-- ! mr. thomas Period 7

 

Assignment: Outside Reading, Q1

• Books to be selected from the Green Mountain Award Books
• Students will respond to the reading on Mr. Thomas's wiki online
• Responses will be in the form of:

1. Connections you make to your own life, to literature, or to the world around you
2. Important issues, ideas, concepts or thougts that come up in your reading
3. "I wonder..." questions
4. Clarifying questions
5. Any other questions or comments you may have

 

 

Let's begin...

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Comments & Questions: so far its a great book

 

Harriette Hamblett

American Born Chinese:

 

Stephen Trombly

Runaways Vol. 1: This book was great... From the moment the book was in my hand i had trouble putting it down...Check the BLOG!!!!!!!

 

Kristen Wright

Runaways Vol. 1 or American Born Chinese:

 

Steven Ferland

A Certain Slant of Light:

 

 

Oakley stevens

A glass castle:

 

Sabrina Gilmore

A Truth About Forever:

This book is about a girl named Macy. She feel in love with a boy named Jason.

 

Tiana Gosselin

American Born Chinese

----- The first couple chapters are kind of confusing untill you get use to the fact that it changes from a little boy that is american born chinese at middle school and he meets some boys who pick on him and then another kid moves into the school that is chinese and then they become friends for ever! But the confusing part is that the chapters swich from a story to the little boy!

-----I have read about half way through the book now and its not as confusing because i am getting use to the fact that it switches so much! This book is really good so far y favorite part is when its on the monkey story and the monkey king doesnt beleive that god can reach out to anyone and anywhere so the monkey king flys, and flys and flys past the sky into the atomshere and sees four gold poles and carves his name and pees on it (this made me laugh histaracly) when he flys back to where god was standing, the monkey says "I just lew through the boundaries of reality itself and where was your evr present reach?" god responded him, "come coser little monkey, and take a look at my hand." the monkey peed on his hand god was there the whole time!

 

Carly Perron

How I Live Now

The first three chapters that i have read are very exciting. The young girl who is, Elizabeth but her friends and family call her daisy, gets sent to live with her aunt and cousin in England. Because her mother died while giving birth and her dad just got sick of her so he kicked her out. She gets there and isnt really used to the place so she is a littel confused on wut do do but she knows that it will be good because her step mom is no where in site....of course she is the last person to leave the air port is her and thats when she meets her cousin for the very frist time. She doesnt really know how old he is because he starts smoking and she figures that he is 16.

 

Jeremiah Leonard Airborn:

this book starts off kinda slow but when you get farther in to it its not so bad, the main charecter is Mr.cruse, he is pretty cool but is kinda full of him self but ts kinda funny how e is into himself, he meets a girl named kate de vries who sounds like a trouble maker, but i guess i will find out.

 

Katie Prue

How I Live Now:

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I really like all five chapters they are really really good! The main characters real name is Elizabeth but she likes to be called Daisy. Daisy's mom had died while giveing birth to her, then her dad just kicked her out. Daisy seems as though she likes it because she she doesn't have to be with her dumb step mom. At the end of chapter 4 she says that living with her cousins in the country isnt as bad as she thought it would be. I really think i am going to like this book. The next few chapters I learned that daisy's mom died giving daisy life. Then i kept reading.. and i found out that Edmond ( her cousin) kissed her... she said that she has developed feelings for her on cousin. I mean come on... its her cousin.. thatis no how find love, fond someone who isnt blood related to you lol. Now I think that they have been haveing sex.. that only a little insest!!!!!!!!!! Daisy finally admitts that she is in love with Edmond. Piper and daisy got sent to live with some people in a refugee home!! But it wasnt as bad as they thougth it would be, they were just sad because they were away from Edmond and Isaac. Daisy has this feeling that Edmond is there with her, in spirit.

 

Now Daisy has a new job, and on her way home with her driver, her cousin, army major( the husband of the women she is stayin with.) and a friend she has while working... and these people at the checkpoint shot her friend, and the major.  Daisy, piper, the driver, and the women who she is staying with had to evacuate there house because there were guys going from house to house shotting inisint people. When they evacuted they moved to an army farm... which were the  people who were friends with the major who died. Then they had to evacute the farm because they got invaded. So now Piper and Daisy are out in the woods all alone, left to survive. Its been months sence they have been out alone in the woods.. they did evend up fiding food, and a little abanded shack, where the could stay for a few days, but then had to continue on.  After awhile, they finally know where they are going!!!! They follow a familiar river, and make it back to there house, abanded!!! Daisy is hoping that she can fingure out where Edmond and Isaac are. While being home with no one except for them selves surviving off from fishes and old food they found in the barn. ( where they are staying, because they dont feel confortable staying in the house). Then finally they go into the house to take some showers and see if there is any food, and they get a phone call from Daisy's  father.!

 

Part 2

Daisy and Edmond are finally reunited after 6 years of wondering... he was sick and very very skinny because he witnessed a massacre and survived. He doesnt talk much right now! After a while though he starts to talk to Daisy because she told him she loves him. The ending is finally  here, and All the cousins: Edmond, Daisy, Piper, Isaac and Osbert are now all together! I really liked this book... it kept me wondering every second... there was never a time when i knew something was going to happen.. it is a very unprodictable book.. I LOVED IT!!!!

 

Mikayla McAlister****Extremly loud and Incredebly Close**** This is a cery hard book for me to relate to because I have never had a family member diesuch a tragic death. I have had family issues; sometimes it feels like nothing in the world could be more hard to handle or that i mut be the only one who knows how hard this can be... but the truth is this book is a huge wake-up call for those of us teens who don;t know how easy or good we have it.(if we do have it easy) For some of us to relate we have to of had that ump in the road to understand the least bit about what it is to have a tough life. Me, I am feed, clothed, clean, educated, respectful, and blessed but just  as people start to think that they know you something comes up and it may be a surprise and it may be a calm situation. I think this book is trying to put out a message of live your life to the fullest because like Oscar's father, he did not wake up that morning thinking that he was going to die. When Oscar decides as a nine-year old tht he is going to seargh for his the locket that his dad left behind he first understands the emotions he is going to face and the challenges he has to go through for him to come remolty close to finding it. The book is wel written and sends a clear message anlong with heart-felt messages symbolizing the worth/value of his fathers and other lifes around him. I have no questions about this book; and yes, I do strongly recomend this book to anyone who needs advise or something to relate to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Natasha Cady

How i live now:

I really liked the first five chapters and i feel really bad for Elizabeth who's mom died when she was giving birth to her. Elizabeth likes to be called daisy, why i feel bad for daisy is because daisys father just kicked her out of the house to the other side of the world and i think that daisy kind of wants to be away from her dad and satin step-mom.Daisy's cousins are pretty nice but edmond and isaac seem pretty weird. Edmond is like the bad boy who smokes but hes just really awkward and isaac is very quite and piper is the youngest cousin who is really nice. Is it just me or does edmond seems like he knows everything that daisy is thinking he knows like to bring her water or and answer any of the questions she hasnt asked yet? From the information that i know about this book its going to be pretty intense! 

 

This book is so good and i cant wait to see whats going to happen next.

in chapters 6-10 its mostly about how the war is happining and the kids aunt penn left and the airlines get stopped so she is stuck in the town she was in i think its call oslo and the kids have to take care of them-selfs and they have to get money out of there moms bank acount to get enough food to live. The kids pretty much love to be alone and love to have the freedom of being alone. In these chapters all of the kids sleep in the barn and thats when all  the heat was picked up by edmond and daisy they felt some chemestry the said they shouldnt feel all this  because they  are cousins and they are right. later on in  this chapter they make-out and kiss alot ! just a little insest.

 

 In chapters 11-to the end. alot of things happen first some army people come to there house and tell daisy and piper they have to leave and so daisy has to leave her little sex life with edmond behind, edmond  And issac and osberg and all the guys get to stay and help with the army stuff.Daisy and piper have to go live at some intense army mans house and stay until  he is in a battle and he gets shot in the face and daisy and piper run away and they find a river they went swimming at before so there all happpy and then they stay there for a while and they follow he river home and then when they get there they notice that no one is there so they have no money and no food so they have to live in the barn withthe goat who is all deased and gross and very intense and the food issac stached away and then one day daisy and piper re just there and they get a phone call and its daisys dad and he wants her to come home because hes in the hospital and then so she leaves piper all alone and then shes all alone. and then daisy  goes hame and shes there then shes old enough to move out and she gets a letter from piper and it says how she wants her to visit so she goes back and the wars over and aunt penn died from trieng to come back home. so edmonds mad at daisy for going backto ney york so thy go to a little garden and thats the only reason edmond didnt kill himself and they talk and eventually they are a big happy family and daisy and edmond have sex again because they are inlove and this book was really good. Daisy doent like have her eating disorder anymore.

 

 

 

Jessica Eckel

How I Live Now:

 

This book is really good. Daisy use to live in NYC with her dad, but he sent her to England to live with her cousins. Daisy's mom died. Living in England is totaly different than in NYC. People drive on the other side of the road, which would be weird. Daisy's family seems really nicce and polite, I think it was good that she got sent there. The way she grew up is totaly different than them and she seems opposite of them. Her cousins don't have to go to school, which is really cool. I wish I didn't have to either. Daisy has a eating disorter, she never eats. I could never go one day with out eating. Her aunt leaves England to go to a meeting so the kids are living on their own. which sounds like fun, but scary too. While she is gone a war starts in England, so her aunt can't make it back home for a while. While she is gone Daiy and Edmond fall in love. That is gross because it's her cousin. Eventually they have sex. They sleep during the day so they can be alone at night. I can't belive they are doing that. After a little while of being home alone they all get split up. Army people come to their house to stay their, so Daisy and Piper go live with a new family and the boys stay at the house. Where Daisy and Piper stay they seem really nice. The guy tells them a lot of information about the war, which is nice so they have a clue of whats going on. The guy ( major m ) gets the girls a job at picking apples and other fruits. While they are working they make new friends. COming home one night this other kid that works with them gets shot and so does Major M. and they end up dying. Enemies were going to be coming around killing people so they had to leave their house and live with army men in a barn. One of the soldiers like Piper. So far I am enjoying the book a lot. You never know what is ging to happen next.

 

In chapters 23 through 27 Piper and Daisy had to leave the barn where they were staying and walk through the woods a ways. It was just them two walking alone. I don't know how they did that because I would have been so scared of someone finding me. After they were alone for a while they ended up near the river where they went swimming with the other cousins. They got soo excited and ended making it back at the house. That is so shocking that they made it there on their own. When they got their nobody was at the house, the house looked very deserted. I can't wait to keep reading, this book keeps getting better and better.

 

In chapters 28-29 I can't believe Daisy and Piper made it on their own and made their own food, from what was in the garden and what ever they found. At the end of 29 I thought it was really weird how the phone rang out of no where and didn't say who it was. It part two of  the book Daisy went back home to NYC and the war ended. She was in the hospital for a while because of every thing that happened during the war. After a while Piper sent Daisy a letter saying to come back to visit. When she got there she founf out that her Aunt Penn had died trying to get back in during the war. Osbert, Issac, and Edmond all survived dduring the war. Osbert moved out of the house to live with his new girl friend. Piper, Issac, and Edmond are living at the house. Piper fell in love and her boyfriend lives with them. Edmond would not talk to Daisy because of when she left England to go back home. But after a while he started talking to her and Daisy decided that she wants to live in England to be with Edmond. That is " How I Live Now"

 

Mr.Thoma

 

Come Back to Afghanistan

 

I am finding this book to be very compelling. Besides being well-written, Hyder's voice, being that of a young person in between two very unique circumstances--his Afghan culture and roots and being raised American--is unprecedented in my literary experience. If he weren't Afghani, even though he has never been there, I don't think he could have dealt so smoothly and intelligently with the circumstances of accompanying his father.

 

10/16/07

 

Hyder mentions that the only crops he recognizes in Afghanistan are corn (from the movie Field of Dreams) and rice (from movies about Viet Nam). I guess that Hyder's upbringing in the US was very urban if his only memories of corn are from movies. This highlights the challenge and uniqueness of his time in Afghanistan.

 

10/18/07

 

In chapter 29, there is a comment by Hyder that I think is indicative of his thoughtfulness and political acumen, which seems to be far beyond that of the typical twenty year-old Amercan. He wonders if maybe the US really isn't interested in rebuilding Afghanistan so much as retaining a US presence there militarily, which means that the right amount of chaos suits the US just fine. What exactly are our motives? I want to research how this has played out since the book was published in 2005.

 

I think Hyder is very fair and as unbiased as a person in his position could be. When Americans act as if they actually care, as Capt. Thomas does in Chapt 31, Hyder is moved.

 

10/19/07

 

Several times Hyder speaks of the feeling of going back in time--just going to Afghanistan in the first place, but especially leaving Kabul for the countryside. I can really relate to this through my experience of being in Ecuador in the early 70's. One could leave the capital, Quito, and quickly be in country where people lived exactly as they had hundreds of years ago. Not only that, there were towns, such as Cuenca, that were truly medieval. I loved this feeling of time-travel.