I Can Make This Promise

Summary

All her life, Edie has known that her mom was adopted by a white couple. So, no matter how curious she might be about her Native American heritage, Edie is sure her family doesn’t have any answers. One day, she found a box full of letters signed “Love, Edith,” and photos of a woman who looks just like her. Suddenly, Edie has a flurry of new questions about this woman who shares her name. Could she belong to the Native family that Edie never knew about?

Theme(s):

Adoption, Identity, Friendship, Heritage

Personal Response

I liked how this book covers Native American heritage and covers the topic of adoption. In the book, we learn from Edie’s mom how Native American children are removed from their families and communities, which is what had happened to her mother. The truths in this story are helpful and motivating for all readers.

Teaching Ideas

For this book since it is composed of chapters, I would have students read chapters of the book, which we would discuss each day, and they could partner up with peers to think-pair-share. I think this would be beneficial to talk about themes such as adoption, heritage, and identities to generate rich discussions.

BOOK.tique