Reader response to No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman
Back cover reads:
"The whole truth and nothing but... Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report on Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie--he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end? After Wallace refuses to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him to go to the rehearsals as a punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play...into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!"
My Rxn:
An exceptional read! aimed at audiences 12-15 i'd say. it's a bit young. i think 10 year olds could even get into it. i like it because it really gets into the whole "clique" scene and breaks down some stereotypes. It's pretty funny. Korman ends the book as a kind of mystery... someone is sabotaging the play, and everyone assumes that it's Wallace. The foreshadowing was very minimal... so i was unable to predict it... and i like that! I hate it when i can predict mysteries! this was a light hearted mystery, though... nothing at all like I am the Cheese. It's also told in the style of woman in white by Wilke Collins... a myriad of POVs narrate the story... from wallace wallace to the girl who has a crush on him, to a misled school newspaper reporter, and even the engilsh teacher.
This book also made me think twice about assigning "book reports." I hate book reports. i'd rather just have simple reader reactions... kind of like journals... basically what i'm writing right now.... but i'd expect my students to follow my guidelines... this blog is insanely informal. The whole problem with wallace is his "honesty." he's the type that i can relate to easily. he's brutally honest. and while that might just be the greatest thing in the world for him (i used to think it was for me), it really sucks when you're trying to write a paper. This is what the character wrote for his book report:
Old Shep, My Pal by Zack Paris is the most boring book I've read in my entire life. I did not have a favorite character. I hated everybody equally. The most interesting part came on the last page where it said "The End." This book couldn't be any lousier if it came with a letter bomb. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy.
I'm gonna have to side with Wallace on this one because, from the looks of it, his English teacher recieved exactly what he asked for: simple, straightforward answers to boring questions like "who was your favorite character? what was the most interesting part of the book? to whom would you recommend this book?"
are we missing something here? where's the freaking SUBSTANCE?! where are the WHY questions? where are the questions that push the student to defend their ideas and take a stand?! I think that the English teacher (Mr. Fogelman) has only himself to blame for Wallace's book report. Whilst in the midst of an argument with Fogelman, Wallace claims that the characters in the book are unrealistic.... why didn't fogelman ask him to expand on that?!
well... that's realy the only point I'm going to explicate for this book.... it was a real eye-opener for me. as a teacher, i have to be very specific about my expectations on assignments... and i have to demand more of my students if i want to get past the surface. i can't wait to see some of the ideas swimming around in those heads!
some gems, as always:
"When my dad was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, he once rescued 8 navy SEALs who were stranded behind enemy lines. He flew back using only his left hand, because the right one had taken a bullet. With the chopper on fire, and running on an empty tank and just gas fumes, he managed to outmaneuver a squadron of MiG fighters and make it safely home to base. That was my favorite story when I was small. It was also a total pack of lies. The bullet "scar" on Dad's arm was really left over from a big infected pimple. And by the time I was old enough to do the math, I realized that when the war ended in Vietnam, my father was 14" (1).
Proof that students certainly notice what teachers wear:
Student to Mr. Fogelman: "I always thought you were, like, 50 or something. Frowning gives you wrinkles. And those suits you wore. No offense, but the dodo is extinct, and so are your ties" (134).
Mr. Fogelman: "Wallace taught me a lesson: if you force the students to fit into the play, it'll come out lifeless and boring. But if you mold the play to showcase the talents of the students, the sky's the limit" (134).
"But you had to admire the way he was risking his life on Rollerblades when he had the athletic ability of belly-button lint" (159).
Nice, easy read. humorous. a good little mystery. i do feel like i'm being too generous with the WNSoA, but this one will win it anyway. i think anyone ages 10-14 would like it... boy or girl. English teachers will also chortle whilst reading it.
Back cover reads:
"The whole truth and nothing but... Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report on Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie--he hated every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak at the end? After Wallace refuses to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces him to go to the rehearsals as a punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his mind, he does end up changing the play...into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete with Rollerblades and a moped!"
My Rxn:
An exceptional read! aimed at audiences 12-15 i'd say. it's a bit young. i think 10 year olds could even get into it. i like it because it really gets into the whole "clique" scene and breaks down some stereotypes. It's pretty funny. Korman ends the book as a kind of mystery... someone is sabotaging the play, and everyone assumes that it's Wallace. The foreshadowing was very minimal... so i was unable to predict it... and i like that! I hate it when i can predict mysteries! this was a light hearted mystery, though... nothing at all like I am the Cheese. It's also told in the style of woman in white by Wilke Collins... a myriad of POVs narrate the story... from wallace wallace to the girl who has a crush on him, to a misled school newspaper reporter, and even the engilsh teacher.
This book also made me think twice about assigning "book reports." I hate book reports. i'd rather just have simple reader reactions... kind of like journals... basically what i'm writing right now.... but i'd expect my students to follow my guidelines... this blog is insanely informal. The whole problem with wallace is his "honesty." he's the type that i can relate to easily. he's brutally honest. and while that might just be the greatest thing in the world for him (i used to think it was for me), it really sucks when you're trying to write a paper. This is what the character wrote for his book report:
Old Shep, My Pal by Zack Paris is the most boring book I've read in my entire life. I did not have a favorite character. I hated everybody equally. The most interesting part came on the last page where it said "The End." This book couldn't be any lousier if it came with a letter bomb. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy.
I'm gonna have to side with Wallace on this one because, from the looks of it, his English teacher recieved exactly what he asked for: simple, straightforward answers to boring questions like "who was your favorite character? what was the most interesting part of the book? to whom would you recommend this book?"
are we missing something here? where's the freaking SUBSTANCE?! where are the WHY questions? where are the questions that push the student to defend their ideas and take a stand?! I think that the English teacher (Mr. Fogelman) has only himself to blame for Wallace's book report. Whilst in the midst of an argument with Fogelman, Wallace claims that the characters in the book are unrealistic.... why didn't fogelman ask him to expand on that?!
well... that's realy the only point I'm going to explicate for this book.... it was a real eye-opener for me. as a teacher, i have to be very specific about my expectations on assignments... and i have to demand more of my students if i want to get past the surface. i can't wait to see some of the ideas swimming around in those heads!
some gems, as always:
"When my dad was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, he once rescued 8 navy SEALs who were stranded behind enemy lines. He flew back using only his left hand, because the right one had taken a bullet. With the chopper on fire, and running on an empty tank and just gas fumes, he managed to outmaneuver a squadron of MiG fighters and make it safely home to base. That was my favorite story when I was small. It was also a total pack of lies. The bullet "scar" on Dad's arm was really left over from a big infected pimple. And by the time I was old enough to do the math, I realized that when the war ended in Vietnam, my father was 14" (1).
Proof that students certainly notice what teachers wear:
Student to Mr. Fogelman: "I always thought you were, like, 50 or something. Frowning gives you wrinkles. And those suits you wore. No offense, but the dodo is extinct, and so are your ties" (134).
Mr. Fogelman: "Wallace taught me a lesson: if you force the students to fit into the play, it'll come out lifeless and boring. But if you mold the play to showcase the talents of the students, the sky's the limit" (134).
"But you had to admire the way he was risking his life on Rollerblades when he had the athletic ability of belly-button lint" (159).
Nice, easy read. humorous. a good little mystery. i do feel like i'm being too generous with the WNSoA, but this one will win it anyway. i think anyone ages 10-14 would like it... boy or girl. English teachers will also chortle whilst reading it.
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