Stay By Bobbie Pyron

 

About Book

Title: Stay
Author: Bobbie Pyron
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Multicultural

Major Book Awards: 2020 Texas Bluebonnet Awards
Recommended Age Range: 8 to 12
Appropriate Grade Levels: 3rd to 7th grade

Summary

This book talks about a girl named Piper and her family, who suddenly finds themselves homeless, due to unfortunate events that has occurred. The family decides to move to Idaho and into a homeless shelter [Hope House], hoping this city would turn their life around. Piper had to learn how to adapt into this new and unexpected life. During her stay, Piper was able to meet a group of girls at the shelter who faces similar circumstances. She later on sees a woman [Jewel] she saw inside the shelter earlier, with her little dog [Baby] at a park. One day Jewel got sick and ends up in a hospital, leaving Baby behind. Jewel's friend was able to locate her and brought her Baby, but eventually Baby was picked up by animal control. When Piper found out, she knew that she had to reunite Baby with Jewel. So, with the help of her friends they took care of Baby while trying to find out all about Jewel. During this journey, they discovered that Jewel suffers from bipolar disorder. But towards the end of the book, Piper was able to successfully bring them back together again. 

Teacher Evaluation

This was such a sweet, emotional, and inspiring story to read. I liked the different perspectives displayed in this book, and my favorite was Baby's. I would definitely incorporate it in my classroom and believe that it would be great for 3rd to 7th graders. It does a great job in bringing awareness to relevant topics such as homelessness, mental health, and poverty. It also teaches students about empathy and that everyone has their story and background, so we shouldn't judge others. And that we as a community can come together and make a difference. This book can be read during Mental Health Awareness Month or a Be Kind week. This book may also relate to students who come from similar circumstances or for students who knows someone in this situation, so it'll be nice to have this book in the classroom. A comprehension activity that students do are fun question cards. These questions will include things from the story and a few fun questions that allow students to share and relate to the book. This can be done as a class orally after every few chapters read.