Author: Eve Bunting
Title: The Memory String
Illustrator: Ted Rand
Publisher: Clarion Books
Year: 2000
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Independent
Interest-Level: Elementary
Topics: Family, Memories
Summary: The Memory String is a string with buttons that Laura carries with her. She sits down and tells her cat the story for each button, like the one from her great-grandmother's first "grown-up dress," her father's Gulf War service uniform and, last, the nightgown her mother was wearing when she died. Laura loses some of the buttons and in her panic search of them her family mend their wounds.
Extension Activities:
-Students participate in read-aloud and discuss about memories and family. After this exploration, students brainstorm questions to ask family members in order to learn more about important and/or memorable family events. Once students determine a list of questions, they interview family members, taking notes on the events and create a timeline of the events.
