Blog 6

Keith Bradford
SLIS 5420

BLOG 6

The Homework Machine
by
Dan Gutman

Plot Summary: This book is the story of four kids all with last names that start with the letter D and a machine that they create. The machine has the capability to scan homework assignments and create completed homework assignments with realistic handwriting. The story is told in a rotating perspective of Sam, Brenton, Kelsey and Judy who are giving statements to the police. Brenton created the computer and the other three use it for their own reasons. Sam uses it to play chess with his father who is serving over seas in Iraq, unfortunatly Sam's father does not make it. Kelsey use it to help keep her grades up which earns her more privlages at home. Judy doesn't like using the machine because it is cheating, but is pressured to succeeed. Eventually these four students with little in common at the beginning of the novel become close by the end of the novel. However, the real problem of the story is the fact that the computer can't be turned off and the evil marketing guy who is stalking them.

My Impression: This is a throw away novel. There is a great deal of wish fufilment in the novel, which is why kids like it. What if there was a machine that would do your homework for you, wouldn't that be great? The device of giving statements to the police is interesting way for the story to unfold and heightens the tension. This is a short novel with uncommon features, so it's a quick quirky read. There is nothing exceptional about it, but if it gets kids reading that's a good thing.

Reviews:
Middle-school morality tale
REVIEW BY JAMES NEAL WEBB
What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? (Do we even have to ask?) That's the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman's entertaining new book for young readers, The Homework Machine.
The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen's class at Grand Canyon School, are as different as any four 11-year-olds could be, but they have one thing in common—all are somewhat isolated from their peers. Sam's a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her grief at losing her father; Judy's righteous sense of indignation constantly irritates others; and Brenton . . . well, he's another story entirely. Brenton is easily the smartest kid in school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are assigned to the same study group by their first-year teacher, the others discover that Brenton has created a time-saving gadget to do his homework for him. While the boy genius is perfectly capable of doing the homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy could use the help.
Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet on a daily basis to "do homework," they find that they're learning a lot—about each other. Such a good thing can't last though, and when a mystery man starts trying to contact them, the kids start to get nervous. Soon there's an even scarier problem—why can't the Homework Machine be turned off?
Told in alternating voices (as all the participants make statements to the Grand Canyon Police), the story unfolds in intriguing fashion. Gutman is a talented writer with dozens of children's books to his credit, and his latest is a funny and thought-provoking tale that should appeal equally to boys and girls. Put it in your lesson plan.

Webb, James. (2006). [Review of The Homework Machine]. Retrieved from http://www.bookpage.com/0604bp/children/homework_machine.html

The Homework Machine
by Dan GutmanSimon and Schuster 2006There's a lot going on in this little book, and a summary would probably take more words than are in the original book.Basically four 5th grade misfits find themselves in a heap of trouble when the nerdiest among them uses his computer mastery to invent -- that's right -- a homework machine capable of scanning an assignment sheet and spitting it out complete with answers that mimic their handwriting. The troubles ought to stem from the homework machine itself, but in the cockeyed world Dan Gutman's created it isn't until the kids panic and destroy the computer by tossing it into the Grand Canyon that they even get caught.Their real troubles come out in the course of things. Snik is the brash loudmouth whose Air Force dad gets deployed to the Middle East. Kelsey lost her dad long ago and has been clamping down on her emotions ever since. Judy's just an effortless brainiac who is longing for something a little more social than hours of homework. And Brenton is the tie-wearing computer whiz who created the homework machine and inadvertently became the coolest kid around by not being cool at all.That four kids with nothing in common but a large dose of distaste for one another find themselves bound together tighter than most life-long friends is part of this book's larger charm. Leave aside the implausibility of a psycho-stalking marketeer looking to exploit the quad's ability to set trends nationwide, or the willful ignorance of their teacher to follow up on her suspicion that the kids might be cheating, and you're left with the kind of fantasy world 5th graders love to delve into. What could be better than thinking you and your friends could build a homework machine? What could be better than thinking the world is full of adults who haven't got a clue?Is this a perfect book? Is this a great work of literature for children? No, it is neither, but it's a lot more entertaining than a lot of what I've been reading lately.It's funny, I've seen some interest in this book by kids but adults who want nothing to do with it once I start in on details. One parent thought it was "dreadful" that a children's book would contain a reference to the current war in the Middle East. Another used the world "distasteful" to describe a book with a main character whose father had died. Almost all thought the idea of the homework machine itself preposterous.Exactly. Adults don't get it and the kids do, which is why I don't think a vast majority of adults should be buying their kids books. Alas, they make the money, they control the purse strings.(On the flip side, I witnessed a mother recently supporting her little Billy as he bought an entire shelf of Deltora titles with the justification that "as long as he's reading, I'm happy." Yeah, and you could feed him nothing but cheese sandwiches three times a day because that's all he likes and just as easily say "as long as he's eating, I'm happy", but that would make you an irresponsible parent. Variety being the spice of life and all, I'd rather a kid read 20 different junk titles and learn how to discern good stories and writing from bad. They become better readers that way, as opposed to intolerant binge readers.)I guess what I enjoyed most about The Homework Machine is that it's the perfect kind of summer read for the 5th grade set when they get tired of Where the Red Fern Grows or wish to shift gears after Number the Stars.

Elzey, David. [Book review of the Homework Machine] Retrieved from http://excelsiorfile.blogspot.com/2007/01/homework-machine.html

Suggestions for Library Use: In a public library setting this book would be a good suggestion for kids who are reluctant to read. However, in a school library setting this book would be good to read to a class over a series of weeks. You can talk about the multiple perspectives and deal with predicting what is going to happen next. Plus if the kids like the book there is a sequel.

Hatchet
by
Gary Paulsen

Plot Summary: Brian Robeson's parents are divorced and he is flying to Canada to visit his father who works in the oil fields. On his flight in a Cessna 406, puddle jumpers my father calls them, the pilot suffers a heart attack and Brian coasts the plane down into a landing. Over the rest of the novel Brian learns to survive in the woods with the help of a hatchet that his mother had given him before he left on the trip. Brian learns to catch fish, he deals with a skunk, he has to learn to make fire and deal with a tornado. Over the fifty-four days he was in the woods, Brian became leaner and was better able to deal with the world around him. Eventually Brian is rescued by another plane.

My Impression: I really enjoyed this novel, it kind of reminded me of 'The Cay.' It's an interesting survival story, because with the exception of the landing of the plane everything is fairly believable. This is confirmed because Gary Paulsen writes in an afterward that he successfully completed everything that Brian does in the novel. The feelings that Brian goes through artfully described and have the right amount of believable agnst. For a fairly insular novel the action is relatable.

Reviews:


A Review of Hatchet
A Newbery Honor Book by Gary Paulsen
© Susan Henderson Apr 4, 2008
Join thirteen year-old Brian Robeson on an adventurous quest to survive a plane crash, the Canadian wilderness and his parents' recent divorce.
Brian Robeson’s life appears to be plagued with one catastrophe after another, beginning with his parents’ recent divorce. As he boards a small plane bound for Canada to spend the summer with his dad, Brian reflects on the tragedies in his past, not realizing that the recent difficulties, as well as those he will soon face, are a small part of his personal journey to healing, acceptance and maturity.
Crashing
When the plane carrying Brian to his father crashes in a Canadian lake, he is the sole survivor. However, Brian’s survival amid the ruins of his parents’ recent divorce remains to be seen. In Hatchet Gary Paulsen spins a tale familiar to many adolescents, that of the pain and confusion stemming from family trauma. Paulsen honestly examines Brian’s anger, depression, guilt and feelings of hopelessness. He vividly portrays the difficulty of living through divorce through Brian’s immediate struggle to survive the Canadian wilderness. As Brian faces challenge after challenge and the ever-constant desire to give up and succumb to pity he finds himself empowered also to deal with his family burdens.
Survivor
Readers will find Brian Robeson to be a somewhat sullen, confused, and slightly immature young man in the opening pages of Hatchet. As they are invited to know Brian more intimately through his mental and physical struggles in the wilderness they will befriend him and root for him as he makes the transformation from victim to survivor. His character is well-developed, honest and believable. Readers who have experienced divorce will identify with Brian on every level.
The Hatchet
His mother’s parting gift before he boarded the plane, the small hatchet survives the crash with Brian. It immediately becomes his instrument of survival and eventually his beloved friend. The hatchet represents Brian’s hope. For readers it symbolizes the element in every crisis which helps us to go on when giving up seems so much easier.

Henderson, Susan [Review of Hatchet] Retrieved from http://childrensbooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_review_of_hatchet

Hatchet Book Review
Published by 123654789, March 4, 2009
It has a great amount of intellectual value as well as being a great book to read for fun. I recommend this book to any one who likes a good book and can read.
Brian Robeson is stuck in the middle of his parents’ divorce when something terrible happens to him. He is flying north to see his father in the oil fields in Canada when the pilot has a heart attack and dies. Brian, who is sitting in the copilot seat, tries to take control of the plane and land. The plane crashes into a lake and Brian survives, but now he is stuck in the Canadian wilderness with only the clothes
on his back and a hatchet. Will he survive long enough to be rescued or will the wilderness claim another soul?
Hatchet is a very captivating story about the physical and mental obstacles that Brian has to overcome to survive the Canadian wilderness. In this classic story of survival, the author did a very good job in keeping the reader interested the entire time. The author also did a very good job of captivating the reader to make it feel as if they were in Brian’s situation and felt the same emotions as he did. The author’s writing style and the way the author made the most trivial things in the book so suspenseful was very unique. The best part in the book is the ending. It has a great ending that will satisfy even the most particular readers.
Hatchet is a great classical tale that has the perfect combination of mental and physical obstacles for Brian to overcome. It has a great amount of intellectual value as well as being a great book to read for fun. I recommend this book to any one who likes a good book and can read.

[Review of Hatchet] Retrieved from http://bookstove.com/book-talk/hatchet-book-review/

Suggestions for Library Use: This book would be useful for a wilderness theme, Gary Paulsen theme or a survival theme. The librarian could suggest Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and the movie Castaway for patrons who enjoyed the book.