7th Grade Summer Reading #2
The Secret Garden by Frances Burnett
The Secret Garden is a classic story about a girl Mary, discovering many new things in life, especially her love for gardens. In the beginning, Mary is a sour little girl, who treats her servants poorly, and complains all day about everything. One day Cholera breaks out in her house, and everyone abandons her. Shortly after she is found and sent to live with her uncle Craven. When she arrives, she is sent to her room without even seeing her uncle. For a few days, Mary is still adjusting to her new way of life and doesn’t have anything to do. But she is heavily encouraged to go play outside by her servant, Martha. Mary soon does go out, and makes two friends: a gardener and his pet tobin. Mary changes the more she goes out. She is nicer and doesn’t appear to be the ugly child she was described as before. One day she learns about the Secret Garden, and finds a way in with the help of the robin. The secret Garden is where Mr.Craven’s wife died, so he pretends it doesn’t exist. Shortly after she meets Dickon, her servant Martha’s little brother, she tells him about it, and they decide to work in the garden together. Finding the secret garden and a friend made Mary adventurous, so one day she decides to explore some of the hundreds of rooms in the mansion. She finds Colin, Mr.Craven’s secret son, which makes them cousins. At first she notices how he was sour and mean and selfish like her, but that he also loves gardens and wildlife. Even though he was thought to have a back condition like a hunchbacks, and was not thought to live, Mary convinced him that he would. Soon they find out that Colin never had a back condition, and that he is perfectly fine. So Mary introduces him to Dickon, and shows him the garden. Martha sees Colin’s improvement, and writes to Mr.Craven to come back from his trip to see Colin. Mr.Craven comes but goes to the secret garden before he goes to visit Colin, because his wife came to him in a dream telling him that she will be waiting for him there. Just as Mr.Craven approaches the Garden, Colin runs out from it and hugs his father.
“She made herself stronger by fighting the wind” This was said by Martha, when she noticed a change in Mary. I think this quote is important because, it’s also a symbolic way of showing how Mary made an effort to change, and that she had to overcome something to do it. Although they are talking about Mary in this quote, it could apply to a couple of characters. Mr.Craven “fought the wind”. When he decided to go to the garden after getting the dream. For years he tried to forget it, but he finally had the courage to face his fear, and something very good came out of it. Colin did it too, and for the first time in ten years, he stood up and walked, because “he fought the wind”. These characters greatly improved their lives by facing their fears and trying hard. It’s a good thing it was very windy around there.
This story, you can tell, is old. The way that it is written is different from now. For example, Mr.Craven was called, Mr Craven. With no period after the Mr. Also the way the people talk is strange, but that might just be because of the time in which the story takes place. I also noticed that the children in this story talk like they are older than they really are. I don’t like that about this book, because it makes it unrealistic. In general, I didn’t like this book, the entire story could’ve been summed up into a shorter book. Because it was so long, it made it boring and it seemed to ramble at times. I would recommend this book to kids 6th grade and up. It’s easy to read but it takes a while, and has some parts that need to be re-read because of the way that the characters speak. The people who read this should like classics, and slightly sad stories, if you don’t, then I suggest you find another book. (LA)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chains is a story about a slave girl named Isabel Finch, trying to escape to freedom. It all starts at the funeral of her mistress, Miss Mary Finch. Before she died, she wrote in her will that Isabel and Ruth were to be freed. But when Isabel told the pastor, he said that they belonged to her only relative, Robert Finch. Isabel tried to convince them, but it was no use, and Robert decided to sell her. They soon were sold to the Locktons, a rich loyalist family. Adapting to her new life, she met a slave boy, Curzon, who asked her to spy on the Locktons, to see if they were helping the british in any way. So Isabel did and found money, that the king gave them to bribe the rebel army. Isabel reported this to Curzon, who ensured he would help them be freed. But the plan didn’t work because Mr.Lockton hid the money where the soldiers couldn’t find it. To make matters worse, they didn´t help Isabel and her sister escape. Isabel even reached out to the British as she heard rumors that the British wanted to set the slaves free, but was also denied, and sent back to her mistress, who punished her for insolence, with a “I” burned into her face. As the war for independence went on, Curzon joined the rebels, so that his bravery may set him free, but instead was captured by the British and was thrown into a cell. Isabel visited him in prison, and on one of her visits, Captain Morse (asked her to deliver money that he owed to Captain Farrar. She delivered the money and was asked to deliver an important note back to Captain Morse. But it was late and so she went home, where she found out her `mistress knew she was running errands for rebel officers. When Isabel threw the note into the fire instead of handing it over, her mistress was infuriated and decided to sell her the next morning. But while her Mistress was at the ball that night, Isabel left the house and sneaked Curzon out of the prison. Together they snuck past soldiers, into a rowboat and freed themselves.
“This is not our fight”, the old man said. 'British or American, that is not the choice. You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan. . . Look hard for your river Jordan, my child. You'll find it” This was said by grandfather (everyone called him that), who help people get their water from the pump. He said this when slaves were discussing whose side to be on. This shows how hard it was for slaves because they had to make the right choice, on whose side to be on to be freed. It was not their fight, yet they were in the middle of it. But I think it also shows some foreshadowing, when Grandfather says that they will find their river jordan, he means that sooner or later, one way or another, the slaves will be free.
Chains has lots of balance with everything it needs to be a good book. There are a lot of cliffhangers, and action and suspense. But there are also calm and thought provoking parts, where everything slows down and you have a moment to think about what just happened. Personally, I thought that the book was a bit too dramatic. Sometimes books make some parts dramatic to emphasize problems, to make the readers have empathy. But I feel, like in a way I could see through those parts, and see that it was just over the top. I also feel like the author could've summarized some parts to make the book shorter. Some people may agree that it was hard to keep reading, because they just wanted to get to the good part. Other than that, this book was pretty well balanced with all the things that made it intriguing. (LA)
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever is a very bittersweet story, it has sad parts, and almost always has good parts to counter them. It starts off with Matilda Cooke, called “Mattie” complaining about how hard her life is. She is immediately ordered to do chores by her mother around the coffeehouse they own, meanwhile, the fever is slowly introduced. Soon the absence of one of the maids, Polly is noticed, and they receive the news that she's dead. For a few days, Nobody suspects anything, but as more deaths follow, people begin to panic a flee the city. One day Mattie’s mother is brought home in what's called a “death cart”. Mattie, her grandfather and Eliza, the cook, help her get into bed as it turns out that she's sick. A couple days later they get two doctors (the first one is an imposter), and the second bleeds her, a common practice at the time. Matildas mother awakes violently one day and screams for Matilda to go to the farm, of their friends, the Ludington’s, so she doesn't get sick. After awhile of debate, Mattie and her grandfather leave together on a carriage with another farmer, going out of the city. But the farmer throws them out when he hears grandfather coughing. In the middle of nowhere, Mattie scavenges for food while her grandfather lays resting, but faints as she catches the fever. She wakes up at Bush hill, a hospital with french doctors and lots of nurses. Mattie is cured by simply being well fed, drinking often, and having lots of sleep. She and grandfather go back home after a while, where they find it empty and broken into. One late night when they are sleeping, intruders come in through the open window, and find Mattie. Grandfather dies after protecting Mattie when one of the intruders bangs his head on the floor. Mattie manages to get the intruders out by stabbing one in the arm with her grandfather’s sword. After days of grief, Mattie goes out in search of food, and spots Eliza, the cook. She runs after her and they are reunited. After sharing stories, Mattie goes out to help Eliza, and her friends who are called, the The Free African Society. They go around helping people who ask for help or who other people say need help. One day, two twins and a girl named Nell get sick with the Yellow fever, and Mattie and the Eliza can't heal them. Soon they move the children away from the heat to Mattie's house, and when the “first frost” comes, their fever goes away. After a few days, people come back to town, following President Washington, (because if he returns them they think it's safe) and Philadelphia goes back to being how it was before. Matildas mother, who at first was thought to be dead, comes back with the Ludington's, to see how well Matilda has been running their coffeehouse.
“What did it feel like to die? Was it a peaceful sleep? Some thought it was full of either trumpet-blowing angels or angry devils. Perhaps I was already dead.” I liked this quote for a few reasons. One is that it shows how the craze of the fever can make you think strange things. Another similar one is how much the fever impacted her to think like that. But the thing that stuck out the most was that she thought like me. Not the topic of death but that way of thinking, that to me is very different. Of course she doesn't always think like that. As I said before, it was because of everything that happened with the fever. Although she didn’t keep this thought for long, It still shows how they had it back then when the Yellow Fever of 1793 struck.
Fever 1793 to me was a very good choice to read. It had its serious parts, sad parts, happy parts, and some parts, that seemed to teach a lesson. I also happened to like stories about epidemics, viruses, and things like that, so I knew I would like this book. Fever is very descriptive which helps to make Pictures in your head to help you picture the scene it's describing. However that also made it a little too over dramatic. But even that can help you gain empathy from your readers. In the end I really like Fever, and I know other people who do as well. I would recommend this book to people who like descriptive/dramatic books, and historical fiction. (LA)
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever 1793 is a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this book Matilda and her grandfather and mother live in the city of Philadelphia just twelve years after the great American Revolution. But much more is going on in Philly than governmental changes. Soon after the book starts, the city is hit by arguably the biggest epidemic in American history, the yellow fever. Rumors spread around the town that the river on the east side of Philadelphia caries a bad fever that many citizens living close by are catching. Than comes a day where Mattie and her mother attend a tea party at a neighbors house and one of the daughters breaks out into a fit. Soon after her mother catches the fever and Mattie and her grandfather are forced to flee the city in hope of health and peace. But they never make it out as Mattie’s grandfather falls ill near the border of the gigantic town and is kicked off the wagon that is taking them to the next township. Than while attending to her grandfather Matilda falls ill, and they find themselves at Bush Hill, a mansion turned into a hospital for the sick. But due to Mattie’s health they find themselves at home again where they find that Lucile (Mattie’s mother) has gone missing. Soon after that Mattie’s grandfather is killed by robbers, and Mattie is forced onto the streets where she must search for their household maid to take care of her. Mattie waits with her until her mother returns home, and the sickness passes with the first frost.
A quote that stood out in this book was “I woke to the sound if a mosquito whining in my left ear and my mother screeching in the right” This is the first sentence in the the book and one of the best. This sets the stage for the cause of the sickness (which happened to be mosquitos who carried the plague) and introduces two characters, Mattie (more or less), and her mother (more or less). It also draws the reader into the horrific plot that is awaiting them in only a few chapters. Like most starting sentences is is written carefully and creatively, just what I was looking for in a quote. “I woke to the sound if a mosquito whining in my left ear and my mother screeching in the right”. (WS)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chains is a book that is from the point of view of a slave girl named Isabel that gets caught up in a war between the loyalists and the rebels and a rich family in the middle of it all. Isabel and her sister Ruth get taken from Rhode island when her owner dies, but what no one can prove is that Isabel is free. Isabel and Ruth actually have a contract that says when the sisters owner dies they will be free. But with no one believing her and the lawyer far away in Boston no one will even try to find the lawyer and no one will believe a couple of slaves over a buyer. When Isabel meets her new master named Madam Lockton and Mr. Lockton, she realizes that her masters are proud loyalists trying to hide their true thoughts about rebel leader George Washington. Isabel makes new friends including a boy with a red hat named Curzon and she learns that any rebel would love to be in her position because of the constant flow of intel and how much they would be able to hear during her master’s meetings with other loyalist leaders. In the end she agrees to bring any useful information to Curzon if she gets any. Eventually Isabel gets information that Lockton has lots of money in a chest and that he is planning to bribe the rebel soldiers, so she goes to Curzon and the rebel’s general to tell all that she knows, sharing information about the plan of bribing soldiers with the money in the chest. So the next day the rebels come to search for the money but when they come and search the chest it seems that he has already hidden it elsewhere. Next, Isabel discovers a plan about killing George Washington the rebel leader and she again goes to the rebel base and shares the information. Then the rebel soldiers kill the assassin but can’t find Lockton because Madam had already shipped him away. About a week later, Ruth has a seizure and Madam gets paranoid because she thinks that a demon is possessing her. Then Madam becomes unusually nice and gives them some cinnamon milk. The next morning Isabel finds out that they were all drugged and that Madam had sold Ruth. Enraged by this, Isabel gets thrown in jail and branded with an “I” for insolence. After a little bit Isabel is sent to serve Lady Seymour when a fire strikes and Isabel has to safely get Lady Seymour out out of the house. While Isabel is getting her out of the house Lady Seymour refuses to leave the flames without her husband's portrait. In order to get her to safety, Isabel carries the large painting and Lady Seymour out of the flames. Though Isabel gets her to safety, Lady Seymour still develops a sickness and can no longer feel her left side. One day when news spreads that one of the rebel bases was captured, Isabel finds out that her dear friend Curzon is among the prisoners. Out of worry for Curzon, Isabel starts bringing leftover food for the prisoners and eventually she starts passing messages for their Captain. When Madam gets wind that Isabel has been going down to the prison she forbids Isabel to ever go there again, but in concern that Curzon will die, Isabel disobeys her orders. The next day Isabel is sent to get food from the market and in the sea of people she takes a break in the book shop where the manager gives her a book called Common Sense that teaches her about freedom. One day when Isabel is going down to the prison the Captain gives her a written message to give to the prisoners, when Madams friend sees Isabel next to the Captain and him giving her a note she tells Madam and in fury screeches at Isabel to give her the note, But instead of giving it to her she throws it into the fire which earns her a whipping on the face and a shocking truth that Ruth was not sold, but moved to Charleston. So for her behavior she is sent to the potato bin during a ball in honor of Queen Charlotte's birthday where she finds an escape, writes a pass declaring her a free slave, and she gives herself a new name of Isabel Gardner. Instead of making straight to the docks she goes and gets Curzon who is barely alive and takes him with her to freedom. After she makes it past the guards she takes a boat and rows to freedom.
“If you find out anything go to the top floor of the barn in the middle of the night to see me”. This was said by Curzon the first time they met in New York. If Curzon didn’t say this then Isabel never would of brought him the information about the bribing and the loyalists could have bribed every single soldier till there was nothing left of the army. Isabel never would have told the rebels about the plan to kill George Washington to. Curzon is a very important character who says and does some things that change the story line completely. Another quote that Curzon says is “ I’ve joined the army” these three words make a big difference because if Curzon had decided not to join the army then Isabel never would have passed notes from the Captain, she never would have brought food to the prisoners either. Curzon’s choices really impacted the book and this proves that Curzon was a main character in this book. (LP)
The Secret Garden is a classic story about a girl Mary, discovering many new things in life, especially her love for gardens. In the beginning, Mary is a sour little girl, who treats her servants poorly, and complains all day about everything. One day Cholera breaks out in her house, and everyone abandons her. Shortly after she is found and sent to live with her uncle Craven. When she arrives, she is sent to her room without even seeing her uncle. For a few days, Mary is still adjusting to her new way of life and doesn’t have anything to do. But she is heavily encouraged to go play outside by her servant, Martha. Mary soon does go out, and makes two friends: a gardener and his pet tobin. Mary changes the more she goes out. She is nicer and doesn’t appear to be the ugly child she was described as before. One day she learns about the Secret Garden, and finds a way in with the help of the robin. The secret Garden is where Mr.Craven’s wife died, so he pretends it doesn’t exist. Shortly after she meets Dickon, her servant Martha’s little brother, she tells him about it, and they decide to work in the garden together. Finding the secret garden and a friend made Mary adventurous, so one day she decides to explore some of the hundreds of rooms in the mansion. She finds Colin, Mr.Craven’s secret son, which makes them cousins. At first she notices how he was sour and mean and selfish like her, but that he also loves gardens and wildlife. Even though he was thought to have a back condition like a hunchbacks, and was not thought to live, Mary convinced him that he would. Soon they find out that Colin never had a back condition, and that he is perfectly fine. So Mary introduces him to Dickon, and shows him the garden. Martha sees Colin’s improvement, and writes to Mr.Craven to come back from his trip to see Colin. Mr.Craven comes but goes to the secret garden before he goes to visit Colin, because his wife came to him in a dream telling him that she will be waiting for him there. Just as Mr.Craven approaches the Garden, Colin runs out from it and hugs his father.
“She made herself stronger by fighting the wind” This was said by Martha, when she noticed a change in Mary. I think this quote is important because, it’s also a symbolic way of showing how Mary made an effort to change, and that she had to overcome something to do it. Although they are talking about Mary in this quote, it could apply to a couple of characters. Mr.Craven “fought the wind”. When he decided to go to the garden after getting the dream. For years he tried to forget it, but he finally had the courage to face his fear, and something very good came out of it. Colin did it too, and for the first time in ten years, he stood up and walked, because “he fought the wind”. These characters greatly improved their lives by facing their fears and trying hard. It’s a good thing it was very windy around there.
This story, you can tell, is old. The way that it is written is different from now. For example, Mr.Craven was called, Mr Craven. With no period after the Mr. Also the way the people talk is strange, but that might just be because of the time in which the story takes place. I also noticed that the children in this story talk like they are older than they really are. I don’t like that about this book, because it makes it unrealistic. In general, I didn’t like this book, the entire story could’ve been summed up into a shorter book. Because it was so long, it made it boring and it seemed to ramble at times. I would recommend this book to kids 6th grade and up. It’s easy to read but it takes a while, and has some parts that need to be re-read because of the way that the characters speak. The people who read this should like classics, and slightly sad stories, if you don’t, then I suggest you find another book. (LA)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chains is a story about a slave girl named Isabel Finch, trying to escape to freedom. It all starts at the funeral of her mistress, Miss Mary Finch. Before she died, she wrote in her will that Isabel and Ruth were to be freed. But when Isabel told the pastor, he said that they belonged to her only relative, Robert Finch. Isabel tried to convince them, but it was no use, and Robert decided to sell her. They soon were sold to the Locktons, a rich loyalist family. Adapting to her new life, she met a slave boy, Curzon, who asked her to spy on the Locktons, to see if they were helping the british in any way. So Isabel did and found money, that the king gave them to bribe the rebel army. Isabel reported this to Curzon, who ensured he would help them be freed. But the plan didn’t work because Mr.Lockton hid the money where the soldiers couldn’t find it. To make matters worse, they didn´t help Isabel and her sister escape. Isabel even reached out to the British as she heard rumors that the British wanted to set the slaves free, but was also denied, and sent back to her mistress, who punished her for insolence, with a “I” burned into her face. As the war for independence went on, Curzon joined the rebels, so that his bravery may set him free, but instead was captured by the British and was thrown into a cell. Isabel visited him in prison, and on one of her visits, Captain Morse (asked her to deliver money that he owed to Captain Farrar. She delivered the money and was asked to deliver an important note back to Captain Morse. But it was late and so she went home, where she found out her `mistress knew she was running errands for rebel officers. When Isabel threw the note into the fire instead of handing it over, her mistress was infuriated and decided to sell her the next morning. But while her Mistress was at the ball that night, Isabel left the house and sneaked Curzon out of the prison. Together they snuck past soldiers, into a rowboat and freed themselves.
“This is not our fight”, the old man said. 'British or American, that is not the choice. You must choose your own side, find your road through the valley of darkness that will lead you to the river Jordan. . . Look hard for your river Jordan, my child. You'll find it” This was said by grandfather (everyone called him that), who help people get their water from the pump. He said this when slaves were discussing whose side to be on. This shows how hard it was for slaves because they had to make the right choice, on whose side to be on to be freed. It was not their fight, yet they were in the middle of it. But I think it also shows some foreshadowing, when Grandfather says that they will find their river jordan, he means that sooner or later, one way or another, the slaves will be free.
Chains has lots of balance with everything it needs to be a good book. There are a lot of cliffhangers, and action and suspense. But there are also calm and thought provoking parts, where everything slows down and you have a moment to think about what just happened. Personally, I thought that the book was a bit too dramatic. Sometimes books make some parts dramatic to emphasize problems, to make the readers have empathy. But I feel, like in a way I could see through those parts, and see that it was just over the top. I also feel like the author could've summarized some parts to make the book shorter. Some people may agree that it was hard to keep reading, because they just wanted to get to the good part. Other than that, this book was pretty well balanced with all the things that made it intriguing. (LA)
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever is a very bittersweet story, it has sad parts, and almost always has good parts to counter them. It starts off with Matilda Cooke, called “Mattie” complaining about how hard her life is. She is immediately ordered to do chores by her mother around the coffeehouse they own, meanwhile, the fever is slowly introduced. Soon the absence of one of the maids, Polly is noticed, and they receive the news that she's dead. For a few days, Nobody suspects anything, but as more deaths follow, people begin to panic a flee the city. One day Mattie’s mother is brought home in what's called a “death cart”. Mattie, her grandfather and Eliza, the cook, help her get into bed as it turns out that she's sick. A couple days later they get two doctors (the first one is an imposter), and the second bleeds her, a common practice at the time. Matildas mother awakes violently one day and screams for Matilda to go to the farm, of their friends, the Ludington’s, so she doesn't get sick. After awhile of debate, Mattie and her grandfather leave together on a carriage with another farmer, going out of the city. But the farmer throws them out when he hears grandfather coughing. In the middle of nowhere, Mattie scavenges for food while her grandfather lays resting, but faints as she catches the fever. She wakes up at Bush hill, a hospital with french doctors and lots of nurses. Mattie is cured by simply being well fed, drinking often, and having lots of sleep. She and grandfather go back home after a while, where they find it empty and broken into. One late night when they are sleeping, intruders come in through the open window, and find Mattie. Grandfather dies after protecting Mattie when one of the intruders bangs his head on the floor. Mattie manages to get the intruders out by stabbing one in the arm with her grandfather’s sword. After days of grief, Mattie goes out in search of food, and spots Eliza, the cook. She runs after her and they are reunited. After sharing stories, Mattie goes out to help Eliza, and her friends who are called, the The Free African Society. They go around helping people who ask for help or who other people say need help. One day, two twins and a girl named Nell get sick with the Yellow fever, and Mattie and the Eliza can't heal them. Soon they move the children away from the heat to Mattie's house, and when the “first frost” comes, their fever goes away. After a few days, people come back to town, following President Washington, (because if he returns them they think it's safe) and Philadelphia goes back to being how it was before. Matildas mother, who at first was thought to be dead, comes back with the Ludington's, to see how well Matilda has been running their coffeehouse.
“What did it feel like to die? Was it a peaceful sleep? Some thought it was full of either trumpet-blowing angels or angry devils. Perhaps I was already dead.” I liked this quote for a few reasons. One is that it shows how the craze of the fever can make you think strange things. Another similar one is how much the fever impacted her to think like that. But the thing that stuck out the most was that she thought like me. Not the topic of death but that way of thinking, that to me is very different. Of course she doesn't always think like that. As I said before, it was because of everything that happened with the fever. Although she didn’t keep this thought for long, It still shows how they had it back then when the Yellow Fever of 1793 struck.
Fever 1793 to me was a very good choice to read. It had its serious parts, sad parts, happy parts, and some parts, that seemed to teach a lesson. I also happened to like stories about epidemics, viruses, and things like that, so I knew I would like this book. Fever is very descriptive which helps to make Pictures in your head to help you picture the scene it's describing. However that also made it a little too over dramatic. But even that can help you gain empathy from your readers. In the end I really like Fever, and I know other people who do as well. I would recommend this book to people who like descriptive/dramatic books, and historical fiction. (LA)
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever 1793 is a novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson. In this book Matilda and her grandfather and mother live in the city of Philadelphia just twelve years after the great American Revolution. But much more is going on in Philly than governmental changes. Soon after the book starts, the city is hit by arguably the biggest epidemic in American history, the yellow fever. Rumors spread around the town that the river on the east side of Philadelphia caries a bad fever that many citizens living close by are catching. Than comes a day where Mattie and her mother attend a tea party at a neighbors house and one of the daughters breaks out into a fit. Soon after her mother catches the fever and Mattie and her grandfather are forced to flee the city in hope of health and peace. But they never make it out as Mattie’s grandfather falls ill near the border of the gigantic town and is kicked off the wagon that is taking them to the next township. Than while attending to her grandfather Matilda falls ill, and they find themselves at Bush Hill, a mansion turned into a hospital for the sick. But due to Mattie’s health they find themselves at home again where they find that Lucile (Mattie’s mother) has gone missing. Soon after that Mattie’s grandfather is killed by robbers, and Mattie is forced onto the streets where she must search for their household maid to take care of her. Mattie waits with her until her mother returns home, and the sickness passes with the first frost.
A quote that stood out in this book was “I woke to the sound if a mosquito whining in my left ear and my mother screeching in the right” This is the first sentence in the the book and one of the best. This sets the stage for the cause of the sickness (which happened to be mosquitos who carried the plague) and introduces two characters, Mattie (more or less), and her mother (more or less). It also draws the reader into the horrific plot that is awaiting them in only a few chapters. Like most starting sentences is is written carefully and creatively, just what I was looking for in a quote. “I woke to the sound if a mosquito whining in my left ear and my mother screeching in the right”. (WS)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chains is a book that is from the point of view of a slave girl named Isabel that gets caught up in a war between the loyalists and the rebels and a rich family in the middle of it all. Isabel and her sister Ruth get taken from Rhode island when her owner dies, but what no one can prove is that Isabel is free. Isabel and Ruth actually have a contract that says when the sisters owner dies they will be free. But with no one believing her and the lawyer far away in Boston no one will even try to find the lawyer and no one will believe a couple of slaves over a buyer. When Isabel meets her new master named Madam Lockton and Mr. Lockton, she realizes that her masters are proud loyalists trying to hide their true thoughts about rebel leader George Washington. Isabel makes new friends including a boy with a red hat named Curzon and she learns that any rebel would love to be in her position because of the constant flow of intel and how much they would be able to hear during her master’s meetings with other loyalist leaders. In the end she agrees to bring any useful information to Curzon if she gets any. Eventually Isabel gets information that Lockton has lots of money in a chest and that he is planning to bribe the rebel soldiers, so she goes to Curzon and the rebel’s general to tell all that she knows, sharing information about the plan of bribing soldiers with the money in the chest. So the next day the rebels come to search for the money but when they come and search the chest it seems that he has already hidden it elsewhere. Next, Isabel discovers a plan about killing George Washington the rebel leader and she again goes to the rebel base and shares the information. Then the rebel soldiers kill the assassin but can’t find Lockton because Madam had already shipped him away. About a week later, Ruth has a seizure and Madam gets paranoid because she thinks that a demon is possessing her. Then Madam becomes unusually nice and gives them some cinnamon milk. The next morning Isabel finds out that they were all drugged and that Madam had sold Ruth. Enraged by this, Isabel gets thrown in jail and branded with an “I” for insolence. After a little bit Isabel is sent to serve Lady Seymour when a fire strikes and Isabel has to safely get Lady Seymour out out of the house. While Isabel is getting her out of the house Lady Seymour refuses to leave the flames without her husband's portrait. In order to get her to safety, Isabel carries the large painting and Lady Seymour out of the flames. Though Isabel gets her to safety, Lady Seymour still develops a sickness and can no longer feel her left side. One day when news spreads that one of the rebel bases was captured, Isabel finds out that her dear friend Curzon is among the prisoners. Out of worry for Curzon, Isabel starts bringing leftover food for the prisoners and eventually she starts passing messages for their Captain. When Madam gets wind that Isabel has been going down to the prison she forbids Isabel to ever go there again, but in concern that Curzon will die, Isabel disobeys her orders. The next day Isabel is sent to get food from the market and in the sea of people she takes a break in the book shop where the manager gives her a book called Common Sense that teaches her about freedom. One day when Isabel is going down to the prison the Captain gives her a written message to give to the prisoners, when Madams friend sees Isabel next to the Captain and him giving her a note she tells Madam and in fury screeches at Isabel to give her the note, But instead of giving it to her she throws it into the fire which earns her a whipping on the face and a shocking truth that Ruth was not sold, but moved to Charleston. So for her behavior she is sent to the potato bin during a ball in honor of Queen Charlotte's birthday where she finds an escape, writes a pass declaring her a free slave, and she gives herself a new name of Isabel Gardner. Instead of making straight to the docks she goes and gets Curzon who is barely alive and takes him with her to freedom. After she makes it past the guards she takes a boat and rows to freedom.
“If you find out anything go to the top floor of the barn in the middle of the night to see me”. This was said by Curzon the first time they met in New York. If Curzon didn’t say this then Isabel never would of brought him the information about the bribing and the loyalists could have bribed every single soldier till there was nothing left of the army. Isabel never would have told the rebels about the plan to kill George Washington to. Curzon is a very important character who says and does some things that change the story line completely. Another quote that Curzon says is “ I’ve joined the army” these three words make a big difference because if Curzon had decided not to join the army then Isabel never would have passed notes from the Captain, she never would have brought food to the prisoners either. Curzon’s choices really impacted the book and this proves that Curzon was a main character in this book. (LP)