Week+3+Character+Jacob+Lidy-Alicia+Haberlin

=Jacob,=

That sounds like a lot of fun! Flying is definitely an experience. I am always a little nervous before the flight, but it is never as bad as I think. Remember to chew gum so your ears don't pop. Enjoy your summer and see you tonight! = = =We might be going to Colorado for our vacation. If we do, we will go to Pike's Peak, a Rockies game, and some other activities that aren't planned yet. I will also travel by airplane, which is a first for me.= = = =Week 3 and 4 Student: Jacob Licy= Adult: Alicia Haberlin Book Title: //Summer Ball//

I finished the book last night, and it was definitely a good read.

Characters As you said, Danny is the protagonist of the novel. He has may good qualities and is a good role model for Zach. In this section; however, he becomes down and considers going home. His aggrivation progresses when he is playing Ty's team, and his shot is caught. He later goes to speak to the coach about their differences and asks to switch teams. Coach does not allow it, and tells him he should consider playing soccer instead. This really upsets him and feeds into his fear of not being tall enough to play high school ball. He injures his knee during a practice but not severely enough not to play. His stress level is about to skyrocket, but he and his friends take an evening in town to relax. He ends up playing a fun game of ball and starts to remember why he loves the game. When he returns to camp, Rasheed accidentally knocks him down, and Danny exaggerates his knee being reinjured in hopes of going home.

His saving grace is his friend, Tess. When he is trying to e-mail his mom, Tess starts talking to him on-line, and she tells him she is across the lake at her uncle's. Now, he no longer wants to come home and decides to go see her that evening, even though it is against the rules to leave camp. He takes his friends with him, including Zach, and they canoe across the lake. The spend a few hours there, and he realizes how much he missed Tess. She gave him the confidence he needed to continue camp and told him she would come see him play sometime soon.

When they return to camp, they are caught by the counselors, but Zach steps up takes the blame. The rest go along with his story. Danny has two more games, and his skills improve, even if the coach does not give him the recognition he needs. He seems like everything is going well, but the last sentence of this chapter lets us know trouble is ahead.

Tess really shows how supportive she is in the section. She listens well and encourages Danny in everything he does. She even goes away for the summer to be closer to him. She is a good friend to have. Zach really steps up in this section as well. I consider him pretty weak until he took the blame for his friends; this showed his courage. Danny has influenced Zach, and Zach's camp expierence would not have been as good without him. You said the Danny reminds you of yourself. If I could identify with any character, it would be Ali Walker since she is an English teacher, and all of my friends I grew up with call me "Ali." I would hope I am as understanding as her as well.

__Week 4__

The resolution of the novel was great. It had the type of ending that pleases the reader. I recently read a book and loved it until the end, so it was nice not to be disappointed. Lamar received excactly what he earned. Since he wouldn't face any consequences for any of his actions, it was entertaining to see him defeated on the court during the championship game. I agree with you that Danny and Rasheed made a good team. It just shows if people can put their differences aside, the success that can be gained because of it. Danny also had a good support system at the championship game. His mom, Tess, and dad all came to the game. His father surprised him by coming and encouraged Danny to play his best ball. It was good to have a resolution to the conflict with his father. Once of the most important resolutions was that Danny now has the confidence to play ball with boys his age and older. He height is not as much of an issue as before. He even showed Coach Powers he was a ball player not a "soccer player." Thanks for picking a great book to read, and I will have to recommend it to the librarian at the high school, so some of my students can read it next year. I look forward to having you as a student next year!

Partner Chat Response from Week 3 It sounds like you are pretty athletic and work hard at it. I did play volleyball and cheerleading in jr. high, but in high school, I only played golf and cheerleading. I still enjoy all three, exept now I coach cheerleading and not cheer myself. The fair was always a highlight to my summer as well when I was growing up. I usually stayed in my friend's camper two to three times during the week. Are you going on any vacations this summer? My husband and I are going to New York and Conneticut the first week of June to visit his college friends, and we are going to Michigan the first week of July to go boating, fishing, and other fun outdoor activities with a group of friends. Hope you are doing well! = Week 4 Adult: Alicia Haberlin = Student: Jacob Lidy Book Title: Summer Ball

The section starts off with Lamar bullying Danny and Zach. He began making fun of how short they are and ruined Zach’s basketball. Zach then threw his ruined basketball at Lamar, so he began shaking Zack after picking him up off the ground. Danny then tackled Lamar, and right before Lamar began fighting him, Rasheed put Lamar in a headlock. It turned out that he was not Lamar’s friend after all. Lamar did not get in any trouble after the incident, but Danny, Rasheed, and Zach all received two game suspensions and had to clean bathrooms. In an unexpected turn, Rasheed became friends with Danny and all of his friends and hung out with them like they had known each other forever. He also faked an injury and sat out of a couple of games so that Danny would get to play more. Danny later saw Lamar with Tess. He told her that he was interested in photography and was messing with her beloved camera. In the next game, Danny called his own play when he was not supposed to in order to win the game and did, but he still got in trouble with Coach Powers even more for doing this. After that, Tess came to Danny and his friends crying and told them that her camera was broken. He realized that Lamar broke it and did it in order to get back at him through her. However, Lamar got away with it and did not get in any trouble. The Celtics played the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs and won after Danny made two free throws at the end. They played the Cavaliers, Ty’s team, in the semifinals. Throughout the game, it was a battle between Rasheed and Ty, but Rasheed came out on top. Danny later watched eleven and twelve year old championships, which Zach won. After the game, Danny gave Zach the same type of basketball that Lamar ruined as a present. The next day, Danny’s mom and Tess came to watch the championship game and met Rasheed and Danny while they were there. The Celtics were facing Lamar’s team, the Lakers. At halftime, the Lakers were ahead by fourteen. When Danny went back inside to start the second half, he saw his dad, whom he didn’t expect to see; he gave him confidence to play his best. Right before the end of the game, the Celtics were ahead by one. As Lamar began to shoot for the win, Danny stole it from him, and the buzzer sounded. They had won! At the very end of the story, Danny kicked the game ball as far as he could out of the gym opening and went up to Coach Powers, saying, “I could play soccer if I wanted, but I’m a basketball player.” This section makes me realize that getting along with each other plays a major role in the success of individuals. After Danny and Rasheed became friends, the whole team seemed to simply win more games because of how much better their team worked together. If people all around the world could just get along, think of how much we could accomplish. I was really surprised that Danny and Rasheed became friends. I would not have predicted it myself, but I thought that it was a great part of the story. I really enjoyed this book because I could really relate with it. I love basketball, and I really enjoyed how the author described the game sequences. I would recommend //Summer Ball// to other sports nuts like me. They could really identify with the pressure of the big games that Danny has to play in and could really understand why the camp was so tough. Danny changes in the story by starting off the camp by playing without his heart really in it and wanting to quit, but he later plays up to his potential. I believe that the theme of this story is to never give up when times are tough. Danny thought about quitting, but he did not even though the camp was very tough for him. I would like to know what happened with Danny and Tess’s relationship after the camp. I would also like to know how Danny’s basketball career turns out in the future. Does he play in college? Does he play professionally? If I could change the ending of the book, I would have sent the game into overtime. It would have added even more suspense to what the outcome of the game was going to be.

It’s hard to believe that the reading rocks program is almost over. It has been so fun yet so short. I have really enjoyed writing to you about the book and other things as well. However, I am really excited about the reading rocks party. I hope you can make it. Are you ready for school to get out? I know that I am. I cannot wait to be able to sleep in almost every day. The thing I enjoy most about summer is being able to go outside and play without any worries in my head. The school year can be very stressful. What is your favorite part about summer? Anyway, I hope you have had as much fun doing this as I have. I look forward to being your student next year.

Bye! = Week 2 Adult: Alicia Haberlin = Student: Jacob Lidy Book Title: //Summer Ball// Pages Read: 1-83

__Exposition__ The novel starts by introducing the characters and the background. Danny Walker is the main character and his passion for life is basketball. He inherits this passion from his father, Richie Walker, who is a former pro basketball player. He is preparing to leave his hometown of Middletown to go to Cedarville, Maine, for a summer basketball camp. He doesn’t seem too excited about going but is glad his friends, Ty and Will, are going with him. Once he arrives at camp, he is not having the best experience. They did not have a bunk for him, so he has to bunk with the younger boys. The positive side of that experience is he is acting like a mentor for his roommate, Zach. Zach does not enjoy camp, so Danny tries to help him make the best of his time there. A few conflicts Danny encounters happen at home and at camp. His long-time friend, Tess, is starting to hang out with a new guy from school, and this causes tension between the two. His coach at camp does not care for Danny beginning the first day because of who his father is and a small incident. Danny’s rival in the book is Rasheed, a former opponent of his. Rasheed is wanting revenge and is succeeding right now, but I look for Danny to end up on top. __Partner Chat__
 * As I said in my previous letter, this is the first book I have read by Mike Lupica. He does a nice job of writing. He uses good details and characters. I feel like many people could relate to the story is some way. When I played volleball in jr. high, I felt as if I was too short sometimes, but I never let that stop me and played my hardest. It sounds like you do the same. I am sure the book will end on a positive note.**
 * Indiana State was a good fit for me because it was a good English teaching program. Depending on your major, it could be a good fit for you too. I enjoyed going to the basketball games and working on campus. The food is pretty decent too.**
 * Unfortunately, I am not a huge baseball fan. If I go to a game, it is usually a Cardinal’s one. I enjoy going to the games more than watching them on television. You asked me about my outlook on life, and I would have to say my glass is always half full. I even have that saying on my water bottle.

I guess I am a week behind. I thought this week was week two, so I will have a new post for you tomorrow.**


 * Take Care,**
 * Alicia Haberlin **

= Week 3 Adult: Alicia Haberlin = Student: Jacob Lidy Book Title: //Summer Ball// Pages Read 84-163

The protagonist of the story is Danny Walker. He starts off this section by playing a scrimmage game against Ty’s team, the Cavaliers. He gets very down on himself after Ollie Grey grabbed a shot he took in midair, and everyone began laughing at him. He later went to talk to Coach Powers at his cabin. There, he told Danny that he was not big enough to be really good at basketball, and that he should consider soccer instead of basketball. Danny decided that he wanted to leave the camp, so, when Danny’s team was practicing, he acted like his knee was hurt badly after Rasheed charged into him. However, he decided to stay after he found out that the girl that he likes, Tess, was staying with her uncle in his cabin across Coffee Lake and visited her. Danny, Will, Ty, and Zach had snuck out and took a canoe across the lake in order to see her. While Danny and Tess talked, she motivated him to make the decision by giving him confidence and saying that he should not worry about Coach Powers. When they got back, they found that they were in trouble, but Zach took the blame. Danny later had his first league game. Unfortunately, he air balled the shot that would have been the game winner, but he did not let it bother him. During the next game, he made an amazing pass to Rasheed, who then made the game winning shot off of it, and he began to become more confident. We then discover that he is in trouble. Like I said before, Danny reminds me of myself. We are both small and have to work hard to prove ourselves. We have also both felt like quitting at times, but we stuck it out. Having the determination to accomplish a goal, like when Danny canoed across the lake to see Tess, is also a trait we share. However, I would like to acquire his trait of bravery. I do not think that I would have the guts to sneak out like he did. He also went to Coach Powers to essentially talk about quitting the team, and I could not see myself building up the courage to do that unless I really needed to. I wish I could also acquire his way of letting things go. When Danny and Rasheed were playing together, he acted as if he never had a problem with Rasheed and played as if they had been playing together their whole lives, even after what happened between them in the past, and I do not think that I could have put all of that behind me. If Danny were a real person, I would definitely want to get to know him and become friends because we seem so compatible. We both enjoy sports, share many personality traits, and share many physical traits too, which could help us relate even more. In my belief, the antagonist of the story is all of the tough competition he has to face. The competition is keeping him from showing how good he really is. The competition also discourages him and makes him feel bad at times. Danny has to put himself above all of the good players in order to succeed in the end. Many of the players Danny has to face are vain, like Lamar, whose only friend is Rasheed. I would consider them hard workers because you aren’t just born being a great basketball player. I can tell you from experience that it takes determination and persistence to get any better at all. I wish that I could be friends with a lot of the players. Many of them, like Ollie Grey, seem very nice and share traits with me. However, others, like Rasheed and Lamar, seem to be selfish and sore losers. I don't think that I could be friends with them.

This section made me realize how much others influence our own minds and decisions. Coach Powers made Danny believe that basketball was not his sport, so he tried to get out of camp by faking a knee injury. When Danny wanted to quit camp, Tess made him realize that he did have the potential and the determination to be the best player around and that nobody could get in his way, so he decided to stay. Many of our leaders today need to listen more to what we want instead of what they think is best because everyone’s opinion has the right to be heard. From this section, I am beginning to believe that Coach Powers is not so bad after all. When he talked to Danny, he seemed to be quite gentle and sincere with his words. He never actually said that he was no good at basketball; he just said that soccer could possibly be a better sport for him. I think that Coach Powers just has not realized Danny’s potential yet. From this, I think that Danny will begin to show him his potential, and they will start getting along better. I also think that sparks will begin to fly with Danny and Tess, seeing how close they already are. In another prediction, I think that Danny is in trouble for sneaking out. How are you? I have been doing very fine lately. School is winding down and starting to get less stressful. I am definitely ready for summer. Since our book is about sports, did you play any sports in junior high or high school? If you did, what were they? You talked about how big of a Bears fan you are, so I imagine you must have. However, you never know. You were also a 4-H member. Did you stay at the fair? What was your favorite part about 4-H? We stay at the fair every year in our camper, and it is the best thing about 4-H and one of the best things about the summer, in my opinion. Anyway, I hope you have been enjoying the book. I look forward to hearing from you.