Once you have completely finished your novel: What do you
believe is the theme of your novel? Support your choice with detailed examples
from the text. Correct paragraph format and conventions are needed. All of your
answers will be graded for accuracy, conventions, and proof of effort put into
your answer.
THEME
ReplyDelete"The Weight of Water"
The theme of this novel was that every mistake and negative thing in your life adds up to something beautiful.
Kasienka's mom has dragged her from her home after the father has left. Kasienka is thrown into a completely new environment with conditions that have her nearly tearing at the seams.
Her mother is relentless, going house to house everyday to find the man she still loves. She is obscenely negative and makes Kasienka feel worthless.
This low self-esteem is decreased even more by a girl named Clair at school, who, along with her friends, bully her and make people hate her. For example, Kasienka sits with this girl in art class who she almost has a chance to be friends with, and Clair lies about something Kasienka said and- boom! She's lost the only chance of friendship she's had.
But gladly, Kasienka finds two people who begin to heal her. An eighth grader named William and her father. It turns out that her father cheated on her mother with another woman, and had a kid.
To avoid her mother, Kasienka begins spending more and more time in this cheerful household.
Meanwhile, Kasienka and William enter this beautiful, romantic relationship that is one of the only things that she lives for.
This all adds up in the end because William convinces her to join the swim team, and she receives a permission slip for a tournament. By finding her father, Kasienka has him sign the slip and she goes to the tournament, which she wins.
When Clair and her friends try to bully her, Kasienka stands up for herself and is bullied no longer.
I think the theme is that sometimes you need to let go. I know this because once Brooklyn let go of Lucca she was happy.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this novel is to make sure who your true friends are. And what goes around comes around. If you are unkind to someone, then it will come back and haunt you.
ReplyDeleteThe theme for 42 miles is to be who you really are. An example from 42 Miles would be when JoEllen was talking about being called Ellen at her mom's house and Joey at her dad's house even though her real name is JoEllen (Zimmer 3). Another example would be when JoEllen was talking about how she acted different when she was at her mom's house from when she was at her dad's house. When she was at her dad's house she would go fishing, horseback riding, exploring and invent new recipes (Zimmer 12, 24). When she was at her moms house she gets food from restaurants, goes to baseball games, goes to Aunt Mimi’s Attic, goes to the movie theater and watches TV (Zimmer 18, 29, 30, 32). It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of you, be yourself.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this story is that you have to let go. Ava holds on to the mourning of Jackson and lives full of sadness. Ava closes herself off from the world, until she starts hanging out with friends and going out more. Ava learns through out I heart you, you haunt me, that in order to find happiness she has to let go of her sad and angry thoughts and move on. -Jessi Davis
ReplyDeleteI believe that the theme of my novel is that you should always best to forgive. No matter what happened, or continues to happen, it is much easier to move on if you learn to forgive the person or people who did this. Wren Abbott was accidentally kidnapped when she hides in the backseat of her mom's minivan when it is stolen. The thief's daughter (not a thief) suspects she is there and anonymously helps her escape. Six years later, they meet again at a summer camp and instantly recognize each other. It takes a long time, but Wren finds it in herself to forgive Darra's family for doing what they did. Now, they are good friends. Both of them are finding it easier to move on.
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme in The Day Before is that you should live in the moment and enjoy the little things. One example is when Amber leave her home she eats jelly beans, and savors them, telling herself not to worry about what her parents will say, just thinking that she is going to have a good day. Another example is that Cade is terrified to undergo the surgery that will save his father, but he just lets himself have fun instead of freaking out (well, for the most part anyway). Together they have fun, and in the end they find the strength to face the problems they did not think they could.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the book One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies is that you can still find pieces of happiness and joy in your life even when everything else seems to be going wrong. Everything in Ruby’s life seems to be going downhill. Her mom died, she had to move away from her friends and across the county, she is going to a school nothing like her old one, her dad has an ego larger than the indoor swimming pool at her new house, and her boyfriend cheats on her with her best friend. Some how, Ruby finds a way out of the mess that is her life and into a new light. She makes a friend at school that saves her from multiple catastrophes. Now that her dad is rich she is too; she finds ways to make people’s day. Like buying all the celebrity homes maps from the man on the street. She finds joy in Max, her dad’s personal assistant. Throughout the novel Ruby realizes that its okay to be sad about things, but you can’t let the sadness ruin your life.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the story is that even when things seem there worst, not to give up because the grass is always greener on the other side. Even when Ruby thinks that her life is over and that nothing else could get worse, she starts getting answers and ends up loving her life and her once “scum baggy” father. Also, when Ruby is in school, she has no friends, and nobody to talk and countless embarassing things continue to happen to her until one day in class, she just lets her body control itself with no thoughts and people find out how she really is. So, although she thought her school life would be terrible all year, it turned out to be a good year with her new friends!
ReplyDeleteI believe the theme of the book Trash, by Sharon Darrow is that you should look on the bright side of things and make the best out of your bad situations. The first example out of many indications that this is the theme, is that Boy and Sissy’s mom gave them up for adoption and they go from house to house or more specifically family to family. One of their families were abusive and so Boy and Sissy ran away. They lived homeless for a while and instead of giving up on life Boy and Sissy both get jobs and work to survive. Another example is that when they eventually end up at a good home, instead of dwelling on their horrible lives, the kids find their passion. Art. They go around the city doing the only thing that makes them happy: graffiti art. Finally, when an accident happens while painting their town, Boy dies. Sissy is completely depressed, but she doesn’t dwell forever. She graduates high school and goes to college and does what she knows Boy would want for her. She moves to Chicago and decides to go to an art school.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of By the River, is never abandon the ones you love. Harry, the main character, knew every single way out of his small town in Australia, but he could never figure out why he didn't leave. One day a terrible storm came and flooded the river, and his best friend Linda is swept away. She was later found dead, and her family put a cross where the body was found. Now, Harry, more than ever wanted to leave, but he couldn't. He watched the trains, choosing which one to jump on, but he never got on any. One of the only things in the world that made him happy was tending to the cross of Linda. He could never leave Linda.
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ReplyDeleteI believe the theme of my novel is that everyone has issues in life, but you have to work through them. This is shown through the character Jason Cohen. Jason struggled in school and was not allowed to play basketball because of his poor grades. Jason worked very hard to catch up in school and was able to play basketball. This theme is also shown through the actions of Nestor Padilla. Nestor moved to the United States from another country and struggled with fitting in. Nestor found that he was talented at basketball and his hard work on the court helped him to become friends with his teammates. Finally, this theme is displayed by the Tiger’s basketball team as a whole. During the basketball season, one of the Tiger’s players passed away after being shot. Instead of falling apart, the team worked even harder on the court and supported one another.
I think the theme of "street love" is romance. Because Junice and Damien are madly in love (like Romeo and Juliette) but they think they cant be together because Junice has to go into like Foster care because her mom is in jail and Grandma isn't able to take care of them so she has to move away and she tries not to stay "too close" to Damien.
ReplyDeleteAlso Damien got in fight over Junice with his "friend" basically, because, his "friend" was saying kinda inappropriate things about Junice and Damien didn't want to hear it and he knew Junice loved him not his friend (which is what his friend was basically saying) so they got into a fight.
Lastly Damien heard Junice had left for Memphis without telling anyone so he went to Memphis (also not telling anyone he left) to catch up to her. He caught up to her and she wasn't going back with him so he stayed with her and also wasn't going to go back home too, so he went to Memphis too.
The theme of this book is don’t be afraid to speak up. Blake was an unstable kid, and was most likely going to start a school shooting. If his friend Andy hadn’t shared the uneasy feeling about a shooting, some lives may have been lost.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of Witness is that you can never tell what people are really like because they can always tell you lies. I think this is the theme because most of the characters lie in some way or another about themselves and most are doing something wrong or secretive.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the theme of "This Full House" by Virginia Euwer Wolff is, be ready to forgive at a moments notice, because hatred tears you apart. This book is full of life lessons and knowledge that you can take away and will help you in your future. One example that I really feel shows the the theme of the book is when the main character LaVaughn has hate towards Dr. Moore. Dr. Moore left her baby (LaVaughn's friend) at the hospital without a mother. LaVaughn has to go through the process of forgiving this women, so that hate does not break LaVaughn into a million pieces. LaVaughn is able to forgive Dr. Moore and free herself from hate, becoming a girl who has love and hope. Another example in the book is when Annie, (a pregnant teenager) is able to forgive the boy she thought she was in love with. This boy left Annie with a broken heart. Forgiving him helps free Annie of some of the hurt and shame she has during her pregnancy. This story proves that forgiving is not only for the person who has wronged you, but it is also for the mental health of yourself.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the theme of "This Full House" by Virginia Euwer Wolff is, be ready to forgive at a moments notice, because hatred tears you apart. This book is full of life lessons and knowledge that you can take away and will help you in your future. One example that I really feel shows the the theme of the book is when the main character LaVaughn has hate towards Dr. Moore. Dr. Moore left her baby (LaVaughn's friend) at the hospital without a mother. LaVaughn has to go through the process of forgiving this women, so that hate does not break LaVaughn into a million pieces. LaVaughn is able to forgive Dr. Moore and free herself from hate, becoming a girl who has love and hope. Another example in the book is when Annie, (a pregnant teenager) is able to forgive the boy she thought she was in love with. This boy left Annie with a broken heart. Forgiving him helps free Annie of some of the hurt and shame she has during her pregnancy. This story proves that forgiving is not only for the person who has wronged you, but it is also for the mental health of yourself.
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ReplyDeleteIn Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs Kevin discovers many challenges. I think that the theme from this book is that you have to be ready for what life throws at you then make the best of the situation. For example one day when Kevin comes home from school he finds his dad throwing all of his mom’s things into the garbage. Kevin is surprised by this because his mom has been dead for months and his dad has never done anything like this. So to make his situation better he turns to Amy and writing poetry because the world fades away when he writes. One other example is when Kevin’s baseball team loses. This is a surprise to him because his team is a relly good put together team. So in return at his next game he makes sure to play his hardest so that it counts because he wants to be in the playoffs so badly.
The theme of May B. is that if you believe then you can achieve. In this story May is sent to work and live with a newly married couple. The wife runs away and the husband tries to find her, leaving May all alone 15 miles from her home and family. May is forced to fend for herself in a new frightening environment. When a snowstorm hits barricading the door May feels defeated. She tells herself that she should have left the house before the snowstorm because she could have reached home. May struggles to keep her life when the storm has locked her in. Soon May decides to break free. She believes that she can dig through the snow and make it home, and she believes that she’ll live. May makes it out of the snow and is helped home by a passing neighbor. Another example of believing is when May reads. May struggles to learn to read in school after her supportive teacher leaves, replaced by a harsh new teacher. Teacher, as May calls her, makes May sit in the front of the class with the younger kids and does not offer her any help. While trapped in the home May tells herself that she can read, that she can do it. May ends up reading a passage of poetry out of her book when she believes in herself. This why i think the theme of May B. is if you believe you can achieve.
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ReplyDeleteKaleidoscope Eyes is a story of how three friends, plus one, found maps and dug up buried pirate treasure together. The theme of the story is to do what you think is right with a little help from friends along the way. One way I know this is because all of the friends worked together. When someone couldn't be there, none of them were there. The kids understood each others' need for support and they respected it. Even when Carolann was on vacation, the others waited for her to return before they got back to work. I also know this because not only did they worked things out, they did so in an orderly manner. They all got to write out their own thoughts and feelings about important decisions. When they weren’t sure about going public with their findings, they all spoke their minds and weighed their options, and they ultimately made the best decision. The last way I know the theme of the story is because they kept their little summer project a secret. This relates to the theme because they thought it was best. They knew for the sake of the project that they needed to rely on only each other in order to achieve their goal. Lyza’s dad accused her of doing drugs for being so secretive, but in the end she proved him wrong. She had only done it because she thought it was the right thing to do. The fact that they all worked together, were organized, and trusted each other with their secret, really does support the theme of doing what’s best with the help of friends. It doesn't just apply to the book though, take the message and use it in real life. They made an excellent example, let us follow.
The theme of Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown is no matter what the circumstances are, with the help of a loved one you can overcome anything. Rachel's mother left her and her father. In the beginning of the story they find many difficulties but from help between one another they overcome the hardships of single parenthood.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown is no matter what the circumstances are, with the help of a loved one you can overcome anything. Rachel's mother left her and her father. In the beginning of the story they find many difficulties but from help between one another they overcome the hardships of single parenthood.
ReplyDelete"Make Lemonade" a story of poverty and the importance of education over work. No matter how little money you have you need to work hard for school over your job. LaVaughn's mother tells her that if she wants to go to college that she will have to work extra hard. No one in the family has ever had the money to go college . Jolly also works hard to go back to school even though she has very little money. LaVaughn"s friends notice that not long after getting her job with Jolly, that her grades are slipping. She tries her hardest to do her homework and study even though she doesn't have time. LaVaughn and Jolly's struggle to get a good education even though the are poor is a good compelling tale.
ReplyDeleteThe Surrender Tree's theme is that people will never stop fighting for what they believe in, they will only be set back. "once again I guard Rosa's hospitals while she nurses the sick and the wounded in secret places, thatched huts, and glittering caves..." (Engle 81). this quote talks about how Jose and Rosa are once again at war with the Spanyards fighting for the freedom of Cuba. They fight along the grandchildren of the people she treated In the first war, the new ones about to die.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of my novel is to always do what makes you happy, not what makes you popular. In my novel, the main character, Robin, has an amazing girlfriend. But everyone made fun of him because he didn't look right and had a beard as a freshman. But Robin soon realized he didnt care if some of the guys made fun of him for his appearance because he had friends who made him happy and a good life.
ReplyDeleteI think that in All the Broken Pieces by Anne Burg, the theme is that you wont get anywhere in life without teamwork. When Matt and his enemy Rob are put on the same baseball team, things do not go well. Once they get a new coach, they are immediately put together to do a trust excersize. By the end of the excersize, they have finally start getting along. After this, there team wins a championship because Rob and Matt finally start working together and getting along. Not only can you apply this lesson in sports, you can apply it in your everyday life. Whether its a baseball team or your job, you will always need teamwork.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of my book was, "Time can heal any wound." In the book, Sara's dad is deeply grieved by his wife's death. Sara feels like he completely shut down and isn't the same anymore. When a little kitten flies into their life, Sara is smitten, but her dad is hesitant. You find out later in the book that Sara's dad never allowed cats because a cat was the reason Sara's mom passed away. Many years ago, in an effort to surprise Sara with a new cat, Her mom went driving in a thick fog to pick up a kitty. She ends up getting in a wreck, and dying. Ever since that moment, Sara's dad refused to house a feline because of his wife's horrible death. But, he eventually lets go of the pain and even though it hurts, he allows Sara to keep a beautiful little Kitten named Serendipity.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of my book was, "Time can heal any wound." In the book, Sara's dad is deeply grieved by his wife's death. Sara feels like he completely shut down and isn't the same anymore. When a little kitten flies into their life, Sara is smitten, but her dad is hesitant. You find out later in the book that Sara's dad never allowed cats because a cat was the reason Sara's mom passed away. Many years ago, in an effort to surprise Sara with a new cat, Her mom went driving in a thick fog to pick up a kitty. She ends up getting in a wreck, and dying. Ever since that moment, Sara's dad refused to house a feline because of his wife's horrible death. But, he eventually lets go of the pain and even though it hurts, he allows Sara to keep a beautiful little Kitten named Serendipity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the theme of my novel was to be happy and enjoy life while you have it.One example is, when the book says that boys screeched with joy and jabbered with excitement. Girls skipped and twirled in their summer dresses. Mothers smiled to see their children so happy. None knowing this would be the last time in their lives they were this happy. Another example is, Polly would have rather stayed in the animal tent all day, but she didn't want to make her aunt mad by making them late to the show, so she left. The tent the show was in, was the one that went down in flames. Last example is, when the flames started the band played "The Stars and Stripes Forever", until everything was over. All of these people either died happily or making others happy.
ReplyDeleteTheme: The theme of the book “Heaven looks A Lot like the Mall” is that you shouldn’t base your life on all the bad things you have done only the good. Tessa did a lot of bad things in her life but also things that made her feel good but she only looked at the bad. When she got asked the question who is she, she couldn’t answer that because she only based who she was on the bad in her life. At the end of the book she realized with the help of nail boy that she “sparkled”. Nail boy also told her that if she went through life saying she sparkled she would have a different perspective of herself and life. Then she’ll be able to answer the question of” who is she?”
ReplyDeleteI feel that the theme of my novel is to never give up. This is because in the book Paula Becker, the main character, is deaf. The Nazis are planning to perfect the human race by killing off people with disabilities and different beliefs than Hitler. Paula is explaining what happened after World War 2 was over. "Whatever season, whatever weather, we were glad we survived the worst, but we also felt guilty" (LeZotte 103) This explains that Paula never gave up and how she had survived despite the horrible conditions.
ReplyDeletethe theme of my book is be yourself the main charecter is a girl who is trying to cover up her changes by changing herself in the process finally she figures out that she can just be herself and her real friends will stick with her through the hard times
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of this novel is not the judge a person by how they look. In the book Katie hear people saying that her friend Mike will turn out just like his father, a drunk without a great job. Katie knows the real Mike though, and he isn’t all that bad. When Katie starts taking notes for her uncle during the trial she expects Bruno RIchard Hauptmann to look mean and ugly, like a killer. However when he walks into the courtroom he doesn’t look like a killer.
ReplyDelete“...he looks like Mr.Hughes,
my fourth-grade teacher,
and a little like Mr. Loreen…
He looks pretty normal, pretty much like the rest of us” (Bryant 62)
Later in the nevel Kaite walk by the jailhouse where Bruno is staying she makes a snow angel so that in the morning when he wakes up he will see it. Katie starts believing that Bruno might not be getting a fair trial and that he has a bad attorney so that he will have no way to defend himself.
When asked by her uncle is she thinks that Bruno Richard Hauptmann is guilty she says
“...Not Guilty…” (Bryant 133). Maybe if Bruno had had a good attorney and hadn’t been judged by the way he looks and writes he would have had a better trial.
I believe the theme of this novel is to accept each other no matter what race or religion. In the book Maya's mother is Skhi and her father is Hindu. Maya has to deal with her parents arguing over which religion is better and what she should believe in. Through out the story, Maya has fights with other people over who she should talk to and who she should interact with. About half way through the story, Maya meets a boy named Sanddeep, He is also of different religion, and when he helps Maya reunite with her lost dad, Maya's dad gets upset that he is a different religion. Mayas dad threatens that If he ever talked to his daughter again he would kill him. Maya realized that it's not what religion you are or what you believe in it's just about what and who you are as a person. Religion shouldn't affect who you love or interact with.
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ReplyDeleteTheme: I think the theme is “No matter what happens, don’t give up. Just keep on going, and live out your dream. One example of this is “Jane drew a picture today with her left hand. Yes, I think she may try to get back into it.” (Bingham 43). It shows that Jane was trying to get back into drawing even though her dominant hand was gone. Another example of someone who has lost something but keeps on going is “Justin steps along steadily on his leg… At the park...Justin tells me that he is playing softball with his friends, in a league, even.” This example shows that even though Justin got his leg cut off, he still is playing with his friends, and playing a sport, and living life like a normal kid as best as he can.
The theme of Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant is to be there for the people in your life. Georgia's best friend, Tiffany, was taking Ritalin to help her maintain her stress level and she became addicted. Georgia helped Tiffany through her recovery and never thought anything differently about Tiffany.
ReplyDelete118I believe the theme of this novel is, things happen that are sudden and unexpected. You can either let them consume you or you recover and get stronger. I can support my choice with this passage,
ReplyDelete"...I told Luke that the loss of an eye
shouldn't keep someone from excelling.
It all comes down to attitude, to mental toughness" (Fehler 92).
This is what Luke's coach told him after Luke asked if he could ever had a chance of playing baseball again. Another example to support my choice would be,
"...He can't just glide under the ball like he used to.
But he's improving every day,
and even though he says
he'll never be as good as he once was,
I'd never bet against the guy" (Fehler 118-119).
Both these prove that it all depends on how you recover and grow from what you have overcome.
In the book the secret of me Meg Kearney did an amazing job of showing that dwelling on the past can help you and also hurt you. the main character in this story is adopted and although is content with her family she can not help but be curious about her birth mother. She thinks of her self as a reject because her mother did not want her and that was one of the negative things that happened because she dwelled in the past. She also caused some drama in her family by being so curious about the topic. She is the only one in her family concerned with the topic, even though her siblings are also adopted. Although looking to the past cause negative things it also brought some positive things into her life. She became closer with her parents in the end and was able to talk to them about her curiosities with her birthmother. Also she learns that no one will treat her different as she had thought in the past because she is adopted. And she doesn't feel like she has to hide. That is the theme of the book The Secret of Me.
ReplyDeleteIn Shark Girl the theme is to never give up on what you love. I know this because She try to give up on drawing because she lost an arm but eventually gets better. She thought she would never draw again but then with practice on gum wrappers she gets more talented each time. So this just shows that if she can do it so can every one else. and if she never tried she wouldn't be were she in today.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this story is in order to live a more happier life you have to open up to others. I know this is the theme of the story because in he novel Matt was born in Vietnahm and was rescued from the Vietnahm bombings. Later Matt was brought into a foster home in America. Matt froze most of his family out because of all that happened in Vietnahm. Saying goodbye to his real mother and brother was a hard thing to do for Matt and he never wants to talk about it. Later in the book Matt's parents feel like they aren't getting through to him because his grades starts to slip and he developes an attitude. Once Matt meets a doctor that rescued people from Vietnahm Matt learns how to open up and let himself be heard. He realizes speaking up about his problems is a much better way to live whether than not talking at all.
ReplyDeletetheme: I believe the theme of this story is that although things may seem tough in your life, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, that you will be able to get past it. Georgia has been through a lot and by writing in the journal that was given to her, she is able to find some sort of closure.
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