Tricia’s Comments (group member since May 21, 2014)

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

Basically I loved the first few chapters of this book but I didn't love it altogether. It was a beautiful , unique love story. The only reason I didn't love it is because once I closed the book I felt bad and not good. Simplistic, simple, or selfish - that's how I felt. Another issue I had with it is that the Gus and Hazel were just about too quirky for me to relate to... Even for quirky teenagers!

Jennifer wrote: "When I first picked up the book, I wonder what peculiar children could possibly mean. I had a hard time reading the first part. It moved so slowly. When Jacob's grandfather was killed, I figured..."

Many possibilities for discussion with the time looping for sure. And I do think Jacob's grandfather knew about it peculiarity by the way, or at least suspected it strongly. I think that's why they had such a bond.

Cynthia wrote: "Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is itself a peculiar book. I had never read it and did not know what to expect from it. This book made it difficult to predict what would happen next, ..."

Yes, how amazing is the author's imagination if he could think up all that from some creepy pictures.

I admit, I was getting the tiniest bit tired of realistic fiction, and I found this book a welcome change. It was just what I needed. Nothing wrong with our other books, but this one might have been my favorite so far. It is definitely for an older reader, but depending on the student I could see it as young as 6th grade. I am wrong? Maybe, but the action/adventure was always pulling me back in. The mystery of it all and the time travel were very interesting and engaging. The sort of love story between Emma and Jacob was really unique and I thought it gave a mature element to the whole thing.
I have, of course, unresolved feelings about the end. I think it would be good to explore hard choices and family issues with discussion using this book with older students. Wow, to leave your whole life or not? What are you really leaving behind? Jacob seemed to have it all but he wasn't happy or satisfied, why?
This book is one I told people about, interested or not, and they usually became interested in the end. Even if they don’t read it, it is a good story. I recommend!

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 ..."

I agree there was so much going on, some of it seemed busy. Love the comments about Zachary-he was very real; behind his humor and bravado were his real feelings.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as others, but I can still say that I liked it. It definitely had plenty going on in terms of Toby’s parental situation, war in the background and Wayne, friends, girl trouble, summertime freedom and Zachary. It seemed like Zachary’s arrival in town was only a frame for what was already happening there. I expected much more from Zachary’s story and how he would change the whole town, but that didn’t really happen. The biggest changes were in Toby. There were surely lessons on kindness and redemption, but again, Zachary Beaver wasn’t the common thread I expected him to be. I would recommend it because it has heavy themes about family, love, and friendship that are good quality, ad it also has an added interest with Zachary’s character-even if it’s ultimately a disappointing conclusion. I came to the realization that once I knew the premise of Zachary Beaver’s trailer in chapter 1, I probably approached the book much like people approached him: heightened expectations, curious to see what they could see and what Zachary would do.

What an awesome story! I'm hearing a lot of people saying the same thing about how unexpected and awesome it is!
It's a fresh story, unique and so sweet and touching.
Moose is an engaging chracter I felt very connected to, I think because he's a good kid. He isn't too angsty or difficult. I like that he has real drama in his life in terms of moving to a new place and life with his sister. So he doesn't need to be overly dramatic, which I like. He had friend issues and Piper issues, but he always his head on straight.
Themes of relationships, honesty, right and wrong, fairness, kindness. There's so much!
The brother sister relationship is touching in a very atypical way.
I was on the edge of my seat all through the book even though it wasn't especially suspenseful. The concept and of course the setting were amazing and completely engaging. There are so many opportunities for discussions and writing prompts, discussion of setting, research for the time period and even autism. There are many angles to this story, each one better than the last. I highly recommend!

Jenna wrote: "This book really did it's best to tug at your heart strings! Anyone else not planning a circus trip for awhile? Applegate did a fantastic job of giving these animals a voice and a raw and realistic..."

Definitely! Keep circuses non-animal variety!

Sdg22 wrote: "The One and Only Ivan is a wonderful book. For the reluctant reader, I appreciate the shorter paragraphs and their spacing. It eases the intimidation and builds confidence in the ability to read ..."

So true about the layout of the book. Very reader friendly. It does help a reluctant reader or a reader just unsure about the story.

Maira wrote: "Katherine Applegate did an amazing job on The One and Only Ivan. This story is incredible. I am definitely adding this book to my personal library. The story of Ivan is so heartbreaking. The fact t..."

I love the connection you made to Winn Dixie-good point! And I agree about the mall owner. I definitely feel bad for him because I don't think he was an evil person, just misguided. It really makes the story deeper and would open the door for discussions.

Wow Wow! I seriously loved this one! Such an important perspective on the plight of circus animals or any exploited animals. But even so, it didn’t come off as preachy or one-sided. I still felt that Ivan’s owner cared about him and things didn’t end perfectly with Julia’s dad (forgot name) losing his job. I definitely had a few teary moments, but I’m always partial to a good animal story.
I especially like that the reader can further investigate the inspiration for this story and the real life issues on which it’s based. The author’s note was a perfect conclusion. It concluded the story by answering lingering questions and inspiring new ones, at least in my mind.
I think young readers could use this story as a catalyst for a research paper about animals in their natural habitat or about circuses or circus animals.
This story is delicate and insightful, and as I said, not overbearing or preachy when it could have been…I highly recommend.

Cynthia wrote: "Maniac Magee is a very special book. I read it for the first time a couple of years ago and fell in love with the character of Jeffrey Magee. His innocence in accepting people for who they are ra..."

I agree about Jeffery not solving all the problem in the town. That really makes him a deeper character and the book a deeper story.

What an awesome book! Again, never read it before, but I know it's a 4th or 5th grade classic. How did I never read it? I remember in other literature classes, people have read and reviewed and even done book trailers for it. Now I'd really like to watch those again.
There are themes all over this book. I really liked the rogue nature of Maniac. He was a super cool character I couldn't wait to see what he would do. It would be great to do a character map for him.
It was great to see how he was kind of a liaison for the two parts of town, and different types of people. I like that he is a mysterious character at the beginning and to me, he still was mysterious at the end.
I recommend it!

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..."

Definitely anticlimactic! And I love the idea of What are the Tucks doing in 2014? Good point about the concept being more interesting than the story almost. Stinkin' ending.

Cynthia wrote: "I have seen the movie Tuck Everlasting a couple of times, and I was convinced that I had read the book before, but I do not believe I have. When I initially began reading this book, I was a little..."

Yes! So many discussion questions!

I had a general idea of this story, but no concrete details. I expected it to be quite different from what it was.
I would highly recommend it. It's a quick read, super interesting, hard to put down, and very engaging.
I was so put out by the ending! I guess I expected Winnie to take Jesse up n his offer or to do something big. But she actually did exactly what the Tucks would have wanted in the long run. I was sad that we don't see Jesse again after the great escape. How did he feel now about Winnie and his everlasting life? Did he miss and think about her, or did he just move on like his family always had to do?
I can think of writing prompts, free writing and letters students could write like: What would you do if you were a Tuck? What would you have done as Winnie? Write an alternate ending to the story. Argue in favor of sharing the spring with people. Argue against sharing the spring with people. So many! I like the options.

Jennifer wrote: "I enjoyed reading this book! If there is a dog in it, it has to be good. As I child, I read Benji and saw the movie. I have two rescued dogs my self. The book opens with Opal having moved to a ..."

Yes, Opal is so relatable I her situation, not to mention Winn-Dixie - who doesn't trust a dog?

I was pleasantly surprised by this book!
I didn't know much about it, and I've been lazy to read it. But it was a deeper story than I expected, and I'm so glad I read it.
I really enjoyed it, and I think it one of those books that is a good transition to becoming a bit more mature. There was history, community, family dynamics, loss, and relationship dynamics all handled in a genuine way. Opal is an authentic narrator and she and Winn-Dixie are great examples of friendship.
You could explore themes of friendships and kindness, family history, loss, and judging others.

Rochelle wrote: "I can remember reading Sarah, Plain and Tall when I was in elementary school. As a student, I remember enjoying the story and the unit my teacher did with the book. Now as I reread it I am reminded..."

Yes, I think there are many writing prompt opportunities here.

Maira wrote: "Sarah, Plain and Tall is a good book. I had totally forgotten about this book. I liked it when I was younger, but I forgot what it was about. I like Sarah more than I remember, since I think origin..."

And I think kids could find this very relatable in a step-family situation.