The Wednes Day Wars part 1

This book is not as interesting or as engaging as the others we have read. I have found it to be a little slow going. I am enjoying the situations he finds himself in. I think that a lot of students would have connections to the topics in the book such as thinking a teacher hates you, being bullied, and not always getting along with family. I would want to give some context about the time period before I have them read the book because there are some references to topics students may be unfamiliar with. I would want to provide context for the Vietnam war, flower child and other terms and events that they may be unfamiliar with. This would help provide understanding.




I think this book would make a good classroom book that we all read together. This too would help with understanding and I would be able to help with difficult topics. I am not sure that I would recommend this book to my students I think that if I had older students then maybe I would consider it.  I look forward to seeing if the rest of the book becomes more interesting and if it has more topics or ways to incorporate it into my class lessons. I love having more books to use in my classroom but I want them to have a purpose.

Hatchet Part 2

This has still been one of my favorite books so far. I wanted to keep reading to see what happens next. He really changed over the course of the story and I like that the author had him address the changes he was seeing in himself. Often we do not see the changes that happen to us over time He became a person who really takes time and thinks before he acts and makes the most of everything he has. I wish that he would have gone into more detail about the reunion with his parents. It sounded to me that they spent hardly any time with him after he got back. I would want to hold him tight for as long as possible when I got him back if he were my son.

I think this would be a story that every student would be interested in reading. It has so many vivid details and just keeps you hooked until the end. I could use this as a teacher as a way to teach narrative writing. Having the students write stories of an event in their life the same as Brian did would be interesting. I also think that this could be a great classroom book that we could use to introduce a higher level of reading. We would read it as a class and answer questions as we go through to help the students learn vocabulary, parts of writing and keep the information in the story organized. I also looked through the reading group guides in the back and could use those to guide a book club in my class. Maybe some of my students that are further ahead in the reading could work on this in small group. I could also pair them with someone that needs help with reading comprehension to work through the questions together. This helps them learn from each other.

Hatchet part 1

Hatchet is the story of a 13 year-old boy named Brian who is on a plane trip to see his dad for the summer. He is going from New Jersey to the Canadian oil fields. He is in the small plane because they are also bringing parts. He is not in the best mood because of his parents recent divorce. The pilot had been quiet for most of the trip but at one point shows Brian how to use the controls and even allows him to fly the plane for a moment. This gives Brian some knowledge that he is able to use to crash the plane into a lake after the pilot has a heart attack. The plane and everything but the hatchet attached to his pants sink. This leaves Brian with little few survival skills and little to help him. He has to learn through trial and error that eating all the berried he finds will make him sick. He also begins to encounter several types of wildlife such as bears and porcupine. It will be interesting to see just how he learns to deal with the animals in the woods and how he is able to survive. I think that the language used in the story is so descriptive that it makes the reader feel that is happening and makes the story seem real. It paints an image in the mind and makes the reader feel as if they are in the story or are being told the story by Brian himself. I think this has been my favorite book we have read so far. It is so descriptive and detailed the reader is pulled into the story and is compelled to continue reading to find out what happens next.



I think that this is a great book for all my students. When I spoke with my brother last week he was surprised that I had never read this book. He has never liked reading and began raving about the story and that he read the rest of the books Paulson wrote because of this book. He remembered tons of details and wanted to tell me about all of his favorite parts. I had never seen him excited to talk about a book. If it can get a person who avoids reading at all costs interested in books then I am all for it. I will keep this book in mind as a suggestion for my students that struggle at getting interested in reading. I liked that Brian remembers that a teacher once told him that his greatest tool is himself and I think it will be interesting to see how this continues to play a role in the story and how he survives. I think this is also something that we are trying to instill in all of our students. They all have different skills and while they may not be the best at everything the skills they have are valuable and make them special.

BFG part 2

I really enjoyed how this book ended. I like that in the end the BFG was given respect, a house and schooling. I feel that Sophie and the BFG saving the day is the perfect way to end the book. I like that they gave him a position blowing dreams into the rooms of children and that all children want the BFG to come by their house at night. I think this shows him that people can be better then he originally thought and also gave him a place of importance and acceptance after not being accepted by the giants. I also like that he thought to bring the snozzcumbers for the giants to eat since they had teased him so much for eating them. It shows students to be kind even to those that have not been the nicest to you. I also think that the moral of the story is that doing the right thing always pays off in the end and that good people get rewarded for their good deeds. I can see encouraging students to read this and then write letters to the BFG. They could tell him about the dreams they have had or wish they had. I liked that he was the author of the book. It is a nice twist ending. I also think that students who like to read fantasy stories would like this. This could be a fun alternative to the same classroom stories that are read as a class. Some of those could be boring and this book was fun, imaginative, and enjoyable for children.