By the time Maria's family moves into their new home, the school year has begun. Her first day does not go well. On the way to the bus stop, Maria trips, skins her knee, and dirties her favorite yellow dress. Then, her teacher changes her name to Mary because there are already two Marias in the class. Maria tries hard to listen and do well, but she simply cannot remember her new name. Whenever the teacher calls on "Mary Lopez," Maria does not answer. Several times a day, the teacher scolds Maria for her inattention. When the teacher assigns an essay entitled "My Greatest Wish," Maria communicates her feelings about her name- Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez. She shares the origin of each name and expresses that her greatest desire is to be called "Maria."
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com ( )

very good - Ruthie

This brief chapter book is one of Alma Flor Ada's notable works, and for good reasons. The recurring issue in this story is how Maria Isabel's slightly ignorant teacher prefers to call Maria by "Mary," simply because there are already two other Maria's in the classroom and it is easier to say. There are three reasons I resonate with this book and would recommend reading to upper elementary students. First, it has instances of rich vocabulary and good length. Enough chapters to differ the book from a simple story but not too long where the student will struggle to persevere until the end. Secondly, the novel provides the perspective of the new girl in the classroom who has anxiety to a degree, a desire to please her teacher and make new friends, and have a Hispanic family. As the reader, we are able to hear Maria's thoughts on being called "Mary" and how it makes her feel insignificant. Such a novel can teach empathy to young readers. Third, this novel can teach young girls how to find their voice. Multiple themes arise from this book: standing up for yourself, finding yourself, work hard for what you want, and family. Many positive takeaways can be made from this story. A very interesting fact is that there is Spanish translation of this novel, "Me llamo Maria Isabel." ( )

In the novel, "My Name Is Maria Isabel," is about a young girl named Maria, who is the new girl in school. Although Maria is nervous about going to a new school, she faces it with bravery. As she meets her teacher, she learns that there is already two other girls with the name Maria in her class. Her teacher suggests, "Why don't we call you Mary instead?" But her name isn't Mary, it's Maria. Maria was named after her grandmothers, which made her name, Maria, even more special. When her teacher addressed her as Mary, she failed to respond since she wasn't used to being called Mary. This led to problems, causing Maria to not get a role in the pageant, since she didn't recognize the name her teacher was calling her by. Maria doesn't tell anyone about the issue that she is having at school, and instead, lets her parents believe that she has a role in the pageant. Fortunately, a writing assignment in which the teacher assigned gave Maria the courage to explain her greatest wish to her teacher; “Greatest wish is to be called María Isabel Salazar López,” is what she titled her paper. Maria explained her reasoning throughout the essay, and now her teacher understood why she valued her name so much. Now, her teacher understood why she wasn't responding to Mary, and the issue was resolved. She wasn't Mary, she was Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez; one of a kind.

The themes presented to us through the book, "My Name Is Maria Isabel," are self-idenity and biculturalism. Self-idenity is defined as, "the recognition of one's potential and qualities as an individual, especially in relation to social context." To Maria, her name has a great deal of meaning because of the fact that she was named after her grandparents. This is one of the most important qualities about Maria. The story broadens Maria's hispanic culture and shows readers how important one's culture may be. In my opinion, the point in which the Author is trying to make is that it is an important key factor to value a student's name and cultures. One should show respect and understanding in each and every individual and realize that each student is different in the sense of self. There are several different elements of writing I could teach when introducing this novel, including, character analysis, self-idenity, text to self connections, and reading comprehension strategies. I really enjoyed this book, and when my daughter gets older, I would like to read this book with her to show her the importance of others' names and cultures, and explain to her that these aspects of an individual should be greatly respected and accepted. ( )

My Name Is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada is a sweet story about a young Puerto Rican girl who struggle's after she starts a new school. Because there are two other girls in her class named Maria, her teacher decides to call her Mary Lopez. This bothers Maria Isabel because she is very proud of her name and struggles to recognize when the teacher calls on her during class. After a misunderstanding occurs and Maria Isabel's teacher is upset with her for not answering to her new name, Maria is not given a role in the Winter Pageant. She becomes very sad; however, Maria Isabel's feelings are brought to the teacher attention after she assigns the students to write an essay entitled "My Greatest Wish." Maria reveals her feelings about not being called by her real name, her difficulty to recognizing herself as Mary Lopez, and her desire to participate in the Winter Pageant. After reading the essays, the teacher announces the last-minute change to the play, and allows Maria Isabel to start the class off by singing her favorite song during the Winter Pageant. ( )