Summary: This chapter book is about Ben Carson a young boy from Michigan who struggled in school and thought of himself as a failure. He did not like school because he did not think he was smart enough to succeed. Seeing his negative mentality, his mother never gave up on him and worked hard to help him get his grades and academic level higher. Even though she did not get very far in her educational career she became his mentor and his teacher. Ben Carson eventually rose to become one of Johns Hopkins leading brain surgeons. He performed countless surgeries that helped save the lives of children around the world. His hard work and dedication led him to who he has become.

Argument: I felt this chapter book was a good read for children for many reasons. First, I liked how the story started from when he was a child in inner city Michigan to a big shot doctor at Johns Hopkins. I thought it was smart that the author chose to start the book describing Ben's tough childhood and schooling. It helped tie into the theme of dedication and hard work. For example, the first chapter is "Broken Home, Shattered Dreams" and the last chapter is "Thinking Bigger". The second reason I enjoyed this book was because it talked about some of Ben Carson's hardest and biggest cases as a pediatric surgeon. For example, on page 119 it talks about the Bijani twins-a set of twins who have miraculously lived 29 years joined at the head. The last reason, I liked this book was for its photographs. Seeing the photographs of Ben Carson during his life help children to visualize him as a person and what he has accomplished. The pictures make the story come alive and make everyone believe in miracles.
The theme of this book is to never give up on your dreams. Ben Carson wanted to be a doctor and even though he was not the best student his hard work and determination paid off and he was able to accomplish everything he wanted to and more. ( )

Gifted Hands, Ben Carson- " After this experience, I had no doubt that I would be a physician. I also had the sense that God not only wanted me to be a physician, but that He had special things for me to do. I'm not sure people always understand when I say that, but I had an inner certainty that I was on the right path in life- the path God had chosen for me. (Carson, 81)

Activity: Read the book aloud at the beginning of the school year. Have students create 3 goals at the start of the reading the book that they would like to accomplish by the end of the school year and 3 goals that they would like to complete by the end of middle school. Reflect back to the goals at the end of every quarter to see how students are doing. At the end of the year, have students complete a final statement about their progress. Come up with ways that they can still work on their goals over the summer if they have not been reached. ( )