Missing May

Title: Missing May

Author: Cynthia Rylant

Genre: Multicultural (Mountains and a trailer-different from many other students)

"Missing May" is the story of a young girl living the mountains of West Virginia with her aunt and uncle in a trailer. Summer, the young girl, has lived with Uncle Ob and Aunt May since she was 6. Aunt May grows vegetables and flowers in her garden and Uncle Ob creates whirligigs for the wind. They aren't a rich family, but they are a happy one. When Summer is 12, Aunt May suddenly dies in her garden. Summer is befriended by the class "weirdo" Cletus Underwood at this time. He and her Uncle Ob become fast friends for no apparent reason to Summer. Soon, Uncle Ob feels May's presence around him and wants to "speak" to her. He and Cletus convince Summer to travel with them to see the Bat Lady in Putnam County to talk to May. When they get there, though, they find out the Bat Lady has died and the young man can't help them. On the way home they go to Charleston to see the capital. In this time, Uncle Ob finds peace in the fact that May is gone. When they arrive home, he puts all his whirligigs in the garden in memory of her. Summer has also come to peace with the loss of her aunt and begins to cherish the friendship she has with Cletus.

This story can be used to create a lesson about diversity, family, and friendship. Many students may have not lost a family member yet, but may know someone that has. This can help them to see what that person is going through and how to help them. Also, it really gives a glimpse into a different lifestyle than many of them lead. Living with an aunt and uncle nowadays is common, but many students may not acknowledge this. A lesson talking about different families and why they are special can be done. Students can create a family portrait to show their family and share why they love them. It will show students that every family is different but there for the same reason.