BORROWED NAMES

Author (last name first):
Atkins, Jeannine
Publisher, Date of Publication: 

Henry Holt and Company/2010

Grade Level/ or Age Level: 

8th - 12th

Classification:   Non-Fiction 


BORROWED NAMES is a book of poems about Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, Marie Curie and their daughters. Just when you think you know every thing there is to know about these wonderful women Borrowed Names comes out and enlightens you some more. Laura Ingalls Wilder was known for the series that came out on television about her life on the prairie called Little House on the Prairie. The series shows a lot about her life up until she is married to her husband Almonzo Wilder. The poems about her and her daughter describe what they went through when her daughter Rose was young and into adult hood. 
Madam C. J. Walker is also a fascinating person. She basically invented hair creams for African American women and created jobs for lower class women; she was an inspiration to many women. As a child her daughter A'Lelia watches her mother struggle washing cloths for the rich and tells of her life with a lazy husband. She didn't want to have any responsibility as she was growing up in her mom's businesses. As she grew into an adult she finally relented and helped her mother with her stores, but was trying to find out who she really was. Madam C. J. Walker married and used her husband's name when her hair cream became popular and began to sell. She had a big heart and was known for helping many women find their way in life. 
Marie Curie's eldest daughter, Irene, knows early on that her mother's focus is her work with radium. As an adult, Irene continues that work, earning her own Nobel Prize.
Atkins writes with a unique ability to draw you in with her poems and keeps you intersted throughout the book.  An AR Test is available for this book.