Rain Reign – Middle Grade

Rain Reign9780312643003_p0_v2_s260x420Rain Reign

Ann M. Martin, Author

Feiwel and Friends, Fiction, Oct. 7, 2014

Suitable for Ages: 9-12

Winner: 2015 Charlotte Huck Award Winner and the 2015 Schneider Family Book Award

Themes: Animals, Autism Spectrum, Homonyms, Separation, Friendship, Family Relationships, Bravery, Hope

Pages: 223

Opening: “I am Rose Howard and my first name has a homonym. To be accurate, it has a homophone, which is a word that’s pronounced the same as another word but spelled differently My homophone names is Rows.

Book Jacket Synopsis: Rose Howard is obsessed with homonyms. She’s thrilled that her own name is a homonym, and she purposely gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein) which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Not everyone understands Rose’s obsessions, her rules, or the other things that make her different–not her teachers, not other kids, and not her single father. When a storm hits their rural town, rivers overflow, roads are flooded, and Rain goes missing. Rose’s father should not have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search.

Why I like this book: Rain Reign is told from Rose’s point of view. Superb storytelling by Ann Martin who helps her readers experience Rose’s high-functioning mind as she navigates her autistic world. This is not a story about disability, or autism, but a story about a fifth grader who uses her unique abilities and strengths to break some of her rules and routines to search for her lost dog, Rain. Martin’s narrative is seamless and gripping.  Her characters are believable with strong personalities, characteristics and quirks. The story is as captivating and creative as it is heartbreaking. It is set in a small rural town that is ravaged by a hurricane. The plot is well-paced with just the right amount of tension to keep readers intrigued, engaged and guessing. This is a realistic story that is emotionally honest and filled with heart.

Ann M. Martin is the author of Ten Rules for Living with My Sister, Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life, and Everything for a Dog, all from Feiwel and Friends. She won a Newbery Honor Award for A Corner of the Universe, and is the author of the beloved Baby-sitters Club series.

About Patricia Tiltonhttps://childrensbooksheal.wordpress.comI want "Children's Books Heal" to be a resource for parents, grandparents, teachers and school counselors. My goal is to share books on a wide range of topics that have a healing impact on children who are facing challenges in their lives. If you are looking for good books on grief, autism, visual and hearing impairments, special needs, diversity, bullying, military families and social justice issues, you've come to the right place. I also share books that encourage art, imagination and creativity. I am always searching for those special gems to share with you. If you have a suggestion, please let me know.

31 thoughts on “Rain Reign – Middle Grade”

  5. After breathing a sign of relief and gratitude that we’d made it through the holidays, and after a few days off from the shop, I got back to the piles of books I had purchased to restock our shelves and started to sort them. Rain Reign was in one of the stacks and for the life of me I couldn’t remember having ordered it for the store. I glanced at the jacket description and thought it looked interesting. Now, thank you, I know I’ve got to read it and share it with our customers. We have quite a few kids that visit our shop who are somewhere on the spectrum and I’m so glad to have titles where they can see a bit of themselves, or a lot of themselves, represented. I also love to have books where other kids who are not on the spectrum can gain some insight into how their classmates, friends, and neighbors might be experiencing the world.

    In case folks don’t already know about it, here’s another great resource on autism:

    http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/100-day-kit/ten-things-every-child-autism-wishes-you-knew

    Thanks, as always, for sharing reviews about great books!

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    • You know I gravitate toward books that give kids insight into our other kids experience the world. Rose’s father had no tolerance for her behavior, but her uncle totally understood Rose. Very interesting ending that I didn’t see coming. Thanks for mentioning Autism Speaks. I have before, but received some negative comments from parents.

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    • Thank you! Ann Martin has written a very realistic book that will help those on the spectrum see someone similar. Rose is a very spunky and determined character. Her story will also give tweens some understanding and insight into kids they may know on the spectrum. Enjoyed this book a lot!

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  14. I’ll have to tell my linguists husband about this book. He is interested in all kinds of homophones and all things words. That is about an autistic girl will be secondary to him but will add interest.

    I googled reluctant readers and minecraft books and this blog came up. Then I saw you had commented on a post at Pragmatic Moms and it also convinced me to come over and see what this is all about. Glad I did. 🙂

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    • I’m sure both you and your linguist husband would enjoy this. I started counting how many homophones she found, and gave up. The story is sad, but you really enjoy how Rose finds ways to cope, entertain herself, and really grow in the story. Several twists.

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    • Oh, you must read this book. It just won an award this week. I expect it will be well received. It is heartbreaking and has many twists. But Rose finds a way to use her abilities and show her resiliency.

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