Tyler+Rice-Chris+Snyder

= = = Week 4 Adult: Chris Snyder = Student: Tyler Rice Book Title: //Fever 1793// Pages Read: 169-252

In the final part of the book Matilda finally finds Eliza. Eliza takes her back to her house and they meet Joseph and his sons that are twins. Mother Smith is somebody that watches the children when Eliza goes to help people. She told Matilda not to love Nell because she is not hers. She wants Matilda to put Nell in the orphan house. Matilda and Eliza go and take Nell to the orphan house, but when they get there, Matilda thinks that Nell will be better off with her, so she keeps her. Matilda starts to help Eliza with her runs that she makes to help other people. Then the twins and Nell get sick from the fever and Matilda and Eliza take them to the coffeehouse because it is far away from the river and it is cooler there. Then the first frost comes and Matilda and Eliza get all the furniture and get it outside this way the frost will kill the fever. Then when they think that everything is cured, Matilda wants to reopen the coffeehouse with Eliza as being part of the manager. Then when people start to come back to town people also start coming into the coffeehouse again. Everything is going good and then a wagon pulls up and Matilda’s mother comes out of the wagon.

Yes, I enjoyed this book because it is very descriptive and it tells how terrible the fever was. I think that people from junior high and older would really like this book because it can be very hard to follow if you don’t read the book carefully sometimes. The main character changes from a lazy 14 year old girl to girl that tried to help as many people as she could in a time of need. The theme of this story is some people show what they can do when they really have to. I don’t have any questions that need to be answered after reading this book. I also wouldn’t change the ending of this book.

Sincerely,

Tyler Rice

In this weeks reading we have Mattie meeting up with some new characters. Joseph who is Eliza’s brother and recovering from the fever, Joseph’s sons Robert and William, and Mother Smith who is a spirited older woman who helps out at Joseph’s house. We find out that Mattie’s mother was still alive when she left for the farm, and later on we find out she is alive, but the fever has left her with a weakened system. Mattie assists Eliza with making rounds to the fever victims in town, and Eliza is surprised when Mattie is willing to work as hard as she does. Mother Smith convinces Mattie to take Nell to the orphanage, but on arriving there she finds that the orphanage is well out of room. The decision is made; Nell stays. On the walk home Mattie is “showered” with flowers from an open window; it is Nathaniel still alive and well sending her flowers. It is not long before Robert, William and Nell come down with the fever. Since it is so closed up at Joseph’s Mattie makes the suggestion to move the kids to the coffeehouse. Days run together as Eliza and Mattie work to save the kids. At one point Eliza wanted to contact Dr. Rush to have the children bleed, but is convinced by Mattie to follow the French doctor’s advice. One morning, after collapsing in the yard from exhaustion, Mattie finds herself covered in frost. The first frost has finally arrived and the fever stops spreading. As people start arriving back in town it seems that things get back to normal quickly. Mattie realizes that many of them act as if nothing happened and do not realize the horrors those who remained went through. During a dinner Mattie announces she is opening up the coffeehouse again and takes Eliza on as a partner. The coffeehouse is soon full and after George Washington returns to town Mattie’s mother returns. In the end we see how Mattie has changed from a young girl who tries to avoid hard work to a girl who is ready to take on responsibilities. We also see how the relationship between Nathaniel and Mattie has grown, and the statement is made that she is willing to wait until he gets on his feet as a painter. I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time stopping when I was finished reading the weekly section. I think what I enjoy most about this book is the character development. You really feel that you know who Mattie is and the struggles she is going through. I have often said a good book is one where you finish the book and can say you enjoyed it, but a great book leaves you wanting more. I would not change the ending, and I really do not have any questions that need answering, but I do want to know what happens next. I want to know how the Cook family does, and if Nathaniel and Mattie do end up marrying down the road. I know that “we” can always write that part in ourselves…perhaps that is better than letting the author do that for us. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the time period, and really anyone who is in the general age range of Mattie. I think the life lesson is a good one; what we go through in life, no matter how painful or unpleasant, and how we respond to that is what makes us who we are. It is not just a matter of what the circumstances are; it is our attitude during those circumstances that make the difference. Looking forward to meeting you next week. This has been great! = = = = = =

= = = Week 3 Adult: Chris Snyder = Student: Tyler Rice Book Title: //Fever 1793// Pages Read: 84-168

The protagonist of this story is Matilda Cook. She is a 14-year-old girl who lives in a coffeehouse in Philadelphia. She is a little lazy about getting up in the morning because her mother always has to get her out of bed. She gets tired of her mom telling her what she should be. She has a great imagination because she wants to turn the coffeehouse in to the biggest restaurant in Philadelphia. She is very caring because she is taking care of Nell. She knows many things to stay alive if she has to because her grandfather taught her many things if she is all along. She can also protect herself and others from harm because her mother taught her to do so many things. One of the antagonists is Captain William Cook. He is Matilda’s grandfather. He was once in the war. He was on the Pennsylvania 5th Regiment. He was really close to George Washington in the war. He is a very brave soul because he will risk his life for his granddaughter. He is very caring because he is taking care of his granddaughter and also other people in the hospital.

I think that Matilda is going to have to live along for a while and then when she can’t go very much longer and then Nathaniel comes and saves her. I think that her mother and Eliza will come back later on in the book. These are some of the predictions that I made. Do you think that Matilda is doing the right things in her situation? I think that she is doing the right thing because she is taking care of other people like the little kid that she found. She is also helping Eliza with helping some people that need food.

What is your favorite movie? What do you do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies? What is your favorite thing to do?

Hope to hear you soon.

Sincerely,

Tyler Rice

I hope this is how I am suppose to do this! Matilda Cook is the protagonist in the story, and is a fourteen year old girl. A description of her on page 7 incorrectly puts her at 16, but later on when she is talking Mrs. Bowles Matilda mentions that she is 14 going to be 15 in December. During this week’s reading Matilda comes down with Yellow Fever and ends up being taken by her grandfather to Bush Hill to recover. After her recovery Matilda and her grandfather make their way back to town to try and meet up with their mother. As they get home they find the coffeehouse has been broken into and ransacked. Matilda sets out to put things in order and care for her grandfather. During that time some robbers break into the house and during a fight Captain William Farnsworth Cook is injured and soon after Matilda chases off the robbers he dies. Matilda accompanies her grandfather’s body to the grave, and makes sure that he is given as proper a burial as he could. At this point Matilda is all alone. She ends up heading to the market in order to buy food so she can shut herself up in the coffeehouse until things are restored outside. She finds the marketplace empty, and on her return she discovers a young child named Nell whose parents had died of the fever. As Matilda takes Nell to find someone to care for her Matilda runs into Eliza which is where this weeks reading ends. In the beginning of the book Matilda is a fairly normal young lady. She doesn’t like doing her chores, doesn’t like having to get up before she is ready to; all pretty normal reactions. As her mother comes down sick Matilda begins to change. She starts taking on more responsibility. After her return to the coffeehouse she starts doing some of the chores she didn’t necessarily like before, but she was enjoying them. She also showed a big change in maturity with how she handled her grandfather’s death and being alone. I would love to have her attitude while she continues on regardless of what is happening to her. In many ways I can relate to her. Many of the things that I have gone through in life have made me who I am today. I can not say I have always had the best attitude during those tough times though. Personally I would have wanted to be her friend. She has a great attitude, and that kind of attitude can help to make the most difficult situation bearable. We have not seen a whole lot of Nathaniel Benson, but I still believe he is a main character in the story. When we first see him, he almost appears to be a neighborhood bully with the way he first treats Matilda in the marketplace by taking her basket. The fact that he stops and talks to her shows that it was more a way of teasing her. Later on as the fever spread through the city he sends Matilda a painting that he has done. Matilda also thinks of him on a couple of occasions, and is concerned for how he is doing. I think we will see a bit more of him by the end of the book. I was a little surprised at how William Cook died. I begin to wonder if Matilda’s mother isn’t a fever casualty herself. I think now that Matilda and Eliza have met up that Matilda is going to help out Eliza in assisting the fever victims around the city. I also think she will run into Nathaniel soon (I know I said that last week). I really enjoy this book. I have had a hard time stopping when the weeks reading was done. It just seemed that the reading ended right at a good part. I really like books that develop the characters in the story. This is one of those books that I feel like I know the characters. I did not want to move 13 times, some of them were during my time in the Navy, and the rest was just trying to find a steady job. Best place I visited…that is a little bit tougher to answer. I think Greece was one of my favorites, but it is hard to compare with England and Israel. I use to be on a roller hockey league in the Navy (right defense), and I have also played softball. I can enjoy watching any sport as long as I am at the stadium. I do not have any real favorite teams, but I usually go for the underdogs in a competition. I would love to get into watching (or playing) rugby or cricket, but there are not too many opportunities to do that right now here in the states. I do a lot of yard work right now. If I am not doing that I am more than likely reading, doing something for the Navy reserve, or watching my kids play games or sports. As far as movies go I am a big Japanese Anime fan! I have been watching a series right now called Last Exile that I really enjoy. My favorite has got to be Nausicaa as that was the first anime that I ever saw, and it got me hooked! My turn to ask the questions! What positions do you play (baseball, football and basketball)? Why would you like to be a marine biologist? Where is your most favorite place to visit? Who is your favorite athlete? What is your favorite book? (I would say Hatchet, but that might just be what you want to have with you on a deserted island) What is your favorite movie?

Sincerely, Chris Snyder

Dear Chris Snyder,

I had just got done reading your week 3 characters information and I am going to answer your questions. In baseball I play second base and I am sometimes the pitcher. In football I am normally the wide receiver. In basketball I am normally the wing because I am not the tallest person around. I would like to be a marine biologist because I love to swim and I would like to study fish in their natural environment. My favorite place to visit is probably in Southern Mississippi because my uncle lives down there and we get to go crab and shrimp fishing. My favorite athlete is Jim Edmonds. My favorite book besides //Hatchet// is probably //The Transel Saga//. I don’t have a favorite movie but I love to watch comedy movies.