Independent+reading+assignment

**Independent Reading Project**
By Dana Reinhardt [|Teen Reads]
 * The Things A Brother Knows**

Interactive Reading Log

 * DATE || **SUMMARY** || **INTERACTION** ||
 * 10-9-10 || Levi introduces himself and his family. In his family there is Abba(Dad), Mom, Boaz, and Dov. He next introduces his best friends, Pearl and Zim. Levi tells them that Boaz is in the Marine's and has been released and is coming home today. Boaz arrives and they have their first family dinner in a while. Boaz barely says a word or looks at anyone of the family members. Once dinner is over he goes up to his room where he stays for days and Levi over hears him at night crying and the noise you hear when you type something in real fast. Any time some one wants him to open the door he says he is sleeping or doing something, and when he does open the door, he only opens it a little bit where you can see some of the contents of his room. Levi talks to his friends and family members about Boaz not coming out of his room, and they say he just needs time to readjust to things. Mean while at school everyone is giving Levi recognition about his brother coming home and how he served his country proud. Boaz's ex-girlfriend(Christina Crowley)comes to visit him and he says he wouldn't like to see her. Boaz borrows Levi's labtop and Levi checks to see what has Boaz been doing with his time and finds out that he has been searching for maps and veterans and where they are located now. || I can't belive that a grown woman still belives in superstitions. I wonder why Boaz came up with the idea to join the Marines in the first place. I felt sad when Levi said "I used to love my brother now I'm not sure". I dislike that Levi and Boaz's mom's name is not given. ||
 * 10-16-10 || Levi starts running many miles a day. Boaz is still finding maps and is now printing things out. Levi and Abba make a fence together that was knocked down by a storm. Zim and Pearl ask about what websites Boaz has been visting. Levi goes to visit Dov to see if he honestly thinks that Boaz is healthy and Dov tells Levi the same thing everyone else tells him to just give him time to get back to normal. Boaz announces that he will make a hike to the Appalachian Trails. Mom instantly goes to buy all things he might need like sleeping bag, high-tect tent,backpack, two guide books for the trail,one with foldout maps, and three pais of hiking boots. The Katznelson family has a huge dinner together the night before Boaz leaves on his trip and its has all sorts of foods and many different wines.The family then goes to bed and trys to sleep before Boaz leaves in the morning and has barely spent anytime at home. || This section makes me think about how going into the army changed my cousin Derrick, he used to goof off alot, but now he's way more serious. I think the setting of the Katznelson's house is Important because it's where the first conflict starts between Boaz and Levi. The part where Zim and Levi battle over the job is very realistic. I want to know more about why Levi got the job over Zim, ||
 * 10-30-10 || Levi woke up the minute that the door shut indicating that Boaz had left and is now gone. Levi remembers all the roads Boaz has to go through to get out of the neighborhood, Levi runs outside and Boaz is nearly around the corner and he ponders what should he do wave, yell his name, duck and not be seen, But he can't work up the courage to say anything. Levi spends the whole next day moping around at his job videorama.Levi begins to go see Pearl at her job daily on his lunch break. Pearl and Levi go to see Loren which was one of the veterans Boaz found on one of the websites and try to find out where Boaz is and if he's been here yet or if he already left. Loren seems nice at first but then he starts insulting girls and how they always leave the guy they are dating when he goes into a service and it's always the same case that the girl left him for some other guy.They found out that Boaz has already come and gone. They then leave disappointed and return home.The next day Levi tells his mom he is going to meet Boaz on the trail and spend some time with him and bond, little does she know that Levi is unsure where Boaz even is located at the time This trip Zim comes along with Levi and Pearl and on the way there she would like to know what materials he brought for the trip and he tells her five t-shirts, a pair of running shoes, a fleece jacket, a poncho, six boxers, five pairs of socks, cargo shorts, and some cargo pants, a ziplock bag,and four granola bars, and of course his cell phone and his charger.Also all the maps Boaz printed out and left and many different citys are on the maps.At about twenty miles where they think Boaz might be walking they get on and starting walking on the walking trail which is on the other side of the real road.After about a hour of looking they give in and come back to the car and check into the hotel they made resirvations at.Levi is upset and so he does what he usaually does when he is upset or angry and goes out for a run and after running where many stores are located he see's a restaurant that has a familar smell he walks inside with no wallet, or cash on him.When he walks in he finds his brother in the most unlikely place, eating.Levi sit's down and he calls his brother a a **hole and then runs out and goes to sit outside and try's to relax.When Levi returns back inside and tells his brother he isn't going anywhere.** || The character reminds me of someone I know because you can sit there and yell at my grandfather and he won't hear you at all. I don't understand the part how the Marines change you into someone you weren't before you left. I think that Levi is upset when he finds out details about Boaz that Loren knows that he didn't know himself. ||
 * 11-6-10 || Boaz then finishes his meal and pays and attempts to go to his hotel room himself and Levi begins to follow.Boaz begins jogging out of the restaurant and shouts at Levi to go away and Levi tells him not a chance,Boaz then begins to sprint to his hotel and up a flight of stairs and reaches for his key and unlocks the door and sticks one of his feet in the door to keep it from locking again and grabs Levi by the neck and yells in his ear get the f* out of here and throws him to floor and slams the door behind him.Levi then returns to their hotel and find Pearl and Zim passed out on the beds.Pearl is a easy sleeper and wakes up when Levi closes the door,they talk about what all went down with Boaz and himself.Levi and Pearl have a conversation about what think that Boaz will do next and where he might go.They go see a movie to get their minds off the whole Boaz thing.Then Pearl and Zim drive Levi to where they think Boaz will be next which is a mom of someone in the Marines presently and drop him off due to the fact they both have work tomorrow.The mom answers the door and mistakes Levi for Boaz and takes his stuff and puts his stuff in the room after he explains that he is meeting his brother here.They sit down to eat and get something to drink and Boaz tells Levi he's persistent and then Boaz asks him what do you want.Levi tells him he wants everything the way it was three years ago,How they used to hang out and do stuff together.After they get done eating dinner they make their way up to bed where Levi, Boaz, and the mom of the soldier pray for his safety.Boaz wakes up by tripping and wakes up Levi by doing this and it looks as if Boaz plans on leaving Levi but he hops up and says he is ready to go and they began their long walk to their next spot on the map.After four hours of walking Boaz and Levi stop to eat and then resume their walk to their unknown destination.For two days they done nothing but walk,and don;t speak to each other much.When Boaz is in the bathroom Levi tries to figure out what is going on in the Washinton D.C. which is now known as one of the places they will be going to next and neither Pearl or Levi find any major things that are going on there.While Boaz and Levi are walking,Boaz jumps down to the ground when a truck is coming by.Levi comes to check out Boaz and asking if the truck hit him or whats wrong and he replies its "mother board".Pearl calls Levi when she finds new emerging facts about what is happing recently in D.C. and the only thing that seems to make sense is a support rally for the troops.Levi then finds out where they are going next and the adress is 314 Olive Street,Riverside,New Jersey.We then arrive at the house owned by Paul Bucknell, and he grabs Boaz and introduces him to the people that are at the gathering.They soon find out that the Party is a BBQ and everyone then begins eating.Levi grabs his plate and goes and sits down by a tree and starts eating.Then a girl named Celine rides her bike up to the party and hugs Paul which I soon learn is her father.Levi seems to be staring at her and she notices and they then begin to talk and become instant friends.They share one common thing both their brothers were in the Marines.They start to talk how their brothers changed when they returned from their service and both of the brother share one thing they don't act the same as they did before.Levi and Boaz soon go to bed for the night,and in the middle of the night Levi is awaken by the noise of Boaz screaming and laying on the floor.Levi jumps down to see whats wrong and Boaz pins Levi down and Levi hits his head on the floor in the process when he is trying to shake him out of it.When Levi comes to he asks Boaz what the hell?Boaz tells Levi that he was dreaming and then Boaz comforts Levi by asking him if he is okay or not when Levi is all better they go back to bed.Levi wakes up at 6:30 and goes out the door to call Christina to see if she knows anything about Boaz and her meeting again anytime soon,but this question is shot down and this reason to walk to D.C. is eliminated out of the possible choices.When Levi walks into to the kitchen he finds Boaz and Paul eating breakfast,and then Celine comes down the stairs to join them,Celine then tells paul that she would like to do something crazy and walk there today and after a discussion he approves.Levi tells her what to bring on the ten mile walk.Then since Boaz,Levi,and Celine are all going in the same direction she asks if she can tag along with them and Boaz and Paul both approve.They soon begin the long walk and Levi and Celine start asking each other if either of their brothers tells them anything about the war over there,and they come to the conclusion that the two brothers never say really anything about what goes down there.They soon reach a town and stop to get a bite to eat.When they finish eating Levi drops Celine off at her mom's house and she puts her number in his phone.They then resume the long walk to their destination. || I predict that the brother's will come closer together than they have ever been before when the walk is over. My favorie character is Levi Katznelson because he is persistent and keeps following his brother no matter how mean he is to him. I was surprised when Boaz Katznelson throws Levi down when he follows him to his hotel from the Chinese Restaurant. I like this reading because it's very easy to understand who is talking at certain moments in time while in other books I have to go back and read it again to see whose talking. ||
 * 11-29-2010 || [[file:The_Things_A_Brother_Knows.ppt]] ||  ||