Linda D. Labbo
Reviews Section Editor
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia, USA
Teachers interested in exploring ways to integrate computers and the Internet into the literacy curriculum may find this unusual group of materials -- including a novel, website, and CD-ROM -- to be especially useful. With Sarah's Page, Anna Murray has written a fascinating novel that she supplements with content at the Sarah's Page Internet site. As described in the book, Sarah is a young girl who has been sent to Michigan for the summer by her parents, after a hurricane damages their Southampton, New York, home. Her e-mail messages to her best friend, Katie, offer insights into Sarah's experiences and feelings. In fact, the text is written as a series of e-mails, with each chapter including a message that opens with the familiar e-mail header:
The titles of the 25 chapters (some shorter than a page and others longer than 10 pages), given as the “Subject” line in the e-mail header, include Hurricanes, Parental Stress & Other Summer Activities; The Local Scene; Misguided Adventures in Animal Preservation; Sad; Horse; Dim Yuppies & Equinne Studies 101; and Old Myths Debunked. The chapters themselves are written in the informal, conversational style common in electronic messages exchanged between friends, and they follow some of the familiar e-mail conventions. For example, shouting is indicated by text in all capital letters: “NOTHING is the way it should be,” Sarah exclaims in an early chapter. “Emoticons,” or “smileys” (those strings of typed characters that resemble a face if the e-mail recipient turns her or his head to the side) appear when the friends want to express emotions such as surprise (indicated by : - O ). The use of telegraphic speech -- such as “Anycase” for “In any case” -- contributes to the informal tone and invites readers to imagine they are Sarah's friend. References to media permeate the text and are sure to resonate with readers' background experiences. For example, when discussing how she feels after an accident, Sarah writes, “It's like the here and now is crystal clear. (Except for the Freddy-from-Friday-the-13th-drive-an-icepack-through-my-head-headache.)”
Even though Sarah is a “techie,” the book does not require technical knowledge in order to enjoy or understand. Readers who do want to use technology to expand their experience with the novel can find supplemental information on the Sarah's Page website. For example, as children read the first chapter of the book, they can access the site, click on the image of the book at the top of the screen, go to pictures of Sarah's house before and after the hurricane struck, and follow links to maps and more information about hurricanes. The site is attractive and easy to use, not surprising given that the book's author, who currently lives on a farm in Michigan, started her own website design company in 1997.
Children will probably enjoy the many Sarah-related games and contests available at the site. There are also opportunities to join e-mail lists, make suggestions to the author about possibilities for future Sarah stories, and find e-mail penpals. Adults should note, however, that this is a commercial site that includes advertising and an online store for purchasing Sarah-related products. It is also designed so that it is somewhat difficult to identify the site's originators -- though this contributes to its appeal for children as being the creation of Sarah herself. Furthermore, children are asked to provide their names and e-mail addresses to participate in some of the activities. As with any Internet resource, adults should tour the site and read the privacy policy before encouraging their children or students to do the same.
At the site's online store, users can purchase the Sarah's Page Web Builder, available either on CD-ROM or for direct download. This interactive software package allows youngsters to design and post their own webpage on the Sarah site. An easy-to-use interface provides various tools, such as icons and font selections, that make creating and posting a page a straightforward task. Teachers may also wish to invite youngsters to post their responses to the story on the Internet site.
Much remains to be learned about the nature of reading, writing, multimedia composition, and literacy processes that are part of digital literacy. This group of materials offers an interesting hybrid of print-based and digital meaning-making opportunities that can spark our thinking about integration of technology and literacy -- and provide children with an enjoyable text and Internet experience.
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