*Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller******208 pages

Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
208 pages

Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller is a biography about Anne Sullivan, the teacher of Helen Keller, educating Helen. Helen could now read, write, and even speak despite her disabilities. Helen was blind, deaf, and a very stubborn child. Anne grew up lonely, sad, and hard-headed. The two eventually made a perfect team, and were inseparable. Anne Sullivan had had a rough childhood, and Helen was her last shot at being successful. She was an orphan, and had no family to care for her. Anne was nervous, since she was an untrained as a teacher, and didn’t want to go back to Perkins School a failure. Perkins School for the Blind was her only home. Growing up Anne had poor eyesight, and Perkins was the only place that could help her. Once with Helen, Anne realized Helen had a temper, Anne knew teaching the child would not be an easy task. The only way she was going to get through to Helen was to bring her away from her home, alone, where her parents couldn’t constantly protect her from Anne’s harsh orders. For example, when Helen didn’t want to use her silverware, there was no dinner for Helen. That’s how it was with Anne around. Day after day, after agonizing lessons and difficult situations, Anne finally broke through to Helen. Helen realized what language was. The world opened up to Helen, and the Keller family was overjoyed. For the next fifty years, Helen and Anne were friends, always together. Helen always called Anne “teacher,” the name Anne had spelled into Helen’s hand from the beginning. They were lifelong pals, only separated when Anne passed away in 1936. Helen passed away thirty-two years later, in 1968, remembered as a miracle to the world. This book was an enjoyable, interesting read. I recommend it to anyone interested in Anne or Helen’s story.

Alana F.
Period 3