https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu By Jo Knowles: Realistic Fiction en-us 2017-02-23 13:22:11 UTC 2017-03-26 22:34:30 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Brightnessdown.png 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/155731332 Something the author does well in this book is write each chapter from a different perspective. Each chapter is from a different high school student’s perspective, which really helps you understand their real life situations. Nate is going through the struggles of his mother passing away, his father hating him, and having a broken finger. His father always acts like he doesn’t like Nate at all, and it especially shows when he says things like, “It’s always your goddamned fault.” on page 30. In the next chapter, it is from a girl, Claire’s perspective. She is struggling with who are the right friends for her, that won’t be caught up in boys and looking pretty for the rest of their lives. After faking an illness to get out of school, Claire takes a bus into the city and brings a homeless dog to live with her. The last chapter I have read so far is from a boy, Dewey’s perspective. Dewey’s mother left him, and although his father supports him, college is nowhere in his future. With no college right out of high school and working at a smelly diner full of conceited high schoolers, waiting the two years for the job at his dad’s shop may not be worth it after all. Overall, this way of writing really helps you understand the varying, but realistic situations of all of the different kids. ]]> 2017-02-23 13:32:09 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/155731332 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/156010696 A conflict I noticed in the book is that Jack and his parents have different views about the environment. Jack believes it is fine to drive places and use cars. On the other hand, his parents have gone green and believe that they should use bikes and walking to get everywhere. For example on page 117, Jack describes his parents and says, “...sits in the driveway collecting dust like a proud monument to my parents’ dedication to going green. I mean it just sits there.” This quote very well describes how Jack’s parents feel about the environment. It also shows how Jack feels about their car just sitting there and having no purpose. Jack things it is pointless. All in all, Jack and his parents have a conflict, but I don’t think it affects their overall relationship. ]]> 2017-02-24 13:37:59 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/156010696 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/156282891 Based off of the pages I have read so far, I have made a prediction. My prediction is that all of the students, Nate, Claire, Dewey, and Jack, will somehow meet and connect. So far, the students have a ll had realistic struggles in their lives, but none of them connect so far, other than Nate and Claire passing in the nurse’s office. The students all go to the same school and all are having problems with their friends and families. It would benefit all of them if they had each other's’ company and similarities to support them and get through their problems.   ]]> 2017-02-26 22:48:51 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/156282891 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157877508 Something new in the storyline is that Keith is now walking after school a way so that he can see a rebellious girl. On page 180, the author wrote, “The first time I saw that girl on the wall, I knew she was bad news.” Although Keith knows the girl doesn’t appreciate him walking on “her street”, he ignores the dirty looks and signs he receives from her everyday, so that he can look at this girl. Keith is especially interested in the fact that her gang has a different personality at school than on the streets. ]]> 2017-03-05 20:42:43 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157877508 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157878241 Something I wonder about is what Dylan is doing with what is in his backpack. Dylan has been carrying a brick in his backpack for a while, as the text mentioned on page 206 when it said, “...even though I’ve been carrying this thing for days.” Dylan is being very suspicious to his friends, not giving any details about what he will do with the brick, but he finally forced them to take him somewhere to do something with the brick, although they have no idea what's going on. I am with Dylan’s friends on this one, and I am very curious about what he will do with the brick. 

]]> 2017-03-05 20:49:56 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157878241 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157879076 Something that really shocked me is the way Lacy’s mother reacted in the flashback where she was first trying on her cheerleading uniform. Lacy says that, “...it was my stomach. My “spare tire” as my mother would say. My muffin top.” This is a very disrespectful way to treat your own daughter and usually a mom would be honest with their child in a nicer way. I believe that Lacy and her mother don’t have a strong relationship but this is still unacceptable behavior for her mother. ]]> 2017-03-05 20:58:07 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/157879076 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/158647285 In the book, Stephen walks a different way after school to see a mysterious, rebellious girl. As he leaves her sight, but still imagines her, he crosses the street and gets hit by a car. He got hit by the janitor of the school, and that janitor drives away after hitting him. Stephen is a very positive, funny person, so when he gets hit, he is hardly injured, although worries himself that he is dead. Also, when a fellow student comes to rescue him with a little dog, he thinks he is part of The Wizard of Oz, and imagines himself dead on the yellow brick road. ]]> 2017-03-08 13:47:54 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/158647285 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/159507084 I disagree with what the basketball team is doing. There is a boy cheerleader on the other team at one of their games, and they are yelling mean words at him. This is very unfair and rude to him, and does not make sense for one of the characters to be doing. Also, the coach is a bad example, because even when he asks them to stop, he has a tone in his voice like he wants to yell the mean words with them. ]]> 2017-03-12 16:40:42 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/159507084 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/159508140 Jacob is acting very strange. He usually is mean to Lacy and says rude things to her, but on the ride home from the basketball game, he sits next to her. Then, he gets unusually close and flirts with her. This makes Lacy very uncomfortable and confused, and I am very confused why he was so mean or if he is just fake liking her as a prank or joke. ]]> 2017-03-12 16:53:08 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/159508140 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/160346199 Something I wonder about is about the author. I wonder why the author chose to write this book switching perspectives each chapter because it was a very interesting choice, but is cool and engaging to read. Also, how the author will connect each character or if they will just each have their own separate problems. So far, two different characters have met, and I think eventually all of the characters will meet and be really good friends because they each have their similar, individual problems. ]]> 2017-03-15 18:33:01 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/160346199 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/160632437 something very unexpected in the story was that Lacy threw away her cheer uniform. On page 266, it says, "Quietly I pick up my costume and walk down the hallway to the kitchen. I open the trash compacter...then slowly place my costume inside." The costume cost money and I didn't think one action out of all the little ones would get to her this fast. A boy was actually talking to her for once, and this completely shook her up and made her confused, but it could have given her a chance in a relationship. ]]> 2017-03-16 18:32:16 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/160632437 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/161040847 I noticed an again and again happening on a few pages that was that Ms. Lindsay keeps mentioning that sh e shops at cheap places. For example, on page 297 it says, "She bought it on sale at Target." and on page 298 it says, "...from the clearance shelf at the Bloomingdale's outlet store.." This shows how Ms. Lindsay shops at cheaper places and from this information I infer that she does not make a lot of money teaching at her school. ]]> 2017-03-19 23:57:04 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/161040847 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162660461 I believe that there is a connection between the protagonist's name and the singing bird, a lark. The girl in this book is named Lark, as it says on page 1, "Lark Campbell's moved gracefully over the strings of her beat-up old Gibson guitar." I believe that Lark was named Lark because of the bird lark. Lark is very involved with music and singing, even from the first page, and I believe her parents are too and that is why they gave her that name. ]]> 2017-03-26 21:42:08 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162660461 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162663119 I predict that Lark will go spend more time with her father. Lark's parents got a divorce, and her mom took full custody and moved away from her father. I predict that her mother will end up being a worse person and Lark will move back in with her father. This is very reasonable because Lark is also very homesick right now. ]]> 2017-03-26 22:21:20 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162663119 22njohnson https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162664026 In my opinion, I think Lark loves her guitar because it connects her to her father. On page 9, the author wrote, "Don't bring my guitar anywhere near the water!" Lark's father gave her the guitar before her parents got a divorce, and after she moved from her father, the guitar is all she has of him. She is very protective of the guitar and does not let anything happen to it. ]]> 2017-03-26 22:31:54 UTC https://padlet.com/22njohnson/ykrdirfee9wu/wish/162664026