August

We really don't have to blog anymore, but I am just doing it for fun.  That means that I won't have everything that I did before like the questions, predictions, connections, and Key Questions.  I can include them if I want, but don't have to.

I finished Saving Zasha and am reading Wonder.

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Wonder
By:  R. J. Palacio
I read the whole first section which is about one character, and am on the second section which is about another character pretty much about the same things, just from a different perspective.

August is a boy going into fifth grade.  He has been home schooled by his mom until this year.  They decide to send him to school because everybody is starting middle school because fifth grade is in middle school in the book.  They thought that it would be easier for him because if they wait till next year, everybody else will already know how things run, and they will have already created friend groups.  The reason that August was home schooled was because he was born with serious face issues. The doctor didn't think that he would live through the night.  He did, clearly, but has had a number of surgeries trying to fix it.  People stare at him all the time and he notices them whispering about him. He is used to that because just about everybody who doesn't know him does.  I assume that he looks awful.  One incident that was particularly bad was when it was halloween, and you could dress up in your costume and wear it to school.  August dressed up in a different costume than he had talked about because of various reasons.  Well, he walked in the classroom, and some boys didn't think that it was him, and one of those boys was a boy that August thought was his friend.  They were talking about him and how bad he looked. One of the boys said that honestly if he was August, he would have killed himself.  August heard them, and walked out of the class without anyone noticing him and went to the nurses office with a stomach ache.  The nurse called his mom, and his mom came and got him.  August's sister is named Via.

Question:  I wonder how I would react if people kept staring at me.

Fights, And More Fights

King Of Shadows

By:  Susan Cooper  

I read from chapter fifteen through nineteen (the end of the book).  

Chapter 15:  Nat, Shakespeare, and Burbage went to see the queen.  The one thing she thought was bad about the queens costume was the hair.  Mostly everybody in the company went to the tavern to celebrate.  The company was going to play in the Queen's court in a month.  Roper said that there was a boy from St. Paul's school that came looking for him while he was seeing the queen.  

William Shakespeare promised Nat a spot in his company when he finished school.  William Shakespeare had to leave the next morning early and Nat had to leave later that morning. That was the last time that Nat would see William Shakespeare.  

Chapter 16:  Nat had a dream of his father throwing his up into the air and catching him again when he was a little boy.  Suddenly a bird came down and swooped Nathan up and carried him away.  He could see his father getting smaller and smaller in the distance, and finally, he disappeared forever.  Nat could hear someone telling him to wake up and that he was leaving today.  

Chapter 17:  Nat woke up and noticed he was in a different place than he was when he feel asleep.  He was back in the hospital bed.  Nat looked frantically under his pillow for the poem from Shakespeare.  It wasn't there.  He ate breakfast, and then showered off.  A nurse took him in a wheelchair to the waiting room.  Mrs. Fisher and Aunt Jen were there.  

Rachel and Gil came by later that afternoon.  They were happy that Nat was better.  Rachel said that Arby was longing to have him back.  Rachel hugged Nat when they were going to leave, and she saw green paint on Nat's neck.  

Aunt Jen was staying with the Fishers.  

Nat went to the theater for the practice.  Nat didn't like the costumes.  Nat and Arby got into a fight.  Nat ran out of the theater with Rachel and Gil following him.  They caught up to Nat.  Nat sat down and explained the whole thing.  

Chapter 18:  They both believe Nat; they thought he was so lucky.  They went over to Arby's house to do some research on Nat Field of 1599.  They figured out that Nat was switched with him for a reason.  Read the book to find out why. They also found out what sonnet Shakespeare had given to Nat.  

Chapter 19:  Nat decided to go back to the rehearsal.  Before that he wanted to copy down the sonnet that Shakespeare gave to him.  Arby found Nat, and gave him two books.  The first one was a book of Shakespeare's sonnets, and the other one was the play The Tempest.  The Tempest was written by Shakespeare, and connected to Nat.  

The next day was performance day.  Nat woke up.  Nat got into another fight with Arby at the theater.  Arby told everybody to take a ten minute break. Arby talked to Nat alone and after he had said some things, Nat asked him who he was.  Arby said that he was just an actor and that his name was Arby Babbage.  His initials were RB and his first name was Richard.  I will let you think about that.  He also explained the play The Tempest to Nat.  

Question:  I wonder what was running through Arby's head when Nat ran out of the theater.  I also wonder what waas going through Arby's head when Nat got into another fight with him after he had just given him some books, and was nice to him.  

Prediction:  I predict that The Tempest will be important in Nat's life from the moment he learned about how it connected to him to the moment he dies.  

Connection:  I am going to make a spiritual connection this week.
Nat lost the poem that was really important to him about how love never changes, it is always with you, and nothing can get in the way of ir.  Because I am a Christian, I have something that Jesus gave to me that I can never lose like Nat lost his poem.  I can never lose his love for me.  He will always love us and his love is always there for us and NOTHING can get in the way of it.  Just like the song says, "Your love never fails it never gives up, it never runs out on me. Your love never fails it never gives up, it never runs out on me."  

Key Question:  There is no Key Question again this week!  :)  

Saving Zasha:  

I read chapters 18, 19, 20, and 21 this week.  I still think that you should read it.  

Nerves Cleared Up

King Of Shadows
By:  Susan Cooper
I read from chapter eleven through fourteen.

Chapter 11:  In chapter 11, it was the day before they were to preform A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Queen.  Shakespeare, Master Burbage and some other men from the company went to a tavern.  Nathan and Harry went along as well.  They sat in a corner and talked while Shakespeare and Master Burbage talked a another table in a corner.  When Shakespeare and Nat got home, Nat asked Shakespeare if he could stay with him once they preformed A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Shakespeare said that he would have to go back to St. Paul's which is where they "know" that he came from.  Shakespeare told Nat to go get his nightshirt on and that he would be in with something in a minute. He came back with a sonnet that he had written for a women, but made a copy for Nat after he found out about his parents.  Nat asked Shakespeare to read it to him, and he did.  Shakespeare then told him to get a good nights sleep.

Chapter 12:  In this chapter, they went back to 1999 where Nat was in the hospital with the Bubonic plague.  His aunt Jennifer had come from South Carolina to make sure that he was alright.  They wouldn't let her see Nathan though because on the computer, it says 'No Visitors', so they wouldn't let her see him until tomorrow.  They had taken him off of his IV though.

Chapter 13:  They woke up, and they were both nervous because this was the day that they would be preforming the play for the Queen.  Shakespeare changed his clothes three different times and decided on the outfit that he had on first.  Nat didn't want to eat anything, but Mistress Fawcett made him. Mistress Fawcett is the lady who takes care of the house for William Shakespeare.  They walked over to the theater and Master Burbage started to paint Nathan into Puck.  He painted him in green with vines, leaves, and branch type things on him.  Nat also wore the green leggings that they had for him, but before that happened, soldiers came in the theater and started searching the theater to make sure that it was safe so that the Queen could come.  After Nat was done getting painted, Master Burbage painted Shakespeare.  While the people where waiting for the play to start, there was a cutpurse (a pickpocket) who got caught in act.  People tied him up to a post on the stage and threw apple cores and nut shells at him.  There was a drunk man who had a knife who climbed up on the stage and was going to hurt him when Master Burbage ran out and stopped him from doing so.  Right at the end of the chapter, Queen Elizabeth arrived.

Chapter 14:  The play started and everything went smoothly.  A funny part was when Puck went to squeeze the "juice" from the flower on Lysander's eyes, and a girl in the crowd said that he was not the right one.  Nathan played along with her, pretending that he had heard something, but did it anyway.  They dressed up Hippolyta just like the Queen herself.  The crowd loved it.  At the end, they went out to the audience three different times because they were cheering so loudly.  The third time, there were soldiers in the tiring house along with the man that had come to Shakespeare's house earlier in the story (in chapter 10.)  He said that the Queen wanted to see Master Burbage, William Shakespeare, and Nat.  That is how the chapter ended, and that is how I am going to leave you until next week.

Question:  I wonder if the drunken man would have killed the boy if Master Burbage hadn't come in.  I also wonder what will happen to Nat when he goes back to St. Paul's.

Prediction:  I predict that the Queen will be overly happy with the way the play turned out, and how the Globe theater looks.  I think that she will have only good things to say.  I predict that Nat will go back to St. Paul's and they won't notice a difference at all.

Connection:  My connection this week is a text to movie connection and a text to text connection.  I watched the Sound Of Music, and in the movie, the children put on a puppet show for their parents.  In Cheaper By The Dozen, the kids put on a play for their parents like very year I think.  That connects to Nat doing a play for someone special as well just like their parents were special, so was the Queen.

Key Question:  There is no Key Question again this week!!!  :)

Saving Zasha:
I only read one chapter this week, so that would make me up to chapter 18.  I don't think that Finding Zasha has anything to do with Saving Zasha unless if it ties in some how that it doesn't tell you on the back of the book.

Shakespeare Gets Himself In Trouble???

King Of Shadows
By:  Susan Cooper
I read from chapter seven through ten.

Chapter 7:  In chapter seven, the boys go to get some lunch to eat and then come back.  They were to help with another play going on.  Nat and Thomas were to open the trap door when Roper told them to.  They had three different times that they needed to do it.  The first two went well, but the third time, Roper gave them the signal at the wrong time.  He did it on purpose to try and get Nat in trouble.  Master Burbage was the one who was on stage and fell through at the wrong time.  Roper wouldn't admit it though.  He said that he wouldn't do something like that just to ruin the whole play.  Others knew that Master Burbage wouldn't be happy that night, and that there would be no supper for Nat, so they gave him some apples to eat.  They then went to another "theater" and watched as dogs attacked a bear that was tied up.  Nat couldn't stand it and went away.

Chapter 8:  He was wondering if he would ever be able to get back to his own time and what the people in 1999 were thinking about him being gone.  Later, when he was at the theater, Roper was making a big deal about him running away because of the bear incident.  Nat was about to hit Roper, when Bryan stepped in to stop them.  He was practicing his lines with Shakespeare when Shakespeare said something that got Nat emotionally.  He told Shakespeare that his parents both died and how they died.  His dad killed himself of love for his wife.  Nat found out that Shakespeare had a son, but he died at Nat's age.  His name was Hamnet, but Nat heard him as Hamlet.  At this point in time, Shakespeare had an idea for a play for Burbage, but stop there.

Chapter 9:  Back in his own time, Nat is in the hospital with his hands tied down to the bed because he has already pulled out the IV cord that is keeping him alive.  Nurse Stevens is the nurse that is taking care of Nathan.  She was sponging him and she started to sing a song that was sung in the sixteenth century which is where the "other half" of Nathan is.  He falls asleep.

Chapter 10:  Nat moved to live in Shakespeare's house for a little while. Shakespeare had someone come who liked the Queen.  He knew that they were putting on the play for the Queen and was telling him not to.  Later, at the theater while they were preforming a different play in which Nat was a soldier, Roper ate backstage when we wasn't suppose to.  He started chocking on a piece of apple and he would've died if Nat hadn't been there backstage at the time.  Nat preformed the Heimlich maneuver on Roper.  Everybody just stared at him because that hadn't been "invented" yet.  He saved Roper's life and he jumped in and played Roper's part as the boy in the play.  At the end, Shakespeare came out and talked about Essex which was a bad idea because he had just returned from Ireland and did things that the Queen didn't like, so she didn't like Essex and she liked Shakespeare.  So, Shakespeare just put himself into what could end up as a heap of trouble.  Also, for the first time, Nat's attitude changed about living in 1599.  It could be that he realized that he was just going to be there for a while.  I think that it could also be that he is kind of taking Shakespeare in as a second dad because his first one died.  That's what I think.

Question:  I wonder how Nat will respond to Shakespeare's speech.  I wonder if he will understand that Shakespeare just put himself in a sticky situation or not.

Prediction:  I predict that the people in the company that were backstage are going to be frustrated with Shakespeare for putting himself in a bad situation.

Connection:  I am going to make a spiritual connection this week to the part about the bear.  The part with the bear being tied up and the crowd urging the dogs on kind of reminds me of Jesus dying on the cross.  He was “tied” up to a cross and there were people mocking him and yelling at him.  They urged Pilate to let them crucify him.  That is like the people urging the dogs to kill the bear.

Key Question:  There is no Key Question again this week!!!  :)

Saving Zasha:
I am up to chapter 17.  You should read it, but I think you might need to read Finding Zasha first.  I am not sure, but the title makes me think that it goes before Saving Zasha because you would have to find her first in order to save her.

Back In Time? No Way!!!

King Of Shadow
By:  Susan Cooper
I read from chapter four through chapter six.

Chapter 4:
Nathan woke up the next morning and found himself in a different place.  Could it be?  Was he back in time?  Yes, he was.  He was back in time all the way to 1599 when the Globe Theater was just built.  Harry, an apprentice who lives in a house with Master Burbage thought that Nat might have had the plague, meaning the bubonic plague.  For breakfast that morning they each had a slice of bread and cheese along with Ale to drink.  They walked across the the bridge to get to the theater.  Nat threw up once he saw all of the skulls hanging from sticks.

Chapter 5:
They jumped back to present time in this short chapter.  Mrs. Fisher went into Nat's bedroom to check on him and saw that he was hardly recognizable.  He was hot, sweaty, he had a fever, he was flushed and damp-skinned.  Mrs. Fisher tried to wake him up, but she couldn't.  There were little bumps on his neck and his fever was really high.  She called for her husband and they called the doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn't in.  They called for an ambulance to take him into the hospital.  The nurses take care of him right away along with the doctor. He calls another doctor and tells him that he thinks that they have a case of the bubonic plague.

Chapter 6:
Harry shows Nat the new theater.  The theater looked about the same as it did in 1999.  The company had been playing at a different theater before the Globe had been built.  When they went inside of the theater, there were two people arguing.  Will Kemp and William Shakespeare.  Nat met William Shakespeare a couple of minutes later.  He is told that they are performing for the Queen, but he can't tell anyone else that.  Then, they get to show off their gymnastic skills. There is another boy named Roper who is not very nice, and is really good at gymnastics but not as good as Nat.  There is a boy named Thomas who is not good at gymnastics at all.  They then have to give a speech.  Nat was going to give one from Hamlet, but he remembered that Hamlet hadn't been written yet, so he did a part of Oberon's  At the end of the chapter, they were learning how to fence.  Nat knew that he had an enemy then.  His enemy's name is Roper.


Question:  I wonder if Harry knew that Nat wasn't telling the truth when he told him who had taught him his act or routine.

Prediction:  I predict that Nat does have the bubonic plague, but that he doesn't die from it.

Connection:  My connection this week is about the gymnastics that the boys had to do.  I can't do near all of the things that they can do, but I can do cartwheels, and somersaults.  I did take gymnastics for a year or two, but I can't do flips or walk on my hands, although I can do hand stands and I might be able to walk on my hands under water.   

Key Question:  There is no Key Question this week!!!  :)

Saving Zasha:
I am up to chapter 8.  It is a good book.

King Of Shadows

Here is a picture of the book King Of Shadows.

A New Book Finally!!!

I finished Cheaper By The Dozen.
I am starting to read Saving Zasha by:  Randi Barrow


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