Thursday, August 12, 2010
Group D Golden Lines
Golden Lines "Golden lines" are powerful quotes that automatically provide interesting discussion material. Many students find it much easier to select something the author said than to come up with their own reactions. Therefore, Golden Lines are an easy and effective strategy for gathering information to discuss.Post your Golden Lines for the Cryptid Files to invite discussion.Please respond to each others' golden lines entry.
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I love this book and was totally hooked from the start. One of the first quotes that stuck out to me as I read was in the first chapter on the last page, last paragaph. "It started first as a flutter in the pit of her stomach that spread slowly out as a tingle, travelling through every nerve fiber and right to her very fingertips. It happened once or twice before in the last couple of years. She could feel her mum's presence. She was there with her in that small, bleak attic. It was then that she knew with certainty that she would find what she was looking for."
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, I knew right away that VAnessa was still struggling with the passing of her mother and would find an eternal connection to her mom through the research and information she would gain from her discovery. I felt it was a great way to close the first chapter and set up the connection and desire that fuels her throughout the story. From this point I predicted that it would not jusy be about her quest for the truth about the Loch Ness Monster, but more about keeping her mother alive within her.
That quote stuck out in my mind too. It struck me and gave me a such a vivid picture in my mind. I completely agreed with your prediction after I read that first chapter. At first I thought the book was going to be soley based on Vanessa's search for Nessie, but after that I was assured the book would be so much more. The idea of picking up where her mother left behind in your search to uncover Nessie was a great way for Vanessa to try and keep the memory of her mother alive and in the end she succeeded in so many ways.
ReplyDelete-Janice
That was a beautifully written line. I think the author did a wonderful job with imagery and metaphors -the story really was so much more than just the quest for a mysterious creature - it was a life journey for a girl who needed comfort for a piece of her life that was stolen from her. I thought the experience in the water with the monster was really an experience with her mother - her mother was telling Vanessa that everything was going to be okay, she could be at peace now with her mother's passing and go on living her life - and even that Lee was okay to be trusted with her feelings.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with Sylvia in that the experience with Nessie in the water was in a way an experience with her mother. I also think perhaps the glowing light that she obtained from eating the green moss to have her interactions with Nessie could have in a way been her mother shining down on her and it being her acceptance that she was proud of Vanessa and in her journey of trying to finish what she had wanted to years before, uncover Nessie.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book too!!! – A mystery combined with fictional character Vanessa’s life story! I wonder when the next book in the Cryptid File Series will come out! Heather, the quote that you chose is one that I marked in my book as a Golden Line too! It is very well written and serves as a departure point for the story. As you all mentioned, this quote not only shows that the book will reveal Vanessa’s journey to find Loch Ness, but it also that she will to come to peace with her mother’s death.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in Jacobs & Tunnell’s Children’s Literature Briefly, “quality writing shows the reader what is happening by providing enough sensory detail to allow readers to make personal discoveries and to come to personal conclusions.” (p. 19) There are so many Golden Lines from this book that could be used to show students how to describe actions and feelings instead of just telling them. A section of Golden Lines that stood out to me was the section from page 8-9. It begins with the quote, “Life without adventure is no life at all.” I really liked how Flitcroft described Vanessa’s mother. The description of the antique world map really shows readers that Vanessa is just as passionate about traveling the world and making discoveries as her mother was. Another golden line from that page is: “There’s nothing like an imagination to get you through life.” (p. 9) I think that having a sense of imagination is important in all fields because being creative and thinking positively is very useful in achieving success.
As I mentioned in my response to Janice’s connection, one of my favorite powerful quotes was from Lee’s diary where she wrote, “People often say that ‘life goes on,’ but it didn’t for me. For me, it stopped in its tracks. It didn’t teeter and fall, or wobble and slow, it just stopped dead. The days went on, sure, but not my life.” (p. 161)
I love the golden line you picked about "Life without adventure is no life at all." When I read that quote, it stayed with me throughout the reading on the entire story. Vanessa's mother's life seemed to be nothing without adventure and Vanessa continued her adventure in her search of Nessie. I think the part about the map definitely showed Vanessa's passion for travel. During the story, Vanessa was always all about the travel and adventure. THe excitement she felt when she found out her family was going to Scotland, the drive and want to venture out to the Loch in search of Nessie, and of course her adventure with Nessie. Thanks for pointing that out Jessica. Great golden line.
ReplyDelete-Janice