Lorialei+Thunker

= = The Running Dream Contemporary Realistic Fiction Wendelin VanDraanen January 11th, 2011

Summary: Some people have dreams from a young age. But fate can tear those dreams apart and make new ones. Jessica a high school track star had her dreams changed after a tragic school bus accident. Not only did one of Jessica’s teammates lose her life in the crash, but Jessica had to have her left leg amputated below the knee. Jessica had great support through this tragedy from her parents, sister, best friend Fiona, and the rest of her track team. While trying to catch up on homework in math class, Jessica makes a new friend Rosa that not only changes Jessica’s current attitude but also changes her outlook on being able to run again. Jessica is a strong young woman that pushes herself to a strong at fast recovery to make someone else’s running dream possible.

Likes/Dislikes I really liked this book. I am not one to read realistic fiction. I like mystery and adventure, but this book keep me wanting to read more. I wanted to read on with Jessica’s troubles and I felt like I could support her the whole way through. I also liked the short chapters, I could really feel like I was in Jessica’s mind while reading it. I also felt like “Oh I could read one more chapter… Then another and another…” It kept me reading. My only dislike is that this may be a book that only girls would be interested in. I think there are some good things that a boy might look at in the book but I don’t think they would be ones to stick it out on.

Essential Questions:

1.Jessica lost something that was very important to her, running. If you were to lose the ability to do something you love most, what would you lose and how would you feel?

2. How did Jessica overcome her first obstacle at home alone when Fiona wanted her to go out for lunch?

3. Rosa wrote notes to Jessica in math class. Jessica said she will always remember one of the notes. What was the note and how did it change Jessica’s attitude toward Rosa?

4. Jessica’s understanding of a finish line changes throughout the book. What is her view in the beginning and her view in the end?

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Double Identity Margaret Petersen Haddix Mystery/Survival 2005

I liked that the book had just enough cliff hangers to keep me pulled in with a little information given at a time. But I also think that was a dislike because there were a few times where I really didn’t know what to think about where the story was going. I normally like unsolved stories or such mysteries but it was just not one of my favorites. I did like the ending and the new family tree. The turn of events with what Dalton was looking for helped pull me in to the ending a little bit as well.


 * 1) Bethany had to live with what seemed to be a depressed mother. What type of world did Bethany create for herself to escape that world? Why do you think she creates this world?
 * 2) If you were Joss or Mylie, what words would you use to describe Bethany’s personality while living with them?
 * 3) How would you feel if you were dropped off with a distant relative just to find out someone may be after you? How would you react?

Artifact #1 – Gemini Necklace I chose this because... Bethany is a clone and the double of Elizabeth. Gemini is the sign of the twin. I think that Bethany would closely relate to this.

Artifact #2 - Old Fashioned Movie Camera I chose this because... when Bethany thinks of her world she thinks of things back in the 1900s. She also thinks of the words and vies things differently.

Artifact #3 - Cell Phone I chose this because... Bethany wants to be plugged in at all times, even when the power goes out. A cell phone is never out of range or unable to be used and that’s what she wants.

Artifact #4 - Non Prescription Swim Goggles I chose this because... Bethany’s world is twisted and unclear for much of her time around her turning 13. Her parents leaving and leaving her to put the pieces of this crazy unrealistic world together is like seeing through unclear goggles.

Artifact #5 – Gingko Tree I chose this because... not only does the family plant this type of tree for Bethany after they become a family again, but it represents Bethany’s old and new life. Bethany’s old life was meant to stop at age 13 but this tree represents Bethany’s new life that was continuing on and growing. Also the Gingko tree is a unique tree that survived for thousands of years when other trees did not. This is just like Bethany survived through everything she endured

Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief Fantasy Rick Riordon 2006

Percy Jackson, a middle schooler always knew there was something different about him. He always wondered why he had to go off to boarding schools year after year even though he kept getting kicked out of them. He wanted to live with his mom in New York even though he did not get along with his lazy and stinky step dad Gabe. This year Percy did not get kicked out of school, he had his friend Grover and the Latin teacher watching out for him. While at school a monster tried to attack him on a field trip. Grover and his teacher helped him win this battle. Percy returns home to find out that for his protection his mother wants him to go to a summer camp where he will be safe. On his journey there with his mother and Grover they are attacked by more monsters. In an attempt to save Percy’s life his mother dies, but Percy and Grover make it to the camp. While at camp Percy learns why he was attacked and that he is a godling or the child of a god and a human. The gods have been fighting because someone stole Zeus’ master lightning bolt. Because Percy is said to be an important godling he is the one accused of stealing it even though it is impossible that he did it. Percy must go on a quest to find the master bolt and return it to Zeus before World War 3 breaks out. Along the way Percy meets and must conquer many mythical monsters. Will Percy find the bolt and get it back before the summer solstice?

. I liked the book very much. I like the details provided by the author. I just wanted to keep reading the book. Percy would get out of one trouble and another one would be right on his tail. As soon as you thought he was out of it and got to hear some of his thoughts, something else would jump out at him. There wasn’t a lot that I disliked. I had seen the movie when it came out last year, but I thought the book was much better. I have now realized that I need to read the books before seeing the movies. It just ruins the book otherwise. Also, the books usually seem better to me than the movie as I can get the characters thoughts and not just their actions. I also know from the students in my class that have read it, that the boys pretty much love it and most of the girls that have read it enjoy it as well.


 * 1) 1. How would you feel if you found out everything you thought to be true about the world, was actually false? Why would you feel that way?
 * 2) 2. How would you describe Ares? What character traits made him want to turn against the gods and why?
 * 3) 3. Name a monster that Percy encountered. What clues or connections did Percy, Grover, and Annabeth have to make to discover who the monsters really were?

Percy Jackson: Sighted and Missing Again! The young boy named Percy Jackson who was thought to have gone missing with his mother 3 days ago has been seen at the St. Louis Archway. Percy Jackson is thought to have gone missing when his step father’s car crashed on Long Island. The Camaro was driven by Percy’s mother whom is also missing. Neither Percy or his mother were found with the car. Missing person reports were filed for both by Percy’s stepfather Gabe Ugliano, a local appliance store owner. But Percy has been sighted in St. Louis. There was an accident at the top of the St. Louis Archway. A couple stated that Percy attacked a woman with her dog. It was said that Percy used some type of gun to shoot at the woman. We have no information as to what exactly happened as the eye witnesses were very broken after the unexplained explosion after the gun fire. All that can be said as of now is that Percy Jackson was sighted at the top of the Archway. The couple at the top of the Archway said the explosion blew Percy right off of the archway into the river below. Crews are searching the river now looking for Percy. Crews have been out all night searching and he has yet to be found. Search crews will continue to look for him but with the river level high and the current moving fast, the chances of finding Percy Jackson alive are not good.

Found Science Fiction Margaret Petersen-Haddix 2008

Joanh is a normal 13 year old boy living with a mom, dad, and a younger sister. He has a best friend Chip and thinks that everything is ok, until he finds out that he was adopted. But not only was he adopted, he finds out that his adoption was part of a mysterious plan that showed up at the airport with a bunch of babies and no pilot. Jonah and his friend Chip receive a letter in the mail saying that they were one of the missing. Jonah, his sister, and Chip try to work together to figure out who else is missing and where they came from. While at a conference for adopted kids, Jonah and Chip are ‘kidnapped’ along with other adopted children. The twist of the story comes when the children find out that they are actually children from the past. Jonah, his sister and Chip work together with other missing children to find who they actually are and who brought them to this time period.

It is a great book but it must be followed by the next 3 books in the series. I like them all.

I liked the integrating of the past with the present and the future. Haddix intertwined all three planes of existence together. The children are themselves in the present, but must travel to the past to find out who they were. Only to realize what they could become in the future depending on how things turn out.

I didn’t like that at parts in the series it did seem to drag along a little bit but I read all four books in a two week time period. I also did not like the ending of the series. I wish Haddix would have told us more about who Jonah was supposed to be. We found out everyone else’s pasts in detail but not his.

1. How would you feel if you found out you were adopted? How do you feel if you are adopted? What questions would you ask your parents?

2. What do you think the tackler means when he tells Angela, “We have wronged you in time. We owe you—.” (p. 178)

3. Katherine says a good reason to go back in time would be to prevent some terrible event from happening. If you could travel to the past, what terrible event would you prevent? What impact would changing that event have on the course of history?

4. JB tells Jonah, “Your now is off-limits. Which will it be—the future or the past?” (p. 293) Which one would you choose? Why?

Chains By Laurie Halse Anderson Historical Fiction 2008 This story takes place during the Revolutionary War. The war has just begun in New York with sides being taken either Patriot or Tory, when a young slave girl and her even younger sister are taken to be sold. The girls are from Rhode Island and their master has died. Isabel and her 5 year old and slow sister Ruth are sold to Sir and Madam Lockton. They are moved to New York to be house servants. Immediately Isabel is seen as a trouble maker as she is not afraid to speak her mind even though she is a slave. She learns to hold in her thoughts, which is hard for her. While living with this family, she meets another young slave boy, named Curzon. Curzon’s master is a Patriot Colonel and Isabel’s master is a suspected Tory in the Patriot controlled island of New York. This instant issue is seen when Sir Lockton is having meetings with Tories and even leaves the state when the town is invaded by Patriots. The story revolves around the issues that Isabel is stuck with while trying to get freedom for her and her sister. Isabel gets caught working for the Patriot side and is branded by Madam with an I on her right cheek. I stands for insolence to show that Isabel rebels. This brand makes Isabel stand out while the story continues and she tries to help her dear friend Curzon who helped Isabel earlier in the story. The story works on as Ruth is sold away and Isabel fights to do what she can to get her back, including working with the Patriots and the Tories. See what Isabel does to save herself, her sister and her friend. This book is only the first as it continues the story in Forge.

I liked that it put such a different spin and perspective on the Revolutionary War. I was able to get such a specific look at the events in New York. I also liked the factual quotes and statements included at the beginning of each chapter. There really was nothing that I did not like. I felt the book did a good job of breaking the time up and keeping the action moving. I loved the ending, it is making me want to go get the second book right away.


 * 1) 1. Isabel was branded with an I on her cheek standing for insolence. Think if someone was to brand you with a letter for your actions or personality, what would they mark you with and why?
 * 2) 2. Why do you think Isabel thought she owed Curzon so much? Is there anyone that if they were hurting, you would feel that you owed it to them to help them out? Why?
 * 3) 3. Was it easy to tell the sides of the people in the war? Give examples from the book that support this idea. Tell me why it made it difficult to know which side they were on.

 Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson on Dipity.

[|http://www.dipity.com/lthunker/Chains-by-Laurie-Halse-Anderson/#]

I don't know why it changed the dates on half of my list.. It put them all to Dec. 31st 1969... They were all set properly when I saved them and in order then when it went to finalize it changed them. I did like this project and could see using this with kids if other errors like this don't come up. I know my students would be just as frustrated with it as I am now.

Book Talk

I would love to sometime actually put this on tape or do this, but I have been sick for the last couple days and do not look or sound well enough to put this on tape. I hope the script catches your eye. I loved writing this up!

“Extra Extra Read Allll About It!!! The President has been Assassinated. The Assassin is on the Loose. The Nation is Mourning. President Shot in the Theater. J. Wilkes Booth, Actor, the Assassin.(104) Extra Extra Read All About It” (Wearing a Newsboy hat and waving a newspaper around)

You can read all about these headlines in the book Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. (Show the book cover)( take off props)

History books only give us a blurb of information about time periods and important events. In a history class you may have learned that Abraham Lincoln was killed in Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth, but that’s just about it. Nothing more. This book Chasing Lincoln’s Killer gives you so much more information about the murder of Lincoln and the escape and man hunt to find John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators. The history book never told us that Booth got away and was on the run for days before people even knew which direction he and his accomplice, George Herold, had run.

Chasing’s Lincoln’s Killer gives a real life account of this 12 day man hunt from research done by the author. The author not only presents the information in a thrilling tale but also provides real pictures and newspaper articles throughout the entire account.

The book starts with plans of the assassin before the attack on Lincoln and others and continues until John Wilkes Booth has one last decision to make. Listen to the way author James L. Swanson put Booth’s thoughts at the end of the 12 day manhunt: “ The assassin had three choices: stay in the barn and burn alive, blow his brains out, or script his own honorable end by hobbling out the front door and doing battle with the manhunters, welcoming death but risking capture”.(171)

Well what decision did John Wilkes Booth make on the early morning of April 26th? Do you know? Did the history books tell you? Well I guess there is just one thing to do:

(Put on hat and grab newspaper) Extra Extra Read All About It!! in Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer James L. Swanson Non-Fiction 2009

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is an account of the assassination and the man hunt for the conspirators. James L. Swanson used research and real life documents to fuel this drama of the assassination that we just get blurbs about in history books. This book gives a full account of John Wilkes Booth’s thoughts prior to his assassination of Abraham Lincoln as well as the full out man hunt to find him after he fled the scene. We get to see Booth’s journey while trying to flee Washington and Maryland to get to his so called safety with Confederates in the South. We also get to see the accounts of others that were supposed to assassinate other heads of the Union government. After the 12 day man hunt it all comes down to the last choices for Booth: “ The assassin had three choices: stay in the barn and burn alive, blow his brains out, or script his own honorable end by hobbling out the front door and doing battle with the manhunters, welcoming death but risking capture”.(171) You must read the book to see what decision was made by Booth and how he was captured.

I loved this book. I am not really what you call a ‘history buff’. In school I was always trying to do what I could to not have to memorize historical facts, but this book puts the assassination and man hunt into such a good story line that I wanted to keep reading. I even liked how it seemed to be written with so many real things that the author researched that there was no way the author was making this stuff up. The only thing that I may not have liked is some of the language. Really it was only like the line that I quoted above from page 171 may seem graphic but it is so real to Booth and his situation. Other than that I am going to recommend the book to a few boys at school.


 * 1) 1. How do you think things might have changed if Booth wouldn’t have gone the wrong direction on the Pottomac?
 * 2) 2. In the end the author calls Booth’s plan a failure. Why is that? And what other factors led to the South not reorganizing?
 * 3) 3. Why do you think on the day after the assassination of Lincoln, did the newspapers have much wrong information printed in them? And why were there so many grammar and spelling errors?

The project would be a whole class effort in recreating some of the places that Booth traveled to, before and after the assassination. I want the students to work together to create a 3D map showing the route and hiding places. Students would need to help by bringing in supplies and paint. I could help with some of that and tape and glue. We would use boxes as the houses and the theater, students could paint them and write which place they are on the map. I know that this would take some time but I know it would put it into a real perspective for those visual learners to see where he was and how he got there. As we read a new section we could have dolls representing Booth and Herold and move them along as they move in the book. For those people that are more of the writing type they could be in charge of writing a newspaper article on the events as we go, giving updates to what the Union knows. They could also have a diary like the one Booth carried with him and they could write his thoughts and whereabouts in it. Most of all with this I would expect the students to work together, and I have seen a project similar to this done in a 6th grade social studies class making a castle and a mote, I think it would be a great project.

Wonderstruck Graphic Novel Brian Selznick 2011 Wonderstruck is the two stories that collide into one before the end of the book. The story that is told through the author’s writing it about a young boy named Ben. Ben lived with his mother until her recent death. Now he is living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin in a cabin on the lake right next to his old home that he and his mother lived in. Ben has always had a problem hearing in one of his ears but after an accident where his phone was struck with lightening, Ben was unable to hear from either ear. After this accident Ben found a wanting to learn who is father was. He found a post card that led him to New York City where he went looking for his dad. He ended up in the Museum of Natural History looking at a wolf diorama made after the place where he lives. Ben’s search continues until he runs into someone that knows about his past. The story told in the pictures is on a young deaf girl who runs away from home to New York City in search of someone. It turns out she was looking for her mother who turns her away. She then leaves her mother and is found by a man named Walter. Later we find out Walter is her brother who picked her up and helped her get through the tough life of being deaf. When these stories collide, I knew this book was great.

I loved the story told in the pictures. It kept me guessing. I didn’t know how the story was going to end up meeting with the pictures, but it turned out to be a well played connection on the part of the author. At times I didn’t like how the stories were so disconnected because I was trying to keep track of two stories at once. But I also think part of that was because I was looking so deeply into the pictures to see what the author was all trying to say in them that I got caught up in the story line and details.


 * 1) What struggles could you see from our girl in the pictures as the story went on? Not only what can you see, but what could you infer from the little we know about her situation?
 * 2) How would you feel if you lost what little hearing you had, as Ben did? What would you miss most?
 * 3) Why were the wolves so important to Ben’s conscious, Ben’s subconscious, and to Rose?

If this book were to be used in a curriculum, I would see it being used in 5th-7th grades. I would see it being more used in a small literature group setting with whole class discussion after certain sections are read. I would use this book as a tool to have students infer meanings and make predictions, with the text and the pictures. There is so much that could be told using the pictures in those little 6 or more page series that students need to recognize and remember that pictures are worth a thousand words. Students in the groups could be assigned a set of pictures and be asked to write what the pictures show or write that as a section of the book that you could make your own class book based upon the picture sections. I would also like to do just some brainstorming and discussion tables of the details and info found in the pictures. I want students to pick out as much as they can while using what they see and what they can infer from what they know.