Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller

In 1887 Annie Sullivan arrived at Ivy Green, the home of Helen Keller and her family. She was sent to be Helen’s teacher, hoping that her own disability, being half-blind for most of her life, would help her reach Helen. When Annie first arrived Helen was out of control. Her parents catered to her every need because of her disabilities therefore she was an expert in the art of throwing a tantrum. Annie would take nothing of the sort and from the moment she set foot in the house she was determined to teach Helen manners as well as share her love of words. Annie battles through thick and thin to teach Helen. From losing teeth to having horrid scratches line her body, Annie never ceases to give up. In this incredible novel, we learn not only of Helen Keller’s struggles, but also the frustrations and joys of her beloved teacher, Annie Sullivan.


This was an astonishing novel told through an interesting point of view. Most novels that are about Helen Keller are through her perspective, not her teacher’s. I thought that this was a really interesting choice that the author made and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Annie’s voice was so true in this novel that I really felt like she was sitting there telling me the story, expressing her frustrations, and showing her joy, instead of me just reading them off of a page. Not only were the characters great, but the emotion that the author was able to put into her writing was phenomenal. Like I said before I could feel everything and vividly imagine it, it was wonderful. I loved how this book took a historical topic and made it fun to read. I have always been intrigued by Helen Keller’s life, but have honestly found it boring to pour over books that just go over fact after fact. This book was able to give me more facts then I’ve ever found and made it interesting and absorbing to read, there was really nothing dull about it. Not only was the story awesome, but the author’s style was exceptional. Some books I find that the style is okay and I don’t pay much attention to it, but this book the style just popped out at me with its eloquence and sincerity. I can definitely not wait for more of Sarah Miller’s books, as I’m sure they will be just as spectacular as this was.