Reading Response #5-Milkweed

Although I am still not finished with the book Eggs by Jerry Spinelli, I will be writing about a different book. It's called Milkweed. Actually, this book was written by Jerry Spinelly also! 

• Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Are their roles clearly defined?

The book I'm reading, Milkweed, is based around the Holocaust. The protagonists in this intense novel are DEFINATELY defined. The protagonists are the Jews, who wanted to have equal rihts and freedom and be treated with respect. The angatonist(s) are the Nazis (or Jackboots as the characters in the book tend to call them), who wanted to dominate the Jews and treat them like dirt. Their roles are, of course, clearly deifned because it is totally obvious the Nazis do not like the Jews; they made all of them move to the ghetto, then built a wall around them so it was impossible to get out. Also, they starved them half (and also fully) to death so that they could get rid of all of the "dirty sons of Abraham". Lucky for the orphan Jews and a six year old girl named Janina, a young boy was small enough to fit through a gap in the wall merely two bricks big. He could slip through the wall unseen at night, pick up some food from the trash area of where the Nazis were staying, then go back through the wall and deliver the food to them. I personally think that is very courageous because if he got caught and identified outside of the wall even though he wasn't an actual Jew he would have been immediately killed.  Although he was not Jewish in reality, the Nazis wouldn't care. They would dispose of him at once. That is the scary part.

Reading Response #4-Eggs

I am currently reading a book called Eggs by Jerry Spinelli. It's about two completely  different people meet in a strange way....During an Easter egg hunt. 

In the beginnng of the book, a young boy named David was going to an Easter egg hunt with his grandmother. His mom had died before this, so she did not go. David did not want to go, but his grandmother and dad thought it would be a good experience for him and he could possibly make some friends. 

When David started searching for an egg, he saw a yellow one standing perfectly upright. He ran over to investigate, and what he found not only surprised him but stumped him; he didn't know what he should do. What he found was a face. He found his grandma and never told her about it. 

His grandmother read for some children at their local library after that day, and David went too. He looked around and guess who he saw! That person!  He got very scared because he thought she was dead but the girl casually slipped him a card. He saw an address, and went there. It turned out, she lived there. I'm not too far in the book yet so I can't write too much more. 

Reading Response #3-Speak

• Keep a journal as if you were one of the characters in the book. It should be from their perspective.

Today I, Melinda Sordino, am officially an Outcast. It is the frst day of school. I can't find anybody to sit with or to talk to. This year is not starting out good. For instance, during lunch somebody got mashed potatoes all over my shirt! Also, all of my old "friends" don't even pay attention to me, ever since the incident during the End-of-Summer party. Sometimes I wish I hadn't called the police... But I can't change the past...

I met a girl named Heather who seems to want to be friends with me (finally somebody does!). When we had the day off of school for Colombus Day, she invited me over to her house. I think Heather might be my new best friend, but I'm not sure yet. I'll just have to wait and see....

In art today, we got an interesting assignment. We all get different subjects and we have to sketch, carve, draw, and do all of these things based on that single thing. My topic is a tree. Come on. A tree?! I mean, I learned how to draw one of those things several years ago! I have no idea why Mr. Freeman (my art teacher) gave me such an easy task. This is so stupid. I wanted to switch subjects but he wouldn't let me! Ugh. I'm just going to have to deal with it. 

Today, Valentine's Day, I am a loner once again. Heather ditched me for The Marthas (a group of girls who wear colorful polyester outfits and do good deeds for the school and everybody in it). She left me a note on my locker saying " 'Thanks for understanding. You're the sweetest! Good luck!!! Heather' " after she told me to not hang out with her anymore. My only friend. Gone. I can't stand it. I can barely believe it. I don't know what I'm going to do.

My grades are falling straight down. The only friend I thought I had used me to get to other people. I'm constantly getting screamed at by one adult or another. I have no friends. I got caught skipping school. My parents don't listen to me. Andy Evans is creeping me out. My life is a mess. I don't know how I'm going to fix it, but I'll keep you posted, diary. 

Reading Response #2- Summer of My German Soldier

Reading Response-Summer of My German Soldier

I just finished the book I have been reading, so this is my final reading response for the teen fiction novel Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. The challenge I will be trying to complete for this response is: Write an alternate ending. 

In the end of this book, Patty, the Jewish main character, admits to helping Anton, the German boy, stay alive. She even admits to sheltering him in her home and feeding him food! The case was taken to court, and Patty was sentenced to at least four months and no more than six months at Arkansas Reformatory for Girls. In the very last chapter, Patty's old Negro caretaker named Ruth visits her and brings her fried chicken breasts and ginger snaps (which were her favorite cookie). When the time came for Ruth to go, Patty made a big scene and told Ruth to take her with her. Ruth refused, and slowly left.

If I wrote this book, I am not so sure I would choose that to be the ending but I guess it was alright. If I had wrote the ending, it would probably be close to the author's original ending, except that I would have made a more solid ending. The closing paragraph reads: "For moments or minutes I just stood there. Not really moving. Barely managing to tread water. Was it possible for a beginning swimmer to make it to shore? It might take me my whole lifetime to find out."

For me, that sort of leaves the reader hanging... I like the endings to be more solid and complete than that. 

I would probably put something like:

"After Ruth left I waited for my days in the Reformatory for Girls to be over. About five and a half months later, I finally was released. When I got back, I found Ruth and lived with her until I was old enough to be on my own. After that, I moved out, far away from my old life and family. One day, Ruth called and told me she saw a man that looked like Anton go to every door in the county and ask for a "P.B." 

I immediately sent out search parties and ads for Anton and eventually found him sleeping by a fountin. I sold most of my posessions to buy a small house for us both. We got married and lived perfect lives after that."

I don't know why but I think that would be a nice ending for such an intense book.