Letter for literacy

Dear Mr. Oppel,

I have recently read your book “Half Brother”. First off let me say that the book is really easy to follow and kept me entertained throughout. Your book was very easy to connect to because of the fact it has to do with family. Especially since some of it has to do with conflict in a family. I can think of multiple times where I have gotten into arguments with my parents and gotten fairly mad. This made me into the person I am today by making me stand up for what I believe in.  My parents have always taught me that when I think something is wrong or unfair to question it. While this sometimes can get me into trouble can also teach me something I did not know. I connect to Ben really well in this story because of these facts. He is trying to stand up for what he believes in and doesn’t want to take no for an answer. I think the book connects to all children well too because just about every kid has gotten mad at their parents like Ben has. Most kids sit there and think that their parents are stupid for what they are doing and they want to run away. I know this because I have felt the same way about my parents only over stupider things then Ben is fighting for. I get that to make the read more entertaining there had to be someone that Ben had to argue with and struggle with to make the book enjoyable to read but his father almost made me mad. I did not like how stubborn and blind Ben’s father was. Probably the thing that made me the maddest when I was arguing with my parents is when I would say something and they would immediately shut me down or act like they didn’t care a lot like Ben’s dad would. That’s what made me the angriest about Ben’s dad. Before I read this book let’s just say I was less than enthusiastic about reading due to the fact that the middle school I went to made us read for a grade which made it more of a chore than something I enjoyed.  I can’t remember the last time I would start reading something and couldn’t take my eyes off of it because I wanted to see what happened next. Your book though, Mr. Oppel, brought this enthusiasm back to me. I think because of how you wrote a book that connected to my life so well, not in the fact that I have a monkey, but how you brought issues that just about every kid has to deal with, with their parents. I could even imagine in my head certain things me and my parents would argue about which made me smile. The way you wrote a book that can connect to such a broad spectrum of audiences is the reason why I think I liked it so much and will defiantly be reading your other work too.

Sincerely,

Zachary Tripp

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Sparknotes is evil

Spark-note  it or actually read. Most people like to read but do not do it all the time. When we become to lazy or  just don't feel like reading an assignment we turn to Spark-notes. Sure it is a great source to find a summary in last  nights reading assignment so you can get those 5 points in class the next day but it is also a bad thing. Especially if your teacher knows you only read Spark-notes. Spark-notes is a general summary of a chapter and is very vague. It doesn't give you any meaning full attachment to a character or to what is happening. So sure you might get what happens in a chapter right but you won't get what the characters where feeling when this happens and that can cost you those 5 or ten points that you were trying so desperately to get anyway. Another thing Spark-notes leaves out is the pure joy of reading a book. There is no setting when you read the summary so you can not imagine it in your head as well. It also leaves out the great things in a book like the humor and the adventure to a book that lets your mind wander and gets you lost in the book you're reading. Personally I would read the book every time but I too also get lazy or do not feel like reading so I turn to Spark-notes, my grades do show for it the next day though. Spark-notes can be helpful though, especially when you are reading a complicated book like Tale of Two Cities. It can be helpful in the sense that after you read through a part of the book and don't understand it then you can turn to Spark-notes to help you understand it. All together, Spark-notes is not a good thing to constantly turn to and is not in any means a substitute to actually reading a book.

picture story

 Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

 is about a family

 That adopts a baby chimp named Zan

 As part of a science experiment 

 To teach him American Sign Language

 Zan becomes almost like a little brother to Ben

and they are practically best friends

 But when the grant gets denied

 Because they think Zan isn't learning

Then Ben has to fight 

For his little chimp brother.

does he win or lose?

you will have to read it to find out.

 how to sign Family in asl

Zan's favorite drink

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