I think this book was cute, and maybe makes children not so afraid of big, bad rats. However, they may all want to hang out in rat labs and try to teach them to read with the hopes of creating a really awesome pet. I liked the characters in the book a lot. Mrs. Frisby was a very brave mother. I am sure that the thought of Timothy in the back of her mind gave her courage, but I was very proud of her for actually climbing on Jeremy's back to fly, then going into the Owl's hollow and approaching the rats. She seemed to have quite a bit of scary obstacles to overcome, but she did them with strength I did not expect from a tiny mouse.
I also thought Izzy was a great character in the book. The suggested age for this book is 8 to 12 years old according to Barnes&Noble.com, and that is the age when girls discover boys but the boys are still clueless. That is exactly Izzy and Justin. I had to smile when he walked into the library and Izzy dropped all of her reading papers, then tried to impress him with the reading level. So cute :).
The only thing that really frustrated me about this book was the ending. Who were the two rats who died!? Is this a series and I just don't know about it? If you have figured it out or know where I can find the answer please tell me! I guess this is what makes Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH a great book. When there are no more pages to turn and you want more, the book definitely qualifies as great.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Blog 17: Mrs. Frisby Notable Moment
The further into the book the reader gets, the more we can see the intelligence of the rats. We follow their progress thru the mazes and the picture tests at NIMH, then after they escape. But I feel that the greatest intelligence is shown when Nicodemus and the other rats begin to see that stealing is wrong.
" But why? Why move? We've got a better place to live right now. We've got all the food we want. We've got electricity, and lights, and running water. I can't understand why everybody talks about changing things."
"Because everything we have is stolen."
"That's silly. Is it stealing when farmers take milk from cows, or eggs from chickens? They're just smarter than the cows and the chickens, that's all. Well, people are our cows. If we're smart enough, why shouldn't we get food from them?"
"It's not the same. Farmers feed the cows and chickens and take care of them. We don't do anything for what we take. Besides, if we keep it up, we're sure to be found out."
I think this quote shows how much more Nicodemus has matured and grown above what he was taught at NIMH, while Jenner still thinks like a rat. Nicodemus took what he had been taught and applied it not only to escaping and times of crisis, but used it to overall improve his way of life. If he and his fellow NIMH rats continue to have the morals of basic, normal rats, then they have not evolved at all. What makes us intelligent is how we use the knowledge we gain, not necessarily how much information we can cram into our brains. I hope that children reading this book can see that message and understand how important it is to apply knowledge to bettering yourself and not just besting your neighbor.
" But why? Why move? We've got a better place to live right now. We've got all the food we want. We've got electricity, and lights, and running water. I can't understand why everybody talks about changing things."
"Because everything we have is stolen."
"That's silly. Is it stealing when farmers take milk from cows, or eggs from chickens? They're just smarter than the cows and the chickens, that's all. Well, people are our cows. If we're smart enough, why shouldn't we get food from them?"
"It's not the same. Farmers feed the cows and chickens and take care of them. We don't do anything for what we take. Besides, if we keep it up, we're sure to be found out."
I think this quote shows how much more Nicodemus has matured and grown above what he was taught at NIMH, while Jenner still thinks like a rat. Nicodemus took what he had been taught and applied it not only to escaping and times of crisis, but used it to overall improve his way of life. If he and his fellow NIMH rats continue to have the morals of basic, normal rats, then they have not evolved at all. What makes us intelligent is how we use the knowledge we gain, not necessarily how much information we can cram into our brains. I hope that children reading this book can see that message and understand how important it is to apply knowledge to bettering yourself and not just besting your neighbor.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Blog 16: Anticipating Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
More rats :( As we discussed in Blog 6, Jaimie is not fond of mice and rats. This is another book I have never read, however, the title did sound familiar. I again went to my childrens book buff/5th grade teacher friend Caitlin to get a review of the book. She told me that the rats of NIMH are rats that have been experimentd on and now have almost-human abilities. Shudder. I actually liked the Redwall mice. They were nice and not very mouselike at all. I read the Wikipedia for this book and it seems like the animals are being brought to the same level as humans, even more so than the characters in Redwall. This should be an interesting read. I am curious to see how these rats and mice compare to those in the Redwall book.
Extra: The Lightning Thief
I am a bit sad this book was taken off our list. It was my favorite of all the books selected for this class. I have always loved reading about mythology, and thought this book was a great way to introduce children to the topic. In the book, Percy is 12. But this is one of the few (and I mean very few) books that the main character is not emphasized as a child. When I was reading this book, I kept forgetting that Percy was so young until they would say something about his grade at school. I felt like I could relate to the character better because of this. I had not seen the movie before reading the book, I was waiting until after we discussed it in class. But when I found out it was taken off our list I went to Hastings right away! I just finished the movie (Ive been watching and blogging - Yay for multitasking) and loved it, but thought it was sooo different from the book. (Book is way better for those who have neither read nor seen the movie) I am now in the mood to pull out my high school mythology books and browse. Considering its 1:30 in the morning, I will probably wait until this weekend though. I think that if you have some spare time, and feel the need for a good book and a glass of wine this is a great pick! I definitely did not want to put it down, and have read the book twice since buying it in August. I love this series and cannot wait until I have some time to read the rest of it(in order, of course! ;) ).
Blog 15: Analysis of Nesbit, Lewis and Rowling
I know these three books are grouped together because they all have to do with Real vs Secondary World, but I think the main focus with these three was series order.
NESBIT
I was never exposed to E. Nesbit before this class, so I had no idea The Phoenix and the Carpet was part of a series until someone told me. I do remember being confused about which child was which and not knowing Cyril was a boy until chapter two. However, once I got all of the children straight in my mind the book was great. I think it stands alone from the series very easily. The first book maybe went into more detail about the children, but I honestly didn't love them enough to want to find out. Maybe if I had read book one first I would have felt closer to the children, but it was not necessary for me to enjoy the book.
LEWIS
I have read two books from the Narnia series (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and Magician's Nephew) and was not in love with either. I saw the movie first then decided to read the series. My roommate had the box set, and Magician's Nephew was first. I was so confused when I read it the first time because I couldn't get into the characters after expecting the four from LWW. I set it aside and read LWW instead, then went back to MN. It was soooo much better that way. I really prefer the original order of the series to the rearranged version. Unless you had already read LWW, you couldnt make connections between the lamp post and Jadis in MN. The books may be able stand on their own, but I much prefer reading them in the order Lewis wrote them. Hopefully during winter break I will have time to read the whole series!
ROWLING
If you are reading a Harry Potter book just to read it or for AR credit, the books stand alone. However, if you plan on reading them all eventually, start at the begining. If you hop around in the Harry Potter series, you may be a bit confused and/or come across people who had already died. (which is confusing in itself) The books do not need each other, but they are so much more enjoyable when you grow up with the characters and read about them in chronological order.
Overall, I think the moral of the story is to always look at the series as a whole instead of just a single book. These three authors show us that order is not always important, but when it is, the reader misses out on some big details.
NESBIT
I was never exposed to E. Nesbit before this class, so I had no idea The Phoenix and the Carpet was part of a series until someone told me. I do remember being confused about which child was which and not knowing Cyril was a boy until chapter two. However, once I got all of the children straight in my mind the book was great. I think it stands alone from the series very easily. The first book maybe went into more detail about the children, but I honestly didn't love them enough to want to find out. Maybe if I had read book one first I would have felt closer to the children, but it was not necessary for me to enjoy the book.
LEWIS
I have read two books from the Narnia series (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe and Magician's Nephew) and was not in love with either. I saw the movie first then decided to read the series. My roommate had the box set, and Magician's Nephew was first. I was so confused when I read it the first time because I couldn't get into the characters after expecting the four from LWW. I set it aside and read LWW instead, then went back to MN. It was soooo much better that way. I really prefer the original order of the series to the rearranged version. Unless you had already read LWW, you couldnt make connections between the lamp post and Jadis in MN. The books may be able stand on their own, but I much prefer reading them in the order Lewis wrote them. Hopefully during winter break I will have time to read the whole series!
ROWLING
If you are reading a Harry Potter book just to read it or for AR credit, the books stand alone. However, if you plan on reading them all eventually, start at the begining. If you hop around in the Harry Potter series, you may be a bit confused and/or come across people who had already died. (which is confusing in itself) The books do not need each other, but they are so much more enjoyable when you grow up with the characters and read about them in chronological order.
Overall, I think the moral of the story is to always look at the series as a whole instead of just a single book. These three authors show us that order is not always important, but when it is, the reader misses out on some big details.
Blog 14: Harry Potter Notable Moment
I am having a bit of a love/hate relationship with the details in this book. I love the ones that are there: I enjoy the way Rowling writes and think it is very easy to visualize the scene from her details. However, thinking from the fact that I have not read the first three books in quite a few years and some people have never read them, I think this book severely lacks details about Hogwarts.
The Sorting Hat is introduced in Chapter 12 (pages 176 and 177 for its song). It is a bit long so I won't copy it all, but that is the focus of my notable moment. In the first book, Rowling describes the castle, its history, all of its little quirks like the missing stairs and the doors as paintings. In this book, all you have is the Sorting Hat song. It goes into very little detail about the four founders of Hogwarts, something I personally loved reading about (I'm a history major so no suprise there). And everything else is just assumed. We now have the movies to go off of for hints from past books, but when you ignore the movies you have no idea what the castle looks like, how its set up, the celing in the Great Hall, everything basically. The book would of course be an extra 200 pages if she added all this in again, but I think not having it takes away from the experience. I really want to go back and read book one again to reintroduce myself to the wizarding world and Hogwarts. The point: details matter. And so does reading the books in order.
The Sorting Hat is introduced in Chapter 12 (pages 176 and 177 for its song). It is a bit long so I won't copy it all, but that is the focus of my notable moment. In the first book, Rowling describes the castle, its history, all of its little quirks like the missing stairs and the doors as paintings. In this book, all you have is the Sorting Hat song. It goes into very little detail about the four founders of Hogwarts, something I personally loved reading about (I'm a history major so no suprise there). And everything else is just assumed. We now have the movies to go off of for hints from past books, but when you ignore the movies you have no idea what the castle looks like, how its set up, the celing in the Great Hall, everything basically. The book would of course be an extra 200 pages if she added all this in again, but I think not having it takes away from the experience. I really want to go back and read book one again to reintroduce myself to the wizarding world and Hogwarts. The point: details matter. And so does reading the books in order.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Blog 13: Anticipating Harry Potter
I love the Harry Potter series. I read all the books as they came out and have seen all the movies so far. My favorite thing about reading the series as it was released was that it felt like I was growing up with the characters. We were discussing in class today about whether or not it would be the same if you read the books out of order, and I do not think it would be. I am sure that since I first read them in order I am biased, but the books do not reintroduce you to every character you already know from the previous books. Anyone who had not previously read about that character, might be wondering where they came from.
I love this book because it is a great read for everyone. I loved them, and i have read them out loud to most of my family. When we get together for holidays, the younger kids always get to pick a book and we all read it together after dinner. My senior year of high school, my youngest cousin Olivia decided she wanted to read Harry Potter. We read the first one out loud at Christmas, and by the time school started again she had had my Aunt Belinda read three more to her. These book have great memories for me, and I love to reread them again and again.
I love this book because it is a great read for everyone. I loved them, and i have read them out loud to most of my family. When we get together for holidays, the younger kids always get to pick a book and we all read it together after dinner. My senior year of high school, my youngest cousin Olivia decided she wanted to read Harry Potter. We read the first one out loud at Christmas, and by the time school started again she had had my Aunt Belinda read three more to her. These book have great memories for me, and I love to reread them again and again.
Blog 12: Notable Moment from The Magician's Nephew
My favorite moment in the book was the Jackdaw's response to The First Joke.
"Aslan! Aslan! Have I made the first joke? Will everybody always be told how I made the first joke?"
"No, little friend," said the Lion. "You have not made the first joke, you have only been the first joke." Then everyone laughed more than ever; but the Jackdaw didn't mind and laughed just as loud till the horse shook its head and the Jackdaw lost its balance and fell off, but remembered its wings (they were still new to it) before it reached the ground. Page 129
This was one of the few moments in the book that actually made me laugh out loud. Also, I think that it was a great way to show children that when you make a mistake or accidentally embarrass yourself, you just need to laugh at yourself and move on. Children now are so worried about what everyone thinks that they sometimes think the smallest mistake is detrimental to their reputation. If we laugh at ourselves, everyone else will follow suit and all is forgotten.
"Aslan! Aslan! Have I made the first joke? Will everybody always be told how I made the first joke?"
"No, little friend," said the Lion. "You have not made the first joke, you have only been the first joke." Then everyone laughed more than ever; but the Jackdaw didn't mind and laughed just as loud till the horse shook its head and the Jackdaw lost its balance and fell off, but remembered its wings (they were still new to it) before it reached the ground. Page 129
This was one of the few moments in the book that actually made me laugh out loud. Also, I think that it was a great way to show children that when you make a mistake or accidentally embarrass yourself, you just need to laugh at yourself and move on. Children now are so worried about what everyone thinks that they sometimes think the smallest mistake is detrimental to their reputation. If we laugh at ourselves, everyone else will follow suit and all is forgotten.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Blog 11: Anticipating The Magician's Nephew
When the first Narnia movie came out, I decided to read the books because I loved the movie. I started with The Magician's Nephew, even though it was not the first in the movie series. I was a bit disappointed. I think that I was expecting the four children from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and then was confused when it was a completely different set of characters. I remember wanting to kick Uncle Andrew in the shins through out the whole book. (Very childish response, I know. But it is a children's book, so I feel justified.)
Hopefully rereading it now, when I have not seen the movies in quite a while, will help me to like it more. I love the other books in the Narnia series, and would like to feel the same about this one. I started reading earlier today, and a quote jumped out at me. I will do a notable moment also, I just wanted to comment on this also.
Hopefully rereading it now, when I have not seen the movies in quite a while, will help me to like it more. I love the other books in the Narnia series, and would like to feel the same about this one. I started reading earlier today, and a quote jumped out at me. I will do a notable moment also, I just wanted to comment on this also.
- "Oh, I see. You mean that little boys ought to keep their promises. Very true: most right and proper, I'm sure, and I'm very glad you have been taught to do it. But of course you must understand that rules of that sort, however excellent they may be for little boys - and servants - and women - and even people in general, can't possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers and sages. No, Digory. Men like me, who possess hidden wisdom, are freed from common pleasures. ours, my boy, is a high and lonely destiny."page 21
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