What to read when: you want to thank a teacher
Because "Teacher's Appreciation Week" should be every week, all year
For those of us who are students or have students in our lives, Teacher Appreciation week is just behind us, and graduation has either just happened or is about to. The right time to thank the people brave enough to be teachers in America right now is on the daily, but if you’d like to do something special for graduation week and thank the creative writing teacher who wrote you a recommendation letter or the patient math whiz who helped your child learn their multiplication tables, here’s a recommendation:
The book: The Secret of Clouds
The author: Alyson Richman, an American writer primarily known for her sensitive, sweeping historical novels.
The why: Opening in Kiev, Ukraine, on the eve of a tragedy that nobody saw coming, this story follows the ballerina Katya and the academic Sasha as they emigrate to America, and their struggles with their son, Yuri, whose health problems necessitate that he be schooled at home. Enter Maggie, the teacher, who puts her all into tutoring this delicate and troubled student, although she has a troubled past of her own to contend with. A good read for now (Ukraine!) that packs in an homage to the stamina and generosity of good teachers everywhere.
Read an interview with the author: I like this one from “No Apology Book Reviews.”
Do you have great ideas for teacher-celebrating book titles? Share them in the comments!
The blue Bookshop hyperlink is an affiliate link. If you opt to buy it with that link, I get a tiny kickback at no cost to you which I use as credit to buy books on Bookshop, myself. “Secret of Clouds” is available everywhere books are sold.