The Pull of Gravity Goes to School(s) #4

Hey, kiddos!

It's almost summer.  And you know what that means? Summer reading!

I hope someone makes you read my book this summer and you hate me for it.

Okay, fine. That's a lie. I hope someone makes you read it and you secretly love me for it (I pretend to be tough, but I'm not. We all want to be loved, you know).

Anyway, one more TPoG school visit before I part this feature for the lazy, hazy days of June - September. I'll try to bring it back in the fall. Friday Feedback will be kicking strong through the summer. :)

Today I'm sharing  share some of the responses I got from the 9th graders in Mrs. Stotz' class at Windham Christian Academy in Maine. I'm so honored that Mrs. Stotz read TPoG aloud to her students this past winter/early spring. ** So, without further ado, here we go:

Q: What made it a good read aloud? Or what didn't... if it wasn't?

A:  What made it a good read aloud was the fact that we read it as a class. The only downside was that our teacher stopped at crucial moments in the book. - Christopher

A:  I really enjoyed the book, although the teacher seemed to enjoy reading until she got to an exciting part. - Alex

Hah! - gae

A: ... My teacher has a good narrator voice, and sometimes, she spent the whole class time reading. It was bad when she stopped at crucial cliff-hanger moments in the story. - Lauren

Hmmm... Mrs. Stotz, I see a theme developing. ;)

A: This was a very good read aloud because we would stop at the most exciting times. This made the book suspenseful and more enjoyable. - David

A: Mrs. Stotz read it with awesome different voices for each character. The book has many irony parts. - Sunny

and,

A: I did enjoy it because it was read in a narrative tone. When it was read aloud you could feel the emotions of the characters. And at funny parts, it was emphasized and made it funnier. - Seyya

So, let me just take a second to say how amazing I think it is to constantly get feedback from students as to how well (or, um, awesomely!) their teacher reads aloud.  Middle schoolers and high schoolers alike. What a great gift to continue to share with your students!

So, next question:

Q: Did you have a favorite (or least favorite) part or character?

A: My favorite character would probably have to be Scooter a/k/a "the Scoot." His Yoda impressions always seemed to make the moment exciting. "Great you are, young Scooter." The world needs more Star Wars geeks! - Alex

A: Least favorite part: When they were in the hotel. Well, I think that is illegal...? - Hyesu 

*author coughs* Hyesu, they, um, had adjoining rooms. I think that's okay. Except for the part where their parents didn't know. But, um, yeah. *slinks away*


A:  I like Jaycee the most. Some of the ways she dresses -- crazy jewelry, cool clothes -- reminds me of me. I thought she had a really cool personality and depth to her. My least favorite was Nick's dad because he walked out on his family. - Lauren

A: My favorite character was probably Jaycee because she seemed kind. Jaycee was also weird. Troll necklaces??? - David

Um, you mean like this, David:

That was at my book release party, and, yes, my troll
is gold, glittered and bejeweled. My sister made it for me.

A: I didn't like when Nick found out about his dad. - David too.

A: I liked Jaycee. She speaks really fun and honestly. It was fun she knows everything that Nick thinks. - Sunny

Q: Mrs. Stotz class read The Pull of Gravity after they read Of Mice and Men. I asked them, "How did you feel about the references?"


A: I really liked the Of Mice and Men references. The Pull of Gravity was kind of like a modern day version of the novel in several ways. - Alex

A: We had read OMAM before, and it was funny to recognize the references. - Lauren

A: It is more cute. - Hyesu

A: The Pull of Gravity helped to explain some of the things that were happening in the book (OMAM) and added a touch of humor to the book. - Christopher

And, last but not least, my most favorite question:

Q: Did any part of the story make you laugh?

A: Made me laugh quite a bit. - Christopher

A: Yes, many parts ... I believe there was one part about Nick thinking he was being chased by a giant noodle? If so, I thought that was funny because it seemed like giant food was really taking over the world (reference to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs). - Alex

and,

wait for it...

come on, we had to bake them for someone,

drum roll....................... and brownie points go to........................

A: When you asked if any part of the story made us laugh, it totally sounded like a trick question. Our whole class was literally laughing out loud whenever we read the book. I loved how you are so good at mixing in humor and drama, and it really made an enjoyable read. Thank you! - Heather

What can I do but give Heather the last word? Thanks to all the awesome 9th graders who participated from Windham Christian Academy! And a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Stotz for choosing The Pull of Gravity as a read aloud.

- gae

** if you'd like to read the other TPoG Goes to School(s) posts in the series, you may find them here:

http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/2012/03/pull-of-gravity-goes-to-schools.html

http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/2012/04/pull-of-gravity-goes-to-schools-2.html

http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/2012/05/pull-of-gravity-goes-to-schools-4.html

http://ghpolisner.blogspot.com/2012/06/pull-of-gravity-goes-to-schools.html