Period 5

 

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...

What book are you reading?finding lubchenko

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Your Name:

Book Title:

 

 

Comments & Questions:

HP Hamblett

Come Back to Afghanistan

 

Wade Wright

Finding Lubchenko

As soon as I just started reading the first page I was hooked.  Finding Lubchenko is a really fast pace book, from the moment I picked it up I didn't want to stop reading this book.  This book is about a kid that one day finds out that his father might have committed a murder.  So this kid,aka Evan and his father buisness partner work together to find out who had really murdered this guy.  This book so far is great, but I'm not quite done yet to explain the ending.

 

 

Dylan Poutre

How I Live Now

 

After reading the first chapter of this book I have found that it is in a way sad, yet happy, because Daisy's father basically just kicked her out of the house and sent her away to the opposite side of the country, but I'm getting the sense that Daisy wants to get away because her life is unhappy. And going to a place she's never been to and where she knows no people, is like she can be whoever she wants to be.

 

In England Daisy has three cousins. Edmond, Pipper and Isaac. Edmaond is the oldest (14 years old). Pipper is the youngest girl. and Isaac is the middle child. Isaac is the quietest of the three, and i think thats because hes the middle child so Edmond, the oldest gets all the responsibility and Pipper, the youngest gets all the attention but he gets

 

 

Durring Daisy's stay in England there is a war going on, between the British and the French, and her and her three cousins are stuck alone at home because their Mother/Aunt had to go away for work before the war began and now she can't get back. I think it would be pretty cool to have no parents because then you could do what you want when you want. But after awhile I'd probably want somebody around to clean and stuff. Right now the four are happy and having fun without a mom around but I think they'll want her back soon.

I have gotten to the part where Daisy and Edmaond start falling in love and kissing and stuff which I think is not right, because you really shouldn't do those kinds of things with your cousin. But whatever. Like I said she is in love and I guess love can find anyone. Even if there related by blood.

This book is really starting to get good. I can't put it down.

 

About half way through the book an soilder shows up at there house and forces them out of it so the army can use it as a base. But the cousins were scattered to different places around England. But Pipper and Daisy end up together. Yay for them.

So they have to go live in a small town called Reston Bridge where they have to live with an soilder named Major McEvoy along with his wife Mrs. McEvory and his four year old son. But latter on Daisy makes Mr.Mac tell her where the other cousins were sent to.

 

One day when Daisy and Piper are working on the farm a terrorist shoots Mr. Mac. And thats not good. So Daisy and Pipper ran away to find the river that will lead them back to there house.

This next part I think is so intense because its just like that. I don't know how to explain it. But anyway, its when Daisy and Pipper are reaching their house they start to see dead bodies and then they see there old dog, Ding, but its ridden by hunger and disease. So Daisy kills it with a gun. But I can just picture this dirty killer dog thats going crazy with starvation and it was probably about to attak them at any second. So I just think its intense.

Later on when Daisy is walking around the old house the phone rings and it is her father.

I totally saw this coming.

And her father gets her home using international connections. I think this part is sad because she has to leave Pipper alone with this war going on and it is possible she will never see any of them again. And on top of all that she thinks the love of her life, Edmaond, is dead.

So years go on and she gets a call from Pipper.

So she imedeatly goes back to England and is reunited with all of her cousins.

But Edmaond is being all mad at her because she left him.

I think he really just need to get over that because it is not like she wanted to leave. But I guess he loved her or something, so maybe when your in love you get more emotional aout things like that. And the only thing that has kept Edmaond from pretty much killing himself was the garden. So Daisy figures she can talk to him through the garden. So she works in the garden with him and they and up loving. Yay.

And that is how Daisy lives now.

 

I think this was a really good book because it jump into pretty quick with out getting into to much detail like other books do.

And it was easy for me to read.

 

Courtney

Looking For Alaska

    I have read the frist 4 chapters and it is not too interesting yet...he has met everyone and he is in his college/private school

 

    I am almost done this book. It is a great so far, and very fast paced. This book is about a boy named "Pudge", he is a nerd pretty much, and is obsessed with peoples last words (the last thing people say before they die).  He went through his high school without any one ever noticing him...but now it is time to go to college. When he gets there right off he meets Colonol, and then he meets Alaska. Alaska, as  John Green describes her, "The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly facinating girl". Pudge also meets the characters: Takumi, and Lara. Colonol and Alaska invite Pudge into there little friendship. They introduce him to their drinking in their dorms, sneaking out to have a smoke, and sex. As this group of kids get closer. One of the worst things that could happen happened. Alaska committed suicide.

     This book is a little boring in the beginning when the author is introducing you to the characters and the school, but it half way through it gets so fast paced that you don't want to set the book down.

Olivia Bernard

How I Live Now

 

In this book a girl named Daisy is sent out to live with her cousins in England, and her dad pretty much just kicked her out. She didn't really care that much because she hates her stepmom anyway, and her dad pretty much only cares about Davina(stepmom).

 

I think it is really weird that Daisy is like in love with her cousin and that they kiss and do other stuff, actually i think it is really gross and odd and that kinda creeps me out. 

 

I like this book so far because there are things happen that you would have never expected, kind of like Daisy falling in love with her cousin(Edmond). That makes me want to keep reading it because you never know what's going to happen next.

 

In one of the chapters some Army dude comes to their house in England and says they are taking it over for some kind of base or something. Then one of the guys tells Daisy that her and Piper have to move away because its not safe for them I guess because they're girls. So they are forced to leave and end up in some town called Reston Bridge and are living with an Army person name Major McEvoy.

 

 

jon

finding lubchncko

 

David Wright

Anansi Boys

WOW! This book so far is such a good book, it is very weird, but it's not to weird. It keeps you wondering and on the edge of your seet. Fat charlie is a weird charecter, who isn't really all that fat, his dad is one of those weird kind of guys. Anything his dad gives a name will last forever Fat charlie is about to get married when he gets a message that his father has died, from that moment on his careful very well balanced life begins to unravell. As charlie, fat charlie finds out aboout his father, he also meets his brother who he has never even met before. He finds out that his father is Anansi, the trickster god, and that his brother, Spider got all of the magic. This book is amazing, I would recomend if you like what you are hearing you begin to read this book, I have yet to finish but I can only expect many, many more excitin things from Neil Gaimen.

Timothy Russell

Airborn

This book is great so far because it is about a boy named Matt Cruse, who is a cabin boy on a blimp cruise. The guest that comes on board of the Aurora (which is the blimp's name) is a 15 year old girl named Kate De Vries, which he starts to like. The reason that the girl is on the flight is because her grandfather was on board of the Aurora once who saw a two-winged creature in the clouds of the sky, and he dies on the Aurora. Kate comes on board to figure out what he had seen and Matt helps her because later on, he sees the creature. The diary of Kate's grandfathers may give clues to Matt about the creature. So far the book has been slow paced but on each page it gets faster and faster as you read.

 

Tyler Valley

Anansi Boys

I just finished reading Anansi Boys and I can definitly say I have never in my life read a book like this. I loved it, I couldn't put it down. The book is about a boy named Fat Charlie. Charlie lives in England. Charlie never had a good relationship with his father. When Charlie was planning for his wedding he wanted to invite his dad but when he tried to find his him he found out he died while singing kareoke in a bar. It must be hard to fid out that your father died before you could make amends and before your wedding. At his fathers funeral he learnes that his father was Anansi a spider god. And little did he know that he had a brother who has magicle powers. One day his brother "Spider" shows up at his house and changes his world. Charlies brother causes him a lot of problems including problems with his fiancee. Charlie doesn't have very good luck. I recamend this book to anyone who likes a book that keeps you at the edge of your seat. It is very hard for me to find a book that I can realy enjoy but I realy liked this one. If I had three thumbs I would put them all up.       

 

Jessica Rowe

Extremely Loud & Incredible Close

 

Jordan Budziak

Finding Lubchenko

After reading "Finding Lubchenko" I knew right away that I had just read a award winning book. The writing was great,the plot was terrific,I was never bored at any point in the book. It was great all around. The book is about a 16 year old kid who is not getting any support from his millionare father. That 16 year year old kid is "Evan" who i think is just plain misunderstood. But he also manages to drag his freinds "Ruben" an "Erika" into his stupid plans. The action starts when Even decides to go to paris with his freinds to prove his fathers innocence in a murder he did not commit. Even was convinved that paris holds all the answers. So armed with two loyal freinds and his fathers credit card he attemps to take on the impossible ( of course along the way anybody would go to a couple partys right?)

 

A good book

 

Mr.Thomas

 

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.

 

10/19/07

 

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.

 

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.