Reader's Journal #16- Chosen (The Chosen #1) by Denise Grover Swank

#16                            Reader’s Journal                 12/12/11                 

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

           

            This week I continued reading the book, Chosen (The Chosen #1) by Denise Grover Swank.

            A passage that stood out to me was:

            “Although Emma was quiet, Will could tell an undercurrent of anger threatened to break loose. It amazed him how easy it was to get her to follow his lead, but he had a feeling she didn’t usually cooperate this well. The fact she felt guilty dragging him in her trouble proved she had some sort of conscience. He planned to use that to his advantage.” (KINDLE)

            I chose this passage because it hooked me. It also got me thinking a little more about one of the main characters, Will. While reading this, I realized that Will wasn’t so innocent, and that he might be planning something against Emma and Jake. It is significant to the story because it a little bit more detail on Will.

            Before, during, and after reading I used many strategies. Before reading, I noticed that the title of this book, Chosen (The Chosen #1), included a number, and predicted it was part of a series. I also made sure I remembered what I had read this far, by rereading my last reader’s journal. While reading, I took notes on my Kindle about any new vocabulary, figurative language, or literary elements. I also talked about the book with my friends, to make sure all my information was accurate and to make predictions together. After reading, I continued the book talk with my friends and we were able to confirm some predictions we had made. I also reviewed all my notes to write my reader’s journal.

The genre of this book is fantasy because it has unrealistic characters and a plot that could never happen in real life. The protagonists are Emma Thompson, Jake Thompson, and so far Will Davenport. However, I believe towards the end of the book, Will might become an antagonist because he seems suspicious. Jake is Emma’s five-year-old who can see into the future. Will is a complete stranger to both of them, but Jake claims they need him and that their lives depend on him. These characters are round because they are well described; however, they haven’t gone through any type of characterization yet. The antagonists are the “The Bad Men”, as Jake calls them, because they seem to be a threat to Emma and Jake, but it is not clearly stated why. They are round because they are clearly stated. The following passages help describe them:

“The Bad Men, as Jake called them, had found them more quickly. They used to be able to live in a place for months, but this time had only been three weeks. She tried to take comfort in the daylight, even if it was fading. The Bad Men usually came at night, but she sensed their desperation was making them bolder. She drove home as fast as possible without the risk of getting pulled over by the police. She knew from experience they couldn’t be trusted. “

“He didn’t fit the Bad Men’s usual look of jeans and black shirts…”

“The Bad Men” have not gone through characterization; therefore, they are static. The foil character is Emma’s boss at the beginning of the book. Emma and Jake must leave in a rush and this character helps the scene seem more intense. He is flat and static because he is not described well and doesn’t go through characterization.

Most of the setting isn’t clearly stated in the book. It starts off in a motel in Texas in July in which Emma and Jake live in. “Home was an aged, pay-by-the-week, roach-infested motel.” Then the main characters leave the motel and start driving; there is no exact setting, but it states that they want to go to Austin, Texas. It takes place in modern times. The weather conditions are hot and humid. One social condition is that Jake can see the future and believes Will is needed for he and his mom to survive.

The plot of this book was very good and it got to the action pretty fast. The exposition was when the author introduced the main characters and the conflict. Then, almost immediately, then book went into the rising action, where Emma and Jake decided that Will could tag along with them. It is also where their mysterious car chase takes place. I am a little confused on where I am because, in my opinion, everything in the rising action seems like it could be in the climax. When I complete the book I will be able to tell more about the plot structure.

The conflict is man vs. supernatural because the protagonists are against the antagonists and some characters are “supernatural” beings. This type of conflict is external. The tone of this book is mysterious and adventurous and the mood is curious and suspenseful. There is no theme, moral, or motif. The point-of-view is either third-person-omniscient or third-person-limited because the narrator speaks about what he can only see and hear, but knows what two character, Emma and Will, thinks and feels. The author’s purpose is to entertain readers with a mysterious and suspenseful fantasy. The pattern of organization is climatic order because it tells what happens from beginning to end. The author’s perspective is objective because he does not share any personal opinions or beliefs.

            

             Since I haven’t finished the book, I wasn’t able to identify that much figurative language. I only identified irony, a cliché, and a hyperbole.

-I found it very ironic that Will showed up just in time when Jake and Emma were leaving the hotel.

-“I’m a big girl.” This is a cliché because it is an overused expression.

-“I've told you a million times, we need him.” This is a hyperbole because it exaggerates the amount of times Jake had said this.

              (Free Response)- If I could give the author any advice, I would tell her to give more detail about the “Bad Men” because I am still confused.

            

               Overall, this book is okay. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone yet until I finish the book completely. I rate it a 6 out of 10 stars because the author still leaves the readers confused for a long time.

                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                Your Student,

                                                                                                                        Bailey Levy

Current Events Journal #3

12/11/11

Bailey Levy 802

Current Events Journal #3

Title: Animal shelter's behavior experts face life and death decisions for animals

Author: John Owens

Source: The Miami Herald

Topic: The topic of this article is animal shelter’s decisions.

Main Idea (Implied/Stated): The main idea of this article is Animal shelter's behavior experts face life and death decisions for animals. It is stated because it is clearly written in the text.

Author’s Purpose: The author’s purpose for writing this article is to inform readers about how shelters make decisions about if animals should be put up for adoption or put to death based on their behavior.

Author’s Perspective: The author’s perspective in this article is subjective because the author makes the reader feel ad for the animals and puts his opinion in the article.

Pattern of Organization: The pattern of organization of the article is both cause and effect and process order.

-The reason the author chose these patterns for the article is to help the reader see the order on how the shelter decides whether or not to put the animal to sleep and the causes of why they would do so.

Text Features: The texts features included in this article are title, quotations, and a date. The title helps by giving the readers a little hint on what the article is about, the quotes help by telling readers what people think about the topic and their feelings, and the date tells the readers when this article was published.

Summary (in your own words): The article is about how pets like Yokie, must be put through a lot of tests so shelters can decide if they should be put up for adoption, or put to sleep.

Importance: The significance of this article is to teach readers that many pets aren’t always put up for adoption and that some are actually put to sleep because of their behaviors toward people and other animals.

What I Learned: What I learned from this article is that pets are sometimes put to sleep because they do not behave well with other people and animals.

What I Liked: What I liked about this article was that the author included a real pet as an example. Although it was extremely sad, I liked how the author included information about Yokie. 

What I Disliked: What I did not like about this article was that there were no pictures to help me visualize things. It would have been better to include a picture of a dog, for example, Yokie.

Recommendations: I would recommend this article to anyone thinking about adopting a pet or anyone who owns a pet.

Text-to-Self Connections: This article reminded me of the time I had to put my dog to sleep because he had a heart condition.

Text-to-Text Connections: This article reminded me of the book, Marley and Me, because in the book, Marley is put to sleep by a shelter.

Text-to-World Connections: This article reminded me of the world because this was shelters do this to animals all over the world.

Vocabulary:

Word	Context Clues	Meaning
1. Euthanized	I used context clue #1 (definition or restatement). The meaning of the word was in the sentence.	Put to sleep
2. Advocacy	I used context clue #5 (infer). The sentence states that the people at the shelter understand the stress of the animal and that they must have some sort of advocacy. I inferred that it meant motivation or support.	Motivation; support
3. Euthanasia	I used context clue #5 (infer). I knew that “euthanized” meant to put to sleep, so I inferred that euthanasia was the act of putting something to sleep or the state of something being put to sleep.	The act of putting something to sleep; the state of something being put to sleep

Reader's Journal #15- Chosen (The Chosen #1) by Denise Grover Swank

#15                                              Readers Journal                                   12/05/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            This week I started the book Chosen (The Chosen #1) by Denise Grover Swank.

            A passage that stood out to me was the very first one because it made me hooked onto the book instantly:

            “Emma bolted out the door of the rundown diner, pulling her five-year-old son behind her. She broke into a cold sweat that had nothing to do with the humid July heat.”

           

            This is significant to the story because it starts off the book and gives information about the setting and a hint about the conflict.

Before, during, and after reading I used many strategies. Before reading, I noticed that the title of this book, Chosen (The Chosen #1), included a number, and predicted it was part of a series. I also read some reviews and the synopsis to make sure I would enjoy this book. The synopsis sounded interesting and all the reviews were positive. The reviews helped me confirm my prediction that the book was part of a series. While reading, I took notes on my Kindle about any new vocabulary, figurative language, or literary elements. I also predicted what I thought what happened after reading the following passage:

“As soon as Will walked out of earshot, Emma whipped around and glared at Jake. ‘What are you doing? We can’t trust this guy!’

Jake watched her with his vast blue eyes. ‘You have to.’

‘Why? Why do we have to?’

His head leaned against the side window, watching the cars passing by. He sighed, sounding weary and despondent. ‘You need him. Our lives depend on him.’”

After reading this I predicted that Emma, the main character, would trust her five-year-old son, Jake, when he said that their lives depended on Will, and she would let him join the two on their “adventure” running away from “The Bad Men”. After reading I checked back to confirm my prediction. Emma had let Will in on their adventure; therefore, my prediction was correct. I also read all my notes and highlight I took on my Kindle to write my reader’s journal.

The genre of this book is fantasy because it has unrealistic characters and a plot that could never happen in real life. The protagonists are Emma Thompson, Jake Thompson, and, so far, Will Davenport; however, I believe towards the end of the book, Will might become an antagonist because he seems suspicious. Jake is Emma’s five-year-old who can see into the future. Will is a complete stranger to both of them, but Jake claims they need him and that their lives depend on him. These characters are round because they are well described; however, they haven’t went through any type of characterization yet. The antagonists are the “The Bad Men”, as Jake calls them, because they seem to be a threat to Emma and Jake, but it is not clearly stated why. They are round because they are clearly stated. The following passages help describe them:

“The Bad Men, as Jake called them, had found them more quickly. They used to be able to live in a place for months, but this time had only been three weeks. She tried to take comfort in the daylight, even if it was fading. The Bad Men usually came at night, but she sensed their desperation was making them bolder. She drove home as fast as possible without the risk of getting pulled over by the police. She knew from experience they couldn’t be trusted. “

“He didn’t fit the Bad Men’s usual look of jeans and  black shirts…”

“The Bad Men” have not gone through characterization; therefore, they are static. The foil character is Emma’s boss at the beginning of the book. Emma and Jake must leave in a rush and this character helps the scene seem more intense. He is flat and static because he is not described well and doesn’t go through characterization.

Most of the setting isn’t clearly stated in the book. It starts off in a motel in Texas in July in which Emma and Jake live in. “Home was an aged, pay-by-the-week, roach-infested motel.” Then the main characters leave the motel and start driving; there is no exact setting, but it states that they want to go to Austin, Texas. It takes place in modern times. The weather conditions are hot and humid. One social condition is that Jake can see the future and believes Will is needed for he and his mom to survive.

                                   

The plot of this book was very good and it got to the action pretty fast. The exposition was when the author introduced the main characters and the conflict. Then, almost immediately, then book went into the rising action, where Emma and Jake decided that Will can tag along with them. It is also where their mysterious car chase takes place. I am still on the rising action, but will keep reading to answer questions like, Why are Emma and Jake being chased by “The Bad Men” and Who is Will really?

The conflict is man vs. supernatural because the protagonists are against the antagonists and some characters are “supernatural” beings. This type of conflict is external. The tone of this book is mysterious and adventurous and the mood is curious and suspenseful. There is no theme, moral, or motif. The point-of-view is either third-person-omniscient or third-person-limited because the narrator speaks about what he can only see and hear, but knows what two character, Emma and Will, thinks and feels. The author’s purpose is to entertain readers with a mysterious and suspenseful fantasy.

I found the following figurative language while reading:

- “The boy looked like a cherub out of one of those Renaissance paintings…” is a simile comparing Jake’s appearance to the appearance of a cherub.

- “But she willed away the tears that threatened to spill.” This is personification because it gives human-like qualities to thing that do not live; tears cannot literally threaten to spill.

 

- “BOOM! She slammed her foot on the gas pedal.” This is onomatopoeia because it is a sound.

- “’Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know.’” This is a cliché because it is an overused expression.

- “Emma felt as though it would take a lifetime to get there.” This is a hyperbole because it exaggerates the about of time it would take to drive.

            (#6) I like the fact that the author doesn’t really tell you who “The Bad Men” are and what they want in the beginning of the story because it makes me interested in reading more.

            (#18) The main character, Jake, reminds me of the main character, Raven, from the show, That’s so Raven because they can both see into the future.

            So far, I like the book. Fantasy isn’t normally my favorite genre but the book isn’t that bad. I would rate it a 7 ½ out of 10 stars because, like I said, fantasy isn’t really my favorite. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy books.

Your Student,

                                                                        Bailey Levy 802

Reader's Journal #14- Violet Lights: A Short Story by Joshua Scribner

#14                             Readers Journal                            11/28/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            Since this week’s reader’s journal is free choice, I decided to read a short story called Violet Lights: A Short Story by Joshua Scribner. I have already read a short story by this author so I thought it would be interesting to compare them to one another and find out if this author has a motif.

            A passage that stood out to me was:

            “He rolled toward her. ‘Crystal,’ he whispered.

She didn’t respond.

‘Crystal,’ he said, this time louder. 

            She still didn’t respond, which was strange. Crystal usually responded to his voice when he spoke at night. 

            He reached over her to switch on the lamp. Then, when he moved back to his side of the bed, he saw that she was awake, eyes wide open, big round circles, face pale, scared out of her wits. 

            ‘You saw the shadow and the lights?’ Dennis asked.

She nodded her head slightly.

‘Did you feel the child?’ 

She nodded again.”

(Kindle 42% - Location 73 of 199)

I chose this passage because it was the first thing that really sparked my interest. It made me very interested in finishing the book and finding out what happens next. It is significant to the story because it explains that both characters experienced the horrors of the “shadow”.

Before, during, and after reading I used many strategies. Before reading, I noticed that I read another book by this author; so, I read my previous reader’s journal about the other book by this author, Sidewalks: A Short Story, to review what I knew about the author and his style of writing, and to see if I had enjoyed his other book. I also set a purpose for reading. My purpose for reading this book was for my reader’s journal, to compare the two books by this author, and to see if this author has a certain motif. While reading, I took notes on my Kindle. I highlighted all the figurative language, the different characters, and any other literary elements I could find. I also made predictions while reading. I predicted that the main characters, Dennis and Crystal, would somehow defeat the shadow that haunted them and get rid of the mysterious girl that crept up in their bed at night, only when the lights were off, but would disappear the moment the lights would turn on. After reading, I checked to see if my predictions were correct; however, they weren’t.  What really happened was the complete opposite of what I had predicted. Also after reading, I reviewed all my notes and highlights and thought about the strategies I used and the literary elements of this book to write my reader’s journal.

The genre of this book is short story because it focuses on one main conflict and one main plot, it is shorter than a regular novel, and it was read in one sitting. The protagonists were Dennis and Crystal Harkum. They were a married couple that had moved to a new city for a year because Crystal had gotten an internship in that town. They are both round and dynamic because they are described very well and go through characterization. Dennis, in the beginning of the book, trusts everything his wife says; then, towards the end, he wants to leave her because he believes she’s wrong. Crystal, on the other hand, starts off not believing that Dennis had really seen a shadow and a child and believes it’s all stress-related. Then, she actually sees the shadow and the child and feels that she needs to protect the child. The antagonist is the shadow because it haunts Dennis and Crystal. It is round and dynamic because it is described very well and goes through characterization. It starts off just haunting Dennis and Crystal, but by the book, it kills them. The foil character is the child that crept up into Dennis and Crystal’s bed at night. It is flat because all you know about it is that it is small. You are not told if this child is even male or female. This child, however, is dynamic because it goes through characterization. In the beginning of the book it protects Dennis and Crystal from the shadow, but in the end, it leaves them and stops caring for them.

Most of the setting isn’t clearly stated in the book. It takes place in a new town from where the characters lived before the book. The house they lived in can be described by this passage: “He liked the house they were renting. It had two bedrooms, one of which they’d make into an office, and a nice little yard to take care of. It wasn’t luxurious, but it better than the college housing they were used to. “ Although it is not stated, I can infer that the book takes place in modern times. The weather conditions are not stated at all. One social condition is stated in the book: “’A family was murdered in this house ten years ago. A man. A woman. Their little girl.’ ‘My God! Did they catch who did it?’ She shook her head. ‘No. And it wasn’t one of those murder suicides either. They were all cut up pretty good, none of them like a person could do to their self.’”                                    

The plot of this book was very good and it got to the action pretty fast. The exposition was when the author introduced some of the setting and the main characters. The rising action was when Dennis told his wife about the weird shadow he had seen and the mysterious child he had felt. The climax was when Crystal also saw the shadow and felt the child. The falling action was when Dennis and Crystal got into a fight. Also, when Dennis upset the child who was only trying to protect him and his wife from the shadow. The resolution was when the shadow attacks Dennis and Crystal.

The conflict is man vs. supernatural because the antagonist, who is a supernatural character, is against the protagonists. This type of conflict is external. The tone of this book is mysterious and the mood is curious. I am not sure, but I think the theme of this book is ghosts or evil creatures. The author’s motif is writing short stories about ghosts and mysterious topics. There is no moral in this book because no life lesson was taught. The point-of-view is third person limited because the narrator speaks about what he can only see and hear, but knows what one character, Dennis, thinks and feels. The author’s purpose is to entertain readers with a mysterious and exciting short story. Since the point-of-view is third person limited, the author’s perspective is biased to whoever or whatever Dennis does and doesn’t like.

Since this book was a short story I wasn’t able to identify that many figurative language. “Her hands felt as small as a newborns.” This is a simile comparing Crystal’s hands to a newborn’s hands. A hyperbole is “In an instant, the few violet lights coming from the shadow turned into millions.” This exaggerated the amount of lights coming from the shadow.

(#39) Although this was a short story, I wish that the author had given more details to describe the setting and the child because it would’ve been clearer to the readers.

(#44) I couldn’t believe both protagonists were killed by the shadow because I thought that the child would protect them.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this short story. I would recommend it to anyone in the mood for a quick, mysterious, and exciting read. I rate it a 9 out of 10 stars because although it was better than the author’s other book, I would have liked to see a little bit more detail to help me better visualize the story.

Your Student,

                                                                        Bailey Levy 802

Reader's Journal #13- Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid by Lawrence Fisher and Tanya Nicole Kach

#13                         Reader’s Journal                         11/21/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            This week I finished the book, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid, by Tanya Nicole Kach and Lawrence Fisher.

A passage that stood at to me the most was:

“When Tom Hose was informed that Krimm had been found dead, he did not seem surprised and said, ‘You knew that was coming.’ This stuck me as an unusually strange and cold reaction to learning about a death. Tom Hose hated Kimberlie Krimm because of all of her problems at Cornell and because of my troublesome interactions with her sister. One evening, after he had been drinking, Tom Hose even described to me the configuration of Krimm’s dead body as it was discovered in the cemetery. These details were especially disturbing, because no details had been reported at the time. He claimed that Krimm’s lifeless body was found propped up on a hillside amidst overgrown grass and shrubbery. He further claimed that Krimm was slouched over her knees, which were bent inward and up against her chest. He went on to describe Krimm’s panties being drawn down to her ankles. According to official reports, the manner and time of Krimm’s death were undetermined because her body was so badly decomposed when she was discovered by authorities.” (KINDLE)

I chose this passage because it made me realize what type of a person Tom Hose really was. Before reading this I believed he was crazy for abducting Tanya, but this made me realize he was an insane and disgusting monster! It is significant to the book because it shows just one of the many horrid things Tom Hose did in his life.

I used various before, during, and after reading strategies. Before reading I reviewed my last reader’s journal and made sure I understood everything up to where I was in the book. I also made predictions. I predicted that Tanya would be discovered or run away for Tom Hose. While reading I wrote down any new vocabulary I found in the book. I also checked if I could confirm my prediction however it was mentioned in the last few chapters; therefore, one after reading strategy I used was to confirm my predictions and I was correct. I also though about if any of the nonfiction elements had changed but realized they hadn’t.

The genre of this book is memoir because it is a true story about a “memory” of someone’s life. The main idea is a girl named Tanya Nicole Kach was abducted when she was fourteen for over a decade. This main idea is implied because it is not clearly stated in the book and you must read between the lines to figure it out. If I had to rename the book, I would call it The Abduction of Tanya Nicole Kach because it is the main idea of the story. Some details that support the main idea are, “When she was found dead, Anna Marie Callahan had been the same age as I was when Tom Hose abducted me, she resembled my appearance, and she had been subject to the authority of Tom Hose because he worked at Cornell.” is factual, “Hiding me in his bedroom closet allowed Tom Hose to open his usually locked bedroom door.” Is factual, and “For the entire time of my captivity, I never dared to watch television or listen to the radio…” is factual. The essential message is that a young girl, Tanya Nicole, was abducted by a man name Thomas John Hose. A cause and effect from the story was that Tanya Nicole ran away from her home, so the effect was her ten years of captivity.  One thing Tanya compared and contrasted throughout the book was how she felt with her dad and step-mom, which was useless and unloved, to how she felt with Tom Hose, which was cared about and adored.

 I identified five text features in this book. The text features I indentified were title, subtitle, illustration, headings, and subheadings. The title, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid, helped me understand what the book would be about. The subtitle, A Tanya Nicole Kach Story, helped me identify whom the story would be about. The illustration on the cover, which was spilled milk, to me, represented how crazy Tanya’s life was. The headings, which were the chapter numbers, helped me know what chapter I was on and finally, the subheadings, which were the names of the chapters, helped me predict what each chapter would be about.

The pattern of organization in this book is chronological/time order because it is written in the order of which things occurred in Tanya’s life. The author’s purpose was to inform the readers about the harsh experiences Tanya encountered before and during her abduction. The author’s perspective is subjective to whoever or whatever Tanya does and doesn’t like because the book is written in first person point of view.

            I identified many types of figurative language in this book. The tone is informative and showing sympathy. The mood is sympathetic. I found the following sentence to be an understatement. “It was scary to be in that closet.” I would think it would be horrifying, depressing, terrifying… not “scary”. “When he finally let me out, I felt as free as a dog.” This is a simile because it is comparing how Tanya felt to the freedom of a dog using the word “as”. “‘Do I look stupid, Tanya?’” This is a rhetorical question because Tom Hose said this to Tanya to make a point. It is a question people do not answer but is just said to prove something.

To check the validity and accuracy I went to three sources. Two sources were the websites, http://www.zimbio.com/Tanya+Nicole+Kach and http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/national/24missing.html. They each showed different articles, however both stating exactly what it said in the book. The last source I went to was my father. I asked him if he had ever heard of Tanya Nicole Kach and he had. He told me all about her abduction from which he had heard on the news when it took place. By checking all these sources I was able to conclude that the book was accurate and Tanya Nicole’s story was true.

Some new words I encountered while reading this book were pacified, meticulous, deviation, inextricably, and alien. To find out what all these words meant, I used context clues while reading the sentences they were in. For example, “The risk was limited to a few hours, and it pacified me.” I replaced pacified with excited and frightened. Since these two words are almost opposites I looked in the dictionary to find the exact meaning. The word pacified means to put a stop to anger, agitation, and excitement. “Hose was meticulous in this endeavor.” I replaced meticulous with worried, smart, careful. The correct definition of meticulous is, showing great attention to detail; careful and precise. “The slight deviation that allowed me out of the closet on Christmas Eve 2000 was as astonishing as it was baffling.” I replaced deviation with the word surprise; however, I was completely wrong. The definition of deviation is, the action of departing from an established course. “And survival, for me, was inextricably linked to Tom Hose with
deep psychological chains that it would take many more years for me to break.” It was extremely hard for me to replace this word but the definition is, impossible to separate. “This all the more depicts how alien the experience was for me.” Although I know what an alien is, I could tell that the author wasn’t talking about a green space creature in this sentence. I replaced alien with the words new and foreign, because the noun alien, is from out of this world and is considered foreign. The exact definition is, belonging to a foreign country or nation.

 I made text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections while reading this book. A text-to-self connection is that like Tanya Nicole, I am an only child. I can relate this book to Jaycee Lee Duggard’s book, A Stolen Life, because they are both about young girls who were abducted for a long period of time. This book reminds me of the world because abductions take place almost every day and kids mistreated by their families.

Although I am sorry for Tanya, I am having a hard time understanding why she didn’t try to escape earlier in her abduction. However, I admire Tanya for her braveness and for her strong willed personality that is shown throughout the book.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book! I think most teenagers and anyone older would like this book, as well. The writing of this book got better as I read but I still rate it a 9 out of 10 stars because the book wasn’t as well written as other books I have read, but I enjoyed reading Tanya’s story.

 Sincerely,

Bailey Levy 802

Reader's Journal #12- Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid by Lawrence Fisher and Tanya Nicole Kach

#12                                   Reader’s Journal                                     11/14/11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            This week I started the book, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid by Tanya Nicole Kach and Lawrence Fisher. A passage that really stood out to me was:

            “My first memory of life is one of light. The closed door to my bedroom made me feel caged, imprisoned. I pulled myself up in my crib and cried. Then, one of my parents must have opened the door, and I glimpsed a crack of light that both fascinated and comforted me. In a way, that first memory is a metaphor for what kept me alive for the ten dark years of captivity I endured. Despite my abductor’s repeated message that no one cared about me, despite the threats of what would happen if I tried to escape, that glimmer of hope within me never died. It was the divine lifeboat I clung to at my most desperate moments. One day I will leave here, I promised myself. One day, I will tell my story. “

I chose this passage because, from the beginning, I could tell that Tanya’s life was hard but she was strong-willed; this passage shows it. I was able to picture her life from this very paragraph. It is significant to the story because it shows the readers that even when she was a baby, her life was difficult.

I used many before, during, and after reading strategies. Before reading I thought of why I had picked this book and set a purpose. The title of this book was very similar to another book I read, The Face on the Milk Carton, so my purpose was to read this book was to compare it to The Face on the Milk Carton and for my reader’s journal. I also read the synopsis and reviews to see if this book would be entertaining.  One review I found interesting was, “My heart ached while I read this. As a survivor of child abuse, this girl's actions and reactions made perfect sense to me. This is a must read for parents and all people who are thinking of becoming parents. God bless you Tanya - your healing will take a lifetime but will be well worth it!” After reading this I wondered if this book wouldn’t be good for me but decided to give it a chance anyways.  While reading I took notes for my readers journal on my Kindle. I also made predictions. Because I never of heard Tanya’s story, I predicted that her abductor was her neighbor, Kevin Churchfield. I felt that way because he was portrayed as a creep. After reading the section, I saw if my prediction was right; however, it wasn’t. Her abductor was a security guard in her school named Thomas John Hose. Another after reading strategy I used was to look over all my notes and highlights to write my reader’s journal. 

The genre of this book is memoir because it is a true story about a “memory” of someone’s life. The main idea is a girl named Tanya Nicole Kach was abducted when she was fourteen for over a decade. This main idea is implied because it is not clearly stated in the book and you must read between the lines to figure it out. If I had to rename the book, I would call it The Abduction of Tanya Nicole Kach because it is the main idea of the story. Some details that support the main idea are, “When she was found dead, Anna Marie Callahan had been the same age as I was when Tom Hose abducted me, she resembled my appearance, and she had been subject to the authority of Tom Hose because he worked at Cornell.
“ is factual, “Hiding me in his bedroom closet allowed Tom Hose to open his usually locked bedroom door.” Is factual, and “For the entire time of my captivity, I never dared to watch television or listen to the radio…” is factual. The essential message is that a young girl, Tanya Nicole, was abducted by a man name Thomas John Hose. A cause and effect from the story was that Tanya Nicole ran away from her home, so the effect was her ten years of captivity.  One thing Tanya compared and contrasted throughout the book was how she felt with her dad and step-mom, which was useless and unloved, to how she felt with Tom Hose, which was cared about and adored.

 I identified five text features in this book. The text features I indentified were title, subtitle, illustration, headings, and subheadings. The title, Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid, helped me understand what the book would be about. The subtitle, A Tanya Nicole Kach Story, helped me identify whom the story would be about. The illustration on the cover, which was spilled milk, to me, represented how crazy Tanya’s life was. The headings, which were the chapter numbers, helped me know what chapter I was on and finally, the subheadings, which were the names of the chapters, helped me predict what each chapter would be about.

The pattern of organization in this book is chronological/time order because it is written in the order of which things occurred in Tanya’s life. The author’s purpose was to inform the readers about the harsh experiences Tanya encountered before and during her abduction. The author’s perspective is subjective to whoever or whatever Tanya does and doesn’t like because the book is written in first person point of view.

There were many different types of figurative language throughout the book. One was, “The apple does not fall far from the tree.” This is a cliché because it is an overused expression. Tanya wrote this when describing Justin, her abductor’s son. The tone of this book was sympathy because Tanya’s word choice was sad and seemed like she was hopeless at many points. My mood while reading was sympathetic because it was painful to hear all the horrifying things Tanya went through. Another figurative language is a metaphor, “Although he was not the most handsome, he had a heart of gold.” This was how Tanya describes Tom Hose before her abduction. The last figurative language I found was irony. I found it very ironic that Tom’s parents had conveniently fallen asleep just before police arrived at their house to question him about Tanya.

To check the validity and accuracy I went to three sources. Two sources were the websites, http://www.zimbio.com/Tanya+Nicole+Kach and http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/24/national/24missing.html. They each showed different articles, however both stating exactly what it said in the book. The last source I went to was my father. I asked him if he had ever heard of Tanya Nicole Kach and he had. He told me all about her abduction from which he had heard on the news when it took place. By checking all these sources I was able to conclude that the book was accurate and Tanya Nicole’s story was true.

While reading, I encountered five new vocabulary words, magistrate, mundane, cremated, repugnant, and seclusion. I was able to infer what magistrate meant by reading this sentence, “My father called the police. In the insanity that ensued, my mom lied to a
magistrate and secured a court order that briefly allowed her back that night with my father and me in Monongahela.”  I knew that this word was a noun because of the tense it was in and thought of words that I could replace it with. I replaced magistrate with officer, police, and official. When I look up the definition, I was correct, magistrate is an official officer. I inferred what the word mundane was by reading this sentence, “I was allowed out of the Soles Street residence on orchestrated, cloaked, and rare occasions to shop for clothing or for other reasons that would seem mundane

to most people.” I replaced mundane with ordinary and usual because I knew that Tom Hose would not what Tanya doing anything unusual that anyone could suspect him for Tanya’s abduction. The definition of mundane is not interesting or dull. The word cremated, found in the following sentence, reminded me of the word cemetery, which I know is underground, so I inferred that it meant to be buried. “I wanted to make sure that, if my body was found, I would not be cremated.” Cremated means to get rid of something (a dead body) usually by burning it. Repugnant was found in the following sentence. “Even though I found Justin’s advances repugnant, he had been the only human being with whom I could interact, other than his father, for those first four years.” This word reminded me of the word pungent, which I know means sour or bitter so I inferred that the definition of repugnant was close to the definition of pungent. Repugnant means something that is extremely unacceptable. The following sentence helped me infer what seclusion meant. “From March 1996 through about June of 2000, I was in total seclusion at the Hose residence, during which time I did not leave the house.” I inferred that seclusion meant being away from the world because it says that she didn’t leave the house. Seclusion really means in a state of being private and away from other people.

While reading this book, I was able to make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections. This book reminded me of myself because I am now the same age as Tanya was when she was abducted. This book reminds me of another book I read called The Face on the Milk Carton because they both share stories on missing and abducted children; although, The Face on the Milk Carton is fiction and this book is nonfiction. This book reminds me of the world because abductions take place almost every day. This book especially reminds me of the story of Jaycee Lee Duggard who was also abducted for a long period of time.

Although I feel very sorry for Tanya, I don’t think I would want to be her friend. She was the type of person that would never do the right thing. She would smoke at age thirteen, get into fights, and run away from home.

If I could give Tanya advice now, I would probably tell her to stay strong and that although it might seem hard, she will get through her abduction and live a perfectly normal life.

Overall, this book was very interesting although, it was poorly written. Some of the author’s sentences seemed childish and repetitive. However, the story itself was very entertaining and at some points, I couldn’t put it down. Therefore, I rate it a 9 out of 10 stars.

I would recommend this book to mostly all girls and boys in middle school and up because anyone younger would not fully understand this story.

                                                                        Your Student,

                                                                        Bailey Levy 802