New Surprises

What's New

Rooster Jim, one of Hattie's neighbors gave her some hen so she could have fresh eggs each morning. Other neighbor: Leafie, took Hattie to visit Mabel and her family. Mabel had a son who was named Elmer, her husband was also named as their son. People took Mabel's husband to jail because of not signing up to war, and when Elmer Jr. tried to save his father, he got a broken arm. Perilee's baby was born, she was a girl and was named Lottie.

Lots of things happened

Hidden Messages in the Book

"I wish you could see my fields. I never knew green could be so beautiful-but then I've never had a farm of my own before. Rooster Jim says all portents point to a good harvest. I certainly hope so; my meager budget can't stand much more of a diet"(Larson 179). The first time you make something, you are amazed. Hattie is really proud about her fields and she really does deserve a reward because she has put lots of effort into her farm.

"I'd been inspired after reading a particularly gruesome report  about Hun atrocities. Every man must do his duty, I'd written. What is the small sacrifice of leaving one's family? Think of those Belgian babies and starving Frenchmen. It seemed so easy to tell nemeless, faceless men to march off to war. But to tell Elmer Ren, with a sick qife and too many children and his life tied up in 320 acres of Montena prairie, that he must leave all behind... that was a different story" (Larson186). It is very easy to say or think something you don't know about. When you face things that are difficult, your opinion changes.

What I Learned

First times are always exiting when you are doing the right thing.  Hattie obviously was happy because she was finally getting a home of her own. This was very significant because Hattie could finally follow her dreams. The objective of arriving to Wolf Point, Montana was to have a stable life. I guess that Hattie will acophlish what she wants.

Hattie is finally getting  a home of her own!

Bittersweet Moments

What's New

 Hattie was trying to finish planting in her farm, and she did it! She kept sending cards to her uncle Holt and he told her in a card that one friend of him wanted to publish her letters and pay her. One day, she went to visit Perilee and she smelled something burning. It was her neighbors barn (Perilee's). Karl and Chase managed to save their horses, but could not save the cows. Hattie gave them Violet, her cow. She went to church with Perilee after taking care for the baby (Perilee was pregnant). Then, she went to town and shopped for supplies, she found out that her real uncle had left her fencing materials that costed 200 dollars and forgot to pay them.

How will Hattie pay

Hidden Messages in the Book

"'One hundred and twenty dollars!' I reached my arms to that vast blue sky. 'Thank you, Lord, for your mysterious ways!'" (Larson 122). Hattie is very humble and thankful. She was going toreceive this money for her letters to uncle Holt. Each time she wrote a letter, she earned 15 dollars.

"That and boots would only take $7 of my stash. 'I'll make do with these old boots. Then I can get Perilee that old rocker.'" (Larson 123). Hattie was really kind she gave up her boots so she could buy Perilee a new rocker. Since Karl's wife was pregnant, she needed a rocker that they could not afford and Hattie decided to buy it for them.

What I Learned

Hattie was mistreated by Aunt Ivy. She treats everyone well. She is very humble and helpful. In Montana, her village, she is loved by all of her neighbors because of her attitude. It is good for people to have a nice attitude towards others. I am curious about how will Hattie pay what his uncle gave her?

Adapting to a New Life

What's New

The wolf could not catch Violet. Perilee's husband, Karl had to register as an alien enemy only because he was born in Germany. After that, there where lots of  storm days. One day, Plug (her horse) came with Perilee's children who got lost with the storm when they where returning home from school. Hattie made them stay for the night. Some days later, winter ended and Hattie started to plant. The kids started to visit her a lot. One day, Hattie saw the kids return from school but some other boys where throwing rocks at them because Karl had given them a German fairytale from her mother; when the other kids found out they bothered them saying that German books where not allowed at school. Hattie stopped the bullies. Hattie went to church to a knitting group. When she returned, someone had left a card telling her if she wanted to link to an anti-german group.

Who gave this message to Hattie?

Hidden Messages in the Book

"It was a broadside of sorts. Join the Montana Loyalty League, it read. It hunts home huns, checks class conflicts, promotes pure patriotism. Membership free to all Loyal Montana men, women, and children" (Larson 111-112). Huns are Germans in the book. This quote shows that not only in Germany Jewish people where discriminated, but in the U.S all kinds of German people where mistreated. Karl was German, but he was only born there and did not hate Jewish people, any ways, he had to go and registrate as an alien enemy. Karl's children in-law are being bullied at school because of their Mother's husband.

"'It belonged to Karl's mother,' said Chase as we climbed the steps to my front door. 'Old fairy tales.'
'And Lon threw it-' Mattie held her own nose and covered her doll's. 'In the necessary.' 
I ladled warm water from the reservoir on the stove into an enamelware bowl, soaked a rag, wrung it out, and handed it to Chase. He gently dabbed at his face.
'Why?' I asked.
'They say it's against the law to have German books.'" (Larson 103). People where mean to each other during war. Even children from the two fighting countries where rude to each other. Chase and Mattie (Perilee's and Karl's children) where not really German, but their father-s in-law nationality made them have a hard time at school. Karl was a really kind man.

What I Learned

This part of the book made me be sad about Perilee's family. People should not judge Karl by his nationality because he was a very good person. No one should be bullied. This children where also very kind and cute and did not deserve to be mistreated.

A Great Opportunity at the Perfect Time

What's New

Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson
Hattie is 16 years old and has no parents. Since they died when she was a toddler, she has been living with different relatives or friends of relatives that treat her as a housemaid. The house she was living at her l6 was from "Aunt" Ivy and "Uncle" Holt, they where not really family. One day she received a message from her real uncle offering her a house of her own, a farm, a horse and a cow, she accepted the offer. She went in a train to her new house and when she arrived, Perilee and her family ( Friends of her uncle) took her to her new house. Lots of days after Hattie had settled, a wolf tried to eat Violet, the cow, Hattie tried to throw rocks to the wolf and...

Hattie had an opportunity she never dreamed of, she must feel very happy

Hidden Messages Inside the Book

"I was thirteen when Aunt Ivy took me in. She's really no aunt at all; Uncle Holt's a distant cousin. She couldn't resist the opportunity to do her Christian duty. Nor could she resist the opportunity to remind me every single day that I had nothing and no one" (Larson 7). Religious people are not always kind. On one halloween, my brother and sister went trick or treating. They knocked on the door of a neighboor who was super religious, and when she opened, she started yelling an my mom that whitches existed and that halloween was a horrible night when no one should go out; that scared my sister who was 6 years old and my brother who was 2. She was really mean.

Both Ivy and my neighbor where really maleficent woman

"Uncle Holt favored newspapers. He was the one who'd first warned about war in Europe. Said any fool could see it coming if he paid attention" (Larson 7). The author wants to show us that reading can make us aware of many things. It can entertain, inform, and more.

This is what the author wants us to do

"Perilee was what Aunt Ivy would've called plain. Her long nose sat at odds with round face. Rusty brown hair scrambled every which way on her head, and she walked withan ungraceful limp. No, Perilee would not turn heads. But when she smiled a welcome to me, I hought her an equal to Bebe Daniels, my favorite film star"  (Larson 20-21). The message in this quote is don't judge people by how they look. Perilee was not so nice on the outside, but she was a really humble and caring person.

What I Learned

This book has been really interesting until now. My prediction is that Hattie will hit the wolf with the rock and make problems bigger. One question I have is: Why hasn't Hatties real uncle go to greet her? I hope the book keeps going on like this because it is very entertaining. I like the way the author describes Hattie's new way of living.

People are Very Different from How You Think They are

What's New

By analyzing all of the clues, Nayir and Katya found out that Othman was the father of Nouf's baby. Nayir went to talk with Othman and asked him lots of questions; finally, Nayir came to the conclusion that Othman did not Kill Nouf. Going throught the Shrawi property, Nayir found all of Nouf's gems hidden. Nouf did not take all of her treasures when she was going to leave. Someone hid them. Nayir realized that Abir hid the gems and Killed Nouf. At the end, Katya and Nayir became great friends.

How I felt when I discovered that there where many people in Nouf's family who caused her death

Hidden Messages Inside the Book

" 'I found the baby's father' she said. He couldn't help it - he looked. The expression on her face told him everything. Othman" (Ferraris 259). Sometimes, the people you trust in can be really liars. Katya loved Othman, and sadly he was really an infidel. Katya was going to marry Othman, but luckly, she found out the truth about her fiance. It must be very hard for her to overcome this situation. Othman had a very mean behavior and didn't think about how it could affect Katya.

How could Othman be so mean

"You know what's funny? My father didn't want me to marry Othman" (Ferraris 260). Katya's father somehow predicted that Othman was not going to be a good husband. If Katya would have been obedient, maybe she would not have been traspassing this consequences. I am sure this is a really big suffering. By this quote, the author wants to show us that parent's advices are the best.

Why didn't Katya follow his dad's wills

What I learned

This book ended in a really surprising way. The mistery of Nouf got solved. Something that left me with a doubt is: Do people in Muslim families marry their siblings? because Othman was the father of his sister's baby. Other question I have is: at what ages do girls marry in muslim culture? because Nouf was getting married at the age of 15. This book was really impacting and full of surprises.

Nothing is What it Seems

What's New 

Katya tested Muhammed's and Eric's DNA. No one matched with the father of Nouf's baby. Katya told Othman and he told her to stop investigating because she could loose her job.  She started to get involved in the case so she investigated without Othman's permission. Nayir and Katya found clues in a abandoned zoo, Nouf had been there. Then, in a beach, Nayir found where Nouf hid the things with which she escaped. There was a diary in which she wrote about a man that she was in love with, but she never wrote his name. There was also a bicicle, a map, and more. Nayir decided to take the foot print examiner, Multaq to the zoo and the hiding place.

Hidden Messages Inside the Book

"She hadn't taken the time to look at the printouts, and now it was bothering her. Had either DNA been a match for Nouf's baby? She would have to wait until she got home to find out" (Ferraris 186).
Sometimes, you need to have patience in order to discover things. This quote teaches us that sometimes, there are things you want to find out but you have to wait in order to see them. Katya was probably very impatient because she wanted to solve the mistery. This parts of the book have a very strong message.

How Katya felt when she knew she had to wait a lot.

" 'I've got to meet with Othman briefly. It's about his sister.' Abu eyed her dangerously. 'Why can't you just call him?' 'It's not something I want to tell him on the phone.' " (Ferraris 186). There are some things you have to say face to face and not in the phone. Family issues are very serious. Phone calls are not so formal. It is more respectful to talk about serious things with responsability.

What I Learned

Lots of information was gained during this chapters. Somethings I am curious about are:  will something surprising be discovered? I also want to know if the mistery will get solved or if it will let us with suspence. The book is getting really interesting. The characters are getting closer and closer to their objective which is  to find an answer to Nouf's dissapearance.

With Group Work, Everything is Better

What's New

Nayir and Katya got together to solve the case. The both of them tried to find Eric and find out new things. Finally, Nayir find's where Eric is living and talks with him, he says that he has nothing to do with her baby, or her death. Meanwhile, Katya went to visit his fiance's sisters. She went to Nouf's room secretly and inspected it. She found lots of things, and then, Abir, Nouf's sister arrived. She gave Katya a tour throught Nouf's room.

Hidden Messages Inside the Book

"FOLLOWING MISS HIJAZI'S TOYOTA, Nayir wondered what sort of parents she had who would allow her to work in a mixed environment" (Ferraris 135). By "mixed environment" Nayir meant working with men and woman. He is very strict in his religion. Nayir thinks that woman can't do the same things as men. In the whole world, now woman are seen as equals, and there are very few places in which woman are treated as inferiors.

"every Bedouin in creation prided himself on his superior ability to see anything" (Ferraris 145). People think about themselves differently than they really are. Most of the times they don't admit their errors. Nayir thought he had a perfect vision because he was a bedouin but he really had not. People have to accept what they are.

People don't have to pretend being someone else

What I Learned

This part of the story is really important to solve Nouf's case. I believe that really soon answers will start arriving. I infeer that the answers are closer than they think. Nayir and Katya are doing a great investigation process. This book is starting to get interesting.