Synopsis
The day I entered the classroom
for the very first time,
I was floating on a cloud of happiness.
For ten-year-old Dora Cookson, going to school for the first time is a dream come true. After moving from Utah to a homestead in New Mexico, Dora can't wait to start school, to learn, and to make new friends. There's only one problem -- Dora may be as old as the fourth graders, but she has to start in the first grade. Some kids snicker and say it's because she's dumb. But one girl named Cora Beth doesn't think so, and becomes Dora's first friend at school.
Soon Dora and Cora Beth are doing just about everything together, from practicing writing and spelling to playing with their favorite dolls to jumping rope. With the help of Cora Beth and her teacher, Dora is working hard to catch up to her grade. Then an unexpected event changes their lives forever. After tragedy strikes, will Dora be able to catch up and pass the test to get into the fifth grade? Or are other things more important now?
Karen Leggett - Children's Literature
Ten-year-old Dora Cookson has just arrived in New Mexico. It is 1911 and under the Homestead Act, her family has five years to prove it can successfully farm 160 acres. Dora's mother posts an uncolored rainbow to symbolize the climb to owning that land, coloring a bit more as each year passes. For her part, Dora begins stitching a quilt that she intends to complete at the same time the family takes ownership of its homestead farm. Some parts of the story are unpleasant, at best, such as treating one of the young boys like a butchered pig or the citywide contest to collect dead flies. The writing is ordinary, more like notes compiled for a school report than compelling fiction. The symbolism of the rainbow and the quilt, however, is instructive, as are Dora's lessons in life—coping with teasing at school because she starts out behind other students her age, dealing with death at a young age, struggling to achieve her dreams in spite of the adult who says "ab-so-lutely not." 2004, HarperCollins, Ages 8 to 12.