| A Place for Everyone is a simple story that will | | | | happens in real life, Dot is suddenly faced with |
| resonate with adults learning literacy or English as | | | | problems that seem overwhelming: her workplace |
| a second language. It explores a woman's desire | | | | goes out of business and her mother becomes an |
| for a better life and her frustration at lacking a | | | | invalid. Can she find work and take care of her |
| necessary skill. Its language makes it accessible to | | | | mother at the same time? She's still getting |
| those who can most identify with the heroine. | | | | orders for custom sewing from the neighbors, |
| Dot is a fortyish garment worker, living with her | | | | but can she turn this sideline into a means of |
| mother. Though functionally illiterate, she's a | | | | making a living? Is a home business, with all the |
| talented seamstress whose work is in demand | | | | paperwork it involves, beyond the reach of |
| both on the job and in her neighborhood. Dot's | | | | someone who's just learning to read? The story |
| contented enough, but she knows something is | | | | holds out hope, but makes it clear things aren't |
| missing from her life. She starts taking an adult | | | | easy for Dot. |
| literacy class and, with the help of comic books, | | | | This book's vocabulary and formatting make it |
| takes the first steps toward real reading. | | | | readable for students at a beginning level. |
| But Dot is not rewarded with clear sailing. This is a | | | | (A Place for Everyone by Tana Reiff, 1979, Lake |
| simple story, not a simplistic one. As sometimes | | | | Pub Co. |