Elizabeth’s Comments (group member since Jan 17, 2010)

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

"Einstein says common sense is just habit of thought. It's how we're used to thinking about things, but a lot of the time it just gets in the way."

I like the first mention of common sense here. I think it is very important to the book because all the things that the characters think rely on "common sense." It takes Miranda a long time to finally realize what is happening with the laughing man and time. This is probably because none of it makes "common sense." It's interesting to me how much emphasis and value we typically place on having "common sense," though now we see through Miranda's story that "common sense" is often a veil that keeps us from understanding the truth.

I will have to agree with those who have said Princess Diana was their most influential celebrity death. I remember when she died too and how each update on her death was accompanied by all the wonderful things she did for the world. I remember being shocked by her death, as it was all over the news for a long time. I remember watching the funeral and seeing how many people were there and how many more were watching it on TV. I remember thinking that this really must have been a great lady to have so many people so sad at her death. The humanitarian work that she did was really inspiring to me and made me think of Mother Theresa.

My favorite quote from the book is on page 82 when the narrator is given a picture of her, Neeka, and D for her 13th birthday from her mama.

"She smiled, knowing I'd lose my mind with that much money. But I didn't. There could have been a quarter behind there-- or penny. Or nothing at all. The picture was enough. The picture was always."

I love this quote because I think it really show's the narrator's growing up as she begins to value the most important, priceless things in life, like her friendships. Also, it shows how much D means to her and how much she has learned about real life from knowing D.

Forgiving is not forgetting. When someone hurts you, always forgive them....because someday you will hurt someone else and want them to forgive you.

Listen to Marian Anderson's singing from these two links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQnzb0...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L9C4x...

Then, post any thoughts you have about her voice or how her music changed the world. :)

"It is my opinion that critics would have a greater impact on teenagers’ beliefs by engaging in an open discussion about the book, rather than dictating 'thou shall not read.'"

This is an interesting comment by Ciara. What I've decided is that lots of books of this fantastical genre end up being controversial anyway when put into schools. I'm one who doesn't read too much into things, but I feel like if there are controversial things in books, then maybe it would be good for kids to talk about them as they do regular themes that come up in books in the "canon." The kids are going to find these books anyway, so I feel like they are perfectly appropriate and that it is a good idea for them to discuss them in a positive, supportive, educational setting that is looking out for their best interests as impressionable young minds.

From reading material online, I understand that there is some controversy surrounding this book. I'm curious to see if others found the book to have such anti-religious connotations. I personally did not realize this while reading, and I didn't think about it until I read about it online.

I also can't wait to talk about the daemons. That was the most interesting part of the book for me! :)

Here were my results:

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.

Though I would not have really thought of a rabbit, I think the description is pretty accurate, but I wouldn't call myself very shy.

I didn't think I was going to like American Born Chinese, but I ended up really enjoying it. Once I got used to reading with pictures and words simultaneously, I was able to actually concentrate on the story rather than on just the style of the graphic novel. It was a little confusing at first how there was the story about the monkey king along with the stories about the Chinese immigrant and the American boy, but I liked how all the individual plots came together in the end. I feel like the style of the graphic novel would be very appealing for those on lower reading levels or those just learning the English language. Perhaps this would be an especially good book for a student who has just come to the United States. I felt like the author took a positive approach, encouraging students to not lose their identities, while adding in important themes regarding stereotyping of immigrants, middle and high school typical feelings of not fitting in, identity issues, and others. I felt like the pictures kept me from creating pictures in my head of what I thought was happening in the story, but they served to show emotions and give the story a context. I like how the pictures aid in comprehension of everything that is going on in the story. For me, the emotion in the faces of Jin and the other characters were the most important part of the story, even more so than the words.

In House of the Scorpion, Matt's initial leaving of Celia's house changes the course of his entire future. If he had never left the house, it is very possible he never would have been discovered by anyone in Opium and that he would have simply lived out his life in solitude without love, understanding, struggle, or success. Though his leaving the safe-zone of Celia's house brought on a series of dangerous events for Matt, he never would have learned what it is like to live like a real person had he not escaped.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
1. Though this book may not be technically considered Historical Fiction due to its fantastical elements, I would definitely consider it to be so because it focuses on the story of one man who immigrates from one world to the next. Immigration is a very important thing in history and the implications of immigration for those who are immigrating and those in the country to which they are arriving are both historical and realistic. This book has both a global theme and a focus on an ordinary immigrant, therefore making it Historical Fiction.
2. This book is an example of Historical Fantasy. Though many do not consider Historical Fantasy a real type of Historical Fiction, I feel that if a book has enough elements of a true Historical Fiction book then it should be included. Though the book has fantastical elements as well, it does have the qualities of “Soft” Historical Fiction. Tan’s book provides a general setting that involves deeply historical issues. I find it to have great historical value though it is fantastical in nature.
3. Tan’s book address themes about immigration that are so important. These include the process of immigration in history, the experiences of individuals who immigrated, what it’s like to be in a foreign country and not speak the language of that particular country, separation of families, common destinations, and others. Immigration is explored through this fantastical novel and important situations surrounding the overall immigration experience are highlighted.
4. This book would be an awesome book for the introducing a certain social studies lesson that involved talking about the aspects of immigration. This would be a fun way to give the students a fictional representation of what it would have been like to have been an immigrant and go through the process of leaving your own country and moving to another through somewhere like Ellis Island. This would also allow the students to relate with students in the class or school who might have immigrated themselves.

Witness by Karen Hesse
1. This book is definitely Historical Fiction. Historical detail is crucial to both the plot and the character development of this collection of poems, and a true sense of history of the 1920s is accurately portrayed through the fictional characters of the book. This book highlights the experiences of ordinary people rather than heroes and gives insight to the lives of lesser known segments of society. This book fits both the 1987 and 2006 definitions.
2. This book is “Soft” Historical Fiction. Though the fictional characters are realistic and lead realistic lives for that period in history, there are no truly historical figures in the book. Also, the book gives a very general picture of what it was like during the 1920s though it uses historical elements to create this picture.
3. I was surprised about how many themes and topics of discussion that this book addresses. It addresses the issues surrounding race and discrimination against African-Americans and Jews, the issue of the existence of groups like the Ku Klux Klan, gender roles inside and outside the home, issues in a school setting between African-American and Caucasian students, issues surrounding the controversy over religious support for hate groups, issues about the new culture of the 1920s in America, and others.
4. This book would be an awesome whole-class read. Students could read this book and then talk about with their classmates in a group discussion. Getting students to think about these themes that are such significant parts of United States’ history is very important, especially in middle school when adolescents are beginning to become interested in and understand social and political issues. I feel that this book is light enough to use with the whole class, as it is written in poem form, but that it is heavy enough to where good discussion would definitely come out of it.

This book was very moving. I thought it was really neat how the author talked about such a deep topic in such a casual, everyday high school language. I found myself not being able to put it down and couldn't wait until the climax towards the end. Though it was sad and depressing at times, I think this book would be awesome for a girl who has yet to start dating.

I had not read The Giver until now. I really loved the book! I have never really enjoyed to read, but I have found that reading fun books that are below my reading level is very enjoyable. This novel provides many great themes for children and adults of all ages. It would help someone overcome pain and grief, help someone enjoy life a little more, and help someone know how lucky we all are to see in color, to love, and to have memories, both good and bad. It is remarkable to me that though this book is intended for the young adolescent, it truly has so much valuable material that is definitely useful and meaningful for adults as well. I never had the opportunity to read this book as a middle school kid, but I'm very glad that I have been able to as an adult!
The ending is particularly important. Jonas saves his home community, though the people may not view it as such, by giving them back all of the memories. Simultaneously, Jonas begins to make memories of his own: love for Gabe, sledding in the snow, climbing a big hill, and the feeling of the celebration of what I think is Christmas. Lowry leaves the fate of both his old and new communities and Jonas and Gabe themselves to the reader's imagination. I think this is what makes the book so enjoyable to read. There is much to be learned from Jonas' story, and this novel gives more and more feelings to the reader with each turn of a page.