Reader's Response # 1 - Week of 3/28/11

If I Should Die Before I Wake

I think I might need another book to read, since it's a little hard to do a response on one chapter..
Anyways, in chapter 8, Hilary is still Chana and her family is moved into a rotting apartment with lots of other Jews. I think they're making less of a deal that it really is, because they're acting like they don't realize that Nazi soldiers are everywhere. Chana's family never says they're scared or anything, but I know I would be if I was taken out of my home by the Nazis. Chana's family all have to work, but her and her sister must go to school. it turns out that later, Chana and her mom find out her little sister, Anya, is finding pieces of coal in the trash and selling them for food. a few days later, a couple moves into the small apartment with Chana's family. They are extremely demanding, and Chana doesn't like them at all. They kind of reminded me of the couple Anne Frank had to live with, because they were demanding and rude, like the people Chana has to deal with. They both demand a cot for each of them, because they are both "old" and they steal bread in the middle of the night to get more food. Since there are only two cots, they only get one and Chana finds out what they do at night soon, so everyone tries to save their food so they won't starve. At the end of chapter 8, something terrible happens to Chana, and I wonder how she'll deal with it.

Vocabulary Week of 3/21/11

Bumptious
Crudely, presumptuously, or loudly self-assertive.

Aver
To affirm with confidence.

Prolix
Extending to a great length.

Reader's Response # 3 - Week of #/21/11

If I Should Die Before I Wake

     A lot has happened to Chana in the last couple of chapters, but Hilary is still in the hospital.
Chana and her family are in Shiva, which I guess is something Jewish people do when they're in mourning. Her family is really big, and I'm still a little confused on who's who, because their names are in a language I can't understand. I'm pretty sure Jakub is Chana's brother and she has two little sisters. Jakub is certain the nazis are going to get his family soon, so he and his friend leave to fight in the war (I think). After a while, Jakub returns, but by himself. His friend was shot by the nazis.

     Meanwhile, in Hilary's body, she is still laying in a hospital bed, having weird dreams. Her mother comes in and starts reading the bible to her. The really weird thing is that Hilary can't see her mom, just hear her. She can see the Jewish lady clearly though, which makes me thinks she's not real even more, because Hilary only sees her.I can tell Hilary doesn't like her mom because when her father died, her mother left her for three days by herself. Hilary was only five and she had to survive on stale bread. I would never forgive my mother for something like that, especially if I was so little. It makes Hilary even madder that suddenly her mom believes in God and reads from the bible all the time. She doesn't support Hilary's extreme hate against Jews, and she doesn't like Hilary's boyfriend either.

     I would really hate my mom after all that and I would feel like she doesn't approve of me. I think it must be terrible to lose a parent and get stuck with the one you like the least. I do hope Hilary and her mom become closer though, and I think Hilary will realize how lucky she is to still have a parent when she sees what Chana has to go through.

Reader's response # 2 - Week of 3/21/11

If I Should Die Before I Wake

      Well, I read a couple more chapters and this book just got more confusing. As soon as chapter two starts, Hilary switches to Chana. I still can't tell if it's just a dream or not, but I think the old Jewish lady might have something to do with it. You know, like in Freaky Friday, where the old lady gives them the mother and daughter fortune cookies and they switch bodies? I think the Jewish lady has some kind of weird power. I'm kind of glad she does though, because Hilary needs to see what is happening to the Jews and that they're just innocent people. I don't think she realizes how much pain and despair the Nazis are causing and she definitely needs a wake up call.

     When Hilary ends up in Chana's body,  she is almost instantly put to work scrubbing floors. She has to use her new tights, and most women there have to use their own underwear to mop the floors. After lots of painful hours, Hilary/Chana can go, but only to find her father hanging by a tree, with Nazis threatening to shoot him because he is too old to work hard. Chana goes and does his work for him, but when she pauses for a split second, her father is shot. Then, Hilary is transported back and finds herself back in the hospital, screaming. She thinks it was all just a dream, but I think somehow, she is actually changing bodies. This is only the beginning of the switching bodies, or dreams of whatever. I kind of hope she goes through more painful things, to really experience what Jews do.

Reader's Response # 1 - Week of 3/21/11

If I Should Die Before I Wake

     Our group only reads a chapter a day, so I haven't gotten very far in the book. It's about Hilary, a Neo-nazi girl living during World War 2. She gets in a motorcycle accident and ends up in a Jewish hospital, which bothers her a lot, since she hates Jews. Soon, she starts switching bodies from Hilary to Chana - a young Jewish girl.

      The first few pages are just Hilary yelling at a Jewish woman in her hospital room. I don't know if she's thinking or talking, because there's no quotation marks, but it seems like she's talking. Honestly, as I kept reading, I started wondering if the old Jewish woman was there at all, or if Hilary was just imagining her. I think this book might bring up lots of questions, because it sounds a little confusing. One of mine is does she actually switch bodies from Hilary to Chana, or is it just a dream? Also, who is the real girl - Hilary or Chana?
I think this could either be a really good book, or a terrible and confusing one. It's too early to tell, but I'm not sure I like it.

Reader's Response # 1 Week of 2/7/11

I got this new book at the book fair, and it's pretty good so far. It's about a girl who's best friend Kirsty dies in an accident. After, she goes to her grandma's house in California while her parents go to Europe. Her grandma goes to church a lot, so Cathrine has to tag along. She starts hearing a voice in the church, saying her name. At first she thinks she's crazy, but she soon realizes there's actually a ghost in the church. I'm not really sure what will happen to Cathrine, she's just barely meeting the ghost. This book sounds a little weird, but I hope it gets better.

Vocabulary - Week of 3/7/11

Prescience - Knowledge of events before they take place
Apposite - Being of striking appropriateness and relevance
Prolix - Extending to a great length

Reader's Response # 3 - Week of 2/28/11

Well, the book ended okay, Massie ends up selling hundreds of products by the end of the week and becoming one of he best sellers ever. She does it by telling her clients how ugly they really are, what products they need to buy and making them turn into someone they really aren't. The whole mission of the company was to help girls emphasize their beauty, not hide it, but Massie totally missed the whole point. Of course, she's still recognized and ends up with what she wanted. What i got from this was, if you're going to do something you don't want to, you might as well try to do it right.

Vocabulary - Week of 2/28/11

Confute - To refute conclusively.
Refute - To prove to be false.
Baluster - Closely spaced supports for a railing.

Reader's Response # 2 - Week of 2/28/11

I'm almost done with this book, I'm probably around three - fourths through. After Massie comes home, her parents tell her she has to pay them back for her summer camp, so she has to get a job. She starts looking for a "jobby" which is a job you do for fun, like a hobby, but you make money off it, like a job. Massie sees an article about being a cosmetics saleswoman in Teen Vogue, and decides that will be her jobby. She tries selling to her 'friends' in the Hamptons, but they all reject her products. I think the whole "jobby" thing is a great idea, because you're making money, but doing something you love.

Reader's Response # 1 - Week of 2/28/11

Got another Clique book! I honestly don't know why I read these so much, they're not as good as other books I have read. Right now I'm reading Massie from the Summer Collection. I haven't gotten very far, but it's alright so far. It pretty much focuses on Massie's summer after seventh grade ends. She just got kicked out of riding camp for cheating in a competition and now she's stuck with her overly stressed out mom, who's throwing a party the day Massie gets kicked out. I noticed that while the storyline of these books may not be the best, it has really great sentences. It's kind of like exploding the moment, because it describes something ordinary in two or three sentences, so it makes it sound like more of a big deal.
     Annie and I are thinking about doing the Edible books contest for literacy night, and I think I'm doing my entry on the first book, The Clique. I hope it turns out well!