More Summer Reading (8/7/14)
I have really enjoyed all the summer reading responses that I have received so far! Our class is doing some fascinating wide reading.
I am looking forward to hearing from those of you who have not yet sent in your responses. Don’t forget to send in your four summer reading responses before September 3rd, the day before school begins.
Chains
“She cannot chain my soul. Yes, she could hurt me. She'd already done so...I would bleed, or not. Scar, or not. Live, or not. But she could not hurt my soul, not unless I gave it to her.”
Chains is about a girl named Isabel who lives in the 1800’s. She lives alone with her sister Ruth as a slave in Rhode Island. One sudden day her master's Aunt dies and her master sells her to a stern lady and her husband who live in New York. Isabel and her sister are treated unfairly. Isabel is beat and worked like a mule. When Madam crosses the line, Isabel has to choose between the law or her freedom.
If I were in Isabel’s shoes…
I would have a very hard time choosing between freedom and the law. Because if I was being treated unfairly in my home, I would choose to run away to a far place, but I would have my doubts because if, say, I was caught it could lead to even worse punishment than what I was dealing with before. I think this story has a lot of hard decisions for people, especially Isabel.
I would rate this book a ⅘ because I feel that the author tried to stuff too much into one book, but at the same time I liked it because it kept the book from ever getting boring. I also really liked the beginning and the end. Overall, I really liked this book. – IP
Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement
“Why did I participate in the Freedom Rides? The answer is simple. It was the right thing to do.”—Jim Zwerg
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Will there be a better day for it tomorrow or next year? Will it be less dangerous then? Will someone else’s children have to risk their lives instead of us risking ours?”—John Lewis
This book is a true story about two people trying to improve civil rights in the United States. Jim Zwerg is white and lived in the north, John Lewis is black and he lived in the south. They met each other when they both became freedom riders in 1961. Freedom riders were people who were traveling on buses to make to sure that southern states were following the laws of the United States that made segregation illegal. These rides were not safe. One time a bus full of freedom riders was bombed. Many times people got beaten up for riding these buses and trying to help all people be equal.
One thing I learned from this book is that all people should be treated fairly no matter what the color of their skin is. I am surprised that this would happen to people in the United States because we are supposed to be the land of the free. The freedom riders risked their lives, and many people died, trying to make sure that everyone was free in the land of the free. Even today, people are trying to get rid of the laws that the freedom riders worked to make and protect.
I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I liked how detailed it was and how it said all the really important things that happened in the history of segregation. It also had a lot of pictures that helped you open your mind to think about what was happening in the book. I would recommend this book to people who are learning about segregation and the civil rights movement. – HA
Little Women
“I know they will remember all I said to them, that they will be loving children to you, will do their duty faithfully, fight their bosom enemies bravely, and conquer themselves so beautifully that when I come back to them I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women.” I read “Little Women”, by, Louisa May Alcott.
This book is set in the 1940’s and four sisters live together with their mother (Marmee) in a small house in Concord, Massachusetts. The girls are like any young girls they argue occasionally, but come together as one in just the right times. – IP
Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild is a book about a dog named Buck that is a pampered pet but turns into a wild dog. When the book starts, Buck is with his first owner and he is living the life. He has everything a dog could want. Then he is kidnapped and taken to the Yukon where he is sold to many different to owners. Some of the owners beat him with a club and teach him to become a sled dog. Buck fights back, but he learns that he has to obey men with clubs. Buck also fights with the other dogs. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. All this fighting makes Buck more wild but it also makes him a good sled dog. Soon he is the best dog around. Buck is sold many times. Sometimes the owners are okay, and treat Buck well but other times the owners are bad and treat Buck badly. There is one owner that Buck loves the most, a man named John Thornton. Buck loves him because he so nice to him, but he also respects Buck’s wildness and strength. By the end of the book, Buck has turned completely wild and joins a wolf pack. He shows his inner beast by living the wild life even if that means killing other animals and even people.
This book made me think about my life and sports. When I play sports I feel free and wild. Running fast feels natural for me just like it is for Buck. Buck had many owners, but I have many coaches. Like Buck, some of my coaches are nice and teach me more about sports but also some them are bad and yell. They don’t beat me with clubs, like Buck was beaten, but I don’t feel free when I am with them so I don’t enjoy my sports so much. When I am with a good coach, I play my fullest because they make me feel strong and that I can achieve my goals.
I would rate this book 4/5 stars. Some parts of the story were hard to read because dogs were getting hurt and I didn’t like that. My favorite part of the book was when Buck won a bet by pulling 1,000 pounds. Buck’s owner won $1,600 and he was really proud of Buck. – HA
Chains
“I wanted to pull down a book, open it proper, and gobble up page after page.”
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight… for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
From acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling, impeccably researched novel that shows the lengths we can go to cast off chains, both physical and spiritual.
On a scale from one to five I would say this book is about a 5 (to me at least) because I am not a person that loves historical fiction. I still think it had great literature and was well written it just didn't leave me wanting more. – JE
We Were There, Too! Young People in U.S. History
This book is about kids doing important things in U.S. history. The book talks about a lot of people but I liked 5 the best. The first person was Deborah Sampson. She lived during the time of the Revolutionary War. Deborah wanted to fight in the war, but she couldn’t enlist because she was a woman. Then she had the idea of dressing up like a man so she could fight in the war. Deborah was one of the best soldiers but when she got hit by bullets and had to go to the hospital, the doctors there found out she was a woman but they kept her secret until she got better but then they told her secret. After that Deborah had stop being a soldier but later she got a letter from George Washington who thanked her and gave her a pension like all the other soldiers. Another person was Smith Wilkinson who lived in Rhode Island in the 1790s. When Smith was 10 years old he started working in a factory. There were no laws so children could work to help take care of their families. Life in the factory did not look like too much fun because it was really gross and loud. All the children had to work hard and some were even younger than Smith. It was a hard life for kids to work in a factory. Now there are laws to stop this from happening.
Another person was William Cody. He was the youngest person to work for the Pony Express. When there were no phones or emailing, The Pony Express would deliver letters and newspapers across the country. Most of the riders were men, but William Cody was 14 when he started working for them. His biggest trip was when he rode 322 miles and even had to dodge bullets shot at him by robbers. He still delivered the mail on time. When he grew up, he became famous when he started Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and traveled all over America.
During World War II, a lot of grown ups had to fight in the war, including people in Major League Baseball. People still wanted to see baseball games, so the teams found different people to play and some were very young. Joe Nuxhall was only 15 when he joined the Major League team the Cincinnati Reds. He was a pitcher and he did okay for kid playing against grown ups. After the war, Joe actually joined the Cincinnati Reds as a full player. During the war, a new league was started where women played baseball against women. One of the players was Anna Meyer. She was a teenager and she tried out for a team and she made it on to the team. She had to leave her family and she traveled all over the United States playing baseball. The people who ran the league made the players wear dresses when they played baseball. That made it hard to do sliding.
Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but before her another person refused to give up a seat on a bus. Six months before Rosa Parks a 15-year-old girl named Claudette Colvin did the same thing. She even did it in the same city as Rosa Parks, Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette was taken off the bus and arrested, but she did not become famous like Rosa Parks because no one was ready to protest with her. It is amazing that people know Rosa Parks but not Claudette Colvin.
I would rate this book 4 out 5 stars. I liked how it teaches you about how kids can make a difference. It was interesting to find out how kids were involved in so many things. It inspires me to try and find a way to make a difference. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn more about U.S. history. – HA
Walk Two Moons
“You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.”
Sal is a motherless 13 year old girl who lives in Bybanks, Kentucky with her Father. One day she sets off to Lewiston, Idaho where her Mother’s grave is. Sal hopes to get there by her Mother’s birthday, in the hope of bringing her back. In the meantime, she goes with her Gram and Gramps in their old car. On the way she tells them about her adventures with her friend, Phoebe. One day, while swimming in a lake, a terrible incident occurs. It leaves Sal wondering if she would ever get to Lewiston. –IP