Role--connections I like this funny and meaningful book even though I only read eighty pages. It’s connected with real-life situations, and accurately portrays the complex lives of adolescents. The character of Raina expresses many feelings about her headgear, braces and root canal. This reminds me of my daughter’s former situation. She, too, has to deal with teeth problems such as toothaches, which prevents her from enjoying her food. She also worries about her appearance. Even though she is wearing Invisalign, she still has to handle these kinds of problems. In fact, every adolescent has to learn to handle this kind of problem. Raina says, “I survived a major earthquake…. Losing a couple of teeth is not the end of the world!” This demonstrates that Raina has a positive attitude, even if she encounters a tough situation. This is why I think that adolescents will enjoy this book. They will be able to empathize with the characters. Raina’s relationship with her sister, Amara, is an example of one kind of relationship between siblings. I remember another pair of sisters, who always seemed to be against each other. They seemed to despise each other at times, when they really cared for each other. In Smile, Raina and her sister never seem to get along. Amara teases Raina about her teeth, and Raina is tired of Amara’s antics. But, when things get tough, and an earthquake takes place, the siblings still relied on each other, and endured the earthquake together.
Yes, I think a lot of people can connect to the what Raina is going through with worrying about what she looks like and all of the dental work she needed to have done. I thought it was funny when Raina said to her mother that she wondered if her mouth was the worse that the doctor had ever seen and her mother brushed it off saying they have seen lots of accidents, and hers was nothing. I laughed because, me orthodontist actually told me that he had never seen a mouth as crazy as mine, and I never even had an accident.
So far this book is off to a great start! I really enjoy the graphic novel style of the book. In combination with the illustrations, it makes reading the text a lot more fun to read. I can see why this is a popular book!
So for our first 80 pages of the book, we know that our main character Raina is a middle school student somewhere in San Francisco (She mentions HJKMPTSS on the first page but I have no idea what that could stand for). She has a younger sister and a younger brother. The year that this book takes place is in the late 1980s and must stretch into the early 1990s (1991 most likely). Although the date is not mentioned, towards the end of our assigned reading we read about an earthquake that shakes the city and when Raina's dad comes home he says something along the lines of; "They had to delay the world series." In 1989, the world series was being held in San Francisco and they had to delay all games. ( Small little connection :) ) The book opens up with Raina visiting the dentist. At the office she finds out she is going to need braces due to her overbite that she has. Sometime after the dentist, Raina goes to her girl scouts group meeting and one night after a meeting, she and her two friends are chasing each other while "walking" Raina to the front door. In the process, Raina falls trying to catch one of her friends and falls flat on her face knocking out one tooth and jamming the other up into her gums. Although Raina initially thinks its the end of the world, she soon realizes the fun in it all thinking she looks a lot younger. But as she gets her braces and with everything going on with her teeth, her peers in school sort of begin to judge her and make fun of her not only for her teeth but one girl even mentions her hair. And then another girl mentions her not having her ears pierced. So what does Raina do? She changes. She changes her pig tails and gets her ears pierced. Then once she gets a zit on her face, the first thing that comes to her mind is: What will people say about me? What will they notice? Raina seems like the typical middle school student. Always thinking about what others think.
If I happened to miss out on anything feel free to fill in! Thanks for reading.
I like how you came to the conclusion about the timeline of the story and looked into when the World Series was postponed. Also Raina is definitely was too occupied in worrying what the other students are going to think when they see her. I also want to mention that she has started to have an interest in boys, which takes up a bit of her head space along with worrying what people will think of her.
I enjoy the fact that you really introduced the background of the story at the beginning of your summary. Also, I think your description of Raina's character is very accurate. She is indeed preoccupied with her peers' opinions. Your summary is also very clear. It covers the major events without getting off track.
As I was reading there were a few questions that popped into my head:
-How did she fall with as much force as she did to knock a tooth out and push one up into her head, -Why didn't the dentist take an x-ray the night of the accident? It seems that it would be an obvious thing to do considering all of the visible damage. He should have been able to see all of the damage that was inflicted on the bone if he had taken the x-rays, and there wouldn't have been so much of a shock to him and Raina.
-I am also left wondering how the braces could possibly work on those two teeth when there are no nerves holding them in to her head. It is a metal post holding them in now, so how are the braces able to move those teeth without causing more damage?
- What caused the sudden interest in In boys when she visited her friend that had moved? Her friend didn't seem very interested and she had never said anything about them before, so what sparked the sudden interest in the topic?
-Why is she friends with the people at school? None of the are very nice to her. They all seem to make a dig about the way that she looks at some point.
-I am also left wondering what is going to happen between her and the boy in band? Is he going to make a move? Is she? Is she going to worry about what her friends would think of her dating a sixth grader?
I was wondering the same about the night of the accident and not taking x-rays right then and there. It wasn't for a while until they realized that one of her teeth was lodged into place!
Im also wondering what is going to happen with the boy in her band class. (His name was Sam I think) We'll have to see and find out!
At the end of the last section, Raina realizes that her problems with her teeth aren’t such a big deal when compared with the earthquake she experienced. Things seem brighter when she obtains a retainer with two fake teeth. The retainer makes her mouth seem normal again. Unfortunately, she has to put on braces soon after, and Raina worries that she’s going to look like a nerd. On another subject, a boy named Sean catches her attention. She slowly drifts away from Sammy. Their friendship ends when she doesn’t meet up with Sammy during the Valentine’s Day dance. Raina doesn’t worry about it too much, and spends much of her time daydreaming about Sean. She even tries out for the basketball team in an attempt to gain Sean’s attention, but she doesn’t make the team. Sean barely acknowledged her. Knowing that Raina had a crush on Sean, her friends gave her a makeover, convincing her that the makeover would attract Sean. When Raina realizes that they are trying to make fun of her, she becomes very upset. During eighth grade, Raina has to go through another agonizing dental procedure. She even faints afterwards. Hopefully, her experiences in high school will be better than her experience with her periodontist.
I thought that it was interesting how Raina felt that the attention that she did give him was a score, even though it was just a h'lo.
I also am getting frustrated wit her friends devaluing her feelings and telling her she needs to loosen up, but they are in middle school, they don't realize the impact of their words and actions.
Another great section of Smile! Here are some questions I came to think about as I was reading: -Does anyone think that the relationship between Sammy and Raina rekindle? Towards the end of this section I feel Raina was having a change of mind when it comes to boys. She started finding out that boys can be friends too! You didn't have to hang out with a boy and assume he was your boyfriend. So maybe that change of mind will get her to talk to Sammy more again. -With Raina's new ideas of friendship, how do you think that transition might be when going into High School? -If Raina went to that Valentine's day dance how do you think that relationship between her peers change? -When reading this book, does it remind you of your middle school days at all? How do you think it might be different from middle school's today? -Do you think it was all okay how Mr. Fischetti took the note that Raina was writing in class and read it in front of everyone? I don't think I could ever do something to embarrass a student like that!!!
What other questions do you all have as you read this section? I'd love to hear!
-I think that it is possible for Sammy and Raina to rekindle later on in high school. Once they have matured a bit and he has forgiven her, I think that it is totally possible.
-I think that with her new perspective on boys, she will be able to form better friendships than she had with the girls in middle school, which will help her in high school.
-I don't think that her relationship with her peers would be any better if she had been to the dance. I think she did the right thing by missing it if she didn't feel comfortable with it.
-I was reminded of middle school a lot.
- I do not think what Mr. Fischetti did with the note was okay. That makes all students lose trust in the teacher.
I totally agree with your comment on Mr. Fischetti. Even though Raina did not pay attention to his class, he is not allowed to read it in front of others. He could have knocked on Raina’s desk to remind her to pay attention to the lesson. His behavior is improper as an educator, and might harm Raina’s self-confidence. He should have talked to Raina face-to-face after class.
In this section, I felt that there were many things that were connectable. First of all, there is that crush that most middle schoolers have, that they tell their friends about in confidence, but then somehow everyone finds out about it. I am not sure what makes a crush so gossip worthy, trying to keep people from spreading the news is nearly impossible.
I also connected to when Raina tried out for the basketball team to get Sean's attention. In seventh grade I was going to join the wrestling team and my mom had signed all of the paperwork and I was ready to go. However, when I got ready for school the morning of tryouts, my mother told me that I couldn't do it because of dance. I was frustrated, but there was a boy that liked me and he was going to join the wrestling team because he knew I was going to do it, and when he found out I was not going, he didn't go either.
I also connected to the dental experiences that Raina was going through. One of the my eye teeth on the bottom of my mouth was growing down towards my chin, rather than into my mouth. So when I had my braces put on, it was mostly to fix that tooth. I had many teeth pulled in the process and I also have gum and nerve damage. So there were a few times that I cried like Raina did at the doctor's office.
I could also relate when Raina's dad said that it was probably a good thing that she didn't make the basketball team because she could have gotten hurt again. There were many times that i decided not to do something, because I was afraid of damaging my teeth.
This book has many different things that readers can connect to, which is part of what makes it so enjoyable to read.
Gossiping frustrates me as well. In middle school, I disliked the gossip about my clothes. My clothes were hand-me-downs, and most were too big for me. Later on, I realized that my clothes were fine as long as they were clean. I didn’t care if anyone talked about it behind my back.
As a parent, I can relate to Raina’s dad’s concern about possible injuries from basketball. Sports injuries aren’t uncommon. Many injuries are accidental, and it’s hard to prevent all of them. This doesn’t mean that a student shouldn’t try sports. They just need to be careful.
Yeah I agree with the fact that there are so many connections with our middle school experiences we can make from this book. It's like a small flashback to what middle school is like! (The crushes, who likes who, whose doing what, what is the biggest trend etc etc.) Its sort of entertaining to think about.
When Raina’s friends take her skirt off in front of others, she is being bullied. Why didn’t she go to the school counselor? How could we teach students some strategies that might be able to prevent bullying at school? Raina goes through a long process to fix her front teeth. How does this help her gain a better understanding of life? Raina realizes that her friends are not so friendly during 7th grade (they laugh at her teeth and make fun of her). She could have left them or asked her mom about how to deal with this kind of situation. Why didn’t she do that?
I don't think that all students realize that there are counselors to help them in the school. I know I didn't when I was a student.
I think that it is important to make bullies understand how victims feel, to end bullying.
I think her struggle with her teeth will help her be appreciative of what she does have and other bad situations might not seem as bad after having gone through the ordeal.
I think Raina wanted to believe that they were good for her, and that she needed to be the one to adjust. So she probably figured what she was going through wasn't that bad and it could be worse. When I was in high school, I was in a group of friends that didn't respect me and it took me attending my leadership camp to get the wake up call that I could and needed to be treated better.
I am so proud of Raina. The section that we read started at the end of middle school, where she seemed to want to leave everything from middle school in the past including her friends. However, on the way to high school, on the first day, she ran into a girl from middle school. High school started right where middle school left off and she kept putting up with the rude friends. That is until they pulled down her skirt on her. That was her tipping point at which she would not put up with them anymore. After she left them she got new friends who were much better for her and who compliment her. She also got her braces off, but she wasn't happy with the results. Her friends reassured her that they look fine and she finally understood that she didn't have to be so worried about her looks. She grew a lot in the snippet of high school that we saw at the end of the book. I am very happy with the growth that she demonstrated and the way that she stood up for herself.
In the book, Raina mentions that, “But the more I focused on my interests, the more it brought out things I liked about myself.” I am glad to see Raina growing up in her mind. She realizes that the feelings inside herself are more important than her looks outside. This is the process of learning for adolescents. This will help Raina better understand the real world. From reading this book, I have gained a better understanding of adolescents’ thoughts, situations, and struggles.
What a great ending to the book! I was happy Raina finally found a group of mature peers she could interact with and help shape who she is as a person.
One big connection I made from this last section was Raina's idea of once making new friends in High School, it would be more fun. Going from a very small private middle school to a much larger high school was concerning for me. I only knew of 5 classmates that were going to the same high school as me and us being in the same classes was going to be a slim to none chance. So i had to make new friends and that was concerning for me because I'm super super shy. But, after a couple weeks I had already made a ton of new friends and once I joined the track and field throwing team, I had a ton of fun and didn't have any issues making friends with the guys. Once I found that group of friends that I knew cared for me and had my back, it made high school a lot easier and I think the same thing happened for Raina.
Another connection I made was getting used to a new appearances. Once Raina got her braces off she reminded me about getting my new haircut. I didn't know how I liked it at first and it looked strange to me but once everyone saw it and said they liked it, I got used to it and started liking it more too. I feel like sometimes we get used to how something looks and we don't want to change it in case we may not like the new appearance. That's another thing I'm going through as my paintball team changes sponsors this year. But we'll just have to see how that goes.
Those are great connections. I connected to the way that Raina got rid of her old friends and found new friends. When I was a junior year of high school, I started to stand up for myself, and my friends didn't like it so I got rid of them.
Role--connections
ReplyDeleteI like this funny and meaningful book even though I only read eighty pages. It’s connected with real-life situations, and accurately portrays the complex lives of adolescents.
The character of Raina expresses many feelings about her headgear, braces and root canal. This reminds me of my daughter’s former situation. She, too, has to deal with teeth problems such as toothaches, which prevents her from enjoying her food. She also worries about her appearance. Even though she is wearing Invisalign, she still has to handle these kinds of problems. In fact, every adolescent has to learn to handle this kind of problem. Raina says, “I survived a major earthquake…. Losing a couple of teeth is not the end of the world!” This demonstrates that Raina has a positive attitude, even if she encounters a tough situation. This is why I think that adolescents will enjoy this book. They will be able to empathize with the characters.
Raina’s relationship with her sister, Amara, is an example of one kind of relationship between siblings. I remember another pair of sisters, who always seemed to be against each other. They seemed to despise each other at times, when they really cared for each other. In Smile, Raina and her sister never seem to get along. Amara teases Raina about her teeth, and Raina is tired of Amara’s antics. But, when things get tough, and an earthquake takes place, the siblings still relied on each other, and endured the earthquake together.
Yes, I think a lot of people can connect to the what Raina is going through with worrying about what she looks like and all of the dental work she needed to have done. I thought it was funny when Raina said to her mother that she wondered if her mouth was the worse that the doctor had ever seen and her mother brushed it off saying they have seen lots of accidents, and hers was nothing. I laughed because, me orthodontist actually told me that he had never seen a mouth as crazy as mine, and I never even had an accident.
DeleteRole- Summarizer
ReplyDeleteSo far this book is off to a great start! I really enjoy the graphic novel style of the book. In combination with the illustrations, it makes reading the text a lot more fun to read. I can see why this is a popular book!
So for our first 80 pages of the book, we know that our main character Raina is a middle school student somewhere in San Francisco (She mentions HJKMPTSS on the first page but I have no idea what that could stand for). She has a younger sister and a younger brother. The year that this book takes place is in the late 1980s and must stretch into the early 1990s (1991 most likely). Although the date is not mentioned, towards the end of our assigned reading we read about an earthquake that shakes the city and when Raina's dad comes home he says something along the lines of; "They had to delay the world series." In 1989, the world series was being held in San Francisco and they had to delay all games. ( Small little connection :) ) The book opens up with Raina visiting the dentist. At the office she finds out she is going to need braces due to her overbite that she has. Sometime after the dentist, Raina goes to her girl scouts group meeting and one night after a meeting, she and her two friends are chasing each other while "walking" Raina to the front door. In the process, Raina falls trying to catch one of her friends and falls flat on her face knocking out one tooth and jamming the other up into her gums. Although Raina initially thinks its the end of the world, she soon realizes the fun in it all thinking she looks a lot younger. But as she gets her braces and with everything going on with her teeth, her peers in school sort of begin to judge her and make fun of her not only for her teeth but one girl even mentions her hair. And then another girl mentions her not having her ears pierced. So what does Raina do? She changes. She changes her pig tails and gets her ears pierced. Then once she gets a zit on her face, the first thing that comes to her mind is: What will people say about me? What will they notice? Raina seems like the typical middle school student. Always thinking about what others think.
If I happened to miss out on anything feel free to fill in! Thanks for reading.
I like how you came to the conclusion about the timeline of the story and looked into when the World Series was postponed. Also Raina is definitely was too occupied in worrying what the other students are going to think when they see her. I also want to mention that she has started to have an interest in boys, which takes up a bit of her head space along with worrying what people will think of her.
DeleteI enjoy the fact that you really introduced the background of the story at the beginning of your summary. Also, I think your description of Raina's character is very accurate. She is indeed preoccupied with her peers' opinions. Your summary is also very clear. It covers the major events without getting off track.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRole- Questioner
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading there were a few questions that popped into my head:
-How did she fall with as much force as she did to knock a tooth out and push one up into her head,
-Why didn't the dentist take an x-ray the night of the accident? It seems that it would be an obvious thing to do considering all of the visible damage. He should have been able to see all of the damage that was inflicted on the bone if he had taken the x-rays, and there wouldn't have been so much of a shock to him and Raina.
-I am also left wondering how the braces could possibly work on those two teeth when there are no nerves holding them in to her head. It is a metal post holding them in now, so how are the braces able to move those teeth without causing more damage?
- What caused the sudden interest in
In boys when she visited her friend that had moved? Her friend didn't seem very interested and she had never said anything about them before, so what sparked the sudden interest in the topic?
-Why is she friends with the people at school? None of the are very nice to her. They all seem to make a dig about the way that she looks at some point.
-I am also left wondering what is going to happen between her and the boy in band? Is he going to make a move? Is she? Is she going to worry about what her friends would think of her dating a sixth grader?
DeleteYou posed some very thoughtful questions.
DeleteI'm not sure how much force it takes to knock out a tooth, but many factors could have impacted the situation.
The lack of x-rays seems like negligence on the part of Dr. Golden.
Perhaps the bone can still shift around the teeth in response to the pressure of the braces, even if metal posts are used to hold the teeth in.
Good questions Alix!
DeleteI was wondering the same about the night of the accident and not taking x-rays right then and there. It wasn't for a while until they realized that one of her teeth was lodged into place!
Im also wondering what is going to happen with the boy in her band class. (His name was Sam I think) We'll have to see and find out!
You posed some very thoughtful questions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how much force it takes to knock out a tooth, but many factors could have impacted the situation.
The lack of x-rays seems like negligence on the part of Dr. Golden.
Perhaps the bone can still shift around the teeth in response to the pressure of the braces, even if metal posts are used to hold the teeth in.
Read to page 169.
ReplyDeleteY = Summarizer
N = Questioner
A =
Role—summarizer
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the last section, Raina realizes that her problems with her teeth aren’t such a big deal when compared with the earthquake she experienced. Things seem brighter when she obtains a retainer with two fake teeth. The retainer makes her mouth seem normal again. Unfortunately, she has to put on braces soon after, and Raina worries that she’s going to look like a nerd. On another subject, a boy named Sean catches her attention. She slowly drifts away from Sammy. Their friendship ends when she doesn’t meet up with Sammy during the Valentine’s Day dance. Raina doesn’t worry about it too much, and spends much of her time daydreaming about Sean. She even tries out for the basketball team in an attempt to gain Sean’s attention, but she doesn’t make the team. Sean barely acknowledged her. Knowing that Raina had a crush on Sean, her friends gave her a makeover, convincing her that the makeover would attract Sean. When Raina realizes that they are trying to make fun of her, she becomes very upset. During eighth grade, Raina has to go through another agonizing dental procedure. She even faints afterwards. Hopefully, her experiences in high school will be better than her experience with her periodontist.
I thought that it was interesting how Raina felt that the attention that she did give him was a score, even though it was just a h'lo.
DeleteI also am getting frustrated wit her friends devaluing her feelings and telling her she needs to loosen up, but they are in middle school, they don't realize the impact of their words and actions.
Another great section of Smile!
ReplyDeleteHere are some questions I came to think about as I was reading:
-Does anyone think that the relationship between Sammy and Raina rekindle? Towards the end of this section I feel Raina was having a change of mind when it comes to boys. She started finding out that boys can be friends too! You didn't have to hang out with a boy and assume he was your boyfriend. So maybe that change of mind will get her to talk to Sammy more again.
-With Raina's new ideas of friendship, how do you think that transition might be when going into High School?
-If Raina went to that Valentine's day dance how do you think that relationship between her peers change?
-When reading this book, does it remind you of your middle school days at all? How do you think it might be different from middle school's today?
-Do you think it was all okay how Mr. Fischetti took the note that Raina was writing in class and read it in front of everyone? I don't think I could ever do something to embarrass a student like that!!!
What other questions do you all have as you read this section? I'd love to hear!
-I think that it is possible for Sammy and Raina to rekindle later on in high school. Once they have matured a bit and he has forgiven her, I think that it is totally possible.
Delete-I think that with her new perspective on boys, she will be able to form better friendships than she had with the girls in middle school, which will help her in high school.
-I don't think that her relationship with her peers would be any better if she had been to the dance. I think she did the right thing by missing it if she didn't feel comfortable with it.
-I was reminded of middle school a lot.
- I do not think what Mr. Fischetti did with the note was okay. That makes all students lose trust in the teacher.
I totally agree with your comment on Mr. Fischetti. Even though Raina did not pay attention to his class, he is not allowed to read it in front of others. He could have knocked on Raina’s desk to remind her to pay attention to the lesson. His behavior is improper as an educator, and might harm Raina’s self-confidence. He should have talked to Raina face-to-face after class.
DeleteIn this section, I felt that there were many things that were connectable. First of all, there is that crush that most middle schoolers have, that they tell their friends about in confidence, but then somehow everyone finds out about it. I am not sure what makes a crush so gossip worthy, trying to keep people from spreading the news is nearly impossible.
ReplyDeleteI also connected to when Raina tried out for the basketball team to get Sean's attention. In seventh grade I was going to join the wrestling team and my mom had signed all of the paperwork and I was ready to go. However, when I got ready for school the morning of tryouts, my mother told me that I couldn't do it because of dance. I was frustrated, but there was a boy that liked me and he was going to join the wrestling team because he knew I was going to do it, and when he found out I was not going, he didn't go either.
I also connected to the dental experiences that Raina was going through. One of the my eye teeth on the bottom of my mouth was growing down towards my chin, rather than into my mouth. So when I had my braces put on, it was mostly to fix that tooth. I had many teeth pulled in the process and I also have gum and nerve damage. So there were a few times that I cried like Raina did at the doctor's office.
I could also relate when Raina's dad said that it was probably a good thing that she didn't make the basketball team because she could have gotten hurt again. There were many times that i decided not to do something, because I was afraid of damaging my teeth.
This book has many different things that readers can connect to, which is part of what makes it so enjoyable to read.
Gossiping frustrates me as well. In middle school, I disliked the gossip about my clothes. My clothes were hand-me-downs, and most were too big for me. Later on, I realized that my clothes were fine as long as they were clean. I didn’t care if anyone talked about it behind my back.
DeleteAs a parent, I can relate to Raina’s dad’s concern about possible injuries from basketball. Sports injuries aren’t uncommon. Many injuries are accidental, and it’s hard to prevent all of them. This doesn’t mean that a student shouldn’t try sports. They just need to be careful.
Yeah I agree with the fact that there are so many connections with our middle school experiences we can make from this book. It's like a small flashback to what middle school is like! (The crushes, who likes who, whose doing what, what is the biggest trend etc etc.) Its sort of entertaining to think about.
ReplyDeleteRole---questioner
ReplyDeleteWhen Raina’s friends take her skirt off in front of others, she is being bullied. Why didn’t she go to the school counselor? How could we teach students some strategies that might be able to prevent bullying at school?
Raina goes through a long process to fix her front teeth. How does this help her gain a better understanding of life?
Raina realizes that her friends are not so friendly during 7th grade (they laugh at her teeth and make fun of her). She could have left them or asked her mom about how to deal with this kind of situation. Why didn’t she do that?
I don't think that all students realize that there are counselors to help them in the school. I know I didn't when I was a student.
DeleteI think that it is important to make bullies understand how victims feel, to end bullying.
I think her struggle with her teeth will help her be appreciative of what she does have and other bad situations might not seem as bad after having gone through the ordeal.
I think Raina wanted to believe that they were good for her, and that she needed to be the one to adjust. So she probably figured what she was going through wasn't that bad and it could be worse. When I was in high school, I was in a group of friends that didn't respect me and it took me attending my leadership camp to get the wake up call that I could and needed to be treated better.
Role-Summarizer
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of Raina. The section that we read started at the end of middle school, where she seemed to want to leave everything from middle school in the past including her friends. However, on the way to high school, on the first day, she ran into a girl from middle school. High school started right where middle school left off and she kept putting up with the rude friends. That is until they pulled down her skirt on her. That was her tipping point at which she would not put up with them anymore. After she left them she got new friends who were much better for her and who compliment her. She also got her braces off, but she wasn't happy with the results. Her friends reassured her that they look fine and she finally understood that she didn't have to be so worried about her looks. She grew a lot in the snippet of high school that we saw at the end of the book. I am very happy with the growth that she demonstrated and the way that she stood up for herself.
In the book, Raina mentions that, “But the more I focused on my interests, the more it brought out things I liked about myself.” I am glad to see Raina growing up in her mind. She realizes that the feelings inside herself are more important than her looks outside. This is the process of learning for adolescents. This will help Raina better understand the real world. From reading this book, I have gained a better understanding of adolescents’ thoughts, situations, and struggles.
DeleteRole- Connections
ReplyDeleteWhat a great ending to the book! I was happy Raina finally found a group of mature peers she could interact with and help shape who she is as a person.
One big connection I made from this last section was Raina's idea of once making new friends in High School, it would be more fun. Going from a very small private middle school to a much larger high school was concerning for me. I only knew of 5 classmates that were going to the same high school as me and us being in the same classes was going to be a slim to none chance. So i had to make new friends and that was concerning for me because I'm super super shy. But, after a couple weeks I had already made a ton of new friends and once I joined the track and field throwing team, I had a ton of fun and didn't have any issues making friends with the guys. Once I found that group of friends that I knew cared for me and had my back, it made high school a lot easier and I think the same thing happened for Raina.
Another connection I made was getting used to a new appearances. Once Raina got her braces off she reminded me about getting my new haircut. I didn't know how I liked it at first and it looked strange to me but once everyone saw it and said they liked it, I got used to it and started liking it more too. I feel like sometimes we get used to how something looks and we don't want to change it in case we may not like the new appearance. That's another thing I'm going through as my paintball team changes sponsors this year. But we'll just have to see how that goes.
Those are great connections. I connected to the way that Raina got rid of her old friends and found new friends. When I was a junior year of high school, I started to stand up for myself, and my friends didn't like it so I got rid of them.
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