Phenomenal! So many interlocking themes. Water flowing underground, drawn out by a pump -- redemption as repayment from her brother -- "you can see 5000 years back with words" -- imitation versus meaning. Simply amazing. Brought me to tears. Heart-wrenching and exultant. ( )

My seventh graders enjoy reading this story each year because of its play format. Students also learn sign language as they read the book. There is a part for everyone - boys, girls, large parts, and small ones too. In the middle of the second act, there are five pages of narration (the famous teaching Helen table manners scene). Instead of Reader's Theater, I have the students actually act this scene out. I assign a page of action to each small group; the girls play the roles of Anne and Helen, and the boys narrate the story as the girls duke it out. I've acquired a few costumes from the time period and the kids practice for a few periods before we videotape it. (Popcorn is a great substitute for the scrambled eggs.) This is something really fun to watch at Open House each year. ( )

An interesting glimpse of the challenges, frustrations, and ultimate triumps of Annie Sullivan and the Keller family to educate Helen, who at a young age, became both deaf and blind. Gibson makes the characters of Helen and Annie complex and vivid. In addition, he shows the pain and conflicts of Helen's parents as they make decisions about raising their child in a time well before there were adequate facilities or rights for people with disabilities. A thought provoking drama about how some individuals face adversity with bravery and determination. ( )

Drama (Play) MS or HS

Gibson, W. (1956). The miracle worker. New York: Bantam Books.

The Miracle Worker is a play about Helen Keller as a six-year-old girl who has been blind and deaf since the age of two. Her parents don’t know what they can do to help her. They hire her a teacher from New York named Annie Sullivan, who she herself has been blind before. When Annie arrives she knows that Helen is capable of learning, but she faces so many challenges because Helen has been allowed to do whatever she wants for years. She is spoiled and undisciplined. After many battles, between Helen and Annie, Annie realizes that she cannot teach Helen when her parents continue to interfere and give her what she wants because they feel sorry for her. Annie demands that Helen be under her control only, so that Helen will have to depend on her for all of her needs. Helen’s father, Captain Keller, is very reluctant in allowing Annie to have complete control over his daughter. He doesn’t feel that what she is teaching makes any sense, especially to a girl who is blind and deaf. But the sign language is how Annie will get through to Helen, so that Helen can learn how to communicate with the world.
This play takes place in three acts. Even though Helen is a character without dialogue, Gibson’s descriptions of her actions are clear and make it easy to visualize. The scenes transition easily and the elements of Annie’s past are heard through distant voices as she daydreams. Hearing the voices represents an accurate reflection of her memory, considering she was blind at the time and would have no memory of a visual scene. This play is sure to interest young theater readers, as well as anyone else interested in the topic of Helen Keller. Grades 7-10. ( )

Best book i have read. This book is about Helen Keller and about her teacher Anne Sullivan. The book shows how Ms.Sullivan never evar gave up on Helen No matter what. Till one day she got Helen to see from her hands, by teaching her to talk from her hands. Like i said best book i have read. ( )