Reading response: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

  This book is about two people who live in a fancy hotel in Paris. One of these people is Renee. She is a concierge who is an art lover and has a cat named Leo. The other person is Paloma, who is a 12-year-old girl who is also a genius and she hides her intelligence from her family and her teachers. She also wants to commit suicide on her thirteenth birthday, which is also the last day of school. They both have something in common, which is that they hide their true nature and that they are both very different from what everyone expects them to be. Then they meet a man named Ozu who changes their lives and is the reason why Paloma and Renee became friends as well.
  Throughout the book, the two main characters hide their true nature to the residents of the hotel because they thought that they wouldn't like them for their intelligence and talent, but when they meet Ozu, they realize that they each others unique personality and appreciate each other. They also slowly reveal themselves to the conceited community and accept themselves for who they are. In the book, both characters have many different reasons why they do not want to show others their talents. Paloma's was that if she shown her intelligence, her family would annoy her and she would never have time for herself. Renee's was that the hotel would be shocked and would be fired from her job and kicked out of the hotel. Ozu, who is the hotel's new tenant and who is also Japanese and cultural, shows them that it is the twentieth century, and that they should show the world who they really are. This book is mostly about people's expectations and that they can slow people down, like when Paloma was found hiding so that she could write in her Journal of the Movement of the World and her Profound Thoughts.
  Ozu also gains Paloma's trust and sees through Renee's worn disguise and her sad past. Another interesting thing about the book is that Paloma writes about what she thinks about the world and life, like grammar being a form of art instead of a trick that gets people into society. They learn that being different is good, even if they expect them not to be. For instance, when Renee went out to dinner with Ozu and was seen with some people who live in the apartment, they hardly recognized Renee. And when Paloma showed the therapist her intelligence, he was shocked. Paloma also showed a bit of her talent to her sister, Colombe, she was also shocked because that she made herself believe that Paloma was dumb, that she almost believed in it.
  I also think that the book is about life itself and the theories about adulthood and childhood that shows the true meaning of life. One example is that in the book, Paloma wrote that the purpose of life is that "...so we can track down those moments that are dying." All in all, the characters in the book learn to show who they really are and their thoughts about the world.

Reading response: A Room on Lorelei Street

    This book is about a girl named Zoe who rented out a room on Lorelei Street, and she works at a small diner slinging hash. She feels like she's in the shadow of her mom, and feels like she needs attention from her family.She also feels comfortable in her room on Lorelei Street, and she doesn't want to give it up when her grandma demanded her to come home to her mom. But she doesn't because she feels like it was all about her mom, and not her; it was also because she works hard to make ends meet, while her mom doesn't, and feels that she lived two lifetimes because she acts like an adult, she does all of the chores, takes care of Mama, and she just wants to relax and act like her age.
    Throughout the book, she goes to school and feels like her teacher controls her and doesn't respect her like an actual human being. She feels disrespected and she responds by acting immature like cursing, but then she tries to keep her patience during class. Zoe represents some teenagers in the outside world. Some work hard to pay bills, curse, and feel like everyone controls her. For example, her teacher, her grandma, and the guidance counselor. Some teenagers also do things so that they can get attention because they feel in the shadow. In Zoe's case, she moved out into her own room so that she would get attention and not her mom. She also feels like she owes everyone something. For instance, she owed the landlady her rent, she owed her mom her care and attention, and that she owed her grandma for not being kicked out of the family. In the book, Zoe feels that she worked hard to keep things together, like her grandma. In Zoe's case, she tries to go to a group session and work hard on her tennis team as well. In her grandma's situation, she tries to keep the family together and not fall apart when Zoe moves out, Mama drinking, and her Zoe's father's death.
   I also think Zoe represents some teenagers in the outside world because they have to grow up faster because of a parent's death, or their parents are not either healthy enough or sensible enough to take care of the family. So they are left to pay the bills, taxes, and work for the money they need. Sometimes they are stressed because of that early development, and they would crack, like disrespecting their teacher and they are feeling like that they don't need help from others, but to be honest, they do need help and are afraid to admit it.
  I also think that the book is a bit about second chances. In the end, Zoe decides to start fresh, and moves to Brownsville so that she could have her second chance in life. She feels that she has made bad choices, and  tries to begin a new chapter in her life.

reading response:critical questions #2: mockingbird

  While reading Mockingbird, I had another question on my mind which was, how does this text make you think about justice in the world? This book is a good reference because it's about how different Caitlin is from the other students in school because she has Asperger's syndrome and justice is moral rights.
  This book makes me think about justice in the world because of how people think of Caitlin, and it makes me wonder of how people in the world view people with Asperger's syndrome. For example, Emma, a girl in Caitlin's school said that her behavior is disturbing. This means that people in the world view people with Asperger's syndrome as disturbing or wierd. Another example is that Mia, another classmate of Caitlin's wanted Caitlin to leave her alone because she was different. This means that normal people don't want to hang around with kids that have Asperger's syndrome.
  Another reason how Mockingbird made me think about justice is that ordinary people don't like people who appear to be different or odd. For example, when Caitlin was trying to make friends her own age, they tried to get away because of her disturbing behavior. Caitlin is a symbol of all the people who have Asperger's syndrome or are appear odd to some people, and that means that common people don't want to get involved with them or have anything to do woth those people and that's not fair, because they care what's on the outside, not the inside.
   In conclusion, this book makes me think about justice in the world because Caitlin symbolizes people who appear odd, and nobody except for a few hangs out with them, and that's not fair because they care about thier weaknesses and not their skills.

Reading response: Mockingbird

   This book is about a girl who has Asperger's syndrome, and her experience of her brother getting shot, who is very important to her because he helps her through situations. She also experiences being an outcast in her school because of her odd behavior. Her father also deals with depression because of the brother's death. While reading this book, I had one question about the book, which was whose perspective was missing in the book, and what would it be like if I put it back?
   I think that the answer to this question is that the father's perspective is missing in the book because it is mainly about the girl and her father overcoming these problems, even though it is in the girl's perspective. Another reason why I think that the father's perspective is missing is that the book shows a lot of the father and his depression of his son's death, and I think that it will be nice if the book would show the father's opinions and thoughts about the events happening in the book. It would show the "normal" thoughts and reaction about Devon's (the brother) death. It would also compare the two sides of reactions and thoughts of each event. It would also show the father's depression more easily and it's reaction to Caitlin (the girl)'s actions. It would be nice because the father can recall more memories of Devon than Caitlin and he can show how dear he was to the father. Furthermore, he can tell how connected the community was to Devon and his thoughts on closure.
   Overall, I think that the answer to the question is that the father's perspective is missing from the book and it would be depressing if it was put back into the book.

Social awareness project dramatic scene

  This scene is about animal rights. It’s about a girl who sees that animal cruelty is wrong and stands up for animal rights. It describes how wrong animal cruelty is as well as the consequences for animal cruelty. For instance, using animals for experiments, not feeding your pet, or hurting your animal badly.

   Today was another regular day in March for Leah. She woke up at 7:03, as usual, and got dressed as well as ate breakfast. She was just about to go to school when she heard yelling from next door. It was a lot louder than usual and was becoming more frequent. Leah knew it was none of her business, so when she went out the door, she was prepared to ignore what was happening, but when she went down the three steps of stairs the sudden whining perturbed her. She felt worried about Maxie, the neighbor's two year old border collie and Mr. Sanders, the neighbor. Even if she was going to be late, her curiosity got the better of her, and she went to Mr. Sanders' porch and rung the doorbell.

   Nobody answered, and she knew that he was inside, so she went to the window and looked in. But all she could see was a chair knocked over and some papers spread across the room. "Mr. Sanders, can I talk to you?" she asked. In response, there were more yelling and whining. Then the door creaked open slowly. Hoping her mother wouldn't punish her, Leah walked in. The room was an entire mess, but she wasn't interested in tidiness at that time. Following the sound of the scolding, she walked into the kitchen, where she found Mr. Sanders and Maxie. He was holding a stick and Maxie on the ground with wounds. She panicked and ran out of the house, then called ASPCA.

   A few hours later, the Humane Law Enforcement arrived and arrested Mr. Sanders. Leah went up the officers and said," I want to adopt this dog, please?" They told her that it was up to her mom and she looked up at her. "Well, alright," her mother said. Then Maxie was sent to the vet to make sure he wasn't injured. Finally, Leah went to school and explained to her teacher why she was so late.

reading response #5 (revised)

In the book, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, is a book of magic and an adventure in the world called Narnia. A boy called Digory with his friend Polly get transported to another world, they accidentally release the evil Queen called Jadis. When she is released into their world, Digory and Polly must find a way to take her back to her world, also witnessing the birth of Narnia. I think that Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind and their opinion of magic, mostly in the part when he sees Narnia's birth.
    I think that Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind because in the passage, it says, "All he saw, or thought he saw, was a lot of dangerous animals walking vaguely about." This means that when the children saw this event, they saw what it was really about, when Uncle Andrew saw it as a bunch of animals that are dangerous. It shows that mankind often don't see the real meaning of magic or things like that.
     Another way to show that Uncle Andrew is a representation of mankind is in the book, it says that Uncle Andrew thought of himself as a magician, when he doesn't understand of the birth of Narnia. This means that he doesn't understand the difference between mankind's opinion of magic and the real magic. Another way to show that Uncle Andrew is a symbol for mankind is "When the great moment came and the Beasts spoke, he missed the whole point; for a rather interesting reason." This means that Uncle Andrew tries not to hear what Digory and Polly heard because he doesn't believe in it.
    In conclusion, Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind when witnessing the birth of Narnia because he doesn't believe in that kind of magic, and that he would rather would not see the moment because it goes against what he had learned.

Reading response #5

     In the book, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, is a book of magic and an adventure in the world called Narnia. A boy called Digory with his friend Polly get transported to another world, they accidentally release the evil Queen called Jadis. When she is released into their world, Digory and Polly must find a way to take her back to her world, also witnessing the birth of Narnia. I think that Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind and their opinion of magic, mostly in the part when he sees Narnia's birth.
    I think that Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind because in the passage, it says, "All he saw, or thought he saw, was a lot of dangerous animals walking vaguely about." This means that when the children saw this event, they saw what it was really about, when Uncle Andrew saw it as a bunch of animals that are dangerous. It shows that mankind often don't see the real meaning of magic or things like that.
     Another way to show that Uncle Andrew is a representation of mankind is in the book, it says that Uncle Andrew thought of himself as a magician, when he doesn't understand of the birth of Narinia. This means that he doesn't understand the difference between mankind's opinion of magic and the real magic. Another way to show that Uncle Andrew is a symbol for mankind is "When the great moment came and the Beasts spoke, he missed the whole point; for a rather interesting reason." This means that Uncle Andrew tries not to hear what Digory and Polly heard because he doesn't believe in it.
    In conclusion, Uncle Andrew is a symbol of mankind when witnessing the birth of Narnia because he doesn't believe in that kind of magic, and that he would rather would not see the moment because it goes against what he had learned.

Reading Response: The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

   Everybody has problems, and most of us solve them. In The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury, the main character, Joby had problems as well. Some people have a hard time, while some of us have an easier time. Some of us hardly ever solve them. They just avoid them. Joby is one of those who have a hard time.But he gets through. In the story, it's April in the year 1862. A boy named Joby in the Civil War feels unimportant. But the general notices him feeling neglected, and cheers him up.

   One conflict he has is that he feels smaller and weaker in comparison to the other soldiers. For instance, he thought, "I got only a drum, two sticks to beat it, and no shield." This means that all of the soldiers has something that he doesn't, and that he is just a drummer boy, and that he is not important to the army. It also shows that he doesn't feel so sure about himself unlike the other soldiers in the army.

   Another conflict is that he is afraid that the war is going to change his life. For example, it said, "Nothing had a name. Nothing was as it once was." This means that everything is changing because of the war, and Joby does not want the war to happen, or have any changes in his life. He wanted everything to go back to the way it was before the war started.

    This conflict is resolved by Joby having confidence in himself. For example, in the passage it said, "' He gave the orders, but Joby set the pace!'" This means that if he is sure of himself, he can help the army win, and that he would not have many worries anymore. And if he did, his worries of the war will disappear; meanwhile his feeling that he is smaller will be gone too because his confidence will boost his self-esteem, that he is just like the others, that he is just as important as them.

    In conclusion, Joby first feels weaker, but then he finds confidence and he resolves his conflicts because of it. He learns that being sure of himself will calm his fears of what will happen in the future.

Post #3

     In the book Stir It Up! by Ramin Ganeshram, it's a book about chasing your dreams. It is about a girl named Anjali whose family works in a roti shop, and she wants to be a celebrity chef. But her parents doesn't agree on her dream of being a celebrity chef. So when Anjali is given the opportunity, she goes for it, even if her family discourages it. She perseveres to find out if she was meant to be a world-famous chef or not. I think that Anjali affects other characters in the book because of her determination.
     One way that she affects other people is how she affected her father. For example, in the book he wants the best for her daughter,so he wants her to go to the Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. But then he softens and sees that he has betrayed her by not letting her chase her dream. I think that means that he knows what his daughter wants, but he worries and does not allow her to work toward her dream. Then he sees what Anjali will not stop until her goal is accomplished. This shows that he knows now that Anjali is determined and he respects that.
     Another way to show how she affects other people is her mother. For instance, in the beginning, all she does is study and work during the day. She neglects her son and her daughter a bit, but not a lot. She usually doesn't work in the family business, which is a way to show how connected they are. When Anjali shows her the letter that could be the chance she was waiting for, she shows a little bit of happiness for her daughter. And like Anjali's father, she wants her to go to Stuyvesant so she could go to a good school. Later in the book, she is also softened by Anjali's grandmother, and sees what it means to her. This means that she was quite distant from Anjali, and because of  her spirit, she comes closer and celebrates with her.
     This book relates to the world because there are many parents who want the best for their kids and pushes them. And that makes them feel under pressure. If they show that they can do it, but need some time to get it together, it can change.

Reading Response: Sources of Light

      The book Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan is told by a girl named Sam. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 when her father died in the war. While she spends time there with her mother, she gets a camera from Perry, a friend of her mother. And she witnesses segregationists being violent to black people and prejudice in Mississippi. She feels that it was wrong to treat people like that.

     In the beginning, she was taught by her mother that everyone is equal. Later on, she sees that prejudice is spread throughout the town and feels that it was not right, but other people in her life, such as Stone, persuade her to follow the rules for her own safety. I thought that it was nice that she was taught that everyone is equal because not many people believe that during 1962. As time progressed, violence and protests continues to take place as registration in voting starts.

     Sam soon finds out that the father of a close friend, Stone, is a member of the Citizen's Council, which is a group similar to the Ku Klux Klan. She feels a bit unsure of the situation, and I would have been too, if I were her. The next day, they discovered that Perry got hurt because of segregation and registration to vote. Later they found who had injured him and things settled down. Sam's mother decided to travel to Boston, Washington, D.C., and Greece. And things turned out all right for Sam.