#invisiblebackpack

[sandyhollycom]

You certainly can't skip around when your invisible backpack is overloaded! And skipping is fun.😂 New LoveBlog Post❤️🎒Link in bio #invisiblebackpack #newblogpost https://www.instagram.com/p/B1eOh_gFnVI/?igshid=1k14kai3yfth3

[jenmarchiano]

Woak, JB (2010). The Invisible Backpack: The Adventures of Dakota Stone. Baltimore, MD: PublishAmerica. Dakota Stone has just graduated college and has no one to celebrate this huge milestone with. Rather than feeling joyous on this special day, he feels completely lost, with no sense of belonging, as a result of going in and out of numerous foster care homes and no family to call his own. The only steady person in his life is his mentor, Jesse, who has organized a journey of self-discovery for Dakota as a graduation gift. As Dakota travels all over the world, he meets new people who provide him with tools to help him sort through his invisible backpack and accept the heavy weight of his past experiences.  Through this journey, Dakota takes back his life, finds the love of his life, and most importantly finds himself belonging to a new family, one that is better than any he could have ever imagined. Chapter Book, JMM

Thoughts: Originally, I came across this book just for the purposes of my belonging reading blog. Thinking it would be something to read in order to summarize, give my thoughts on, and offer ways in which it could be used in a classroom, I never imagined the impact it would have on my own life.Dakota’s adventure ended up bringing me on my own adventure, allowing me to reflect on my past experiences, how I have handled them and what I could have done differently.  His story not only kept me entertained, but provided me with my own “treasure chest” of learning nuggets that will help me accept the experiences within my invisible backpack and allow me to grow with them as well. Dakota’s story provides me with extraordinary guidelines and tools that I can always refer back to whenever I feel like I need reminders on how to live a happy, healthier life.

Classroom Applications: Obviously this book, if used in a classroom, would be for an older audience. Personally, I would suggest it for a senior high school English course as it offers priceless “learning nuggets” and tools that can be used to discover and empower oneself. I think this book would be truly beneficial for this age group since they are just about to embark on their own journey. College may very well be the first time many of these students get their chance to live away from their parents. Reading this novel may set them on the right path, giving them helpful tools to live by and utilize in their everyday life. Many eighteen year olds live in the present, making impulsive decisions without paying much mind to how their actions now will affect their future, but this book, if presented in the right way, could help students better understand their actions and who they are as individuals.  The chapters are short enough that teachers can read this aloud to students during class and enlightening discussions can be generated after each chapter, both about the story line and the learning nuggets that most chapters entail. Just as Dakota writes in the journal that he keeps, students can create their own journals, reflecting on their past experiences, milestones, and hopes for the future, putting their writing skills to work. Reading this story aloud to students and discussing it would have a greater impact on students than just letting them loose to read this book on their own. Students, especially at this age, might not understand or appreciate the true value of Dakota’s story without the insightful contributions of, and guidance from, their teachers and peers.