Setting Letters April 16, 2009

The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell by John Crawford
Dear Book Club,
I am currently reading a two-hundred and twenty page book entitled The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell, a novel by John Crawford. I am on page one-hundred and ten. It is a true story about a man named John Crawford who joined the National Guard to help pay for college. All he had to do was work one weekend per month and his college tuition would be free. However, newly married and two months short of finishing college, he was called to active duty and sent to Iraq. And one year of duty turned into the worst three years of his life.
One of the worst memories for John Crawford was the h1 Humvee because it was more dangerous to drive in then to go on foot. Because of poor armor, it could catch on fire very easily, so all the doors were kicked out so that soldiers could jump out if needed. One man would drive, one man would ride shotgun, one man in the back seat and one man standing using the 12 pounder gun on top which was the most dangerous position in the car because the bottom half of your body is in the car and the top half of your body is sticking out of the top of the car using the gun on top.
However, none of the combat in the car seemed that bad to John until one day when a call came in on the radio from Second Squad. The man on the radio was yelling over gunshots and screams. In the radio call he said that they were at the bank just after position Bravo, and that one of his men was wounded. John and his squad jumped into the torn up Humvee and drove off towards Second Squad. John and his men knew that it could be an hour before a rescue team or a helicopter could come. John was on the 12 pounder gun. They sped up to a hundred and ten weaving in and out of traffic. When they got to Second Squad, they found a lot of blood in the street and many enemy soldiers in the area. However, the damage was done: there were three friendly soldiers dead and many wounded. One of the men wounded had been shot in the neck and there were three other soldiers applying pressure to his neck, trying to stop the bleeding.
This setting is important to the plot because if John and his men didn't get there, all the soldiers would have been killed, instead of just some of them. It also teaches John what to do in a bad situation without orders from his commander. It was very brave on John’s part because he could have been discharged for not following orders and putting his men in danger. So far, this is one of my favorite books because it really gives you an idea of its really like for the soldiers in Iraq.

Zane Christenson (9th grade)


A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Dear Book Club;
The book that I have currently just finished reading is titled A Separate Peace by John Knowles. It is a 204 page novel about two seventeen year old boys attending a boarding school in New England, called Devon, around the year 1943 during World War II.
The main setting in this book is Devon, an all boys’ boarding school in New England. Devon is a rather large school, spread out over a large area. The buildings at Devon are not that beautiful from the outside and are mostly made of brick, but once you pass through the colonial doorways, you enter a whole new world where some rooms are made to look French or some from the Italian Renaissance and everywhere, except in the dormitories, the floors and stairs were of shiny slick marble. The mood around Devon was somewhat dull even though everyone was always busy.
This setting affects the characters because it is where they spend all of their time and it is a place that they either come to love or hate. It affects the mood because this is their school, and I think, if it was for example, just a place for sports, the mood would be a lot more lively. This setting affects the plot because the whole story takes place here.
I like this setting because I think it wouldn’t be that bad of a place to have to board because it has almost everything you need, the place that has a slightly similar setting would probably be Hogwarts from Harry Potter.

Muhammad Mehai (9th grade)


The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer
Dear Book Club,
The book I have just finished is titled, The Missing Girl by Norma Fox Mazer. It has 284 pages. The Missing Girl is about five sisters, Beauty, Mim, Faithful, Fancy, and Autumn Herbert, living in Mallory, New York, and the man who watches them. The five Herbert girls, aged, 17, 16, 14, 12, and 11, although sisters, are extremely different.
Beauty the oldest ( who’s actually quite plain), counts the days until she's 18, free to leave New York, while Mim, the second eldest, is soft spoken but harboring a great secret. Fancy is learning disabled, and though everyone loves her, she drives them crazy with her chatter. Autumn, the youngest, feels ignored by her busy family. Because money is limited, 14 year old Faithful ( she changed her name to Stevie), who is emotional and angry most of the time, is chosen to move in with an aunt.
On the day that Stevie leaves, Autumn takes a walk and sees a man raking leaves. He invites her into his house and Autumn follows him. The man locks the door and ties her wrists with a rope, leading her upstairs. Inside the room, there's a canvas army cot and a bucket. A small uncurtained window over looks mountains and trees. There's faded wallpaper with white sailing ships on it, the room smells stale, as if no one has been in there for a hundred years. There’s a cat scratching something outside the door.
This scene affects the characters greatly, since Autumn is held prisoner here. There’s nothing I really dislike about this place, except for the fact that I never want to be held in a room like that! I really enjoyed reading this book, its a great YA psychological thriller. I recommend this book to all.

Amariah Walton (8th grade)


Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
I have read 100 pages of Mysterious Island and attached is my drawing in place of the setting letter.

Preston Towers (8th grade)



The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Dear Book Club
The book I’m reading is called “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. The book is about a shepherd boy that goes on a search for a treasure. Along the way he meets people that give him clues about his treasure and he learns from them. He is also on an adventure to find his personal legend, which is something that every person wants to accomplish.
In the story the boy comes to a huge white tent to warn them of a vision he had that they were going to be attacked. When he went in side he saw beautiful carpets and golden lamps each with a lighted candle. There were silver treys of food and eight chieftains sitting on richly embroidered silk cushions. There was the sweet smell of smoke in the air. When the boy saw all of this he was intrigued by the beauty and wealth of the tent. Everything seamed ordinary until he went into the tent. When he was inside the tent it went from things being ordinary to things feeling exotic and exciting. I like this place because it is a beautiful and luxurious place. This place remains me of a castle because its a rich tent with lots of nice things and lots of rich people.

Griffin Lounsbury (9th grade)