The Naked Mole Rat Letters
The Naked Mole-Rat Letters . Mary Amato; Holiday House, Inc. New York, New York, 2005
Grade Level: 6-8
ISBN & Cost: 0-8234-1927-4 $16.95
SYNOPSIS: When Frankie finds that her father is e-mailing with a woman from the National Zoo that he met during a conference she tries to stop the romance from developing. In the process Frankie gets into a lot of trouble at school, alienates her friends, gets to know the zookeeper and learns a lot about a rare animal.
GENERAL REVIEW: The combination of diary entries and e-mail messages gives a very contemporary feel to this story of a 12-year old girl trying to protect her widowed father from a strange woman. In the midst of Frankie’s correspondence the reader is introduced to information about the habits and lives of the naked mole-rats that live in the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Frankie and her father both learn much about trust and being honest with each other. It is a very innovative way to tell a story and an interesting format for presenting facts about these little known animals. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
THEMES: Honesty, fathers and daughters, email, diaries
AUTHOR INFORMATION: Mary Amato is married and lives with her husband and two sons in Maryland. She is also the author of The Word Eater and Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All. When Mary was 10 years old her mother died and a few years later her father started corresponding with a woman he had met at a conference. Mary would have liked to end the romance but she didn’t and later became good friends with her stepmother. This book explores the what-if factor: what if she had had the nerve to interfere. For more information about the author check out www.maryamato.com.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Standard 3 Benchmark 3
How private should letters and e-mails be? Is there ever an excuse for spying on someone in your family? Do you think you could be tempted to listen in on a conversation or read someone else’s mail?
Why was Frankie trying to break up this relationship? Why was this so important to her? Who was she trying to protect?
How could her father have handled the situation differently? Do you agree with Ayanna’s decision to keep her correspondence with Frankie private? Why or why not?
Frankie and her brothers all go by nicknames. Are you or have you ever been called by a nickname? What was it and did you like it?
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:
Research the naked mole-rats and write a report similar to the one Frankie had to write at the end of the story. Standard 3, Benchmark 2
Frankie’s father builds musical instruments. Make an instrument yourself and demonstrate how to play it.
Standard 5, Benchmark 3
Frankie keeps a diary. Make a journal or diary for yourself and keep it for the next month. Report to the class some of your experiences with journaling. Standard 4, Benchmark 2