September 10, 2017 - Reading Log #1 // Thunder Cave by Roland Smith Topic Choice 1 - Characters
The main character is Jake Lansa. The fourteen year old boy is important because he decides to go to Kenya, Africa in search of his father, all by himself. He is very brave and is quite the risk taker. In the book it states, "I didn't know how he would feel about this, and I didn't even know if I could find him. But I had to try." This scene is where Jake made the decision to go to Kenya, even though he was not sure if he would find his father. He was risking whether or not his dad would get angry, whether or not he'd get lost, whether or not he'd get caught and get in trouble, and on top of all that he was risking his safety. The book also states, "Using the pump's rubber hose as a sling, I hurled the tire at him." and "He hit the ground running and disappeared into the bush." In this scene Jake scared off a fierce lion by throwing the rubber part of a bike pump at it. This was very brave because not many people would throw things at a wild animal, they would mostly likely run after seeing a lion staring at them from behind. Jake is a dynamic character because through out the book he started to become even more brave and he also started to think more carefully when he was going to do something, every little thing he did contributed to whether or not he'd survive in the bush.
September 23, 2017 - Reading Log #2 // Pax by Sara Pennypacker Topic Choice 3 - Plot
Peter's father drives Peter and his pet fox, Pax, to the woods. There they would release the animal to its natural habitat. Since Pax would not enter the forest by himself Peter threw the fox's favorite toy, a plastic soldier, deep into the woods. Thinking they were playing fetch, Pax started looking for the toy, he planned on returning the toy back to his boy so he'd throw it again, but when he returned his owner was no longer there. Peter was forced to leave Pax in the forest because his father said it was time he go back. This scene is very important because this causes Peter to sneak back into the forest and search for his pet. When he does this it shows how he does not want to be separated from Pax and how he also fears Pax won't do well in the forest, due to the fact that Pax has been living with humans at a very young age. Within this scene Peter was very distraught that he had to trick and leave his pet behind after so many years of being together. On page two, it states, "But today the boy lifted his pet and buried his face in the fox's white ruff, pressing hard. It was then that the fox realized his boy was crying." This demonstrates that the boy was having a hard time letting go of his best friend, how he had to do something his father asked of him that he absolutely did not want to do. On page seven, it states, "His boy rolled the window down and reached his arms out...And the boy cried out the only other name the fox knew. "Pax." This quote also describes how pained Peter felt after leaving the fox. A quote that shows Perter thinking Pax won't do well on his own is located on page twenty. On the page it states, " He'd be hungry, for sure, and probably scared, but he'd be okay." In other words, Peter worries that his pet won't be able to adjust very well, but I think that's what he wants to happen so that he can be able to bring Pax back home. This scene takes place in the exposition. I found this scene to be very sad because letting go is always a very tough thing to do. My prediction is that at the end Peter will go back home and leave Pax in the forest where he belongs, who knows, maybe Pax was able to adjust and won't want to go back. Maybe Peter will realize that this is the best for Pax.
October 17, 2017 - Reading Log #3 // The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Topic Choice 5 - GATE Depth & Complexity Icons + Content Imperatives
In chapters one and two Rosaleen, an African American servant, and Lily, the girl Rosaleen serves, get themselves arrested. They got arrested for stealing two church fans and for ruining a man's shoes by pouring snuff on them. Lily's father comes and only gets Lily out of jail. Furious that her father only got her out of jail, Lily runs away and rescues Rosaleen herself. Lily decided that after she saved Rosaleen they would go to Tiburon because her mother went there before she died, Lily absolutely did not want to go back home where her father was (he was very a cruel man), she'd look for the black Mary, and nobody would ever suspect them to be there. This event is related to origins since it opened up the opportunity for them to go to Tiburon and meet the "calendar sisters" who believed in the black Mary. The quotes, ""What about Rosaleen? You have to get her out-"" and ""My mother loved me!" I cried. He threw back his head and let out a forced, bitter laugh." and "It made such perfect sense: my mother had been there." All three of these quotes prove that without Rosaleen and Lily getting arrested the book could not have continued the way it did. Them getting themselves into trouble is the origin of the book and what put the story into motion. Without Lily's father not getting Rosaleen out of jail Lily could have never took Rosaleen to Tiburon with her. When Lily's father was being very mean towards her after he bailed her out, it made her want to run away from home. Lily could not take any more bad treatment from him, when that last little needle fell onto that pile of hay it finally fell. If Lily never took her mother's picture of the black Mary and discovered that "Tiburon, South Carolina" was written behind it when she was preparing to run away she would have never decided to go to Tiburon and look for the black Mary. To sum everything up, if Rosaleen and Lily never went to jail the story would not have been able to continue exactly the same.
