The Memory String- Eve Bunting (2000)

This book is about a young girl, Laura, and a family keepsake referred to as a memory string. This keepsake was passed down to her when her mother died. Each button on the string represents an important moment in time. While Laura is describing each one to her cat, he breaks the string and the buttons scatter everywhere. Laura's stepmother works hard to find all of the buttons to help bring their relationship closer.

I really enjoyed this book. I am very into preserving family keepsakes so I could easily relate to Laura and how important this memory string was to her. I also enjoyed the subtle way Eve Bunting wrote about the relationship between Laura and her stepmother. The text seems to capture how a young girl would speak and act towards someone they aren't particularly fond of. The illustrations complimented the text well. The images are full and aren't always limited to simply one page. They often times flow into the page of text, bringing a little more life to the words.

One of the topics covered in this book is the loss of Laura's mother. This book could be used as a tool to help students that may be grieving to be able to appreciate the special moments they shared with the people they have lost. It also addresses the resistance Laura originally has with creating a relationship with her stepmother. Mixed families among school children are increasing, so this could help to assist students in bridging the gap with a step parent. I think it is also a great example of teamwork because her family comes together to try to find the missing buttons.