Sunday, July 16, 2006

The Haymeadow



Rule of the Bone is going REALLY SLOW, so i tried to read a few shorter ones during the process, otherwise i'm going to throw that book out the window.

Reader Response to The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen

The inside cover reads:
"At 14 John Barron is asked, like is father and his father's father before him, to spend the summer taking care of their sheep in the haymeadow. Six thousand sheep. John will be alone, except for 2 horses, 4 dogs, and all those sheep. John doesn't feel up to the task, but he hopes against hope that if he can accomplish it, he will finally please is undemonstrative father. But John finds that the adage "things just happen to sheep" is true when the river floodys, coyotes attack, and one dog's feet get cut. Through it all he relies on his own resourcefulness, ingenuity, and talents to try to get through."

Undemonstrative
Pronunciation: "&n-di-'män(t)-str&-tiv
Function: adjective
:restrained in expression of feeling : RESERVED
- un·de·mon·stra·tive·ly adverb - un·de·mon·stra·tive·ness noun

rootword is demonstrate. basically, it means someone who doesn't demonstrate feelings.

My Rxn:

It's hard to read a few books by more than one author and refrain from comparing one to another. I really enjoyed Paulsen's Hatchet, but i hated The River. This one is another great story. i think it's a little too sugar coated though. i don't think that john faces the same kind of horrific reality that Brian faces. he is put in similar problem solving situations, though. the family history that he's tied into the story is great... kind of reminiscent of holes by louis sacchar. i did like this one... it reminded me a lot of the movie cowboys. it could win a Word Nerd Seal of Approval, but i think that Paulsen could do much more with it.


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