Rain, Rein, and Reign

Tuesday’s Book Talk

During the holidays, I was given a very generous gift and decided to use that gift to continue building my classroom library. On Facebook, I asked my friends for some book suggestions and one my friends suggested Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. I read the summary of the book and definitely thought it was a good enough book to place in my classroom library, especially since it is about a girl in 5^th grade (at that time, I was teaching 5^th grade).

      When the book came in the mail, I was immediately attracted to the cover. Something about it just hooked me right away. I guess you can say I don’t really follow the whole “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” rule. I am someone who picks books based on the cover sometimes. Since this book stood out to me, I included it in our class read aloud vote this school year. My students seemed interested, but Hatchet by Gary Paulsen was also in the running and that took precedence. Although it wasn’t selected, I put it on the back burner to read over the summer.

      Well, summer just started and I chose to read this book first. I started it yesterday at 7:30 pm, and finished it this afternoon around 1:00 pm. It was a book I had a hard time putting down because it gave such a realistic look into someone who has high-functioning autism.  The girl, named Rose, is obsessed with words, mainly homonyms, rules, and numbers. In almost every situation she was in, she was thinking about homonyms. It depicts how children with autism can become so hooked on one thing. For those who do not have autism, when they are told to stop, they typically do. However, for those children who have autism, it’s hard for them to just stop. They can’t. Having a routine is crucial and that is also accurately portrayed in the story.

      This story is truly heartbreaking. You see a single father struggle to take care of his daughter. It seems that he still couldn’t wrap his head around Rose’s diagnosis. You see a girl’s love for a dog become so monumental, but tragic all at the same time. You also see what happens when a girl with high-functioning autism acts when she becomes stressed or frustrated.

      The part of this story that really struck me was Rose’s awareness. She knew when her dad was being sarcastic or even hurtful. She knew that her dad made a mistake. She knew that the kids in class didn’t really understand her. She knew when she needed a break. She knew Rain (her dog) and what her dog needed. There’s always this assumption that people with autism or Asperger’s are less intelligent when really that is so far from the truth.

      I would love to read this book aloud to my students one day. It’s one of those stories you need to sit and listen to. It’s a story about difference. It’s a story about acceptance. It’s a story about family. It’s a story about love. You know the saying “If you really love someone, let them go?” Yeah. This book is about that.

Check out a book trailer of Rain Reign!!