Summer Reading Sizzles. At each grade level students are asked to read at least one summer reading title. Our themes are 6th grade - welcome to Middle School, 7th grade - ecology, and 8th grade - immigration. Students at Marshwood Middle School will share their reading when they return to school in September. We welcome your thoughts on our titles or to share some titles that fit our themes.
It's okay as a book so far. We like that we don't know anything about the next chapters yet. We also like the details about where he lived and moved to.
We are enjoying the book so far. It is a slow start, but we like how it describes Darrell's perspective on moving. Some thoughts/questions we had while reading were: The book is very relatable to people who have moved and been bullied before; If YOU met a bully, would you run away, or would you try to talk to them?
Our class discussed the emotions and obstacles that people encounter when moving from one school or job to another. Many of the students predictions for the book seem to be accurate in regards to Darrell's new experiences.
We think the beginning starts off slow, but we are going to keep reading because we are intrigued by the story. It was good to find out where Darrell lived and some details about where he moved to. So far, we do not like how his Uncle Jason treats him. Most of our class had a lot we could relate to in the book. We wonder if Tyray is going to bully Darrell in school? We also wonder if Darrell will make any friends?
Our predictions: I think that Tyray is going to be the bully. Maybe Darrell will become friends with one of the boys making fun of him. Later on Darrell might become friends with Tyray. Maybe Tyray will use a knife and Darrel will go to the hospital.
One student commented that they have a relative whose last name is Mercier...almost the same last name as Darrell has.
I do not like this book. Darrell seems depressed and I would much rather read a happy book. I know the author must create conflict, but I hope the author provides more interesting ways to do so. If this book only consists of Darrell's sadness, and no friendships or other conflicts such as Man vs. Nature, then I will find it hard to pay attention through this whole book.
The book "The Bully," by Paul Langan moves along quickly. It is a difficult book for us to relate to because do not live in an area where that kind of bullying happens. None of us are afraid to walk the streets in our town.
We think it will be interesting to learn about experiences of a kid in a different part of the country.
The first two chapters have painted a bleak picture. Darrell Mercer doesn't like California, he hates everything. He is keeping it too himself. The tone of this book seems too negative. In reality, most students wouldn't feel like him.
After reading two chapters, we have found out that Darrell is having a hard time making friends after he moves to California. When he walks down a street to look around, he gets his first dose of being bullied. A group of teenage boys make fun of him for being scrawny, and they take his money and trip him. He is now scared to start freshman year at Bluford since they also attend school there. He is also being pressured by his uncle to buff up and be more like the other kids in town. We predict that Darrell will be impacted by all the bullying, so he will try to get muscular by working out. He also might be pressured into taking steroids to change his physical appearance. However, we can picture him being teased for trying to fit in more. He may try to fight back, though, and end up getting hurt even more. One way that he could change their look on him in a positive way is Darrell trying to find his real self, and not the self that everyone else thinks he is.
We are not sure yet if we can relate to Darrell's experience of living in the city, but some of us can relate to moving to a new home, to losing a loved one, and to becoming independent. We are not sure of if we like the book. We are interested in learning about Darrell's first day at Bluford High.
So far I like this book. It's a cool view on moving to a brand new place and going to a new school. Hopefully, Darrell will stand up to the bully, Tyray in the end. It's kind of boring the way it's written, but the story is good.
Mrs.Martin's advisory thinks that the book will be a lot about bullying and show a boy getting bullied by a taller and stronger boy. We have several kids who are going to continue with the book over vacation. The 1st two chapters explain how Darrell Mercer feels about moving. He does not want to leave Philadelphia and his friends. He is afraid he will get bullied and turns out he is right!
We felt this book started like most other books that deal with bullying as a subject matter: an individual who stands out (for whatever reason: size, race, religion, etc.) is forced to leave the comforts of home for a new location, and immediately experiences bullying. We would like to see a book address bullying in a different manner.
We predict that the bullying will continue to escalate, both in school and out of school, where it is most severe. From this point, our predictions begin to differ, ranging from Darrell standing up for himself and getting support from those around him, to Tyray going to far and having someone get seriously hurt.
At any rate, we are going to continue reading to see how our predictions turn out.
Crowe's nest said... The Bully is a bit of a slow start...we think it will pick up. We think Darrell's uncle Jason will eventually help him out with the situation with Tyray.
In my reading of The Bully - By Paul Langan, I have experienced that Darrell Mercer, a kid who has friends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has to move across country to California in the middle of the school year because his Mother had been laid-off from her job as a clerk in an insurance agency. He has to leave his friend, Malik and has these terrible ideas about kids giving him a hard time, out in California, and he would have no friends to stick up for him. I have only gotten to chapter two, but so far this book has been very good, and has been very descriptive about the issue of bullying.
We have mixed feelings about the beginning of this book. Many people in our advisory are with-holding their opinion until they read a bit more. Some of us liked the book right away. Some of us have found these first few chapters too slow and somewhat depressing. We hope that it will improve.
We agree with the above prediction that Darrell will have a very bad first day of school. We think there is a strong likelihood that he may get beat up. One of us thinks he may move back to Philadelphia. We don't think that Darrell's mom knows how to help him with this and he feels like he is alone with his problem....
"So similar to the Karate Kid." "Fit's my prediction so far..Darrell no standing up for himself." "I feel bad for him." "Easy read." "I wonder if he's going to go to school for his first day. What's going to happen if he goes?" "Will he meet any friends? What about girls?"
We had mixed feelings about the book. Some of us thought it had a slow start and that it was a little too predictable. Others thought the book was very realistic and really showed what it's like to be bullied. Things seem pretty depressing for Darrell right now but we're hoping that he will adapt to his new environment. We hope that Darrell makes a friend soon.
Here's what we think so far: (one comment per person)
1. It's been a really good book so far. 2. It's OK, but it's kind of slow paced and dragging. 3. It started off slowly, but I think it will speed up as we go along. 4. It's kind of slow, but I think it would get more interesting in the middle of the book. 5. I think the book is OK, but towards the middle of the book it will get more interesting. 6. I think Darrell's uncle could have praised him a bit for having his heart in the right place for helping Nate. 7. I think it's kind of sad and boring because it's about bullies and I don't like that. 8. I think it's a little boring because nothing really exciting is happening. 9. As the book goes on, Darrell will find friends but then Tyray will ruin his friendships with others and then Darrell will go back to being alone. 10. I think it's going to be good to show how kids in other parts of the country live.
So far the book seems sad and depressing. Darrell seems weak but mature. He scared because he doesn't have his friends but he doesn't want his Mom to worry.
We thought the book started out slowly. It describes Darrell's feelings well. We thought it was good that he respected his mother's choice to move. While the students' believe that bullying is a real concern, they thought that there were other concerns that were not addressed. They mentioned peer pressure, parties, drugs and even that high school probably is academically more challenging. They feel that these elements would make the story more realistic, but are still interested in seeing how the story ends.
Having read the first two chapters, my homeroom and I think that this book, The Bully, is an exciting and active story about a boy whos dealing with moving from one place to another and obstacles that encounter this goal. We're very interested ... [:
We liked reading the book so far. It is nice to hear a different perspective, so that we know what it feels like to be bullied. Hopefully things will change for Darrell once he starts school.
I thought that the first two chapters of this book were very interesting. The plot seems sort of like the movie karate kid. The first one. The old one. These paragraphs were a good introduction to Darrel Mercer and his current situation. I can not relate to this chapter. Even though I have moved, I do not remember it because I was two. And also, who bullies a two year old.
There were mixed feelings about the book. Most students liked it and could relate to moving to a new place and how difficult it can be to make friends.
The first two chapters have painted a bleak picture. Darrell Mercer doesn't like California, he hates everything. He is keeping it too himself. The tone of this book seems too negative. In reality, most students wouldn't feel like him.
The book the Bully by: Paul Langan is exciting and every word keeps you on your toes. This book has great dialogue and the characters express themselves by the way they talk. The bullies are very mean and disgusting. One of our students identifies himself with Darrell because he is short. We think that the bullies are gonna keep bullying Darrell and he is not gonna do anything about it.
We think that reading this book will be good for our school. So far this book has been easy to relate to. We like the style of writing and how we now have something in common with everyone else. We think the book fits perfectly with our recent tolerance unit. Bullying is something a lot of people go through so it is very good that we are reading this as a school.
I very much enjoyed reading the book titled "The Bully", by Paul Langan. It was a great perspective from a student being bullied. It made me think.
ReplyDeleteWe think that even though the mother is reassuring him about the move that Darrell will have a very bad first day of school
ReplyDeleteIt's okay as a book so far. We like that we don't know anything about the next chapters yet. We also like the details about where he lived and moved to.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying the book so far. It is a slow start, but we like how it describes Darrell's perspective on moving. Some thoughts/questions we had while reading were: The book is very relatable to people who have moved and been bullied before; If YOU met a bully, would you run away, or would you try to talk to them?
ReplyDeleteOur class discussed the emotions and obstacles that people encounter when moving from one school or job to another. Many of the students predictions for the book seem to be accurate in regards to Darrell's new experiences.
ReplyDeleteWe think the beginning starts off slow, but we are going to keep reading because we are intrigued by the story. It was good to find out where Darrell lived and some details about where he moved to. So far, we do not like how his Uncle Jason treats him. Most of our class had a lot we could relate to in the book. We wonder if Tyray is going to bully Darrell in school? We also wonder if Darrell will make any friends?
ReplyDeleteOur predictions:
ReplyDeleteI think that Tyray is going to be the bully. Maybe Darrell will become friends with one of the boys making fun of him. Later on Darrell might become friends with Tyray. Maybe Tyray will use a knife and Darrel will go to the hospital.
One student commented that they have a relative whose last name is Mercier...almost the same last name as Darrell has.
This book is fun to read. I think I like this becuase its a book. I love all books. If I wanted to I would read this in less than a hour.
ReplyDelete~Mossy~
I do not like this book. Darrell seems depressed and I would much rather read a happy book. I know the author must create conflict, but I hope the author provides more interesting ways to do so. If this book only consists of Darrell's sadness, and no friendships or other conflicts such as Man vs. Nature, then I will find it hard to pay attention through this whole book.
ReplyDeleteThe book "The Bully," by Paul Langan moves along quickly. It is a difficult book for us to relate to because do not live in an area where that kind of bullying happens. None of us are afraid to walk the streets in our town.
ReplyDeleteWe think it will be interesting to learn about experiences of a kid in a different part of the country.
I love this book! This book is great! Like OMG! I want to read this a lotttt! {:
ReplyDelete~~Someone You Know!~~
The first two chapters have painted a bleak picture. Darrell Mercer doesn't like California, he hates everything. He is keeping it too himself. The tone of this book seems too negative. In reality, most students wouldn't feel like him.
ReplyDeleteMs. Gallo's Advisory
I kind of enjoy this book, it's bleak so far, but I think if might get better.. I'm hoping it will!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading two chapters, we have found out that Darrell is having a hard time making friends after he moves to California. When he walks down a street to look around, he gets his first dose of being bullied. A group of teenage boys make fun of him for being scrawny, and they take his money and trip him. He is now scared to start freshman year at Bluford since they also attend school there. He is also being pressured by his uncle to buff up and be more like the other kids in town.
ReplyDeleteWe predict that Darrell will be impacted by all the bullying, so he will try to get muscular by working out.
He also might be pressured into taking steroids to change his physical appearance.
However, we can picture him being teased for trying to fit in more.
He may try to fight back, though, and end up getting hurt even more.
One way that he could change their look on him in a positive way is Darrell trying to find his real self, and not the self that everyone else thinks he is.
We are not sure yet if we can relate to Darrell's experience of living in the city, but some of us can relate to moving to a new home, to losing a loved one, and to becoming independent. We are not sure of if we like the book. We are interested in learning about Darrell's first day at Bluford High.
ReplyDeleteI moved away from Florida when I was 7 years old, but I didn't have a tough time making friends or getting along when I moved to Marshwood.
ReplyDeleteThe first two chapters were interesting. I think it will get more interesting once Darrel goes to school.
ReplyDeleteSo far I like this book. It's a cool view on moving to a brand new place and going to a new school. Hopefully, Darrell will stand up to the bully, Tyray in the end. It's kind of boring the way it's written, but the story is good.
ReplyDeleteMrs.Martin's advisory thinks that the book will be a lot about bullying and show a boy getting bullied by a taller and stronger boy. We have several kids who are going to continue with the book over vacation. The 1st two chapters explain how Darrell Mercer feels about moving. He does not want to leave Philadelphia and his friends. He is afraid he will get bullied and turns out he is right!
ReplyDeleteWe felt this book started like most other books that deal with bullying as a subject matter: an individual who stands out (for whatever reason: size, race, religion, etc.) is forced to leave the comforts of home for a new location, and immediately experiences bullying. We would like to see a book address bullying in a different manner.
ReplyDeleteWe predict that the bullying will continue to escalate, both in school and out of school, where it is most severe. From this point, our predictions begin to differ, ranging from Darrell standing up for himself and getting support from those around him, to Tyray going to far and having someone get seriously hurt.
At any rate, we are going to continue reading to see how our predictions turn out.
Crowe's nest said...
ReplyDeleteThe Bully is a bit of a slow start...we think it will pick up. We think Darrell's uncle Jason will eventually help him out with the situation with Tyray.
We think this book is a little sad and depressing. We hope things start to improve for Darrell!
ReplyDeleteIn my reading of The Bully - By Paul Langan, I have experienced that Darrell Mercer, a kid who has friends in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has to move across country to California in the middle of the school year because his Mother had been laid-off from her job as a clerk in an insurance agency. He has to leave his friend, Malik and has these terrible ideas about kids giving him a hard time, out in California, and he would have no friends to stick up for him. I have only gotten to chapter two, but so far this book has been very good, and has been very descriptive about the issue of bullying.
ReplyDeleteWe have mixed feelings about the beginning of this book. Many people in our advisory are with-holding their opinion until they read a bit more. Some of us liked the book right away. Some of us have found these first few chapters too slow and somewhat depressing. We hope that it will improve.
ReplyDeleteWe agree with the above prediction that Darrell will have a very bad first day of school. We think there is a strong likelihood that he may get beat up. One of us thinks he may move back to Philadelphia. We don't think that Darrell's mom knows how to help him with this and he feels like he is alone with his problem....
"So similar to the Karate Kid."
ReplyDelete"Fit's my prediction so far..Darrell no standing up for himself."
"I feel bad for him."
"Easy read."
"I wonder if he's going to go to school for his first day. What's going to happen if he goes?"
"Will he meet any friends? What about girls?"
Mrs. Prewitt's Advisory says.....
ReplyDeleteWe had mixed feelings about the book. Some of us thought it had a slow start and that it was a little too predictable. Others thought the book was very realistic and really showed what it's like to be bullied. Things seem pretty depressing for Darrell right now but we're hoping that he will adapt to his new environment. We hope that Darrell makes a friend soon.
Here's what we think so far: (one comment per person)
ReplyDelete1. It's been a really good book so far.
2. It's OK, but it's kind of slow paced and dragging.
3. It started off slowly, but I think it will speed up as we go along.
4. It's kind of slow, but I think it would get more interesting in the middle of the book.
5. I think the book is OK, but towards the middle of the book it will get more interesting.
6. I think Darrell's uncle could have praised him a bit for having his heart in the right place for helping Nate.
7. I think it's kind of sad and boring because it's about bullies and I don't like that.
8. I think it's a little boring because nothing really exciting is happening.
9. As the book goes on, Darrell will find friends but then Tyray will ruin his friendships with others and then Darrell will go back to being alone.
10. I think it's going to be good to show how kids in other parts of the country live.
So far the book seems sad and depressing. Darrell seems weak but mature. He scared because he doesn't have his friends but he doesn't want his Mom to worry.
ReplyDeleteWe thought the book started out slowly. It describes Darrell's feelings well. We thought it was good that he respected his mother's choice to move. While the students' believe that bullying is a real concern, they thought that there were other concerns that were not addressed. They mentioned peer pressure, parties, drugs and even that high school probably is academically more challenging. They feel that these elements would make the story more realistic, but are still interested in seeing how the story ends.
ReplyDeleteHaving read the first two chapters, my homeroom and I think that this book, The Bully, is an exciting and active story about a boy whos dealing with moving from one place to another and obstacles that encounter this goal. We're very interested ... [:
ReplyDeleteWe liked reading the book so far. It is nice to hear a different perspective, so that we know what it feels like to be bullied. Hopefully things will change for Darrell once he starts school.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the first two chapters of this book were very interesting. The plot seems sort of like the movie karate kid. The first one. The old one. These paragraphs were a good introduction to Darrel Mercer and his current situation. I can not relate to this chapter. Even though I have moved, I do not remember it because I was two. And also, who bullies a two year old.
ReplyDeleteThere were mixed feelings about the book. Most students liked it and could relate to moving to a new place and how difficult it can be to make friends.
ReplyDeleteI found the start of this book very predictable and I very much so wish the rest won't be extremely cliché. An example of such is an ending where Darrel finally stands up for himself and the bullies apologize, or something along those lines. I know it's what we all want to hear but a good book is not written just to please the reader. Overall I hope the book changes course and throws something at the readers we don't expect.
ReplyDeleteThe first two chapters have painted a bleak picture. Darrell Mercer doesn't like California, he hates everything. He is keeping it too himself. The tone of this book seems too negative. In reality, most students wouldn't feel like him.
ReplyDeleteThe book the Bully by: Paul Langan is exciting and every word keeps you on your toes. This book has great dialogue and the characters express themselves by the way they talk. The bullies are very mean and disgusting. One of our students identifies himself with Darrell because he is short. We think that the bullies are gonna keep bullying Darrell and he is not gonna do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteMs. Corriveau's Advisory
ReplyDeleteWe think that reading this book will be good for our school. So far this book has been easy to relate to. We like the style of writing and how we now have something in common with everyone else. We think the book fits perfectly with our recent tolerance unit. Bullying is something a lot of people go through so it is very good that we are reading this as a school.