Janey’s Comments (group member since Jan 20, 2010)

Janey’s comments from the UNC Middle School Lit group.

truth, Madison

I hope each one of you is finding time in our ridiculously hectic, over committed, fast paced lives to find a quiet place to spend a few hours with Miranda in When You Reach Me. I thought this book was beautifully written and in a way ageless. So if you would, just write your favorite quote from the book (or a few) and give a couple sentences explaining why you picked this quote.

Come ready to listen and chat about the book Thursday :)

I would save the bald eagle too holli! It technically isn't endangered anymore, but as the "symbol of our nation" we need to protect them :)

I agree that this book has many themes running throughout the plot. I think that Hoot did an excellent job at depicting the complexity of a child shifting towards adulthood through decision making. When we are younger we follow rules because that is what our parents want us to do, and we get in trouble if we don't. As we grow older, however, doing what is right and following the rules are no longer necessarily synonymous. Roy explores this throughout the book. I love his mother's advice,

"Sometimes you're going to be faced with situations where the line isn't clear between what's right and what's wrong. Your heart will tell you to do one thing, and your brain will tell you to do something different. In the end, all that's left is to look at both sides and go with your best judgement (160)."
...
Roy realizes that "all he had to do was settle the argument between his heart and his brain (162)." --> Something that everyone has to do everyday.

don't drink or eat cold things too quickly...BRAINFREEZE!

don't drink or eat cold things too quickly...BRAINFREEZE!

Check out this interesting quote from Phillip Pullman during a BBC interview.

of course I had to do some research on this guy...

Simon, Kent
Why do you hate God so much as it appears in your books?

Philip: Well, it is not that I hate God, it is just because I don't believe in God, it is just that I think the people who do believe in God and persecute the people who don't believe in God are thoroughly dangerous, that is the way I would put it. People who have got an idea of God that makes them want to persecute other people for not believing their idea of God, they are the dangerous ones, people who say we have got the truth and the truth is in the Bible or the Koran or the whatever it is and we know the truth, and we are going to kill everybody who doesn't believe things that we believe, that is a dreadful state of affairs and it is an unfortunate part of human nature that it seems to be attracted to this sort of extreme certainty and arrogance and so much so that they want to make everybody else believe the way they do and kill everybody who believes different. And I think that is the dangerous thing and those are the people I mistrust and fear and would fight against willingly.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/cha...

First, I really am excited to hear everyone's opinions on this book in class. I think I know why Julie and Bev wanted us to read The Golden Compass- it is definitely going to spark some heated discussion.

On another note, I thought one really interesting theme that the book addresses is the malleability of adolescence represented through the daemons. Because they change forms before the kid becomes an adult makes me think about how kids truly are impressionable beings and are constantly deciding who they want to be and what they, as a person, want to look like to the outside world. Besides the other symbolism in this book, I think this would be a great topic for discussion in a middle school classroom.

Something I was thinking about also is if a teacher was able to have his or her classroom read it in school I think, for discussion purposes, it would be very interesting to read it before or after reading CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia books. This would probably be best with a more mature audience such as a junior or senior high school class. The students could discuss maybe what they think the authors' purposes were and write a paper about their own ideas and opinions. A seminar discussion would be great on this book or both of them together!

One thing I love about this book is the interconnected three stories. They kept me entertained and turning each page (especially Chin-Kee who I found to be hilarious! even though some may find to be offensive). It reminded me of a sitcom on television that tells several different stories about the characters during one episode. I liked also that the central theme is just accept who you are. This idea could not be more applicable for middle schoolers.

I had never read a graphic novel before, and I read it in a much different way than I do when I read only text. I was able to jump to the pictures in mid sentence and then go back to the sentence and do so effortlessly. Whereas, when I read a book with only text I have to focus on each sentence, and if I am interrupted then I have to start back from the beginning. So I would say the pictures were a distraction but a helpful one. I created a better picture of what was going on in the story by seeing characters' facial expressions or actions while I was reading what they were saying.

This book may not be for all, though. I can easily understand that some prefer to picture the characters and actions in their own mind instead of seeing those details in front of them on the page. Therefore, I think it is a teacher's call if he or she wants to do this book as a whole class read or let the kids choose it on their own. Personally, because it reads pretty quickly, I would have us as a class read it (if there were funds for the whole class to have their own copy), or have the kids form lit groups and each group take different turns reading the book. I think it would be good for all kids to be exposed to graphic novels. Who knows, it could be just the right kind of different to spark a child's apathy about reading into interest!

Jenna I got HARE too!

Your HARE DAEMON represents your passive, kindhearted, and honorable nature. Though you are occasionally shy with new people, friends admire your unshakable tranquility, even in the face of chaos.

...I wouldnt say I am shy with new people, however I do think part is right because I can play it calm in stressful situations.

I had a lot of favorite quotes as well, but here's one:

"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves."

I love this part for two reasons: it foreshadows what decisions Ender will make nearing the end of the novel and I think it is easy for children and anyone to relate to. Ender, after really understanding Buggers, realizes that it is then that he can love them and help them. The same is true of life. Once we take the time and effort to look deeper into a person we can understand why it is the way that they are. We can have sympathy and compassion. Having compassion allows us to forgive and thus, love.

1. DEF Pocahontas. I would love to be like her. 1) She gets John Smith 2)She has a cool pet raccoon 3)She is skilled enough to canoe off of a waterfall- and live 4)Her brown, long hair is beautiful 5) She can sing wonderfully and does so with Weeping Willows. The list can go on

2) At the beginning I thought she was very selfless and focused on mature things in life such as taking care of her brother. I grew to love her even more throughout the novel, especially how much she respected the animals and nature around her. Her friendship with her pet dog made me connect with her even more and respect her will to survive as well.

One decision that leads to one action can affect an the outcome of ones future. For example, at the end of The Hunger Games, if Katniss had not made the decision for them both to die, or pretend to die, by eating the berries, then the outcome would have been extremely different. The Capital probably would have brought in another deadly element into the game that would have killed Peeta or Katniss or one of the kids would have had to kill the other one. Instead, their decision to drop the berries into their mouths and not chew them up allowed them to change the rules of the game and survive as the two winners. Yessss!!! I loved it!

Witness
1. I would classify Witness as a historical fiction novel because it gives insight to the reader about a past time period (early 1920s) and historical events (segregation) that shaped our nation. The characters are not depictions of actual historical heroes or recognizable people; however, the fictional characters depict what was going on during the historical setting.
2. For Witness, I would classify it in the category of “soft” historical fiction for two reasons. The events and characters are not historically known outside of the plot of the book. The political and social themes of the plot in general, however, are historical.
3. Racism still is occurring today. The giant themes in this book of racism and discrimination are ones that middle school students of any ethnicity may be faced with. Also, minority students who have moved to America recently, when they were younger, or who have immigrant parents can relate to these characters (Reynard Alexander- “a negro, a Jew, a foreigner? Their problems are of no concern to the clan” –pg 69) and the isolation that one can feel.
4. This book could be integrated into a classroom in many different avenues. The book could be read outside of class or inside of class, individually or as a read-aloud. If it was a read-aloud, students could stand up and read about one particular character or even perform a play of some sorts. One assignment in particular that I thought of is having the students interview an an adult that is a minority who may have themselves experienced segregation or had parents that had lived during this time period.

Arrival
1. I have a hard time placing this book into the historical fiction realm. The pictures of cities that look futuristic with bizarre buildings and machines make it, for me, far from historical. I will say though that it deals with the issue of immigration and identity that has been affecting the world since the beginning of mankind.
2. If I did allow this book to be classified as historical fiction then it would be placed in the historical fantasy category. There are fantasy images throughout the pictures such as the dragon in the old country and the giants in the city.
3. This book could help students on both sides of immigration: those that are seeing kids move into the country and the actual immigrants themselves. I think it would be great for the students to analyze and discuss the trials of immigration but the great rewards one can experience as well. Students that are born as Americans can better understand what it means to be an immigrant, and hopefully an immigrant could connect with the protagonist on issues of identity and belonging.
4. This book could be integrated not only into a standard reading lesson to discuss the issues surrounding immigration, but it could be implemented into an art lesson as well. I think it would be awesome if after the teacher presented this book to his or her class, the art teacher used the book as well. He or she could have the students illustrate, through any medium, how they perceive immigration or another issue that they may better relate to.

I agree with the two posts above. I do not feel as if a male or female would identify better with the characters. I never read this book as a teenager, but I surely wish I had. I know that I would have been encouraged by many characters- especially Zero, Stanley, and Katherine.

I love Holes, and I love Zero's character. He is a strong encouragement for any reader. I especially enjoyed how smart he was despite the hardship of having no parents or schooling and not being able to read. Everyone thought he was "stupid" because he never spoke and couldn't read. He is a fairly easy character to identify with, even if you haven't necessarily grown up with such harsh conditions. Almost everyone has had someone look down on them for any kind of misguided reasoning, whether it was someone thinking you are "stupid" or worthless. The part that I love with this easy identification with Zero is that Zero knows who he is. He knows what he wants to do: leave camp green lake. He knows what he doesn't want to do: dig anymore holes. I think this empowers any reader, male or female, to believe in themselves and act on their own will.

I love how Stanley, regardless of his unfortunate life circumstances, has great character. When he took the blame even though he hadn't stolen the sunflower seeds, or when he wrote his mom letters without complaining about Camp Green lake, it shows the reader that even when life repetitively hands you unfortunate mishaps, treating others kindly and putting others before yourself is a valuable character trait. I find it ironic that he feels happier than he ever has in his life at Camp Green Lake, and I honestly believe that it is because of his sacrificial attitude and the friends that he made through all of the events.

I feel like Katherine encourages male and female readers to stand up for what is right. Boys and girls, at all ages, have either witnessed or experienced racism. Katherine's voice and actions against the racist social norms empowers all to think for oneself, rather than just following the crowd.

If Holes doesn't address prevalent, important, and trying issues for both male and female adolescents, then I'm not sure what book can.

Unlike most, I thought the ending to be intriguing, and I was completely satisfied with it. Even though I am not positive where Jonas and Gabe had exactly arrived, I felt secure knowing that wherever they were, they would soon experience real pain, happiness, courage, joy- real life. I feel like this book made me re-appreciate some things I have in my life. When Jonas was experiencing color for the first time or realizing that his parents thought it ridiculous to say "I love you," the novel helped remind me of something that is easy to forget: sometimes the most overlooked or simple parts of life are what gives it the flavor. I didn't read this book in middle school, but I think that I would have loved it more then rather than just liking it now. I have read other dystopian novels such as "Anthem" and "Brave New World," and for some reason those had a greater impact on me. For younger adults, however, this book is great!