Evan's Take

Melinda's Thoughts about Leo

Why is Leo so powerless?  He doesn't show any of his power.   He is very smart but he doesn't use his brain. I insult him, but he won't insult me back.   His dad is King Maggot and I am obsessed with him, and it's ironic that he one gets a father when I don't even have one.    Plus his father is King  Maggot, my idol.   He has no idea how awesome he is.    We come from two different sides,  he is a republican, and I am a goth.   He needs to get to know people who are goth.  He is worried about getting into Harvard and I am worried about Nebs injury.  He needs to just have some fun sometimes.  We are very different, but we are friends.

Leo's thoughts about Melinda


Melinda doesn't know that I don't insult her because the father incident.  I always feel bad to do anything mean to her because of that.   She is probably mad too because my father is Kimg Maggot, her idol.   She thinks that King Maggot is the coolest guy on earth, but when you have a father that just left you with your mom, you can't really forgive someone who does that.    And sure she is a goth, but the  music they listen to is crazy.   I am a republican and I worry about serious things like my future, while she cares about a band that is awful.

Sam's Take

I read BORN TO ROCK and I thought it was a really good book, but there were a few things that I did not like. These things were near the beginning of the book. One problem, that I found, was the fact that the main character kept referring to “McMurphy” and/or his “genetic hitch-hiker”. I found both of these terms rather confusing during the time at the beginning of the story in which they had not been clearly defined. The author should have started the book with the part in which both terms are defined. Another problem I had with the beginning of the book was that it was not as fast-paced as I like books to be. That is not, what I would call, a writing error, it is just an opinion, but it still diminished my enjoyment of the book in that the slow beginning made it harder for me to become interested in the story.

The main part that I liked about the book is that in the end everything turned out well. For instance Leo was able to obtain enough money to get in to Harvard. That surprised me because many of the other books I have read this year had what appeared to be an unhappy ending, at a glance. I have always enjoyed books that have a thoroughly happy ending. I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Megan's Monster Cast List

Monster

Cast List

Steve Harmon- Craig Johnson

Kathy O’Brien- Meryl Streep

Sandra Petrocelli- Sigourney Weaver

James King- Chris Borwn

Richard “Bobo” Evans- Jason Derulo

Asa Briggs- Christopher Plummer

The Judge- Harrison Ford

Osvaldo Cruz- Jaden Smith

Jose Delgado- Taylor Lautner

Sal Zinzi- Keenan Thompson

Detective Karyl- Seth Rogen

Mr. Alguinaldo Nesbitt- Morgan Freeman

 Mr. George Sawicki- George Clooney

Danielle's Take

Born To Rock

Danielle

Dear Bernie,

 Or Dad. Or whatever I should call you.

You’ve set a kind of curse upon me, a rotten one, or so I thought. I’ve spent the last seventeen years of my life without ever meeting you. A simple greeting would have made my day, my month, or my year. But, me, as naïve as I am, thought my father was to be King Maggot? Ha, I should have caught on. He has too much of a heart to be you, anyway. With a mask on his face identical to yours, he could never be you.

The dirty, sneaky tongues you spoke to my mother, you spoke to my girlfriend, Melinda.

How dare you? Do you stoop that low? No matter the age…you knew Melinda was my close friend, and just turned eighteen the month before. But you did not care, correct? You went beyond boundaries. But, I guess that’s what all McMurphys’ seem to do, hm?

All of my life, well since I was eight, I’ve wondered who McMurphy was. Now that I am aware, I’m proud to say I’m a McMurphy because my Father pretty much IS King Maggot, the greatest. Other days, I have to stop seizing to remember that it is you, my “father”, and I feel ashamed.

Thanks for nothing,

Your SON,

The Young Republican

Ms. Caraway's guilt

The tangy aftertaste of beer. Music. The distinct smell of second hand smoke. Yes, the smoke. That’s what I remember the most. A cloud of it, surrounding me, filling me. No matter how hard I try to get rid of the smoke, it never seems to leave. I breathed it in the night I met Leo’s father, and I just can’t seem to exhale. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t feel immense disdain for my son. There is not a second that goes by that I am not thankful for him.

            “Mom,” Leo whispered. I couldn’t pull myself away from the 100-piece jigsaw puzzle I was working on. It was a replica of Frida Kahlo’s “Self portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird” that seemed unsolvable at the moment.

            “Leo, I’m busy. Can this wait?” I could feel the smoke growing hot inside of me. Leo had just spent an entire summer with his father. A man I neither loved, nor hated. Honestly, the man was a mystery. I had spent years replaying his songs, over and over again, waiting for a spark that never came. His voice was completely foreign. The muddled chords were completely indistinguishable. I couldn’t meet Leo’s eyes because he now had more of a connection with his father than I ever had.

            Leo reached out and plucked the puzzle piece from my hand. I grasped the air, attempting to snatch it way from him. Without my puzzles, I was helpless. Without my puzzles, I would be forced to face the one puzzle that actually mattered, my son.  “Mom, it’s ok.” There was something about the way he gave a faint smile that made me exhale. The smoke leaving my lungs empty.

            “I’m sorry about you father, Leo.  I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” I sat down then, out of breath and completely exhausted. 18 years of smoke will do that to you. Finally, I was able to breathe in new air. “But, there’s only so many times a person can say ‘I’m sorry.’” I shook my head, slowly, giving the air time to settle.  

            Leo laughed. There was no derision in his laugh though. “I know mom. I know.” I looked up at him as he placed the last piece of the puzzle into the open slot. He winked at me, then, ridding the house of whatever smoke was left. “I know,” he whispered. With that, he gathered his things and left to unpack two suitcases of rotting clothes. I swear to god, right then a cloud of smoke drifted from my mouth, out of the chimney, and into the silent night air. Drifting away. Far away. To another mother facing the tangy aftertaste of beer, music, and the distinct smell of second hand smoke.

Born to Rock Review

         Gordon Korman's Born to Rock is one of the best reading bowl books so far this year. A particularly good part was the way the author hinted at things that we did not yet know about throughout the novel, such as talking about the mysterious 'McMurphy' side of Leo in the beginning and alluding to the horrible cavity search throughout the book. One thing that was a little annoying was that Leo, who has known Melinda his entire life, only started liking her in a romantic way when she was revealed to be pretty. That detail was pretty shallow.
       An interesting part of the story that was enjoyable was how Leo's mother worked on puzzles when she was anxious. This sort of connected to the Book Thief and the accordions, and/or the lack of one. Leo's mom used the puzzles as a way of masking her guilt and anxiety for Leo and the family. She did not express her true emotion, and feelings bottled up inside of her until she was ready to explode. She did not have a metaphorical accordion, and that kept her from having a deeper connection to Leo.
        All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Born to Rock, and I felt a connection with the characters that made me sad to finish it. By Brooks

The Day I Got My Genetic Hitchhiker

Katherine Jordak

I found out about Marion X. McMurphy two weeks before my 4^th grade class was going to Canada, but my genetic hitchhiker surfaced the following weekend when I went to Florida with my Mom and Dad.

            The white foam rushed towards me as I stood on the beach. I walked up to the refreshing water to wash the annoying sand that had crept between my toes, but as I walked towards it, the ocean started retreating to its original watery world. I chased it, and when I reached it, I splashed, and jumped, and ran into the water. In order to catch my breath, I sat down. My bright orange trunks filled with the cool and salty water. Everything around me was salty, yet so sweet; the water, my skin, and the crisp air that had cooled down after a scorching afternoon. I scooted off of the sandbar, wanting to be deeper in the always-moving water.

            “I claim this water,” I said in barely a whisper, not wanting my dad to hear my childish statement. Was wanting to have my own part of an ocean that bad?   Water I could control and hold in the palm of my hand, only to have it slowly drip out, so that it could be filled with another handful. I loved this water, but I would never tell my parents that. They were so good at keeping what they loved, what they hated, and what they were jealous of to themselves, so shouldn’t I?  Whenever Mom gets nervous about something, she does a puzzle. I can’t tell whether or not she does it to express herself, or if it is a distraction. I guess you could say that the mixture of the two is what the ocean is to me. I can put my feeling into the ocean and distract myself with the sweet and salty water, too.

            “Leo, it’s getting dark outside and the ocean will be cold soon. It is time for you to get out, so we can go eat the lovely dinner your Mom made.” I heard my Dad shout just as I was about to swim farther out.

            “Dad, I’m mature enough to stay out here past 7. Please, just 10 more minutes?” I begged, already turning away from him.

            “ If you were mature, then you would be out of the water by now.” I could feel the tension and anger leaking into his voice. “Let’s go.”

            “Why don’t you come in, Dad?”

            “ I already took a shower. I’m not about to come in today.” He said, disgusted. “If you don’t come out now, I’m taking away your legos.” Fine, I thought, take them all away. I wiggled my fingers into the hardening sand, digging a hole. I had been hoping to uncover a metal pole buried in the sand that I could hold onto, so that I wouldn’t have to leave. My dad kept yelling out things that he would take from me, and the whole time I felt like the waves around me were getting higher and crashing down harder. I got up, kicked the water, and stormed out of my beloved ocean. My Dad had started folding the beach chair he brought and taking down the umbrella, and that’s when I thought of a good way to get back at him. I grabbed the beach chair from his hand and ran back towards the ocean. I threw it as hard as I could, but instead of watching it soar, I sprinted towards the waiting car.

            “We are never coming to the beach with you again.” he said, his words racing after the heels of my feet. The back seat door was open and I flopped inside and slammed the door shut, trying to leave the words outside, but they were too fast. This would be the right time to cry, but I was in no mood to show any weakness. Instead, I blamed the anger. I couldn’t have been the one who threw the chair. McMurphy, I thought, the man who ruined my life, my genetic hitchhiker. It was perfect, but back then the naming of my anger was definitely unconscious.

We drove home in silence, McMurphy sitting on my shoulders. I got home, was threatened about my punishment, and then sent into my room for the night. I didn’t cry because I knew it wasn’t me they were punishing; it was McMurphy. That night I slipped into my sheets. As I was drifting off, McMurphy climbed off of my shoulders and into my veins, swimming around inside of me. It was then that I realized that McMurphy was there to stay.

Thoughts by Lucy

Born To Rock by Gordon Korman

Lucy

            Born to Rock's main themes are change and realization of the truth.

            Leo Caraway sometimes feels out of place with his family, knowing that his father isn't his biological father. When he figures out that his real father is Marion X. McMurphy, he blames all of his faults on the McMurphy side of his genetics. Leo doesn't even know who McMurphy is or anything about him, but he still can't accept his mistakes as his own, blaming them on his biological father. Leo believes he can be perfect, and that without McMurphy he is perfect. He has a scholarship to Harvard and he is president of the Young Republicans club. I think that what Leo realizes at the end of the book is that everybody has a crazy, punk, wild side. He can't blame all of his mistakes on McMurphy. Leo has some wild and crazy inside him too, underneath his Young Republican cover.

            Melinda Rappaport and Leo Caraway couldn't be more different. Melinda is goth and punk. She loves loud punk music like the 80's band Purge. Leo is a Young Republican, has a good reputation with teachers and adults, and is going to Harvard. Leo and Melinda have known each other for a long time, but they can hardly relate now. Melinda's friend Owen seems to be replacing Leo. I think that is the reason why Leo doesn't like him. He is gay, so Leo doesn't worry about him going out with Melinda. Leo is hardly anything like Melinda, but he feels that he can never say no to her because her dad died a long time before. He says that is the reason he always gives in to her, but actually he only says that because he likes her. He doesn't realize it, he doesn't see it under all of the black clothes and biker boots.

            When Leo goes on tour with Concussed, it helps him to understand Melinda and King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge who is also 'his biological father'. The whole reason that Leo goes on tour with him is so he can get King to pay the tuition for Harvard. As the tour goes on, Leo changes. He can now connect with King, he isn't just some crazy singer that has no soul. King is caring and kind inside. He really cares about Leo. In the end, Leo finally connects to him, only to figure out that he isn't Prince Maggot after all.

By Evan Mapes

   (p. 35)    “He’ll have to know sooner or later.”

Leo’s father told his wife, he was telling her that she should tell him who his real former father was, but Leo didn’t know this all he had was confusion.  He didn’t know what was going on but he wanted to know who the Marion X McMurphy was in his head.  Hearing these words are never good because your parents would have told you something good sooner than later.    This changed him, he had a whole different side..   

(p. 49) “I had a lot too drink and there were drugs.”

This was when Leo’s mom was telling him about her story with her former husband King Maggot  from the hard rock band Purge.  She was explaining how she had Leo.

She hated telling him about this, he was interested but in some way mad for not knowing his true past life.  Leo know knows that he has 2 fathers and one of them could be his savoir.

(p. 22)     “Remember the Pinballs.”

      Leo said to Owen as they were taking a test just these few words ruined Leo’s life at the moment .  Those words affected Harvard, his reputation and his life.    All because he cheated.

(p.76)   “Read the letter.”

Leo yelled to King Maggot from the stands, he was trying to show him the proof that he was his son   He was trying to get money from him to be able to pay for Harvard this was his chance, but it failed.   He ended up in a dump.

(p.56)  “ We are canceling your scholarship.”

Mcallister’s letter said when Leo read it,  he almost was completely sure he made it in but one false act ruined it.   The only way he was to get in was that scholarship now it was gone, how would he get the  money to get in.

1) Ordinary World – Describe the protagonist’s world and state of being before the inciting incident

Leo is in high school and he's the head of the young republicans. His best friend Melody is the very opposite of him. She loves punk music and Leo hates it. Leos biological father is the lead singer in a punk rock band and everyday Leo tries to keep the McPhurry in him out.

2)         Call to Adventure – Describe the inciting incident.

Leo gets caught talking during a school final but he only said one word to remind someone he was tutoring. When he is sent to the vice principal the VP makes him choose between saying the person he tutored cheated or  he must face the consequences on his own.

3)         Refusal of the Call – Identify the reason why the protagonist is reluctant to go on the journey to which he or she is called.

Leo knows he didn't cheat on the test and he wants his scholarship back but there is no way to get it back. Leo doesn't want to seem as the bad guy trying to just get money from his rich dad.

4) Meeting with the Mentor - Identify the character who functions as the mentor and describe the wisdom he or she offers.

                      

         Crossing the First Threshold – Describe what the protagonist wants and identify the first major obstacle he or she faces in the journey to achieve what he or she wants.

Leo lost his scholarship for Harvard and now he want to try to get his dad to pay for his Harvard tuition. The first obstacle Leo has to get through is for - mcphurry to believe he is his father.

5)         Test, Allies and Enemies – Identify the antagonist (or antagonists) of the story and describe at least two plot complications in which the antagonist prevents the protagonist from achieving what he or she wants.

  the drummer in the band  hides jewels of his money in his drum set and doesn't tell the police the truth until the end of the investigation. Then  the band broke up again before the tour was over and Leo didn't get the whole summer like he was suppose to with his father. 

  7) The Approach – Describe the narrative situation that leads to the climax.

The band manager tries to make a move on Melody and Leo interrupts and makes sure melody gets out of there.

8) Reward – Identify the elixir or the prize awarded to the protagonist for surviving the Supreme Ordeal.

Leo is finally dating  melody and even though - Mcphurry wasn't Leos dad he still said he helped him out if he just gave the call.

9) The Road Back / Resurrection – Describe how the protagonist is changed by his or her experience during the journey. 

Leo views on his father changes and he realizes the people who truely care about you are the people in your family.  

              

                                                                 Felicia Jacques