Creative Book Reports

Right after school started, Jenna and I joined a mother-daughter book club at the local library.  Each month features a book with a different theme e.g. science fiction, fantasy, biography, etc.  Jenna had read the Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell and seemed to like that and was able to participate in the discussion.  She didn’t care fro the City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.  I don’t always enjoy Science fiction but found some of it interesting.  But not enough to continue with the series.  Jenna LOVED Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George. Fantasy.  I have such a hard time with fantasies.  I was able to read Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai.  I liked the poetry as well as the history.  Jenna on the other hand, seemed bored. 

The book we’re reading currently is called PIE – a mystery - with recipes included.  First book that the two of us are able to enjoy together. Before this I liked Inside Out and Back Again the best.  Jenna’s favorite has been Tuesdays at the Castle.  Last night the group met to discuss PIE. The librarian had set up the displays to match the theme.  I really appreciate her thoughtfulness.

After each book review is a craft activity and a snack.  Last night the girls were invited to make aprons.  The treat was chocolate cream pie but the girls were more interested in the 3D apple pie puzzle which they played with and pretended to make apple pies.  I’m happy (for Jenna’s sake) that there had been so much interaction among the girls.  

Jenna also goes to the school library once a week to check out books.  She usually gets three – two written in English and one in Spanish.  She will create class book reports or projects for books she has checked out at both libraries.

Her book projects are so much more creative than the standard report.  She is allowed to choose from a wide variety of suggestions.  She has put on puppet shows, acted out, drawn pictures of, and created scrapbooks from a certain characters point of view.  For instance, after Roland and Jenna read a book called The Brixen Witch by Stacy DeKeyser, she cut out pictures of rats, two old women (one for the grandma and one for the witch) a girl jumping rope, and a fiddler to name a few.  On the cover she added a photograph of a little boy whom she assigned the named Rudy – for the scrapbook represented what he may have created himself.  She did the same thing with Junie B. Jones adding a gorilla, a stuffed toy, a baby named Oscar, a crib, and a pregnant woman. 

Jenna loves being creative and has fun with her “book reports” and I enjoy her enthusiasm and the opportunity she has been given to use her imagination.

Among her latest creations is a letter written to Barbara Park – author of the Junie B. Jones series.  She decided that after she received her grade, she would send the letter to the author.  So we searched on line for an address for Random House (as I figured that is where we’d have to send it). In our search for the address, I stumbled across this site:  I wish I had discovered it years ago.  I am very excited to start exploring it.  It was through the site that I found the author’s address in care of Random House address.   

Sadly we learned that Barbara Park had passed away just four months ago. I told Jenna I would post her letter to my blog if that would make her feel better.  It hasn’t been returned to her with grade as of yet, but I will post it when she brings it home.

In the News

Sometimes there are stories in the news that just seem oddly interesting.  I am sad for the good Samaritan in this first story.

A good Samaritan sees a car crash and calls 911.  He walks toward the accident to see if those involved are okay.  He was injured in the process.  more here

This next one made me laugh

Officer pulls over to assist driver of stalled car and discovers 22 pounds of Marijuana in the back seat  here

 this next story (video) has made the news stations for three days at least

student and employee at UVU is arrested after “correcting” a confusing sign.  Here

 I really like this story, too: 

an off duty officer recognizes bank robber leads to arrest  here

and BYU gets a new president’ here

and why not throw in a human interest story about Despicable Me and other here

Digging for the Truth

I was watching the news this morning and saw this human interest story about a horse who had been rescued from frozen waters.  It was told in a Twas the Night Before Christmas  type manner.

The way it was told seemed somewhat cute in the beginning but seemed to drag into cheesy as the reporter kept on rhyming words.  It made me think of Jane Fonda’s character in “The China Syndrome” which was released in 1979.

Kimberly Wells (said character) is sent on assignment to cover the story at the zoo featuring a birthday in honor of a residential tiger (or something like that) and would rather do hard core stories.  I don’t personally know any reporters, their dreams or ambitions, or how many indeed would rather do the hard core and investigation than those human interest stories. (If I were a reporter, I would personally like to deliver the human interest over hard core)

Kimberly Wells finds her story at a nuclear power plant.  She wants to investigate.  As the story moves forward, there seems to be a lot more cover up by the plant CEOs and employees than any investigation that is made.  Cover ups only seem to create more questions.  Not only does the reporter go to extensive lengths to find the truth, but the opposing side seems to make even greater lengths to keep it covered.

At what cost does the media go to to keeping us informed.  And why?  There are times when it seems necessary that the reporters continue sticking their noses in where it doesn’t appear to belong. One example is  Elliot Gould’s character in “Capricorn I” ..  Even after David Doyle’s character fired him, Robert Caulfield worked with even more persistance to uncover a government scandal. 

We need those persistent reporters for the most part. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (“All the President’s Men") are two reporters based on those who really did uncover the Watergate Scandal. It was the sandal that led to the resignation of Pres. Richard Nixon.

Some persistence seems rather silly and unnecessary – like Jack McGee chasing the hulk.  And the saddest part is that I think there really are reporters like that. 45 min episode here

And I suppose there are some reporters or investigators who may get in the way of police investigation.  There are some who are grateful for the updates and there are some who believe that the media is either misinformed or leaving us in the dark about certain  things.  For the most part I’m grateful for the persistence.