Miss Spitfire
Reaching Helen Keller
By Sarah Miller
(Atheneum, Hardcover, 9781416925422, 240pp.)
Publication Date: July 10, 2007
Other Editions of This Title:
Categories: Social Issues - Special Needs, Biographical - United States
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Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job -- teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire.
For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer.
Sarah Miller first saw The Miracle Worker on stage in 1998.That same night she watched both versions of the film back-to-back, learned the manual alphabet, and began reading Helen Keller's The Story of My Life. She later changed her major from English to linguistics, and learned Braille from a library book so she could read in the dark under the covers. She also took two semesters of American Sign Language, in which she was the undisputed finger-spelling champ. Sarah works at an independent children's bookstore in Rochester, Michigan. This is her first published novel.
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