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The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman

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Summary:"Pick whatever you like most. Then I’ll tell you its story." When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather’s diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write — the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn’t enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. With a narrative entirely in dialogue, Paul Fleischman makes immediate the two characters’ foray into the past. With warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, Bagram Ibatoulline gives expressive life to their journey through time — and toward each other. (Amazon)

Attention Span/reading level: At least a full paragraph on each page, so I'd say 6+ for this one. The topic is also one that would be understood by and of interest to an older child.

Good uses for book in teaching: Immigration, growing up in America
Favorite part: Mine: The baseball game. And that he became a printer.

Least favorite part: The rough treatment of the immigrants on Ellis Island.

Warnings/negative feedback: He explains about being scared of the immigration doctors using button hooks to check his eyes when he arrives at Ellis Island. He talks about rolling cigars as part of the work his family did once in America. Also mentions poverty, father being gone for work, immigrating, seasickness, working at a young age, and moving a lot.

Review: I really loved the concept of the matchbook diary, that he found a way to preserve memories even though he could not read or write. I also liked that he is sharing his memories with his granddaughter and encourages her to keep her memories as well. I did have one question: The story says the Grandfather is meeting his Granddaughter for the first time, but doesn't give any explanation of why they haven't met before.

Award Winner: 2015-16 SC Book Award Nominee

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