ReadingJournal1

XiaojingHou
22-24August,2016

ThoseWhoWishMeDead
ABreath-takingAdventure(Thriller)Novel

Aboy,AheroiccoupleandTwoKillers

LeadyouintoTheWildness
Theclockistickingandthefireisburning

ByMichaelKoryta(2014)

http://www.michaelkoryta.com/books/those-who-wish-me-dead/

INTRODUCTION&RECOMMENDATION

This is an adventure or thriller novel with complex storyline, full of twists and turns. A
14 year old boy, Jace Wilson witnesses a murder after diving into a quarry due to a
irrational bet with other peers. Then his life plunged into a dramatic one. In order to
escape from being killed, he was given a fake name and was sent to a camp of problem
teens owned by a couple Ethan and Allison Serbin in the mountains. 100% safetyofthis
camp was guaranteed by the woman Jamie Bennett who sent the boyhere.Butpeaceful
lifedidntlastlong...killers(TheBlackwellbrothers)hadbeenontheway.

Time and time again, I held my breath while the killers were approaching and

threatening, and Ifeltrelievedwhiletheprotagonistandheroiccouplemadeadesperate

living. I was nervous to tears when the heroichusbandEthan(anelitewildnesssurvival
coach) got restless and out of mind when he received theSOSsignalfromhiswife.Iwas
touched by the love between thelookoutgirlHannahandNickwhosacrificedhislifefor
her survival in a forest fire, andHannahescortedJaceinthemountainsandencouraged
himtoliveonandfinallysacrificedherlifeforJacessurvivalintheend.

I felt surprised at first when the woman Jamie sending the boy to the camp claimedher
to be the boys mother coming all the way to look for Jace in the mountains, but when I
believed her and her story about the whole event, all the reconstructed truth about the
woman and the boy was overthrown again, she was also a killer, sister of the two
brothers. What a twist! I feltexcitedwhilebitbybitbasicsurvivaltricksinthewildness
were unfolded, such as how to navigate at the noon time without directional Sun and
compass, basic staff taken with while hiking in the wildness, basic survival rules in
emergencies,andtheuseoffireshelter,etc.

Yes, this is a novel which can boost positive attitude towards life andperfectknowledge
for survival in the wildness! So this novel both meets YAs inquiry(hiking and seeking)
needs and practical survival needs, and will be a good choice for those who are
interestedinadventureandthrillernovels,butitisnotonlyaboutkillingandescaping,it
contains love. It takes your breath away and moves you to tears! So it appeals to both
teenageboysandteenagegirls!

THEME

1) Love

Love between husband and wife, Love between lovers, and love between friends,
whicharecloselyrelatedtoYAsareallreflectedinthisnovel.

First of all, love between Ethan and Allison. When Jamie sent Jace to the couples
place, their struggle to accept him or not wasthefirstlead-inoftheircareandrespectto
each other. Apart from fear of bringing hurt to other innocent kids, they worried each
other. When Ethan took the kids to the mountains for survival training, Allisons
psychological conflicts about hishusbandschoiceofacceptingtheboyornot,andhighly
alertness about surroundings displayed her love to her husband. And when the killers
came and threatened her life, she chosetosendherhusbandthedistresscallfirstbefore

burning herself and setting fire on their house to take chance for being alive. Her
bravery and smart reactions definitely stemmed from her deep love to her husband.
Whats more, when she was saved, her first reaction was still to send words to her
husband no matter how badly burned she was. While receiving the SOS, Ethans
restlessness and growlingtowardsthosekidsandevenregretofkeepingtheboyexposed
his deep care and love for her wifeaswell.Whenshewasinthehospital,Ethanarrived.
He promised he wouldntleavebutwhenthekillerthreatenedtokillherwifeifhedidnt
go with him for searching for the boy, he surrendered. Then again, when Allison woke
up in the hospital, she believed Jamies lies and risked her burned body with bandages
on her head to search for her husband and the boy. She rode on the horse with Jamie
into the mountains. At the same time, her husband fell off the peak of the mountain in
ordertogetridofonekiller.Missinghiswifeandnotwantingtoleaveheralone,hetried
to restore his desire for living. Finally, at the critical moment when Jack, one of the
killers survived, was shooting at Allison, Ethan struggled to shoot Jacktodeathoutofall
impossibilities. Yes, Ethan also survived. They both survived because of love to each
other.Theirlovemovesreaders.

Love between Hannah and Nick is lover's love, pure and unyieldingly passionate.
When fire of death was waving hand to them, Nick left the fire shelter to save Hannah
without any hesitation and fear. Nick, one of the characters never speaks in the book,
was depicted as a sacrificing and smart lover by her bit by bit constant recalling(P44).
Buthisimagewasclearandimpressive.Theirloveshakesreaders.

Love between friends is reflected in Hannah helping Jace all the way from taking
risks lying to searchers and accompanying Jace to climb the peak of the mountain to
finally giving up her chance of survival in the fire for Jace and Allison.Thiskindoflove
is more cherishable.IfthelovebetweenthehorseandAllisonisalsofriendship,Ibelieve
theirloveisalsosincereandglamorous.

2) Attitude

ThisnovelconveysastrongmessageofNoquitting,calmandGratitude,whichare
importantattitudeoffacingemergenciesandplight.Thismessagewasrepeatedno
matterinpeacefultimeorincriticaltimeoffacingnatureandenemies.Inthisregard,
thisnovelishighlypositiveandworthyofreadingforYA.

3) Money&Justice

Twokillersmotivationofkillingtheboyandmanyothersisformoney.Whilethekillers

deathsymbolizesjusticewillfinallytriumphinjustice.

4) Nature

Inthisnovel,depictionofnaturealsotakesalotofspace,whichsuggestsnaturespower
isaforcehumansshouldneverdismiss.Followingtherulesofnature,itmaytreatyou
well.Otherwise,deathiswaiting.

KEYQUOTATIONS

1. Loveatfirstsightwasafairytale.Toughgirlsrolledtheireyesatit.Andshed
meantto,shehadabsolutelymeantto,butthereallyspecialthingaboutlovewas
thatitscornedyourattemptstocontrolit.P102(Loverelated)
2. Thewindkeptblowingandthemoonkeptshining.Timepassedslowenoughforhim
tobecomewellacquaintedwithit.Tomakefriendswiththeminutes.Heurgedhim
tohurryby,buttheywinkedathimandlingered.P136(Extremelyworrysituation)
3. Youvegottoobservetheworldyoureintounderstandwhatpartsofitmaysave
you.Atfirst,itmayallseemhostile.Thewholeenvironmentmayseemlikean
enemy.Butitisnt.Therearethingshidingititwaitingtosaveyou,anditsyourjob
toseethem.
4. Sit,think,observeandplan(applicableatanysituation)

AnEpoch-makingnovel,achallengednovel
personalchoice battleswith
manipulationandconformity

TheChocolateWar
ByRobertCormierin1974

Doyoudaretodisturbtheuniverse?
Anovelthatmirrorstheteenslifeand
bringscriticalthinking

READINGJOURNALSEPTEMBER5

INTRODUCTIONANDRECOMMENDATION

This is a novel that is totally beyond my former imagination about YAs novel, full of
bullying,fighting,violence,torturingandseeminglydisgustingpsychologicalandphysical
depiction (masturbation) which only belongs to teenagers as secrets. After reading, I
understand why it aroused criticism and controversy in the 1970s even at current times.
However, I also highly recognize this novels value--it contains certain elements of a great
novel. First of all, it has tragic and open ending. Second, it is full of conflicts. Third, the
protagonist Jerrys struggling, persistence and defiance earns massive empathy and
sympathy in the name of respect of individuality. The author, Robert Cormier builds an
outlet to read into the covered lousy parts of teenagers that teachers and parents have

avoided to touch upon or have overlooked. Reluctant to look or speak of doesnt mean it
does not exist. That is the indispensable part of coming of age. Meanwhile, a great book
doesnt directly tell what we should do. Instead, it inspires readers to ponder over certain
issues, such as individuality and conformity, benefit of school and students development,
parents and children, corruption and teaching ethics, peer manipulation and peer
friendship, as we tend to stand on the side of the weak and to save andpreventtragedies
orwehatefittingourselvesintorolesthatwedislikeinthenovel.

I recommend this novel to teachers who should be sensitive to both physical and
psychological changes of teeagers and avoid being one who is moody, cruel, greedy and
corrupt. I recommend ittoparentswhoshouldinteractwiththeirchildren,careabouttheir
psychological health and serve as active models. Irecommendittoteenagers whoshould
rest assured about their secrets and take it easy facing their growth, and reflect on their
ownexperiencetogainstrengthandsolutionsfacingpeerconflicts.

THEMES
1. Individualityandconformity
2. ManipulationandDefiance
3. DespairandHope

Individualityandconformity

Jerry Renault is the symbol ofindividualityconfrontingthemanipulationoftheschoolgang

group The Vigils and the crooky teacher Brother Leon. The Vigils, under the leadership of
Achie, who is good at tailor-arranging assignments to other students to do damaging and
impacting events, manipulates the student body. While the actual purpose of assignments
is to psychologically defeat and control other students who show no obedience to them.
Achie has exceptional brainpower to psychologically hurt others with far-reaching effect
instead of simply physically bullying. As most of the students follow Brother Lions and
finally Archies order tosellchocolates,JerryRenaultdecidestosaynoandinsistsonsaying
no after 10 days. After getting attacked as punishment and warning, he still doesnt
surrender. As conformity has formed, how does an individual dare to challenge the

conformity? Do you dare to disturb the universe is the outcry of individuality to

conformity. The price is deadly for sure. But Jerry Renault bravely defies and bears the
desperate fruit. Facing conformity, individuality is weak and subtle. But it is the constant
challenging of individuality that finally pushes forward changes and transformation, even
leads to revolution. Even though most of the time, individuality is suppressed by
conformity.

ManipulationandDefiance

This novel depicts manipulation and defiance in two folds. ManipulationoftheVigilsatthe

peer level and manipulation of Brother Leon at the school level. Both manipulations exert
control on innocent students. And the penalty of defiance is both physical and
psychological. If peer pressure and peer manipulation is unavoidable, teachers or the
schools vicious manipulation is fatalanddesperate.Aslongasthereismanipulation,there
is defiance. In this novel, Jerry Renault defies both manipulations and Archie and Brother
Leonmutuallydefyandsupporteachotherforlargerbenefitoftheirown.

DesperationandHope

The theme of desperation is looming large in the unfolding of the novel. Despair is the
exact word to describe his situation. But such a desperate boy never complains and
surrenders to life, he hides and heals himself inhisowncorner.Hedoesntwanttoinvolve
his fatherandtheonlyfriendtohisowntrouble.Histhoughtfulnessandself-healingstrikes
me. The sunny and kind side of this boy shed light on the dark and gloomy theme of
despair.Withthis,theremustbehopeinthefuture.

KEYQUOTATIONS
1. Archie disliked violencemost of his assignments were exercises in the
psychological rather than the physical. That's why he got away with so much. The
Trinity brothers wanted peace at any price, quiet on the campus, no brokenbones.
Otherwise,theskywasthelimit.

This quotation directly points out how the Vigilsworkandmanipulatestudents,depending

on psychological exercises rather than the usual practice of physical violence. Its kind of
ironybysayingArchiedislikedviolence.

2. Waslifethatdull,thatboringandhumdrumforpeople?Hehatedtothinkofhis
ownlifestretchingaheadofhimthatway,alongsuccessionofdaysandnightsthat
werefine,finenotgood,notbad,notgreat,notlousy,notexciting,notanything.

ThisquotationdescribesJerrysfathershumdrumandpeacefullife,whichsetsupa
suspenseforhiseagernessandlongingformakingadifference--torocktheuniverse.

3.Likeanoldmanheapedwithsorrowsoftheworld,histhinfacedrawnandhaggard,
hiseyeshunted,asifhehadawakenedfromanightmarehecouldntforget.

ThisquotationdescribesJerrysdesperatesituationafterhewasattackedbyCarteronthe
footballcourt,vividlyshowinghowdevastatingoftheVigilsrevenge.

4.Citiesfall.Earthopened.Planetstitled.Starsplummeted.

ThisquotationdescribestheupcomingdevastatingeffectafterJerrypubliclydefiesBrother
Lionbysayingnotothechocolatesale.

POINTOFVIEW

Thepointofviewisfromathirdpersonomniscientnarratorwhoskipsfromcharacterto
character,revealinganumberofcharacters'thoughtsandactions.

MAJORCONFLICT

Jerry'srefusaltosellchocolatesattheschoolchocolatesaleandJerry'srefusalafterthe
firsttendaysandTheVigils'subsequentpunishmentofthatchoice.

Furtherdiscussiontopicsforstudents:

 1) As the protagonist Jerry Renault is beaten to the edge of death after the boxing
match,hesayshisdefianceisnotworthdoing.Whatdoesitimply?
2) What is the significance of the fact that the high school in the book is an all-boys
school?Whatdoesthelackoffemaleclassmatessuggest?

ReadingJournal3Smile
September20

ANon-fictionGraphicNovelbyRainaTelgemeier

Afunny,touchingcomingofagenovel

Plotsummary

Raina, the protagonist, a normal sixth grader tripped and fell, severely injuring her
two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again and
off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgears and even a retainer with fake
teeth attached. This long and painful teeth-remedying journey lasts for four and
half years until her sophomore year at high school. Besides the dental drama,
family love, a major earthquake, boys, girl scouts, friends, school anxiety, peer
relations are accounted and discussed. Raina eventually realizes that lots of other
kids have braces and that friendship means supporting each other, not making
things harder, and if your friends cant do that, then theyre not really your friends.
She got back her big smile again.

Recommendation
This novel is irresistible to any readers(K4-K12). It is a mirror reflecting the
tumultuous challenges and perils of every young adult traversing to adult years,
including sudden care of appearance, peer relations, the first affection to boys, the
first kiss, cosmetics, ear piercing, video games, sibling relations, family love,
earthquake, new school, academic anxiety and new friendship building. As such,
the book speaks honestly and humorously to us all. From beginning to end, Smile
shows us how to gracefully embrace lifes twists and be more sensitive to others
who are doing the same. Reading the novel, we will laugh, recall, and even cry as
the author recounts her story. This is a novel easy to relate to and engage readers.

The teeth drama makes me think of my 4 year-old sons front-teeth accident as

well. One day, while he was trying to plug in his toys charger, he was tripped by
the wires and fell to the ground, two front teeth broken off, bleeding in his mouth.
We could do nothing to repair but to wait for the permanent teeth to replace. As a
mother I often have to face the time of explaining to others for the empty
wide-space in his mouth. Fortunately, this accident didnt come when he was at
primary school or later. Otherwise, he would have to face the similar
embarrassment and frustration for sure. I desired to share Rainas story with my
son as soon as possible.

Themes

It is possible to use this novel into thematic units like growth, confidence,
friendship, vanity, family love, and more specifically the following aspects:

Development of identity and individual versus group identity;

Development of self-esteem;
How to cope with trauma, accidents, and natural disasters;
Distinguishing true friends
Coming of age issues (belonging and dating);

Quotations
WeirdSomething happens when you smile at people. They smile back!

Classapplication

The following are cited from

http://cbldf.org/2013/12/using-graphic-novels-in-education-smile--

a good resource for teaching graphic novels.

ReadingJournal4Divergent
September24

A fantasy and series novel by Veronica Roth

Key words: Romance, Humanity, Family love, dystopia

Plotsummary
Tris lives in a futuristic world in which society is divided into five factions,
Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the kind), Candor,

Dauntless, and Erudite. As each person enters 16, he or she must take an aptitude
test and choose a faction in the choosing ceremony and commit to it for life as
faction is before blood. Usually, one can only have one trait that fits him or her into
a specific faction. Those who display multiple traits are called Divergent. Those
people are considered to be rebellions as they tend to have independent thinking
and are difficult to control. Triss test result is inconclusive, which means she has
the possibility of being a divergent, which is rare and perceived as dangerous.

However, her father is the Abnegation leader. Her final decision is Dauntless and
her brother chooses Erudite out of her expectation as well. Full of guilt and
uncertainties about her choice, she starts her initiation in the Dauntless faction.
And her initiation leads to the discovery that she is a Divergent and will never be
able to fit into one faction. Warned that she must conceal the fact, Tris uncovers a
looming war which threatens everyone she loves. Together with Four, a concealed
Divergent whom she falls in love with, she acts to defend against enemies and fight
for peace and justice.

Recommendation
The author is marvellous in depicting Beatriss inner landscape, revealing her
transformation from doubts about her imperfection compared with her parents in
Abnegation and the guilt she feels about her betrayal of her parents, she gradually
ascertains what kind of person she would like to be: a person with bravery,
selflessness and knowledge. During the self-exploratory process, we can feel Tris
deep love to parents and great sense of integrity and responsibility. I am also very
intrigued by the romantic love between Tris and Four, a boy who experienced child
abuse and still keeps kindness and integrity. Tattoos are very important symbols in
this novel and represent fears of the heroine and hero, and some minor characters.
Exposing the fear landscape is like having a dialogue with ones inner self. Readers
cant help relating to our own inner fears. Compared with Hunger Games, it is less
action-oriented, but it is more humane and more touching. Not only the romantic

part but also the family bond part wins my tears and breath-taking reading
experience. In this regard, it is more superior than Hunger Games and the Giver.

Theme
Familylove,Humanity,Romance,Identity

Organizingintheclassroom
Aptitude test: Ask students to take on-line aptitude test to discuss personal traits and write a
reflection journal on the result. http://divergentthemovie.com/aptitudetest

Faction anthems: Ask students to select a song or a piece of music for a faction and explain
why.

Fear Landscape: Ask students to consider about their inner fears and create a visual depiction of
their fears.

Manifesto writing: Ask students to write a manifesto for each faction and a new faction they
want to create.

Thisnovelisalsoeasytorelatetomanyliterarytheories,includingFreudian,Social
Studies,FeministandMoralandphilosophicaltheories.

Reading Journal 5 Daughter of Venice

October1

By Donna Jo Napoli

A historical novel glimpsing into the

life of Italy in the 15th century

An uplifting young adult novel

depicting a girls courage and wisdom
to lead her life

PLOT SUMMARY

In 1592, Donata, a 14-year-old girl lives in a palazzo on the Grand Canal, with her
big noble family, including 12 other siblings and her parents. Based on the
tradition, only one boy and one girl can get married, and the girls unmarried will be

sent to convents. Daughters in the noble family dont receive education and only
learn an instrument at home as a show-off talent for possible marriage selection.
Besides, they are not allowed to get out of the palazzo without permission and veils
on their head. Against these traditions, Donata has strong curiosity to look around
Venice and longs for marriage. She disguises herself to be a shabby fisher boy to
slip out of her Palazzo in order to feel real Venice before she is shut away. She is
bullied by a beggar boy and saved out of trouble on her bare feet by Noe, a Jurist
boy. After the first successful experience, she is eager to know more about the
outside and Noe. Under the help of her twin sister and other sisters, she disguises
to go out for a month with Noe working for a printers as a copyist.

During the time, she pleads to her father to allow her to join in the tutorials at home
with her brothers in her family. Soon her sharp sense of business and talents in
learning theology and multiple languages impresses her tutor and her family. Very
quickly, her father announces her betrothal considering her diligence, her
smartness and her talent in music. Even though she once longed for marriage, she
is unwilling to marry the one she doesnt love. Also, because she feels sorry for
Lauren who has worked her part and pretended to be her during her absence and
she believes her twin sister is the right person for the man. In order to get things
right, she begins to devise a great plan to change the betrothal. It is not easy. Her
love to Noe is still unknown to Noe. Finally, she manages to meet Noe again and
sends a Latin denunciation letter of herself alone in order to incur some suspect and
affect her reputation for cancelling her betrothal and helping Lauren. Luckily, as
she says, she lives in a family she is grateful. Her bold behavior changes Laurens

life and her fate as well. She is allowed to go to the university as the first female to
pursue Doctoral Degree in Philosophy.

PERSONAL CONNECTION AND RECOMMENDATION

The image of the father:

I really admire the father in this family who has precise assessment about their
children no matter boys or girls and is able to make proper arrangement for the
sons. He is busy but care a lot about his children. His precise assessment is based
on his observation and interaction with them. He is farsighted, decisive and
inclusive. His choice of a non-noble wife has proved his unusual courage and
clear-mindedness. When he finds his daughter, Donata, has exceptional sense of
business and courage to fight for she believes, he is open to arrange a different life
for her, which is within her wish. I believe such parents are what teens desire to
have and become.

The image of the daughter:

Donata has the courage to fight against her fate. She also has intelligence and
diligence to achieve what she deserves. Her empathy towards the poor, her
sacrifices for Lauren and her plan to cancel betrothal really amazes me. She feels
grateful to the family and her siblings. I am touched by the harmony of the family.

This is a novel suitable for K9-12, which is very uplifting and inspiring for
students. They can not only get to know about Venetian history and culture, but
also get to know how a girl manages to change her fate. Knowing about ones

strength and weakness and right and wrong beliefs is so significant for a teenager.
The positive influence to students will be huge.

QUOTATION

I can imagine Noes response to that. He would say a hungry body must be fed
before a hungry mind. Yet even if I lived a thousand lives and each one was a
poor person, I feel sure that Id take a book before a loaf of bread. (P235)

Reading Journal6
Wintergirls

A both painful and riveting novel

by Laurie Halse Anderson in 2009

A book about eating disorder

Oct. 2

Other works by Laurie H. Anderson

Speak 1999

Catalyst 2002

Twisted 2007

The impossible knife of memory 2014

PLOTSUMMARY

18-year-old Lia Overbrook has just found out that her best friend Cassie is dead. Cassie had
called her 33 times the night of her death, but Lia didn't answer. She was found in a hotel room,
killed by her illness: bulimia. Lia, who has a history of anorexia, falls into a downward spiral of
self-harm and calorie counting. Trying to hide her illness from her family, she worsens and
recovery seems impossible. Her relationship with her step-mother, Jennifer, is complicated, but
Jennifer's eight-year-old daughter, Lia's step sister, Emma, is one thing that keeps Lia happy. She
has been dealing with this eating disorder for quite some time and none of the help she received
has made much of a difference. Lia finds it hard to get close to her father and step-mother
because they forced her into the hospital in the past. Soon, Cassie's ghost starts haunting Lia,
making her feel guilty for not picking up the phone that night and not being there for her ex-best
friend the night she died. Lia believes that if she had picked up, Cassie would still be alive. As
Lia's self-harm gets increasingly worse, Cassie's haunting becomes more aggressive.
Desperately, Lia goes to the motel room where Cassie dies and takes a handful of sleeping pills,
trying to block out the voices and get some rest. Since her weight is so low, Lia wakes up in the
hospital, finally realizing that she wants to live.

PERSONALCONNECTIONANDRECOMMENDATION

This novel is intoxicating and intriguing. As a girl who is always thin without worrying too much
about my weight and diet. I can still feel the pain, the struggle and the protagonists desperation
and hope as well. It is a window for me to know about symptoms of anorexia and bulimia, and
their realistic battle against diseases. Of course, the book may also trigger a vulnerable reader
who has similar situations. But I think they can relate to themselves and find hope in fighting

against the disease. I am impressed by Lias familiarity of how many calories are in everything
she east and her descriptions of her meals ("I eat ten raisins (16) and five almonds (35) and a
green-bellied pear (121) (= 172)") could certainly serve as instruction and motivation for
disordered eating. She uses trick to make her family think she is eating. As a girl who has a
certain disease and lives in a divorced family, its tempting to think she must have more
difficulty experience staying with her family, and Lia's parents' divorce might have "caused" her
eating disorder, but the book ultimately resists such easy conclusions. Lia's mother, father,
stepmother, and stepsister all come across as complex characters who influence Lia for both
good and bad, and whose relationships with Lia are all important as she begins her recovery.
Anderson renders anorexia as a complicated disease with many interrelated causes, but she also

emphasizes the importance of family in Lia's treatment both these messages are worth
sharing. But I recommend this book to High schoolers, and proper to read with parents and
teachers within supervision.

QUOTATIONS

[The doctors] are morons. This body has a different metabolism. This body hates dragging
around the chains they wrapped around it. Proof? At 099.00 I think clearer, look better, feel
stronger. When I reach the next goal, it will be all that, and more.

Goal number two is 095.00, the perfect point of balance. At 095.00, I will be pure. Light enough
to walk with my head up, meaty enough to fool everyone. And 095.00, I will have the strength to
stay in control.

At 090.00, I will soar. That's Goal Number Three.

http://teachers.madwomanintheforest.com/youngadult-wintergirls/

ReadingJournal78plus1storiesby
RobertCormier
October31

Genre:Short-storyCollection

Aseriesofstoriesaboutaging,aboutcomplexrelationshipsbetweenboysandgirls,and
betweenthechildandparents.Fromkids,parentsrealizetheyarenotyoungandthink
ofstorieswhentheywereyoung.

Critique:

ThesearestoriestosavorThefinestwriterswriteforallofus,withoutrespecttoage,
andCormieragaindemonstrateshismasteryoftheart.---VoiceofYouthAdvocates

Hisideasareastimulustoanyyoungpersonwantingtowrite.---DenverPost

Theseslice-of-lifevignettes...demonstrateCormiersaccessibilitytoyoungadult
readers...Astrongcollection...thatprobestheemotionsofadultsandyoungpeoplewith
equalsensitivity.---Booklist

PlotSummary

This book is very special because the author also shares his writing inspirationwhichis
closely related to his own life. Most of his characters come from life but different from
life.

Inthiscollectionofshortstories,themostimpressiveonesareTheMoustache,Anotherof
MikesGirls,ABadTimeForFather,GuessWhat?IAlmostKissedMyFatherGoodnight.

The Moustache talks about a 17 year old boy who begins to wear moustache in order to
appear older and more maturer. But when he gottoseehisgrandmawhohasbeenvery
sick in the nursing home, he was mistaken for hisgrandfatherwhoalsohadmoustache.
Actually, hisgrandmahasbeenunabletorecognizepeople.Herememberedhismothers
words. Sohejustlistenedtoher.Hefoundhisgrandmafeltsorry forhisgrandpaforshe
didnt tell him she has forgivenhimbeforehedied.Healsonoticedhisbelovedandonce
energetic grandma was decaying into deterioration both physically and mentally out of
his recognition and he felt so shocked. After leaving the nursing home, he immediately
shavedhismoustache.

AnotherofMikesGirls,fatheristhenarratorinthisstory.Fromfatherspointofview,he
talks about his sons constant but short romantic relationship with different girls. But
every time his son was so attracted anddazzledbyeachofthem.Inthefatherseyes, all
the girls he like are alike. Then another girl called Jean broke into his life. This time, he
seems more serious with her. As he failed his algebra test and received a warning card,
his parents talked with himabouthismark. HepromisedhewouldcatchupasJanewas
a good student. Since then,hesuddenlystartsinterestin photographyandbecamevery
conscientious about homework. Jane even stopped by their home and talkedwiththem.
As parents, they stayed calm and indifferent to what is happening between Mike and
Jean. When he kind of had good impression on Jean, his son Mike hadbrokenwithJean
andhehadboredwithheragain.

A Bad Time for Fathers, before the story,thewritertalksabouttitlenegotiationbetween

the writer and editors. This is a story describing fathers sadness and sentimentality
about her daughters imminent departure to college. He held a farewell party at home.
His daughters ex-boyfriend, Sam, also came. This guy was so kind to his daughter but
kind of invisible to her and always looked uneasy with her. During the party, Sam
tripped over and brought down a lamp base. He and I, the father,hadanembarrassing
moment. Then the party dismissed and the young left, leaving their house chaos and

garbages. During such a chaos time, their love to her is most sound but sadbecauseitis
single-sidedandunspeakable.

Guesswhat?IAlmostKissedMyFatherGoodnight.Fathersaremysteriousbeingstotheir
children. The narrator is a 16 year old boy who investigates his father, who learnshis
shoe and shirt sizes and a lot of other things, although he is searching for something
altogether different. He wants to show affection and intimacy to his father at a certain
moment,buthisconsciousnesstellshimitissoweirdtodisplaylovetoafarther.

These unforgettable and impressivestoriesareallrelatedtofatherandgrandparents.To

me, it makes so much sense as these stories bring a lot of my memories with my father
and grandma. I remember when my grandma was still alive,Ipaidtoolittleattentionto
her and even complained about thefoodashereyesighthadbecomesopoor,shetended
to mistakesugarintosaltandcouldmeasuretheamount,eventhoughshecookedforme
at her over eighties age when my mother was busy. Young adults tend to become
ashamed of their aging grandparents due to their bizarre and embarrassing living
habits. I was one of them. I feltsosorrythatIdidntgivespecialcareandpatiencetomy
grandma. When shepassedawayduringmid-night,alsothedayonwhichItookthehigh
school entrance examination. After I finished my test, I arrived at home to see my
grandma. My father passed away when I was 16, an age that I didnt want to go back
again. I was so rebellious at that time, feeling sick and so impatient to talktomyfather.
He was busy and worked so hard, so he always went back home very late and got up
very early in order to earn moremoney.Hehasnoholidayandnoenoughresttime.But
he brought food and gifts to me every time he went to a new restaurant and newplace.
His care and love to me was overlooked and even ashamed of by me. I never kissed
goodbye to my father. I never tried to investigate my father when he was still alive.
Until one day, after I threw my bad temper at my father, he left. On that day, he got an
accident. And I nevergotachancetoseehimagain.Ididnthaveachancetosaysorryto
him. I have hated myself so much. When I really lost him, I realized how bad I wasand
how much I have owed him. Now I have been a mother,Ihavecompletelyrealizedhow
to be a daughter. Its always painful to recall, but I always think only heart-wrenching
pain cankeepmeclear-mindedandalwaysawarethatmylessonsshouldspreadtomore
people and proper way of parenting is critical for our children to have better and easy
timewithusduringtheirflowerages.

MID-TERM:

Dear Xiaojing,

 Youve done a nice job with your YAL Journal so far! I like the way youve structured your
journal -- it has an engaging visual component to it, and you have a variety of insightful
categories related to your book choices as well. The most compelling part of your entries though
are the personal connections youve made to the novels -- thanks for sharing these.

I hope youve enjoyed the reading youve done so far, and I look forward to reading the
rest of your entries. You have completed 7 of the 10-12 books required. REMEMBER, you need
to include the date you finish reading each book, along with the genres.

Best,

Dr. Young

ReadingJournal8
TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNight-time

ByMarkHaddon

November6

ACaptivatingandUnusual

YoungAdultnovel,

AnAutisticBoywithgeniustalent,

ButnoHumanEmotion.

AUniqueperspective,

Thought-provokingandFun.

ByMarkHaddon2004

Genre:MurderMysteryNovel/Hero

PlotSummary

A 15-year-old boy Christopher is an autistic boy, living with his father. One day he found a dog
called Wellington belonging to his neighbor was killed at night, when he found he felt very sad
and stayed with the dead dog, mourning, then he was mistaken to be murderer at first by the
police, and he had a conflict with the police. Later, he was brought into the police station for his
irrational offense of the police. He was brought back home by his father finally. But Christopher
had the idea of writing a detective book digging out the real murderer, which upsets his father a
lot. But he still does investigation and plotting the possible murderers behind his fathers back.
He knocked neighbors doors and asked for clues, out of his expectation, he was told the
abnormal relationship between his mother and Mr. Shears, the husband of the owner of the
murdered dog. But he didnt believe because his father told him his mother died of heart attack.
One day when his father found he was still writing the book about the dog, the book was taken
away. Until one day when he slipped into his fathers room searching for his book, he found out
another secret. A pack of letters to him was also put together with his book. With curiosity, he
brought one away as his father came into the room. The letter was written by his mother who is
not dead but now in London. At first, he still doubted, after sneaking into his fathers room
again, he read more letters, he realized his father lied to him. His mother went away with Mr.
Shears, which is true. At the moment of being shocked, his father came in and found out his lie
had been exposed. After a while of silence, his father confessed it was he who killed Wellington,
which is the fact that totally destroyed Christopher and his trust to his father. He screamed and
groaned. At midnight, he escaped into the garden for fear of his father who would kill him. On
the second day, he managed to leave home for London to live with his mother. With exceptional
memory and logic thinking, he made it. He had an adventure in the train station and had
successfully shunned away from the police who wanted to bring him back to his father. After he
united with his mother, more troubles come. He had to take A-level Math test as planned next
week, and the man who lived with his mother got mad at him and did like him to stay longer.
Then didnt eat well and sleep well because of being unable to take A-level test. His mother had

more quarrels with that man and lost her job because of his coming. Finally, his mother drove
him back to his home. He still didnt trust his father and avoid talking with him, which made his
father depressed and painful. He finally took the A-level test and got an A. His mother
completely broke with the guy and his father sent him a dog as a gift. Christopher has made a lot
of plan to do in the future.

Recommendation

This is a very captivating and unusual novel from an autistic boys perspective centering around
the dogs murdering incident, depicting an autistic boys unique world and way of thinking.
Also, it is a story about a family where there is a problem child. On the one hand, young
readers will be attracted by the autistic boys genius talent in math and his unemotional and
extremely logical way of thinking. His imagination is marvelous. He talks about his unique
understanding of constellation and the world in his eyes. He lives in his own world, with the
rules of what he believes and the people who he trusts. On the other hand, his mothers leaving
with another guy and his fathers abnormal behavior of killing the dog all reflect the potential
problem and pressure of the parents. Facing a differentchild who brings a lot of troubles and
overwhelmed public bias, they are not easy as well. We can feel their deep love to the child and
their deep inner conflict to control themselves to be goodparents. They want to but they
couldnt always make it. His mothers final coming back with him shows her love to her son is
true and deep. Its very engaging, eye-opening and light-hearted reading experience, but it is also
very thought-provoking and informational. Can we keep unbiased facing those special child?
Can we stay calm facing the childs abnormal requests and argument? In what way are we
educated by this child? Do you like such a father and mother in the story?

TeachingImplications

This novel contains a lot of subjects, including Maths, Astronomy and Geography, which are
easy to relate to students. I can ask students to change point of view to rewrite the story. For
example, in Chapter 73, Christopher makes a list of his behavioral problems. I can ask students

to make a list of their own strengths and weaknesses and discuss upon how to improve their
weaknesses. I can also ask students to explore metaphors in this novel and ask students to make a
list of them. In Chapter 3, Christopher uses pictures to identify different emotions. I can ask
students to think of other different types of emotions that people feel and use pictures to show
them.

ReadingJournal9TheFaultinOurStars

ByJohnGreen

Nov.25-28

A tear-Jerking and inspirational novel

A novel about cancer and love

A novel about death

Genre: A problem novel

Plotsummary

This novel is narrated by Hazel, a 16-year-old girl with a lung cancer, who needs to wear a fluid
pumping device with her all the time. She was forced to attend a cancer patient support group
with a group of cancer kids. She did not like it until one day she met Augustus, who is a
basketball player and gets amputated because of a kind of bone cancer. Since then they begun to
fall in with each other. Hazel and Augustus Hazel and Augustus strike a bond immediately and
agree to read each other's favorite novels. Augustus gives Hazel The Price of Dawn, and Hazel
recommends An Imperial Affliction, a novel written by reclusive author Peter Van Houten, who
lives in Amsterdam, about a cancer-stricken girl named Anna that parallels Hazels own
experience. They find the novel has not a conclusion and Hazel desperately wants to know what
will happen to Annas mom after Annas death. They track the authors address and send emails
to him asking about Annas moms future. Then one day Hazels lung gets deteriorated and ends
up into ICU. After she recovers better and gets out of hospital. Van Houten eventually replies,
explaining that he can only answer Hazels questions in person. At a picnic, Augustus surprises
Hazel with tickets to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten. Overcoming all the barriers, they fly to
Amsterdam with Hazels mothers company. But when they meets Van Housten, a sloppy and
weird drunk they are shocked by his impoliteness and mean-spirited attitude towards them. He
doesnt tell Hazel what she expects. They flee away from his house. Later they know all the nice
arrangement is done by his assistant.

During the days in Amsterdam, their love upgrades and they affirm their love and support for
each other. Augustus tells Hazel his health actually worsens when she is in ICU as he doesnt
want to lie to her and pretend to be a healthy lover. Back to home, Augustus ends up into
hospital and needs very strong medication to reduce pain. As he nearly succumbs to death,
Augustus has a pre-funeral, arranging his best friend Isaac and Hazel to write him eulogies.
Finally, Augustus dies and Hazel attends his funeral, where she finds Van Houten comes as well.
At the end of the novel, Hazel finds Augustus final words about her are sent to Van Housten in
order to beg him to fulfill Hazels wish. He says his love to Hazel is the cause of his pain but he

is happy to leave a mark on Hazel. Getting hurt in this world is inevitable, but we do get to
choose who hurt us, and that he is happy with his choice, and hopes she likes her choice too. The
book closes with Hazel stating that she is also happy with her choice.

Recommendation

This is a novel about kids with terminal cancers. It talks about death in a philosophical way.
Even a bit sad, but love and light-hearted way of talking about death is more engaging. Usually
when we face death caused by illness, we tend to complain about fates unfairness and hate the
world around us, living most of the time in hatred, complaint, fear, depression and bad temper,
which leads to the same pain to those who love us and take care of us. Also, causing
psychological pain to our beloved ones after our death is more painful than the physical pain the
illness might bring to our body. Especially if we are still kids, how do we deal with the upcoming
early death? And if we are parents, how do we face our childs death? This novel discloses the
answers. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeares play Julius Caesar, in which the
nobleman Cassius says to Brutus: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves,
that we are underlings. stars here means fate. According to Shakespeare, being others
underlings can be chosen and controlled, so suffering and death is our fault. While John Green
tells us teens dying of cancer is of no justifiable reasons and cannot be controlled and chosen by
them. Cancer is just a side effect of an evolutional process. However, accepting the fact that
cancer is beyond our will and control does not mean passive waiting to death. The first step is
enduring it and living with it and then have love and joy triumph over it.

The world is not a wish-granting factory. Besides physical pain, how do they deal with
psychological pain caused to parents and lovers? It is this variety that the novel suggests is the
most necessary. Hazel worries a great deal about what her parents will do after she dies, leading
her to come up with the metaphor of the grenade that explodes and injures everyone nearby. She
does not want to see her parents devote all their time to her and lose their own life. It is the
reason why she wants to know desperately what will happen to a girls mother in a fictional
cancer novel which she considers as her bible describing what she is experiencing with cancer.

When she knows her mother is learning for a degree to become a social worker, she feels
relieved and delighted. She humorously expresses her concern to her father as well: will he
become a grouchy and malicious drunk father as Van Houten? (the author of the fictional novel
mentioned in the book, who turns to be a weird, lonely and drunk person and loses his marriage
after her little daughters death). Can you promise you wont break up? In reality, no matter in
which country, it is common to see many parents decay to the life of Van Houten after their
childs early death, losing their normal life and ending up divorce due to mutual complaints and
heavy depression. Hazels worries and concerns actually expose the common social symptom of
child-loss families, and set a direction for parents who is going to face childrens death. Her
parents interaction with her at home also serves as a successful model for such families,
watching movies together, chatting and laughing a lot.

Hazel also experiences pain of losing the lover when Augustus begins to weaken and
finally succumbs to his cancer. Augustus says happily that he left his scar on Hazel. Hazel
touches on this idea in her eulogy for Augustus. The first thing she says to the gathered crowd is
that theres a quote hanging in Augustuss that always gave the two of them comfort: Without
pain, we couldnt know joy. Facing death, they made best of their time to enjoy love and joy
with each other.

Teachingimplications

This novel can be used in a death-centered theme unit.

1) Reader response discussion questions

2) Novel-based discussion questions
3) Write a eulogy for main protagonists in the novel
4) Quotations interpretation
5) Revise the storys ending
6) Select sound tracks for the novel
7) Make a book talk/trailer

Quotations

 1. As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.
2. My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
3. Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you
become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and
until all living humans read the book.
4. "I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling.
"I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure
of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the
void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come
a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the
only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.
5. You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in
who hurts you. I like my choices.
6. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.
7. What a slut time is. She screws everybody.
8. Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by
you.
9. There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time
when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or
that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or
Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and
discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time
is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the
collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms
experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of
human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows thats what
everyone else does.
10. The world is not a wish-granting factory.

 ReadingJournal10Flipped

November30

ARomanticNovelaboutKids

RemindingusofourFirstBoutofRomanticLoveas
LittleKids

BothAwkwardandBeautiful

UniqueandUnforgettable

ByWendelinVanDraanen

PlotSummary
Juli Baker meets Bryce Loski, her new neighbour's kid two weeks before the beginning of
second grade; She began to feel crazy about Bryce. Julianna knows it's love, while Bryce doesn't.
Julianna stalks Bryce all through his childhood; staring at his house, asking him to play,
following him at school, displaying affection to him boldly and publicly in the classroom etc.
While Bryce feels embarrassed and annoyed. Every day, Bryce watches Julianna climb the
sycamore tree at the bus stop, from which Julianna always birdviews the town. She constantly
asks Bryce to come join her in the tree, as well as reporting how far away the bus is. Bryce,
being unbelievably shy and annoyed by all the attention, asks out Juli's arch enemy, Shelly
Stalls, to get rid of his admirer. Bryce looks over his shoulder for Julianna every time he's with
Shelly, which causes Julianna to think he's being forced to date her. This provokes a catfight
between Juli and Shelly over Bryce. The two break up, and Bryce is back to square one. Bryce
expects a better situation in sixth grade, but it is worse in his eyes. Juli constantly sniffs Bryce
from her assigned position behind him. According to Juli, his hair smells like watermelon and he
has blond earlobe fuzz. Bryce is disgruntled from this seat change, because Juli had initially sat
next to him where he could see her answers and copy some of them. Now that she's behind him,
he's lost that advantage, and his grades slip, especially in spelling. Juli then begins to whisper

answers to him. He starts to be tortured between feeling both grateful and prejudiced to Juli.Juli.
He cant stop thinking about Bryce in the many years shes known him. However, Julis
temperament changes when her beloved sycamore tree is cut down. She begins to ride a bike to
school and isnt as cheerful as before for weeks. Actually, Bryce feels terribly sorry about Julis
tree, as he declined her request to prevent the tree from cutting off . He wants to apologize but he
chickens out every time. Julis spirits are lightened when her father, who she admires more than
anyone, paints her a picture of her sycamore tree. Juli hangs the picture in her room so shell
always be reminded of what the tree represented for her.

Things with Juli start to change when Juli gives Bryce and his family a batch of chicken eggs.
Bryces father immediately expresses concern that the eggs might be fertilized, and asks Bryce to
figure it out. Bryce is reluctant to ask Juli for a direct answer, he sneaked into a nest but doesnt
know about the difference between chickens, hens, and roosters, so they head home without
answers. Bryces father feels bad at Bryces cowardice of not directly asking Juli, and tells him
to just say no to Juli about the eggs, but Bryce ends up just throwing the eggs away secretly. But
one day Juli happens to witness Bryce throwing the eggs into the trash can and tells him she's
lost over a hundred dollars giving him the eggs when shes been selling them to her neighbors.
She runs home, leaving Bryce feeling miserable.

Then in eighth grade, when Juli overhears Bryces laughing about her problem uncle with a
friend, Juli, furious and hurt, decides to stifle and give up every thought of Bryce. The flip comes
here: the more angry Juli is and the more she ignores him, the more Bryce notices and likes Juli.
Bryce can't get Juli out of his head, and Juli hates Bryce the way Bryce hated her. Bryce begins
to do a lot of crazy things to win Julis heart, while Juli continues to ignore him and gets away
from him. When he plants a sycamore tree in her backyard and waves at her, Juli realizes Bryce
has changed. And at that moment Juli is happy to know that Bryce loves her and he wants her to
give him a second chance.

Recommendation

This novel is quite reader-friendly in terms of language and kind of dramatic in the
romantic story line. Itsshesaidandhesaidnarratingstyleisunique.Thiswritingstyle
presentsusafact:thesamestorybutdifferentfeelingstodifferentnarratorsastheyhold

different inner landscape and intentions. This novel is easy to relate to teenagers by
talking about their subtle and secret or public affection to an opposite gender in
primary school or middle school. Or discussthestoriesofprototypeofJuliandBryce
in their life. It will be a very interesting and light-hearted discussion. By talking about
JuliandBryce,studentscanalsoenvisiontheirownfutureromanticlandscape,including
what types of person, most important traits, how many kids and most desiring family
relationmodel,etc.

Quotes

1. Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss.... He turned to me. But
every once in awhile, you find someone whos iridescent, and when you do, nothing
will ever compare.
2. My heart stopped. It just stopped beating. And for the first time in my life, I had that
feeling. You know, like the world is moving all around you, all beneath you, all inside
you, and youre floating. Floating in midair. And the only thing keeping you from
drifting away is the other persons eyes. Theyre connected to yours by some invisible
physical force, and they hold you fast while the rest of the world swirls and twirls and
falls completely away.
3. To be held above the earth and be brushed by the wind, she said, its like your heart
has been kissed by beauty.
4. Somehow the silence seemed to connect us in a way like words never could.
5. A painting is more than the sum of its parts, he would tell me, and then go on to explain
how the cow by itself is just a cow, and the meadow by itself is just grass and flowers,
and the sun peeking through the trees is just a beam of light, but put them all together and
you've got magic.

 ReadingJournal11NewsoftheSpirit

December3

A novel with intertwined characters and plot

Southern and Feminine

With steenly humor and unrelenting protagonist

Difficult to tell make-up or real

A novel with both bad and good traits in the protagonist

Short story selections by Lee Smith

PlotSummary

In The Bubba Stories,a Virginia teen-ager named Charlene narrates her life from the small
town where she was born and grown to her core family and extended family, including a mother
who has been confined to a mental institution, an uncle with Down syndrome who is referred to
as a Mongolian idiot and an Aunt Dee, who wore her yellow hair in a beehive and smoked
Pall Mall cigarettes. Full of shame of talking about her family, after going to college, she begins
to experience a totally different life and she makes up a fictional brother named Bubba in order
to impress her new girlfriends at the college she attends on scholarship. Bubba has been in jail,
wears Bass Weejuns held together with duct tape, writes sensitive poetry and goes to Dartmouth
because Charlene figures nobody will ever go that far north and find out he doesn't exist. Bubba
is like a legend story in her college friends(most of them are girls)s eyes. She tells stories about
her roommates and friends college life and family as well. The narrator herself has dream to be
a writer but always gets C in her creative writing, as her professor says she should write what she
knows. But she insists not writing about her life, which she despises and shuns away from. She
also recounts her affair with a professor, which is weird and sudden, ending with nothing.

Live bottomless is another impressive and captivating piece, chronicling the painstaking

efforts and transformation of a tough girl named Jenny, who takes on the responsibility of
patching up her parents marriage. She gets through the early stages of her fathers affair with
another woman. She observes everything going on in her family and neighborhood with
curiosity. She feels tortured by her original responsible and heroic father figure and secret
affair thing with an artist. She wants to keep it as a secret. She has two sisters and she illusions
an affection to one of her sisters husband Tom since dramatic things happen during her sisters
wedding day. She has a selfish and underdog uncle, jobless and divorced, brother of her Mama
always come to their home to ask for money, who always gives money but always cries after
giving. Mama always call people poor souls. When his uncle dies of being shot by a man in a
bar and then funeral is held at her house, his father publicly stays with the mistress and shows
break up with her mother, who is numb and unconscious. She also has weird grandma and
maid aunt who always bring trouble to his father as well. In order to win attention, she behaves
bad. After her mother is in hospital for months, she is sent to a relatives house to stay. She gets
good influence and begins to read Bible and do good deeds. When Mama finally succumbs to --
what else? -- a nervous breakdown, Jenny is sent to live briefly with cousin Glenda, a poor
relation and fundamentalist Christian who is one of the few people in the whole book not given
to fits of the vapors. She is fond of ''putting the quietus'' on people; her favorite phrase is ''Get a
grip.'' As she forms good emotional ties with the family, her father comes to pick her up. Her
father plans a long trip with her mom and her to recall his early life and patch up their marriage.
During the trip, the girl plays the major role of bridging her father and mother. She prays every
day and does good deeds as many as possible in order to please God to patch up her parents
relationship. Coincidently, they meet a crew with famous stars filming a movie in the same hotel
where they live. Then it brings them common topics to chat and add spices to their life there, and
they are invited to film the crowd actors, which kind of help their parents to cool down their
conflicts and get back some passed love and attention.

Recommendation

This novel was regarded an autobiography by me atfirstsight,evenwhileIwasreading

the first story. All the stories have inner connections(similar settings) and
commonalities(writing and family conditions). This is short-story selection including
coming-of-age characters, but contains sexy and absurd language for teenagers, which
might be controversial. But in terms of the story lines and plots, they are highly
informative and thought-provoking. Reading the short-stories is like listeningtoagirlor
woman narrating their life stories fact-to-face,soengagingandsuspenseful.Inallthesix

stories, each characters complex family background is told and intertwined with
narrators life seamlessly, which is both distant and close. Most of the characters in the
story have nervous breakdowns and some have miserable experiences, conflicts and
tears. Issues of writing is incorporated in the story, making the story real and more
informative. As the author of this book lives in North Carolina, many familiar names of
townsandplacesarementionedinthebook,whichmakesmefeelmoreengaging.

Quotes

1. Now,somanyyearslaterandaparentmyself,Iunderstandthatthereisno
anguishliketheanguishofnotbeingabletomakealovedonebecometheperson
youthinkheoughttobe.Itcantbedone,ofcourse.Buttheyhadnotgivenhim
upyet,notMamaandnotevenDaddy.Why,Masonwasbarelythirtyyearsold!
Surelyhedcometohissenses.Surelyhedshapeup.(p83)

Itssotruethatparentswontgivetheirbelovedonesupeventhoughtheyhave
disappointedthemmanytimes.Butthefactmightbecruel,asthebelovedonemight
neverturnsoverintoanewleaf.

2. IfeltthatIcouldbeasmeantohimasIwantedto,asmeansashedeserved,butI
couldntstandforanybodyelsetobemeantohim.(p98)

Itremindsmeofmyownfeelingtowardsfamilymembers.Imightbeunsatisfactoryand
complainaboutmyparents,butIcantbearanyotheroneincludingmyhusbandtobe
impoliteandrudetotheminmyface.

3.Mamaalwayssaid,Talkrealsweetandyouhavewhateveryouwant.(p157)

InChina,thereisasayingalove-smilinggirlwonthavebadluck.

4.Imaybeold,butImnotdead.(p177)

Suchabeginningsignalsitisaflashbackstory.

5.Ofcourseamotherworriesmoreovertheonewhostheweakest,theonewhohas
themosttrouble.(p262)

Thisisasentencedescribingonechildsunderstandingtohermothersspoiling,more
attentionandlovetoanotherchild--asibling.Inmulti-childfamily,itiscommontosee
achildtendstocomplainaboutparentspartialandunequallovetothechildren.ButI
believemostofthetime,itistrueasthesentenceindicatesMomactuallytendstogive

moreattentiontotheweakest,themostproblematicchild.

ReadingJournal12Four

December5

ADystopianNovelwrittenbyVeronicaRoth

FromthepointofviewofFour

BothoverlappingandoriginaltoDivergent

Bothfamiliarandnew

Acollectionofshortstories,acollectionofsecrets

Readingthisnovel,actuallyashort-storycollectionisoutofmyplan.Ithoughtitwasthe
fourthbookofDivergentseries,butitturnedouttobeacollectionofstorieshiddenand
untoldinDivergentfromFourspointofview.IlikethemalecharacterofFourvery
much,whoistheinstructor,friend,andboyfriendofTris,theoriginalnarrator.While
flippingthroughthebook,Iwaskindofattractedbyitimmediately.Readingsuchan
affiliatedbookofDivergentislikeopeninganotherwindowtothestorywhichhasbeen
familiartoyoubutwithdifferentsightviewsandfeelings.Istillfeelengagingby
satisfyingmycuriositytoknowmoreaboutFour.

FINAL: 12 of 12 books -- requirement complete! Nice work, Xiaojing! Best, Dr. Young