Monday, July 15, 2013

Part 2: Wrapping it up with Hattie



I met with my young 'student' today to wind up our adventure into reading Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. We agreed that we liked Hattie and enjoyed her story. 

Before we could truly close the covers on Hattie, though, we each wrote a five-sentence summary of the book. My summary addressed the hardships that Hattie faced and how she dealt with so many obstacles. However, Sue, focused her summary more on Hattie's relationship with the Mueller family, her neighbors.

I found that interesting. We talked about the differences in what we each considered the main idea of the book. Whereas I enjoy books that are plot driven, she likes the exploration of the characters and how they relate to each other.

We then wrote a short piece about our feelings toward Hattie. Once again, I admired Hattie's perseverance and resourcefulness in facing obstacles and her courage in reinventing herself, while Sue was impressed by her big heart in caring for the neighbor family when the influenza epidemic struck. 

Well, there you have it...the reason there are as many types of books as there are readers and perhaps why there are so many book club members who gather to discuss plots and characters and share their points of view.

2 comments:

  1. I appreciate your previous post and this one about Hattie Big Sky, as well as both you and your student's reactions to the story. You just may have planted the seeds of a future book club/discussion member. It will be interesting to see if this young girl reads more after this summer of reading with you, Belle.

    Now, I need to place Hattie Big Sky onto my list and read it. I love reading about the pioneer spirit, especially books for young readers about it. I don't know how this one passed me by, but, happy to learn of it through you.

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    1. Thanks Penny. Sue the Student wants to read more of Hattie's adventures in the next book "Hattie Ever After." She said that having our discussions really made the reading experience much more interesting for her. I am so glad and hope she continues to find and read books that she enjoys.

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