Welcome to One Book

Welcome to the One Book, One Community blog for the book The Matchbox Diary, by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

This magical book tells the story of a girl who goes to visit her great-grandfather. His study is filled with all sorts of objects. Since she does not know her great-grandfather very well, he invites her to pick whichever object she likes best, and he will tell her its story. She picks a cigar box filled with matchboxes, each containing a small object that her great-grandfather has kept from his life. His "diary" of sorts. As they look at each matchbox, the girl learns the story of her great-grandfathers life and journey from Italy to the United States.

We hope you are reading this book in your classroom and together with your family at home. After you finish reading together, take a look at the questions that are posted and join in on the conversation. Together we will learn about one another and the stories of our lives. What objects tell your story?