2021
WISE Score
A masterclass in resilience and identity that proves the First Lady was once just a kid from Chicago trying to find her voice.
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This isn't just a celebrity biography; it's a blueprint for building character. By focusing on the 'Michelle Robinson' years—the piano lessons, the school bus rides, the college applications—the book bridges the gap between a regular kid and a global icon.
It’s a rare adaptation that doesn't lose the soul of the original. If you have a kid who thinks they aren't 'into politics,' give them this anyway. It’s more about the grit of growing up than it is about the West Wing.
Perfect for 10-14 year olds who are ready for a deeper look at identity. It’s written for middle-grade readers, but the themes are sophisticated enough that high schoolers (and adults) won't feel like they're being talked down to.
Models resilience, family loyalty, and community service. It portrays a healthy, supportive marriage and the struggles of balancing personal ambition with public duty.
While non-fiction, it encourages kids to imagine their own future 'becoming' and fosters empathy for lives very different from their own.
Extremely safe. The adaptation removes more complex political deep-dives and mature themes found in the original, focusing on her relatable childhood and growth.
High-level vocabulary, historical context of the US, and deep emotional intelligence. It's a masterclass in narrative non-fiction for middle-grade readers.
When adult memoirs get 'adapted for young readers,' there’s usually a fear that the good stuff will be sanded down. In Becoming, the opposite happens. By stripping away some of the denser policy talk and the granular details of the 2008 campaign trail, the book actually highlights the most important part of Michelle Obama’s story: her own agency.
For parents focused on literacy, this is a goldmine. Using the Reading Rope framework, this book hits the language comprehension strands hard. The vocabulary is rich, the narrative structure is sophisticated, and the background knowledge it provides about American life in the late 20th century is invaluable.
"No one is perfect, and the process of becoming is what matters."
If your kid is a struggling decoder, don't sleep on the audiobook. Having the author herself read her story directly into their ears is one of the best ways to keep their interest in high-level storytelling alive while their technical reading skills catch up. It’s an empowering, safe, and deeply humanizing look at one of the most famous women in the world.
The grown-up original: This is the official young readers adaptation of Becoming by Michelle Obama — Michelle Obama's own retelling, at a length and reading level a middle-schooler can finish. When they close this one and want more, the original is the natural next step.
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