Ada's Violin, Written by Susan Hood, Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport
       This story is set in a poor town in Paraguay where the people live at a dump. Most of the people there make money by scavenging around the dump for recyclable materials to sell, but this does not pay very well. A young girl who lives here, Ada, eventually fears that this could be her future. However, her grandmother who loves music with such a passion signs up Ada and her sisters for string instrument lessons as soon as a music teacher makes this available. Ada becomes so excited at this. However, there are not enough instruments for all of the children to use and instruments are high money items that could easily get stolen in this town. So, some resourceful men figure out how to make cellos, violins, and other instruments with material from the dump. This is how Ada gets her own violin that she treasures dearly. While other children quit lessons because it is so difficult, Ada never gives up. Her perseverance is rewarded as the orchestra gets asked to perform at local and eventually national gigs. The orchestra's biggest invitation is to open for a famous rock and roll group. Ada gets nervous at this performance but soon forgets her nerves when the crowd celebrates their orchestra with cheers and encouragement. The book ends with an author's note that talks about Ada and "Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay." This note contains real pictures, links to videos, and other resources.
       This book would be most appropriate for third, fourth, and fifth-grade students. This book uses collage for the illustrations which is truly interesting to see. This would be a great inspiration for students to make their own collage about an experience that has formed who they are. Additionally, this book shows what perseverance can do in impacting someone's life. If Ada had quit early like some of the other students had, then she would not have had such amazing experiences outside of her town. It was her perseverance and her passion that allowed her to travel and play for huge crowds. Additionally, it shows students that some people are forced to live in such heartbreaking poverty. Students need to read stories like this to gain a global view of the world around them. This story definitely portrays in an age-appropriate way that some people do not have all of the luxuries
that most people in the U.S. get to enjoy.