The Junkyard Wonders

Title: The Junkyard Wonders

Author: Patricia Polacco

Genre: Biography/Diversity

Summary: Trisha wanted to stay in Michigan with her dad and attend school there instead of going to stay with her mother in California. She had been in special classes there and wasn’t comfortable at school. She immediately met a new friend in Michigan, Kay. When Trisha got to her class, she noticed that everybody was “different” in their own way. When the teacher came in, she fixed her glasses and started reading about what it means to be a genius. Next, she looked at the students and said, “Welcome to the junkyard. I am your teacher, Mr. Peterson.” At recess, Trisha asked a boy in her class, Thom, why their classroom was called the junkyard. Thom told her it was because all of the kids in the class were “different.” He went on to explain that he had trouble seeing, Jody Beach has a disease that makes him grow too fast, Gibbie McDonald has Tourette’s, and Stuart Bean has diabetes. One thing Trisha had in common with Thom was that they both enjoyed doing ballet. Trisha’s new friend, Kay, rejected her at lunch because “junkyard kids” can’t sit at her lunch table. That night, Trisha burst into tears to her dad, who told her to give this school a month, and if she didn’t like it, he would send her back to California. In class the next day, the students formed “tribes” Trisha was together with Gibbie, Thom, Jody, and a girl name Ravanne Salze, who didn’t speak. Trisha found out that Ravanne lived in a foster home. Soon enough, they al became best friends. At recess one day, a boy named Barton Poole was picking on the kids calling them names, but he backed off when he saw Jody. Finally, Gibbie spoke up. He told Mrs. Peterson that he didn’t like being called a junkyard kid. Jody said a junkyard was a place for things that nobody wants. Mrs. Peterson told them they were wrong and the entire class went on a field trip to the Melvin Beach junkyard. The class broke up into their tribes. Trisha’s tribe, the Vanillas, found many things, but towards the end of the trip, they found a torn-up plane. During class, the students had time to work on their new inventions.

The Cinnamon Tribe made a vibraphonium

The Almonds made a hanging wall maze

The Lemons made “perpetual movement”

The Vanillas made an airplane that they hoped would eventually fly

In order to get a motor to fly their plane, the moms of all of the students made cakes to sell at a bake sale. The dads sponsored car washes. The tribe (mostly Jody) wanted to name the plane “The Junkyard Wonder.” Jody started to miss a lot of school from his illness, and soon after, he passed away. The whole class went to collect flowers for Jody, and Ravanne finally spoke by his grave site. The kids started to make plans to fly the plane, but Barton heard and threatened to tell the principle about their plans. Sure enough, the principle took away the plane and told the students they weren’t allowed to launch it. The principle told them that the only way they could launch it was with an adult, so Gibbie’s dad stayed with them. They launched the plane and had a tremendous audience to support them. They watched the plane fly until they couldn’t see it anymore.

Characters: Trisha, Trisha’s dad and gramma, Kay, Mrs. Peterson, Thom, Gibbie, Jody, Ravanne, students’ parents

Setting: Michigan, Trisha’s home/school

Plot: make a real airplane that flies out of “junk” and show people your true self

Theme: finding out whom you really are, believing in yourself, fitting in

Opinion: This was, by far, one of my favorite books I’ve ever had to read. Initially, I thought it was a little sad, and it was, but it showed me that you can truly do whatever you want. These kids were different because they had some sort of disability or impairment, but that didn’t stop them. They all worked together and showed everyone else that just because they were called “junkyard kids” didn’t mean they were actually junk or meaningless. I thought this book was a good way to teach children that even though some people don’t look or sound the same, everyone is their own person and everyone is special just the way they are.