A Sister for Matthew by Pamela Kennedy

Author: Pamela Kennedy

Illustrator: Amy Wummer

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Awards: None

Grade(s): Pre-K - 3rd

Summary: A Sister for Matthew is a story about a family who is going to adopt a little girl from China. Matthew, the little boy of the family, found out that he was getting a little sister one day when he went and got the mail for his mom and saw a letter containing a picture. When Matthew's mom opened the letter, she showed Matthew the picture and explained that he would be getting a new little sister named Mingmei. Matthew had many doubts and questions about how and why he was getting a little sister. His parents explained what adoption was and reassured him that he was still a very special part of their family that no one could replace. The day came for Matthew's parents to fly to China to pick up Mingmei while Matthew stayed back home with his grandparents. When Matthew finally met his new sister, Mingmei, she realized that he loved her and was so happy that she was coming to be a part of his family.

My Thoughts: This book hits home for me in more than one way. I can relate to this book because I had went through the adoption process when my family decided to adopt my little brother when he was three. I also relate to this book because I have lived in China and was able to see the need for adoption while I was there. I think this book is going to make a wonderful addition to my classroom library, especially for my students who may be going through the adoption process themselves. I can also use this book in my classroom to explain the importance of not judging someone, but instead to try to get along with many different people. In this book, Matthew realizes that MingMei was different and that worried and scared him. So I could use this book to teach my students to accept all kinds of people, no matter how different they are from you.