Book Review: Sugarcane Academy

Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember by Michael Tisserand

This is a story about a school that is created by parents and teachers, for kids who had been evacuated at the time of Hurricane Katrina. The perspective of the kids and their experiences was one of the best parts of the book. The poor children were so frightened, and this is the first book I've seen which features their stories. The other best part of the book was the great teachers who knew how to help the kids talk through their fears, express themselves through art, and respect their stories. They helped guide the kids back to safety by being a comforting, understanding presence at a time when they needed this stability.