Friendship

Summary:
A young girl is not too happy when she meets the new student Samantha. She thinks she is snobby because she wears fancy hats and big fur coats. When she is invited to Samantha's birthday party they are forced to be partners in the race. She soon learns that they might actually be good friends.

Personal Reaction:
I like to use this as a multi-cultural book. While it might not be about the girls being different races, they are still very different. The girls are raised differently and it is about learning to accept each other despite these differences.

Classroom Extension:
1. This would be a great book to read if the class was doing a week talking about friendship and acceptance.

2. This would also work well to give to another student who is having difficulty accepting a new student in the class. Play games and make the students pair up with someone they would not usually pair up with. ( )

The story of "Samantha the Snob" is told by an unnamed girl who despises the new student, Samantha S. Van Dorf. As the narrator says, Samantha wears designer clothes, has a fur coat, and rides in a limo. While the other students are fond of her, the narrator cannot help but dislike her new classmate. One day, though, "The Snob" invites the narrator to her birthday party. When the narrator goes to Samantha's party, she gets the surprise of a lifetime.

"Samantha the Snob" is an excellent book for readers of all ages because it deals with a sometimes complex theme: prejudice. Although presented in a mild form, the message is still clear: don't judge a book by a cover. The illustrations by Denise Bronchus are the main reason I picked up this book 11 years ago. Brunkus mixes numerous colors and patterns that will keep younger children interested.

For a younger class, I would choose a few words from the book to create a spelling list. Each day, we would read the book as a class and go over the spelling words together. On that Friday, I will give a spelling test.
For another assignment, I would discuss the issue of prejudice to my students and have them draw a picture that depicts an act of kindness. ( )