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Martin, Ann M.
RAIN REIGN
New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2014
IL 3-6, RL 3.5
ISBN 0312643004
(6 booktalks)
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews
 Booktalk #1

Rose is a young girl living with Asperger's syndrome.  She tries to remember the rules and live by them but others seem to be breaking the rules all the time.  Rose gets upset when she sees drivers breaking rules.  She's even gotten kicked off the school bus for her obsession with rules of the road.  Another obsession she has is with homonyms -- words that sound the same but are not spelled the same.  Her classmates and even her teachers get a bit tired of her obsessions but try to work with her.  When her father brings home a stray dog, Rose is very excited.  She names the dog Rain since she was found in the rain and the two become very close.  When Rain follows Rose to school, the other kids fall in love also and now Rose has something to share with the other kids.  But then a major hurricane hits their small town and changes things forever.

Booktalk #2

Homophones and prime numbers provide structure and comfort for fifth-grader Rose Howard.  Rose has many challenges in her life.  Her mother left home when Rose was just 2 years old.  Her father is often absent and has a drinking problem.  Rose also has a very hard time in school.  She has been diagnosed with autism and has difficulties controlling her emotions and her behavior.  One day her father brings a stray dog home and allows Rose to keep him. She names him Rain because the word rain (reign, rein) is a homophone. They bond completely. However Rose discovers that Rain has another family. What will Rose do?  Will she let Rain’s family know where Rain is?  How can Rose survive without Rain? Can she leave her Dad and live with her supportive uncle? Read Rain Reign for Rose’s heartwarming story.    (Booktalk by Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award Committee)

Booktalk #3

Rose’s father neither understands nor wants to understand her special needs, the result of her autism. Her father does not communicate well or have patience with her. Instead, it is Rose’s Uncle Weldon who teaches her to relate to “regular” life. When Rose’s newly found pet, a dog called Rain, is lost, it is Uncle Weldon who searches the area with her.  Ultimately he helps Rose to make the right decisions about her dog, even when the answers are not easy. This is a touching expose on the autistic world seen through the eyes of a young girl.  (Booktalk by the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Committee)

Booktalk #4

Fifth grader Rose Howard is obsessed with homophones, rules and prime numbers. She lives alone with her father, who spends most of his time working at the local garage or hanging out at The Luck of the Irish bar. One rainy night he comes home with a dog for Rose. He never brings Rose anything, so she is thrilled. She names the dog Rain (Rein, Reign – a special homonym trio!) and he becomes Rose’s companion and best friend. When a really bad hurricane hits their small town, Rain goes missing. Now, Rose must find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places. During her search for Rain, one that lasts for weeks, Rose discovers an uncomfortable truth – Rain’s original owners are also looking for him.    (Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award DCF 2015 - 2016)

Booktalk #5

Rose Howard has Asperger's and is obsessed with homonyms!  Her dad, her teachers, and especially her classmates do not understand Rose’s rules about life. Often, she finds herself alone until her father brings home a dog that she promptly names Rain because, of course, it is a homonym.  Sadly, Rain gets lost!  Read Rain Reign by Ann Martin to find out if Rose and Rain find each other.(Oklahoma Sequoyah Award, 2017)

Booktalk #6

People mistakenly call homophones homonyms. That bothers Rose Howard. She is a girl who loves homophones. She also loves rules and numbers. Some people think she is obsessed with homophones, and rules, and numbers. She's thrilled that her own name is a homonym. Not very many people understand Rose and her rules. She is different and sometimes that means alone. A hurricane hits their rural town causing rivers to overflow. Rose’s father let Rain out during the storm and now he is missing. Rose must find her dog, not matter what it takes. But, will finding her dog make everything better? There are new things for Rose to learn and those lessons come at a price. Rose finds out that she is more resilient than anyone realizes. Read Rain Reign to find out how a lonely, isolated girl courageously makes decisions that could break her heart but show her who she really is after all. (Prepared By: Leslie Cooper, Stiles Point Elementary, leslie_cooper@charleston.k12.sc.us, South Carolina Book Awards, 2017)

SUBJECTS:    Asperger's syndrome -- Fiction.
                        Dogs -- Fiction.
                        Lost and found possessions -- Fiction.

 
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