Reach for the Moon is about Samantha Abeel who discovers she has the learning disability dyscalculia. With the help of her English teacher and family, she does not allow the disability define her and expresses her talents through the art of poetry. The book is split into three parts. In the first part of the book, Samantha herself speaks of how her disability has affected her. The second part of the book, she uses paintings by Charles R. Murphy to inspire others through poetry and short stories. In the last part of the book, her mother and teacher speak of her disability. Samantha’s story, like many others, is meant to show that a disability doesn’t define a person and you shouldn’t judge a person based off of what s/he can’t do but look at and praise what s/he can do. ( )

The author of these poems simply amazes me. Not only did she write these poems at the age of thirteen, she is also learning disabled. Thanks to the help of her teacher and parents her disability was recognized and she discovered that although number may give her trouble she can express herself through words.

I would use the lesson of Samantha Abeel's struggle and discovery in the classroom as a life lesson tool. Although you may not be good at one thing there are so many other 'things' you can be great at. I would also use it as an example of the depth and complexity a young mind can create when writing poetry. ( )

Samantha Abeel's book My Thirteenth Winter discribes her struggle with dyscalculia. She was encouraged by her parents and a teacher to embrase her strong writing abilities. She use the work of artist, Charles R. Murphy, as inspiration for the beautiful poetry published in this book. Each poem is printed opposite of the artwork which inspired it. Any classroom library which contains My Thirteenth Winter should have Reach for the Moon, as well. Students will benefit from seeing Abeel's published book to cement the ideals set forth in the memoir. ( )

Samantha Abeel has dyscalclia. A learning disability that prevents her from understanging simple math concepts such as telling time, counting money, fractions, and putting things in order. She was fortunate to have an English teacher that discovered she was a talented writer and could use this talent to help others. In the book Abeel uses paintings by Charles R. Murphy to inspire others through her poems and stories. I think that any library has Abeel's autobiography My Thirteenth Winter should have this book so that students can see her other work. This book can be used in art classes as well as in writing classes. ( )