Choice Book Report 4 Themes: The Wild Girls

There were several themes that I found in the book The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

The main theme that I really noticed in this book was being who you want to be. I think that Fox portrays this theme the most out of all the other characters. She wanted to be the Queen of the Foxes, so she was. Another example of this theme was when Joan and Fox are sharing their first-place story in front of a huge story. Their short story was called “The Wild Girls”, and it pretty much was the story of their adventures in the forests. They were the wild girls. However, they didn’t feel like the wild girls in their nice new outfits. So they took some makeup and put some war paint on their faces while they read their story. This shows that Joan and Fox were being who they wanted to be. They wanted to be Wild Girls.

Another theme that I found in this novel was you are never too old to use your imagination. The two main characters, once again Joan and Fox, portrayed this theme the most. Even though these girls were in middle school, every single day they used their wonderful imagination. They went on crazy adventures and lived each day to the fullest by doing so. I think that Joan is the one that ended up figuring this out, and Fox kind of knew it all along. Another character that portrayed this theme was Verla Volante. Verla is a writer and she uses her broad imagination every single day when she teaches her writing class.

The last theme I will mention that I found is, don’t judge a book by its cover. Fox’s dad, Gus, portrayed this theme the best. Gus looks like a big, scary biker guy. But really, he might as well be the nicest man you have ever met. At first, Joan does judge him in a way, and she is afraid. Her mother reacts the same way. Gus isn’t always well-kept looking, and his house is quite messy. But, he does mean well. After Joan and her mother got to know Gus, they realized that he is really a nice guy.

This book had a lot of themes, but these three are the ones that really spoke to me. Thanks for reading! J

Choice Book Report 4 Main Characters

I read The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy. The main characters in this book are Joan and Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox”. Joan is the new girl that moves into the house that is nearby to Fox’s. Fox is a free spirited girl and she likes to go on adventures. These characters are very different at the beginning of the book, but towards the end, they become similar.

       I would describe Joan as smart, independent, and angry most of the time. Joan is angry because her family had to move from Connecticut to California for her father’s job. Also, Joan’s mom and dad don’t get along for most of the time, and they fight a lot. Joan gets angry when they argue, and she usually goes off on her own to get away from it. Joan is also very kind and friendly. When she first met Fox, she wasn’t rude at all, even though Fox seemed exotic and weird to Joan.  She was friendly and tried to become friends. Which, eventually they did. I think that Joan is also very observant. She likes to think. She studies people and tries to figure out what makes them tick. Joan writes everything down in her notebook, even if it seems useless to her at the time. Joan is a very interesting character.

       The other main character in this novel is Sarah, also known as “Fox”.  Fox is my favorite character. She is so different compared to the others, and she likes being “weird”. Fox is very independent, and she spends most of her days outside in the forest that her house is in. I would also describe Fox as imaginative. She likes to go on “life risking” adventures in the woods with Joan, and she’s never bored. Every day there is a new game that they play. Fox is imaginative because she thinks up very creative stories, and she loves to write. Fox is very strong, mentally. When she was a little girl, her mother left and never came back. Fox stayed strong and didn’t let that bring her down. She still made everything positive and did her best to love life. I think that Fox is a very inspirational character.

       These two characters are very different, and they both have their own conflicts in their lives. But, they are best friends and are almost like sisters.

Choice Book Report 3 Point Of View: Distant Waves

            The point of view in this book was in Jane’s perspective. Jane is the main character, and she kind of narrates the story in her head through her emotions and feelings.

            I think that it was important for this novel to be in Jane’s point of view because she doesn’t think much or talk much about herself. If it had been in Mimi’s point of view for example, it would have been all about Mimi and wouldn’t have captured the characteristics and descriptions of the other characters. Jane is also very curious about things, and she is very smart and watchful to point out important things that take an important part in the story. I really liked this novel from Jane’s perspective.

The part when the earthquake occurs was really intriguing when it was in Jane’s point of view. I think that it was really interesting and touching, in a way. I was able to understand Jane’s thoughts and feelings as the earthquake happened. For example, when Mimi grabbed onto Jane and held her close to protect her, Jane expressed that she felt safer when she was near Mimi. Jane also explained her feelings when her family was around Tesla, who is an inventor, and he was the one that caused the earthquake. Tesla seemed like a father figure to her, and she felt really safe around him. He was very kind and cared about her family.

Another event that made Jane’s point of important was when she first met Thad. It seemed like Jane was in love with Thad when she first laid eyes on him. It is really sweet how Jane feels so close to Thad, and how it is in her perspective makes it very intriguing. I liked this part because Jane isn’t used to people giving her attention and worrying about what she wants. But Thad really cared for Jane and made her feel important.

The last event that I thought really made Jane’s point of view important, was when the Titanic is sinking. Jane wasn’t worrying about saving herself. She was only worried about saving the lives of her sisters. When this whole event was happening, Jane’s feelings and emotions really made this part exciting to read. I think that if this part was told from a different character’s point of view, it wouldn’t have been as interesting, and it wouldn’t have captured the love that Jane has for her family members.

I really liked that this book was told from Jane’s point of view. Jane is my favorite character, and I think that she ties the whole story together. 

Choice Book Report 3 Main Characters

I read Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn. There were several characters in this book, but I think the main characters would be Jane and Mimi Oneida. Jane is the second oldest in her family, and she is very independent, smart, and confident. Mimi is the oldest child, and I would describe her as adventurous, witty, and she can sometimes be conceited.

Jane was my favorite character in this book. She is kind to everyone, and she is very independent. You see, Jane’s mother is some type of a spiritual guide. She can talk to spirits that are still on Earth, and that is what she does for a living. She gets paid to talk to ghosts. Jane grew up in a very strange environment, because everywhere and everyone in her town is a psychic or medium. Jane learned to become independent, and she spent most of her free time reading and writing. Jane also didn’t really care what other people thought of her, and she was very confident in herself. She is also very brave. For example, Amelie was sleep walking, and she walked right into the ocean. Jane ran out to get her without even thinking about it, and she could have died, too, while trying to save her sister. Fortunately, Amelie was saved, thanks to Jane. Another time when Jane was brave, was when she needed to get onto the Titanic to warn Mimi and Blythe that they should get off, for it was going to sink. There could have been several possibilities that she and two of her sisters would get in trouble for sneaking on the ship, but Jane knew that she had to try to save her other family members.

Mimi is in a class of her own. She is very unique, but sometimes she can seem conceited. However, she is very kind and cares very much for her family. One part of the book when Mimi was kind was when there was an earthquake by the train station. She grabbed on to Jane when it happened, and made sure that she was safe. An event in the book when Mimi seemed conceited was when she first met Ninette.  Jane was annoyed with her because she was only thinking of herself.

I think that Jane and Mimi were very different characters. They each have their own characteristics, and they have almost nothing in common. However, they get along very well, and they are very close as sisters. Thanks for reading! J