I found it very interesting that Kathy Kacer's parents were both Holocaust survivors. Her mother survived by hiding while her father survived the concentration camps. In many ways the protagonist, Laura's assignment to research and connect with a child who was involved with the Holocaust parallels Kacer's dedication to write about her parents' past. This novel seems like a great example of the importance of authorship and how personal experiences influence good writing.
One aspect of the novel that I found particularly interesting is the alternation of narratives between Laura in the present day and Sarah in the Warsaw concentration camp in the early 1940s. The dark grey sections help to distinguish the different narratives. I really liked this and I can see how it could be helpful for students to help identify the different perspectives. However, it also fragments the narrative and causes breaks that may be disruptive to some students and readers.
What are your thoughts on Kacer's writing thus far? Do you see evidence of her overarching theme of hope, courage and humanity despite overwhelming adversity in the first few chapters? If so, where? Also, do you think that the structure of the novel contributes to, or detracts from the different perspectives presented in the novel?
I too appreciate the dark grey boxes to indicate a switch between Laura and Sarah. I liked that Kacer paralleled the lives of Sarah and Laura. As a reader I connected to the idea that Jewish children living during the 1940s were much like children living today. I feel that for a student, that connection would be extremely significant. I think that connection would stick with students and go beyond the novel. It would create so much meaning to what happened in the concentration camps for our present day school aged children.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful that Kacer is choosing to honor her family past by writing about such a difficult topic. For me the biggest moment of courage thus far was when David went out to get medicine by any means necessary to take care of his younger sibling. I also saw hope interlaced with courage. The relationship between Sarah and her best friend really signified hope for me. They were going through hard times living in complete poverty but together, with the support of each other they would somehow pull through. I absolutely believe these themes will continue throughout the book because they have been established strongly so early on.
I think that Kacer’s writing so far is very interesting. I’ve read several books where the perspective changes with each chapter but I have never read a book where the perspective changed throughout the chapters and was distinguished by different colors. From the perspective of a younger reader I feel that this structure would be helpful to distinguish between whose perspective is being focused on, especially since there is not always a chapter change to signify a differing perspective. I also think that this structure signifies to the reader when they are going to have to get into a different characters head, so in this aspect I find the structure of her writing contributes to the story. Switching between the lives and stories of two different characters helps the reader to understand and comprehend two differing perspectives, which so far seems to be a prominent aim of this book. I think it is interesting that simply through her writing style, her intent and theme are revealed.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have noticed some of these themes mostly through Sarah’s journal in the text. She is courageous just for being able to write a journal in the midst of all the horror she lives in the middle of. I also see hope and courage in the fact that she wants to see the good in everyday and write about it. So far I haven’t noticed these themes in Laura’s part of the story, but I think that this is something that will be developed as the story progresses. I am curious to discover how Sarah’s diary will affect Laura’s attitude and life.
I think that the fragments in this novel could be used to show reading and comprehension strategies. You could teach re-reading and highlight the importance of making notes and going back to certain passages in order to understand the entire text. I also think that the structure of the novel contributes to the novel because although there are two different perspectives, the fragments flow into each other to create more of a singular stream of consciousness. I think that this writing technique was chosen by the author to show that these girls may live in different time frames and circumstances, but they are still very similar.
ReplyDeleteI also think that this book could be used in a wide variety of grades. The novel deals with sensitive subject matter and carries the themes that abbey mentioned as well as discrimination, the importance of remembering history, and the suffering of children. These themes reach for a higher order of understanding and critical thinking but the book is still an easier, simpler read. I think this would work well for a high school classroom that has a lot of struggling readers in it. It allows you to explore higher order thinking without hindering the success of students who struggle with literacy. Over all I'm excited to see how the story pans out.I am excited to see all your thoughts on it and how each of our interpretations are different or the same.
After reading the first three chapters, I too appreciate the distinction between Laura's experience and Sarah's journey. I think that it contributes to the text and offers a chance for students to focus on one point of view at a time, while still remembering that although in different circumstances both girls share similitaries. Like Dani, I think that these fragments would be great in teaching comprehension. It is important for students to be able to read different passages of text and be able to understand there importance as a whole. Both points of view work off of each other in an engaging way. While we want to learn more about Sarah's life, we are intrigued and learn about it through Laura's eyes. I found the prologue to be very powerful and thought it was brilliant to start the novel with a diary entry written by Sarah.
ReplyDeleteI think that courage is by far one of the most prevalent themes found in the first three chapters. It is shown not only by Sarah's writings from the Warsaw Ghetto, but also Laura in her undertaking of the twinning assignment and reading Sarah's diary.