Beth’s Comments (group member since Jan 14, 2010)

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

One of my favorite quotes is located on page 188.
"Maybe Dick Clark never ages. But the rest of us will. I will. Sal will, thanks to you. And Marcus will, too."
I love this quote because this is when Miranda is putting all the puzzle pieces together and discovering the truth about who the laughing man really is. She realizes what would have happen had Marcus not made this journey to save Sal. It is amazing to me that Marcus (or the future Marcus) would risk his life, ultimately ending his own, in order to save a young boy he barely knows.

I would be most passionate about saving Polar Bears because they are one of my favorite animals. Even though I have heard that they are really mean, I picture them being extremely cute and cuddly! haha.
I think that this book is a great represenation of standing up for what you believe in despite bullying or a certain authority figure telling you that you are wrong. This is a great message for middle schoolers because middle school is a time of discovering who you are, and instead of conforming to what everyone else does, this book shows that it pays off to not follow the crowd, but to do what you think is right.

Take every breath God gives you for what it's worth cause when your hourglass runs out of sand, you can't flip it over and start again.

I think I would like to experience the tank test. I would like to know how I would do with being isolated for so long in a tank of water, if I would experience any hallucinations or what. Also, I'd like to try the test where you are in the cart thing and it flies down the track into the pool and flips upside and you have to find your way out and swim to the top. I think that one would be fun. Personally, I would be willing to try any tests that do not require physical pain. haha. I would not be excited about doing all those stamina tests on the stationary bikes and such.

I had heard when the movie originally came out that it was anti-religion but from reading the book that part didn't really stick out to me.

I thought it was interesting how each person had a daemon and was curious as to why the servants' daemons were all dogs when other people's daemons were various animals.

Also, I too was a little confused on the setting of the story but found the idea of a parallel universe very interesting.

So my results are:
Your MONKEY DAEMON represents a nature that is admired, detail-oriented, and full of curiosity. Some people might call you self-absorbed. You like to plan ahead, and hone your various talents to perfection.

I'm not so sure about the "self-absorbed" part but alrighty! haha. Monkeys are one of my favorite animals!

I found it very difficult to read American Born Chinese since I had trouble concentrating on either the text or the pictures. It was all too much for my eyes to look at and it was difficult to take it all in. Sometimes I would simply look at the pictures to read the story while at other times I would just read the text. But I found that when I slowed down, I was able to take it all in by reading box by box then looking at the picture that was supposed to support the text. I did enjoy a few of the stories in the novel and thought they were really funny. I think graphic novels are great for some readers, but not the ideal type of novel for me.

"Beat he buggers. Then come home and see who notices Peter Wiggin anymore. Look him in the eye when all the world loves and reveres you. That'll be defeat in his eyes, Ender. That's how you win."
"You don't understand," he said.
"Yes I do."
"No you don't. I don't want to beat Peter."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want him to love me."
--pg. 242

This is just one of my favorite quotes/passages from the book. It really spoke to me because throughout the entire novel both Ender and Valentine are trying to do what they both feel is right all while trying so desperately not to be like Peter. But they both secretly want his respect and affection. They want him to change - to become a decent person. It is heartbreaking that Peter is their brother yet both Ender and Valentine despise and fear him. But I also think Ender would not have been the successful commander he was had it not been for Peter.

1.hmm... my name would be... "TV/Movie Guru Girl" since I'm addicted to so many tv shows and love movies. haha.

2. Throughout the novel I thought that Karana was very strong and mature. First she risked her life to save her brother and then she went on to learn to survive on her own. It is amazing how she was able to find the will to survive after losing her brother as well as all her friends and family. She really grew as a person, taking on roles that women in her tribe would typically not do, in order to survive and create a life for herself on the island. I also love her connection with nature and how she takes care of so many different animals on the island and how they become her friends.

Witness
1.I would say that this book counts as historical fiction due to the fact that it deals with historical facts such as: KKK, racism, and segregation, all things that occurred in Vermont in 1924. The historical elements of the novel have an impact on all the characters, therefore, it is apparent that Witness is indeed historical fiction.

2.This book is soft historical fiction due to the fact that the 11 characters are people from history, yet the plot elements are realistic to this time period, 1924.

3.This book involves elements of racism, discrimination, segregation, acceptance, friendship, and hatred. In middle school, this book could be used to explore several concepts. One being the need to accept others regardless if they are unlike you, whether in personality or skin color, as Esther did for Leanora.

4.Witness could be used to explore the history of racism and segregation while also being used to show students a different way of writing and different stylistic elements. This book is unusual in the fact that all the “chapters” are short poems that include no capitalization, and come from different character’s viewpoints. Therefore, not only would the students be learning about our nation’s history and important themes from the novel, but they would be reading a different form of literature.

The Arrival
1.Although it involves immigration, a historical element, some of the images in the graphic novel make me believe that it is not historical fiction. Despite the fact that some of the images are based on photographs taken from Ellis Island, New York, there are many fantastical elements that appear in the images, such as little dragon animals, and different symbols that do not pertain to the reality of Ellis Island.

2.If this were to be considered historical fiction, it would definitely be in the historical fantasy category and would be considered soft historical fantasy since the theme of the graphic novel is immigration and that is a historical element. But the graphic novel lacks any historical figures that would make it hard historical fiction.

3.This book deals with immigration, family, and the absence of loved ones. This book could be used when discussing immigration into America. This book could also be given to immigrant students who are possibly separated from members of their family or students who are struggling to fit into a new society or culture.

4.This book could be used as an introduction to a unit on immigration. It could be used to explore immigration into America and could raise discussions as to how people originally came to America and that could lead to a discussion of student’s heritages. With the different images, students would be able to picture different elements as they study the concepts.

Describe how one action can change the course of the future. Use examples from The Hunger Games and The House of the Scorpion.

The first time I read The Giver was in 5th grade when I was assigned to be in a special reading group. To be honest I didn't remember most of the plot because I didn't enjoy reading the book in 5th grade. I think it was a combination of the fact that I was being forced to read it outside of my English class and that I was too young to grasp the message. This time I enjoyed reading the book because I was able to connect with Jonas more. I enjoyed reading about Jonas questioning his surroundings and realizing that his world isn't perfect and that there is a whole other world "Elsewhere". Jonas’ compassion and love for his family and friends, especially Gabriel, was apparent and it was heartbreaking that he was not able to receive that love in return (except from the Giver). I think the ending was too abrupt and would have liked a sense of closure, although I'm sure it comes in the sequels (which I would be very interested in reading).