Panther's Print by Schechter Boston

Table of Contents

4 8 10 16 20 22 24 27 Wel come t o a New Worl d

Opi ni on Area

Poet 's Corner

The Den of Zen

Sol l y Recommends

Inspi rat i on

Short St ori es

Let t ers

Now more than ever, it's important to appreciate nature. It can be difficult to see the bright side of situations, but with nature, we can calm down and see the world from a new point of view. We chose to focus on nature in this issue to help brighten up your mood during these dark times. Enjoy! - The Panther's Print Team

Welcome to a Wel come Art Poet: Sophie Schlosman, Grade 6 Swaying my arm towards the earthy brown sketch book I effortlessly grab my black worn -down pencil Letting it flow through the bare pages Creating a simple scrap of magnificent art. I close the book and hear the click of the lock Then softly place my pencil back in my drawer. And carefully close the sketchbook Lying it down like a baby lying taking a nap.

a New World Wel come Tenni s Poet: Aviv Wassner, Grade 6 All determination and perspiration, In my wet face dripping with effort. A snowy white smooth grip on my sweat soaked hand, A familiar sensation, a ready racket, brushing the bouncy ball, An abrupt vibration ripples down my aching arm. Gleaming gray tennis shoes, Shuffling to the bounding ball, Smacking it to the other side of the concrete court.

Wel come Ice Cream Poet: Zoe Rabinovitch, Grade 6

Creamy classic caramel ice cream Freezing frigid frosty flavors of scrumptious deliciousness! When near I hear the cold creamy colorful ice cream calling out to me That beaming boastful banana colored ice cream creamy classic caramel dissolves on my surprisingly super pink tongue Sweet, creamy, and oh so dreamy!

Wel come Fl at Pret zel s Poet: Shaked Perez, Grade 6

Clack! Clack! Rustle! Crunch!

I lend my ear to that click, clack, crackle

Of my peachy fine pretzels

Savory, satisfying flavor

Like peanut butter and jelly on

Warm toasted bread

Opi ni on Area Opinion Electi on Reflecti ons Henry Goldstei n, Grade 7 During the Election

After the Election

The year is 2020.

Before.

The Day has passed,

Ages before.

the steaming ceased,

Days stretch out into years,

smiles stretch out

years into lifetimes,

freed from verge of catastrophe

lifetimes into Hellscapes. We sing and dance Wicked cauldron of tension

?neath the shining stars

brewing and steaming,

screaming Build Back Better

broiling and bubbling,

for better off we are

scalding water leaping out and burning a million souls.

Four years ago, we cried traumatized, in pain,

Hush, hush, we say, and the bubbling and hissing slows, as the entire world holds its breath.

and now, hush, hush, we won! we say.

Calm in presence,

For down by the river

frantic in spirit,

stand a group of ten men

we laugh with our friends

weeping, weeping,

as we?re chained down by fear.

for four years, endless defense.

We are desperate for truth, but the truth is that there is none, so we are left dissatisfied, searching once more.

weeping rigged! and fake!

Now they are left to fend for themselves, so they weep and weep in the depths of the fen

n Area I don't know, what does it mean?

I am not a proud American, yes

For everyone it's different, for

we have some good stuff we

me it is believing in doing the

have done in three hundred

right

people

years, but the rest is just bad.

heard, and talking about my

And some people just overlook

views on politics. I like being

that. I don't mind getting yelled

heard, but people out there

at, and I don't

aren't heard, because of racism,

berated, it means someone is

sexsim, anti semitcs, ect. When

listening to me, not the right

people tell me I should be proud

person but at least they listen. I

of America, it makes me think

will be a proud American when

about all the bad stuff America

America

has done, and the people in

people have the right to speak

America do daily, it

out. That's when we should be

thing,

making

make me proud.

doesn't

gets

proud, not now.

mind being

better,

when

I Am Ameri ca's Clown Henry Goldstei n, Grade 7 I am America's clown. Dancing in the center of the blood-red circus tent, they float and I flail in a tattered technocolor trench coat. As I perform, waving iron ribbons in smoky air, smiling, they sing of gold-paved roads - they mouth, beware. And then, a white-crowned eagle flies in - they cheer and pray it stabs me in the mouth, and to my dismay, no one says a word, until one rises, a donkey heals the wound, and half join, as he advises, 'till they tire, quiet, forget. But silence only begets more eagles, more stabs, more scars. And my scar shall never disappear, my cries, they shall never hear. And still, I dance and sing I, an eagle with one wing but I they never see; they'll look beyond, confronted with our destiny. When the lights fade out and the curtain falls, they'll see, I am America's clown.

Nature Around School Judy Lerner, Grade-6

Poet's C

For get t i n g Do you ever forget ? You just can't seem t o rem em ber it , The m ost im port ant t hing you w ant ed t o know . It ?ll get st uck in your head, and t hen it 's gone. M aybe it 's som et hing so im port ant , or som et hing so t errifying. Som et im es it 's som et hing you w ould like t o forget ; it just can't leave your m ind. It 's gone som ew here; far int o space, w here no one can find it .

Corner Sh i f t Today, I feel like t he ?shift ? key. I am useless w it hout t he effort of anot her key. I am m erely an enhancer. It ?s as t hough I need you. I?m unable t o do anyt hing by m yself. In fact , using m e on m y ow n w ill do not hing. Or m aybe, It ?s t he opposit e. M aybe, you need m e. M aybe I capit alize, and com m and, and redirect , and redo, w it h t he help of anot her key for a reason. Today, I feel like t he ?shift ? key. Today, I am useful. Today, I help t he ot her keys. Today, I am not alone, I am never alone. I m ake one?s act ion bold or different from anot her. I am not just an enhancer, I am like t he Sun. I give so m uch t o so m any, Yet The Eart h is m ore appreciat ed t han t he sun. Why? Why is a key on your keyboard not as appreciat ed as t he ot hers? Today, I feel like t he Sun

Snow Pow dering t he rooft ops

But frozen

Sprinkling t he law ns

Welcom ing w int er

Snow com es, and leaves

As w e look out side

As it pleases

And see t he snow

It coat s t he Eart h

Falling,

And m elt s on t ongues

Racing,

Of lit t le children w ho play

Slidiing

In t he snow

Skating,

At 32 degrees Fahrenheit

The snow tumbles down to the ground

Snow covers t he ground Like a blanket On a cold w int er day

As we sip hot cocoa With marshmallows White as snow.

And snow m en arise From t heir hiding place To play and sleep In t he snow As birds m igrat e sout h As bears hibernat e The snow falls Soft ly t o t he ground

Like lit t le raindrops

The Den W el com e For est By: David Com m ander

When I ent er t he grand grove of t rem endous t rees I feel t he gaze of curious creat ures I can hear t he babbling of t he brook like a w at er w heel going on forever I sm ell t he m ust y, dust y scent Of rot t en w ood drift ing on t he w ind Beaut iful bat t ered boughs bust ling w it h vibrant life M arvelous w oods m agically creat e a palace free of m alice t he m ost sacred sensat ions of nat ure live here

n of Zen ?I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.? ? Joh n Bur r ough s

17 Designed by brgfx / Freepik

Solly Reco Books: The Roar by Emma Clayton

(sequel: The Whisper)

Beacan Street Girls -By Annie Bryant

The Trials of Apollo By , Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson By, Rick Riordan

The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Griffiths Little

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

The Hunger Games (series) by Suzanne Collins

Keeper of the Lost Cities (series) by Shannon Messenger

" Th er e ar e peopl e i n your l i f e w h om you un k n ow i n gl y i n spi r e si m pl y by bei n g you"

ommends 41 Relaxin g Th in gs

? ?You m i ss 10 0 % of t h e sh ot s you don ?t t ak e" - W ayn e Gr et zk y

Meditating Bubble Bath Bathing Gratefulness Writing Time Machine Making Knitting Bracelet Tying Tea Drinking Sleeping Swimming Soap Opera Interpreting Reading Poetry Writing Shower Singing Song Learning Recorder Playing Santa Claus Catching Self-Portrait Drawing Netflix Binging Nature Walking Best Life Living Candy Making Slime Making Eating Breathing Journal Writing Quote Reading Crossword Doing Comic Book Making Couch Potatoing Sewing Costume Making Water Drinking Frog Pretending Kinetkic Sand Using Amazon Over-Using ASMR Listening Yoga Doing Stretching Paper Ripping Yodeling Yoda Speaking Like

- qu ot es If there is no struggle, there is no progress. -Frederick Douglass

I nspir Take a breath Inhale peace Exhale happiness With a mask

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated." -Maya Angelou

Ever y lit t le t h in gs gon n a be alr igh t -Bob M ar ley

?Kin d w or ds can be sh or t an d easy t o speak bu t t h eir ech oes ar e t r u ly en dless?

ation

- qu ot es-

(M ot h er Ter esa)

"true simplicity is elegant." - E. L. Konigsburg Every flow er is a soul blossom ing in nat ure -Gerald De Nerval

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. ? John Burroughs

The Last One Laughing By Ethan Bracha, Grade 7 When you hear t he w ord ?Arena?, w hat do you t hink of? M aybe a st adium , a w rest ling pit , m aybe a video gam e, but you probably don?t t hink of a fold out t able w it h chairs on eit her side. If you haven?t connect ed t he dot s yet , t he arena is t he fold out t able. I w as on one side and Bo w as on t he ot her. I w as sm all, m y feet barely reached t he ground w hile I sat on t he folding chair. Bo w as m uch t aller and m ade m e look like a dw arf. Luckily, I had t he skill t o clim b all t he w ay up t o second place. Right behind Bo. The Shuffler brought out a large plat e t hat Bo and I each put our m oney int o. ?Ladies and gent lem en, boys and girls,? said t he Narrat or of t he gam e. ?Welcom e t o t he final cham pionship.? The Narrat or w as on m y left and t he Shuffler w as on m y right . Gat hered around t he t able, w at ching, w ere about t en people w ho had eit her been defeat ed by Bo, or m e. ?Bo against Avery. Who w ill w in? ?Shuffler! Shuffle.? The Narrat or passed t he Shuffler a new deck of cards, st ill in order. The Shuffler w as ex perienced. She knew w here each card w ent and could feel how m any cards w ere in her fingers w it hout having t o look at t hem . Unfort unat ely, t he Shuffler w as biased t ow ards Bo, so he w as m ore likely t o get a bet t er hand. Luckily, I w as dealt bad hands m y ent ire life and I m ade it here. I w asn?t sure w here ?here? w as ex act ly, but it w as in som eone?s basem ent , playing cards w it h a supposed brainiac. The Shuffler t ook t he deck out of t he Narrat or?s hand and w it hout opening her eyes, gent ly shuffled t he cards. Slipping t hem t hrough her fingers like it w as a gam e she played w it h herself. A gam e she played against all of us. A suspenseful gam e t hat only she enjoyed. The Shuffler t hen placed four, faced dow n cards, in front of m e, and four in front of Bo. ?Let t he m at ch...? t he Narrat or st art ed. ?Begin! ? The Narrat or w asn?t allow ed t o speak for t he rest of t he m at ch in order not t o give aw ay som et hing one of t he players hadn?t not iced. Bo and I quickly t ook t he cards from t he opposing side and held t hem so only w e could see t hem for ourselves. I had one king, one duke, one lucky 13, and one sad clow n. I was dealt a bad hand. Bo had t he gong card.

If you don?t underst and w hat ?s happening, here?s a basic rule in t he gam e. There are t hree of each t ype of card ex cept for t he gong w hich t here?s only one of. When t he Shuffler shuffles, she has t o decide bet w een put t ing t he gong card at t he t op of t he deck, or placing it on one of t he dealt hands. I knew t hat t he gong w asn?t in m ine, and at t he beginning of t he gam e, I had t he chance t o st eal a card from t he t op. So t hat ?s ex act ly w hat I did. A good st rat egist w ould know t hat if t hey had t he gong, t hey?d t ry t o st eal t he t op card t o m ake it look like t hey didn?t have it . I actually didn?t have it . I grabbed t he t op card right before Bo?s hand hit t he deck and he grabbed t he t op card. If t he Shuffler had cheat ed and placed t he gong under t he t op card on t he deck, she w ould lose her role and never be able t o play t he gam e again. The Shuffler eit her cheat ed and m ade a huge sacrifice, gave t he gong t o Bo, or put t he gong on t op. I put t he card int o m y hand and saw anot her sad clow n. Bo had t he gong. Because I had picked t he t op card first , I had t he first t urn. I placed m y duke card nex t t o t he pile on t he t able, t hen t ook a card from Bo?s hand. Sad clow n. I t ook m y sad clow ns and put t hem face up on t he t able. ?Trio,? I said. Usually, t he opposing player w ould grow l at m e or give m e a vex ed glare, but Bo just grinned. He w as up t o som et hing. I drew a card from t he pile and w ait ed for Bo t o play. I had draw n an unlucky 12. I had t o get rid of eit her it , or t he lucky 13 or I w ould lose t he gam e. Bo placed an unlucky 12 on t op of m y duke and t ook t he lucky t hirt een from m y hand. He t hen t ook anot her card from his hand and placed it dow n along w it h t he lucky 13. ?Duo,? he said. He w ant ed m e t o st eal. He w ant ed m e t o place m y king on t op. I didn?t . Or m aybe, he knew I w ouldn?t st eal and planned for it . I didn?t end up st ealing. We w ent back and fort h like t his unt il w e had each had seven t urns. Before show ing our hand, w e had a chance t o discard one card if w e w ant ed t o. Bo had 5 t rios and 1 duo. I had 5 duos and 1 t rio. I w as w inning. I discarded a fruit salad card and Bo placed a gong on m y 14 duo. ?Trio,? he said, and brought his now -t rio t o his side. I had com plet ely forgot t en about t he gong. He now had 6 t rios and 1 duo. He had w on. ?Hahaha! How did you not see t hat com ing?? Bo cackled. He w as about t o w in all t he m oney I had put in t he dish. Second place sounds like it w ould be som et hing good. Like you did a great job and you gave it your all. But t here is no prize for not being t he best and I learned t hat t he hard w ay. One day, I w ould get t he gong and I w ould st eal a duo. One day, I?d show all of t hem t hat I w as bet t er, t hat I w as a w inner, t hat I w asn?t a quit t er, t hat I w ould be t he last one laughing.

Nature in Art Nicole Fischer, Grade 6

Letters Letter to Donald Trump From: Sarah Singer Out of My Mind Book Group Letter From: Liat Skolnick Book Group Letter From: Sarah Singer Letter to Gary Paulson From: Sarah Singer Letter to Thanhhà L?i From: Henry Goldstein

Letter to Donald Trump 28

From: Sar ah Singer, Gr ade 6

Dear President Donald Trum p, I just w at ched you debat ing w it h Vice President Biden about opening schools. I respect your opinion about opening schools right now like a norm al year, but I t hink t hat if w e just reopen right now , Covid w ill break out all over t he place and w e w ill have t o close again. I also t hink t hat even t hough t he t ransm ission t o t eachers is very sm all, children can see high-risk fam ily m em bers aft er t ouching t heir classm at es, and endanger t hem . How ever, I do t hink t hat w e should t ry t o open schools, but w e m ust t ake t he correct safet y precaut ions. M y school opened in-person t his year, but w e have t o w ear m asks, and social dist ance. I t hink t hat it is very healt hy for kids t o see t heir friends. How ever, if w e are going t o st op Covid, w e m ust do so carefully and slow ly. We have slow ly st art ed t o reopen t hings, but if w e st op being careful now , t hen w e w ill go back t o square one. I t hink t hat our econom y isn?t going t o be dam aged t oo badly, because people are st ill going t o w ork, even if it is online, and people st ill have t o get resources. Vice President Biden doesn?t w ant t o open schools if w e can?t get m ore t eachers, pods, and resources. But how are w e going t o get all t he m oney for t his? I w ould not like t o raise t ax es, but t hat m ight be t he only choice. Luckily, people can now go int o w ork, just w it h m asks and ot her precaut ions. Opening carefully can ensure t hat w e can st ill be t oget her, just 6 feet apart . Now , m ore t han ever, w e need m oney, and w e don?t have t hat m oney. But if w e raise t ax es, w ouldn?t t hat be against t he Republican t ax idea? Also, people w ho are poorer could suffer even m ore t han t hey already are w it h new t ax raises. We also need m ore m oney t o hire m ore people. We need m ore t eachers, and a lot of people got let go w hen Covid st art ed. I not iced t hat you m ent ioned your son get t ing Covid, and you said it w ent aw ay quickly. He m ight have had a pret t y good im m une syst em , but older people and ot hers t hat have m edical condit ions m ight not . Therefore, I t hink t hat w e should prot ect t hose people. Schools m ight not reopen because t hat st at e has m ore Covid cases, but in st at es t hat have less, I agree w it h you t hat w e should open schools in-person. I just w as t o keep in m ind t hat w e m ust st ill be safe. I also disagree w it h you t hat Vice President Biden w ould close if one person in t he governm ent got Covid. I t hink t hat Vice President Biden w ould t ake t he necessary precaut ions, and I t hink t hat everyone should do t hat . How ever, Vice President Biden also said t hat w e shouldn't open schools unt il w e have Covid under cont rol. I t hink t hat Covid is in cont rol in som e st at es, and w e should open schools carefully t here. How ever, in st at es like Florida, schools should be closed because of spikes in Covid cases. I agree w it h you t hat w e should prot ect m ent al healt h, and m aybe doing so can help people cont ain Covid. Good luck on your cam paign. Thank you so m uch for your t im e! Sincerely, Sarah Singer

Out of My Mind Book Gr oup Letter From: Liat Skolnick, Gr ade 6 From the point of view of Melody's friend, Rose

Dear M elody, I have realized t hat you?re having problem s w it h Claire and M olly. I have seen and heard how t hey t ease you and never let you have a break. They keep saying how you're so w eird, and are not capable of anyt hing . Som et im es t hey?re even jealous of you! They t hink you're cheat ing w hen you?re not , and don?t like you because you?re sm art er and bet t er t hen t hem . You're such a good person and friend even w it h your lim it at ions. I know it ?s hard t o live t hrough your life w it h som e people looking at you like you?re not one of t hem , so congrat ulat ions on finding your voice! It m ust be very ex cit ing t o get your M edi Talker and finally be able t o ex press your feelings. People m ight alw ays have t heir opinions and m ight alw ays look dow n on you. You m ight have a w heelchair w it h useful t hings connect ed t o t he arm rest s and a m achine t o t alk, but you are st ill a person! Anyw ay you are, it ?s not your fault you have lim it at ions. You have an am azing t alent but you'll never get t o show anyone. Claire and M olly t ease you because t hey can?t see t hrough t o your t alent . As your friend, I w ould like t o help you deal w it h Claire and M olly. Being on t he receiving end of t easing is hard t o deal w it h and som et im es you don?t know w hat t o do. You don?t w ant t o hurt anybody's feelings but you need t o m ake t he bullying st op. Obviously Claire and M olly are already on som e of t he t eachers' bad sides. If t hey t ry t o sabot age you or your chair by t urning it over or breaking it , you m ight really have t o t ell a t eacher. First t hough, you should t ry t o st and up t o t hem . If t hey?re t easing you, you should act calm and confident no m at t er how m uch t heir w ords hurt . They w ant t o em barrass you. You should eit her t alk t o t hem confident ly and ex pose t hem , or t ell t hem how you feel. If t hey are w hispering loudly from afar, you should go up t o t hem and t alk t o t hem really polit ely about som et hing com plet ely random . That m ight cat ch t hem off guard and you can roll aw ay sm iling. They w ill st ill t ry t o m ake fun of t he voice of your M edi Talker because t hat w ould be rude. You m ight have t o just say how you don?t care and you t hink it ?s nice. I like how you're alw ays so happy and posit ive now w it h your M edi Talker, and I t hink you chose a nice voice for it . If you decide t o t ell a t eacher first , t ry not t o sound like you?re com plaining because t hen t hey'll be proud and happy for you. You should t ell t he t eacher not t o m ake t he punishm ent t oo harsh, but you w ant it t o st op. You never know w hat Claire and M olly m ight do so be careful. I t hink you?re am azing, and a nice person. I w ill alw ays be happy t o be your friend no m at t er w hat . Sincerely, Rose

Book Gr oup Letter From: Sar ah Singer, Gr ade 6

Dear Eleanor, Your son has not ified m e t hat lat ely you have not been get t ing credit for t hings t hat you have done for King Henry ( your husband) . Geoffrey has also not iced t hat Thom as Becket has been rew arded for t he deeds t hat you did. Becket has been t aking up all of your king?s at t ent ion, as I?m sure you know . Geoffrey said t hat Henry?s first t hought is alw ays Thom as. Henry also nam ed him his Archbishop and chancellor. Becket got credit for t hinking of t he idea of engaging your son t o Louis?s new daught er, even t hough it w as your idea. The last ex am ple t hat he gave m e w as t hat Thom as got t he Vex in back, and got credit , but you gave birt h t o t he son t hat had t he Vex in in t he first place. All of t hese ex am ples show t hat Thom as is get t ing m uch m ore t han he deserves, and I?m sure t hat you can com e up w it h m any m ore. Thom as has been t reat ed m ore like royalt y t han you, t he queen. How unfair! As an abbot , I w ould like t o provide ideas for handling t his sit uat ion. You should t alk t o King Henry. Tell him how you feel. Ask him t o m eet you for dinner for his favorit e food( s) and ask him if m aybe he can find m ore t im e for you. Rem em ber, you can alw ays t ry again. Even if you don?t like Thom as, t ry t o find som et hing in com m on w it h him . Anot her solut ion could be t hat Henry could dem ot e him t o just chancellor. Then, you can be his advisor and spend m ore t im e w it h Henry, even on royal dut ies. M aybe you can prove t o Henry t hat you can do a job just as w ell as Thom as, m aybe even bet t er. If he doesn?t agree w it h you, just st art doing sm all t hings like get t ing him som e w at er or greet ing guest s at a part y, and event ually show him t hat you can do m ajor t hings like be an advisor or engage t w o young children. You are a queen. Alt hough t hese solut ions are accept able and pract ical, I?d like t o provide t w o m ore solut ions: 1. You can com e t o church and let m e help you out . I w ould be delight ed t o assist m y king and queen. How ever, you M UST keep it a secret from Abbot Bernard. He found ?cousins? in t his m arriage. He does not approve of it , as he did not of you and Louis. Look how you and Louis t urned out . I refuse t o issue a divorce, but m aybe you can t ake som e t im e aw ay from one anot her and Thom as. 2. I just w ant t o let you know t hat I have been t hrough t he sam e sit uat ion. Before I becam e an abbot , I w as m arried t o a w onderful w om an. Or so I t hought . She m et a lady and she becam e m y w ife?s advisor. M y w ife spent days w it h her, but w it hout m e. I couldn?t underst and how som eone could be cont ent t o see t heir part ner so upset . So I w ent and found a friend. He w as nice, and I spent so m uch t im e w it h him . How ever, I soon realized t hat I w as st ill not cont ent w it hout m y w ife?s com pany. Short ly aft er m y w ife?s advisor w ent t o Aust ralia for a royal t rip, I t alked t o m y w ife. It t urns out t hat she didn?t know how I felt about it . We m oved t o m y new ly conquered land, and set t led dow n. We ruled t here and gave our friends our ot her lands. Everyone w as happy. I am not saying you should do all of t his. It w ould probably be best t o just t alk t o him . M aybe he has no idea how you are feeling. I hope t his has helped. Sincerely, Abbot Suger

Letter to Thanhhà Lai about I nside Out & Back Again From: Henr y Goldstein, Gr ade 7 Dear Thanhha Lai,

I clam ber up t he gloom y, narrow st aircase of m y grandm ot her's form er house, know ing t hat I w ill soon be faced w it h m y grandparent s? past lives in Havana. I w ill soon learn of t he det ails of t heir escape: from Cuba t o t he Unit ed St at es, from Com m unism t o dem ocracy, from fear t o safet y, just as Hà escaped from Viet nam and cam e t o t he Unit ed St at es and it s w ays. If m y grandparent s had not escaped Cuba, m y grandfat her, a physician in Cast ro's Air Force, likely w ould have been ex ecut ed for t reason for recom m ending Am erican m edicines and publicly ex pressing his negat ive opinions about t he Cuban revolut ion. They m iraculously escaped t o Israel and t hen t o t he Unit ed St at es, leaving everyt hing behind. They w orked st renuously t o support t hem selves and t heir fam ily and never gave up. Hà?s fam ily also left behind t heir hom e and m ost of t heir possessions t o obt ain freedom . In reading Inside Out & Back Again, I w as shocked by t he parallels of Hà?s life t o m y grandparent s? lives. Every page of your book w as a m irror reflect ing m y fam ily?s st ory. Alt hough Hà m ust say goodbye t o t he annual Tét celebrat ion, she holds ont o t he Viet nam ese cult ure t hrough her nat ive language, rit ual chant s, and Viet nam ese phot os t hat her t ut or gave t o her. Those im ages help her say goodbye t o t en years of precious m em ories and m ake t he t ransit ion slight ly easier for her. Decades aft er m y grandparent s? escape from Cuba, m y fam ily st ill upholds Cuban t radit ions and t akes pride in our st ory. We speak Spanish at hom e, eat Cuban foods, and recent ly visit ed our ancest ral hom e, Havana. There, w e visit ed m y grandparent ?s synagogue, hospit al, and house, and looked out over El M alecon, a gorgeous esplanade w it h a view of an endless blue lake, just as m y grandparent s had over six t y years earlier. We also had t he opport unit y t o t alk w it h Cuban people and learn about t heir financial st ruggles under t he Com m unist governm ent . These sim ple t hreads t ie m e t o m y hist ory.

One m ajor sim ilarit y bet w een Hà?s fam ily st ory and m ine w as t heir challenging arrivals. M y grandparent s had t o st art from scrat ch w it h hardly any m oney, new jobs, a m ajor cult ural and language barrier, and t he st igm a at t hat t im e regarding foreigners and im m igrat ion. Hà is t aunt ed and bullied by som e people, befriended by ot hers, and m isunderst ood by all. She feels isolat ed and alienat ed, like a glove in a bin full of m it t ens. I t oo have felt socially uncert ain. M any people nat urally fit int o a specific group, but I am friendly t o all yet nevert heless unconfident w here ex act ly I should st ay. Through your book, I w as able t o see som eone sharing m y ex perience. Your book allow ed m e t o look t hrough t he lens of a helpless child being forced t o leave her hom et ow n because of t he horrors of w ar. I learned t o respect everyone?s st ories and t o rem em ber t hat everyone has t heir ow n challenges. I now t ry t o judge people solely on how t hey act , not t hrough st ereot ypes and t he m edia?s perspect ive on t heir et hnic group. As m em ories of m y deceased grandparent s are beginning t o fade, I find it even m ore im port ant t o keep t heir st ories alive. I vividly rem em ber sit t ing dow n on t he beige couch w it h m y som ber fam ily and being t old of m y grandfat her?s deat h. Tim e st ood st ill as I regist ered t he new s. The seconds t urned int o m inut es, m inut es t urned int o hours, w hile I sat sit t ing and t hinking and grieving in silence. This w as not t he last t im e t hat I w ould m ourn. Only t hree m ont hs lat er, m y grandm ot her passed aw ay. Aft er an anx ious call w it h t he police, t hey report ed t o us t hat her life had com e t o a peaceful end. Hà also has t o deal w it h t he loss of her fam ily in your book. Her fat her, a Sout h Viet nam soldier, had been kidnapped and not ret urned for m any years. Event ually, t he fam ily accept s w hat t hey t ruly know in t he back of t heir m inds, t hat he had died. Hà loves m em ories t hat her m ot her shared about her fat her. I learned about t he universal im pact of grief from your book. Like Hà, I have changed subst ant ially since I w as young. Near t he beginning of your book, Hà is a st ubborn and independent young girl. When I w as younger, m y personalit y w ould adapt t o w hat people assum ed about m e, and I w ould end up act ing in w ays unlike m yself. Som e people t hought t hat I w as foolish and silly, w hile t his w as not m y t rue personalit y. Now , m y peers know m e bet t er. Over t he years, I have t ried t o not be disrupt ive in class. Throughout t he m ajor changes and adversit ies in her life, Hà begins t o em brace her new found freedom , regardless of t he difficult ies t hat cam e w it h it . I am forever grat eful for t he freedom t hat m y ancest ors gave t o m e. As Hà says, This year I hope I truly learn to fly- kick, not to kick anyone as much as fly. ( pp. 259-260) Sincerely, Henry Goldst ein This letter was awarded top honors in Letters About Literature in Massachusetts for 4th- 6th grade

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