Rochelle’s Comments (group member since Jun 02, 2014)

Rochelle’s comments from the Reading Rams Summer I, 2014 group.

Shanay wrote: "I had heard so many wonderful things about The Fault in our Stars that I briefly stopped reading Miss. Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children just so I can read The Fault in our Stars and watch the ..."


I liked how you mention Monica. I wondered the same thing while reading the book. Why would someone be as mean to not even ask how her ex boyfriend was doing after a life changing surgery. But I think what we need to remember is that Monica is a teenager. This book is about teenagers, their emotions and how they react to those emotions. So when dealing with Monica, we have to remember that she is a teenager who was trying to sort out her feelings when her boyfriend lost his eyesight. Was her reaction appropriate, no, but I think she experienced a lost when her boyfriend lost his eyes. She didn't know the appropriate response so she did what we all do at times, run from our problems. I think if we were to read about Monica a few years after the incident she would hopefully realize how selfish her actions had been.

Cynthia wrote: "The Fault in Our Stars was the first John Green novel I ever read, but it definitely was not the last. John Green has a way of hooking me into the story from the first line. He is utterly brillia..."

You made a great point that the kids are everything teenagers should be. If you take out the element of cancer this is still a story about teenagers who fall in love. I think this is an excellent point to make while reading this book with a class. We all experience the same emotions no matter what is going on in our life.

Tricia wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "When I first picked up the book, I wonder what peculiar children could possibly mean. I had a hard time reading the first part. It moved so slowly. When Jacob's grandfather was ..."

I like how you compared this book to Life of Pi. I didn't even see that relationship until you pointed it out! Sometimes creating our own fantasy helps us deal with our reality. I think this is a truth our students could relate to and even discuss.

Jennifer wrote: "Cynthia wrote: "Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is itself a peculiar book. I had never read it and did not know what to expect from it. This book made it difficult to predict what wou..."

I agree that the relationship between Emma and Jacob add a mature element to the book. And the discussion question you thought of were great! I think older students could take this book to a deeper level.

I was very intrigue by this book when I first saw it. From the cover of this book, I thought it might be a scary book.Or a book similar to Goosebumps. I did not think I would enjoy reading this book but I found myself not able to put it down. I didn't want the book to end and I was excited to find out there is a second book! I enjoyed the story line and the concept of the time loops. I think students would also enjoy this story because it is something new and different. I thought the use of the pictures was very creative of the author. I think this could spark a great activity in the classroom. Students could bring in their own photos or find photos on the internet to create their own story.

I loved every minute of reading this book. The characters were very real to me. I knew the story was not going to end with some miracle but as I was reading I couldn't stop myself from hoping for the best. I read the last few chapters of this book while sitting on an airplane. It was very hard for me to not start bawling on the plane. I don't often cry while watching movies or reading books but something about John Green's writing moved me. I think John Green did an excellent job of portraying life with cancer. He doesn't sugarcoat it. I think the way he writes about Hazel is a true reflection of how cancer patients might think. My uncle died of cancer nearly a year ago. I never talked to him about his cancer or how he felt about it but I while reading this story I could help but think about him and if this was how he felt. I think students would enjoy this story. I think it would open up topics we are usually afraid to talk about. Death is a hard topic to face but I think so many great discussions could from this book. I saw the movie tonight and I suggest you all should go see it. The movie does a great job of telling the story. But while watching the movie I made a connection I didn't make while reading. In the book, Hazel is obsessed with knowing the ending of her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. Hazel wants to know what happen to the other characters after Anna's death. After watching the movie, I realized that Hazel needs to know the what happens to the characters because she needs to know that life does go on after someone's death. Just like she needed to know her parents would be okay after she died. She needs to know that people go on after their love ones die. Hazel isn't worried about what happens when you die but rather what happens to the ones you leave behind.

Jenna wrote: "This book progressed extremely slowly for me. I just couldn't figure out the point or plot of it until basically the very end. I didn't hate it, but it was definitely one of those books I had to ma..."

I like your ending point. When tragedies like the bombing happen so many people are impacted, not just the victims. I think we often forget that.

Jenna wrote: "This book progressed extremely slowly for me. I just couldn't figure out the point or plot of it until basically the very end. I didn't hate it, but it was definitely one of those books I had to ma..."

Very good point about 9/11. That might even be an activity you could do with older students. They could compare and contrast the impact the events had on society.

This book started out slow for me. It took me a littler while to really get into this book. I think the author took too long to get to climax of the book. I understand the build up of the characters but I still found myself skimming through the book. I just wanted them to get to Birmingham. However, I think it's a good story that shows a different side of that time period. When we talk about the Civil Rights movement we focus on the African Americans living in the south. I have never thought about the ones living in areas that might not have been as dangerous. I think students would enjoy reading this book. I think it would show them different sides of the Civil Rights movement. I think students would be able to relate to the family dynamics. I enjoyed reading Byron's change of heart. I also enjoyed the relationship between Byron and Kenny. I think it paints a true picture of sibling relationships. We are always able to step up to our sibling role when needed. So many themes could be discussed in the classroom from this book.

V. wrote: "In response to a few of Dr. Dryden's questions:
Why do you think Zachary tells these stories about his life? Do you believe them? Are they true or not?
Zachary does everything we want our student..."

I agree, I think Zachary hasn't really gone to the places he tells stories about. I have witness students in my class tell stories that I know aren't true but they want to fit in. I think making up these stories might be a coping mechanism for Zachary.

Lisa wrote: "As you are responding to and reflecting on "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" consider the following questions:
1. Think about the kind of town that Antler, Texas and what is it like for Toby to li..."

I was surprised as well that Zachary wasn't a bigger part of the story. I thought the book would be mainly about Zachary.

The introduction of this book reminded me of my hometown. If I were to write a book about Azle, I would start it with the same beginning sentences. Nothing ever happens in Azle, Texas. I could even relate to everyone being at the Dairy Maid. Dairy Queen is the place to be in Azle. So I think that's why my book held my interest at first. I could relate because I grew up in a very small town. This book isn't my favorite book but I do see how it could work in a variety of classrooms. There were a lot themes throughout the book that students could relate to. I really think my students would enjoy this book because they could relate to growing up in a small town. They could compare and contrast their lives with Toby's. My students could also relate to Toby because many of them come from broken families. I thought the story of Zachary was strange and sad. I'm curious to how students would respond to Zachary. Would that sympathize with him?

Tricia wrote: "What an awesome story! I'm hearing a lot of people saying the same thing about how unexpected and awesome it is!
It's a fresh story, unique and so sweet and touching.
Moose is an engaging chracter..."

I didn't know families lived on Alcatraz either. I actually looked it up and found out that families did live on the island. They lived a pretty regular life on the island. I found that very interesting.

Sdg22 wrote: "I enjoyed reading this heartfelt story. As the book began, I thought I would be annoyed by the sarcasm of Moose, but his character surprised me as he matured into a thoughtful older brother. The a..."

I agree that the book did come to a quick end. But I found out that there is a second book and even I think there might be a third book as well. Maybe the next book will bring some closure to the short end of the book.

I had never heard of this book before this class. I was intrigued by the title of the book. But the book turned out to be nothing what I thought it would be. I was touched by Moose and Natalie's story. First, I didn't know people actually lived on Alcatraz. I also enjoyed the time period in which this book was set in. I always enjoy reading books set in the past. It's like opening a window to a time period I don't know much about. I think this is why it's important to read historical fiction to our students. I believe it helps gain their interest in history. I also enjoyed reading about Moose and Natalie's relationship. It reminded me of my own relationship with my sister. We don't always get along or what to be with each other but I have a sense of protection over her. Like the saying goes "blood is thicker than water". The other aspect that I enjoyed of this book was Natalie and her story. Autism is another topic that I am interested in and I really enjoyed reading about Natalie. I do not think all students could relate to this story but you would be surprise how they open up to characters like Natalie. I read "Wonder" to my students this past school year. "Wonder" is about a young boy who different from the other children. I saw new levels of compassion from my students when I was reading that book. I think the same would come from reading "Al Capone Does my Shirts" to a group of students. The dynamics in this book were also very interesting. Students could do a lot of different activities with the relationships and dynamics of the characters in this book.

Tricia wrote: "What an awesome book! Again, never read it before, but I know it's a 4th or 5th grade classic. How did I never read it? I remember in other literature classes, people have read and reviewed and eve..."

The character map is such a great idea! I loved how you also pointed out how he was a liaison. I think that would start great discussion in the class about what exactly a liaison is and what Magee's role was as one.

Cynthia wrote: "Maniac Magee is a very special book. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and fell in love with the character of Jeffrey Magee. His innocence in accepting people for who they are ra..."

I am also glad that Magee wasn't made into an overblown hero.

This book was not my favorite to read but I do see how it would be great in the classroom. I thought there were a lot of great things in this book that could be discussed in the classroom. However, I had a hard time reading it myself. I did enjoy how the book started. The part entitled "Before the Story" did a great hob of getting me intrigued. I was curious to know more about this Maniac Magee. I think this would be a good way to motivate the students. I would read that first part and have my students brainstorm who Maniac Magee might be. They could even write about him. The beginning also starts great topics to talk about; such as "what is a legend?". I also like how short the chapters are. I think short chapters like this are so much better when you're doing a read aloud or group reading. I like the short chapters because if you're short on time you can always squeeze in a couple of chapters. Short chapters also seem to make the book flow a little better. That is my opinion. I thought the storyline of a white boy running away to a black neighbor was very interesting. I often read or hear stories that go the opposite way so it was interesting to read it a different way. I liked how he was able to live in two worlds. There are many different activities that could come out of him living in two worlds. Such as compare and contrasting. I think this book would be good for older classrooms. There are many different topics teachers could address throughout this book.

Cynthia wrote: "I have seen the movie Tuck Everlasting a couple of times, and I was convinced that I had read the book before, but I do not believe I have. When I initially began reading this book, I was a little..."

I like the questions you thought of to follow the book. I hadn't thought about Winnie forgetting about Jesse. That would be a good question to discuss with the students. I also agree with appreciating the movie making Winnie older.

Cynthia wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a splendidly written novel. I loved everything about it, from the concept behind the story to the way in which the author writes the story. I found it interesting how the..."

That's neat that your book had all that extra information! It's neat to know that this story is based off of an actual gorilla. I think students would also find that interesting.