October’s Book-of-the-Month-Club Assessment
Due: October 28/29, 2008
For the assessment to go with your Book-of-the-Month, you need to
have your book read by the due date,
and have prepared quotes that teach us about a main character from the book.
(Bring your book to school on your class days from the 21st through 23rd and the 27th.
Bring your book on the 28th (B-day) or 29th (A-Day).
We will provide some time to work on finding your quotes.
On that day, you will share the main character of your novel with the class.
You will do this by giving us
five examples of your character’s thoughts,
five quotes indicating what you learned from his/her speech patterns,
five quotes from other characters that give us insight about the main character,
and five actions that let the reader know who your character is.
Include the page number for each quote.
Use quotes from different parts of the book.
This information needs to be written (in blue or black pen) or typed and turned in. If you would like to dress up as your character, you can earn extra credit. Remember that the school dress code is still enforced, and that cannons, chariots, or fire-breathing dragons are not allowed on campus.
Here is my example. I have used the novel The Outsiders because we are reading it together in class. Your project needs to be done with your Book-of-the-Month novel.
The main character of my novel is Ponyboy (who is also the narrator).
Thoughts:
1. “I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman — he looks tough and I don’t -- but I guess my own looks aren’t so bad.” p. 1
2. “Man, I thought, if I had worries like that I’d consider myself lucky. I know better now.” p. 36
3. “This church gave me a kind of creepy feeling. What do you call it? Premonition?” p. 67
4. “I had never thought about it. Everyone in our neighborhood, even the girls, smoked.”
p. 97
5. “It was Johnny I was worried about.” p. 102
Speech patterns:
1. “I’m just a little spooked, that’s all.” p. 8
2. “Didya catch ‘em?” p. 12
3. “Tuff enough. Wait till I get out, though, so you can keep Darry off my back.” p. 18
4. “You ain’t a’woofin’,” I said, rubbing my bar arms between drags on my cigarette. p. 53
5. “Oh,no!” My hand flew to my hair. “No, Johnny, not my hair!” p. 71
What other characters say about him:
1. “You don’t ever think,” Darry broke in, “not at home or anywhere when it counts. You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, . . . but do you ever use your head for common sense? No sirree, bub.” p. 13
2. “‘You don’t look old enough to be going to high school,’ the dark-haired girl [Marciaa] said.” p. 23
3. “I don’t know why I handed you that busted bottle,” Two-Bit said, getting to his feet. “You’d never use it.” p. 47
4. “You know,” Johnny said slowly, “I never noticed colors and clouds and stuff until you kept reminding me about them. It seems like they were never there before.” p. 78
5. “I swear, you three are the bravest kids I’ve seen in a long time.” (Jerry) p. 95
Actions:
1. “One time in biology I had to dissect a worm, and the razor wouldn’t cut, so I used my switchblade.” p. 15
2. “I kept saving my money for a year, thinking that someday I could buy Mickey Mouse back for Soda.” p. 40
3. “Not even the rattling of the train could keep me awake, and I went to sleep in a hoodlum’s jacket, with a gun lying next to my hand.” p. 62
4. “I wasn’t about to go through that flaming door, so I slammed a big rock through a window and pulled myself in.” p. 91
5. “Darry!” I screamed, and the next thing I knew I had him around the waist and was squeezing the daylights out of him.” p. 98
