many years as an educator in Chicago public schools and now runs the popular children’s literature Web site PlanetEsme.com and the unique literary salon, the PlanetEsme Bookroom.

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