Readers Journal - folktale

#5                                                Readers Journal                                     9/26/11                                              Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                           I just finished a book called Peter Pan by Sir J.M. Barrie. This book was amazing. One passage really stood out to me was:                                                                                                                                      All children, except one, grow up (Peter Pan). They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this.                                                                                                                                      I choice this passage because it is sagnificent to the story. This passage is sagnificent to this book because it shows you that Peter Pan never grew up.I used some strategies before, during and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before reading this book was to predict what was going to happen. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to skim and scan through the book to see if there were any text features. One strategy that I used while reading this book was to ask questions about what was going on in the book. Another strategy that I used while I was reading was to visualize the most important and intense parts of the book. One strategy that I used after reading the book was to answer the questions I asked myself while I was reading this book. Another strategy that I used after I read this book was to reflect on what I just read.                                                                                            There were many fiction literary elements that I found in this book. The genre of this book is folktale. There are a few main characters of this story. The main character of this book was Peter Pan a clever, kind and adventurous young boy. Peters motive was to stay young and free. Peter is the protagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. Wendy is also a main character and she is a sweet, kind and clever little girl. She was like a mother to the Lost Boys and she was also a round and dynamic character. Captain Hook is the villain in this story. Captain Hook is Peter’s archenemy and wants to be like Peter. Mrs. Darling is a kind and graceful mother to Wendy, John and Michael. She is a foil character. The setting of this story is in Neverland. The tone of this story is adventurous and the mood of this story is happy and sad.                                                                                                                                The plot structure of this book was very fascinating. The exposition of this book was when all of the main characters introduced themselves. The rising action of this book was when Wendy, John and Michael were flying in the air with Peter. The climax of this story was when they got to Neverland and meat the Lost Boys. The falling action of this book was when Peter fought with Capitan Hook. The resolution of this book was when they went home.                                                                               Over all this book was fantastic. The only thing I did not like about this book was how long it was. I would rate this book a four out of five stars because it was to long. I recommend this book to boys and girls eight to thirteen. This book was amazing and I hope there are more stories like this. I loved this book.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Sincerely,                                                                                                                                              Roxanne Fine      702                                                                            

Reader's Journal-Folktale

#4                                                 Readers Journal                                     9/19/11                                             Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                                      I just finished a book called The Bad Beginning, or Orphans! This book was written by Lemony Snicket an imaginative writer. This book really engaged me in what was going on in the book. When I was reading I found a passage that really interested me. That passage was:                                                                                                                        that passage interested me because it show the readers that in the worst of events they still keep there manner and work through it. This passage is significant to this book because it shows the readers that Violet, Klaus and Sunny are smart and use what they have. I used many different strategies before, during and after reading this book. One strategy that I used before reading this book was t o skim and scan through the book to see if there were any text features, like pictures. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to make predictions. I predicted that the kids on the cover of the book are orphans because of the title. One strategy that I used during reading this book was to visualize the most intense and important parts of the book. Another during reading strategy that I used was to ask questions. One after reading strategy that I used was to reflect on what I just read. Another during reading strategy that I used was to answer the questions I asked when I was reading the book.                                                                                                                         There were many literary elements in this book that I was able to find. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because the events in this book can happen in real life. The main characters of this book are Violet, Klaus and Sunny and they are all the protagonists. Violet is a fourteen year old girl who loves to invent things, you can tell when she is thinking of building something because when she is thinking really hard puts her hair in a bun away from her eyes and puts her head down. She has long black hair. Her motive was to take care of herself and her siblings. She is a round and dynamic character. Klaus is a is a twelve year old boy who loves to read, he has short black hair and wears glasses. His motive was to get through losing his parents and help his sisters. He is a round and dynamic character. Sunny is an infant who has incredible strong teeth. She is a round and dynamic character. Another main character that was in this book was Count Olaf, he is a mean old main that is lazy and greedy. His motive was to get the money from the death of the Baudelaires children’s parents. He is the antagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. The weather is sometimes foggy but most of the times clear skied. The social conditions of this book in the beginning were high class and towards the end of the book was middle class.                                                                                                  The plot structure of this book was very exciting. The exposition of this book was when all of the main characters of this book were introduced. The rising action of this book was when the Baudelaires parents were killed in a fire. The climax was when the Baudelaires kids went to live with there nearest relative Count Olaf and he made them do horrible chores and wanted to marry Violet because then he would get the money of her parents. The falling actions of this book was when Klaus finds out about the scheme and tries to stop it from happening until Count Olaf kidnapped Sunny and said if you want her back then Violet must marry me. The solution of this book was when Violet signed the wedding contract with the wrong hand and it was illegal and then Klaus rescued Sunny. The conflict of this book was man vs. man and nature vs. man. The tone of this book was uncertain. The mood of this book was scared and sad. The moral of this book was to not be so greedy. The point of view was third person. The patterns of organization were chronological order. The authors purpose was to entertain and share. The authors perspective was subjective. The figurative language in this book was simile, metaphor, idiom, and hyperbole and oxymoron.       
                Over all I enjoyed this book. I would rate this book a ten out of ten. I would recommend this book to boys and girl twelve and up. I thought this book was really amusing and exciting. I look forward to reading another book by Lemony Snicket.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sincerely,   Roxanne Fine

Readers Journal - realistic fiction

#4                                                 Readers Journal                                     9/19/11                                             Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                                      I just finished a book called The Bad Beginning, or Orphans! This book was written by Lemony Snicket an imaginative writer. This book really engaged me in what was going on in the book. When I was reading I found a passage that really interested me. That passage was:                                                        We have to cook for 10 people tonight because Count Olaf has a lot to do. Which meant he is so lazy he leaves us to do chores.                                                                                                                               That passage interested me because it show the readers that in the worst of events they still keep there manner and work through it. This passage is significant to this book because it shows the readers that Violet, Klaus and Sunny are smart and use what they have. I used many different strategies before, during and after reading this book. One strategy that I used before reading this book was t o skim and scan through the book to see if there were any text features, like pictures. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to make predictions. I predicted that the kids on the cover of the book are orphans because of the title. One strategy that I used during reading this book was to visualize the most intense and important parts of the book. Another during reading strategy that I used was to ask questions. One after reading strategy that I used was to reflect on what I just read. Another during reading strategy that I used was to answer the questions I asked when I was reading the book.                                                                                                                         There were many literary elements in this book that I was able to find. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because the events in this book can happen in real life. The main characters of this book are Violet, Klaus and Sunny and they are all the protagonists. Violet is a fourteen year old girl who loves to invent things, you can tell when she is thinking of building something because when she is thinking really hard puts her hair in a bun away from her eyes and puts her head down. She has long black hair. Her motive was to take care of herself and her siblings. She is a round and dynamic character. Klaus is a is a twelve year old boy who loves to read, he has short black hair and wears glasses. His motive was to get through losing his parents and help his sisters. He is a round and dynamic character. Sunny is an infant who has incredible strong teeth. She is a round and dynamic character. Another main character that was in this book was Count Olaf, he is a mean old main that is lazy and greedy. His motive was to get the money from the death of the Baudelaires children’s parents. He is the antagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. The weather is sometimes foggy but most of the times clear skied. The social conditions of this book in the beginning were high class and towards the end of the book was middle class.                                                                                                                                                 The plot structure of this book was very exciting. The exposition of this book was when all of the main characters of this book were introduced. The rising action of this book was when the Baudelaires parents were killed in a fire. The climax was when the Baudelaires kids went to live with there nearest relative Count Olaf and he made them do horrible chores and wanted to marry Violet because then he would get the money of her parents. The falling actions of this book was when Klaus finds out about the scheme and tries to stop it from happening until Count Olaf kidnapped Sunny and said if you want her back then Violet must marry me. The solution of this book was when Violet signed the wedding contract with the wrong hand and it was illegal and then Klaus rescued Sunny. The conflict of this book was man vs. man and nature vs. man. The tone of this book was uncertain. The mood of this book was scared and sad. The moral of this book was to not be so greedy. The point of view was third person. The patterns of organization were chronological order. The authors purpose was to entertain and share. The authors perspective was subjective. The figurative language in this book was simile, metaphor, idiom, and hyperbole and oxymoron.                                                                                                                         Over all I enjoyed this book. I would rate this book a ten out of ten. I would recommend this book to boys and girl twelve and up. I thought this book was really amusing and exciting. I look forward to reading another book by Lemony Snicket.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                Roxanne Fine

Readers Journal - realistic fiction

#3                                                 Readers Journal                                     9/13/11                                             Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                                      I just finished a book called Rotten School, The Rottenest Angel by R.L. Stine a fantastic writer. This book really engaged me in what was going on in the book that I did not expect. A passage that really stood out to me was:                                                                                                                                             Mrs. Heinie patted Angel on the shoulder. She stepped back to admire the poster. I could see that Angel had her rapped around his little finger.                                                                                                                  I picked this passage from the text because I think this passage shows you that Angel is a kiss up. This passage is important to the text because it shows the readers that Angel can do anything and get away with it. I used many before, during, and after reading skills when I read this book. One before reading strategy that I used was to skim and scan the book for text features. Another before reading strategy that I used before reading this book was to make predictions of what would happen in this book. I predict that Bernie would do something horrible to angel. One during reading strategy that I used was to ask questions about some parts of the book. Another strategy that I used during reading this book was to visualize the most intense and important parts of the book. One strategy that I used after reading this book was to reflect on what I just read. The last strategy that I used after reading this book was to reread the parts I enjoyed the most in this book.                                                                                                                           I was able to find many literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because this story can happen in real life. The main character in this book is Bernie. Bernie is twelve, lives in and attends Rotten School. Bernie’s motive is to get rid of Angel. He is the protagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. One other main character in this book is Angel. Angel just started to live in and attend Rotten School, he has blond hair, green eyes and acts like an angel when people are looking. Angels motive was to take over Bernie’s position. He is the antagonist of this book and he is also a round and dynamic character. One foil character in this book is Mrs. Heinie, a school teacher and head principle. Her motive was to run Rotten School. She is a foil character and she is a flat and static character. The main settings of were this book takes place is in Rotten School. The weather there is almost always sunny. The social conditions of the school and neighborhood are middle class, neither poor nor rich.                                                                                                                                              The plot structure of this book was interesting. The exposition of this book was when all the characters introduced themselves in this book. The rising action of this book was when Angel moved in to Bernie’s place. The climax of this book was when Angel started to take all of Bernie’s friend, pets and room space. The falling action of this book was when Bernie tried to do something about Angel taking all of his stuff. The resolution of this book was when Bernie, Angel and other boys gambled after lights out and Mrs. Heinie caught them and said Angel you have to get your own room because Bernie is a bad influence.  All the conflicts were man vs. man. The problems in this book were internal. The tone of this book was determined. The mood of this book was upset and determined. The theme of this book is jealousy. The moral of this book is if you try hard enough you will succeed. The point of view of this book is first person because it is told in Bernie’s point of view. The pattern of organization was chronological order. The author’s purpose for writing this book was to entertain and share. The author’s perspective was subjective. There were some figurative languages in this book. The figurative language in this book were simile, metaphor, hyperbole, oxymoron and onimonopia.                                                     All in all I really enjoyed reading this book. This writer is the best. I would rate this book a eight out of ten because it was amazing but it could have been better. I recommend this book to 10-13 boys and girls but manly boys. I look forward to reading more books by R.L. Stein.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Sincerely,                                                                                                                                                Roxanne Fine

Readers Journal - realistic fiction

#2                                                 Readers Journal                                                9/07/11                                                                                                                                    Dear,Mrs.Zrihen,                                                                                                                                    I just finished an amazing book called The Most Beautiful Place in the World by Ann Cameron. I would have never guessed that a simple book like this would be so interesting and descriptive. One passage that really stood out mean was:                                                                                                                                                            A lot of kids don’t go to school because their parents want them to work. The law is, they are supposed to go to school until they are twelve. But the school doesn’t really have space for everyone, so nobody makes them go. (page. 24)                                                                                                                                                                                                            I picked this passage because this passage describes how small the town is because the passage says that the school doesn’t really have space for everyone. This passage is sagnificent to the text because this passage shows the readers that the laws in Guatemala was not very strict because the laws required children to go to school until they were twelve but nobody went to school because their parents needed them to work and nobody really made them go to school. I used many strategies before, during, and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan the book for text features. Another strategy that I used before reading this book was to make predictions. Based on the synopsis of this book I predict that this book is about a boy named Juan who lives in a small town and has to work instead of going to school because his grandmother and him are poor. One strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to ask questions. One question that I want to now is were did this story take place. Another during reading strategy that I used was to reread confussing parts of the book so when I read it again maybe I would comprehend what that part of the book meant. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to identify the authors purpose. The authors purpose for writing this book was to entertain and share. Another after reading strategy was to reread the parts of the book that I enjoyed the most.                                                                                                                                                 I was able to find many literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because this story can happen in real life. There were a few characters in this book. The main character of this book is Juan. Juan is a seven and a half year old boy, brown skinned, who shines shoes for work. His motive is to go to school. Juan is the protagonist of this book and he is a round and dynamic character. Another main character of this story is Juan’s grandmother. His grandmother is a confident, hard working women who takes care of Juan. Her motive was to take care of Juan and make money. She is the protagonist of this story and she is a round and dynamic character. Juan’s mother is a eighteen year old who is poor and abandoned Juan at her mothers place to start a new life with another guy. Her motive was to start a new life and get money because she was really poor. She is the antagonist of this book and she is a round and dynamic character. The last character that was presented in this book was Juan’s father who was the caretaker of a rich mans house until he left Juan and his mother and went to the capital. His motive was t o go out at nights with his friends to have fun. He is a foil character and he is a flat and static character. The main setting of were this story took place was San Pablo, Guatemala. There was not a specific date. The weather conditions in this book were hot. The social conditions were very poor.                                                                                     I found this plot structure interesting. The exposition of this book was when the author introduced all of the characters and were the book took place. The rising action of this book is when Juan’s father left them and went to the capital. The climax of this book was when Juan’s mother abandoned him to marry a guy she met on the street. The falling action was when Juan had no were to go and started to cry. The resolution of this book was when Juan’s grandmother  took him in and took care of him. The main proplem was that Juan’s father and mother abandoned him. This prplem is external and the conflict in this book were man vs. man. The tone of this book was sad and happy at the end of the story. The mood of this book is unhappy and happy. the theme of this book is never give up. The moral of this book is no matter what has happened in your life never give up. This book is told in first person. The pattern of organization of this book is chronological. The authors perspective was subjective. Unfortunately I was not able to find any figurative launguage.                                                                                                                                                             All in all I really enjoyed reading this book, I would rate this book a eight out of ten. I recommend this book to boys and girls the ages of 10-12. I look forward  to read more of Ann Cameron’s novels.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Sincerely,                                                                                                                                             Roxanne Fine

Reader's Journal -choice

#1                                        Readers Journal                               8/30/11                                                                                                                                                    Dear Mrs.Zrihen,                                                                                          I just finished a book called The Clue of The Velvet Mask by Carolyn Keene. I read this book because it was a mystery book and I love mystery books. I found a passage in this book that really stood out to me. The passage that really stood out to me was: 

         “Nancy, you must give up this case,” George sobbed. “I insist!”                                                                                                            “Give it up?” Nancy echoed in disbelief. “After I did all this work no way I am going to figure out this case and find those thieves!” Nancy said.                                                                                          I picked this passage from the text because I think this passage shows that Nancy is determined to figure out the case and she is not going to let anything stop her. This passage is significant to this text because it shows you how focused Nancy is. I used many strategies before, during, and after I was reading this book. A strategy that I used before I started to read this book was to read the summery of this book to see if I was interested in it. One other strategy that I used before reading this book was to skim and scans to see if there were any text features in this book. One strategy that I used during reading this book was to look at all the text features so that I would be able to understand what was going on in the text. Another strategy that I used during reading this book was to visualize the most important and intense parts of the book. A strategy that I used after I read this book was to think about what I just read and reflect on it. Another strategy that I used after I read this book was to reread the parts I liked.                                                      I was able to find many literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is mystery because it includes secrets and crimes to be solved. The main character in this book is Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew is a black haired teenage detective who loves to help her dad solve mysteries. Nancy’s motive was to solve this mystery. Nancy is the protagonist of this book and a round and dynamic character. Another character in this book is Linda Seeley who is a thin dark haired girl who works in the Lightner Entertainment Company and helps Nancy to solve the mystery of the velvet gang robberies. Linda’s motive was to help Nancy solve the mystery of the velvet gang’s robberies and help herself get her job back. Linda is a foil character in this book and she is a flat and static character. Another character in this book is Mr.Tombar.Mr. Tombar is an old nasty man who is very suspicious and wants nothing to do with Nancy Drew. Mr. Tombar is an old fragile tall thin man. Mr. Tombar’s motive was to keep Nancy from founding out the truth and be in control of the Lighter Company. Mr. Tombar is the antagonist of this book and he is also a round and dynamic character. The social conditions of Nancy and her family were almost not rich and not poor.                                                                        I found this plot structure of this book very interesting. The exposition of this book was when all the characters in the book were introduced and when the book explained who all the characters were and were they were and what day it was. The rising action of this book was when one of Nancy’s best friends disguised herself to look exactly like Nancy to protect Nancy and Nancy’s friend got kidnapped but when the kidnappers realized it was not Nancy they put a sweat smelling perfume on the girls noise to make her dizzy and left here by a tree. The climax of this book was when robberies started to begin at parties that had tons of people and was taking place at a rich persons house. Also the Lightner Entertainment Company prepared the houses that would be robbed. The falling action was when Nancy found numbers on the back of one of the thieves mask and she found out what the numbers meant and she also found another mask that had a special ink on it that only the Lightner Entertainment Company could have, so that limited the people that could have robbed the houses. The resolution was when Nancy used the help of her friend to catch the bad guys in the house while they were leaving. The main conflict in this book was the Velvet Gangs robberies. This book is external. All of the conflicts in this book were man vs. man. The tone of this book was thoughtful. The mood of this book was scared and happy. The theme of this book was adventures. The moral of this book was to never give up on what you are doing because you will succeed at the end. The book is told in first person. The pattern of organization of this book is chronological order and the author’s perspective is to share and entertain. The author’s perspective is subjective because the book is in Nancy’s point of view.        

                  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any figurative language because the author was pretty straight forward with  the story.                          

All in all I really enjoyed reading this book , I would rate this book eight out of ten stars . I’m looking forward to reading more of Carolyn Keen novels . I would recommend this book to boys and girls the ages of 10-13.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Sincerely,                                                                                                            Roxanne Fine