Readers Journal - fiction

#2                                                 Readers Journal                                                9/07/11                                                                                                                                    Dear,Mrs.Zrihen,                                                                                                                                    I just finished an amazing book called The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron. I would have never guessed that a simple book like this would be so interesting and descriptive. One passage that really stood out mean was:                                                                                                                                                            A lot of kids don’t go to school because their parents want them to work. The law is, they are supposed to go to school until they are twelve. But the school doesn’t really have space for everyone, so nobody makes them go. (page. 24)                                                                                                                                                                                                            I picked this passage because this passage describes how small the town is because the passage says that the school doesn’t really have space for everyone. This passage is sagnificent to the text because this passage shows the readers that the laws in Guatemala was not very strict because the laws required children to go to school until they were twelve but nobody went to school because their parents needed them to work and nobody really made them go to school. I used many strategies before, during, and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan the book for text features. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to make predictions. Based on the synopsis of this book I predict that this book is about a boy named Juan who lives in a small town and has to work instead of going to school because his grandmother and him are poor. One strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to ask questions. One question that I want to now is were did this story take place. Another during reading strategy that I used was to reread confussing parts of the book so when I read it again maybe I would comprehend what that part of the book meant. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to identify the authors purpose. The authors purpose for writing this book was to entertain and share. Another after reading strategy was to reread the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most.                                                                                                                                                 I was able to find many literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because this story can happen in real life. There were a few characters in this book. The main character of this book is Juan. Juan is a seven and a half year old boy, brown skinned, who shines shoes for work. His motive is to go to school. Juan is the protagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. Another main character of this story is Juan’s grandmother. His grandmother is a confident, hard working women who takes care of Juan. Her motive was to take care of Juan and make money. She is the protagonist of this story and she is a round and dynamic character. Juan’s mother is a eighteen year old who is poor and abandoned Juan at her mothers place to start a new life with another guy. Her motive was to start a new life and get money because she was really poor. She is the antagonist of this book and she is a round and dynamic character. The last character that was presented in this book was Juan’s father who was the caretaker of a rich mans house until he left Juan and his mother and went to the capital. His motive was t o go out at nights with his friends to have fun. He is a foil character and he is a flat and static character. The main setting of were this story took place was San Pablo, Guatemala. There was not a specific date. The weather conditions in this book were hot. The social conditions were very poor.                                                                                     I found this plot structure interesting. The exposition of this book was when the author introduced all of the characters and were the book took place. The rising action of this book is when Juan’s father left them and went to the capital. The climax of this book was when Juan’s mother abandoned him to marry a guy she met on the street. The falling action was when Juan had no were to go and started to cry. The resolution of this book was when Juan’s grandmother  took him in and took care of him. The main proplem was that Juan’s father and mother abandoned him. This prplem is external and the conflict in this book were man vs. man. The tone of this book was sad and happy at the end of the story. The mood of this book is unhappy and happy. the theme of this book is never give up. The moral of this book is no matter what has happened in your life never give up. This book is told in first person. The pattern of organization of this book is chronological. The authors perspective was subjective. Unfortunately I was not able to find any figurative launguage.                                                                                                                                                             All in all I really enjoyed reading this book, I would rate this book a eight out of ten. I recommend this book to boys and girls the ages of 10-12. I look forward  to read more of Ann Cameron’s novels.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Sincerely,                                                                                                                                             Roxanne Fine

Reader's Journal -Fiction

#3                                                 readers’ journal                                                8/06/11                                                                                                                                                            Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                   

     I just finished a book called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. This book was amazing it really touched my heart. A passage that really stood out to me was:

“ Sadako was puzzled. “ But how can that paper bird make me well?”                                                                                                                                                              “ Don’t you remember that old story about the crane?” Chizuko asked. “It’s supposed to live for a thousand years. If a sick person folds one thousand paper cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. ”She handed the crane to Sadako. “ Here’s your first one.”                                                                                                                                                     Sadako’s eyes filled with tears. How kind of Chizuko to bring a good luck charm! Especially when her friend doesn’t really believe in such things. Sadako took the golden crane and made a wish.  

             I picked this passage because it is very significant to the passage. This passage is very significant to the text because it shows the readers how much Sadako’s friend cares and the emotion of Sadako and her friend. 

            I used many strategies before, during and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to look at the title of the book and try to get an idea of what the book was going to be about. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to skim and scam through the book to see if there was any text features in the book. One strategy that I used during reading the book was to visualize the most important and intense parts of the book. One other strategy that I used during reading the book was to look at the text features so that I would be able to understand what was going on in the book. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to think about what I just read and reflect on it. The last strategy that I used was to make inferences about Sadako and her family and friends.                                               

                        There are many fiction elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because the characters plot and settings are believable. There are many characters in this book. The main character of this book is Sadako, an eleven-year-old young girl who loved to run. Sadako’s motive for creating paper cranes was to get cured of leukemia because she believed that if you make a thousand paper cranes then you become better and are cured from that horrible disease. Sadako is the protagonist of this story and she is a round and dynamic character. Another character in this book is Masahiro Sadako’s older brother, which is fourteen years old. Masahiro is a foil character and a flat and static character. One other foil character is Mitsue Sadako’s younger sister, which is nine years old. Mitsue is a flat and dynamic character. Another foil character in this book is Eiji Sadako’s younger brother, which is six years old. He is also a flat and dynamic character. Another character in this book is Sadako’s best friend, Chizuko. Chizuko is a foil character. Other foil characters in this book are Sadakos classmates, her teacher, her mother and her father. The main setting of where this book takes place is in Hiroshima, Japan. Other main setting of where this book takes place is in the hospital of Japan. Another setting of where this book takes place is at Sadako’s school and home. This book started to take place from 1943 to 1955 when the United States Air Force attempted to end World War II by dropping an atom bomb on Japan. The weather conditions of those settings were foggy, cloudy and clear. The social condition of Sadako and her family were not rich but not poor.                                                                                               The plot structure of this book I found very interesting. The exposition of this book is when Sadako, her family and here friends were introduced in the book and also when the book was explaining what day it was, where Sadako and her family lived, what Sadako was doing and what she loved to do. The rising action of this book was when Sadako, her friends and family all went to the park were everybody in Japan goes to show respect and remembrance for those who died when the atom bomb was dropped on there city. Every year on August sixth the people of Japan remember those who died of the atom bomb and that day is none as a memorial day. The climax of this story was when Sadako ran a race against other schools to represent her school and after she ran the race and won she became very dizzy for a long time but she thought it was from running so she didn’t think anything of it. A couple weeks later she ran to her school like she always does but this time she felt dizzy and sick and then she fell to the floor and became unconscious lucky for her her teacher saw her fall and rushed her to the hospital. After she went to the hospital her family found out that she had leukemia. The falling action of this book was when Sadakos friend visited her at the hospital and gave her a gift. The gift that Sadakos friend gave to her was a piece of gold paper and scissors so that Sadako can make a thousand paper cranes so that she will be granted one wish.The resolution in this book was when Sadako was trying to make a thousand paper cranes but could not finish making them because her hands really hurt and she became severely sick and soon later she died. The main conflict in this book was that Sadako got a disease called leukemia. This book is external. Most of the conflicts in this book were man vs. man and man vs. society. The tone of this book was thoughtful and depressed. The mode of this book was sad and scared. The theme of this book is survival and friendship. The moral of this story is to always have hope and never give up. This book is told in first person .The pattern of organization of this book is chronological order and the author’s purpose is to share and entertain. The author’s perspective is subjective because the book is in Sadako’s point of view and you can tell whom she likes and dislikes because it is written in the story.                                   

I was able to identify some’ figurative language when I was reading. “Masahiro began to talk about girls who ate like dragons.’’ That sentence is a simile because it compared girls to hungry dragons by using the word like. “ Sadako was sure that they would always be as close as two pine needles on the same twig.’’ That sentence is a simile because it’s comparing their friendship as close as pine needles on the same twig. “ Don’t be such a turtle!’’ That sentence is a metaphor because it is comparing how slow her friend to a turtle. “ Sadako thought the doves looked like spirits of the dead flying in to the freedom of the skies.’’ That sentence is a simile because it compares the doves to the spirits. “ Then the heat prickled my eyes like needles.’’ That sentence is a simile because it is comparing her prickled eyes to needles.                               

I really enjoyed this book even though it was sad. I recommend this book to eight through twelve year olds. I rate this book a ten out of ten because it was amazing!!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                  Roxanne Fine                                                

Summer Reading Reader's Journal-Non-Fiction

#2                                                Readers journal                                              7/25/2011                                                                                                                                                                                           Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                       

 I just finished an inspiring book called Martin Luther King Jr. by Amy Pastan.  A passage that really stood out to me was:           

           

“I have a dream that my four kids will one day live in a nation they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! (page.67-68)   

          I picked this passage because this speech became one of his most famous one and that speech was very important to the development of the Civil Rights. This passage is so significant to the book because it tells the reader what he was trying to make a reality and what he dedicated his whole life to. I use many strategies before, during and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before I read the book was to skim and scan through the book to find text features. Another strategy that I used before I read the book was to use information that I already know about Martin Luther King Jr. for example I knew that he lead non-violent marches to get what the black race deserved which was equality and respect like whites. One strategy that I used during reading was to visualize the most intense and exciting parts of the book. Another strategy I used during reading was I looked through the text features to get a better understanding of what I was reading. For example I saw lots of pictures with Martin Luther King giving speeches and how he really inspired lots of people and gave them a voice.  One strategy that I used after reading was to read over the most important and exciting parts of the book. Another strategy that I used after I read the book was to make inferences about Martin Luther King Jr. 

          There were many non-fiction elements in the book that I was able to find while I was reading. The genre of the book is biography because this book is telling the reader the life story of Martin Luther King Jr. The topic of the story is Marin Luther King Jr. . The main idea is Martin Luther King’s Life and Fight to equality and to end segregation. The main idea is clearly stated. Another good name for the book can be Martin Luther King Jr. Fighting for Freedom. I think this could be another could title for the book because it basically sums up the book and explains it. One supporting detail is “Only through boycott can we make it clear to the white folks that we will not accept this type of treatment any longer.” This detail explains how they were treated and how they finally said enough is enough and they are trying to do something about it. This detail is factual. Another detail I found in the article is “ Using Gandhi’s method’s he could take Jesus’ message of “love your enemies” to a new level. This supporting detail is factual. The essential message of this book is Martin Luther King Jr. dedicating his life and sacrificed his life and time for equality. A cause and effect relationship that I found was when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man and was put in jail after Rosa Parks was put in jail Martin Luther King saw an opportunity to fight for the right sitting when and wherever you like so he took that issue to supreme court an all Negro’s started to boycott the buses. I can compare Martin Luther King Jr’s story to Abraham Lincolns’. They both tried to help slaves and black people be free and equal. The difference between Martin Luther King Jr, and Abraham Lincoln was that Abraham was the president of the United States. I was able to identify five text features in this book and there impact on the text. The title of the book gives the reader a clue on what the book will mainly be about. The pictures helped me understand the setting, people and events that were going on at that time. The captions under the pictures helped me understand what was going on in the pictures. The sidebars expanded a little more about what was going on in the event. The timeline of events helped me find out what and when something was happening. The pattern of organization is chronological order because the book explains the events that occurred through out Martin Luther King Jr’s life and the order they went in.       

                 The authors’ purpose was to inform and the authors’ perspective is subjective. The authors’ point of view is third person objective. Unfortunately I was unable to find any figurative language in this book most likely because this book did not contain any dairy entries, poems ects… I used three sources to check the validity and accuracy of the information in the book. The first source that I used was the internet to see if the information about Martin Luther King Jr was right. Another source that I used was a history book to see if all of those non- violent marches took place. The last source I used was my mom’s memory about Martin Luther King Jr, to see if he died of a bullet.                                                             I found five vocabulary words that I did not know while reading the book. I used context clues to help me understand what the word meant. ‘‘Boycott’’ means to refuse to accept something. “Seminary” is a place were priest, ministers, or rabbis are taught. “Lynching,” means the killing of a person by a mob. “Militant” means to fight or be aggressive. “ Injunction” is a court order that stops a person or group from doing a specific act.                  

            I was able to relate the book to another text, the world, and myself. I can relate to the book because some people discriminated me. This book and the book about Abraham Lincoln are easy to relate to each other because they both tried to help slaves and the black race be free and equal to the white race. This book relates to the world because there are still racists in the world.       This book was very inspiring and emotionally to me. I rate this book a ten out of ten because not only was the information correct but the author wrote it in a way that was interesting to the reader.                                                                                                                                   

                                

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                     Roxanne Fine

                                                                                                        

Summer Reading Reader's Journal - Fiction

                              #1                 Reader’s Journal                 7/01/11     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      Dear Mrs.Zrihen,

                                                                                    

            I just finished reading a book called Memories of Summer by Ruth White. This is a realistic fiction book because the plot and characters are realistic. A passage  that really stood out to me was: 

                “Beginning the first of January, Summer went to see a psychiatrist every Tuesday and Friday morning at eleven o’clock. That was right when I went to Mr. Buell’s English class, and I would look at the clock on the wall and think of her, and wonder what she was saying to the doctor.   

             Was she talking about our life together way back there I n the bottom between the hills? Was the doctor seeing into that head of hers and figuring out what made her go mental? We had the same childhood. Did they know how come she had so much fear in her that I didn’t have? What was it that haunted her so?   (pg.66)                        

            I picked these passages because it is so significant to this book. These paragraphs are so sanifigent to this book because it shows how much Lyric cares about her sister, Summer and it also tells the reader’s what happened to Summer. 

          There are many strategies that I use when I read a book. One strategy that I used before reading this book was to read the summary of the book and see if it was appealing to me. I also skimmed and scanned the book to find text features that will help me understand what I was about to read. While I was reading, I asked myself questions and then I would answer my own questions.for example, I asked myself why did the author name the book Memories of Summer. Later I found out that the author called the book Memories of Summer because Summer is Lyrics sister and the book is telling the reader’s what Lyric remembers of her joyful sister before she became mentally ill. Another during reading strategy that I used was to make visual images in my mind so I can comprehend what was going on in the book. After I finished reading the book I reread the most important parts in the book and also I reread the parts that I enjoyed the most. Like when Summer started to show signs of paranoia and when Summer was having her 16^th birthday party. The last strategy that I used after reading this book was to take a second and try to comprehend what happened in the book and then write a summary of the book.

            I also thought about all the literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because the plot characters and settings are believable. One of the major characters in this book is Lyric, a thirteen year old girl who is the youngest sibling in her family and looks up to her older sister, Summer. She is a round and dynamic character and she is the protagonist. Her motive is to learn from her sister and be there for her whenever she needs her. Another major character is Lyrics older sister, Summer, a 16 year old girl. Summer is a round and dynamic character and she is also the protagonist. Her motive in the beginning was to take care of her younger sister but then she had paranoia and became very ill. One other major character in this book is poppy, the father of Lyric and Summer. Poppy used to work in the mines but he quite and know he is trying to look for a job in a factory. Poppy is a flat and static character and he is a protagonist. Some foil characters are the psychiatrist, Mr. Buell, Yolanda, Gladys, Nadine, and Mrs. Gaspar. The story fist took place in a small county in Virginia in poppy’s house. Then the story took place in the mountains because Summer and Lyric always loved the calming effect the mountains had on then. After they went to the mountain they moved to a big business city in Flint, Michigan to find work and then to the apartment, school and psychiatrist. When they were in Virginia in the mountains and in poppy’s house it hot and clear skied but when the setting was in Flint, Michigan it was cold and foggy. When Lyric went to school the same time Summer was at the psychiatrist it was cold blurry. This book took place in the 1930’s through 1999.Everyone in Flint, Michigan was rich. The main conflict in the book was that Summer became mentally ill. This book is external. Some conflicts were man vs. man, man vs. self and man vs. nature. The tone of this book was depressed and thoughtful. The moods of this book were sad, hopeful, nervous, realistic and gloomy. The theme of this book is selflessness and sister ship. The moral of this book is be there fore your sister or family member when they truly need you the most. This book is told in first person. The pattern of organization is foreshadowing and the author’s purpose is to share and to entertain. The author’s perspective is subjective because the book is in Lyric’s point of view and you can see whom she likes and dislikes. 

          I was able to identify some figurative language when I was reading. ‘‘Poppy was always there like a rock.’’ That sentence is a simile because the sentence compared two different things by using like in it. “I wanted to go in and turn on the all by myself, “she said in her tiny voice. She sounded like a mouse squeaking.” This is also a simile because it’s comparing her voice to a squeaky mouse using the word like. “With my heart flying, I went running down the stairs again.”  This sentence is a hyperbole because she is exaggerating that the fact that her heart is racing really fast. “ Her fingers fluttered like crippled birds.” This sentence is a simile because she is comparing the old ladies fingers to the fluttering of crippled birds with using the word like.                      

          The plot structure of this book was very nice. The exposition in the story was when Summer, Lyric, and Poppy were introduced in the book and also when the book was explaining were Summer and Lyric were born and raised for most of there lives which was in Buchanan county, Virginia. The rising action was when Poppy, Summer and Lyric move to Flint, Michigan. The climax of the story is when Summer first shows signs of paranoia by curling up into a ball and not talk to anybody even her sister. The falling action is when Summer goes to see a psychiatrist and find out she has a disease called schizophrenia and she can not control herself. The resolution was to put Summer into a mental hospital for treatment so she can come back to reality. Summer will surely get better. 

         I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was scary and sad it was an awesome book . I recommend this book to 11-14 year old girls because it is about taking care of your sister when she needs you the most. I rate this book a ten out of ten stars.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Roxanne Fine