Blog #2: Describing Story Elements

10/22/2017

Last week we learned about the essential elements needed for a story: character, setting, and plot. A story must have one or more main characters that readers follow. The story must have a setting --a time and a place of some sort. Lastly, the story must have a plot, which is what happens to the character(s), often containing some sort of conflict or problem.

This week, I want you to describe each of those story elements in a book you are reading or have read recently.

This Week's Prompt:

Describe each of the three story elements --character(s), setting, and plot-- in a story you are reading or have read recently.
As you describe each story element, think about the answers to the following questions to guide you:

Who is the main character and what is he/she like? Are there any important supporting characters we should know about? What are they like?
Where does the story take place? What time period? Why is the setting important?
What is the plot of the story? What is the main conflict that the main character faces?

I look forward to reading your responses about character, setting, and plot!

Check the Reading Response Rubric for the usual requirements for responding to a blog.

60 Comments

The Silas

10/23/2017 04:23:57 pm

Dear Class,
I am reading a book called Insurgent. In this book, people are sorted into one of five factions, a group, Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, Amity, and lastly, Condor. Tris Prior is a 16 year old girl and she is growing up in the Dauntless faction. She is very smart and talented, but she still has more to learn about the Dauntless lifestyle. She seems to have a boyfriend, named Tobias, who just happened to be her instructor on the Dauntless living ways. This book takes place in future Chicago. I have no idea why it takes place then, and there! One major problem for Tris, Tobias, her brother Caleb, and her old neighbor Susan. They are Running from the faction Erudite, who has injected a serum into all of the Dauntless members, but the serum does not work on Tobias nor Tris, and so the serum has hypnotized everyone to kill a certain faction of people, and now, the Erudite are looking for Tris and Tobias.
Sincerely,
Silas

Sanat

11/3/2017 01:46:26 pm

Dear Silas,
Your 2nd RRB is really good. You made me really want to read insurgence. First let me praise you for how you described the whole book but it was still a summary. Now for a question why are they put into group? Thats kind of like racism? Lastly to push your thinking what would you feel like if you were Trises shoes? Would you be scared if the Erudite were after you? I would be the Erudite sound powerful! All in all you did a good job.
Thanks, Sanat

The Silas

11/6/2017 05:52:15 pm

Sanat, your feedback to me was very helpful, thank you. First, to answer your question, these people are put into factions for a reason. They are put into factions to decide on how these people want to live the rest of their lives. So it isn’t really racism. Secondly, to push my thinking, I think that I would feel very pressured, and so scared. I would also feel very shocked that the serum does not work on me, so I would be a bit nervous on what to do. I maybe would feel like my life is about to end, so I may want to spend the rest of my life in good times.
Sincerely,
Silas

Adie

10/23/2017 08:00:59 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I have been reading a book called Drama.This book is based on a girl named Callie.She loves theater. Callie has friends named Matt,Sanjay,and her crush Greg. The story is about Callie doing stage crew for a new play. Callie tries to get Gregs attention, but Greg is sort of backing of Callie. The story takes place in a middle school and the theater. The conflict that Callie faces is Greg being rude to Callie, for example when Greg is at the lunch with his friends Callie goes up to Greg and says “What's up “ and Greg leaves the table to talk to Callie. It almost seems like Greg is emmarest. Hoped you like the outline of the story.
From,
Adie

Brayden

11/2/2017 08:05:40 pm

Dear Adie,
I liked how you gave description, but you didn’t give away the story. Also you put it together very well. It was very easy to read. One question is what middle school?What’s the name of it? Secondly do Greg and Callie get together? Does Greg like her back? Another question is what did Greg say to Callie when he got up to talk to her? Was he nice or mean about it? Finally what would you do if you were in Callie's situation, and why? Great job on your paragraph.;)
Sincerely,
Brayden

Adie

11/8/2017 08:41:31 pm

Dear Braydon,
Thank you for giving me the feedback. Now the next time when I explained my book that I am reading I will think of that. Now I will answer your questions. When you said Was he nice or mean about it?Well it sortof felt like Greg was an barest of talking to Callie. The second question that you asked “was Greg mean about when Greg talked to Callie alone well no Greg said it in a neves way but nice way. The last question is “How would you feel if you were Callie”, I would feel kind of sad because Greg couldn’t talk to Callie around his friends. Thanks for the feedback!
From,
Adie

Selina

10/23/2017 08:34:40 pm

Dear Class,
I am reading a book called Deep Blue. The book is about mermaids. This one special mergirl, named Serafina,, is the princess of Miramara. She is 16 years old and is ready to take her mother’s place as regina/queen. When she is ready to take her mother’s place as regina/queen she has to go through difficult steps. First, you have to go through a Dokini, which is a celebration for testing your blood so you can prove to people that you are the actual princess of Miramara. During the Dokini she also has to get betrothed to a crown prince. Her best friend, Neela, who is the cousin of Mahdi, who is the crown prince, helps her on her journey. The Ieles, which merpeople think are myths are real and calling out for Serafina, Neela, and four others. The Ieles are sea witches that are good. The setting takes place in the sea. They are in Miramara which is a tiny kingdom of merpeople. The time was probably around 1936 or something because there were kings and queens. They don’t ever go on land and they call humans, terragoggs. They are trying to find the Ieles. They met one person named, Ling, who is one of the four they need to find. They travel hard and weary and with no food left. And that's all I read to. It's also a serie.
Sincerely,
Selina

Will

11/1/2017 08:02:28 pm

Dear Selina
Where do I begin? Amazing job! First I loved how you didn’t use him and her you always used the actual characters name. I’m pretty sure every time you used the characters name. I also admired how you described the characters setting and plot. It helps me have a better picture in my mind. My first question is that I’m a bit confused when you said it was a serie. I’m not positive but I don’t think this is a word. It might be a typo but I’m not sure. This shows me that you didn’t proofread enough. To push your thinking I think you should explain a bit more. You never really told me about Serafina's mom. Is she ill or did she die? But overall a great job on this it’s really good.
Sincerely,
Will

Selina

11/8/2017 06:10:58 pm

Dear Will,
Thank you for noticing that! I never use her or him in the response because I was afraid that people who read the response wouldn't know who I was talking about. First, to answer your question, a series is where there's a bunch of books written about the same character. For example, Percy Jackson, that's a series. Also, there was a typo. The word serie was suppose to be series. Second, Serafina's mom was killed during an assassin attack. Also, Serafina's dad was killed by saving the queen. He was shot in the heart. First of all, you should read the book! Anyways, thank you for responding!
Sincerely,
Selina

Finley

10/24/2017 05:03:45 pm

Dear Class,
I am reading a book called Genuine Sweet. This book takes place in a super small town. There is less than 20 kids in the entire town the school! The characters in this book live in a modern time, and I know this because there are cell phones. The main character in this book is a girl named Genuine. She is about our age and very poor, but nevertheless she is selfless. I know this because she is a wish fetcher. A wish fetcher grants wishes to others, but can not grant wishes for themselves. Even though she is poor and can’t grant herself wishes, she still grants wishes for others. But in this book it's also hard to be a wish fetcher. Genuine wants to help everybody, but doing that is not easy. From helping people in her town, to helping end world hunger, and still having to go to school everyday, it gets harder to be a wish fetcher. But I’ve learned from reading this book is that Genuine can do anything she puts her mind to!
Sincerely,
Finley

Hazel

11/2/2017 05:47:38 pm

Dear Finley,
I can't explain how much I want to read this book! I wonder what it's like living in a town with less then 20 kids, and one of those kids is a grant wisher! I found it crazy when you said granting wishes for everyone is hard, but once I kept reading your blog, I had more information about going to school almost everyday. There was just one thing I noticed, you said: There is 20 kids in the entire town the school! To be honest, I couldn't understand that. I understood the part when you said: There is less than 20 kids in the entire town... After that I couldn't understand. I also have one question, how would you feel if you were in Genuine's point of view? Would you be stressed or plan things out? Other than that I thought that your blog was quite interesting and like I said, I can't explain how much I want to read it!
Sincerely,
Hazel

Finley

11/7/2017 05:01:24 pm

Dear Hazel,
Thank you so much for the praise. I agree with you that it’s crazy that there is 20 kids in one school. Thats nothing compared to our school! I also find it crazy that out of only 20 kids, one is a wish granter. To answer your question, I meant to say there are only 20 kids in the entire school. I don’t know why I said town the school. To answer your other question, if I was in Genuines point of view, I would probably plan things out. I would do this by writing each name and wish in a notebook, then put them in order of most important to least important. But even if I planned out what I would do, I would probably still be stressed. I don’t think it would be possible to go to school everyday and grant everyone wishes without getting stressed! Again, thank you for the praise and I’m glad you were interested!
From
Finley

Alex

10/24/2017 06:38:35 pm

The One and Only Ivan Alex

Dear Class,

Lately I’ve been reading the book The One and Only Ivan. The main character is Ivan the gorilla. This book has lots of animals and people. The book is written in Ivan’s point of view. He describes what he thinks of humans. Clearly in the book Ivan thinks humans are dumb. He used phrases like, “sometimes chimps are smarter than humans”, or “why don’t humans eat the peel in a banana it’s the best part?”. Ivan does not live in the zoo, he lives at the mall. He also loves to watch tv. One of Ivan’s hobbies is drawing. He loves to draw because of Julia drawings. Julia is a girl who comes to the mall because her father cleans the mall for his job. Julia is amazing at drawing. She inspires Ivan to draw more.
Some other characters in the book are Stella, Ruby, and Mack. Stella and Ruby are elephants and Mack runs the mall. There’s a glass chain between each animal section. Early in the book Stella gets hurt. This means Stella is somewhere else getting medical help. Meanwhile, Ruby is a baby elephant still growing and loving Stella like everyone does. She misses her while she is gone. Ivan misses Stella too.
In one part of the book Mack was getting real frustrated with Ruby. She wasn’t listening to Mack. For instance, Mack gave these clear instructions for a trick and Ruby just stood there like a scarecrow. He was so frustrated he quit and stomped off. He came back the next day. Meanwhile, Ivan is working so hard to make this amazing picture to show Julia. But Julia still doesn’t realize the picture is a puzzle. Will she find out?
Some of Ruby’s hobbies are asking tons of questions and listening to all sorts of stories. She will always ask somebody to tell her a story. She always pushes someone to think about their childhood.
The climax of the book is that the mall is low on money. The mall has very few visitors and the animals are scared and don’t know what’s going to happen if the mall runs out of money. When I was reading this part I was scared for the animals and couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.
In summary, The One and Only Ivan is a fabulous book to read and you always want to know what’s next.

Sincerely,
Alex

Ava

11/2/2017 11:00:07 pm

Dear Alex,

Wow you wrote a lot. But one of the things I liked about your comment was it didn't give everything away to somebody who hasn't read it. Also I liked how you described each characters personality carefully. One of my questions is why else does Julia come to the mall? Because you already said she came there because her dad worked there but couldn't she stay at her house? To push your thinking what would do if you were a poor gorilla trapped inside a small plastic cage in a mall? I know I would be very unhappy.

Sincerely,
Ava

Alex

11/7/2017 04:59:37 pm

Dear Ava,
Thank you for praising me on not giving the book away and describing each character's personality. It was well written and thought out with a lot of time and effort. In your praising section in your reading response you didn’t say, “I think you did fine” you put in a lot of elaboration into your response. Next, your question was why does Julia come to the mall? My answer is Julia can’t stay home because she’s a little kid who goes to school and comes to the mall to do her homework. Her Dad doesn’t want to leave a little kid at home.
Finally, in your last question you asked me how I would feel if I were a gorilla locked in a small cage. If were a gorilla I don’t think I would be as happy as I am as a person. If I were stuck in a cage I would be pretty annoyed rather than living out in the wild. First, what I would do is misbehave when I’m a little gorilla. Then hopefully I’ll figure out consequences and start behaving. But, throughout the day I would never be as happy as a free living gorilla in the wild. Thank you for writing back to me about my response and asking me questions and pushing my thinking.
Sincerely,
Alex

Jack

10/25/2017 03:14:16 pm

Dear Class,
Currently, I am reading an interesting book called the Mysterious Benedict Society. First, I will talk about the plot, so you know what is happening in this book. Last year in this book, four children where sent on a mission. They had to stop a evil man with a machine that could erase your memory. The four children defeated the evil man and took the machine. They now don’t know where evil man is which will turn into a problem. Mr. Benedict, the genius who sent them on the mission, is now using the machine to bring back people’s memory’s. The four children haven’t seen each other in a year so Mr. Benedict sent a letter to all of them telling them that they would be meeting at one of the children’s house. What the kids did not know was that he was planning another mission for them. We don’t exactly know what this mission was, but we know he would leave to go somewhere with his assistant and the children would leave after and meet him somewhere. This plan went sideways, and he got captured by the evil man. The children were then called to his house by one of his other assistants. They walked into the house to find a pigeon with a note. It was sent by the evil man. It said that if they did not tell him were this special plant was they would never see Mr. Benedict or his assistant again. Also, when they went to Mr. Benedict’s house they found another note that was written by Mr. Benedict before he had been kidnapped. The children decided to follow the directions of the note to try to find Mr. Benedict. They are soon to start their mission and I hope they will find Mr. Benedict and his assistant.
Now I will tell you a little about the setting. I’m sure the time period is anywhere from modern day to the 1950’s. I think this because in the first book there were mentioning’s of TVs. This is probably very important because depending on what time you live in defines what type of super tech you can use. Also, if this is way in the past then the whole story wouldn’t work because the machine that the evil man made can ERASE your memory so that sounds pretty high tech. The place where the book takes place is Kate’s (one of the four children) farm. There is a big amount of land, a barn, and tons of apple trees. It seems as if it’s far away from the center of the town because there was a lot of talk about how they walked in from town, but it took a long time. It also takes place in Mr. Benedict’s house. There isn’t much description about the house, but we know that Constance (one of the children that Mr. Benedict also adopted) lives there and in the basement, is the machine that the evil man made. The place is obviously important because its where everything is happening. The setting is sure to get more interesting throughout the book because of the exciting events that are bound to happen.
The main characters are named Mr. Benedict, Reynie, Constance, Sticky and Kate. They are all very smart in their own ways. One example for all of them is that they had to pass a test so hard it’s almost impossible to solve. Reynie, the team leader, solve the last problem, a giant maze, by finding a clue that almost no one could notice. Reynie is kind and willing to sacrifice himself to complete a mission. Sticky just guessed his way through the maze but when they asked him to do it again he remember every single turn and there was more than one hundred of them. Sticky is also a scaredy-cat. Kate took so long to finish the maze, but she was still allowed on the team, but she is so athletic. For instance, one time she had to get across a room without touching the ground, so she hooked a rope across and tight-roped her way there. Kate is also kind and she is very brave. Constance is the dumbest one on the team with an average knowledge but... she’s only two. She’s very sassy but the team needs her. Mr. Benedict is very smart but he himself said that the evil man is too smart to be out witted by grownups, but he can be out witted by kids. Mr. Benedict made the mission to stop the evil man. He is also very nice and does not want the kids to get hurt. So, the characters in this book are very unique and they will keep making a difference. As you can see, the story elements in the book the Mysterious Benedict Society are very interesting and are sure to change.

Ms. Kimball

10/25/2017 04:28:14 pm

Dear Jack,
Wow! I can't believe how much you wrote! At first I was worried that it was going to be confusing and a giant retelling of the entire story, but when I read through it, I was thoroughly impressed because you structured your response in an easy to follow way, with three separate sections. You also explained each story element in great detail, and you wrote in a way that describes the story straightforwardly, which is so helpful to people who haven't read the book. Fabulous!

You definitely did not need to go into that much detail --WAY above and beyond! Mastery to the maximum. Nevertheless, thank you for explaining the Mysterious Benedict Society so clearly for me and the class.

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

DeAngi Partovi

11/13/2017 06:25:28 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

Wow your right! He wrote a lot of plot still keeping a stable and secure structure. Jack has wrote the most without rambling on or straying off topic. Bravo Jack!

Sincerely,

DeAngi

Ms. Kimball

11/14/2017 05:05:48 pm

Dear DeAngi,

Right!? I totally thought Jack's response would be too long and maybe a retelling, but he definitely nailed it. He worked really hard on it and it shows. I'll let him know you agree ;-)

Sincerely,
Ms. Kimball

Gabe

11/2/2017 07:23:20 pm

Dear Jack,
Your response was outstanding and I think even a first grader could easily tell that you put a lot of effort in your response. Your response was very organized and was in a step by step order. Also your writing was very easy for anyone to read, what I mean by that is that I had no idea that the book Mysterious Benedict Society existed. But you made it very simple and easy to follow. Also everything you put in there you explained it perfectly. Lastly you told exactly how the story went, you did not jump scene to scene confusing your reader. Instead your writing contained perfect order.
Your writing contained a big stories line and in result of that detail was nearly impossible to fit all in but you came pretty close with your extensive amount of writing you put in it. But I do have some questions that I would love answered. The first one is that I wonder if the world in the book is the same as the world we live in? Like, wouldn't the police try to get the evil man and not leave it up to a bunch of kids? Also I was wondering in the beginning, how did they defeat the evil man and get the memory stealing machine? Another question is that at the end of the first paragraph it talked about a special plant, what is this special plant and do you know why the evil man needs it? And lastly in the third paragraph you showed evidence that they belong in the team except for one person on the team. My question is why is Constance on the team and what has she done for the team?
Lastly to push your thinking, if you were on the team which way would you be smart. As in, what would you do for the team? Also do you think you would fit in well with the team or would you stand out and not be to any use?
In conclusion I absolutely loved your response and the time you put into it and I am really excited to see how you respond to my response.

Sincerely,
Gabe

Jack

11/6/2017 06:50:47 pm

Dear Gabe,
Thank you for responding to my elements summary. I think you did a very nice job and your structure and organization was on point. Also, your detail and P.Q.P was great. As you can see, I loved your response.
I think you have some great questions so let me answer them. To start off with, their world is very much like our world except the fact that there is a human who is smart enough to create a machine that can erase your memory and take away your fears. This machine could broadcast messages on the TV and that would do what was stated in the sentence above. Also, the reason why the police did not stop the "bad guy" is because when he sent the messages out on TV no one could know it was happening, they would just be affected by the messages. Another reason why no one knew was because the "ten men" (the "bad guy’s servants) would kidnap people but for some reason no one would notice, and, Mr. Benedict tried to tell the government about the messages, but no one would listen to him. To answer your second question, the way they defeated the "bad guy" in the first book is not really important, you just need to know they got the machine. But if you want to know I'll tell you that the ‘bad guy” had a case called narcolepsy. Narcolepsy makes you faint from strong emotions, so, they were able to make him pass out and then they took the machine and left him behind. To answer your question about the special plant I know just as much as you about it and I have no idea why the “bad guy” wanted it. Finally, a lot has happened since my first response but the reason why Constance is on the team is because she is only two and she can predict future. To sum it up, the question you asked sure put me to work.
Last but not least, I loved your thinking questions. To answer the first one, I am very athletic, and I think I could help them in physical ways. Also, I do not think I would do well with the team because they are all so smart and I don’t think I could help in that way. In conclusion, I do not think I would fit well with the team.
So, I loved the questions you asked me and how you tried to push my thinking. I hope you like my answers.
Sincerely,
Jack

Matthew

10/25/2017 05:16:26 pm

Dear Class,
The book I’m reading is called Flora and Ulysses. The main characters are Flora which is a girl and a squirrel named Ulysses. Flora is a daughter of a romance novel writer and only lives with her Mom. Ulysses was named after a vacuum called the Ulysses 2000. That is where he got his name he also is a crime fighter that flies. Another detail about Ulysses is he also writes poetry. The beginning is when Ulysses gets sucked up by a vacuumed and Flora comes to the rescue. The climax is that the Mom wants the squirrel died because squirrels have a lot of disease. Also Flora thinks that her Mom kidnap Ulysses. That is all I have read so far.
Sincerely,
Matthew

The Silas

10/30/2017 04:11:11 pm

Dear Matthew,
Your reading response blog was great! I loved it.First, my praise to you is that when you mentioned the characters names, Flora and Ulysses, you mentioned where the name Ulysses came from. Next, my question for you is where is Flora’s dad? Also is Flora’s mom, a mom who loves her daughter so much, or is she the type of mom where she hates her daughter, or is she in between? Lastly, to push your thinking, what would you do if you were in Flora’s shoes? Would you just leave the squirrel, would you call animal control, or what would you do? Overall, for your 2nd RRB yours was pretty good.
Sincerely,
Silas

Matthew

11/8/2017 08:12:15 pm

Dear Silas,
Thank you for reading my second RRB and for all the praise! To answer your first question Flora’s dad is divorced with Flora’s mother. To answer second question Flora’s mom is in between because of the squirrel. Also because the squirrel can give her or Flora a disease. That’s why Flora’s mother is in between. Also to answer your last question I would be scared if I was Flora. I would be scared because imagine you trying to save your squirrel from your manic mother. Another reason is when they have to try to find Flora’s squirrel. When the car they are taking to find her mother and squirrel breaks down in the middle of the highway. So they have to get out of the car and they all scream Ulysses. Thank you again for reading and responding to my second RRB.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Gabe

10/25/2017 06:45:02 pm

Dear class,
I am reading an amazing book called “Wonder”, the book wonder is about a kid who is just like every other kid except that when he was born his face was deformed. He has been homeschooled for his whole life but that changes when he goes to a public school for the first time. But when he starts going to school I got a little confused because there started to be a lot of characters in the book. Also in the book I started to think that the setting was kind of like where we live because there is snow and sledding in the story. Another thing is that the book really creates a really complicated world because there are a number of different parts and in each part is a different person's perspective. And lastly the plot is very unpredictable because the story does not foreshadow. I think that it is like this because things happen like one then another not like one huge thing that lasts the whole story. Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see yours
Sincerely Gabe

Jack

10/31/2017 04:21:06 pm

Dear Gabe,
The book Wonder sounds very interesting and I think you did a great job describing it. First of all, I would like to praise you because I loved in particular how summarized the book in a way that made it so I could understand the book without you retelling the whole story. This can be a very great skill especially when someone has not read the story before. I also like how you explain specific details to me and then make a great inference using that clue. For instance, you told me that the setting must be somewhere near us because there was snowfall. Another thing you did that I liked was that you described things that weren't really happening in the book. For example, you told me that there was more than one perspective in the book. Also, how there was so many sharp turns in the plot of your book. As you can see, I loved how you wrote your summary of the elements.
Along with praising your great summary I also have a few questions. One of them is who are those characters at the school, are any of them important, and if they are can you tell me a little about them next time. Another question is does the author tell you how he got deformed or did it just happen for no reason? My last question is can you explain to me one of events that is happening. To sum it up, those are all the questions I have for you.
Finally, I am going to try to push your thinking a little further so one thing I want to ask you is how would you feel about yourself if you had a deformed face like the character in the book.? Would you hate life, or would you not mind? Also, if a kid at your school had a deformed face what would you do. Push him or her away and try not to notice him or her or would you be nice to him or her? So I hope you are thinking hard about what choses you would you make.
In conclusion I am very excited to hear back from you and I want to know what you have to say.
Sincerely,
Jack

Gabe

11/9/2017 08:36:40 am

Dear Jack,
Thank you so much for responding to my response and now I will answer your questions. Your first question is “ who are those characters at the school, are any of them important?” And to answer this, yes, a lot of the other main characters in the book are at the school. Some of the really important people in the school is a kid named Jack a girl named Summer who are friends with the main character. Also another important person in the book is a bully named Julien who is really mean to the main character. Your next question was “does the author tell you how he got deformed or did it just happen for no reason? And to answer this, yes, the other said that there was a low chance in his D.N.A that he would turn out like he is. Your last question was “can you explain to me one of the events that are happening?” and yes I can, one of the things that is happening is the main character is on a field trip. And what the field trip is about is it is a nature preserve and so far the main character is having a blast. Thank you so much, Jack for your comments that helped me realise that my response was quite lacking detail.

Sincerely,
Gabe

David

10/25/2017 09:39:19 pm

Dear Class,

The Book I am reading right now is the book of the author J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This is a second novel in the Harry Potter series. The plot follows Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts, during which a series of weird messages on the walls in the school's hallway warn that the "Chamber of Secrets' has been opened again and the "heir of Slytherin" would kill all students from mixed families (mudbloods) - where one parent is a wizard, while the another parent is not. These connections are found each time after attacks on the living or dead (ghosts) creatures of the Hogwarts School. After an attack, a creature would be found "petrified" (frozen). Harry and his friends, Ron (from full Wizard family) and Hermione (from a non-magical family) would investigate these attacks during the full 2nd grade of Hogwarts

Harry himself did not know he is a wizard, until only a year ago. Maybe because of that, he looks at the friendship with clear eyes, not dividing his friends on "pure" and "half blood", because it doesn't affect his friendship with them anyhow. He is building his own identity now, and he sees real good things in people, no matter who they are and what they are, judging by what they do, vs. who their parents are. Harry Potter is very inclusive, and his friends, Ron and Hermione are on his side. Together, they would be able to reveal the truth from the attacks, fight for good, and defeat the evil.
Yours Truly,
David

Anthony

11/5/2017 07:25:24 pm

Dear David,
Wow!! I don’t know where to start but that was a really nice response. You did a great job describing the characters and the setting in the book David. I liked how you told us info about the book but not too much info so we were still hanging at the end of your response. David do you think you can tell me a little more about the story like who teaches Harry Potter in class? And like who own’s Hogwart? To get you thinking, do you think ghosts are at Hogwarts because it's haunted?( I might start to read the series)
Sincerely,
Anthony

David

11/6/2017 09:22:58 pm

Dear Anthony,

Thank you for complementing on my book review. I am also glad you are considering reading it. I am sure you'll like it, as this book is really great and answers many questions not only in the wizard's world but in our own world.

If you're asking who is teaching Harry in his class? Then wizards. Not magicians, but real wizards. His classroom teacher, Mrs. Mcgonagall is a witch that could turn onto a cat. She can turn into a cat at any moment, and back to the human shape again. She is old, wise, and sympathetic to Harry. Yet, Harry leans more to professor Dumbledore, who is even older and even wiser, and also a Director of Hogwarts. Hogwarts is owned by the wizards in the ministry of education and magic. There are many subjects that Harry is learning at school. Some of them are similar to what we're learning in 5th Grade. Such as Social Studies, Math, Science, and some are very different, such as the self defense against evil spells class. Once you start reading you'll see it by yourself. But if I were you, I would start reading from very first book about Harry Potter, called: Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.

About the ghosts who lived in Hogwarts. That's a good question. I don't think I know the answer to this question yet. I was taken it as granted that ghost live at Hogwarts and have their own personalities. Some of them, however just formal students, such as Poor Myrtle, who was attacked last time the Chamber Of Secret got opened. The story I am reading right now is about her as well. But some of the ghosts are all grown ups, Sirs and Ladies, and I don't know why would they choose Hogwarts for their home. I'll try to find out about it. Or, maybe you will find it first.
Sincerely,
David

Paoli

10/26/2017 08:41:06 am

Dear Ms.Kimball
I am reading Out Of My Mind. the main character is named Melody. She is very upsettingly paralyzed. She can’t move move or speak! I’m inferring that the time wasn’t too long ago because there are computers and other devices like that. At school Melody obviously can’t take care of herself knowing she can’t walk or talk. She has a person that goes around with her to support her for things like that. Her helpers name is Catherine. You might be wondering though how Melody communicates with Catherine. Catherine carries a board around with her and Melody. That board has words on it so Melody can point to certain words. The setting is mostly in her school and sometimes her home. The thing is, Melody is very sad because she can’t talk. But she is so smart! She does actually join the quiz team! And they win the finals. At that point Melody has this computer with a speaker that helps her speak. It’s called a medi-talker. But the thing is Melody needs more than one friend.

Lilah

11/2/2017 08:00:43 pm

Dear Paoli,
You did a fantastic job responding to the second blog. Excellent job explaining the character's, setting, and plot of Out Of My Mind.
First, to give you some praise, I observed that you did a good job of stating the setting. For example, you wrote “I’m inferring that the time wasn’t too long ago because there are computers and other devices like that.” When you write something like that, you give proof to the reader that you are not just making things up and they will understand why you think something. Also, you had no grammatical errors that I noticed. I understood everything you wrote and didn’t need to try to guess what you meant because of issues with your grammar.
Second, some questions I still have are, I noticed that you wrote “the thing is Melody needs more than just one friend.” Does Melody get teased by other kids or made fun of? I thought someone so smart and kind would have more than one friend, even if they're paralyzed . Also, when Catherine, Melody’s helper carries the board around does Melody ever get frustrated because the word she wants isn’t on the board? If so a what does Melody do about it?
Lastly, to push your thinking deeper, if you were Melody, and you were paralyzed would you be sad about your condition, would you just live inside you and not care about the world around you, or something else? Also, If you were Catherine, and you couldn’t understand what Melody was trying to say, how would you feel?
I hope I was helpful, you definitely did a great job of responding to blog #2. I really enjoyed writing to you.
Sincerely,
Lilah

Paoli

11/9/2017 08:35:14 am

Dear Lilah,
Your support was AMAZING! I’m glad I explained characters,setting and plot well. And thanks for telling me I explained the setting well. I wasn’t really familiar with the setting in a way. The book never said anything about the setting, so they had even MORE space to add things about the characters and plot. It was pretty easy to explain those. And I’m really happy that I had no errors with my grammar knowing that I’m probably the worst in the class with that. It's great you didn’t have to guess or think anything that much because I explained a lot. And to answer your question, people don’t straight up tease her. They do...partially. They also keep secrets, like whisper to each other. And the reason she only has one friend is because people don’t notice her as person. If she can’t talk, then how can people notice that she is smart. Also to answer your other question, Melody does get mad when Catherine doesn’t understand her. This does make Melody mad but she can’t do anything about it. She can’t talk. She just screams! And if I were Melody I would be very upset if I had no ability to speak or move. I would cry a lot of the time. And if i were Catherine, I wouldn’t be too upset. I would jest interact with her in another way then talking. But overall, thank you the great support! I also really enjoyed sharing this with you!

Sincerely,
Paoli.

Anthony

10/26/2017 07:27:43 pm

Dear Class,
I’m reading a really funny book called the Twits. It’s about Mrs. Twit and Mr. Twit who play jokes on each other just for fun. But I’m starting to wonder why they would get married if all they do is do pranks on each other. Just so you now Mrs. Twit is a sixty year old who has a glass eye’s and a cane. But her cane is not to help her walk it’s to whack children. And Mr. Twit has not token a bath for years. He has a super messy beard with eggs, fish bits and little bits of who knows how old food. They live in what looks like a small old wooden house. It seems like a really funny story but really sneaky at the same time.
Sincerely,
Anthony

David

11/2/2017 06:01:45 pm

Dear Anthony,

What a great story! Mr and Mrs Twits sound so alive! But at the same time, if they are just 60, they should not be that old, and should not use a cane at all. They should still go to work and make a little more money for living. Didn't it sound strange to you too?Because my dad will be 60 years old in 8 years, and he is nothing like those Twits.

I actually think i'll be scared after reading about them, and I think using a cane to whack children is not a good idea at all, and it's not funny. And also, Mr.Twit who has not taken (I assume, you mean "taken", not "token") a bath for years??? sounds really weird! I mean, that's crazy and yucky, but not funny.

Now, can you please explain me, why do you think this story is funny? Because I feel a little sorry for Mr. and Ms.Twit. They are probably sick and have brain damage or something like that, Otherwise, in their 60's they would be pretty much active and act normal, like we do!

And why do you think the story is sneaky? Do they pretend to brake up but actually don't?

But can you please explain in more details what happens in this book, because I don't understand.

Yours Truly,
David

Ava

10/26/2017 07:57:16 pm

Dear Mrs. Kimball,
I am reading a book called One for the Murphy's.The main character is Carly Conners. Carly has a hard life. Her mother gets drunk a lot. She has to live with her abusive stepfather Dennis. But luckily she gets sent away to a foster home to live with the Murphys. She wants to go back to her normal home. But also likes where her foster home is. The setting is modern. Some evidence I've gathered is. That Carly and her friend discuss the play Wicked. Then another example is they have modern technology such as phones,laptops and iPads. But with Carly's situation she used to live in Las Vegas. But she moved to her foster which is in the New England area. Now for the plot of the story or the problem. Is that Carly has to go to a foster home and isn't to happy about it. So she has to decide whether she wants to stay there or move to another foster home. I love this book so far.

Sincerely,
Ava

Alex

10/30/2017 06:05:08 pm

Dear Ava,
I loved your response about the One for the Murphy’s. One thing I notice is you elaborated on specific details like “Carly wants to go back to her normal home. But also likes where her foster home is”. In this sentence you wrote there was elaboration and transition words. Also, you wrote the setting plot. The setting you wrote said modern days. Then you elaborated and wrote “they have modern technology such as phone, laptops and ipads”. It was also helpful when you gave the plot. You wrote “Carly has to go to the foster home but isn’t to happy about it”. This is some things that I would praise about your response.
Secondly, some questions I have is Carly a good person and does Carly have any friends? Also if she has any friends at the foster home do they influence her in a good way? Or are they a bad influence and make bad decisions? Why does Carly want to leave the foster home she is currently at?
Finally, to push your thinking if you were Carly and had to move to a foster home would you be happy? If you have a different emotion than Carly what would the emotion be? Also, would you decide to stay at the foster home or move to the new home? In summary your response was detailed and your book sounds very interesting.
Sincerely,
Alex

Luca

11/2/2017 01:31:10 pm

Dear, Alex
It's Luca I just want to say that I think your response was amazing! So I used your strucer for my own response. I thought you did very well on it by using good spelling use of commas and your structer. Thank's

Ava

11/8/2017 11:14:04 pm

Dear Alex,
Thank you for the compliment. I always love reading those. To answer your first question in my opinion Carly is a good idea person. She does some things that aren't too nice. But everybody does sometimes. To answer your second question Carly does have one friend her name is Toni. Toni's influences don't really change Carly because they have so much in common. To answer your third question Carly likes her foster home because she's being taken care of. But she obviously misses her mother who is still in the hospital because of a beating her new husband Dennis gave her. But if I was Carly I would feel similar I'd mostly miss my parents but I might enjoy it there. I would decide to stay at the foster home I was already at like Carly. I would recommend this book to anyone it's really good.

Sincerely,
Ava

The Extra Sparkly Lilah

10/26/2017 08:16:04 pm

Dear Class,
Recently, I started reading My Life in Pink & Green, written by Lisa Greenwald. I’m pretty sure I have evaluated the elements of a story, character(s), setting, and plot, in the book My Life In Pink & Green.
First, to give you the important information about the characters, the main character's name is Lucy. Lucy is creative, a problem solver, and she’s just “pink and green” as it says in the title. For example, Lucy is pink because she is big on beauty and makeup’ she has a lot of beauty tips. One example, of one of Lucy’s beauty tips is “ Lip-gloss is the perfect finishing touch to any clothing ensemble.” Lucy, is green because she cares a lot about the environment. To prove that Lucy cares a lot about the environment, Lucy joined a group called earth club. Three supporting characters you should know about are Sunnita, also known as Sunny, Mom, and, Grandma. Sunny is Lucy’s best friend and a really nice girl. Mom, like Lucy cares about the environment and is an awesome mom. Grandma loves to give advice and she has helped Lucy many times in the past.
To explain the setting, I think the time period is after 2006. I think the time period is after 2006 because there are iphones, there are many kinds of beauty products, and there are Glamour magazines. Most of the story takes place at Lucy’s family’s pharmacy. The pharmacy is called Old Mill’s Pharmacy. Old Mill’s Pharmacy is an important part of the story because Old Mill’s Pharmacy is where Lucy learned how to do makeup and it’s where she bonded with her sister the most, who is know in college.
To summarize the plot, as Lucy tries to find time to hang out with her friends Grandma and Mom are at Old Mill’s Pharmacy struggling to keep up with bills and keep the pharmacy open. The biggest problem is that Lucy’s family is struggling to keep Old Mill’s pharmacy open and have money for other things. This is totally affecting Lucy for example, “I wonder what other kids are thinking about, probably not money?” Lucy said to her mom.
I hope I did a good job of explaining the character(s), setting, and plot in My Life In Pink & Green. I worked really hard on this.
Sincerely,
Lilah

Paoli

11/3/2017 01:48:46 pm

Dear Lilah,
I loved hearing how much you had to say about your book. Now that I heard all about your book, I’m pretty hyped up to read “My Life In Pink And Green”. I loved the way you explained the characters, setting, and plot. Like how Lucy is a problem solver and how she loves makeup. And trust me you didn’t have to tell me that you worked hard on this because you you made a pretty big one or two paragraphs. You did a astonishing job on elaborating your ideas and saying more. Like when you said how her parents are making a lot of money at their store. And how you said this makes lucy scared and this may hurt her in a way. Quick question, how does pink and green relate to Lucy just because she loves the environment and makeup? Does it relate to her because pink is mostly the color of a lot of makeup? And green relates to the environment, like trees? And to push your thinking I suggest next time that you don’t ask or wonder if you did a good job or not because it kind of makes it seem like you either asking for compliments or you don’t have a growth mindset. And to push your thinking even MORE maybe next time you could say how having not a lot of money makes her scared and that their business isn’t booming like it should be. But overall, you’re summary of My life in pink and green was AMAZING!

Sincerely,
Paoli

Lilah

11/8/2017 08:03:47 pm

Hey Paoli,
Thank you for writing back to me. I really enjoyed reading your praise, question, and the prompts to push my thinking.
First, your praise was fantastic, for example, you wrote, “you did an astonishing job elaborating on your ideas and saying more.” Thank you, now I know that it is definitely important to elaborate on my ideas and people do really notice. I will keep doing that. Also, thank you for noticing that I worked hard on the reading response blog. I definitely tried.
Second, to answer your question, you asked, “how does pink and green relate to Lucy?” I’m sorry, I wasn’t so clear about that. You were spot on, pink because of the makeup that Lucy loves and green to show the environment such as, trees, recycling, and the earth.
Lastly, your suggestions are stupendous and well thought out. For example, you suggested that next time I shouldn’t ask or wonder if I did a good job or not because it kind of makes it seem like I’m either asking for compliments or I don’t have a growth mindset. Great idea, it does sound like I don’t have a growth mindset. Next time I won’t include that in my writing. And to push my thinking even more, you wrote, “next time you could say how having not a lot of money makes Lucy scared and that their business isn’t booming like it should be.” Wonderous advice, next time I will definitely, deeply, explain more.
Thank you big time, your praise, question, and the prompts to push my thinking were mind boggling. I have unconditionally enjoyed writing and responding to you.
Sincerely,
Lilah

Brayden

10/26/2017 08:28:07 pm

Dear Class,

I’m reading a book called The Mysterious Benedict Society. The main character is named Ronald, but he prefers his nickname, Reynie. Reynie’s parents died when he was young, so he lived in a orphanage. When he was at the orphanage all the kids made fun of him for being a nerd. Reynie did not like this. He had his own person to do subjects with. There was one problem, everything was to easy for him. Soon the person who does subjects with him, found a poster and it said “There is a test at the church, come if you want.” The person gave it to Reynie and said “this would be good for you.” Reynie agreed so he did it.Reynie went to the church. He past all the test and met friends. All those friends also completed the test. They are now on a mission. Sent by Mr.Benedict. They came up with a group name called “The Mysterious Benedict society.”That’s all I learned right now.

Sincerely,
Brayden

Adie

11/6/2017 04:05:38 pm

Dear Brayden,
I really want to read the book! It seems so interesting.The things that you did well on is explaining your character. For example when you said the main character name is Ronald but he prefers Reynie.That gives the reader more information about the character. I have some questions for you , what do you mean when you said ‘’They are now on a mission. Sent by Mr.Benedict. They came up with a group name called “The Mysterious Benedict society.” Where is the mission take place? What period of time does it take place in? To push your thinking instead of saying the tutor, I think you should add her real name . Another thing to push your thinking is that when you said that, “When he was at the orphanage all the kids made fun of him for being a nerd. What makes him a nerd?” How is Reynie a nerd? I think the you should elaborate on more with details to make it more clear. For example you could have said, When Reynie was in the orphanage kids made fun of him for being a nerd. What makes Reynie a nerd is that all he does is learn and doesn't do anything fun. Overall the blog was interesting and made me want to read the book.

From,
Adie

Brayden

11/8/2017 04:15:38 pm

Dear Adie,
Thank you so much for the complement! But I need to dive right into answering your question. To answer your first question, the mission is because there’s a creepy kids voice that comes from the tv that you can hear while you're sleeping. So it’s a problem because people couldn’t sleep with hearing some creepy kids voice there ear. So the kids got into a hard that makes that creepy kids voice. So they trying to stop them now. For your second question, the time was about early 2000s. Also your other question, the tutors name is Miss Perumal. The text never stated her name. To answer your final question, Reynies a nerd because he is super super super smart. So all the kids called nerd. Also because all he does is read and do math with Miss Perumal. Thanks again for the complements!
Sincerely,
Brayden

Sanat

10/26/2017 09:48:45 pm

Dear Class,
The book I am reading is called the Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. The book is about a boy named Mac who runs a business in a bathroom. It criminal like and he does things that gangsters might do. The plot of the book is when a boy named Fred asked for protection from this guy named Staples. Staples is a kid that does not go to school and runs an illegal betting empire in the schools in macs town. If you lose a bet with Staples and you don't pay it back he will his collectors to collect you. When you get collected you either pay up or get beaten up. if you tell or don't pay up after that, they will threaten you. Some threats include killing your pet or stealing something. Also when they collect you sometimes they will steal your bike or something. But the problem with Fred is that he used to work for Staples and when you quit, Staples is after you. I think the setting is 2016 in chicago because it says a lot about the cubs and the playoffs. The main characters are Mac, His best friend Vince, His other friend Joe ,Fred, Staples, And the collector a.k.a Barnaby Wallis. So far the Fourth Stall is a good book and I can wait to read the rest of the series.
Sincerely, Sanat

Matthew

11/2/2017 11:52:54 am

Dear Sanat,
Sanat I loved your second RRB. First, I like how you included the title of the book and the main characters. Also I like how you included lots of details. Of lots of places where they do bad things. Second, how does Mack run his business in a bathroom? Would he get caught? What person would do that, threaten to kill the person's pet or steal something from them? That is just wrong. I also like how you included things that would happen to the people that lost to Staples in a bet. That seems like a dangerous job to work with Staples. You get tracked down if you quit. Finally, to push your thinking how would you feel if you were in Mac’s shoes? What would you do about Staples trying to get you? Your second RRB was so much fun to read.
Sincerely,
Matthew

Sanat

11/6/2017 07:42:47 pm

Dear Matthew,
Thank you for responding back to me. First let me answer your questions. Mac has a deal with the janitor of the school after he helped the janitor with a problem. So Mac can get any key to any room in the school because of his deal. Mac can be paid by money or favors and some other stuff. So the janitor choose a big favor. Second you wanted to know what type of person would kill a kids pet or steal their bike well that would be Staples. Staples seems like some sort of rich psycho. In fact he is so rich he pays his dad's bills. Staples just wants his payment so he will do any means necessary to get it. Oh and he doesn't do the dirty work his employes do that. Lastly if I were in Mac's shoes I would be kinda stressed because I would not go to the cubs game if I did not resolve this. Thanks for write to me again.
From, Sanat

Hazel

10/26/2017 10:18:09 pm

Dear Class,
The book I am reading is called Land Of Forgotten Girls. This book Is very interesting and I never want to stop reading it. The main character’s name is Sol. Sol hates her stepmother and refuses to call her mother or mom. She has a little sister Ming, who sometimes tries to be her older sister. Sol also has a friend named Manny. He likes to talk and annoy Sol in a funny way. The most hated character of all of the characters in this book is stepmother, Via. I almost wish I could punch the book when I read it and Via will get punched in real life. Via tortures Sol and Ming by giving them baths in very hot water, even in the book it says “The water was as hot as the water lobsters get cooked in.” I find that painful. The story takes place in the neighborhood in their house. Sol and her sister are outside picking weeds and flowers. They start talking about the stepmother and why their dad married her when he was alive. Sol told Ming that her biological mother (that is now dead) had a sister which means they have an aunt. But sol says in her brain that it was a lie, but later on Ming writes a letter to their aunt. Surprisingly, their aunt writes back and says that she will arrive at their house on June 3rd. I recommend this book and it is easy to understand.

Sincerely’
Hazel

Finley

10/30/2017 05:52:41 pm

Dear Hazel,
You did a great job describing the characters in this book! I really liked how you named each character and then stated their traits.It definitely made me feel like I knew the people in this book. I also liked how you did what we talked about in class today. You showed how you were feeling, instead of telling. You did this when you said “”I almost wish I could punch the book when I read it and Via will get punched in real life.”” This really showed me how angry you were. Some questions I had were about the plot. I don’t really understand what the main conflict is in this book. Also, how was the main character affected by her sister getting the letter from her biological aunt? Lastly, to push your thinking, what would you have done if you were being treated meanly by Via? Would you stand up for yourself, or would you let her treat you unfairly? Thanks for sharing your book. You really made me want to read it!
From,
Finley

Happy Hazel

11/8/2017 09:50:30 pm

Dear Finley,
Thank you so much for the feedback, it helped a lot! I'm happy to hear that you understood the characters and their traits. I also enjoyed hearing that you could tell what I was feeling, for example, I said I want to punch the book and Via will get punched in real life! I'm proud to hear that.
Moving on, you asked some questions, and I found some answers. Your first question was: What is the main conflict? The answer to that is the main conflict is Sol and her sister are struggling in a house with a horrifying stepmother who spits in Sol and ming's hair, waiting for someone to come bring them to a peaceful place. Your next question was: How was the main character affected by her sister getting the letter? The letter was sent by auntie Jove, but Sol told Ming a lie that auntie Jove was real, however, auntie Jove sent a letter saying "I will pick you up on June 3rd." From that day on, they have suitcases packed and are waiting until June 3rd. Sol was very surprised to see that auntie Jove sent a letter, and I am thinking that Ming didn't read clear enough and the dad sent a letter from the Philippines. Your last question was: What would you do if you were in Sol's point of view? I would punch Via, kick Via give her a bloody nose, and spit in her hair! I would call her Ms.Evil and stick my tongue out at her. I loved your feedback and hope to do more blogs with you!
Sincerely,
Hazel

Will

10/27/2017 01:44:53 pm

Dear Class
I just started reading a book called Holes. This book is about a boy named Stanley who has to go to this camp. This camp is called Camp Green Lake. Camp Green lake has no camp it is all dried up. There’s rattlesnakes and scorpions everywhere. The worst is a yellow spotted lizard if you get bit by that you might be dead. The main character is Stanley. Stanley is a little chubby and at school kids make fun of him. Stanleys family is a little poor. He lives in an apartment. Stanleys Dad tries to come up with ideas but let’s be honest they stink. And if you want to get sent to Camp Green Lake you have to be a bad boy. Stanley got sent to camp Green Lake because they thought committed a crime but he didn't! He had no justice and the judge just sent him in there. Stanley has to go on a eight hour bus ride to there. And there's no air conditioning. When Stanley gets to the camp there's air conditioning though. There's a dude at the desk and he has a soda. Stanley thought he would get one but nope. The dude gave the soda to the person who was watching Stanley. (Read more to find out more)

Sincerely,
Will

Selina

11/1/2017 06:42:02 pm

Dear Will,
The book Holes sounds interesting. You make me want to read it. I like how you described what Stanley looks like. I also liked that you said, “There was a yellow lizard in Camp Green Lake, if you got bitten, you die. Also I have a few questions for you. First, why is Stanley poor? Is it because his dad or mom lost their job? I feel bad for Stanley because he was accused of committing a crime even if he didn’t do it. Second, why is Stanley accused of committing a crime that he didn’t do? I’m thinking that someone didn’t want to go to Camp Green Lake and so he/she accused him. Third, what crime is he accused for? Is he accused for stealing? Is he accused for breaking a law? Or murdering someone?
Lastly, would you want to live his life, if so how would you feel? If I were in his shoes, I would be depressed and trying to talk my way out of going to Camp Green Lake. Also, a bonus question, is there a lake at Camp Green Lake? I was wondering if there was a green lake somewhere near the camp. The name literally says Camp Green Lake. Finally, what is the plot of the story? When you’re done with the book tell me what it’s about!
Sincerely,
Selina

Amari

10/30/2017 05:19:47 pm

Dear class,
The book that I’m reading is called Counting By 7’s. The book is about a middle schooler named Willow, who lives in a small town in about the 1990’s. She is extremely brilliant. The problem is she has no idea how to fit in with the other kids. After the huge catastrophe of her mother and father dying in a car crash, she will have to figure things out without their help. She needs help,and fast. But in the end will she find out what really matters and who she really is.
Sincerely,
Amari.

Luca

11/1/2017 05:07:57 pm

Dear, Amari
I loved your response about Counting By 7’s. One thing I noticed is you elaborated on specific details like Willow lives in a small town in the 1990’s and she also is extremely brilliant. In this sentence you wrote, there was elaboration and transition words. Also, you wrote the setting and plot. The setting you wrote was in the 1990’s, which is in the past and that made me understand more. It was so helpful when you gave the plot. You wrote Willow has trouble fitting in with everyone and that made me understand more too. These are some things that I would praise about your response.
Secondly, some questions I have are, why can’t Willow fit in with everyone? Does she have any friends? Also, when her parents died in the car crash, who took care of her?
Finally, to push your thinking, if you were Willow and had to live without parents and not know what to do, would you feel good or bad? If you had a different emotion than Willow, what would your emotion be and why? Also, would you want to live with Willow or not? In summary, your response was detailed and your book sounds very interesting.
Sincerely, Luca

Luca

10/30/2017 06:43:09 pm

Dear Class,
The book I’m reading is called Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The main character is Greg who is a boy with two siblings named Rodrick and Manny which are also boys. Greg is in high school, Rodrick is in college and Manny is in Pre K. Rodrick plays tricks on Greg, like switching his alarm clock to a different time so he is late for school. Rodrick also has a band named Loded Diper and all they do is sing really bad, drum really bad, and play really bad. Now I will describe the setting. Greg lives in California in modern time and the events take place at his house during the day and night. Now I am going to talk about the plot. Greg’s problem is somewhat bad because he can not fix it. Greg’s problem is that he can’t make any friends because he is not good at sports at all. That’s all I’ve read
Sincerely, Luca

Amari

11/3/2017 01:46:46 pm

Dear Luca,
I loved reading your summary of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Next time can you mention which one it is because it sounds super good and I would like to read it. But anyway something I loved that you did is how you gave examples of what Rodrick does to Greg. It helped even more to show what type of person Rodrick is. One question I have for you is how does Many affect the story, is he not really important or does he change some details in the book? Also something to push your thinking is how would react if you were Greg? Would you have the same emotions as him or would yours be different?
Sincerely,
Amari

Luca

11/8/2017 04:35:13 pm

Dear, Amari
First, I am sorry I did not tell you which Diary of a Wimpy Kid and it's The Last Straw. Now let me answer your questions. First question Manny affects the story by embarrassing Rodrick and Greg in front of all there friends. Last question is I would not like to be in Greg's life because he does not have a life and my emotion would be bad because I do not want to live with his family.

Amari

11/8/2017 09:43:05 pm

Dear Luca,
the answer to your first question about why doesn't Willow fit in is because she pretty much lives inside her own world she doesn't communicate with other people. She has very strong opinions about things and she’s not nervous to let the world see them so she’s ended up embarrassing herself a few times. Also when her parents died she went with her step parents. And finally for the answer to the question about how would I feel if I was Willow is I’d be overwhelmed.
Sincerely,
Amari

Anthony

11/8/2017 05:08:28 pm

Dear David,

First things first If you don’t think the book is funny. Then you need to READ THE BOOK!!! And I know that what the Twits do or how they look is not what makes the book funny. The book is funny because of what happens in the book. Now for the questions. The reason I think the story is sneaky because the Twits are always playing pranks on each other when they least expect it. And for question two the twits did not pretend to get divorced. Just so you get some background knowledge about the Twits the Twits live in a house with no windows and it looks like a jail sell. They have three pet monkeys a garden and a dead tree. The garden has prickly plants and nothing else because the Twits think the plants will scare away the children.

Sincerely,
Anthony

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