Insomniac's blog

I am about a third of the way through the YA novel Holes by Louis Sachar. As I was reading through I noticed that Sachar sets the novel up in a different chapter pattern than what I am used to seeing. Instead of either starting out with small chapter lengths and working up to longer chapters or having chapters of approxiamately the same length, Sachar instead varies his chapter lengths. Some chapters are no more than a few paragraphs long while others are three to five pages. I also noticed that these small or shortened chapters are consistently spaced in the book, at least up to the point in which I have read. For example, the first chapter is a page and a half, the second a few paragraphs, the third is five pages long. This type of chapter pattern seems relatively consistent throughout the book.
I began to think about why Sachar would chapter his book in this manner. There are a few reasons as to why I think he set it up as such. One reason may be to encourage slow or poor readers to keep going with the text. English teachers love to assign chapters to read and if a teacher assigns chapter 1-3 for one reading, then the kids may get discouraged until they realize that the length of the chapter is only about eight pages.
Another reason why I think Sachar chaptered his book in this matter was for dramatic elements. If a teacher should decide to read this book aloud in class, then the sensical place to stop would be at the end of a chapter. This end of the chapter stop would help add to the pupils' interest in that the short chapters usually provide background information on the characters or plot and sometimes the short chapters address potential questions the reader may have. I am curious to see if Sachar continues with these short chapters as a break from the story or for clarification for the reader.
I think chaptering a book this way is a fantastic idea. It encourages slower reading pupils to continue reading while answering questions that the advanced reader may have.

This question is hard to answer. The capabilities, maturity, and education of each young adult pupil needs to be taken into account. Some middle schoolers and high schoolers are capable of reading novels and stories that some adults may not be able to read. Others may not be able to read even YA books and may have to remain with juvenile books for awhile longer.
For proficient readers, I would say let them choose to a certain extent. A teacher should perhaps recommend certain titles, authors, or genres for their gifted and talented pupils, but let them choose books that they believe will challenge them.
For the less proficient reader, teachers also need to guide them in choosing books, but the teacher needs to understand the pupil on a personal basis to understand their capabilities. For the average reader (those reading at their grade level), teachers need to still provide choices based on their level of ability.
Some YA readers may be very fast readers, but lack comprehension. Books that force these readers to slow down may be a good choice as well as exercises like the "picture it" thing we did in class may help these readers with comprehension.
I do not believe in the so-called banned books idea. Censorship should be a personal decision between the pupil and their parents. While certain books may be to difficult for YAs to grasp concepts (such as Paradise Lost or the Satanic Verses ), books like The Scarlet Letter or Huckleberry Finn are not too difficult to understand. The main reason for parents to object to these books are because of language and situation. As a parent, I can say that children hear and see a heck of a lot worse on Sunday evening television than what they will find in most books!
So, acceptable literature for YAs to read varies. There are so many different types of learning styles and readers out there that to classify what is "good" and what is "bad" is simply much too difficult on that broad of a level.

I started reading Holes by Louis Sachar this weekend. The main character, Stanley Yelnats, is put into a work camp for juvenile offenders. I decided to take a look into how the state of Michigan treats juvenile offenders. A state website had information on "boot camps" for juvenile offenders and the state seems to strongly support such programs. I wonder though, exactly how closely these facilities are monitored. If the facilities are anything like the one Stanley is put in, then Michigan needs to look into a better system.
Another area that I thought I should check out is what do these offenders do while in camps and prisons? Many of them perform public service jobs which are beneficial to the community and to the offender. Perhaps Michigan is doing a good job of keeping on eye on both criminals and the facilities that house them.
One area in the book that bothered me is that the facility that Stanley is in, Camp Green Lake, is not closely monitored by the state. The juvenile offenders are subjected to horrible working conditions, bad food, inadequate supplies, and reduced to almost slave labor. Yet through it all Stanley and his friends manage to keep a sense of humor. As the description on the back of my copy of the book says, "...this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment--and redemption".

Oh my word people! I just read an article about machines that correct and comment on people's papers! Now, in case some of you didn't know, I am what you may call a techno-peasant. I understand the basics about computers...you turn it on, click on whatever program you want to use, and do what needs to be done. Now I know that computers and technology are a very integral and important part of our lives, but a machine that "reads" student papers! You've got to be kidding me. If you want to read the actual article, click here.
The article goes in-depth about the advantages and disadvantages of this "reading" software, but to me it seems like the major reason to use this software is laziness. A qoutation from the article says, "Stan Jones, Indiana's commissioner of higher education, said the technology isn't as good as a teacher but cuts turnaround time, trims costs and allows overworked teachers to give written assignments without fearing the workload." HA! Isn't teaching about the workload? Don't teachers understand that if you assign a paper, then you must read the paper!?
The article also explained ways in which the software can pass cheaters and how students can beat the grading. Jeez. George Orwell would have been proud. Whoops, I just used passive voice, I wonder if the correcting software would catch that? Anyhow, I guess this is what we are coming to. Students writing papers for machines so they can get jobs working on or with machines so those machines can make more machines that will keep our economy going and run our lives for us. (Yes, this was a run-on sentence, wonder if a machine would have picked that up?)

Have you read the backs of labels on different items and thought, "Duh...". Well, I had one of those experiences today. I was in Kirkhoff getting my daily fix at the Java City, and ran across one of the funniest labels I have ever seen. After getting my rather plain-jane cup of coffee, I made my way over to the stand where the half-n-half and sugar and stuff are. Anyhow, while I was adding everything to my coffee, I noticed a label on the stand. Now this was so hilarious that I just couldn't help myself! I started to giggle a little, and I had a hard time not busting out in a full laugh right there. This label had pictures and a description on how to properly put the lid on your cup of coffee! I thought to myself that if people who are in college cannot figure out how to put a lid on their coffee, then they probably shouldn't be here. But anyhow, it made me realize how absolutely stupid our society has become.
We've gotten to the point of covering our butts on everything. God forbid that someone should put their lid on their coffee wrong, spill it and then sue the university for burning themselves because of their own stupidity. This is really what all the stupidity labels and instructions for idiots comes down to. People cannot accept responsibility for their own stupidity, so they sue for not labeling things. Come on...if you order coffee at McDonald's then you should know that it is going to be hot. If you give a plastic shopping bag to a baby, then there is a good possibility that they may play with it and end up suffocating themselves. No, believe it or not, people should not drink bleach or nail polish remover or bathroom cleaner.
So, while in a way all these stupidity labels and instructions for idiots are funny, they are also a comment on our own society. I don't know though. I think I always will have to snicker a little when I see that label on the coffee stand at Java City.

I'm sure that the two people who may actually read my mental meanderings wonders what the hell I have against cell phones, after all I have one. I'll tell you, they irritate the blazes out of me! Today I was on my way to the hospital to visit my sister-in-law who had just given birth and made me an aunt for the 14th time. No, not all of the kids are hers, I do have quite a large, and shall I say, fruitful family? Anyhow, I kept getting these irritating calls from people on my cell phone. I know, I know. You're asking me why I have a cell phone if it irritates me. Well, I have one in case of emergencies or in case I need to make a call. I don't want everybody and Bob calling me for the hell of it. So anyway, I keep getting calls from people and finally I said forget it. I let the voice mail pick 'em up. I usually love to chat on the phone with people, but doing it during rush hour traffic can be quite dangerous, both to myself and others out there with their ears glued to their phones. So, yes, cell phones irritate the crap out of me. I especially hate it when people are talking on their phones in a populated area and proceed to tell personal information in a voice so damn loud that they can be heard in Russia! Then they look at you like you are being rude because you just happened to hear them tell someone about the guy they picked up at Skiles Tavern and what a good time they had over at his place. You all know what I mean about these people. Don't they have any idea that we really do not want to know this stuff? Can't they call back their friend in the privacy of their own house, apartment, trailer, or cardboard box? Really, this irks the hell out of me. Oh, and another cell phone no-no, please get off of your phone when you are in line in front of me at McDonald's. I love french fries and I lack the patience to stand behind you while you explain your current financial situation to that collection agency.
Another cell phone faux pas commonly occurs at GVSU. People forget to turn their phones off or on vibrate. I know this happens all of the time and sometimes it is just honest forgetfulness. But, when you have the same person have their phone ring in class six times in the same semester, you begin to think that they are either stupid or rude. Hmmm...perhaps both. I have actually been in classes where someone's cell phone is ringing and they either one, pick it up and have their conversation in the class, or two, pretend like it isn't their phone ringing at all. Come on people, most of us are not that stupid.
Please, please, please use some common sense when you are on your phones! No one wants to know about you except the person you're talking to. Keep your voice to a minimum if it is absolutely neccesary to talk on your cell phone in public. Be respectful of others and of the classroom. Oh, and another thing...DO NOT talk on the phone while you are in a public bathroom. That is just plain icky.

After reading some more of the textbook by Wilhelm, I think I have a clearer understanding of literary reading. I thought about the moves I make when I read and about certain books that I have read and what I did when I read those books. I think literary reading changes depending on what book you read. For example, when I read Notes From Underground over Christmas, I really had to think more. I kept a pencil handy and underlined passages and words that I did not understand. Along with that came my dictionary to look up words. I learned what pedantic means during that reading. Also, I read the footnotes to gain a clearer idea of what Dostoevsky meant and the time frame in which he was writing. Those footnotes were extremely helpful and added more to my visualization of the story.
I am not a re-reader for the most part. Unless a novel or story is assigned in a class and I have read it before, I usually do not re-read. I think it is because I have more of a photographic memory when I read. If someone were to ask me where a certain line or situation is in the book, even months later, I can usually open the book and flip to within a few pages of it. I also tend to paint a picture in my head while I read and I find that when I have to re-read that picture is hard to distort and I do not like to do it. My daughter, Myah, is an avid re-reader. If you have not checked out Myah's recommendations on the left, please do. She was excited to help me with these. Like I said, Myah is a big re-reader. She's read Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 32 times! I think it is because she knows the story almost by heart now and she finds some comfort in the characters. I think she has become emotionally attached to them and can live their lives over every time she reads that book.
As far as imaging goes, I guess I am a little weird. If the novel or story is set in modern times, I usually see it in color. But, if the story is set back in history (usually over 100 years or so), I see it in like a sepia color. Perhaps this is the influence of television and movies in my life, I'm not sure. I do get involved in the characters on a personal level, but I am more like the fly-on-the-wall rather than an extension of the character. I like to observe in my visualizations rather than what I call interfere with the story.
But, it does all depend on the book. With some of the more complex novels or with stories in which I am not familiar with the setting or plot I tend to take the fly-on-the-wall approach. However, with other stories I become more fully an extension of the character or I get personally involved in the story. I must admit that I am a romance novel reader and with those books I do get more involved. If I know that it will be a happy ending (as in most romance novels) then I feel good about getting involved, but if I do not know about the ending, or if I know it is going to be sad, I tend to use the fly-on-the-wall approach.
I tend to get a little lost in the story too. I devote my almost every moment to it. I have a hard time reading books by Stephen King and romance novels because I often let everything else go, like cleaning up after my kids or taking my dog outside. I usually try to read those books after my kids go to bed and then I find myself at 3 a.m. wondering where the time went.
I do not think I consciously chose to get involved in books anymore. If I find the story interesting I am fully engaged without having to try to force myself to do anything. If I do not find the story interesting I tend to force myself to sit in a quiet room and have few distractions. I also give a book about 10-20 pages before I will abandon it, but that depends on the size of the book. If it is a short story or a short novel, sometimes a few pages or paragraphs are sufficient enough for my judgment call.
This is how I do literary reading. I do not think that everyone who reads in-depth reads the same. I think the reader choses which books he or she will get into and I think that depending on the reader's position in life at that time can make the choice to be more in-depth for him or her.

Have you ever read a book or listened to the radio and gotten an image in your head of what that character or person would look like? I know I have. So for this book journal I decided I would play casting agent for No More Dead Dogs and pick a cast of characters for a movie based on the book. I decided to narrow my search to the three main characters, Wallace Wallace, Mr. Fogelman, and Rachel. First I will explain the character's personality a bit then I will explain why I picked a particular actor or actress for that character.

Wallace Wallace: He is confident in himself and has a high degree of integrity. He is also fairly good-looking and nice to be around. He feels a strong sense of attachment to his true friends and to his mom. Wallace also has a tendency towards a sarcastic sense of humor.
My choice of Actor: Noel Callahan from Nickelodeon's Romeo Show. Why? Because he likes sports, has a nice smile, and the character he plays on the Romeo Show is similar to Wallace Wallace. Click on the link below to see Noel's picture.
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/cast.jhtml?sho...

Mr. Fogelman: He is a nice man, but a little neurotic at times. He tries to be your standard teacher but finds that the role is not only driving him nuts, but also his students! He is willing to adapt to the environment that the students put him in and becomes not just a teacher, but a friend and perhaps even an inspiration to his students.
My Choice of Actor: Ben Stiller. Ben Stiller is such a diverse actor that he could easily play Mr. Fogelman. He has the ability to make himself likeable and also to maintain a degree of adulthood just like Mr. Fogelman. To see a brief description of Ben Stiller and a few photos click on the link below.
http://www.aahceleb.com/pics/ben_stiller.html

Rachel: Rachel is not your typical seventh grade girl. She has ambition and is a hard worker. She is not boy crazy, but does find attractive qualities other than looks in Wallace Wallace. She is outspoken and lives in a bit of a fantasy world. Rachel likes to write letters to her idol Julia Roberts even though she thinks Julia will never see them. Rachel loves acting and the stage and is determined to one day be a grand actress.
My Choice of Actress: Emma Roberts from Nickelodeon's Unfabulous. Emma's character on Unfabulous seems to have a self-delusional quality about her that Rachel possesses. Emma also looks like the way Rachel is described in the book. Plus, Emma is really Julia Roberts's niece (how weird is that?!). To see Emma's picture please click on the link below:
http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/cast.jhtml?sho...

I think this is a fun way to try to envision what the characters in a novel would look like. Plus, it would also be a good way to have future pupils merge their love of television and movies with reading. This type of project would require readers to really look closely at the character, both the physical descriptions of them and personality traits found in dialogue. Readers would have to pay close attention to the smaller details in order to find a good cast for their book characters. I found this kind of fun too.

In my YA novel, No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman, there are few teachers. The setting for the book is in a school, so naturally there would be a few teachers throughout the text. One of the teachers, actually the main teacher, was Mr. Fogelman. Mr. Fogelman teaches English and assigned the horrible book that Wallace Wallace hated. Anyway, in the beginning of the book Wallace and many of his friends can not stand Mr. Fogelman. They are mad at him for putting Wallace on detention for not completing his homework the way Mr. Fogelman wanted.
A part in the book that affected me most as a reader was how uptight and unreasonable Mr. Fogelman seemed to be. He wanted the book report assignment to agree with his own opinions and not necessarily reflect what his students thought of the book. I wonder how many teachers like that are really out there. I know both as a student and as a mom that I have run into quite a bit of these egotistical teachers who think their opionions are facts. It reminds me to be aware of my own personal biases that I may bring into my future classrooms. Many pupils will take whatever the teacher says about anything as the God's honest truth, and they will never think to differ from a teacher's obvious likes and dislikes. I want my future pupils to know that I value their opinions and as long as they can back up what they say with either articulate answers to questions or with more material, I must and will respect that.
Anyway, the kids in No More Dead Dogs finally begin to realize that Mr. Fogelman may not be so bad after all. And, as the kids look at him differently he begins to mellow out (to use his words) and become more human to them. How many times as a kid in school did you run into a teacher outside of school and think, "Wow, Mr. So and So goes shopping at Meijer? And, he actually owns jeans?". This is the sort of transformation that happened to Mr. Fogelman. No longer was he viewed as some irrational teacher who couldn't handle anyone challenging him, but he became more than just a one-dimensional person to the characters in the book. I think Gordon Korman did a wonderful job of getting the right perspective on how pupils respond to teachers and how teachers can change that perspective.

After spending the better part of my Saturday with my face comfortably stuck in No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman, I began to think about the ways in which I was reading this book. I must admit that I was excited about it. When I did have to put the book down, I felt a little disconnected and anxious to pick it back up. Some of the methods I used while reading No More Dead Dogs were typical. I picked an area of my house where there were few distractions, namely no television, radio, or other gadgets to interfere with my total absorbtion in the novel. I also kept a pencil stuck into the back of my ponytail so I could be ready for any underlining or note taking. I took breaks when my eyes hurt, or my kids needed me, but other than that I was not just reading the text, but fully immersed in the story.
I can always tell when a novel has hooked me. I lose all concept of time. When I must disengage myself from the story, I always feel a little out of place. It is something like standing on the side of a busy highway after your car has broken down. There you were cruising along and then you have just stopped but all these other cars keep speeding past you. That was how I felt when I had to break off from the book.
I also found that I was adjusting my mind to the characters. Rather than thinking like the 30 year-old I am, by chapter three I was starting to remember all the drama and humor from junior high school. It has been a long time since I read such a light-hearted comedy, but I am so glad that I read No More Dead Dogs. I guess I just thought that YA literature was only for my daughter and not for me, but now I am beginning to see that really good books do not have an age level. The really good ones will always remain good. It is true though that this book would have affected me differently if I could have read it when I was in junior high. I think I agree with the Reader Response Theory to a certain extent. Although, I do believe that a beloved book will always have a certain special attachment to a reader no matter how much the reader has changed.
Overall though, I am amazed at how a well-written YA book can keep me focused and entertained. I guess after spending so much time in college oftentimes reading difficult and complex novels, I became a little bit of a literature snob, thinking that reading for anything other than the intellectual value a book can offer me is simply a waste of time. After reading No More Dead Dogs, I have learned my lesson.