Patricia’s Comments (group member since Feb 04, 2018)

Patricia’s comments from the Munoz Ryan author study group.

I was floored when the money orders were gone, but knew that Miguel was the one who took them. I thought he took them to find a better job to help support the family and himself. The bus ride threw me for a loop, but as I read, I began to understand what was going to happen. He wanted to prove to Esperanza how much she meant to him and help her as much as he could, was my first thought, until he explained that since he was out of work for a bit, he could go and get Abuelita. It was a beautiful scene for the reuniting of Abuelita and Ramona. It was very tender and heartfelt. I feel that Esperanza grew and matured throughout the book, as that was one of the purposes of the author. Esperanza rose above the hardships and finally overcame them. She met her goal of reuniting everyone once again. I was hoping that in the end that Miguel and Esperanza court and get engaged. I realize she is still young, but they truly care for each other. As I read the author's notes about the inspiration for writing this book, I can only assume that Esperanza's husband was in fact Miguel in the story, but told with a different twist to engage the reader with more of the challenges these workers faced as they migrated from Mexico and other areas to find work in that time period. This was a fantastic book and I really enjoyed it!

Esperanza is maturing both physically and mentally. She is experiencing alot emotionally with her mom being very ill and her maternal grandmother still in Mexico. She aches to see her grandmother and is so afraid that her mom won't get better. She helps take care of the babies and her mother and goes to work in place of her mom. She knows she must do good work to continue to get more work. She is fortunate to have Miguel, Isabel and Hortentia in her life and help her. They are all positive influences on her right now. She rises above and steps up to the plate remembering all that her grandmother and mom taught her. She was learning so much about life and everything in such a short amount of time. the story will progress and I am sure that the author has plans for Abuelita to return to her family. As for their home and money in Mexico...I believe that is to never again be touched. I think Abuelita will keep her money somehow, but I do not trust the uncles. I believe that Esperanza will hear the heartbeat of the Earth again, because she is beginning to become a true worker of the Earth. She will never forget the time with Papa and the heartbeat of the Earth. That was a powerful message the author was sending in the beginning.

I read "Riding Freedom" I loved this book as I had to finish it in one evening. Once I picked it up and began to read, I could not put it down. My lesson would be 5th grade level based. I would begin by having students complete a web-quest designed lesson to help the, broaden their understandings of life during the mid 1800's in NH, MA, CA, WY, the wild west, and orphanages. This would be a research web-quest with uploaded links that would help create background knowledge needed to fully understand the author's main character's situation. After a few days of being able to gather research information via ipads or computer lab, I would weave the book into the lesson. I would discuss the genre and history about the author. The next lesson would be based on listening comprehension skills and discussion about the characters of the book and the multitude of character personalities/traits. I feel more comfortable using the self to text reflection analysis for the students to write a compare and contrast essay as their final authentic task using their research notes and their own personal experiences to build their essay. The students will compare and contrast Charley/Charlotte to their own self and what the student learned from this character and how the character impacted their thoughts about their own self. I have done a project based lesson like this before, and the students thoroughly enjoyed being able to pull up the needed info and complete research. It helped the students to build a better learning foundation, too. Modifications could be made for struggling learners with easier links ( more leveled reading) to preview or have the easy read links for the majority of the class and more in depth informative reading for more gifted students who seek more information. The students could pick and choose the links they choose to read, too. The authentic task could also be modified to be a collage for the learners, who struggle to express themselves in writing. They could create a collage and then do the compare and contrast part verbally infront of the class. This could be a really fun project based activity.

Esperanza was young, naive, and spoiled. Her heart was good, though, because her parents raised her to understand kindness and love. She loved her parents and really knew no other lifestyle, which was not her fault. Unfortunately, her life is turned upside down when her father is killed. The terrible series of events that follow her father's death led to a new journey in life for her and her mother. I feel that she is still abliss to the situation while on the train, and she remains taken back with the fact that she is having to co-exist with ones who once served her. She has a good teacher of compassion in her mother and her parent's friends, their new family.
Personally, I wanted to jump in the book and SLAP those nitwit uncles for being so cruel. They were greedy animals and ruthless. I admire Esperanza for maintaining her cool with the uncle and not biting him or slapping him, as he fully deserved it.
I feel that Esperanza will rise above the situation and that is part of why the title came about. Just a guess. I want to see the family succeed, and feel that Esperanza is slowly making the transition into her new social role.

Actually, I am very glad that the book ended so well. I was very pleased how the characters were all interconnected with music and their dreams in life. I like how intricate Ryan placed the characters in the story, especially Kenny, the 3 sisters, and Elisabeth. So now I won't worry what happened there. Somehow, I felt that Ryan would bring a grand finale' to the story through music, but I am not a musical person, so it was another part that I learned about.
I found it interesting how Ryan used the harmonica with the M, to save a life and set the sisters free. It reached it's destiny just as the families reached theirs.
I LOVED this book. It was very entrancing and mesmerizing the way that Ryan vividly painted the characters and their personalities, I could almost reach out and touch them in my mind. I have already shared with several friends about the book.

It upset me that people are so mean and destructive. I think Mr. Lopez was right in wanting to clean it up before Kenny came. Mr. Lopez has a sense of pride, too and a very big heart for others.
I did not know what was behind the door, but afterwards it made perfect sense, since Ryan is using music to tie the stores together. The Yamamottos have their hopes of a safe return and once again that they are not spies. It just makes me wonder how the ending will pan out. The boy on the bike brings the letter. Oh the letter... that has me hanging, too. I hope that Fernando is not dead. Somehow, I don't think that Ryan would exit this character as he is so closely bonded to Ivy. It is a great fear to have the police or sheriff come to your door to announce bad news of a loved one. This was potentially bad news with the messenger on the bike in those days. Hopefully he is only wounded and gets to come home. This book has made me cray cray at times, because I want to keep going , but have to find sleep...lol
I am still worried about the other characters and anxious to find out what Ryan has in store for us in the ending. This book would make an excellent family movie.

Poor Ivy. Her brother Fernando is off in the military; Ivy has to move asap without saying goodbye to her bff or teacher. She misses the radio solo, and is moving to a new home. I feel sorry for Ivy, because she and her family were not prepared for the school issue. Ivy is gifted and needs to be challenged. I am sure she feels embarrassment by the boys poking fun, but she also feels compassion for those struggling with learning. Her family has raised her well, not to discriminate. Her mother and father look and try to find the positives in people. They are hard working people and willing to help others, just like Luz trying to help Susan's mom get ahead with the laundry.
I am not sure that anything is really hidden in the Yamamotto house. I think their is alot of hyped up feelings of discrimination bubbling in people's heads. The fear of the unknown has always been the enemy. People are afraid of what they don't know and of differences. I don't think the Yamamotos are spies. They are hard working people who left their country to find a life for themselves, too, just as many immigrants did. I think there is still a problem in some areas in the United States where people are suspicious of groups just because of physical characteristics. There have been random social experiments done to prove this theory. I am anxious to see where this section takes Ivy and what role Yamamotto's son, Kenny, plays in this. How will Ryan connect the the families beyond the house?

I am not surprised that the first family didn't take them because they were not sincere people. they wanted farm help, not children to love and enjoy. Mike and Frankie made it very clear that they wanted to stay together. This first family saw it as misbehaving, when in reality it was due to them not wanting to be separated.
I didn't understand why Mr. Howard was looking for a musical child at first, because it appeared more of a business deal. Mr. Howard appeared sympathetic towards the boys and recognized that they were not being treated properly, as most orphans weren't at that time period.
Mike wants for the good of Frankie, and Frankie wants at all cost to stay together. Mike knew what Pennyweather was planning, and he didn't have much time to help Frankie. When Mike and Frankie arrive at their new home, Mike continues to feel that he must ensure that Frankie is taken care of because Frankie never knew his mom like Mike did. Frankie needs a mom (family). I cried as I read this section. Mike was willing to give up everything for his little brother. That is a beautiful love!
Again I am left hanging, but with Mike falling out of the tree and Frankie by his side, I think he won't be traveling far due to an unanticipated injury.
Ryan plays on diversity in both sections. She depicts how life was for the Germans, Jews, poor, rich, working class, European and American mindsets. I liked the department store episode where the boys were stereotyped and Mr. Howard set the employees straight. Often people are judgemental by human nature. Nazis were labeling Jews as a disgrace, while Mike and Frankie were trying to determine if their rejection by Mrs. Sturbridge was related to their original attire. I like how Ryan used diversity to paint a vivid picture in my mind as I read.

I was completely left hanging in Germany...What will happen???
In this section Mike and Frankie make it abundantly clear that they want to stay together. It must have been hard on these boys back in those days, as they were used for laborious tasks in the farmers fields. Finding a good family during those times was very difficult for one child, much less two. That comment was also made by Pennyweather and Mike. Unfortunately, I do not think this is the harmonica that was sent from Germany. It was taken with their other belongings and who knows what Pennyweather did with their belongings. Mike is especially good at the piano and I have a feeling since this book is musically intertwined that somehow a piano will save him. Not sure at this point what will happen to the boys, because Mike is making these big plans to see that Frankie gets adopted and then Mike will opt for a future of work and possible escape to the Hoxie Harmonica Band. I feel that his friend Mouse has helped prepare him and is somehow foreshadowing his future, which is still unknown to the reader. I do hope that they both get adopted, since that was the promise that Granny made before she passed. She felt it in her soul. With this book being ethereal in the beginning, that kinda shed some hope that Mike and Frankie will have a positive ending.
The biggest similarities I see is the way that the 3 children were raised. They were not rich, but didn't view themselves as poor. They all had the misfortune of losing a loved one and the fear of separation of their family. Mike had some trust issues with Mouse originally, but later changed his perspective. The differences I see are obviously the settings and that Friedrich had his father and uncle to help guide him, but Mike and Frankie had to try to figure things out on their own. They lost all their family. Friedrich only trusted his father and uncle. During Nazi time, many could not even trust family like Elisabeth's situation. I don't think the trust factor was a big part for Mike and Frankie, as Frankie had a friend help him with the window, and Mike later trusted Mouse.




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I think that Father had a difficult time wrapping his head around all the newly formed Nazi ways. He was always a bit quick tempered as a musician, but rather a bit naive as a German in this time frame. It really sunk in with Friedrich and Father when Elisabeth came home for a visit. So, Father was warned by his daughter and felt threatened by his daughter, friends, and neighbors. Father had a different perspective as fellow musician friends were Jewish. I think in the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't good to be associated with the Jews, but at the same time, since they had been friends for a long time, he didn't want to accept that it would be a problem, at least from his point of view. This was very descriptive of how people turned on each other. Uncle Gunther was also aware, probably more than Father. Father and Friedrich tossed the ideas around in their heads and made decisions on how to approach the joining the Nazi way or not to protect their family. It was clear he had no problem with the Jews, but he knew that sympathizing with the Jews would not end well for him either.
I feel that Anselm is up to no good. He is arrogant and boastful and wants to make himself look good for his father, who is with the police. I feel that he is using trickery to lure Friedrich into a trap where he has no one to protect him so to speak. Anselm has always had a snide smirk about himself. Friedrich is intuitive, though and tries to stay one up on Anselm, but eventually Anselm catches him off guard as Friedrich, Gunther, and Father plan their exit.
This book is making me nuts. I try to stop reading at times, but feel compelled to finish. I am curious to find out what will happen.
?? How does the harmonica weave itself into the next part, since it is being shipped on its new mission? How will Friedrich, Father, and Uncle Gunther be affected? Will they fall prey to the Nazis ? Will Elisabeth ever see her family again?

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As a parent, I would have to agree that Friedrich's father did the right thing by pulling his child from the school. Friedrich did not belong in the looney bin. He was gifted and not sure that his needs could have ultimately been challenged in school back then. Children can and have been mean to things that are out of their norms or different. Friedrich was different, but that is only part of the problem that was ahead of him. My first thought was that the principal would eventually turn on this family and inform the Nazi's of his face.
I believe he was lead to the harmonica and the harmonica found him. Music is his strength and love, just as the sisters loved music. It is his identity and outlet in life.
I did know that the Nazi regime was a supremacy group that was radical and totally against anything different (ideas, viewpoints, people, cultures). In my masters class for special education, this was a topic of how the Nazi's tortured and exterminated anyone with disabilities and deformaties. They wanted a PURE race....more extreme than the Royal families of ancient times. If you were unable to work and requiring assistance, then you were exterminated. you were of no use to the Hitler Regime, especially during war.
I think Elisabeth is finding her survival route and not as gritty as her brother. I tend to want to believe that she won't be a true Hitlerite and come to terms with her upbringing. She is in nursing and this is a way for her to remain safe in terrible times. I want to believe that Friedrich will be saved and not be a victim of Hitler.

I began reading the prologue and thought it was interesting how the author began to weave things together. This foreshadowing of the chant sets the story as Friedrich to be near death (in my opinion...haven't read that far), as Otto, the messenger is somehow his hope by means of the harmonica. Needless to say, I like how the author symbolizes the harmonica as hope . The use of fairy-tale fantasy was interesting and reader catching. I am curious to see if more of Otto's book (that mysteriously disappeared) adds more written pages as the tale unfolds.

My name is Patricia (Raquel) Maldonado. I am know by my middle name. I teach special education K-3 at Nedrose in the Minot area.