Due at End of First Reading Day
Title of novel Running Loose
Author Chris Crutcher
What clues did you get about the novel from the cover design and the blurbs on the book jacket?
On the cover of the book, there's a guy dressed in football attire and it seems as if he's playing in a game. He has the ball and it looks like he's going to be tackled by the opposing team. As I look at the cover and can infer that this story is about football. I also take from this cover that it could be about a young man who is trying to overcome hardships and struggles in his life. The reason I say this is because you see a guy, carrying a football so you can see that as something that he's trying to hold on to or protect against someone. But then you see the guy trying to tackle him and you can view that as someone or something that's trying to stop him or get in his way. That's what I take from the cover of this book.
Write a detailed summary of the first 30 pages introducing the main character, setting, and plot.
The main character in this story is Louie. He's in high school and plays for the football team there. The school is small so they only play eight man football, but his team is the best at it. Louie works for a man named Norm and he gets paid well enough to buy a truck from his father. He loves his truck and is very proud that he owns it. Louie seems like a regular average teen who tries as hard as he can to succeed in whatever he does. He and his friend have been working out everyday in hopes to start this year on the team. It seems like a great story so far and I look forward to reading more.
Due At End of Second Reading Day
Write a page character analysis of an interesting character you have met so far. It doesn’t have to be the main character although it may be. What is the character like and how does the author reveal the characterization to you?
An interesting character to me is Carter. Carter is Louie's best friend and they've been together forever. He's the type of guy that all guys want to be, the quarterback of the football team, calm, cool, and collected. Carter makes it seems like playing football is second nature to him, and everyone on the team looks up to him like a superhero. Carter has always been there for Louie just like any good friend and even trained with him twice a day in the summer when Louie wanted to make the starting team. All in all Carter just seems like a great friend with good intentions. It seems like this friendship would last forever but looking at what happened during the last game it may be hard to tell what will happen.
Due at end of Third Reading Day
Choose two significant quotations from what you have read so far. Write the quote below along with the page number and explain in a well-developed paragraph the importance of the quotation.
Quote 1
"The truth is, the war is over. ... It can be over when you want it to be."
-Becky page 76
Explanatory paragraph
I think that this quote said by Becky is important in this story. It shows that Becky really cares for Louie and is willing to support him in whatever choice he makes, weather its playing football or not. This also shows what Louie really does need to do. If he wants the fighting and the drama to be over with the football thing. He just needs to decided what he wants in his life, and he shouldn't think of football as just a title, it needs to be something that he really wants to do. If no one follows him or supports him in his choices then they really weren't real friends to begin with so it's not really worth having people like that around you to keep bringing you down when your standing up for something you believe is just.
Quote 2
"Crap like that was easy for Carter to say and do. I mean, he really isn't afraid of Lednecky."
-Louie page 87
Explanatory paragraph
This is another important quote from this chapter. I believe that it shows how different Carter and Louie are. Carter is the quarterback who knows that his only chance at a football scholarship is to play now, even is Lednecky is a bad coach. Carter knows what he has to do for him even if he doesn't think that it's right. Louie is different though, he is trying to stand up for something that he believes is important and he won't stop. I think that this is the first time Louie has really stepped out from the shadows from the shadows of others and realized what he needs to to for himself.
Due At End of Fourth Reading Day
Choose any scene from the novel and take on the point of view of another character in the scene and rewrite the scene from that character’s point of view.
Scene before Becky and Louie are in the truck and she tells him of her problems with her mom and how the issue intertwines with the football situation. I'm going to write a scene where she tells of her feelings for Louie and what she thinks about everything. From Becky's point of view.
As I sat next to Louie in his old truck, the night was starting to come. In the distance I could see the sun setting and the shadows on Louie's face made him look older than he really was. Louie was one of the best boyfriends I've had in a long time he was sweet, considerate, and overall innocent. I knew that he liked me from the start when he stumbled with his words around me and always tried to make me feel special. It was cute. He had been the only one that I felt comfortable with, I felt like i could tell him anything. And when this whole "Washington Situation" started I really wanted to be there for him and help him however I could. I wanted him to know that I supported him in whatever choice he made. I even told him that I would give up cheerleading if he thought it would help, but being the considerate Louie that he is, he said that I shouldn't give something like that up, especially if were only for him. So I tried to think of something else that I could do to help him everyone was really bringing him down, saying that it was just a play, that is wasn't set-up. Well I decided to get the courage up to tell him about my mom and the differences that we had with each other that's how I decided to help him.
Due At End of Fifth Reading Day
By now you should have a good idea about the novel’s conflict. Explain the conflict giving enough details so I can get it. Then make a prediction about what you think will happen in the novel.
I think that the this novel's end is going to be pretty glum. I believe that after Becky's death that's when Louie will realize how important life is. He will have lost someone that means the world to him, and even though he thinks that he knows how that feels, I don't think he knew the magnitude of this emotion. I think that Louie will move on eventually but I think because he and Becky were so close it'll take quite a while. With Becky gone I think he'll question if he made the right choice in quitting football but he'll understand that he did the right thing and come to realize that with time. As said be for, 'time heals everything.'
Due at the End of the Sixth Reading Day
Choose any character you have encountered in the novel so far. Choose five objects that this character would put in his or her pocket, purse, bag, or suitcase. In other words, these are objects that help define the character. For example, if someone were to write about me, he would probably list a bottle of water as an object that helped define me and then would go on to explain that I was never without a bottle of water and that it was necessary for me to drink lots of water because of my kidney and so on…Whatever you choose explain why these objects are appropriate for the selected character. Then if the person were to carry a bag, what kind of bag would it be? Describe it and explain why.
Carter:
1)Toy Car- To represent his real car. He loves it and always seems to be taking care of it by washing it or filling it up with gas.
2)Football-It's his favorite sport and he knows that it's his only chance to get a scholarship.
3)Basketball- He doesn't like it as much as football but does it to stay in shape.
4)Track Shoes-The same thing with track it's not his favorite but he does it to stay in shape and prepare for summer working out.
5)Friendship Bracelet- I think this would show how much his relationship with Louie means and how much respect they have for each other.
Due at the End of the Seventh Reading Day
Write a quick book review following the 5 W format. As you work through your response you can label each paragraph with the journalist’s question that it explores.
Paragraph 1: WHO is the main character of the novel? How does the character change over the course of the story? How would you describe this character’s personality?
The main character in this novel is Louie Banks. This character grows and develops over the course of the book. He comes into his own by learning from new experiences and taking everyday one step at a time. Louie learns to deal with problems that interfere with his coaches and other adults and the difference between him and the them. He learns to cope with death and dying and the way it effects everyone around him. He grows and develops into a young man throughout this entire book.
Paragraph 2: WHAT is the novel about?
This story is about a young man who has to overcome hardships and struggles in his life all while going trough high school.
Paragraph 3: WHERE does the story take place? What is the setting(s) and how does it add to the novel. How does the location relate to the characters and theme? What time period or era? How can you tell? If the novel involves more than one setting, choose the most important one and explain why.
This story takes place in a small town called Trout. Where everyone knows each other. By having this story take place in a small town you can see how close everyone is and how everyone knows everything about everyone. It takes place in about the early 80's. You can tell by some of the items mentioned like and 8 track and things like that. There is also evidence when you see when Becky died on the memorial. The most important setting is when Louie is in Trout; when he goes to games, track meets, hangs out with Becky, and where Becky dies.
Paragraph 4: WHEN does the climax of the novel occur? Tell me about it.
The climax of this story occurs after Becky's death. This is when Louie understands how important their relationship was to him and how much Becky helped him to get through everything. He breaks down but then is picked up later by finding and outlet for his pain in track.
Paragraph 5: WHY did the author write this story? What point is the author trying to make? Link your why response to a theme.
I think the author wrote this story because he wanted to express what it's like to be a kid in high school who has to deal with the pressure from school, peers, friends, girlfriends, teachers, and family. And when you read Louie's story it can almost make your own high school experience seem a little less stressful. Louie lost a girlfriend that he loved and it was the first time he has ever felt like that and it's too bad to see someone at this stage in his life have to go through this. I think the author wants us to know that life isn't perfect, and you can't control what happens in it so you just have to take it as it comes because just because something is there today doesn't mean it'll be there the next.
Paragraph 6: Rate this novel on a 1-10 scale with 1 being low and 10 being high. Then explain why. Make a recommendation about the novel one way or another.
I would give this book a 8 because it had to deal with something everyone has to go through, high school. It was overall a good book and I would read it again if I had the chance. Dealing with love at such a young age is hard enough but to have to deal with loosing it like that makes it ten times harder. I think that high school students should read this because they can relate to, and it keeps their attention instead of watching TV.
MOVIE REVEiW
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off , is a movie about a young man named Ferris who just decided that he is not going to spend a beautiful day in school. He decides to come up with schemes to get his girlfriend out of school and his best friend out of bed to have a freedom filled day. This movie stars Matthew Broderick as Ferris, Alan Ruck as Ferris’s best friend Cameron, and Mia Sara as Sloane, Ferris’s girlfriend. This is an overall funny movie for teens and adults. The costumes, music, and settings were very consistent with the time period. This movie is an overall good laugh and is worth seeing if you’re looking for a comedy.