Bluish
3/5
()
About this ebook
Virginia Hamilton
Virginia Hamilton (1934–2002) was the author of over forty books for children, young adults, and their older allies. Throughout a career that spanned four decades, Hamilton earned numerous accolades for her work, including nearly every major award available to writers of youth literature. In 1974, M.C. Higgins, the Great earned Hamilton the National Book Award, the Newbery Medal (which she was the first African-American author to receive), and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, three of the field’s most prestigious awards. She received the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition bestowed on a writer of books for young readers, in 1992, and in 1995 became the first children’s book author to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, or “Genius Award.” She was also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award.
Read more from Virginia Hamilton
The Mystery of Drear House Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The House of Dies Drear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cousins Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Zeely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Planet of Junior Brown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEgo-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arilla Sun Down Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Bluish
Related ebooks
Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5M.C. Higgins, the Great Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bread and Roses, Too Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rodzina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Slave Dancer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jacob Have I Loved: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Great Good Summer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Island of Worthy Boys: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Protecting Marie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Same Stuff As Stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSemiprecious Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bloomability Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crazy Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mystery of Drear House Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tell Me If the Lovers Are Losers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Fred Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dicey's Song Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weedflower Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Game of Fox & Squirrels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Truth About Sparrows Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Binny for Short Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unless: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Traitor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Garden Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTorch Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWell Wished Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gathering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gossamer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Children's Social Themes For You
Bridge to Terabithia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witch of Blackbird Pond: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Horse and His Boy: The Chronicles of Narnia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Graveyard Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of My Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: The Chronicles of Narnia Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Keeper of the Lost Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Velveteen Rabbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Battle: The Chronicles of Narnia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The One and Only Bob Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Amari and the Night Brothers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invisible Things Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dork Diaries 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Number the Stars: A Newbery Award Winner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape!: An Easter And Springtime Book For Kids Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pete the Kitty Goes to the Doctor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silver Chair: The Chronicles of Narnia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stuart Little Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shiloh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The School for Good and Evil: Now a Netflix Originals Movie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pete the Kitty: Ready, Set, Go-Cart! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amelia Bedelia Lost and Found Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Way of the Warrior Kid: From Wimpy to Warrior the Navy SEAL Way: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ban This Book: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unlocked Book 8.5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverseen Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Bluish
24 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5"Bluish," a very unique perspective found story that one of my teachers read in my former school. I found this book very interesting since it talked about this nick-named girl, "Bluish," had a cancer related disease called "leukemia" meaning too much increase of white blood cells causing bone marrow or blood cancer. ( Scientific form of this disease is: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia). Her class fellows find her very strange and weird as in the sense of how she always wears her cap, since she is bald and no eyebrows as said, because of her disease. Some of her classmates became friends with Bluish. More features are in this book, if you were to read it. I enjoyed listening to the book from my teacher in my former school. (:
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Personal response: This was absolutely dreadful. I made the mistake of listening to this as an audio book. I may have actually found the experience to be more pleasant had I read it, but it was only available as an audio book at my library. It started out interesting and continues to have moments of beautiful description, particularly when describing the character everyone calls ' Bluish'. However, the dialogue of Tuli, a biracial little girl who thinks she's Spanish, is nothing but irritating especially when being said out loud. Not surprising that it took me 1 month to get through a less than 4-hour audio file.grades 4 - 8curricular connections:Great for a book on tolerance of differences. The characters are richly unique and represent many perspectives of the human experience
Book preview
Bluish - Virginia Hamilton
Bluish
Virginia Hamilton
To the wonderful fifth grade, to teacher Judy Davis, and to principal Shelley Harwayne, all at PS 290,
Manhattan New School, New York City.
Thanks for showing me your school, for the rousing discussions of my book project, and for graciously answering my many questions.
You are an inspiration.
Thanks go to Jaime Levi Adoff, founder of Blueish Music.
He generously provided the word and its fine points, which gave me the idea for this book.
Contents
JOURNAL: The First Time I Saw Her
CHAPTER ONE: Dreenie
CHAPTER TWO: Tuli
JOURNAL: Bluish: Time Passes. She Comes And Goes.
CHAPTER THREE: Suppertime
CHAPTER FOUR: The Project
JOURNAL: Bluish: What Bluish Had To Say
CHAPTER FIVE: It’s Going to Get Fun!
CHAPTER SIX: All
JOURNAL: Bluish: Trip Out In The Field, The Vivarium
CHAPTER SEVEN: All Us
JOURNAL: A Record Of Bluish—It’s A New Year
A Biography of Virginia Hamilton
JOURNAL
The First Time I Saw Her
Bluish. In school.
She was there with her puppy. Nobody brings a dog to school! It was right in her arms.
Plus, some kids knew her. I didn’t and Tuli didn’t.
This girl wears a hat, like half a bowl. Sometimes, trying to stand up and walk.
Ms. Baker said, Natalie, do as much as you feel like. Don’t try to do everything.
Natalie is this girl’s name. But that’s not what kids call her. Call her Bluish and grin and look at her hard. Bluish fits her. This girl is like moonlight. So pale you see the blue veins all over. You can tell though, once she had some color.
I watch her all the time. She looks real tired. And lets the puppy sit on the floor. It’s all black as night. She said its name. Bucky? I didn’t get it. No! Its name is Lucky.
Never seen anyone like her up close. This girl.
Bluish closes her eyes. Her hands look like moonlight fishes about to dive and flop off the arms of her wheelchair.
Bluish: Another Day
After recess, Bluish sat outside of the classroom. Right in the middle of the hall. So when the buzzer rang we all had to go around her in her chair.
Some boy tried to push her but it was braked I guess. The chair didn’t move.
The pushing all of a sudden made her jump like somebody hit her. Her eyes got real big. I was there.
Started to say: You want me to move you over? But I said: You want me to bring you inside the classroom?
She was looking at me very tough.
I’m sitting right here until they look at me!
That’s what she said too. Because everybody is pretending not to see her.
She has all these nerves that jiggle her. Her voice is squeaky. Never saw a kid with a teeny mouth like hers. Little line mouth upside-down smile. Makes her look like she’s about to bawl.
Bluish: And Next
Outside. Today I almost fell on the sidewalk. Twice. Black ice. But this is not about me.
She was outside, too. Bluish.
Do I tell Mom about this girl?
She gets on one of the small school buses. I think maybe she comes from across town. She got on the bus with her puppy. A lift rode them up and the driver pulled her chair inside.
I like her hats. Different one today. Blue velvet.
This journal, excuse my mistakes. This is not for school. I’m not looking for a grade. Just all about Bluish.
I love her puppy.
CHAPTER ONE
Dreenie
WHOOP!
DREENIE YELLED ABOVE the street noise.
She and her little sister were slipping, then sliding, as Dreenie picked their way along the icy sidewalk.
School was out for the day. Bunches of kids, talking loud, were heading over to Broadway.
Bluish.
Like a streak going through Dreenie, reminding her. Pale, glowing, fluttery, was the picture in her mind.
All around, brakes screeched and horns blasted. Cars and taxis slid through the slush.
Bluish.
Dreenie blinked into the hard bits of snow that hit her face. She shouldered her way through throngs of shoppers. Not quite shoving, but pushing through crowds of students and neighborhood folks. Seeing all the holiday decorations up and down Amsterdam Avenue.
Older women of the neighborhood with their shopping carts acted afraid they would be pushed. They went so slow! Dreenie eased around them so her little sister wouldn’t tumble into them.
That had happened before. One woman had looked frightened, even though Dreenie had said she was sorry.
Dreenie was muscled and tall for her age. She often looked angry, even when she was not. She could pretend to be really tough. The woman had clutched her purse. It made Dreenie and her little sister feel bad, that someone would think they’d take what didn’t belong to them. Worst was seeing Willeva’s hurt face.
It was Dreenie’s job to keep everything even. Keep Willeva—everybody called her Willie—in place right next to her.
Good, Dreenie thought. Finished with school for the day. She counted the days until holiday time. Not far off now. A couple of weeks. And she took hold of Willie by her coat sleeve, pulling her along.
Let go of me, Drain!
Willie hollered, trying to break loose. Who do you think you are, Drain?
Don’t call me that!
Dreenie warned.
"I know who your mama ain’t, Drain, Willie cried.
Because you sure ain’t one of us Anneva and Gerald Browns! Drain!"
One more time,
Dreenie warned again. "And stop with the ain’t." Why is she such a pain?
She and Willie went to the same school and were two grades apart. Lucky to transfer in, a quarter of the way, with school already started. Her dad thought it’d be a better school for them.
Willie was so smart, the teacher let her sit and observe,
they called it, in the stock market once a week. It was a class full of brainy nerds. Willie was only in third