Mockingbird

I just finished a book called Mockingbird. The main character Caitlin is an 11 year old girl with Asperger's. Caitlin and her dad are the only ones left of the family when her mom dies of cancer and her brother Devon is shot. Devon was the only one to help Caitlin through her problems(Asperger's). Now Devon is gone and there is no one for her to talk to. Dad isn't any help because he is still trying to overcome the two tragedy's.

Everything for Caitlin is taken so literally. She doesn't seem to understand certain things. She tries to work things out with the knowledge that she has. I will give an example or two of times she was literal throughout the book. Caitlin doesn't understand the pronoun "Your Manners" on her manners chart. She thinks that means everyone else's manners but it really means hers. She thinks she has to watch every one's manners for them but really she just has to worry about her own. The chest that Devon was making Caitlin wanted to finish and she needed quarter-cut oak. So she knew that oak was a wood and she had an oak tree in the backyard. She knew what a quarter was. So she tried cutting her oak tree with a quarter.When Mrs. Brook said that you had to put yourself in someone else's shoes when they were working on empathy, Caitlin thought she meant to literally change shoes with them.

Josh at school is the cousin of the person who killed Caitlin's brother Devon. Everyone at school stereotypes Josh as being a bad kid just because his cousin killed Devon. Just because someone related to Josh did something bad does not mean that he will to. He could be a very nice kid but no one gives him a chance. They never found his inner self. Everyone also thinks her is a bully but truly the only reason he is mean to others is because they are mean to him first. He doesn't try to be a bully to them, people are bully's to him.

Closure is what Caitlin has been trying to find throughout this book. Closure is the state of experiencing an emotional conclusion to a difficult life event. Caitlin was set to find this "closure." As literal as she is, I think she thought she could see closure. I always wonder, did she realize that closure isn't a visual thing. It is like a mental adjustment.

Caitlin doesn't really have emotions so she doesn't cry or anything over the death of her brother. When her dad asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said she wanted Devon to take her shopping. Dad thought Caitlin meant that he was still here and he wasn't. But Caitlin understood that. That is still what she wanted though.

Caitlin was an interesting character to follow along with. It is different understanding how Caitlin "Gets It." She doesn't think quite like everyone else but I think even as a character has a lot of potential to be a great friend even though people don't always give her that credit.

Kiley

Code Orange

by Caroline B. Cooney

When people in America think about terrorist attacks, they might reflect on events that are occurring in the Middle East.  Car bombings and roadside bombs seem to be daily occurrences.  Visions of the World Trade Center will always be a reminder of the vulnerability of terrorist attacks in the United States. Many people may not consider the threat of an attack by means of other types of weapons of mass destruction.  These new weapons can devastate thousands, if not millions of people and produce fear in the population. Unlike bombings, these new weapons leave the countries infrastructure intact.  The weapon that Caroline Cooney writes about in her book is Small Pox

Michael Blake is not what you would call a motivated student.  He goes to a private school for the very rich and very smart.  According to Mitty (his nickname) he's not there for the smart reasons. While trying to do the bare minimum for a research paper, Mitty comes across a small envelop in an old medical book his mom collected.  In the envelope are scabs from a 1902 small pox outbreak that killed thousands of people.  Now that Mitty has been exposed to the small pox virus, his motivation to do his research takes on new meaning.

With the help of his friend Olivia, Mitty begins to understand the history of this deadly disease he is carrying and he only has 14 days to figure out what he is going to do before he becomes a walking weapon of mass destruction in New York City.

Carolin Cooney keeps the reader growing in concern for Mitty's future as he has to decide how he can keep the disease for the girl he is growing to love and the city he has always loved.  Throw in a few terrorists who want to use Mitty for a weapon of mass destruction of their own, and Cooney will have you on the edge of your seat to the last page of the book.

Mr. Kohl

Characters That Help Build Character

Crispin - The Cross of Lead
by AVI

Is it possible for a reader to become a better person by being impressed by the character of the characters in a book? That sounds funny, but it's what I was wondering when I finished reading a couple of recent books. One of them was Crispin by AVI.

Crispin is the son of a poor pheasant woman in England during the 1300s. After his mother dies and he is accused of crimes against the king, Crispin finds himself labeled a, "wolf's head" and can be killed on sight. As Cripin flees the village he soon lands himself into the companionship of a traveling jester named, Bear. Bear and Crispin develop a relationship through their travels. As Bear pieces together Crispin's past, he realizes that Crispin is much more than he appears and could possibly be the only person alive that could bring down the tyranny that is ruling the land at that time.

Throughout the book Bear shares his philosophy of life and people:

"If you have to choose between alertness and worry, being alert will bring you more days of life."

"He who knows a bit of everything knows nothing. He who knows a little bit well, knows much of all."

"Living by answers is a form of death. It's only questions that keep you living."

These are only a few of the quotes by Bear in the story. Many of them left me thinking about myself and if I could agree with his words. Are there people that I might consider this wise? Could I be this insightful to my students? I wonder who inspired AVI to create a character like Bear.

Mr. Kohl

Totally, like, Awesome

I like the word like.
It is, like, the best.
I, like, want to write, like, similies,
But similies, like, already use the word like.
Can I, like, write like a famous poet
If, like, I can't, like, control what I, like, like?

Mr. Kohl

The Last Song

The book, The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks is an excellent book and I enjoyed it. But, the copy that I read was based on the movie and now some questions have arised and I would like some help anwsering them. One of them is, since the book that I read was based on the movie I am wondering if anyone knows if I am missing a lot of the plot line because the the story kept bouncing around and it was hard to tell the setting. Another question that has come into my mind is; Is the orignal version of the story is better than the movie based?

Lisa

Looking for books with Courageous characters...

Mr. Kohl,
I just finished the book Deadline by Chris Crutcher. I have to say that you were correct...this was an awesome book. I am still wiping away the tears. I thought Ben was a very courageous character because he wasn't afraid to look at things that he thought he knew as true and change his idea about them. Even though Ben is dying in the book, he still thinks he can learn new things and do things he has never tried before.

I wonder if anyone else has read any books that have courageous characters in them? Let me know about books with characters that aren't afraid to face what ever obstacles are thrown at them and then come through it as a better person. Mrs. S.

Is There a Fine Line Between Historical Fiction and Fiction?

Blood on the River- James Town 1607
by Elisa Carbone

How can a reader be sure if a historical fiction book is based on enough fact that it can truly be called historical fiction. I have been taught about the Jamestown settlement many years ago. I also had the opportunity to teach it to fifth and sixth graders. The version of Jamestown and the first colonies has changed since I was young, but has it changed enough? Are text books and teachers still holding back on the true story of how Europeans and Native Americans mixed it up in the early years of settlement?

In the book, Blood on the River, Samuel Collier, a juvenile delinquent in Great Britain, becomes the page, or servant boy, to Captain John Smith in the newly formed James Town settlement in the early 1600's. The story does a great job depicting the real purpose of the early colonists, to find gold and riches. It was this greed and lack of foresight that almost lead to the demise of the colony and maybe settlement in the Americas all together. In comes Captain John Smith to keep the Nobles in their place and make peace with the Native Americans. Samuel learns many skills from John Smith and develops his own relationships the the Native Americans. Samuel then becomes an important player in the future success of the early settlements.

The relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists is not described as an all friendly Thanksgiving type relationship. Many of the struggles of communication, ignorance of culture, and diseases are accurately depicted. This is a great book for anyone looking for a true adventure story. The historical images allows the reader to get a good idea of the early colonies and struggles of survival for both the Europeans and the Native Americans.

Are authors holding back? As a reader and a student of history, do you think that there was more to the physical and natural battles between colonist and the Native American people? How should the truth be told?

Mr. Kohl

Breaking the Silence

Sammy ran so fast, the world blew past me.
Running so fast made the wind whistle into my face,
hair whipping my head.
Sammy began to blur.
He looked like a Birch tree except for he was a spirit among them.
Soon, all too soon the wind quit whistling around me,
and then an ear piercing scream.
Sammy's rearing broke all of the utter silence.

Is a Book Always Better Than the Movie?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This book was recommended to me by a few of my students. I'm not sure if they were really recommending the book or they saw the movie and assumed the book was good too.

Percy Jackson is not your typical juvenile delinquent child diagnosed with various disabilities and behavior issues. He has attended seven different schools in seven years. After a run in with various monsters that are out to kill him, Percy learns that his father is really the Greek God, Poseidon. That should explain everything right? Wrong. Percy gets sent on a quest to settle the dispute between the Gods, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades. With his new mythological friends, Annabeth, the daughter of the Goddess Athena, and Grover, a satire who is half man half goat, Percy travels to the underworld to confront Hades and settle this huge misunderstanding. In the process of clearing up the juvenile misunderstandings of the disputing gods, Percy uncovers another possible evil plot of Kronos, the father of the gods and leader of the now banished Titans.

This book reminded me of the Harry Potter series except it involves mythological magic instead of wizards and witches. I enjoyed the fast action and death defying escapes of various monsters just like in Harry Potter. I was frustrated with how many times the characters, for one reason or another, would never finish their thoughts or stories.

I am curious what you think about this book. Has anyone seen the movie, read the book, or both? How do they compare?

Mr. Kohl