Throwback Thursday: Miss Nelson is Missing

In honor of the Throwback Thursday mania that has swept the nation, I wanted to discuss a book that I was very fond of in my childhood. In case you are wondering I am in my mid-twenties (80s baby and proud of it). I remember in elementary school, during story time, my teacher read this book to the class called Miss Nelson is Missing.

For those who are unfamiliar with the book, Miss Nelson is a nice teacher with an unruly class. When  Miss Nelson suddenly goes missing, the extremely stern substitute teacher, Miss Viola Swamp, arrives and life in the classroom becomes difficult for Miss Nelson's students. To be honest I cannot recall if I got the message at the time, I am sure I did through classroom discussion but I do remember just liking the book. It could have been the surprise ending, being able to relate to the students or something as superficial as the pictures in the book (although I highly doubt that is the reason).

Reflecting on the book now, I love the book's message of appreciating people and not taking anyone for granted. I believe that people (including me), sometimes, are not grateful towards the people that care about us and we only do not recognize their importance until they are gone.  This might be a little too deep for children to understand but the message is definitely there.