Step Two Integrate Questions

Questions:
Theme: Betrayal
1.) How is the theme of Betrayal shown in the books Taken by Norah McClintock and the Watcher by James Howe?
2.) Why is betrayal a good theme for the novels Taken by Norah McClintock and the Watcher by James Howe?
3.)  How were the main characters in the novels Taken by Norah McClintock and the Watcher by James Howe effected by betrayal?
4.)How did you make a connection between the novels Taken by Norah McClintock and the Watcher by James Howe and betrayal?
5.)Why did you chose betrayal as your theme?
6.) How do you think the characters felt after being betrayed?

Generate Generate Questions

 3-5 Generate Questions 

Have you ever been manipulated and how did that make you feel?
How does the main character grow as a person after being manipulated?
What is manipulation really and provide an example?
Why is manipulation a good theme for this novel?
Which elements of the text are most important to the theme of manipulation?

Connecting a Theme

* Note to the readers: This post contains info about the book if you intend to read the book, take appropriate precautions.*

The book I just finish reading is Taken by Norah McClintock. First I would like to say that this book is awesome and I recommend it to anyone and everyone in the class. I believe the theme of this amazing novel is manipulation. The main character is a teenage girl who is suspected to be another victim of the serial killer in the area who has already killed two girls. We see that she is not only manipulated by her emotions throughout her adventure but also in the shocking ending by the person who really kidnapped her. The largest part where we can clearly see manipulation is in the last two or so chapters. I believe she is manipulated by her emotions because of the fact that she is constantly telling herself that something will go wrong causing more inner conflict.As for what the book says about the theme, I think the book is saying that manipulation can be both physical and emotional, and man vs. self and man vs. man.

Justice or Injustice

 

The book I'm currently reading is called The Watcher by James Howe. As with everyday life there are always cases of justice or injustice.  Because the novel is written in third person omniscient we get to get a glimpse the minds of several different characters with different opinions. In the novel, Evan say "she thinks she's better than everyone else, that's what she thinks," (Howe 117) referring to a girl he had never met or spoken with. While reading this we all know that his conclusion is not true. His accusation was based purely on observation. I understand that it is human nature to judge things at first sight or at all but I still believe that it is unjust to assume something about this girl in which he knows nothing about.  While trying not to give room much plot description away but there are several other cases where justice or injustice is obviously present. Another injustice in the story is the fact that Margaret has had her voice taken away (not literally). This frustrated me profusely because I believe everyone should have the freedom of speech. Never the less there are still lessons to be learned form these injustices. The first one is a bit more obvious and a bit cliched but yet still important in the fact that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. In the second one we learn that everyone's voice is equally important and that no one can ever take that from you.

Identify and Sort

The novel I'm currently reading is the Watcher by James Howe.Some of the important elements of this novel include suspense, characters, setting and the plot. I believe suspense is the most important the element of this novel because it keeps the reader engaged in the book and causes them to read more of it. Suspense is when the writer creates tension from the events in the story. The reader wants to know what is going to happen. suspense can be a very powerful tool when used properly, it can allow the writer to make the reader feel more involved with the plot thus making them want to read on.An example of suspense is the stretching of a rubber band, we know the band will eventually break or snap but we don't know when, this causes suspense. Howe creates suspense in this novel by jumping between characters, first you will read about someone in a situation and then she will shift to another character which leaves you wanting to read on to get back to the last character's problem. We can see suspense obviously in this quote from the novel,"Pretty soon, he was so busy he didn't catch sight of the dog running off or little Mikey chasing after it. All he saw when he thought to check back and see how his son was doing was the motion of the empty swing. The sharp cry of a seagull jarred Chris from his thoughts." (Howe 22).This is just a small example of suspense in this novel. It leaves you wondering what happened to the boy, whether or not he died and if he did how. Howe leaves you wondering about this because we don't hear about this boy again until another chapter.

first post of gr 10

1. I enjoy reading fiction novels generally unless the topic of a non-fiction novel really interests me. My favourite genre of books is mysteries, specifically murder mysteries because I feel they keep you on the edge of your seat more than romantic or historic novels do. I feel with mystery novels you can explore the plot further and give a surprise ending. My favourite author is Norah McClintock because she writes a lot of mysteries with out going to gruesome and making her readers scared to look in their own backyard. I don't really read any books or pages online except for Facebook or social update websites.

2. The last book I read was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Its about a outcast girl in high school who was raped at an end of summer party. She then called the cops who came and busted the students for some under aged drinking and other things. No one knows that she was raped and everyone hates her because she called the police. I really liked this book, it showed her struggles of trying to fit in and it was very interesting as she trys to deal with seeing the boy who raped her. The second last book I read was Password: Murder by Norah McClintock. After a car accident that killed his father, Harley sees this fathers ghost and he believes that his father was murdered. He goes around searching and discovers the truth about his fathers death. I loved this book. It was shocking, suspenseful and impossible to put down.

3. My favourite book to date is probably Hit and Run by Norah McClintock. I loved this book because the ending is so awesome and surprising. Plus the main character reminds me of a friend I used to have. It is the first in a series and after I read Hit and Run, I had to read the rest of the series. I couldn't put the book done it was literally the fastest time I've read a book.

Ordinary World

     In the  book No Escape by Norah McClintock we learn about Terri Tyson's attack. Terri Tyson was brutally beaten to the point where if her mother hadn't heard her scream and come to find Terri, she would likely be dead. Terri suffered permanent brain damage from her attack. She will never walk again and spends all of her life in a wheel chair. She can bearly manage a couple of words and gets very upset when anyone (including her parents) touch her.
     Before Terri was attacked she was a very smart, beautiful and happy girl with tons of possibilities for a pleasing future.  In high school we hear that she was very smart and a tutor to Calab Darke (a boy who didn't want to be at school). After spending enough time with Calab she began to fall in love, before her attack she had been dating him for several years. Fact is they were engaged. Even though Calab loved Terri and Terri loved Calab her parents didn't like her being with him. Terri had been accepted to a university before her attack and her parents wanted her to leave Calab to go to the university.

Above is what I imagine Terri and Calab to be like before her attack. Completely in love and ultimately happy with their lives together.
Tickr. "Love Couple Timeline." Www.flickr.com. O4 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2011.
     Even though we never actually hear Terri talk in the book I was still able to gather the following quotes that I believe will help readers get a better idea of what Terri's ordinary world is like. "Terri is a bright girl with a good future"(McClintock, 175-176) and "The right thing was accepting the university scholarship Terri had been offered." (McClintock, 176).