More important than enjoyable. Almost no humor - and some is key, otherwise the characters don't feel quite real and I can't be bothered to care about them.

Lots of messages, subtle and not so. For example, the bit about using Morse code to communicate with a stroke patient seems like a good idea, and it's the first I've heard of it.

And though at first I was annoyed that Mom and Josie aren't a team working together to help Josie grow up to be the most capable adult she can be, I came to empathize with Mom having trouble seeing that her baby is growing up, and by the end they do learn to cooperate, so that's good.

3.5 stars, rounded up, because I love the drawings and the literary selections signaling the beginning of each season. ( )

Likeable characters and their close connection to mindfulness was refreshing. Not didactic. ( )

6. Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer and published 2007 by Bloomsbury publishing, is a great Contemporary realistic Fiction chapter book written in free verse poetry instead of a traditional narrative. It is the story of Josie Wyatt, who has Cerebral Palsy, and the struggles and loneliness she faces until she meets Jordan. I found this book to be interesting. I have never read a chapter book that was written in poetry before. I liked how the chapters were organized, the flow of the poetry, and the growing flower in the bottom right corner of the pages. The chapters are very short, no longer than two pages. The chapters are organized into free verse poems telling the story from Josie’s point of view. There is no rhyming and the chapters go together like a normal narrative. I was intrigued why the author wrote like this so I did some research on the web. The author, Tracie Zimmer writes free verse because, like in poetry, Josie must choose her words carefully.
I thought that this was really interesting because this gives us a peak into how Josie’s mind works. Josie writes the poems in a way to show her mood and how she is feeling. In like me (page 82) Josie writes about a bulldozer that is tearing down her favorite tree. She writes “Why can’t they see that held sill blooms- like me?” the language in this particular chapter seems like she is calling out for someone to see that she still has a lot left to her. This creates a flow in the following poems where she blossoms to a girl who comes out of her shy shell and speaks for herself.
Through the book, on the bottom right hand side of every page, a flower is blooming. It starts on page three as an insignificant looking bulb. However, by page 181, it blossoms into a large beautiful flower. This is symbolic of Josie’s growth throughout the story. I like the use of symbology with the flower. Not only did it help to mark my progress in the book, it also helps me to see how Josie is maturing. The flower is representative of Josie growing out of her shell and making friends with Jordan.
Independence and inner strength are key parts of the big idea of this story. Josie must gain and earn her independence through the many struggles of the book. She must also gain the inner strength to stand up to her mother and to make friends with Justin. ( )

There are some books that will just stick with you wherever you go. Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s newest novel Reaching for Sun is definitely one of those books. Heart-warming and inspiring, this novel follows 11-year old Josie – who has cerebral palsy.    

This book is AMAZING! Although it’s quick (it’s only 144 pages) and the actual “text” is fairly simple, the story itself is beyond complex. Readers will definitely be able to relate to Josie on a variety of levels, and they will find themselves laughing and crying along with Josie.

I’ll admit something: I’m not the biggest fan of free verse. I picked Reaching for Sun up, and decided to give free verse another try. But…holy cow! This blew me away! It hardly feels like you’re even reading free verse. There is so much figurative language implanted everywhere – it truly adds to the emotional aspect of the story. I mean seriously…this is phenomenal! I will definitely be reading free verse again if it’s this good!

“...My thumb will always be pasted to my palm, and my left wrist and shoulder connected by an invisible rubber band called cerebral palsy.”
~ page 6

My only critique is that the plot starts off just a *tad* slowly, but then it quickly picks up. (I know -- picky, picky…)

I’d definitely recommend this to anyone interested in free verse or realistic fiction. This is definitely a story you won’t forget! Tracie Vaughn Zimmer…I am definitely reading more of your stories! ( )