Miss Spitfire

Reaching Helen Keller

By: Sarah Miller

Narrated by: Terry Donnelly

Sarah Miller's accomplished debut presents a fictionalized account of Anne Sullivan's life and her time as Helen Keller's teacher. Arriving at Ivy Green in 1887, Anne was a partially blind orphan who had been tasked with teaching the difficult blind, deaf, and mute girl to communicate. Anne quickly learned, along with Helen, that "words are a miracle".©2007 Sarah Miller (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"A strong portrait ... stirring." (Booklist)

Beautiful and raw!

This book was so beautifully written! Sara is an incredible author her depth in her characters always astounds me! .

Strong and engaging

My children (12 and 10) and I really liked this book! Sarah Miller writes with a distinct and bold narrative voice here, and the characters made us want more of the story. "What?! Is that it?!" That's what we all said as the book ended.

There are some tough moments in the memories of Annie Sullivan, and some interesting and visceral descriptions, and I was unsure here and there if I had made a mistake listening to this with the children. But no, it was appropriate, if sad and even a little frightening at times - emotionally challenging, but no language or sexual content. It was good learning that lead to thoughtful discussions, gratitude for our ears and eyes that work well, and prayers for those whose eyes and ears don't. It was a great homeschool choice for us!

One note for the producer: the lack of any pause (really, not even a split-second!) after the last word of one chapter and the announcement of the next chapter, was jarring. A brief pause would help. : )

small break between chapters necessary

The story and narrator were great. I found it sitting however the space between end of chapter and new chapter. They (the producers) could have have put a small lull between the new chapter. It was very distracting but this is a small annoyance to the producers and not in anyway to the author or narrator.

Miss Spitfire left me aflame with joy.

The story of young Helen Keller is told through the voice of her teacher, Annie Sullivan, and what a marvelous voice it is. Miss Sullivan's own backstory is woven masterfully throughout her experiences of trying to unlock the mind 6 year old Helen.
Miss Spitfire is a triumphant story of tribute to mankind's innate intelligence, to the gift of language, and to the blessed role of a teacher.
I highly recommend this book for readers of any age.

Good

I really like this book and the author wrote it very well. I hope more people will read