Best Children’s Book REview

First Grade, Ms. Boston

BY NAINA DEBUKA

BOOK: That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed

1839. The 53 people fought the slave captors and ultimately won their freedom.

Laura saved four children from being captured and sold into slavery.

Laura, the main character, falls in love with the shack and all the history behind it. The vivid stories she reads connect her to the strong women in her ancestry.

She completely forgets that her best friend asked her to do an initiation to be in a popular girl group called the Pink Chips in the shack. During the initiation, they end up breaking a chair that belonged to her grandma since she was a little girl. Laura gets extremely mad and kicks them all out. Laura’s best friend comes back to apologize, and they make up! Her class ends up going on the field trip, and she presents the facts. She is proud of herself and her ancestry.

This book is absolutely amazing for older grade levels. I love the depth the author goes into about each character and their personal story. This book is culturally relevant and very important. I learned many lessons without getting bored. I most definitely recommend this book because this book is very entertaining and very real. I feel like I know the character and her life story. Many kids go through what Laura does in Laura Line. Her book has unusual twists that are not like other people’s lives, but readers can still easily relate to her struggle to know and appreciate who she is. I hope you find time this summer to read Laura Line and decide if you can relate to her, too!

SUMMARY: The main person is Mirha. The story is about Mirha trying to teach her friends her name. It is also about Mirha thinking her name is easy and being happy about it. It was Mirha’s first day going to school. She was so excited. When Mirha arrived at school she stood in the whole class and said my name is Mirha! She thought her name was easy, but everyone said her name wrong. Only one person almost said it, but they took the I to a U. Also, her teachers said it wrong. They said, Mina. Mirha wanted to change her name to something easier. When she got home, she told Mamma her plan. Mamma didn’t look happy. Mirha’s mom told her what her name means. It means happiness. Mamma said when you were little, and I heard your laughter I knew it fits you. The next day, she kept her words. Hayden came up and said I’m sorry about yesterday. She knew what to say. Mirha told Hayden how to pronounce her name. Mirha made friends and they told how they got their names. Mirha loved how different they are. REVIEW: I liked the book because Mirha and my life are kind of the same — people call us different names. I also liked it because she was confident. The only part I do not like is that people are teasing Mirha at her first day of school. I learned from this book that people’s names are special.