Shanay’s Comments (group member since May 22, 2014)

Shanay’s comments from the Reading Rams Summer I, 2014 group.

Jenna, I too scared myself reading this last night. I decided to stop and finish up this morning. The pictures were very spooky but it was a great touch to the story nonetheless.

Jennifer, I agree! I wondered the same thing, who actually take pictures like that? Very strange especially because they are real photos. I think middle schoolers will definitely be intrigued and spooked by the pictures.

At first glance of this book I was excited it looked very interesting but I was also unsure what I was about to read. Most of the books I have read are ebooks on my iPad so I hardly ever read the summary so I was definitely unsure what I was about to read. This was a very interesting read, the pictures were very spooky. After reading about Jacob's grandfather dying, I wanted to know more. I was curious to know what kind of monsters actually killed him. I pictured the gashes across his stomach and the dirt inside the gashes. The book did a good job with detail and description. I couldn't wait to read what truly happened to Jacob's grandfather. I felt sad though that he passed away and wasn't apart of the rest of the story, however he was the reason for Jacob's adventure in finding out the clues of the pictures. When he went to the orphanage or "home" I was hoping nothing bad would happen to him, especially since the children were peculiar. He ended up being somewhat peculiar too, by being the only kid who could see the monsters I forgot what they were called. This book definitely kept my interest I kept wanting to know what happened next. The journey of Jacob sort of had me torn between if the story was all made up in him and his grandfather's head or if he actually experienced it. I'm not sure if this would be appropriate for lower grades ... Maybe 7 or 8th grade students. Good discussions and good dialogue can come from this book.

Rochelle wrote: "I loved every minute of reading this book. The characters were very real to me. I knew the story was not going to end with some miracle but as I was reading I couldn't stop myself from hoping for t..."

Rochelle, I agree John Green does an excellent job of portraying the feelings and thoughts of cancer patients. I could almost feel their pain etc.
Sorry to hear about your uncle. I truly know how it is to lose loved ones from cancer. My grandfather died of cancer as well.
This story made me think of a few of my close relatives who are currently battling cancer. I just can see the authenticity of this story.
This will definitely open up heartfelt discussion in the classroom.

Cynthia wrote: "The Fault in Our Stars was the first John Green novel I ever read, but it definitely was not the last. John Green has a way of hooking me into the story from the first line. He is utterly brillia..."

I agree with everything you said. This story somewhat reminded me of ROMEO and JULIET... I have no idea why...but it does. This story has very powerful lines and it's very well written. I am in love with this Novel! Goodness I didn't cry, I felt super sad though especially after finding out about Gus. He was so perfect.

I had heard so many wonderful things about The Fault in our Stars that I briefly stopped reading Miss. Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children just so I can read The Fault in our Stars and watch the movie (hopefully).
This story started out really interesting. I loved this book. I couldn't put the book down this was definitely a page turner. I was expecting to cry, I didn't cry. I think because everyone said I would I somewhat knew the outcome. (Or at least I thought I did) The book seemed a little predictable. I was sad to find out the fait of Gus. He seemed so perfect for Hazel. I felt bad for Isaac and I wish the book would have went in more detail on what happened with Monica, what was she thinking? and why did she have to be such a mean person? (leaving someone when they needed her most). I am going to set a date to go watch the movie. This was by far my favorite book. I was hoping a better outcome for Van Houton. They both spent their dying wish on a drunk. This made me upset and sad. But hearing more of his story and why he ended up being a drunk is very understandable. Losing a child to cancer .... I couldn't imagine. Cancer is very unfortunate. A few of my close relatives are battling cancer/ or has battled cancer so this book brings a closer look at to what they are experiencing. I saw a lot of Hazel in one of my relatives. She wants to be treated normal and not like some sick person. (Which is understandable) When someone is 'dying' or could be dying it's hard to treat them the same. (In Hazel's case)She didn't want to get close to anyone because she knew in the end she would end up hurting them by dying soon.
The moment when Gus was arguing with his Mom before the Amsterdam trip, I figured I knew what the outcome was and the reason for the argument. This was a very heartbreaking love story that I thoroughly enjoyed!
I am going to close before I write a novel. lol
It's also good to know that Hazel's parents have made a few steps towards "living their life" especially her mom. I wonder if the book Hazel and Augustus kept reading Imperial Affliction, if it actually exists? I mean I would like to read that if it does.
The part where Gus drives to the gas station, that was the saddest part. I thought he wasn't going to make it then. I had tears in my eyes reading that part. The author does an excellent job of tugging at our emotional strings.

Love LOVE LOVE! This book

Cynthia wrote: "As I began reading The Watson’s Go to Birmingham-1963, I was expecting a history lesson. The front of the book held a memorial to four young girls, but no explanation other than “the toll for one ..."

Very well written Cynthia. You are certainly correct, we as people become numb or live in our own little box at times that we forget about the struggles of others around us. I think the trip to Birmingham was a good wake up call for Byron and Kenny as well. They hadn't realized what they could be up against until they experienced hatred and the almost loss of a family member. I don't remember reading this part when I was younger... maybe I was too young to even understand what I was reading.

Jenna wrote: "This book progressed extremely slowly for me. I just couldn't figure out the point or plot of it until basically the very end. I didn't hate it, but it was definitely one of those books I had to ma..."

I agree... I believe to wait until chapter 14 or 15 for the heart of the story wasn't the ideal way to write the story. I also felt like some chapters just left you hanging... with lots of unanswered questions.

The watson’s go to Birmingham

I remember my 4th grade teacher reading this story to us as a read aloud. I remember reading it once someone had given me the book back in middle school. I had to read the book again because I couldn’t remember anything from back then except for the part were Bryon got his tongue stuck to the mirror and where Mama was about to burn him with a lighter. I enjoyed this story as an adult reader. It was funny entertaining and though I had read it before I couldn’t remember so I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I do not like how the scenes would change each chapter would be a different story or plot. I wanted to know what happened to Rufus or what happened to Larry.
Byron was the older brother … had flunked a few times and loved teasing his brother Kenny. He always teamed up with Buphead.
Kenny met Rufus and became good friends with Rufus … rufus was poor and had a brother named cody.
They would eat after Kenny’s lunch on days this showed how much heart Kenny had and what type of person he was.

Byron got his tongue stuck to the mirror from licking the mirror one day during freezing weather
And Kenny had to pour hot water which froze up instantly ( I found this to be a funny part of the story)
Byron was always into trouble. He was just a kid who did everything for attention or just because for laughs or whatever. His Mom and Dad were tired of his antics so they decided to drive him to Grandma Sand’s house to stay for a while.

Kenny wanted to go to colliers landing a place where granny forbid them to go but Byron didn’t even want to go this part of the story was so impactful because Kenny was being the total opposite of how he normally was and it seemed like him and Byron had switched places. Byron ended up rescuing his brother which is symbolic in my opinion they sort of saved their relationship too. That trip to Alabama was what Byron needed to change for the better. The ending was pretty sad and I became teary eyed. It reminded me of the Birmingham Bombing that killed the four little girls. I always remembered hearing about the Birmingham Bombing and I didn’t expect it to be in the book, although every time I think of Birmingham that’s what I think about. I found it amazing how Jody’s brother somewhat saved her. She said she saw him and started following out of the church… one of the reasons she didn’t get killed in the bombing.
Always a wonderful read, I understand the story so much better than I did as a fourth grader.
So sad and a good read.

Cynthia wrote: "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is not one of my favorites of the books that we have read so far. There is nothing wrong with the story except that it felt harried. At times, it was as if I was ..."
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The ending was my favorite too. Although it seemed Zachary fabricated some of his stories, he now has a story that he can tell about that is meaningful and true.

Jenna wrote: "I actually really enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Al Capone Does My Shirts in that it is about an adolescent boy going through some life changes. Toby seems torn at times between his sma..."

I teared up too I actually pictured the mom in the yard cutting roses and screaming Nooo... that was a good description of what we knew was coming. I am not a fan of living in the country, but I agree the author did make Antler,Texas seem magical and a fun place to live.

I actually enjoyed this book although there was a lot going on, a lot of different characters introduced and to remember but it was a pretty good story.

1.Think about the kind of town that Antler, Texas and what is it like for Toby to live there?

I thought that the setting of the story was cool because it is based in Texas so when other cities were mentioned like Amarillo I could picture that in my head. Antler, Texas was a small town so they didn’t have access to a lot of things that the city people did. They somewhat had to make up their own fun and enjoy what they had as entertainment. Toby has to make up for the excitement in the town because nothing really happens in Antler, Texas. I also believe it says a lot about how “exciting” (or not so exciting) Antler had to have been if the towns people are so interested and excited about seeing the fattest person living. (Not sure if I would find that entertainment.

2. How do you personally feel about Toby's mother's decision to leave Antler? Is she right to pursue her dream? As a mother I don’t think I could ever leave my child to pursue my dreams, but then again that goes with some people’s sacrifices. There are people who leave the country to go serve in the military and this is almost the same.

4. Do you believe Zachary's stories? Why or why not? Why to you think he tells stories about his life?
I believe Zachary tells these stories to make himself sound interesting. I don’t believe the stories are true. I mean who just wants to be known as the Fattest person? You’d rather have someone remember you for something else other than being fat. Like him visiting Switzerland, he probably did just read the book because no one remembers geographical features when they go visit a place. I believe he just read about it and decided it would sound more interesting if he said he’s been there.

5. Why do you think Toby spends so much time thinking about Cal's brother, Wayne?
I think he wants that connection with Wayne. Maybe he sees Wayne as a brother figure and he wants to live that life of Cal through him. Cal has a brother and yet he doesn’t seem too excited when he receives a letter from him, Toby probably just want that feeling of having someone who cares to write him or to even have a sibling to understand what you are going through. Although, Toby somewhat does the same thing that Cal does, when Toby’s mom writes him.

6. The friends successfully baptize Zachary in the river. What do you think this symbolizes?
Zachary ignores the question Toby and Cal keeps asking about his baptism. He claims that he said he almost got baptized. His mom had given him a bible just before the baptism but she passed away. Maybe them baptizing him was a way for him to move forward and to complete what he was going to start. Also, he is now able to say he was actually baptized. They believed that Zachary’s mom probably wanted this to happen so that also symbolizes him carrying out a wish for his mom. It probably symbolizes a new birth of life and a renewing of self. Maybe this baptism will be a cleanser for Zachary. They speculate that he didn’t get baptized because he didn’t want it to turn out like his mom’s funeral… somewhat of a show people taking pictures etc. This may have been a time he wanted to be sacred and for once not be reminded of him being a large person. It is some truth to his story now. It gives Zachary something to talk about that really happened and gives him a good memory of Antler, Texas.

Jenna wrote: "Oh my goodness, I loved this book! I can't even explain why... Maybe the characters. Natalie reminded me of a girl at our school; she's nine but extremely tall and quite developed for a girl her ag..."
Yes, poor Moose, he wanted to help out but he wanted to live his life as a kid without having that responsibility of taking care of his sister. I truly felt for him. I loved the way you put that (he was stuck in between having a kid life and taking care of his sister for sure!)

Cynthia wrote: "I am not sure what I expected when I began reading Al Capone Does My Shirts, but it was much different than I anticipated. Obviously, I have never read this story, nor had I a desire to. I have s..."
I agree Natalie's mom was constantly looking for a "cure" for Natalie. It was sad that I believe it was the grandma that said that they should just focus on the one good kid they have and not send Moose away to spend time with Natalie...as if Natalie wasn't a good kid too.
I think the advice from the various family members just came out of ignorance (not really knowing).
Like one relative said to put her in an Asylum... family just didn't understand at all.

The title of the book didn't interest me. As I began reading I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed this book. At the beginning of the story we are told that Moose and his family move to Al Catraz because they want to send his sister to a wonderful school. (when reading this I was wondering why can't moose go to the really nice school) Of course after reading more into the book I found out the type of school that Natalie was attending. Natalie an autistic girl...whom was very quiet and hardly spoke but I found her to be an amazing girl. She was able to multiply large numbers in her head.
I felt sad for Moose that he had to take on such a responsibility to help out with his sister and miss out on baseball. The little girl Piper who is the Warden's daughter seemed very sneaky. She concocted this whole business of having "Criminals" do the laundry for students at school. Jimmy, Theresa and Moose was all involved by accident or somewhat forced. It was somewhat clever and mean at the same time. Their business was quickly shut down when a parent wrote a letter to the Warden who threatened the jobs of each child's parent. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book and this will open up great discussions about the differences of individual students.

Jenna wrote: "I need to start out by saying that the only copy I could get of this book (for free from the library) was a book on CD. I hated it. The pace was slow, I couldn't go back and make character connecti..."


I agree Jenna, boys would definitely enjoy this book. This book had a lot of action and things boys could relate to. I am sure one boy knows a "Mars Bars" or a "Maniac Magee"

Mandy wrote: "I love this book. It is so emotional and fun. When I read it as a kid a did not really worry about Maniac like I do now. It is probably because I am a mom but knowing that he just wanted a home mak..."
I never read this book before, however I too, found myself worrying about Maniac. I mean he was traveling alone, nowhere to sleep and one time he slept in a park or zoo I can't remember. It was very sad. I was hoping that he found somewhere to go where someone would truly care.

This story somewhat started out a little slow for me so I quickly became disengaged in the reading. However towards the middle it became a little more interesting. Maniac was a carefree boy somewhat a victim of his circumstances. His parents died when he was 3 and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle. This household was not the ideal household. His aunt and uncle were living together but separate and often fought because they could never agree on anything. Maniac decided to tread 200 miles. Maniac goes where no other kid dares to go he crosses city lines that no other would cross because they knew what would happen if so. Maniac became a hot commodity somewhat when he ran into the tough kid “Mars Bar” I found the part about him taking Mars Bar’s candy and eating after Mars had already bitten off of it really gross. Mars in return snatched the book that Maniac had borrowed from Amanda, ripping out a page. I found this to be ironic and symbolic because, Amanda kept all of her books with her so that she could protect the books from her siblings and her dog. I found it to be interesting that Jeffery had befriended Amanda and she ended up scaring Mars Bars away for ripping her book. The ending was a very good way to end the story. I am glad Mars Bars, Amanda and Jeffery were able to hang out but most importantly it was good that Jeffery had a home and no longer had to sleep wherever he cold. This wasn’t one of my favorite books but it wasn’t too terrible. It just took a little bit to get interested in the book.

Jenna wrote: "I think I like the concept of this book more than the story itself. It felt slightly anticlimactic to me. Anyone else?
The discussion topics are endless and that alone makes this book worth readin..."

I agree! there are so many questions and those questions could lead to a wonderful discussion. I didn't know there was a movie. Now I'd have to see it just to compare it to the book. Hopefully it somewhat the same and not too much of a difference.

Rochelle wrote: "I read this book when I was younger and remember loving it. I think I also enjoyed the concept better than the book. I mean there are so many great things about never dying. But there is also a neg..."

This story reminded me so much of Twilight. I agree I would love to see the perspectives of different students opinions on living forever. There would probably be varied viewpoints and perspectives that one may not have even thought about. This would make for a great discussion in the classroom.