Brian Marion > Recent Status Updates

Steven is a self-centered 12 year old. He likes playing the drums, has a crush on a girl at school, and thinks his 4 year old brother is the most annoying thing in his life. When Jeffy gets sick, though, I wonder if Steven will mature and worry about someone other than himself for once. We have to keep reading to find out!

One of my all time favourites. Students over the last two decades have immensely enjoyed listening to me read Hatchet. We are focusing on simile and metaphor this week. There was a great example of each today: "His legs liquid springs" means Brian is sprinting as fast as he can to light the signal fire & "scrambled up like a cat" means Brian is quickly moving over rough terrain without losing his balance or footing.

My students are loving this book. It is in your face and very real. Some of the issues that Henry is coping with hit home for me and some of the students. Can't wait to find out if his family situation will improve, if he will get a girlfriend, if he will make it to the GWF show, and a lot of other answers to questions we have!

Questions I have after reading today: Now that the penguins and Popper are out of jail, will they be able to resume their act? Did all of the penguins survive the stint in jail? Are they healthy enough to go on?

This is a light read. Enjoyable and funny. My students seem to be enjoying it especially after listening to some fairly intense books being read to them in September and October. My connection to this story involves the costs involved. I used to keep saltwater fish and coral at home. It was a lot of work and ate up a lot of my money. But I loved it. The aquarium was a must see for any visitor to our home.

We are getting to the good stuff. Stanley finds Zero out in the desert, barely clinging to life and subsisting on Sploosh! Jars of some fruit that must have been canned a long, long time ago. They are currently trying to scale Big Thumb. Why? We have no idea. Yet...

Olemaun finally gets to start classes. On day 1, the Raven tells her to read out loud. But Olemaun does not yet know how to read. It is an embarrassing situation and the Raven did it on purpose. Later, Olemaun spills her mush on the Raven, who raises a claw toward her. Sister MacQuillan steps in before Olemaun is hit.

Some words to describe how Olemaun is feeling about going to school include: excited, happy, eager, hopeful, patient. Most of all, she wants to learn to read.

When I Was Eight is about a little girl...

Olemaun desperately wants to attend residential school with her older sister Rosie. She begs her father to be allowed to go. She asks Rosie many questions about the school.
Olemaun's father and sister do not say much about the school. I made an inference. I think they do not say much about the school because it is/was an awful place for them both and they don't want to relive their experience by talking about it.

Max is kinda rescued from Tony D. and gang by Kevin. But in a way, Max also rescued Kevin. The last chapter was a little weird, with Grim and Gram discussing how to deal with Tony D. (avoid him at ALL COSTS) and doing so over coffee. One thing is certain, Grim and Gram want Max to be ok and stay out of trouble. The chapter ends with Kevin being his usual condescending self toward Max.

Max and Kevin have known each other for most of their lives. They make an unlikely pair for a friendship because they are so different. Maybe, though, that means they compliment each other quite well. Max is not particularly bright but is big for his age. Kevin is small and has mobility issues. He is also extremely intelligent. Will they make good friends? Will they help each other fit in with their peers?

Quite the beginning to this book! My students immediately snapped to attention as I read it verbatim, holding nothing back. They were a little astounded that I would read some of the language as is. Already, they have questions about why someone would presume that another person's quality of life would justify killing them. This is going to be a thought-provoking read that spurs much great discussion!

Shane makes the cross-country running team despite running in jeans and boots the first time out. He also believes that the coach does not like him but will tolerate him anyway. Dad and Jeff give Shane a bike, which he cannot wait to give a spin. Dad is pretty quiet.

Dad has tracked down Cameron and apprehended mom and her boyfriend.
He shows up in the boyfriend's car and creeps out Cameron to no end. Cameron manages to escape and hide - but dad finds him and a physical battle ensues.

Shane recently saved a horse that was stuck in barbed wire. He goes to school the next day wearing tight jeans and cowboy boots. To avoid having the teacher discover he did not do his math homework, he signs up for cross-country - and is intending to run up a hill and back in his jeans and boots. Another boy, who is not running, offers his sneakers, which are about Shane's size.

Cameron and Ken go to check out the barn. This is to ease Cameron's vivid imagination and fears that someone has been watching him in his room from the barn. Will Cameron tell Ken about Jacky?

Shane's first day at school in Alberta was miserable. He got the last seat on the bus and it was a lousy one, usually reserved for nerdy types. He has 8 pages of homework before noon. and he gets into a fight with the school bully.

I think Cameron has made some questionable decisions - starting with calling his dad. It has led to him being near paranoid. He has many internal dialogues with his conscience. I am predicting that dad is going to show up soon and it will not be a pleasant visit.

Oh dear. Shane's dad continues to drive after drinking. One would think that if you already had an accident driving while drinking and your wife died in that accident, you might want to stop driving after drinking. Two questions I have: Will there be another devastating accident? Will Shane's dad get his life together?

This is quite a sad beginning. The main character, Shane, faces some things that no young person should. His father is an alcoholic and was driving, likely drunk, when his mother died in a car accident. One good thing: Shane has inherited a ranch from his grandfather who passed away not long after his mother's death.

This book is part of our frightening tales theme, begun last week of October. I am waiting for the first gruesome thing to happen. Will Cameron's father show up? Is Mr. McTavish a murderer? What's the story with Cowboy Boots? Is CB really a nice guy or is he hiding some involvement in a long-ago murder that may or may not have happened? Students: What do you think?

Honor's parents have been taken and she and Quintillian are now orphans. It has not been a great start to their time with the Edwardses. All orphans must do chores. When they make mistakes, they get additional chores. Honor has conversations with her peers in the hopes of figuring out what happened to her parents. She does not come right out and say it but I think she desperately wants them back.

I think Honor's parents are about to be taken. Helix's parents were taken recently. The thought of losing her parents must be terrifying for Honor. She seems to be doing everything she can to make others think that her family is a good, dutiful one. But we know that they are not. I think they are going to be found out. I wonder what happens when you are taken??

Honour's mom is working in the gift-wrapping section of the local market. She slips Honour a length of ribbon on the sly. Quintilian starts hollaring that he wants one and they are busted. It costs her dad two points. Now we know that in the colonies, people don't spend money they way we do. They spend points and are issued coupon books which are the points they use.

Helix finds a coin. He and Honor examine it and we learn from their comments that people no longer believe in God (maybe just Earth Mother), the United States Of America may no longer exist, and the arm and torch from the Statue of Liberty is being used in some way in the colonies. Also, brochures are handed out that explain more of the rules about what is allowed and what is not. There are receptacles for disposing

Honour is excited because she will get an id number. When she meets the registrar, they are not very inviting and she has to give her thumbprint and a drop of blood. She is no longer excited about receiving her identification number.

Honour went to the nurses' office at school. She said she fell into the aquarium and Octavio saved her. She begged the nurse not to kill the octopus. The nurse asks, "Why are you not all wet?" Maybe she sensed Honour was lying. And the nurse says if the orderlies got Octavio, he's dead. The chapter ends with Honour meeting her baby brother for the first time. His name is Quintilian.