Emina Susic
TEDU 386
Chika Chika Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Summary: This book is about the alphabet. The story starts off with going in sequence of the
letters of the alphabet as “a” challenges “b” and “c” to a race to climb up the coconut tree. After
all the letters have climbed up, since there are too many and the tree can’t hold them, they all fall
down. The parents, aunts, and uncles (all capital letters) come to the rescue. The book then goes
into going through the sequence of the alphabet once again by describing the injuries the small
letters received from the fall (like black eye “p” and a knotted “l” that looked like a bow-tie). In
the end, we find letter “a” has snuck out and is sitting in the tree while the night sky is in the
background daring other to race him up the coconut tree.
OWL (Wonder): One of the things that I wonder about is why they only use lower case letters
when describing the alphabet sequence? The only time you ever see capital letters in the story is
when parents come in to help their children. I feel that even then, you don’t really get all of the
letters since they are not clearly visible as they are squished together on the page. Also, if they
were to incorporate capital letters in sequence, how would the writers add that in?
One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson
Summary: This book is about a teddy bear that falls out of bed while a child is sleeping. His
adventures lead him to start counting up all the things that he discovers. One ted falls out of bed
while two eyes are shut tight. He meets new friends, counting the different creatures, toys, and
things that he sees while trying to get back to the child. There are three mice, which ted races
with in four cars, and then there are five bright stars they gaze at, dolls, frogs, trolls, and many
other things he sees along the way. Since he misses the bed, his friends decide to help him get
back by stacking up ten red bricks, which is the last number in the book. The bricks end up
falling apart, landing with a crash on the floor. The child then awakens and pulls the teddy bear
back into bed.
OWL (Observe): The one thing that I observed that I thought was pretty interesting in the book
was that when it mentioned the dolls the teddy bear meets, all the dolls seems to be from
different places of the world. There is one doll dressed up like an Eskimo and another wearing a
kimono. All of the dolls have different garments to show a different background along with
different skin color and hairstyle, so I like how it shows diversity.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Summary: The story starts off with a brown bear and the question “what do you see,” to which
he responds that he sees a red bird looking at him. The story then follows this pattern, with the
question being repeated to the red bird, which sees a yellow duck looking at him. The yellow
duck sees a blue horse, the blue horse sees a green frog, and the frog sees a purple cat, the cat
sees a white dog, the dog sees a black sheep, the sheep sees a goldfish, the goldfish sees a
teacher, the teacher sees the students, and in the end the students list off the different colored
animals and the teacher that were mentioned throughout the book in order to state what they see.
OWL (Observe): The one thing that I observed about this story was that every animal was a
different color, and that all of the colors of the rainbow (red, orange- goldfish, yellow, green,
blue, and purple) are used along with the neutral colors (black, white, and brown). I also noticed
that the students also are composed of different colored skin and hair color, and that the pictures
have an interesting texture on them.
Cinderella by Brothers Grimm
Summary: Cinderella is a young girl who lost her mother. Her father remarried, and when her
stepmother an two stepsisters came into the picture, Cinderella is forced into to take on chores
and wear rags because her new family is irritated by her goodness. One day, she visits her
mother’s grave and sets down a twig that ends up growing from her tears into a hazel tree. A
dove appears, and Cinderella discovers that whatever she wishes for around the dove comes true.
When a prince throws a ball for three days and three nights, Cinderella asks her stepmother to
go. The stepmother tells her to pick out peas, and even though she finishes the task she is told
she can’t go. Cinderella then goes to the tree, and is granted her wish when she is provided a
dress, and as she returns to the tree every night, she is provided another dress more beautiful than
the previous and is reminded to return before midnight. On the third night, she loses a slipper
which the prince holds on to, going from house to house searching for his bride. Cinderella’s
stepsisters attempt to fit into the shoe by cutting off a piece of their foot, but the prince notices
the blood as he rides away and sees the dove. In the end, he finds that Cinderella is a match, and
they get married while her stepsisters become blind as a punishment.
OWL (Observe): One of the interesting observations that I made was that instead of the
godmother that Disney has instilled in our mind, that role was fulfilled by a dove. Also I noticed
how this story is a lot gorier than the clean version since we have the stepsisters cutting off parts
of their feet. Finally, in this story I noticed that her father doesn’t pass away, like how he does in
other versions, and that he treats her the same way the others do.
Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm
Summary: The story first starts off with a couple who are expecting a baby. The wife spends her
time at home, looking out of her window into the witch’s garden next door, and stops eating,
telling her husband she won’t eat anything unless it’s the rampion from the garden. The husband,
worried about his wife, sneaks over at night and steals some, and goes back another night only to
get caught. He made a deal with the witch that he would give his baby away if it’s a girl. When
the girl, Rapunzel, was born the witch took her and ended up putting her in a tower when she
was twelve. She would visit the girl, who would let down her hair as the witch climbed the
tower. A prince heard Rapunzel singing, and after observing the witch, he waited until the next
day to try it. Rapunzel was stunned, but after the prince assured her no harm, they decided to get
married and she asked him to bring silk so she could make a ladder. When the witch came,
Rapunzel ended up accidentally spilling her secret, which resulted in the witch cutting her hair
and taking her deep into the forest. She went back and waited for the prince, who ended up
falling out of the window into the thorns leading to his blindness. After a year, he hears
Rapunzel’s voice, and when her tears fall into his eyes, he gets his vision, and carrying their
twins off they return to the prince’s kingdom, where they lived happily ever after.
OWL (Wonder): One of the things that I wonder about would be why the mother of Rapunzel
was so set on getting the plant from the garden. Also, I wonder why no one had the power to
stand up to the witch, and why everyone feared her since she seemed to be a nice person while
raising Rapunzel. The final thing that I wonder about is why the witch was intent on isolating
Rapunzel in the tower, and why she was upset when she found someone that she was in love
with.
The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola
Summary: The story focuses on Little Gopher, a young boy who was interested in making toys
and decorating stones and who was smaller than the rest of the boys. One day, while on a hill, he
sees a Dream-Vision of a godfather that shows him tools that will help him paint pictures and of
a maiden with buckskin who tells him to find the whitest buckskin and to save it in order to paint
the pure colors of the evening sky. The boy made brushes from animal hairs and used flowers,
berries, and rocks to make colors while collecting skins of animals to paint on. He drew pictures
of great hunts, deeds, and Dream-Visions so that people would remember. He tried to recreate
the sunset, but found the colors were dull. One night a voice called to him and told him that he
would find the colors he sought on a hill since he was faithful to his People. The next day, when
the sun was setting, he went to the hill and found the brushes, painting the picture while leaving
the brushes behind, which ended up rooting into the Earth that produced colorful plants that
would bloom every spring. In the end, the People praised Little Gopher and called him He-WhoBrought-the-Sunset-to-the-Earth.
OWL (Link): With this story, I feel like any student can link this to art. Personally, the one part
that I seem to have a strong link to is recreating colors, and how hard it is to mix the paint in
order to get the shade that you want or the right combination of different colors. I also feel that
going along with painting to remember, you can link art to being a way to express yourself by
drawing something that is important to you, which ties into Little Gopher depicting scenes about
great achievements of his People.
Wonder by P.J. Palacio
Summary: This is a story about August Pullman, a boy who is not like other children due to a
facial difference he was born with. He talks about the surgeries that he’s been going through and
explains that this was the reason why he had been homeschooled for most of his life, but this
time, that is going to change. After overhearing his mother talking about him going to school
with another parent, Auggie learns that he has been accepted at Beecher Prep Middle School.
Even though his parents are hesitant at times, his mother tries to reassure him by offering to take
him to the school a month before classes started to get a tour. He meets Mr. Tushman, the
principal, and Mrs. Garcia, the school director, along with students that Mr. Tushman has called
upon in order to meet August and show him around. Julian, Charlotte, and Jack Will lead him
around the halls, showing him where their homeroom is and the science room. Auggie gets along
well with Charlotte and Jack Will, but seems uncomfortable around Julian, who has been rude
the whole time. After the tour, they return to the office and Auggie leaves with him mom. He
ends up making a deal with his parents that if he decides to stop going to school they will let him
as long as he gives the reason behind it. The first day of school is awkward for August as
students in the halls stare at him. In homeroom, Jack ends up sitting next to him along with their
other classes. During lunch, he befriends a girl named Summer, who sits at his table. Over time,
people start to get used to Auggie, but children are still cruel since they seem to avoid touching
August. He then shares with us the incident that occurs on Halloween, when at the last minute
instead of wearing his Boba Fett costume August dresses up as the bleeding scream. When he
arrives at school he overhears a conversation about some kids saying mean things, only to
discover that Jack is one of them. He ends up going to the nurse’s office, and his mom picks him
up. The point switches over to Via’s, who is August’s sister. She talks about the first time she
saw Auggie and how it took a while to get used to him, but that over time she grew to love him.
She tells the story about how she spent time with her grandmother, who paid attention to her and
cared for her, and how devastated she was when she passed away. Via then goes into telling us
about entering high school and how she felt like there was a distance between her friends, who
seemed to change a lot over the summer, and how she ended up in a new group of friends. She
ends her point of view by talking about the Halloween incident and her conversation with her
brother about it, and in the end she convinces Auggie to come with her to the parade as he puts
on his Boba Fett costume. The next view we get is Summer, who talks about this game, “the
Plague,” that the children play whenever someone comes in contact with anything that August
has. She also talks about how much she enjoys spending time with August and how she isn’t
bothered by his looks. She also invites him to her house so that they can work on an Egyptian
project together. With Jack’s point of view we get to hear about his hesitation with the first call
from Mr. Tushman about meeting August since he remembers the first time that he saw him
when he was younger at the park, and how his babysitter ended up trying to get away so that his
little brother wouldn’t say anything inappropriate. He then talks about his opinion of August and
how he likes him because of the qualities that make him a great friend. We find that it takes him
a while to determine why Auggie is mad at him, and when Julian tries to get their teacher to
switch science partners (since Jack is paired up with August), Jack ends up punching Julian. He
ends up writing a letter of apology while he was suspended, and during this time he becomes
friends with August again. After school resumes from winter break, Julian has started a “war”
against Jack. We get a point of view from Via’s boyfriend, Justin, who talks about meeting
August for the first time, spending time with the family, defending Jack, and auditioning for a
play with Via. The view switches back to August, who goes into talking about the success about
the science project he did with Jack. He describes what it was like getting his hearing aids, and
shares the death of Daisy, the beloved family dog. His part ends with the play they attend at
Via’s high school. The next view we get is Miranda, an old friend of Via, who was faced with
her parents getting a divorce over summer. She ends up talking about her connection with
August and how she faked sick before the performance in order to give Via the opportunity to
perform for her family. The story ends with August’s point of view as he talks about the nature
retreat he goes on with his school, which lead to him getting bullied by older children described
as seventh graders. With help from Jack and some of the other students, they get away, but
Auggie loses his hearing aids. When he gets home, his father brings home a surprise puppy they
name Bear. At school, Mr. Tushman informs August that they found the students that attacked
them and talks about pressing charges while also informing him that he knows about what has
been going on at school. In the end, we have the fifth grade ceremony, where August ends up
getting the Henry Ward Beecher medal, and after ends up taking pictures with the students from
his class who were eager to get into the shot.
OWL (Observe): One thing that I observed that I thought was interesting is that even though
August doesn’t want to share what he looks like, he does provide a bit of detail about his ears
while getting the hearing aid. The rest of the information that we get about what Auggie looks
like comes from the other points of view, like Via describing him when she mentions what he
looked like when he was born and how the surgeries changed certain things. I also feel that
Summer doesn’t really go much into focusing on his features, and the only time Jack talks about
it is when reminiscing about seeing Auggie for the first time with the flashback.
Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
Summary: This story focuses on this boy who shares with us that he lives at the airport with his
dad. The book goes through with describing the precautions the young boy takes with his father,
blending in and changing clothes and airlines in order to avoid attracting attention. They boy
talks about how some people have gotten caught by security, and how they often see other
“regulars” as they walk to different terminals. At one point the boy sees a bird that is trapped in
the airport, and he shouts words of encouragement as the bird struggles to find its way out, only
to finally be free as soon as a sliding door opened. The boy talks about how when it gets quiet
they use the bathrooms since they are empty between two and four a.m. The boy’s father goes to
work on the weekends as a janitor while he spends time at the airport with the Medinas, and his
friend Denny. Along with his friend, they help other people carry luggage to earn tips. When his
father returns they have lunch with the Medinas and the boy tells his father how he’s saving
money for an apartment, since he has seen his dad looking through the ads. The boy tells Denny
that if the find a place, his family can come live with them, and there is talk about the boy
starting school. In the end the boy describes how he is sometimes mad at other people for having
a house, and loses hope in finding one of his own, but then talks about the bird, and hopes to be
free one day like the bird itself.
OWL (Wonder): As I’m going through the story, I seem to have a lot of questions. I wonder
what happened to the boy’s mother, and what happened to the family that lead to them being
homeless and living in the airport. I also wonder how the father plans on getting them out and
how he is saving the money from the earnings as a janitor (and if he plans on looking for another
job to help support them). Finally, I wonder what would happen if they did get caught
eventually?
It’s Hard to Be Five by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
Summary: The story starts off with a boy telling us about how it’s hard to be five. He then goes
on to describe how sometimes he yells at his brother even though he doesn’t mean to, how his
body is growing and his clothes are small, and how he is always told “no” and “don’t” when he
wants to try something. He talks about how his parents want him to be clean, but he is “crabby
and mean” when washing his face. Then there is the whole experience of starting school, and
how everything is strange and new and changing. He talks about problems with people cutting in
line, and biting other children because they cut in line. He describes how he has to sit still, and
walk all by himself. Then the story takes a turn with why it’s fun to be five, and how exciting it
is to get a license. Also, how he works among his classmates and builds things. He talks about
how some fun things are hard, and how what to do when out walking with his younger sibling.
Then he mentions lying in bed and dreaming about the past and future. The story finishes with
him stating that he is proud to be five.
OWL (Link): This story is an easy one that smaller children, especially those who are starting
their first day of school, can relate to. You start to learn that not everything is hard at the age of
five, but that there are also positive and fun things about growing and getting the chance to go to
school. This book shows children that even though it’s hard as you start school and get older, it
gets better and you learn to get used to it. I also feel that any child can relate to getting older, it
doesn’t necessarily have to be turning five, and that each year you get older you find that it might
get harder, but it doesn’t mean that you no longer have get to have fun.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Summary: The book focuses on a different world, where sameness is essential and each family
unit consists of a mother, father, one male child, and one female child. In this world, everything
revolves around the idea of sameness, and rules that are broken can lead to release (which is also
what happens to Elders when they reach a certain age). At age 8 children begin volunteer hours
that help them determine the jobs for the future. This story focuses on Jonas, a boy who is
careful in choosing the right words and who has a younger sister named Lily. Jonas is friends
with Asher, a boy who seems to have trouble with using the right words, and Fiona, who loves
working with the Elders. His father works with newborns while his mother works with justice.
Jonas shares with his parents his feelings regarding the Ceremony of Twelve that is coming up,
and how he is nervous about his future. His parents reassure him that everything will be alright
and that it isn’t bad since the Council of Elders choose this carefully. During the time before the
ceremony, Jonas talks about how his father brings home a newborn, Gabriel, in order to take
better care of him to ensure that he doesn’t get released, and Lily ends up mentioning how the
child has the same light eyes as Jonas, while others in the community tend to have darker eyes.
When the ceremony comes along, terror strikes Jonas as the Elder skips over him, only for
everyone to find out that Jonas was not assigned since he was chose, which meant that he would
be the next Receiver of Memories. Jonas gets a small folder with rules: he is allowed to ask any
person in the community any question, he can lie, and he cannot ask for a release (due to the
failure of the last Receiver requesting a release since she couldn’t deal with the grief). During his
trainer with The Giver, Jonas receives memories of the past generations from him, the first one
being a memory of snow, along with sunshine, sunburn, war, loss, isolation, and colors. The
Giver has told him that he has to be able to endure pain, which is shown with war, loss, and
sunburn, but he provides happy memories, like Christmas morning with grandparents and family,
in order to ensure that Jonas isn’t too overwhelmed by the bad ones. After the sessions, when
Jonas stops taking pills for “Stirrings,” he starts seeing colors more clearly and develops feelings
that the Giver has taught him about. Jonas has requested for Gabe to sleep with him in his room
since his parents complain about his fussing, and ends up passing some of the happy memories to
the newborn. There is one point when the Giver shows a video of a release after Jonas mentions
about his father having to release a twin only to find out that it meant that the twin newborn was
killed. Jonas ends up spending the night with the Giver, and they come up with a plan that will
result in the memories going to the community when Jonas runs away. The plan is thwarted
when Jonas leaves earlier than intended after finding out that his father is planning on releasing
Gabe since he still hasn’t been able to reach the improvement they sought. Jonas steals his
father’s bicycle, and with Gabriel with him, starts riding out of the community towards
Elsewhere, stopping during the day to sleep and using memories of snow to cool down his
temperature along with Gabe’s when planes fly overhead in search of them. As Jonas gets further
away, the roads become bumpier and uneasy while the planes seemed to have stopped coming.
They reach a place that is snowy, and Jonas finds it hard to continue due to exhaustion and
feeling cold. He tried to use the last bit of memory he has of sunshine in order to keep him and
Gabe warm, and when he finally reaches the top, he find a sled, sitting down upon it with Gabe
secured in his arms as they slide downhill. The book ends with Jonas noticing lights around him,
referring to the lights he saw from the Christmas memory, along with him hearing music.
OWL (Link): One link that could be made with the story is all the memories that we contain and
what each memory means to us. For me, I felt like I could connect to the amusement of seeing
snow fall and how it felt to catch snowflakes on my tongue at the amazing new sensation.
Growing up in California, I never got to experience this, so even at age 12 here in Richmond, I
was excited after getting sent home early from school due to the snow, and I remember going
outside and just enjoying feeling the flakes falling around me while trying to catch some of them
on my tongue, and being in awe at the sensation.
My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston
Summary: This story is told from the author’s perspective about her great-aunt Arizona. The
book starts off by talked about how Arizona was born in a log cabin in the meadow on Henson
Creak in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We learn that she was very tall, wore her hair in braids,
wore long dressed and a white apron along with high-button shoes and petticoats. She liked to
grow flowers, read, sing, and dance. She spent time playing with her younger brother, Jim, and
loved to read (she even had to go to another village because she had read the entire book
collection in her school). When he mother died, she stopped going to school to take care of her
father, but when he remarried she went to her aunt’s to study and returned home to become a
teacher. She told her students about places that they would visit someday and grew flowers in the
windows. She got married to a carpenter and had a daughter. She would grow Christmas trees
that were decorated around the schoolyard. She taught for fifty-seven years, including the
author’s father and the author and her brother as well. She died when she was ninety-three and
touched many of those she taught.
OWL (Wonder): The one thing that I wondered about was when the author mentioned games
that children played at school, specifically a game called William Matrimmatoe that the author
mentions along with tag. I also wonder why her great-aunt never actually traveled to the faraway
places she dreamed of and encouraged the kids to go to one day. Finally, I wonder why Arizona
left to go stay with her Aunt Suzie while continuing her studying instead of staying with her
father and his new wife.
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Summary: story starts off by talking about Henry Brown, a boy who didn’t know how old he was
since he was born into slavery. He worked with his mother, brothers, and sisters in the house
where his master lived and his mother always warned him that things could change because slave
children would be torn from their families. The master became very ill and called Henry and his
mother into his room, telling them that Henry was to work for his son since he was a good
worker. Henry was good at his job, and the boss would threaten him that if he made a mistake he
would get beaten. He ended up meeting Nancy, who was shopping for her mistress, and months
later asked her to be his wife. Their masters agreed to this, and pretty soon they had children
together, but Nancy shared her concern of their children being sold. His friend James told him
that his wife and children were sold into the slave market, and at lunchtime Henry rushed out to
find that his children and wife disappeared down the road. Many weeks later, he was thinking
about freedom, and after lifting a crate came up with an idea. With the help of Dr. Smith, who
was against slavery, and James, he told them that he was going to mail himself where there were
no slaves. Dr. Smith wrote out an address to Pennsylvania while Henry poured a bottle of oil of
vitriol on his sore finger in order to have an excuse to stay home from work and arranged a
meeting at four o’clock in the morning. The box containing Henry was put on a steamboat
headed for D.C. and he was uncomfortable misplaced upside down before two men shifted the
box to be standing upright. He arrived and was awoken by a knocking, met with four men who
welcomed him to Philadelphia. March 30, 1849 was his first day of freedom (which he
considered a birthday) and he was known as Henry “Box” Brown.
OWL (Observe): One interesting thing that I observed was how it was usually the women who
always had a sense of foreshadowing the future. In the beginning his mother told him about how
slave children were often separated from their families, and how not long after that he was sent
to go work for his master’s son. Also with his wife, she knew and sensed that their children
would be sold into slavery, which caused the unsettling feeling to set with Henry throughout the
day only to find out later on that his wife and children were sold into the slave market. I also
noticed that Henry never really looked further into finding where his family went and just
accepted the fact that he lost them forever, which I found interesting.
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
Summary: Set during the Depression, the story starts off with Deza Malone writing an essay for
school about her family. She writes about her mother, father, and her brother Jimmy. Throughout
the first part, we learn more about her family: how her father uses alliteration, how her mother
works for a rich family, and how her brother has the voice of an angel. We also learn that Deza
herself is very smart, and likes to use a dictionary and thesaurus to expand her vocabulary. Her
family depends on welfare food, and one morning Deza discovers bugs in the oatmeal, finding
out from her mother that the bugs have always been there but usually she would pick them out
before making the food. On her last day of school she finds that she doesn’t have the highest
result on the last essay she wrote, and after class her teacher tells her to lay off of the thesaurus
and to follow instruction or else she won’t do well. She also ends up getting shoes and a dress
from the teacher, who tells her that her niece left them behind and that she can have them as long
as her parents are okay with it. Deza’s father has been trying to find a job, but didn’t have any
luck. One day he tells his wife that he plans on going on a fishing trip with a few friends, but as it
gets later in the day, Deza and her mother worry about why he hasn’t come home. A few weeks
later, her mother comes on the door with a hobo, claiming that she found their father, and to
Deza’s surprise, she finds that the toothless person in front of her is indeed her father. It takes a
while before her father returns to his old self, and he ends up sharing the story of what happened
out on the fishing trip with the children, and how their boat was hit by a ship during the fog.
Meanwhile, everyone is anticipating the fight between Joe Louis and Max Smelling, which
seems to lift her father’s spirits. When the fight comes around and Louis ends up losing, her
father seems to be crushed, and that night she overhears her parents talking, and her father talks
about leaving to go to Flint, Michigan in order to find a job and promises to send for the family
once he gets settled. Her mother ends up decided to follow him after a while, and since she lost
her job, asks her employer for a letter of reference to use in order to get a job in Flint. Deza, with
the help of Jimmy, opens the letter to find an ill message written about her mother and writes
another one that replaces the other one. Pretty soon, they end up packing their belongings in a
box, and Jimmy ends up bringing over a friend in a Buick who has offered to take them to
Chicago. His mother is upset that Jimmy knows a man who works with numbers, but then end up
going anyway. When they arrive, Deza discovers that her box of belongings was left behind
under her bed at the old house. Another family shares the house, and they end up joining the
woman and her daughter on boxcars, heading up to Flint. When they arrive they end up staying
in a shantytown, a place where they end up residing in since they have been unable to locate their
father and grandmother that lives there. One night, Deza requests that her brother sings, and they
end up meeting Mr. Zee, who ends up taking Jimmy under his wing as they set out since Mr. Zee
believes that Jimmy could end up earning money with his voice. Police end up raiding the camp,
and Deza and her mother end up finding a place to rent out while her mother goes to work in
order to provide for the two of them. They soon start getting letters from her father and large
sums of money with the promise of more to come. Deza runs into Mr. Zee one day, and learns
that Jimmy singing in Detriot, performing in nightclubs, and ends up buying a ticket to go see
him. He tells her about how he’s earning good money and takes her to a dentist to get her teeth
fixed. Jimmy then tells her, before she leaves, about what really happened to their father out on
the boat, and how he was attacked by his friend who he ended up hitting back in order to defend
himself. She returns to her mother, and they end up getting a letter that contains keys, money,
and an address back in Gary, their old hometown. They head back to the town and find the house
that has been rented out. Her mother ends up taking Deza up to this place in Michigan,
explaining to Deza that she might’ve found her father, and the letters that they were getting were
not from him. They find him, and her mother asks the man for assistance in cleaning up her
husband, and the three of them end up heading home. Deza realizes that the letters they were
getting were from Jimmy, and in the end as they are driving back home, Deza and her father end
up reading the Burma shave signs scattered on the road.
OWL (Wonder): One of the things that I wonder the most about is what happened to Jimmy at
the end. It makes me a bit sad to think of him being separate from the family, and I feel that in
the end they are not all reunited since he isn’t home, so I wonder what the future holds for him.
Does Jimmy end up staying in Detroit, or does he take his career further and travels? Does he
visit is family in Gary? Do they still stay in touch with him? Will Jimmy ever return home to the
rest of the Malones or will he remain in Detroit? Also, I wonder if Deza’s father ends up getting
better and ends up getting some luck in finding a job.
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Summary: This book looks at the relationship of a boy and his tree. When the boy is younger, he
spends his days with the tree: playing hide and seek together, making a leaf crown and playing
king of the forest, climbing her trunk, swinging from her branches, and eating apples. As the boy
gets older, he no longer plays with the tree, leaving the tree lonely. When the boy comes back to
visit, the tree insists on the boy climbing the trunk and swinging from the branches, but the boy
says that he is too old for that, and that he wants to make money in order to be happy. The tree
then gives the boys apples to sell in the city. The boy comes back again after a while and the tree
asks him to play but the boy says that he wants a house, so the tree gives him branches. When he
comes again, the boy says that he would like a boat so that he could sail away from his troubles,
so the tree allows him to cut down the trunk. In the end the boy comes back again to the tree, this
time the tree has nothing to offer, but the boy doesn’t want anything since he is too tired, so the
tree offers her stump as a seat, and the tree is once again happy to be with the boy.
OWL (Link): This book takes me back to when I was a child and how this book was one of my
favorites. The link that I make to this story is that sense of adventure as a child when wanting to
climb the tree, going to the highest branch and looking up at the sky. As I got older I became
“too old” to climb the tree, and don’t really seem to spend as much time as I did as a child going
on these “adventures.” I think every child can link an experience with climbing a tree, swinging
from the branches, and eating fruit if you have a tree that provides you with such.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Summary: The story begins with the author warning the reader that the story is a sad tale and that
it is best to choose another book. We find the three Baudelaire children (Violet, Klaus, and
Sunny) on Briny Beach with Mr. Poe, a banker, approaching them to inform them of the terrible
news that their parents perished in a fire. From here, Mr. Poe ends up taking the children in to his
house, and his wife ends up getting them itchy clothes. They share a room with Mr. Poe’s two
children for the moment, and when Poe informs them that he found them a family member, they
end up packing the few things they had in order to go to their new home. They are informed that
the relative is Count Olaf. Once they arrive, they meet Count Olaf’s neighbor, Justice Strauss,
and upon meeting their new guardian they discover that the first impression they get of him is an
accurate one. He has a tattoo of an eye on his ankle (and the eye appears a lot throughout the
house), and he is a cruel and evil man, and the children find themselves having to do chores,
clean the house, and cook for Count Olaf and his theater troupe. They soon discover that Count
Olaf is planning something wicked, learning that he is trying to get his hands on the Baudelaire
fortune. Count Olaf announces how he plans on having the children participate in his play, The
Marvelous Marriage. The three orphans visit Justice Strauss, reading in the library in order to
figure out what is going on, but end up getting interrupted by one of Count Olaf’s henchmen, a
man known as hook hands. Klaus ends up sneaking out a book, and spends all night reading in
order to discover that Count Olaf’s plan is to use Justice Strauss, who has been invited to star in
the play, as a way of getting Violet to marry him in order to get the fortune. Klaus confronts Olaf
and threatens him, only to find that Olaf has kidnapped Sunny and has her dangling from the
tower in a cage. Violet ends up making a grappling hook as she tries to attempt to save her sister
but ends up getting caught by hook hands. In the end, the play begins and Violet and Klaus are
both stuck. Violet ends up signing the paper and Count Olaf ends up admitting that the marriage
is real and that as her guardian, he can allow for it to go through in order to get the fortune. He
communicates to hook hands to let Sunny go, and at this point Violet ruins his plan by revealing
that she signed the document in the wrong hand, which goes against the law that Olaf used in
order to make sure the marriage was valid, and thereby proves that she is not married to him. As
Mr. Poe plans on taking Olaf and getting justice for the children, the lights go out, and Olaf and
his troupe end up escaping. The orphans are left with Mr. Poe, who insists that they will find
Olaf as the children leave behind Count Olaf’s dreadful home.
OWL (Wonder): I always wondered what the significant meaning behind the eye that appears
was. Count Olaf has an eye tattooed on his ankle, and in the tower that he told the children to
stay out of, he had a lot of eye drawings. Also, I noticed in one of the chapters, there is a picture
of the hook-handed man’s arm, and on the wooden stub holding his hook you can see the faint
drawing on the eye. They eye seems to appear a lot when it comes to Count Olaf, and I wonder
what it has to do with and why others in his small group have they eye. Does it have something
to do with the theater troupe, or is there a more sinister meaning behind it?
Adventures in the Middle Ages by Linda Bailey
Summary: The story starts off with Josh and Emma Binkerton going to the Good Times Travel
Agency, which looks gloomy and old from the outside. Mr. Pettigrew, the owner, is inside, and
after Josh mentions his desire to go visit the Middle Ages. Pettigrew finds the right book, and
when Josh opens it up, they are taken back in time. Josh finds that his dreams of becoming a
knight are not realistic as he and his sister find themselves among peasants. They also discover
that their younger sister, Libby, also ended up joining them on their travel back in time.
Throughout the book, as we follow the children’s journey through the Middle Ages, you start to
learn more about the times, and how the feudal society works. Peasants do a lot of work on the
fields, and children also work in the fields since there is no school. A Peasant’s house are made
of branches along with a mixture of mud and straw. There is usually only one room that tends to
have everything needed (a living room, bedroom, and kitchen), and animals sometimes reside in
the house. The bathroom has to be used outside, and the food they heat is not much, mainly
bread and stew made with vegetables and beans. There is very little furniture, and the bed often
has fleas and lice. Then it goes into talking about holy days (feast days), when people rest from
work and get to enjoy the rest of the day. There are markets and fairs, along with traveling
entertainment. We learn that the beliefs of the people back then were different than the ones we
had know, and how clothes indicated the rank of a person. The forest belongs to the king and is
used for hunting (you can only go into the forest if you get permission from the king). There is a
description of the castle and how it is designed from protection against enemies, along with
detailed descriptions about the inside of the castle (including the kitchen, which is separate from
the castle, and the meals enjoyed by the lord and his royal company). Sleeping in the castle is
basically finding a place wherever you can lie down to sleep, while the lord and his family sleep
in a private chamber. Books are rare, so not a lot of people know how to read since the printing
press hasn’t been invented. We learn more about the different parts inside the castle, and with
Josh’s exploration and desire to become a knight, we learn more about the unwritten code of
knights and how they dress (in order to move with a flexible chain mail that can lead to dying
from heatstroke). We also learn that in order to become a knight, it takes years of practice.
Finally, we learn about what happens when a castle is at war, and a few notes on how to attack
castles and how to defend a castle (based off of the ways to attack, you can learn that you
shouldn’t trust anyone outside and to use flaming arrows as a defense to keep enemies out). The
Binkertons end up losing the book, but coming up with a plan to get it back from a mysterious
man that had been following them, Josh dressed up as a knight in order to get the book back
while his sisters end up pushing the enemies’ supply cart in the water. In the end the children use
the book to return to the Travel Agency.
OWL (Observe): One of the interesting things that I observed in this book was that when the
book was describing certain structures, it provided numbers on the illustration in order to show
the different parts of the castle. Also, I liked how the same thing was done for when the castle is
at war, and how each number showed the things that the structure of the castle had that was
designed to protect the inhabitants inside, along with a brief description of the purpose of such a
design or structure. Finally, the other thing I observed was the picture talking about the attacked
illustrated both methods of attack and the methods of defense for those attacks, which makes it
easier to visualize every detail listed.
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of WWII by Lita Judge
Summary: The story starts off in December 1946, when the narrator talks about how after three
years her father returned home from the war, and how a letter they got changed their lives. She
shares the message they received from their German friends, the Kramers, who are starving and
have worn clothes and no shoes. Her mother ends up putting some possessions in a box to help
out the family. Another letter arrived, talking about how thankful the Kramers were, and in the
end he wrote for them to help others, including a list other families and tracings of their feet so
that they could match shoes to send to the family. They received many tracings, and her mother
ended up translating letters that she ended up sharing with friends in order to get more help (they
ended up sending hand-me-downs). The knitted wool socks, which were put in the shoes. There
was another letter they received from a family who lost everything since their home was
bombed, and there was a mention of a little girl, Eliza, that the narrator ended up sewing a doll
for. She talks about the thousands of tracings lined in the room, and how they were waiting for
shoes. She describes how children gave up their shoes and went barefoot during the summer.
They got another letter and a picture from Eliza, who thanked them for the doll and talked about
how her father has been gone for a long time. The narrator writes a letter back, with help from
her mother. She also talks about how she would help her mother in search of shoes from
clearance sales and shoes from repair shows, and how the number of tracing was decreasing. In
the end, she gets a letter from Eliza, announcing her father has returned home, and talks about
how Eliza’s father ends up sending a painting of a swallow. On the last page it is Christmas
1948, and the narrator talks about how all the tracings were almost gone and everything was
almost back to normal. The final scene she talks about how her mother got red dancing shoes,
and there is an illustration of her parents dancing.
OWL (Link): The one link that I can make to this whole story would be thinking about a
community coming together after hard times, and the best example that comes to mind would be
my country, Bosnia. The first incident that comes to mind is the war that occurred in 1992, and
how many families ended up fleeing the country in order to escape. Personally, my mom had
family in California, and with the help of this woman named Sonja, we were able to make the
move and settle into a new home. Also, a recent example would be the floods that destroyed
many homes in Bosnia the past summer, and how many people started raising money to send to
Bosnia. I know that a lot of national soccer players donated money, and my mom and I sent some
over to help out friends who had lost their house. I feel like children can connect with the idea of
a community coming together in order to recover from a terrible event or just to be there for
others in need.
Pablo Picasso by Ibi Lepscky
Summary: The story focuses on the young Pablito, who is a moody boy that is misunderstood.
He likes to collect dry leaves, seashells, and other random collections. When he broke one of the
shells, he threw a tantrum and went to his mother to be comforted but she told him that he had
another seashell that looked just the same. Pablito noticed that everything has tiny difference and
learned that nature never “repeats itself.” It talks about how Pablito was frustrated that his
mother didn’t understand so he kicked his toys. There is a glimpse into his imagination as he
looks at the pile of his toys and envisions cat’s eyes and a bull’s horns. It seems that no one
understands him because he gets in trouble with the maid and his mother for drawing on the
walls. His mother was worried and wanted to talk to Pablito’s father, but she didn’t want to
bother him since she knew he wanted to relax and do his painting, which he did in his free time.
When Pablito got sent to kindergarten, he didn’t want to play with the other children or sing, but
wanted to draw and got scolded by the teacher for painting the sky red instead of blue. Pablito
didn’t want to go to kindergarten anymore, and his mother and the maid would talk about what
he would become when he grew up, hoping that he would change and behave. One time, he
painted his little sister with yolk and got in trouble, with his mother turning to his father in order
to help. After that, Pablito’s father took him for a walk and went to the beach, where Pablito
ended up drawing a beautiful dolphin in the sand. When they got back home, Pablito showed his
father the drawings on the walls that he made, and after that his father took him into his studio
and gave him canvas, brushes and a palette. His first painting was of his sister, and then he
started painting landscapes, animals, and other objects. His father now knew how talented
Pablito was, and provided the young boy with all the tools needed to draw. In the end we learn
that Pablito grew up and continued to use his imagination to become “one of the greatest and
most original artists of modern times,” Pablo Picasso.
OWL (Link): I feel that children can probably relate to this book because everyone loves to
express themselves, and there are probably children who have memories of drawing on the walls.
I know that when I was little I used to draw in a lot of my story books and used chalk to draw on
the sidewalk. Also, I can connect with little Pablito and his collection of random objects, like
seashells, because that is something that I have collected along with napkins, sugar packets I’ve
gotten from different places, and movie stubs. I also think that with the imagination Pablito has
as a child, it is easy to make a link to that imagination and wonder that we all have as children.
Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
Summary: This book is an autobiography written by Ruby Bridges. The story starts off with her
going back in time to when she was six, around the civil rights movement started up. She talks
about how schools were starting to integrate, and that after she took a test, she found that she
ended up placing to be allowed to attend one of the schools. Ruby talks about how she
remembers memories of Mississippi and how her grandparents were sharecroppers. She talks
about how they would help pick beans during the summer and talked about fond memories of her
grandparents. They moved to New Orleans in 1958 and lived on a block where everyone was
black. Ruby was the oldest child and talked about how her father worked as a service attendant
while her mother took night jobs, like cleaning hotel rooms. She went to school at a segregated
school when she was younger, and how in the first grade there was talk about integrating
schools. Ruby talks about the test, and how she had heard it was difficult to take. In the summer
her parents heard from the NAACP, who told them about Ruby passing the test, which would
allow her to attend William
Franz, and promised that there would be help provided. A lot of people in New Orleans were
upset about this news, and Ruby talks about how she felt when she found out that she would be
no longer going to the school with her friends. On the first day of school she was led into the
new school with U.S. federal marshals through a crowd of people who were there to protest
against her attending William Franz. She talks about how she sat with her mother in the
principal’s office while white parents came in and seemed upset about Ruby attending the
school. Ruby talks about the protestors she would see and what they had with them, she talked
about her father and how he would call her “brave.” In school Ruby was in the classroom alone
with her teacher, Mrs. Henry, who was from the North. She talked about how she didn’t see any
other children, if there were any in the building. Ruby also talks about how Steinbeck, who had
once witnessed the scene of her attending school, was inspired to write, and how Norman
Rockwell drew a picture inspired by her. She talks about how some white parents allowed their
children to attend school, and were brave enough to face the backlash of the crowd. She also
talks about how there were three other colored girls who were integrating at McDonogh No. 19.
Ruby also talks about the riots that took place when the schools starting integrating, and how
crosses were burned by the KKK. Bridges also shares about how she was getting support from
the nations, letters and gifts from strangers who were sending their encouragement to her and her
family. She even got a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt, but when hurricane Betsy flooded New
Orleans, everything was lost. She talks about how she had help from her neighbors who would
pitch in by babysitting or helping her get ready for school. Ruby talks a lot about her teacher,
Mrs. Henry, and how they became attached and how she even seemed to pick up her northern
accent. Bridges also mentions Dr. Coles, who came by and met with her regularly in order to
make sure that she was coping with the new school. She also mentions how she would often not
eat since she was left alone to eat, and how she would hide the food in the classroom. Mrs. Henry
found out when roaches were found in the room. She started to eat with Ruby so she wouldn’t be
so lonely. Ruby talks about how her principal was arguing with Mrs. Henry about Ruby’s grades
in school, and she talks about how her teacher ended up moving back to Boston and how her
second grade teacher wasn’t as nice. After that Ruby starts to talk about what happened after
that, how she grew up and graduated from an integrated high school. She talks about how she
lost her father and how her parents ended up splitting. She describes how important her actions at
the young age of six were and what the movement meant, and discussed how her youngest
brother was shot in a drug-related incident. She got married, started to notice that schools were
segregating again and wanted to make a change. She talks about how she established a
foundation in order to provide programs for schools and how the travels a lot doing public
appearances. She ends by talking about her achievements in life, and how she hasn’t lost her
faith in all the chaos she faced as a child, and also how she came to accept that and allowed
herself to become at peace in her life by accepting the events that occurred and the impact they
had.
OWL (Observe): I observed a timeline she had put in the book in order to help you better keep
up and understand what was going on while integration was slowly taking place. I also observed
many of the interesting photos she included, and liked how she used artwork that was inspired by
her in the book and how she mentioned that she didn’t know that she was an inspiration to
others. I really liked reading through the book and observing the different feelings she discusses
having during this time, and the final interesting thing that I remember observing was her
jumping rope with a friend while chanting “2, 4, 6, 8, we don’t want to integrate,” which I feel
shows just how little she understood at the young age, but how she grew to understand what was
going on and the impact it ended up having on the world and the movement in civic rights.
Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer
Summary: This is a compilation of reverse poetry using fairy tales as the theme. It starts off with
an introduction to reverse poetry, and how you can read the poem down as well as up. Then we
have Cinderella, who is stuck in a corner shining shoes until the night strikes midnight while the
reverse of it describes her wearing shiny shoes and dancing with the prince all night while others
are stuck in a corner waiting. The next story is Sleeping Beauty, who is talks about the prince
hacking through the briars while she has to sleep while the prince talks about how he never
sleeps because he has to work and look for love, hacking through the briars. Then we have
Rapunzel, in one scene having to sweep the floor and struggling with long hair, locked in a tower
with a witch for a mother, while the reverse tells the story of her hair being cut off and how it
took forever to sweep the floor. We have Little Red Riding Hood who is getting ready to go to
her grandmother’s while the reverse is the perspective of the wolf that spots her skipping through
the woods. We have the ugly duckling who hopes to become beautiful while the reverse is a bit
more doubtful about becoming beautiful. We have Snow White, with the first poem being the
evil hag trying to get her to rest by convincing her to eat the apple while the reverse is Snow
White attending to the hard working dwarfs. Then there’s Jack and the Beanstalk, with the giant
wondering about what is to come since he doesn’t know that a giant beanstalk is about to come
through the air while the reverse is the boy getting ready to climb the beanstalk that is about to
reach a giant and how the boy is uncertain what will happen next. There’s Goldilocks, who is
trying to prove her innocence with coming into the house of bears while the reverse is getting the
perspective of the bears that see her as an intruder. We have Hansel and Gretel, with one
situation having Hansel eating in order to not keep the witch waiting while the reverse is for him
not to fatten up. There’s Rumpelstiltskin, who was betrayed by his greed while the reverse is the
girl being betrayed by greed. Then we have the disappointment of the princess who kissed the
frog and didn’t transform and the reverse of the disappointment of the frog. Beauty and the Beast
talks about the love the beast has for beauty and the reverse of how Beauty can love a Beast. The
last poem talks about the road, and how it leads to wherever you need to go, while the reverse
talks about going wherever the road leads.
OWL (Wonder): The first thing that I wonder would be how long it would take to write a reverse
poem. I also wonder about why the author chose to do a fairy tale theme and how she worked
through each story in order to show the perspective of two different characters from the story.
Another thing I wonder would also be how she would make sure the story told a different one
after being read in reverse, and how many times she had to edit it in order to make the story fit
and make sense for both cases. I just wonder about the process.
Dear Mother, Dear Daughter by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple
Summary: This book of poems is for young people. The whole story goes through different
situations a mother and daughter go through, with the daughter writing to her mother about
complaints she has while her mother writes a response. The first one is about homework, with
the daughter talking about how she will get it done and how she wants to have fun. The mother
tells her that she has to be the homework police because her daughter always waits until it’s too
late to do homework and that she has to cut her off from distractions in order to make sure she
gets it done. The second situation is the daughter talking about how she is fat and flat and her
mother responds by reassuring her that she is perfect and that size doesn’t matter. Then we have
the argument of the room, with the daughter telling her mother that it’s her room so it shouldn’t
matter if there is a mess while her mother retaliates by telling her that, yes, it might be yours, but
since it’s a part of the house where the whole family lives they all have to see it and would prefer
for it to be clean. The daughter talks about crushes and how she gets teased and kissed this boy;
the mother responds by telling her that this is part of “growing pains” and that she should enjoy
the feeling of having a crush because it will eventually be outgrown. The daughter writes to her
mother about grandmother no longer being there, and mother responds by telling her that even
though she is gone, she will always be in their family’s life. Then the daughter talks about how
she wants to play instruments, complaining about how some of the instruments weren’t right for
her and the mother responds by telling her that the problem isn’t the instrument but that the
daughter needs to practice if she really wants to play. The daughter also negotiates with her
mother about stay up later, and the mother tells her she will allow it since her daughter said
“please.” The daughter writes to her mother about hearing noises and how she felt too old for a
night light, but wanted to climb into bed with her mother. Her mother shares that she also
remembers those memories of the fears in the room, and how she wishes she could climb in with
her mother to keep the monsters away. The daughter shares with her mother how she is worried
about things happening in the news, and informs her about a boy who brought in his father’s gun.
Mother assures that she used to worry to, but that there isn’t a thing to do about some of the
things we worry about (and ends by saying that they will call the school about the student who
had a gun). The daughter writes to mother about not having anything to do and mother responds
with a list of things that could be done. The daughter shares with her mother about how she got
in trouble at school and took the blame while other children ran, and the mother responds by
talking about how she is proud of her daughter for being brave enough to face punishment. The
daughter complains about being too tall and her mother tells her that you can’t help what genes
you get, but that as you get older you will shrink. The daughter asks her mother for her own
phone so she doesn’t have to use the phone anymore, but the mother tells her that she is too
attached to it and that she would not get her daughter her own phone. The daughter also shares
about her not wanting to participate in gym playing sports and her mother tells her that she
refuses to write a note to get her out because she has to take part in activities with groups, even if
she isn’t good. The daughter talks about wanting an increase in her allowance while her mother
tells her that she would have to earn it by doing chores. Then the daughter asks about getting her
ears pierced, and her mother tells her that they will talk about it again when she is sixteen.
Finally, the poems end with the girl talking about a boy who is different who is getting bullied,
and how she is afraid to stand up to him because she doesn’t want to be different either. Her
mother ends up describing her daughter, and tells her that no one bothers her, but that if she
doesn’t stand up to the bullies, there might be a time they will pick on her.
OWL (Link): I feel like this would be a great story for children to relate to since a lot of the
situations in the story involve growing up and issues that come with that. I know that I can
probably relate to issues of feeling self-conscious, messy rooms, and the loss of a family member
(especially a grandparent). A lot of the situations I may not have experienced, but I feel like I can
relate to having my mother to turn to when I have questions or fears, and I know that she would
be there to help me and comfort me.
So You Want to be President? by Judith St. George
Summary: This book is great for finding out interesting facts about the presidents of the United
States (published in 2000). It starts off by describing the White House and the many perks to
being a president, including having a bowling alley and movie theater in the White House and
not having to eat broccoli. We learn more about the different presidents, including things that
they had in common, like names or where they lived before. The author also goes into talking
about unique personalities and other fun facts ranging from the size (both weight and height),
age, previous occupation, pets, and the number of siblings. It also describes the scandals, and
how two of the presidents were impeached. Finally, the book concludes with inspirational words
for those who dream of becoming president by encouraging the reader to follow the role of good
presidents by putting the people and your country first.
OWL (Observe): Something that I observed in this book was all these different facts about the
presidents that I didn’t know before. I enjoyed one of the stories about how John Quincy Adams
like to skinny dip, and how a reporter stole his clothes and wouldn’t give them back until he
promised an interview with her. I also observed how every illustration was a caricature of the
president, and how it would depict almost everything the author had written, clustering some of
the pages with numerous presidents to tell the different stories.
Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg
Summary: While Peter and Judy’s parents go off to the opera with friends, the two children are
left at home playing with their toys. They become bored and go to the park across the street,
where Peter ends up finding the game Jumanji under a tree, which Judy insists on taking home.
They set up the game and Judy reads the instructions, which state at the end that the game
doesn’t end until a player reaches the Golden City. As they land on the spaces with different
scenarios, they discover that the event play out in real life. Their house is invaded with a lion,
monkeys raiding the kitchen, a lost guide huddled in the corner, a monsoon in the living room, a
rhino stampede, and a python on the mantle. Peter rolls next and ends up landing on a space of a
volcano eruption. With lava filling the house and smoke clouding the room, Judy frantically rolls
the dice after Peter tells her that she needs a twelve to win the game. She gets two sixes and yells
Jumanji. Everything clears and the house returns to normal. They put the pieces in the box and
return it to the park, returning home and fall asleep on the couch. Their parents return with guests
and the children share their adventures of the afternoon. At the end Peter and Judy are working
on a puzzle in the den, and when they look out the window they see two boys running through
the park with a long, thin box.
OWL (Wonder): The one thing that I wonder with this story is what would have happened in the
game if Judy hadn’t rolled the two sixes? What would happen if the game didn’t end, and if the
parents arrived to see the mess that sprang from playing it? Also, I wonder how the author came
up with the different ideas for the events that would occur with each move, and why the last
move was to have the volcano eruption and the risk of not rolling sixes.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Summary: Flora Belle is a girl who likes reading comics, even though her mother, a writer of
romantic novels, disapproves. Her adventure starts when she witnesses a squirrel getting sucked
up by a vacuum from her next-door neighbor yard. With her knowledge of what to do when
terrible things happen to you, she performs CPR on the squirrel, reviving him. At this moment,
the squirrel, hungry and confused, lifts the vacuum in order to shake out any food, showing
superhero strength that Flora admires. She intends to keep the squirrel, naming him Ulysses, and
teaches him about what it takes to be a superhero by showing him comics of the Amazing
Incandesto. She also learns that the squirrel can type and writes beautiful poetry. She confides in
her neighbor, Tootie, and Tootie’s great nephew, William Spiver who is temporarily blind, to
help her out in keeping the squirrel safe from the harmful hands of his arch-nemesis, her mother.
She also has help from her father, who has separated from her mother and lives in a building
where a vicious cat lurks to attack innocent people who walk the hallways, and Dr. Meeschum
who is a lonely woman living right across from her father. Her mother, after discovering the
squirrel, attempts to get rid of it, at one point kidnapping Ulysses in order to give Flora the
chance to have a “normal” life. Flora, upon discovering that Ulysses is gone, goes to William
Spiver, and with the help of Tootie, go on a search for the squirrel while Flora holds the lamp
shepherdess her mother treasures as a bargaining chip. The squirrel escapes from Flora’s mother,
searching for Flora while Flora and company go to her father’s house after the car ran out of gas
on the road. In the end, they end up all reuniting at Dr. Meeschum place, with Flora’s mother
frantically searching for her daughter. As they all sit on the couch, Flora’s mother finally comes
to terms with her daughter keeping the squirrel.
OWL: Something that I observed in this book was how some of the chapters included a little
comic strip describing the scene, providing pictures that would go along with telling the story,
providing a visual for the reader after reading a scene that took place. I thought that it went well
with Flora’s interest in comics to add in the images this way, and I also liked how the comic
strips tended to show up whenever something interesting with the squirrel happened, like when
he first started typing, or the run-in with the lady at the donut shop.
The City of Ember by Jean DuPrau
Summary: The story starts off with the builders talking about the city they are building and the
instructions they plan to leave behind that cannot be opened until 200 years later. They talk about
how they will provide instructions so that people will be able to get out, and after setting them in
a box with a set lock, they agree that the mayor should be the one who would have the
instructions and will pass it down. We find out that one of the mayors takes the box because he is
sick and believes that the cure is in the box. He ends up passing away before telling anyone
about the box. Over 200 years later we arrived to the present time and it is Assignment Day.
Children in school who are the age of twelve are visited by the mayor at school, who has the
children select jobs out of a bag. Lina, the main character, ends up pulling out a paper that says
Pipeworks Worker, and is disappointed. A boy in her school, Doon, ends up throwing a tantrum
after getting Messenger, going on a rant about how the city is doing badly and it needs to be
fixed. We know that the city is underground and that the lights run for a fixed time and the light
bulbs are running out. After class Doon approaches Lina in order to switch jobs, and Lina, not
happy with Pipeworks, is eager to get her dream job. On her first day she ends up delivering a
message to the mayor. We find out that Doon want to work in the Pipeworks because he wants to
find a way to save the city. Doon ends up finding out that a people in the Pipeworks don’t really
seem to understand how the generator works and finds his enthusiasm wearing out. Lina on the
other hand is enjoying her job. One day, she comes home to find that her grandmother has turned
the house upside-down, telling her that she is looking for something that is very important. Lina
ends up noticing that her little sister, Poppy, is holding a fancy box and has bits of paper in her
mouth. She later discovers that there is a note that is now chewed up and missing bits and pieces,
but she holds onto it anyway since she feels that it is important. She tried to tell her friend, Lizzie
about the paper but she doesn’t find any interest in it, and then she goes to Doon, who ends up
helping her in decoding parts of the message since she told him that the message has something
to do with a door and the Pipeworks. Doon shares that he has found a door that is locked down in
the pipeworks and shares with Lina that the solution for getting out of Ember lies behind the
door. They go to explore only to find that it is locked, but they also discover that there is a person
who has the key to get in. They await for an announcement to be made by the mayor that there
might be good news for the city and they might be able to escape, but there is no such luck.
Then, one day, after Lizzie got off work, Lina walked with her while she was carrying a stuffed
back that she ended up dropping, and cans of items that were rare in the city of Ember came
tumbling out. Lina finds out that Lizzie and Looper, a guy that works at the Supply Depot, have
been taking things that have been left behind in rooms thought to be empty and have been
keeping it to themselves. After this, Doon finds out that the mayor is hiding out in the secret
room they found, and that he too, has access to a supply of stuff that the city has been running
out of. Doon and Lina then end up working hard in trying to decode the message, going down
into the pipeworks when the Singing comes around, sneaking down during rehearsals. They end
up finding rocks that have carvings in it, and after leaning towards the edge, find a small ladder
that ends up leading to a door and a silver panel that contains the key. Here they discover a boat
and candles and matches, which are supposed to be used, after looking at the destroyed
destructions, in order to be able to get out of the city by using the boat and traveling by means of
the river. They discover how to use the candles, and both agree to tell the city that they have
found the solution to getting out, but find out the next day that they are being sought by the
guards because they made “false” accusations about the mayor. Doon comes to see Lina after he
packs up important stuff, warning her that they are in trouble, so they run to the school to hide.
They realize that they have to tell someone about a way to get out of the city, and Doon writes a
note that Lina offers to give to Clary, who works in the greenhouses and helped Lina with the
instructions earlier. Lina ends up getting caught by the guards and is brought back to town hall
where she is met by the mayor. The lights end up flickering out, giving her the chance to escape
the room as she runs to the roof, where she was on the first day she had to deliver a message to
him. When the lights come back on, the Singing has started, and while she is debating what to do
on the rooftop, the lights go out again, and she notices in the distance a faint light, which she
determines is from Doon’s candle. She waits for the light to come back on before she jumps into
action. She ends up meeting Doon at the pipeworks, bringing her little sister Poppy along, even
though she knows it’s dangerous. They go to the location they found from the instructions and
prepare the boat, setting it down in the water before they get in, holding tightly as the boat rocks
over the different obstacles. They end up finding a journal with the stuff in the boat, and after
reaching the end, finding a small path that they follow only to reach the outside world. There is a
faint light coming from the moonlight and they are exploring their surroundings. They end up
discovering new creatures and experience sunlight for the first time when the sun rises. They
read the diary they found to discover that something had happened a long time ago that led
people to live in the city of Ember, but never really get the answer. Lina realizes that she forgot
to give the message to Clary and they realize that they have no way of getting back to the city.
As they explore their surroundings, finding a cave that they discover is a distance away from the
city of Ember. They end up attaching the message in Doon’s shirt and put a rock in before Lina
threw it down into the city. The story ends with Mrs. Murdo, the lady that took in Lina and her
sister after her grandmother’s death, finding the object fall right in front of her.
OWL (Link): A link that I make to this story is by looking at everything we take for granted. I
feel that this story will show children that there are many things that others are not fortunate to
have or experience, and it can be a way of reflecting on how we take advantage of all that we
have. The one thing that kept on popping into my head was just how grateful you feel reading
this, because the link that I made was that there probably are people who don’t have electricity or
don’t know what it is, or what a pineapple is because it’s not readily available, which is
something we can’t really think about.