Summer Reading Reader's Journal - Genre of my Choice (Fiction)

#3                                      Reader's Journal                                    6/25/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,
          Today I finished reading a short story called No Time Left by David Baldacci. Before this, I don't recall ever reading a short story. I finished it very quickly and enjoyed reading it.
          While reading I used many different strategies. Before I started reading I set a purpose. My purpose for reading was for my reader's journal and to see if I enjoyed reading short stories. I also questioned and wondered. I asked "what will this story be about?" and I wondered how long it will take me to finish it. While reading I came across a passage that really got me thinking about what the resolution would be.

     "He headed toward a stand and bought a newspaper. When he handed the man a dollar, he received ninety cents back. Becker stared down at the coins in the palm of his hand. For some reason the coins looked odd, but Becker thrust them in his pocket and forgot them when he saw the startling headline. North Korea had just invaded South Korea. As he read further, his skin grew paler and there was a pronounced tic in a blood vessel on the left side of his temple. President Harry S. Truman denounced this unwarranted invasion and pledged support to the South Korean government. Becker shot a glance at the date. '1950?'"

         After reading this I already knew the ending. Becker is a hit-man and has just been paid to go on his next mission. It is March 5th, 2000 and Becker is turning 50 soon. His mission is to kill a woman; he doesn't know why though. I was able to predict the ending by knowing this. Also while reading, I reread that passage to confirm my prediction. After reading I thought about the literary elements and confirmed all my predictions. The prediction I had made while reading was correct!
          The genre of this story is short story because it is much shorter than a novel and I was able to read it in one sitting. It focused on one main character and one main plot. The main character is Frank Becker. Since he was a hit-man I believe he is an antagonist. Another antagonist is Herb Wells, a man who gives Becker a mysterious mission. There are no protagonists; however, some foil characters are the woman Becker killed and the man Becker killed. The story takes place in a city in 2000 and then in a small village in 1950. The weather condition is not stated but Becker did carry an umbrella in the beginning of the book, not opened, so I believe it was sunny. The social condition is that Becker is a professional killer on his way to his next mission. The point of view is third person limited. The pattern of organization is climatic order. The author's purpose is to entertain and the author's perspective is not biased, objective. The conflict was man vs. man. The tone was mysterious and the mood was curious. I think the theme of this story was don't trust anyone and I believe that was also the moral. I was only able to find one type of figurative language in this story. "After he started wearing the blues..." is an idiom meaning after he stared becoming sad and depressed.
          The exposition is when Becker is introduced and is on a mission to kill a man. You learn that he ran away from home but the author doesn't say why. It is also learned that Becker's mother died during childbirth and that Becker never met her. The rising action is after he is done with that mission and gets a call that he is wanted for another mission. He goes to the mans house who he must do the job for. The climax is when he meets the man he is doing the job for. The man tells him he will get all the details for his mission in the mail and nothing else. This makes Becker suspicious however he agrees to complete the mission. The man wants to shake on it and since Becker is wearing gloves he asks him to take them off. He takes his glove off, revealing his one stubby finger he inherited from his mother, the one thing he knows about her. He gets the letter with all the details and goes on a train to complete his mission. When he walks off he notices that the time is 1950. The falling action is when Becker walks through the little village he is in to the house the woman he was assigned to kill lived in. The resolution is when Becker finds the woman and sticks his six inch blade into he neck. Her hands drop, revealing her one stubby finger. The woman was pregnant; Becker vanishes.
          I really liked reading this book. I finished it in twenty minutes and enjoyed finishing it. The beginning was a little confusing but as I kept reading everything made sense. I loved the ending even though I was able to predict it easily. I give this short story a ten out of ten stars and recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a quick and easy mysterious short story!
                                                                                       Sincerely,
                                                                                     Bailey Levy

Summer Reading Reader's Journal - Non-Fiction

#2                                        Reader's Journal                     6/23/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,
           Today I finished reading a very short non-fiction book called Why Me? by Sarah Burleton. I really enjoyed reading this memoir even though it was about a tragic topic -child abuse.
In this book, Sarah Burleton talks about her horrifying life as a child and how she was abused by her mother, physically and mentally. A passage from this memoir that really stood out to me was:

"I wrote this book after debating over it for a decade. I didn't want to insult anyone or make anyone mad by telling my story-I was worried about how my mother would feel about it and how my sister would feel. But in the end, I feel compelled to share my story with others. I known there are abused kids out there, kids who are on the outside may just seem weird or who maybe don't have the best haircut or the best clothes, who are facing the same teasing at school and torture at home that I faced."

         This passage is very inspirational to me because it is really great to hear that people like Sarah are brave enough to share their experiences despite how horrifying they were or what people will think if you do.
         I used various strategies while reading this book. Before reading, I gathered background knowledge I had on this subject. I thought about all I had learned about verbal and physical abuse. I also set a purpose for reading this book. My purpose for reading this was just for my readers journal. While I was reading, a strategy I used was making connections. Although it was difficult to make text-to-self connections, I was able to make text-to-text connections and text-to-world connections easily which helped me better understand what I was reading. Another strategy I used while reading was making visual images of the intense parts of the book where Sarah describes the physical abuse. By making these mental pictures I was really able to understand the pain Sarah suffered throughout her childhood. After I finished the book, I reviewed all the literary elements to make sure I fully understood the book. I also reread parts of the book that I enjoyed and parts that really horrified me like when Sarah finds friends and when she gets electrocuted from the electric fence.
          I wad able to identify many non-fiction elements in this story. The genre is memoir because it is a true story about a part of someone's life told by that person. The topic of this article is child abuse and the main idea is a childhood of abuse and torture. The main idea is implied because it is not clearly stated in the book. If I had to give this book another title I would probably call it "My Childhood of Abuse: A true story of a girl and her abusive childhood" because it cleary says what the book is about. One supporting detail that is factual that supports the main idea is "Abuse for me was something that happened on a daily basis." Another supporting detail I found was "I've been beaten with brooms, whips, extension cords, belts...". This is a factual detail that supports the main idea. The last detail I found was "She grabed my newly permed hair and dragged me out of the room.". This is a factual detail and supports the main idea. I think the essential message of this story is "Child abuse is very harmful and can affect a child's life". One cause and effect from the story is that Sarah's mother would call her "thunder thighs" and "bubble butt" so Sarah started starving herself. I can compare and contrast Sarah's abusive childhood with a normal child's childhood. There weren't many text features in this book however the ones I found were title, photograph, headings, and subheadings. The title which was Why Me? helped me get an understanding of what the book will be about. The photo on the front cover was a little girls eyes. It helped me predict that the book will be about a child. The headings and subheadings before every chapter helped me get an understanding of what each chapter was about. The pattern of organization was chronological order because Sarah told her story and experiences in the order in which they occurred. I believe the author's purpose is to inform because she states in the beginning of the book that she is writing this book to tell other kids with the same problem about her life and to let them know that they should do something about it. The author's perspective is biased against her mother and child abuse. The point of view is first person. I was unable to find any figurative language because the author basically explained her childhood with literal statements. I did believe that some of the things she was saying were hyberboles, however, rereading I realized that the extreme things she was talking about were things she actually lived through. There was nothing I could really use to check the validity and accuracy because I can't check if what Sarah was saying is true. I did use my memory, however, to see if I've ever heard of stories of children being abused.
          While reading I found a few new vocabulary words. I used context clues like making inferences to find their meanings. One word I found I didn't know the meaning of was "harboring". It means hiding in the mind. "Perpetual" means constantly or without ending. "Ghastly" means horrifying. "Calamity" is a bad situation. "Resonated" means repeats in someones head. While I was reading I was able to make connections. I was unable to many ANY text-to-self connections because not only was I never abused and never had to go through even half of what Sarah did, but I couldn't and still can't even fathom the idea that a mother could be that cruel to her daughter. A text-to-text connection I can make was to another book I read about abuse. This book has many connection with the world because the things Sarah talks about does happen all over the world, even if it seems impossible.
         In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading this book. I don't believe Sarah Burleton is the best of author's, but I still enjoyed reading her story and the pain she suffered through. I don't recommended this to anyone under the age of 13 because I think it is really intense for anyone younger. I rate this book a nine out of ten stars. I really enjoyed reading it!
                                                                         Sincerely,
                                                                       Bailey Levy

Summer Reading Reader's Journal - Fiction

#1                                      Reader's Journal                                   6/20/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

          The book I have chosen to read is called Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It is a historical fiction book because it has fictional characters and a fictional plot that takes place more than fifty years ago. I usually don't enjoy reading historical fiction however, this book was very interesting and enjoyable.
          A passage from the book that really stood out to me was:

          "And then I laugh, because it’s so ridiculous and so gorgeous and it’s all I can do to not melt into a fit of giggles. So what if I’m ninety-three? So what if I’m ancient and cranky and my body’s a wreck? If they’re willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why shouldn't I run away with the circus?
         "It’s like Charlie told the cop. For this old man, this is home."

         That passage is very significant to the story because it shows how much Jacob Jankowski, even at age ninety three, still loved the circus and always considered it his home.
         I used different strategies throughout reading to better understand the book. Before I started reading I set a purpose for reading. My purpose for reading this book was for my summer reading and for my own entertainment. I also activated background knowledge I had on this subject. Since I saw the movie before reading the book, I knew a lot about the topic; however, I was excited to see how similar the movie and the book were. While reading, I visualized many scenes from the book. For example, I visualized Jacob and August jumping from one train car to another, while the train was moving. Also, I asked questions and then read and thought about my prior knowledge to find answers. For example, I asked why Marlena decided to join the Benzini Brothers. I later found out that Marlena feel in love with August, who was working with that circus, and when her family found out he was Jewish they abandoned her and she joined the circus to be with him. After I was done with the book, I reread many of the parts from the book that I enjoyed. For example, when Jacob leaves his nursing home by himself, and walks to the circus. I also thought about all the literary elements in this book.
        The genre of this story is historical fiction. The protagonists of this story would have to be Marlena and Jacob Jankowski. The antagonists are Uncle Al and August. Some foil characters were Rosemary, Jacobs Nurse, and Blackie, a worker at the circus. The story starts off taking place in a nursing home in modern times. However, the pattern of organization of this story is flashback so it mainly takes place during the beginning of the Great Depression. Since the characters travel throughout the book, there is no specific setting. It mainly takes place on the train of the Benzini Brother's Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The weather conditions vary throughout the book. One of the main social conditions is that Jacob was studying to be a veterinarian at Cornell University but before he could take his final exam, both his parents died leaving him homeless. He tried to continue but because all that happened he was forced to jump a train and even though he didn't technically have a degree, he was known as a well educated veterinarian at the circus. Some conflicts were man vs. man and man vs. nature. One tone of the book is heart-warming and the mood is entertained. The theme is self worth and love. I believe the moral of the story is to treat every living thing, including animals, with respect and if you love something go after it. The present part of the story and the flashback part are both told in first person, Jacob being the narrator. The pattern of organization, like I already mentioned, is flashback and the author's purpose is to entertain. The author's perspective is subjective because since it is in Jacob's point of view, you see who he favors and who he dislikes. I was able to identify some figurative language throughout the text. "It made contact with a llama and knocked it flat—BOOM" is an onomatopoeia because it uses a sound in writing. "They’re spidery and frail, their hair as fine as mist." is a simile, comparing elderly women's hair to mist. "Its blue and orange flag is already flying and the boiler beside it belches steam, bearing cheerful witness to the breakfast within." is personification, giving human-like qualities to a flag and boiler. "The Monday Man?" is an alliteration because the first letters of the words are the same. And "I don’t answer, as I’m still undecided as to whether I smell a rat." is an idiom saying he doesn't know whether Rosemary is lying or not.
        The exposition of the story was when Jacob Jankowski is introduced in his nursing home and when he has a flashback of when he was in Cornell and his parents died before he could finish his final exams to be veterinarian. He jumps the Benzini Brother's train, without noticing it was a circus train, and gets a job on it. This is where he meets August, Uncle Al, Kinko, Marlena, and the elephant, Rosie. The rising action is when elderly Jacob realizes there is a circus in town. It is also when young Jacob starts getting closer to Kinko, August, and especially Marlena. He also realizes that since Rosie understands Polish, he could train her to be an act in the circus. Also during the rising action, Marlena and Jacob both fall in love with each other. The climax of the story is when eight men were redlighted - thrown off the moving train - and August was looking for Jacob to kill him. Jacob and Marlena realize that they must escape from the circus and from August when there is a stampede of all the animals and August is killed. Marlena tells Jacob she is pregnant. It is also when elderly Jacob decides to walk to the circus alone, since none of his family showed up to his nursing home to take him. The falling action is when elderly Jacob gets to see the circus and young Jacob marries Marlena. The resolution is when Jacob and Marlena have five children and, after both working for Ringling, have a house in a rural area for them, their children, and eleven horses which is near a zoo where Rosie is kept. The resolution for elderly Jacob is when he finally tells someone about his life working on the circus and get a job at another circus. It is clear that Jacob Jankowski's heart will always be in the circus.
        I really enjoyed reading the book. Even though it started off a little slow, It definitely got a lot better towards the middle. It was much better than the movie, but I believe if I hadn't seen the movie before reading this, some things would've been very difficult for me to understand; therefore, I recommend this anyone who has seen the movie. I give this book a nine out of ten stars!
                                                                                                Sincerely,
                                                                                                Bailey Levy