Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler

 

A few months ago I came back into work after a few days off and saw that someone had dropped a galley on my desk.  The author had dropped it off hoping we could place it in the store.  She had worked here ,before my time, and knew the shop and the museum.   

It sat on my desk for a few days until one day during my lunch I picked it up and started reading.  It was interesting to see all the little details about The Met that I could relate to.  I laughed when she mentioned the pallet eraser because we still sell that.  It is a great companion title to From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler....the classic children's novel about children running away to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

As I read the story I realized it was more than just a book about kids roaming The Met. It was a story of love, loss, family and friendship.  Yes it is a story of a girl who wants to find out if her father, a famous painter, was thinking of her before he died but it is much more than that.  During this past year and a half we have all had to deal with loss and the feeling of helplessness that brings. For kids they have had to deal with issues most usually wouldn't see until they are adults.  

In this way Many Points of Me  by Caroline Gertler is a book for our times....children today have lived and are living through changes in friendships, families and sadly loss. They have had to grow up faster than most parents want them to, but children are resilient and I have faith they will persevere.   This books story brings this home, it doesn't talk down to the reader or give them situations they can't understand. 

Besides the universal story of friendship,  it gives a great behind the scenes look at how a museum works.  The fact that putting together an art exhibition is not something that is done overnight but takes time and thought.  As much as it takes place in the one of the most famous museums it could take place in any museum.  There are so many lesson plans that can surround this book that it would be great for classrooms too.