The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Hans Hubermann is a very kind man and always puts others before himself.  This story takes place during the time of the Holocaust, so life was hard for many people.  However, Hans was always there for the people in need of help.   

1. He comforts Liesel when she has bad dreams.

2. He teaches her how to read and write.

3. He keeps it a secret when Liesel steals a book.

4. He repaints an old, Jewish friend's storefront, which has been violated by the Nazis. 

5. He houses a Jewish man, even though he could get in big trouble for it.

6. He paints peoples' houses for practically nothing.  

Supporting Quotes...

1. "Possibly the only good to come out of these nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa, into the room, to soothe her, to love her.  He came in every night and sat with her."

2. "At home, she was well into reading The Grave Digger's Handbook with papa.  They would circle the words she couldn't understand and take them down to the basement the next day."

3. "Papa placed his arm around her and walked her on.  "This is our secret, this book.  We'll read it at night in the basement, just like the others." he told Liesel."

4. ""Do you need some help?" Hans asked.  Mr. Kleinmann looked up, "No Hans.  Please.  Go away." Hans had painted Joel Kleinmann's house the previous year.  "I will come tomorrow," he said, "and repaint your door.""

5. "Downstairs, Hans and Max placed the mattress beneath the steps and built a wall of drop sheets at the side.  Papa apologized, "It's quite pathetic, I realize that." Max assured him, "Better than I deserve, thank you.""

6. "When the next morning dawned, there he was, painting those blinds for nothing, or for a cookie or a warm cup of tea."     

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls

    When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, is a passionate memoir about the author's challenging life growing up.  Jeannette Walls had a very interesting, yet complicated childhood.  Her parents had financial issues ever since she was little, so Jeannette, her parents, and her siblings, Brian, Lori, and Maureen, were constantly on the move to avoid the unpayed bills that piled up month after month.  As a kid, Jeannette faced many obstacales like moving to different places all the time, experiencing break-ins, and coping with an alcholic in her family, but she was brave and always able to pull through.

    At the beginning of the book, when Jeannette was only three years old, she caught on fire while boiling hotdogs and was taken to the hospital.  The doctors said she was lucky to be alive, but they had to make a skin graft.  After only six weeks, her father took her from the hospital and brought her back to the trailer park.  Then just a few days later, Jeannette went back to boiling hotdogs.  She even began to grow an interest in fire.  In the book, she said, "I became fascinated with it.  Dad also thought I should face my own enemy, and he showed me how to pass my finger through a candle flame."  Even after Jeannette had been severely burned, she decided to go back and confront what had harmed her.  
    In another part of the book, Jeannette's bravery was portrayed when an intruder entered their house in Phoenix one night.  Jeannette kicked and punched at him, chasing him off...but she didn't stop there.  In the book, it states, "Brian and I grabbed a hatchet and ran after the man until he disappeared around the block." She was just ten years old at the time.  Her father was not home yet and her mother didn't even wake up, so she had to deal with it on her own.  And she did, successfully.
    Finally, Jeannette had to live with her father being an alcoholic.  Every night, he would stay out late drinking at the town's local bar and wouldn't arrive home until early in the morning.  When he was home, he would usually be in a bad mood and take it out on the rest of the family.  One Christmas when Jeannette's father was drunk, they were kicked out of Church.  In the book, she said, "Back at home, dad thrust his lighter into the Douglas fir.  The dried-out needles caught fire immediately.  Flames leaped through the branches with a crackling noise.  Christmas ornaments exploded from the heat." Christmas is supposed to be a happy time for kids to enjoy, but Jeannette never got the chance to experience that.  She just had to deal with it and move on.  These were the kinds of extreme events Jeannette had to endure, this and much more.
    Although life was tough for Jeannette Walls, she proved time and again that she was a true survivor and could overcome adversity.  She had a very hard childhood.  Along with the severe injuries, house intruders, and drunken father, she had to get accustomed to moving from place to place often.  Just when she'd thought she'd settled for good, Jeannette would find herself having to pack up her stuff again and start over somewhere new.  In the real world, these issues do happen, in fact, they can happen to lots of people.  It's not easy to go through.  You have to be very brave, like Jeannette.
       

  

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story that takes place in America in the 1920's.  It's about a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby and his love for a beautiful, young woman named Daisy.  However, when Gatsby went to war, he and Daisy eventually lost touch and by the time he returned, she had already married another man by the name of Tom Buchanan.  When Daisy's cousin Nick comes to visit, he and Gatsby become quite close and Nick learns that before Gatsby joined the war, he and Daisy had been in a relationship and that he is still in love with her.  Throughout the book, Gatsby tries finding ways to get closer to Daisy and win back her love.
    For example, When Gastby got back from the war, he found out where Daisy was living and bought a house right across the bay from her.  It was a grand, expensive house, more like a mansion.  He didn't care how expensive it was though, as long as he was near her.  Then, every night, he would look across the water at a little green light hanging on the dock in front of her house and reach out to it.  At one point in the book, Nick is having a conversation with Daisy's friend, Jordon, and Jordon says, "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay." Gatsby thought that if he lived fairly close to Daisy, maybe they would "coincidentally" meet up and he would have another chance with her.
    Another example of how Gatsby hoped he would cross paths with Daisy  was by always throwing huge parties at his house every night.  People from all over the city would come, uninvited, to his house and party all night long.  Nobody knew why he did this, but that didn't matter to them.  Although, there was a reason that he did this.  Jordon had told Nick, "I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night." So every night, Gatsby's house would be filled with noisy strangers, loud music, and bright lights just to get one girl's attention.  All he wanted was for Daisy to walk through those doors, that's all he ever wanted.  He did everything he did and spent all his money just so that she would notice and go back to him.
    Finally, Gatsby decided to invite Daisy to tea... through Nick.  They also agreed to have it at Nick's house since Daisy would be more comfortable there, so Gatsby started going crazy making sure the lawn was perfectly trimmed, and decorating the house with dozens of flowers and fancy vases.  He even orded a green-house to put in the yard.  Once Gatsby and all his servants had finished decorating, Gatsby said nervously, "Is everything all right?" He was pale, and there were dark signs of sleeplessness beneath his eyes.  He was so desperate to impress Daisy with all the flowers and frilly decor.  He wanted everything to be absolutely amazing for when she came. 
    Overall, this really shows that Gatsby cares about Daisy and how much he wants her to come back to him.  He's willing to do so much for her, just to get the chance to see her and talk to her like they used to.  Gatsby wants to impress her and make her happy.  He wants her to love him again.