Reading Responses from ISTC 518
(Young Adult Literature)
Book / Reading Response JournalWonder / Synopsis:
This story is about a ten year old names August. August was born with a face not like yours or mine. He eyes sit a little lower, it is hard to tell whether or not he is smiling, his nose is a little too big for his face and his ears could be mistaken for those of a UFC prize fighter. Growing up he has had numerous surgeries to help him in his everyday life but Auggie’s face is not like yours or mine. While growing up Auggie was homeschooled by his mother but it is time to start middle school and he has been accepted into a new school.
While at his new school, Auggie has to deal with the everyday life of a middle schooler. He just wants to fit in and be “normal,” but that can be difficult since it seems like every day is scared of him and some even say he carries “the plague.”
The story starts off being told through the eyes of August, discussing starting school, making new friends and Halloween. Then, just when you get a good grasp on what is going on, the story is retold from different points of view. First there is Olivia, August’s older sister. Then there is Summer, the nice girl who sits with August at lunch on the first day of school. Next Jack Will, a boy who was asked by the Principal Tushman to befriend August prior to school starting, gets a chance to tell things from his point of view. Other people who add their points of view to the story includ: Justin-Olivia’s boyfriend and Miranda-Olivia’s friend from high school.
August’s final section talked about going away on his school’s fifth grade nature retreat. He started off having a lot of fun but things suddenly changed the night he went to watch The Sound of Music. While going off in the woods to go to the bathroom he and Jack ran into some older kids from another school. Things got very heated and August even ended up with a bleeding lip. All-in-all August ended up being okay and even had some kids who would normally never even talk to him actually see if he was okay. Once everyone returned to school things started to change for August. He was no longer shunned by his classmates. Instead he became one of the group. He was finally accepted.
Review:
I honestly never heard of this book before reading it for this class. I had no idea what to expect from the cover either. However once I got into the story I could not put it down. I found myself as a part of Auggie’s world. It was like I was there and no one could see me, which I am sure is how Auggie wishes his world was for him. I will say that in the beginning of the book it did take a little bit to get going but once Part 2 began and I got a chance to see Auggie’s story from the viewpoints of others the story really took off for me. Normally you only get to read a story from one perspective but this story goes back and retells the same story over and over and it comes off differently every time. One of my favorite TV shows is How I Met Your Mother and they are always using flashbacks to retell a story from a different point of view and that is my favorite part of that show. I guess that is why I enjoyed this story so much and why I enjoy reading about history. When you get a chance to see things and hear stories from different points of view it changes everything. It makes you think and feel different every time. At times in this story I felt bad for Auggie and during other parts I was angry with him. I felt like he was selfish. I honestly do not think I would have ever felt that way if the story was only told from his perspective.
I would most definitely purchase this book for a middle school library. I may even purchase this for my fifth graders to read since we have a number of students at my school who deal some of the same feelings and emotions Auggie had in this story.
Reading List of Recommendations:
1.Out of My MindBy: Sharon M. Draper
2.RulesBy: Cynthia Lord
3.Anything But TypicalBy:
4.Fire GirlBy: Tony Abbott
5.Stuck in NeutralBy: Terry Trueman
Outstanding Quote:
“ I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.” (page 8)
Outstanding Passage:
(The moment when Jack realizes what he has done.)
“And then all of a sudden this picture flew into my head, this memory, and I knew what Summer had meant by “bleeding scream… I felt like I was going to puke.” (pages 156-157)
Rationale for Quote and Passage:
Quote- Who is an ordinary kid when they are ten years old. What make a kid ordinary. Every kid is different in their own way. Of course I know August does not look like the other kids and has to deal with things most kids couldn’t even imagine how to handle but he is a ten year old kid just like everyone else. He wants to be accepted. He wants to have friends. He wants to play video games and never have homework and just have fun. So in that sense I would say that August is an ordinary ten year old.
Passage- When I was trying to decide which passage to choose I know I could have pick almost any part of this book and found a good one. However this particular passage made me think of my students and how saying one thing, one time can have a huge affect on the people around you. August thought Jack was his best friend and Jack really enjoyed hanging out with August. He even enjoyed it more than hanging out with the “popular” kids. That all changed the day Jack decided to say some mean things about August, behind his back. I talk with my students about having good character and being a good person. I tell them that means not just doing nice things that others see but also doing good things when people are not there to see them happen. I would ask my students, after reading this passage, if they thought Jack was a nice person or if he had good character. Honestly I felt like Jack was a good kid but he is still growing up and has not realized that saying mean things about people behind their back is not something someone with good character does.
Promoting this book to students:
Every year students in almost every school start off their school year by completing some sort of “All About Me” project where they get to tell their classmates all about themselves. Some are as simple as standing up in front of the class and telling everyone a few facts about yourself. I would like to do this next year with my 5th graders. However I would have my students create masks for themselves beforehand. This way, when they have to stand up in front of the class, they will not be as nervous since they are hiding behind a mask. After all of my students are done telling us all about themselves, I would ask “who wishes they could keep their mask on all day everyday so others could not see their face?” I anticipate a large number of students would say yes! I would use this to start talking about August as if I knew him in real life. I would talk about him starting a new school and how he wishes he could hide behind a mask just like them. I would not talk about his face or his many surgeries and anything else from his past but I would end the discussion by saying “You are not the only one that wishes they could hide behind a mask and if you would like to hear how August dealt with this try reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.”
Waiting for Normal / Synopsis:
This story was about a young girl named Addie who has just moved into a trailer with her mother. She would have much rather moved in with her stepfather Dwight and step sisters Katie and Brynna but it was decided she would be living with her mom. She spends most of her days hanging out at the minimart across the street and is always searching for, as the title states, a “normal” life. Her mother on the other hand spends her hours living her life how she sees fit. She does not worry or even appear to care about her daughters feelings at times. She would rather spend her time on her computer, smoking cigarettes trying to get her new business going with her business partner Pete. Luckily Addie has the warmth and affection of Soula and Elliot at the minimart to help see the brighter side of life. Eventually Addie would call Soula her hero. Not only for helping to rescue her when the trailer was on fire, but also for calling child protection services since her mother was never there. But everything change when Addie returned to the minimart and was told that Soula had passed. After hearing the news of her hero passing away Addie returned to her grandfather's house. She was there 5 weeks before her mother returned to see her. Eventually Dwight showed Addie something she was hoping for, for a long time, her adoption papers. She was finally home with Dwight and her sisters Katie and Brynna
Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book and could see YA readers enjoying this as well. I was drawn into the events of Addie’s mixed up world. I was always wondering what was going to happen next and if she would finally find some true happiness and not have to create it herself. I hated her mother. I loved Soula and Elliot and I especially loved her Music teacher. She reminded me of a few teachers at my school. My school’s entire population is considered special education and there are some many accommodations that our students need and it is great to read about a teacher making accommodations for students who may not “officially” need them. I was happy for Addie when she made the stage orchestra and sad almost every time she interacted with her mother. I kept thinking how could someone do this to a girl who seemed so incredible. Then I started thinking how many of my students are in similar situations. I could see my future students either relating to Addie or using Addie as a window into another world. A world where everyone is not loved unconditionally. A world where your home sits on wheels. A world where your mother would rather work on a computer then spend quality time with her daughter. I did not grow up in that world but I know it is a reality for some and this book could be used to open the eyes of many readers, not only to make them aware but show them that kids in this world can still be normal.
I would most definitely purchase this book for my future secondary library and look forward to reading other stories by Leslie Connor. I enjoyed the flow of this story. I had no problem with the content and I felt she did a very good job of helping me visualize Addie’s world.
Reading List of Recommendations:
1.Crunch By: Leslie Connor
2.Dead on Town Line By: Leslie Connor
3.The Shook Up By: Shelley Pearsall
4.Savvy By: Ingrid Law
5.Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree By: Lauren Tarshis
Outstanding Quote:
“So this is the smell and feel of halloween this year, I told myself.” (Page 105)
Outstanding Passage:
(Chapter 33- waiting for normal)
“I felt bad that I was counting the days until Christmas.”...”I’m not chasing after anything,” I mumbled to myself. “I’m waiting. Waiting for normal.” I shook a paper bag open and started to pack for my trip. (Page 212-215)
Rationale for Quote and Passage:
Quote- I never thought of memories as smells. So then I thought to myself what did my halloweens smell and feel like when I was growing up. This would be a good question to ask my students. I know for me my halloweens smelled like chocolate, sugar and rubber from my costume masks. I always remember feeling happy and exciting. I never had a halloween memory like Addie did this year. “No Sweets. No trick-or-treating. No candy bars to sort and trade. No fun. No Dwight, no Brynna, no Katie. I looked at the dark trailer. No Mommers.” I know that some of my students would be able to relate to this. If not it could a peek into the window of another world that is going on as part of their own world without them even knowing it.
Passage- This was Addie’s life in a matter of 3 pages. Even though her mother was terrible she still felt bad about leaving her. She was the real adult. She took care of the laundry and food. Her mother took and did whatever she wanted when ever she wanted. Even though she lived with her mother Addie knew her real “normal” life should be with her stepfather Dwight. That was where her “real christmas” would take place.
How could anyone read this chapter and not see how bad Addie has it. You do not need to know about the messy divorce or that they live in a trailer or anything else. Just a few pages into Addie’s life and you have to feel so sorry for this young girl. She is bright, wants to be happy and has been “waiting for normal” for far too long.
Promoting this book to students:
I was trying to think of a fun an entertaining way to get students excited and interested in this book and I finally decided that I would use the one character that I wished was not even in the story at all, Addie’s Mommers. I know she was a horrible person and could not care less about her daughter but what if I used those frustrations to get my students interests. I could invite a class into the library and have them take a seat. Before they sat down I would place half eaten cookies on plates in front of them. As they entered I would not be in the library. I would come in 1 or 2 minutes late. Then I would completely ignore them and go straight to work on my computer right in front of them. Then I would wait for them to ask me what is going on and instead of answering I would finish all of their cookies and say “Merry Christmas to me!” After that I would return to my computer still ignoring them. Finally I would get up and say I have a big important meeting to go to and leave without saying good bye. I would wait in the hallway for about 30 seconds and then return. I would ask my students if they thought I was doing a good job. They would say “NO!” I would reply by saying now imagine I was not their library media specialist but rather a single parent. I would ask, “how would you feel if I was your single parent and I acted that way all the time?” This would lead me to talk about Addie and her mother and everything she had to put up with in Lelie Connor’s book Waiting for Normal.
Fault in Our Stars / Synopsis:
This story is about a 17 year old named Hazel who is dealing with a particular type of cancer that floods her lungs with fluid. She has to walk around with an oxygen tank that helps her breath. She starts off as a typical “I don’t want to do anything” teenager but is convinced to go to her support group by her mother. While there she catches the eye of a boy named Augustus. He lost his leg in his own cancer battle. Agustus is taken by Hazel, at first because of how much she looks like his ex-girlfriend who recently passed away from cancer herself. Augustus and Hazel become close friends and begin bonding over a book called An Imperial Affliction. As their relationship grows Hazel talks about how this story just ends and how she wishes she could talk to the author and find out what happened to the characters in the story. Augustus just happens to have his “One Wish” from his battle with cancer and uses it to fly both himself, Hazel and her mother to Amsterdam where they meet the author of An Imperial Affliction. However he becomes almost enraged when he sees Hazel and refuses to tell them anything about his book. Later we find out that the story is about his daughter and her battle with cancer and Hazel reminded him of his daughter and lost control, which had partly to due with his alcoholism. During their stay in Amsterdam Augustus gives Hazel the bad news that he is now dying of cancer and has little time left. heartbroken Hazel, her mother and Augustus return home. After a very tough battle Augustus does pass away but before his death he asks Hazel to write his eulogy at a pre-funeral with just Augustus, Hazel and their friend Isaac. Hazel reads her eulogy to Augustus but does not read the same eulogy in front of friends and family at Augustus’s real funeral. After the funeral Hazel has a hard time dealing with the loss of the love of her life. In the end she is sent 4 pages that Augustus wrote to the author of An Imperial Affliction. This was his attempt to write the next novel the author refused to write for Hazel. At the end of the pages Augustus wrote “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world. old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers.” (page 178). He was referring to Hazel and she tells herself “I do Augustus, I do.”