8th Grade Summer Reading
Thank you 8th graders for all the summer reading responses you have turned in. Here are a sample from each student.
For my third book I read The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman. It is about a boy named Antsy Bonano and his friend Calvin Schwa and how the discover how Calvin is kind of invisible. They also face trouble and confusion in the book.
The book starts out with Antsy and his friends Howie and Ira trying to destroy a manikin that Antsys dad gave him. His dad works for a plastic company and are testing indestructible plastic. While they are trying to destroy it, Calvin shows up but nobody notices him. He leaves after they show him what they are doing. They then start to talk about them not noticing him, and how it happens a lot. So then they decide to experiment on The Schwa, which is what people call Calvin. They do things like putting him in a room with nine different people and telling them to count the amount of people. The conclusion was that 4 out of 5 people don't notice the Schwa in a standard classroom. Then Antsy started realizing that he and the Schwa could make money from people asking the Schwa to do things without getting noticed. The one day a boy named Wendell Tiggor dared the Schwa to go into Old Man Crawley's house and steal a dog bowl. Old Man Crawley is a man that owns the restaurant Crawley's. He owns 14 Afghan Hounds. everyone is afraid of him because he has a lot of money and can get people fired and do other things. When the Schwa goes to get the bowl the dogs spot him. Antsy goes to help him but Crawley is there already.
I liked this book a lot. I like this type of genre, realistic fiction. I think it had a good story and good and unique characters. It also had a hint of mysteriousness, which I enjoy. It had very intriguing sentences, that made me want to keep reading. I will most likely read the sequel. I would give this a 9 out of 10.
This week I read Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. In the late 1950s, Katie and her family live in Iowa, where her parents own a Japanese supermarket. When the store goes out of business, the family moves to an apartment in Georgia where Katie's parents work at a hatchery with other Japanese families. Katie's best friend is her older sister Lynn, whom Katie looks up to as the most intelligent person she knows. She cites Lynn's ability to beat their Uncle Katsuhisa, a self-proclaimed chess grandmaster, at his own game as an example. Katie holds close to her heart the Japanese term "Kira-Kira", which Lynn taught her. They use it to describe things that sparkle in their lives. When they first move to Georgia, Lynn guides Katie around her new surroundings and teaches her to always be positive about things. In this period, Lynn is portrayed to be highly sensible and independent as she teaches Katie to save money for their parents. When Katie enters school, she has difficulty being the only Japanese-American in her class. Her grades are solid average C's, in comparison to Lynn's ongoing A's. When Katie is six years old, her brother Samson (known as Sammy) is born. Lynn also grows to be a teenager, becoming interested in boys and spending more time with her friends and lesser time with Katie. Katie also notices Lynn's change in behaviour as she starts dabbling in makeup and worrying about beauty. Without Lynn's company, Katie makes friends with a girl called Sylvia "Silly" Kilgore, whose mother also works at the hatchery. However, Lynn starts feeling sporadically fatigued and ill, and is diagnosed with anemia. Lynn is eventually diagnosed with lymphoma and becomes even sicker when her friends dump her. The family moves into a house of Lynn's choice to help her recover, which appears to work for a short time. However, Lynn relapses from distress when Sammy is caught in a metal animal trap on the vast property owned by Mr. Lyndon, the owner of the hatchery. Lynn's condition continues to deteriorate and she becomes blank and irritable. Some time later, Katie is woken up from her sleep to be told Lynn had died. Katie realizes why Lynn had taught her the word Kira-Kira as Lynn wanted her to always look at the world as a shining place and to never lose hope, though there might be harsh hurdles. Katie tries to support her grief-stricken parents by performing household chores and cooking, tasks she had formerly despised. Throughout this difficult time, Katie becomes just like Lynn, a sensible and independent girl. The same day Lynn dies, Katie's usually calm and restrained father breaks into an angry rage after seeing Sammy struggle with the limp that he had from getting caught in the trap. He takes Katie and wreck Mr.Lyndon's car, an act which shocks her. Later on, he goes to Mr. Lyndon and owns up to what he did, resulting in him getting fired. Katie is appalled that her father is now unemployed, but he tells her that there is another hatchery opening in Missouri, where he will probably work next, though it will be a longer drive. When the drama dies down, Katie is left with Lynn's diary. On reading it, she realizes that Lynn knew she was going to die and had written a will four days before her death. Katie tries to fulfill one of Lynn's dreams: to get better grades. To cheer everyone up, the family decides to take a vacation. Katie recommends California because that was where Lynn's dream house by the sea would be situated. The family arrives in California, and while Katie walks on the beach, she can hear Lynn's voice in the waves: "Kira-Kira, Kira-Kira."
“My sister had taught me to look at the world that way, as a place that glitters, as a place where the calls of the crickets and the crows and the wind are everyday occurrences that also happen to be magic.” Kira Kira is a saying throughout the book for Katie. Things don't come easy for her and her family. Katie struggles with the thought of her sister passing away and her brother limping. She feels as though since she has lost her sister that she will lose her brother too. She has that fear of losing someone dear to her. So Katie shields herself not to get hurt again.
It’s interesting to see how just one important person in your life could change everything. It changed Katie's whole perspective on the way she see’s the world. Everything and everywhere she goes she hears Lynn’s voice saying Kira Kira. Katie wants to hold on to the thought of her sister ad long as possible.
An American plague takes us through the epidemic that hit Philadelphia in the 18th century. The epidemic? Yellow fever. The book starts off stating the condition of Philadelphia during the time. The streets were dirty, smells rose up from trash and the sewers, which were pits in the street. Although the situation may seem deplorable, life is normal for people in Philadelphia. Then, enters a silent killer. An “invisible killer”. People are wary but the busy life of the citizens of Philadelphia in 1793, continues on. One man is not so sure that this illness is to be ignored, a man named Dr. Benjamin Rush. He immediately diagnoses the disease as the yellow fever, and begins to create and influence “cures” that start as harmlessly as clothes soaked in vinegar, but soon escalate to severe bleedings, and poisonous concoctions of mercury and jalap. As the retelling of such a horrible event continues, the reader is painted a picture of a deteriorating Philadelphia. People start fleeing and abandoning their jobs, family, and lives as they know it. More and more people die from the yellow fever. The Governor and Mayor do their best to contain the ailment that and heal the sick, with the help of several selfless volunteers, but it is clear the Philadelphia is at the beck and call of the yellow fever. Then, just as virtually all hope is lost, things begin to improve. Little by little as more research is published, and more discoveries are made (with Cuba having a large part in this), it is discovered that mosquitos were the major carriers and transporters of the yellow fever. Then after more and more people see the data and facts that support the (true) claim, more and more scientists and doctors support the efforts of finding the source of the yellow fever. After tireless work and determination is put in to these efforts, it is found that tree dwelling monkeys in Africa and South America are the very source of yellow fever. In conclusion, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 devastated Philadelphia . It brought the world around it, the United States, to a grinding halt. I believe An American Plague is a highly important book to read to understand the evolution of medicine, the evolution of society, and the evolution of diseases both in past times and modern times.
For one of the summer reading books, I chose To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book is about civil rights, fairness, and innocence. The main plot of this story is that there is a trial going on between a white man named Bob Ewell and a black man named Tom Robinson. The trial caused a lot of problems in the town. While the trial was going on, there were three kids named Scout, Jem, and Dill who were convinced that there neighbor, Boo Radley, was insane. They were certain that he ate raw squirrels and cats for dinner. The three of them found out everything they could about him to prove that Boo was after them. In the end, both of the plots merge together and create a great ending.
In my opinion, this book was captivating and well-written. As soon as I started reading this book, I didn’t want to put it down. I couldn’t wait to read the outcome of the trial and read more about Boo Radley’s cat-eating ways. This book leaves you wanting more and I think that is a good thing. This book also has great word choice and a great storyline. Harper Lee used lots of descriptive and unique words to tell the reader what was happening in all the scenes. The story was very well thought out and different. I’ve never read any book like this before. Overall, I would rate this a 5 out of 5 stars.
For my second book I read Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. This book is about a girl named Foster and her mom who ran away from Memphis, and her moms boyfriend. Foster is a young girl whose dad died fighting in the war. Foster’s mom’s boyfriend is abusive and doesn’t really care for Foster and her mom. So one night they run away, they take as much as the can and start driving. They soon end up in the tiny town of Culpepper where nothing much happens. Foster has a really big dream, she hopes one day she’ll have her own cooking show. But until she gets her dream she just keep on baking. She meets all these wonderful people who tell her not to give up on this dream, and she believes in herself, and just keeps on baking.
The quote I chose is on page 250, “But for now, I’m going to make the world a better place, one cupcake at a time.” Foster went through so much with losing her dad, her mom's abusive boyfriend, moving to somewhere she didn’t know. But she didn’t give up on her dream and she kept doing what made her happy, baking.
Dear Joan Bauer,
I just read your book Close to Famous and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions. What made you want to write a book? Why did you choose the storyline that you chose? Do you like to bake could you relate to the book in any way? I really enjoyed the storyline that you chose.
11 year old Stella lives with her parents and her brother in 1932 in Western North Carolina. Stella lives in a segregated place, where the Negro families know the unwritten rules- they take care of themselves, their own problems and one another. This book takes place on the peripheral of Franklin Roosevelt's election. This story is about compassion, courage and creativity.
One starry night, Stella sees a burning cross, and what used to be a calm community becomes upended by the King Klux Klan. Panic conveys North Carolina, the rich become fearful, while the blacks continue with their celebrations. Kan threatens people in the community, but this makes the community rely on each other and each others' kindness. Stella wants to become a writer just as much as he father wants to vote. Stella learns she has talent in this subject, which changes her life- a dream she never thought existed.
The Schwa Was Here
For my third book I read The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman. It is about a boy named Antsy Bonano and his friend Calvin Schwa and how the discover how Calvin is kind of invisible. They also face trouble and confusion in the book.
The book starts out with Antsy and his friends Howie and Ira trying to destroy a manikin that Antsys dad gave him. His dad works for a plastic company and are testing indestructible plastic. While they are trying to destroy it, Calvin shows up but nobody notices him. He leaves after they show him what they are doing. They then start to talk about them not noticing him, and how it happens a lot. So then they decide to experiment on The Schwa, which is what people call Calvin. They do things like putting him in a room with nine different people and telling them to count the amount of people. The conclusion was that 4 out of 5 people don't notice the Schwa in a standard classroom. Then Antsy started realizing that he and the Schwa could make money from people asking the Schwa to do things without getting noticed. The one day a boy named Wendell Tiggor dared the Schwa to go into Old Man Crawley's house and steal a dog bowl. Old Man Crawley is a man that owns the restaurant Crawley's. He owns 14 Afghan Hounds. everyone is afraid of him because he has a lot of money and can get people fired and do other things. When the Schwa goes to get the bowl the dogs spot him. Antsy goes to help him but Crawley is there already.
I liked this book a lot. I like this type of genre, realistic fiction. I think it had a good story and good and unique characters. It also had a hint of mysteriousness, which I enjoy. It had very intriguing sentences, that made me want to keep reading. I will most likely read the sequel. I would give this a 9 out of 10.
PB
Chains.
The first book that I read over the summer was Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The main characters in this book are Isabel (called Sal by her master), her sister Ruth, Curzon, and Madam Lockton. This book is about a black slave named Isabel who lives in New York with her master during the American Revolutionary War. Isabel goes through a journey for freedom, even though she knows that there is an existing will that says that she and her sister, Ruth, are free. No one believes her so she has to go through life as a black slave, through a lot of torture and pain from her master, Madam Lockton, to wait for the right time to run away. During Isabel’s journey for freedom, she talks about how she will find the lawyer with the will, but until then, she and Ruth have to stick together (39). Later, she finds out that Madam Lockton sold Ruth and it makes her so angry that she rebels against Madam Lockton and runs away. This leads to Isabel getting a branding on her cheek which stands for insolence. As this was happening, her friend Curzon went to get someone to help because she was too weak. Later on, when Isabel regains her strength, Curzon goes to go fight in the war. When he returned, he was sent to a jail as a captive with a bullet hole in his leg. When Isabel found out that Curzon was in jail, she started to visit him with food everyday. As time passed, she also lost hope of finding her sister. When it got close to the end of Isabel’s journey, Madam Lockton screamed at her for talking to an enemy soldier and blurted out that she didn’t actually sell Isabel’s sister. When Isabel found this out, she tried to escape during the Queen’s birthday party when no one was around. When Isabel was ready to leave, she went to break Curzon out of jail, because he helped her when she got her branding. They ran away onto a boat and got to the other side of the river in New Jersey. They were free!
This book is heartbreaking because it was about Isabel and her sister Ruth not being believed that they had the rights to be free. No one believed Isabel and her sister Ruther had the right to be free. I think the author, Laurie Halse Anderson, is trying to convey a strong message by telling a story about perseverance: Isabel was risking her life to find freedom, and she never gave up because she knew that she and her sister were free, and not slaves. Whenever I think about a character who strives for what is right, to the point that they are risking their life, I am amazed. If I were Isabel, I don’t know if I would have been as courageous as her and risk my life. I found this book to be very interesting, and it kept my interest going.
My final book this summer was the classic, White Fang. White Fang is a book about the life of a wolf and dog hybrid, who picks up the name White Fang from the native americans for his vivid white teeth. He grows up as a young pup with his dog mother in a cave, and learns to live like a true wolf. But when adopted by his mothers former family, a group of indians, he lives most of his childhood with a strict man named Gray Beaver. He is separated from his mother, and constantly bullied by all the other dogs around camp. This is the time when he toughens up, knowing nothing but loyalty and justice, losing love and innocence.When a cruel man, Beauty Smith sees White Fang in action, he tricks Gray Beaver into selling White Fang to him. Beauty Smith tortures White Fang and only uses him for illegal dog fighting.White Fang does not break, but loses more of his humanity. He loses all trust in humans and is nothing but a beast that cannot be tamed. Then two dog mushers see a fight with White Fang. They immediately break up the dog fight and take White Fang, who is in poor condition, away from Beauty Smith. Weedon Scott, one of the dog mushers, spends hours and pounds of food trying to domesticate White Fang. And after a couple days, pets White Fang for the first time of White Fang's life. Weedon is the first humane and loving master White Fang has had. Weedon was the only one to believe in White Fang, and in return, White Fang begins to love Weedon Scott more than anything, and the rest of the book follows his adventures with Weedon Scott.
What I liked about White Fang was the realistic aspect of the book. Jack London did a very good job of creating a realistic and captivating world that I would probably never experienced but through this book I felt like I lived it. While there wasn't much humor, I felt transported into the world of White Fang with vivid descriptions. I found that White Fang was quite similar to Call of the Wild in the way that humans toughen these dogs up, making them nothing less than killers and servants. In both books that continued until a humane and kind man saved the dogs from horrible humans and filled the dogs' hearts with love. I think I enjoyed White Fang over Call of the Wild In White Fang he was half wolf, and there was a lot more action and character development. In the beginning of Call of the Wild Buck had a good relationship with the humans something White Fang could not comprehend until he met Weedon Scott. White Fang had a very interesting plot and characters and while reading it I learned a lot about how wolves/dogs live in Alaska, and in many different conditions. I felt more connected to White Fang because he was more human and innocent, making mistakes and learning along the way. I would give White Fang a 9.99 out of ten.
MB
White Fang
What I liked about White Fang was the realistic aspect of the book. Jack London did a very good job of creating a realistic and captivating world that I would probably never experienced but through this book I felt like I lived it. While there wasn't much humor, I felt transported into the world of White Fang with vivid descriptions. I found that White Fang was quite similar to Call of the Wild in the way that humans toughen these dogs up, making them nothing less than killers and servants. In both books that continued until a humane and kind man saved the dogs from horrible humans and filled the dogs' hearts with love. I think I enjoyed White Fang over Call of the Wild In White Fang he was half wolf, and there was a lot more action and character development. In the beginning of Call of the Wild Buck had a good relationship with the humans something White Fang could not comprehend until he met Weedon Scott. White Fang had a very interesting plot and characters and while reading it I learned a lot about how wolves/dogs live in Alaska, and in many different conditions. I felt more connected to White Fang because he was more human and innocent, making mistakes and learning along the way. I would give White Fang a 9.99 out of ten.
LE
Kira Kira
This week I read Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. In the late 1950s, Katie and her family live in Iowa, where her parents own a Japanese supermarket. When the store goes out of business, the family moves to an apartment in Georgia where Katie's parents work at a hatchery with other Japanese families. Katie's best friend is her older sister Lynn, whom Katie looks up to as the most intelligent person she knows. She cites Lynn's ability to beat their Uncle Katsuhisa, a self-proclaimed chess grandmaster, at his own game as an example. Katie holds close to her heart the Japanese term "Kira-Kira", which Lynn taught her. They use it to describe things that sparkle in their lives. When they first move to Georgia, Lynn guides Katie around her new surroundings and teaches her to always be positive about things. In this period, Lynn is portrayed to be highly sensible and independent as she teaches Katie to save money for their parents. When Katie enters school, she has difficulty being the only Japanese-American in her class. Her grades are solid average C's, in comparison to Lynn's ongoing A's. When Katie is six years old, her brother Samson (known as Sammy) is born. Lynn also grows to be a teenager, becoming interested in boys and spending more time with her friends and lesser time with Katie. Katie also notices Lynn's change in behaviour as she starts dabbling in makeup and worrying about beauty. Without Lynn's company, Katie makes friends with a girl called Sylvia "Silly" Kilgore, whose mother also works at the hatchery. However, Lynn starts feeling sporadically fatigued and ill, and is diagnosed with anemia. Lynn is eventually diagnosed with lymphoma and becomes even sicker when her friends dump her. The family moves into a house of Lynn's choice to help her recover, which appears to work for a short time. However, Lynn relapses from distress when Sammy is caught in a metal animal trap on the vast property owned by Mr. Lyndon, the owner of the hatchery. Lynn's condition continues to deteriorate and she becomes blank and irritable. Some time later, Katie is woken up from her sleep to be told Lynn had died. Katie realizes why Lynn had taught her the word Kira-Kira as Lynn wanted her to always look at the world as a shining place and to never lose hope, though there might be harsh hurdles. Katie tries to support her grief-stricken parents by performing household chores and cooking, tasks she had formerly despised. Throughout this difficult time, Katie becomes just like Lynn, a sensible and independent girl. The same day Lynn dies, Katie's usually calm and restrained father breaks into an angry rage after seeing Sammy struggle with the limp that he had from getting caught in the trap. He takes Katie and wreck Mr.Lyndon's car, an act which shocks her. Later on, he goes to Mr. Lyndon and owns up to what he did, resulting in him getting fired. Katie is appalled that her father is now unemployed, but he tells her that there is another hatchery opening in Missouri, where he will probably work next, though it will be a longer drive. When the drama dies down, Katie is left with Lynn's diary. On reading it, she realizes that Lynn knew she was going to die and had written a will four days before her death. Katie tries to fulfill one of Lynn's dreams: to get better grades. To cheer everyone up, the family decides to take a vacation. Katie recommends California because that was where Lynn's dream house by the sea would be situated. The family arrives in California, and while Katie walks on the beach, she can hear Lynn's voice in the waves: "Kira-Kira, Kira-Kira."
“My sister had taught me to look at the world that way, as a place that glitters, as a place where the calls of the crickets and the crows and the wind are everyday occurrences that also happen to be magic.” Kira Kira is a saying throughout the book for Katie. Things don't come easy for her and her family. Katie struggles with the thought of her sister passing away and her brother limping. She feels as though since she has lost her sister that she will lose her brother too. She has that fear of losing someone dear to her. So Katie shields herself not to get hurt again.
It’s interesting to see how just one important person in your life could change everything. It changed Katie's whole perspective on the way she see’s the world. Everything and everywhere she goes she hears Lynn’s voice saying Kira Kira. Katie wants to hold on to the thought of her sister ad long as possible.
AF
An American Plague
An American plague takes us through the epidemic that hit Philadelphia in the 18th century. The epidemic? Yellow fever. The book starts off stating the condition of Philadelphia during the time. The streets were dirty, smells rose up from trash and the sewers, which were pits in the street. Although the situation may seem deplorable, life is normal for people in Philadelphia. Then, enters a silent killer. An “invisible killer”. People are wary but the busy life of the citizens of Philadelphia in 1793, continues on. One man is not so sure that this illness is to be ignored, a man named Dr. Benjamin Rush. He immediately diagnoses the disease as the yellow fever, and begins to create and influence “cures” that start as harmlessly as clothes soaked in vinegar, but soon escalate to severe bleedings, and poisonous concoctions of mercury and jalap. As the retelling of such a horrible event continues, the reader is painted a picture of a deteriorating Philadelphia. People start fleeing and abandoning their jobs, family, and lives as they know it. More and more people die from the yellow fever. The Governor and Mayor do their best to contain the ailment that and heal the sick, with the help of several selfless volunteers, but it is clear the Philadelphia is at the beck and call of the yellow fever. Then, just as virtually all hope is lost, things begin to improve. Little by little as more research is published, and more discoveries are made (with Cuba having a large part in this), it is discovered that mosquitos were the major carriers and transporters of the yellow fever. Then after more and more people see the data and facts that support the (true) claim, more and more scientists and doctors support the efforts of finding the source of the yellow fever. After tireless work and determination is put in to these efforts, it is found that tree dwelling monkeys in Africa and South America are the very source of yellow fever. In conclusion, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 devastated Philadelphia . It brought the world around it, the United States, to a grinding halt. I believe An American Plague is a highly important book to read to understand the evolution of medicine, the evolution of society, and the evolution of diseases both in past times and modern times.
MFG
To Kill A Mockingbird
For one of the summer reading books, I chose To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book is about civil rights, fairness, and innocence. The main plot of this story is that there is a trial going on between a white man named Bob Ewell and a black man named Tom Robinson. The trial caused a lot of problems in the town. While the trial was going on, there were three kids named Scout, Jem, and Dill who were convinced that there neighbor, Boo Radley, was insane. They were certain that he ate raw squirrels and cats for dinner. The three of them found out everything they could about him to prove that Boo was after them. In the end, both of the plots merge together and create a great ending.
In my opinion, this book was captivating and well-written. As soon as I started reading this book, I didn’t want to put it down. I couldn’t wait to read the outcome of the trial and read more about Boo Radley’s cat-eating ways. This book leaves you wanting more and I think that is a good thing. This book also has great word choice and a great storyline. Harper Lee used lots of descriptive and unique words to tell the reader what was happening in all the scenes. The story was very well thought out and different. I’ve never read any book like this before. Overall, I would rate this a 5 out of 5 stars.
LL
Monkey Island
Monkey Island begins as Clay Garrity’s family crumbles because there isn’t enough money for their survival. Clay’s father just leaves and his pregnant mother leaves as well, leaving Clay on his own. Clay then ends up on the street, meeting Buddy and Calvin, who become his companions through these times. I admire how this book has an interesting, yet very simple core concept. A boy meets two men and they bond. And something that the book does excellently, is its characters. I feel if the characters were very shallow, the book would be a failure. Overall, the narrative presents itself in a very organic way, and that makes me love the book. I give Monkey Island a 9/10.
DM
Close to Famous
For my second book I read Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. This book is about a girl named Foster and her mom who ran away from Memphis, and her moms boyfriend. Foster is a young girl whose dad died fighting in the war. Foster’s mom’s boyfriend is abusive and doesn’t really care for Foster and her mom. So one night they run away, they take as much as the can and start driving. They soon end up in the tiny town of Culpepper where nothing much happens. Foster has a really big dream, she hopes one day she’ll have her own cooking show. But until she gets her dream she just keep on baking. She meets all these wonderful people who tell her not to give up on this dream, and she believes in herself, and just keeps on baking.
The quote I chose is on page 250, “But for now, I’m going to make the world a better place, one cupcake at a time.” Foster went through so much with losing her dad, her mom's abusive boyfriend, moving to somewhere she didn’t know. But she didn’t give up on her dream and she kept doing what made her happy, baking.
Dear Joan Bauer,
I just read your book Close to Famous and I really enjoyed it. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions. What made you want to write a book? Why did you choose the storyline that you chose? Do you like to bake could you relate to the book in any way? I really enjoyed the storyline that you chose.
EP
Little Women
Little women is about a very poor family. It is around Christmas time and they receive a really lovely dinner from their neighbor James Lawrence. The five main characters in this book are Jo March, Amy March, Mrs. March, Beth March and Meg March. The kids are upset that their father was fighting in the Civil War. All of the kids grew up with their mother. The march sisters live into post- Civil War.
AP
My Thirteenth Winter
My Thirteenth Winter by Samantha Abeel is a memoir about how Samantha faced a challenge in her childhood, but not any ordinary challenge. While many of her friends could count out money and give tips to waiters, tell time, solve simple math problems, and follow directions, Samantha was unable perform these tasks. On her thirteenth Winter, Samantha found her answer regarding her ineptness with certain life skills: “I have been diagnosed with dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects my capacity to learn skills based on sequential processing, such as math, spelling, and grammar. Living with a learning disability has created many challenges, and I have often felt frustrated, confused, and alone”. After experiencing disconnection with society because of her learning disability, Abeel began pursuing her skill at poetry, even though grammar was sometimes a challenge. In her early teens, Samantha wrote a book known as Reach for the Moon, which was a collection of poems that were based off of paintings. Briefly after the release of her poetry collection, Abeel was invited to many interviews and meetings to discuss her writing abilities while having dyscalculia. This experience of meeting new people around the world strengthened Samantha’s confidence on behalf of her disability and made a great impact on her social future for her life.
My Thirteenth Winter was a well-written and bold memoir. It was rather short but provided great in
sight on Samantha’s condition and how it affected her daily tasks and created certain obstacles in her life. Abeel had done a great job of taking memories from different times in her life when her learning disability became a challenge, such as when she was taking a test in her school or buying popcorn at a stadium. My Thirteenth Winter especially covered the topic of how even though a person with an imperfection, no matter how big or small can do something great for themselves and for others. By writing Reach for the Moon, Abeel created a whole new mission in her life where she could learn and experience others’ thoughts and connections two her book. By doing this, Samantha found confidence and strength in the public eye without having to worry about her learning disability. Overall, My Thirteenth Winter was an entertaining memoir and will be most likely relatable to anyone in any sense.
GR
Stella by Starlight
11 year old Stella lives with her parents and her brother in 1932 in Western North Carolina. Stella lives in a segregated place, where the Negro families know the unwritten rules- they take care of themselves, their own problems and one another. This book takes place on the peripheral of Franklin Roosevelt's election. This story is about compassion, courage and creativity.
One starry night, Stella sees a burning cross, and what used to be a calm community becomes upended by the King Klux Klan. Panic conveys North Carolina, the rich become fearful, while the blacks continue with their celebrations. Kan threatens people in the community, but this makes the community rely on each other and each others' kindness. Stella wants to become a writer just as much as he father wants to vote. Stella learns she has talent in this subject, which changes her life- a dream she never thought existed.
MS
Old Yeller
After the Civil War ended, not a lot of Texans had money. So, Travis’s dad, Papa and a bunch of other people were going to Abilene Kansas to get some money. Travis was left in charge of the family (Mama and Little Arliss) while Papa was gone. Not long after Papa left Travis found this dog (the dog stole the meat). Travis got really mad, but they ended up keeping him because Little Arliss (Travis’s little brother) wanted Old Yeller (the dog). Even though Old Yeller might sometimes steal their food or water, Travis learned to accept it. Travis then learns there’s hydrophobia is around town. Mostly the animals can get it, you would know when something got it when it would start to foam around the mouth and wouldn’t act natural. This plague got around to so many animals, this included Old Yeller. It was heartbreaking for Travis when he learned that he had to shoot him. Papa arrived after the death of Old Yeller, he did come back with the money they needed and all was well after that.
“I knew then that I loved him as much as I did Mama and Papa, maybe in some ways even a bit more.” Accidents don’t always have to end in a bad result, but maybe in a good one. The bear incident is a perfect example. This was when Little Arliss was holding the leg of a cub! Now when a bear cub cries for help, the mama bear is coming to the rescue, and that’s what exactly happened. She took her cub and then got in a fight with Old Yeller. At least everyone was safe after that. Travis learned no matter how annoying or trouble making Arliss is, he will still love him no matter what. And I believe that people with siblings can relate, but I can’t since I’m an only child.
Overall I really enjoyed Old Yeller. I really love how it shows development. For example when he started getting closer to Old Yeller, or found out how much love he has for Little Arliss. I really enjoyed seeing how Travis would take the responsibility of being the man of the house. It’s also really cool when Travis and Old Yeller are really close, you feel the connection, it will just warm your heart. I usually don’t read stories about dogs, but this was special. I think what most people would enjoy is the development of Travis. There’s not a specific group of people who I would recommend this book to. I think everyone should read it because it talks about change/development, which will then inspire you to be more daring.
ST