Model 2: The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

image from: http://www.betterworldbooks.com/the-cat-ate-my-gymsuit-pb-id-0786272678.aspx

Summary:
The story is about a girl named Marcy Lewis that goes to Dwight D. Eisenhower Jr. High.  The only close friend that she had was named Nancy Sheridan and thought that maybe she was her friend because she had to be.  Throughout the book, Marcy was a very insecure young girl which her father had a lot to do with it.  The title of the book means one of many excuses why Marcy would not change during P. E. due to the fact that she considered herself very large.   She then had the chance to meet a special teacher that changed everything around for her and many of her peers.  Ms Finney encouraged everyone to voice out what they believed and taught her lessons differently than other teachers.

Review:
Gr. 5-8.  Published in 1974 and considered a "modern classic," Danziger's novel about overweight teenager Marcy Lewis is an excellent choice for a multicast performance.  The story contains lost of dialogue and characters with distinct personalities.  Written during an era when calling oneself "Ms." was radical, principals unilaterally suspended students, and adults routinely smoked cigars and cigarettes, the story holds up amazingly well.

Beauregard, S.  (2005, April 1).  The cat ate my gymsuit.  [Review of the book The cat ate my gymsuit, by P. Danziger].  Booklist, 101(15), 1400.  Retrieved from http://www.boolistonline.com

Impressions:  
I liked how the character changed from being very afraid and negative about herself to someone that was standing up for what she believed in and not be afraid of anything and anyone.  I could relate to that character because I was always scared and respected my elders even though they might have been wrong at times.  This will help some students that are in that situation to be more independent when solving problems.

Suggestions:
Students can create a quilt of memories that a teacher has impacted their education just like the main character encountered.  This would be great to display their quilt made of pieces of paper tied together with ribbon during teacher appreciation week.

Bibliography:
Danziger, P. (1974).  The Cat Ate My Gymsuit.  New York, NY: G D Putnam.