February 25, 2009

Reading Reflection for Hoot

            This book was very interesting.  I really liked how Mullet Fingers was free to roam around.  When I was little we lived on 4 acres with only 7 houses in view so my brother and I would explore all day long.  We would go on treasure hunts and hikes everyday.  I also connected with Roy, Beatrice, and Mullet Fingers because when I was younger I had decided that I was going to change the world by picking up trash wherever I went.  I would recycle the cans and get money to pay for the gas for my four-wheeler.  It drove my parents crazy because no matter where we were I walked around picking up trash.  My younger brother thought I was crazy.

            The character that I picked was Beatrice.  In the beginning she is thought to be mean, arrogant, a bully, and a giant.  Throughout the book we begin to see why she is the way she is.  Her mother left, and she lives with her dad and his new wife.  The new wife is very selfish, and makes Beatrice clean and cook.  Beatrice is also bigger then most of the other girls in her class so the other kids are intimidated by her.  By the end of the book, she really is just a normal child, who once you get to know has fears, and a sensitive side like everybody else.  She even sings with the rest of the kids and the author says, “Beatrice, of all people, and her voice was surprisingly lovely and soft.” 

            I would defiantly recommend this book.  I think 11 years old and up would enjoy it.  I think it would be great to do a literature circle with this book and then have the children get involved with some kind of conservation project.  This could be the introduction to that project.  There are so many charities and projects that I don’t think it would be hard to get involved, though it might be difficult to get the children involved in just one area.

            This book is a great way to let children see that if you are really passionate about something that there are ways to help without breaking the law or putting yourself in danger.  I think that Roy is very influential and his character could be the inspiration some children need.