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One for Sorrow by Mary Downing Hahn5/10/2023 When sixth-grader Annie enters a new school in the fall of 1918, she's understandably eager to make friends. On the upside, the scenes with the ghostly Elsie are fairly terrifying. In addition, with the exception of Annie's mother, every character remains convinced that Elsie deserves to be mistreated readers may come away with the impression that the author condones bullying. While the historical aspects of the novel appear to be accurate, Hahn doesn't provide any reference materials, and her integration of period-appropriate cultural elements such as games, books, and rhymes becomes over-the-top toward the end of the narrative. But when Elsie becomes a victim of the deadly Spanish influenza pandemic, her desire for revenge-and for Annie's friendship-doesn't die with her. Soon Annie joins the other girls in bullying Elsie, both emotionally and physically. So when Elsie is out sick for a week, Annie takes advantage of her freedom to make new friends. Elsie is considered a thief, a liar, and a tattletale, and Annie quickly agrees. Well liked at her old school, Annie isn't prepared for the immediate derision her classmates, especially popular Rosie, direct at her after she's befriended by outcast Elsie Schneider. Gr 4–7-In September of 1918, Annie Browne moves to Mount Pleasant, MD, and begins attending an all-girls school.
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