Chapter Twenty-eight

No question, but please go back and reread the very first chapter of the book before Monday.  I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Do you think Brady was a guilty as J.T. and Digger?  Do you think J.T. was as guilty as Digger?  What did you think of the severity of their punishment?  Too lenient?  Too harsh?  Fair?

Chapter Twenty-six

Besides what he already began to say, what do you expect to hear from Digger when he testifies?

Chapter Twenty-six

Even though he's been friends with both of them for a long time, Brady now seems more sympathetic toward J.T. than Digger.  Do you agree?  If so, why do you think that is?

Chapter Twenty-five

Near the end of this chapter, Brady second guesses about what he should have done with the money he earned from Mrs. DiAngelo.  What do you think about his choice?

Chapter Twenty-five

In this chapter (page 183) Brady wonders why J.T. nodded at him in the courtroom.  "Was he glad I'd spoken up?  Relieved?"  What do you think the nod meant?

Chapter Twenty-four

Try to put yourself in his shoes: What do you think Brady is thinking right about now?  Do you think he's still comfortable with his decision to come clean?

Chapter Twenty-three

Try to put yourself in his shoes: What do you think Brady's dad is thinking right about now?

Chapter Twenty-two

The conversation between Brady and his father seems to signal a turning point in this story and in Brady's thinking.  What do you think were the most important things his father said to him?  What do you think Brady's next moves are?

Chapter Twenty-one

As Brady and his mom grow closer through their first-ever conversation about Amanda's death, his internal conflict seems to be eating away at him more fiercely than ever since Ben's death.  How can he come to terms with this?

I forgot to remind you...

Tomorrow is a swimming day.  Please be prepared and please spread the word.

Chapter Twenty

Why do you think Brady decided to throw the drill into the river?  Please be specific and elaborate on your reasons.

How do you feel about his choice?

Chapter Nineteen

Toward the end of this chapter, on pages 141-143, Brady reminisces about his friendships with J.T. and Digger.  Please reread this part and tell whether this changes your feelings at all about what Brady should do.

Chapter Eighteen

This chapter doesn't really lend itself to any new questions, but please go back to the last few chapter posts to review and respond to comments others have made.

Chapter Seventeen

What do you think about the possibility of Brady and J.T. truly being friends again?

Chapter Sixteen

What do you make of Brady's strange behavior toward Mrs. DiAngelo near the end of this chapter?  And what do you think he meant when he thought, "And I was beginning to wonder about something else?" (p. 120)

Chapter Sixteen

What do you think Brady should do with the drill and why?

Chapter Fifteen

Do you agree with Digger that Brady is just as culpable (not giving you the definition for this one :-)) as he and J.T. are?

Chapter Fourteen

Wow!  What do you think will happen next?  What do you expect when Brady confronts Digger?

Chapter Thirteen

How did you react when you read this chapter?  Now what are you thinking?

Chapter Twelve

This chapter seemed very melancholy (a gloomy state of mind, esp. when habitual or prolonged) to me.  Is there a certain line or two, or maybe a paragraph, that really affected the mood of the story for you?  Please share.

Chapter Eleven

The death of Brady's sister, Amanda, continues to haunt him, especially now after Ben's death.  Why do you think his family can't seem to talk about Amanda, as if she never existed?  Why do you think they did not allow Brady to attend her funeral?  How do you think these things are impacting the way he deals with his current situation?

Thanks for the editing, Kassie.  I changed it.  :-)

Chapter Ten

"I stood there wondering: Why would J.T. lie to me?  And why would Digger not even want to talk to me?" (p. 69)


What are your thoughts about this situation?  What should Brady think or do?

Chapter Nine

Do you think Brady is being too hard on himself, as if he's partly to blame for Ben's death?  Please explain why you think he's acting the way he is.

Chapter Eight

Please reread the last paragraph of this chapter and try to describe the feelings or thoughts you had when you read it for the first time.

Chapter Seven

While the rest of his school lauds (laud: verb 1. to praise; extol) him, J.T. and Digger avoided and ignored Brady.  Why, do you think?

Chapter Six

What more do you think we learn about Brady based on the way he handles his new status of "hero?"

Chapter Five

As a reader, when Brady dropped his phone into the water, I thought to myself, "Uh oh!  What will his father think when he doesn't hear from Brady?"  Did you have any thoughts like this when you were worried or concerned in this chapter?

Chapters 1-4

Based on what you know so far, how would you characterize each of the three boys -- Brady, Digger, and J.T. -- in the story?

Chapters 1-4

Do you have any theories about what happened to the DiAngelos' kayak?

Closure

So sorry this is late -- my time got hijacked immediately after school and I just finished portfolio conferences for the afternoon.

Anyway, before you read the final two chapters, please make some predictions about how the story will reach its climax and resolution.  After finishing, please return to the blog to comment and reflect on each others' predictions.

chapter 20

How do you think that the boys will manage with Raymond's injury?explain your thinking.

Chapter 19

Where do you think the bear went and do you think the bear will come back to find the boys?

Chapter 17

What do you think the wolves are going to do now after Raymond shot the moose. Will they run, and get the moose or do you think they ran off into the forest. Explain your thinking.

chapter 18

Do you think they will have enough meat to eat through the winter? Do you think it was smart to leave the meat without looking after it?Explain

I also forgot...

to ask for volunteers to post questions this weekend.  Who's gonna step up?

Please Pass the Word

I forgot to remind everyone that music class will be in the gym on Monday, so please bring or wear your sneakers.

chapter 16

Do you think that the boys can get a moose with only 2 bullets? Or do you think that they will be able to make it to the Yukon?

Chapter 15

Do you think the wolverine will have an impact on the boys because of how it destroyed most of the stuff in the cabin?Do you think the boys will still be able to live with the stuff they have?

Chapter 14

How do you think Gabe, and Raymond felt and thought about that note? Please explain your thinking.

chapter 13

Do you think they are doomed because they don't have Johnny with them any more? What do you think happened to Johnny that made him die?

Major Concerns

Some of the most significant events in the whole story occurred in chapter 13 and neither question posted even begins to address these.  In fact, neither question makes it seem like you have even read this chapter, as neither question contains any specific detail or thoughtfulness about the chapter's events.  Furthermore, I really should not have to advise you against posting questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no."  I am disappointed in this effort and I am going to ask for no more responses to either one from anyone.  I would like each of you to post a thoughtful and relevant question for chapter 13.  We will wait to respond until you have done that.

chapter 13

Do you think that they will be able to walk the Nahanni river or not?

chapter 13

Do you think that they will get any other meat than rabbits or do you think they will starve?

Chapter 12

Do you think there is another moose in Dead mans Valley or not?

Chapter 12

Do you think that Gabe, Raymond, and Johnny will be able to live in this cabin until the get help or hike on the ice along the Nahanni when the Chinooks end?

Chapter 12

Do you think the boys would be able to survive out in the far north long enough to get help?

For Matt for Exhibition

Hey -- I came across this and thought it might be interesting to you. 
Click: World's Amphibians Under Threat
Another one: Frogs: The Thin Green Line

Chapter 11

What do you think they are going to eat with out the moose and do you think Raymond is mad at Gabe now?

chapter 11

What do you think will happen next after what just happened to Johnny?

Chapter 10

Do you think Johnny will give a lot of effort to make this raft happen or will he just kind of be calm about it?

Chapter 10

Why do you think Johnny doesn't want to leave until May?

chapter 9

Do you think they will be able to make a raft and make it down the river before it freezes?why

chapter 9

If they do when or where do you think that they might kill the moose or do you think that they might get hurt trying?

Chapter 8

What do you think would have happened if that was a bear not a porky-pine? What do you think Raymond and Gabe would have done?

chapter 8

Do you think Ray, Gabe and, Johnny will be able to get the attention of the moose hunters and rescue their lives, why or why not?

Chapter 4/5

Why do you think Raymond is boarding the plain with the town elder and dropping out of school?

Chapter 4/5

Why do you think Raymond is boarding the plain with the town elder and dropping out of school?

Chapter 3

Do you think that Gabe's and Raymond's relationship will last, why or why not?

Chapter 7

What do you think Gabe, Raymond, and the old man will do without Clint?

Chapter 6

What did you think was going to happen when you first read the words "suddenly he engine quit." What were you thinking?

Chapter 6

Do you think that Clint will get the engine to get going again or will Gabe, Raymond,Clint and the old man be stuck there?

Better Idea for Next Time

I'm guessing that the order of these posts might be confusing to you.  That couldn't be avoided, based on what I asked you to do.  I didn't anticipate this happening.  I think next time each of you should be responsible for one specific chapter so each person posts on a different chapter.  Please try to do your best with this weekend's arrangement. 

Chapter 5

Now that they're going sight seeing do you think that Gabe will still try to ask Raymond to stay? And do you think that something bad will happen while going to Virgina Falls?

Chapter 4

What do you think Gabe feels after seeing Raymond coming to go on the plane and droping out of the school?

Do you think that the dad will become a big character in the book?

Do you think that there will be diffuclts during the book with Raymond and Gabe? If so what kind of diffuclties?

chapter 7

Do you think that Clint made a smart choice by going back for the shotgun shells?why

chapter 4

What do you Gabe meant by ''Hammer's coming down''?pg.24

Expectations for Posts

 Because this is published writing, all of your posts should...

• have proper capitalization
• have proper spelling
• use punctuation appropriately
• have a title
• be carefully edited

why do you think that clint was driving so fast?

Chapter 2

Do you think Raymond and Gabe will end up being friends or not? Explain your thinking.

Chapter 1

Why and where do you think Gabe will see Clinton die in two months?

chapter 1 and 2

do you think that Gabe regrets being in the north instead of Texas by what he has said about it?Explain.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Why do you think the crew chose to follow Otter when they would not follow Foxfire earlier in the story?  Why do you think Kilroy did not try to stop them?

Chapter Twenty-seven

Now that Otter has decided to stay on the mountain, do you think he'll be able to find Foxfire's bones?  Do you think Father can make it all the way home to China in his condition?  Please explain your reasons for thinking what you do.

Chapter Twenty-six

Where do you think Foxfire had gone?  Why did he leave the spot where Otter left him?

Blogging Schedule for Dragon's Gate

Please complete your readings and postings by the following dates:

Chapter 26: Saturday, February 13

Chapter 27: Monday, February 15

Chapter 28: Wednesday, February 17

Chapters 29 & 30: Friday, February  19

Chapter Twenty-five

Toward the end of their arduous climb, Otter and Foxfire seemed to reach a new understanding or appreciation of each other.  What is that understanding or appreciation and how do you think it came about?

Chapter Twenty-four

Of the three characters climbing the mountainside, which ones (if any) do you think will make it back to camp alive and why?

Chapter Twenty-four

What do you think compelled Sean to defy his father and suddenly decide to go with Otter and Firefox?

Chapter Twenty-one

Amidst his anger, Otter feels "Bitter, alone, lost"  Do you see any hope for him at this point?  Please elaborate and explain your thinking.

Chapter Twenty

Can you infer from his comments how Sean felt about the incidents in this chapter?

Chapter Nineteen

Please revisit page 168.  Do you think Otter is being too hard on Foxfire, or is he being fair?  Please explain your position.

Chapter Nineteen

Please revisit page 165.  Whom and what does Foxfire blame for what happened in the tunnel?

Chapter Eighteen

"A few meters on, we saw a large circle of soft, silvery light.  I knew it was only the mouth of the tunnel; but right then it looked more like the gates to Heaven." (p. 162)

Why do you think Otter felt this way?

Chapter Eighteen

What evidence can you find in the text that the relationships between the members of Otter's crew have changed?

Chapter Sixteen

I wonder if the relationships among the members of Otter's crew might change after the events of this chapter.  What do you think?  Why?

Here's a daguerreotype of Abraham Lincoln from 1846...

Chapter Fifteen

Please do a bit of research and report back on your understanding of a daguerreotype (p. 139).

Chapter Fifteen

How can you explain the two seemingly different ways Sean's father acted -- during the fight, and then in the cabin after the fight -- toward him?

What is your understanding of the relationship between Sean and his father?

Chapter Fourteen

When Otter thought, "It didn't matter where we were from, or who we had once been.  On the mountain, he and I were in a secret conspiracy against the world" on pages 131-132, what do you think he meant?

Chapter Fourteen

Near the end of this chapter, what do we learn about relationships and how some people are connected to each other?  To fully understand this, think about Kilroy's position.

Chapter Thirteen

What made Otter infer that Sean "was as much of an outcast as me?"

Chapter Thirteen

Was is right for the men in Otter's shack to strip and bathe him?  Why did his father and Uncle Foxfire allow this to happen?

Chapter Twelve

From what you read and interpreted in the last few chapters, through and including this one, what evidence do you have that this railroad will be built no matter the risk or cost to the land and people?

Chapter Eleven

Near the end of this chapter, Otter learns the truth about the crew to which his father and Uncle Foxfire are assigned.  How do you think this news affects him?

Chapter Eleven

This is an actual photograph of a Chinese 
laborer carrying baskets on a pole -- like the ones 

Otter tried to carry in this chapter -- during the 
building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Chapter Ten

Toward the end of this chapter Otter grows disillusioned with Uncle Foxfire, calling him "worse than a liar."  What do you think caused Otter to have this type of reaction toward Uncle Foxfire?

Chapter Ten

Based on Otter's father's reactions, what is your impression of Shrimp?  Please reread pages 90 and 91 before you respond.

Chapters 7-8

In the Middle Kingdom in China, Otter had a privileged status because he came from a very well-to-do family.  How is that status changing now that he is in America?


Otter also had a vision of what life in America would be like for himself.  Is that perception changing?  If so, how?

Chapters 7-8

Otter has begun to use the term "greenhorn."  What does it mean?

Chapter Eight

When Otter almost pulled the sack of rice off the sledge (page 68), he said,  "As I stared down at the river, I thought, Well, now you know what your life is worth over here."  What did he mean by that? 

Chapter Seven

On page 58, when Otter first observed the locomotive, he thought to himself, So this is going to make the Middle Kingdom strong.  What did he mean by that?  What is the connection to his homeland, the Middle Kingdom?

Chapters 1-6

At this point in the story, what, if anything, is confusing you?  What questions do you have?  Maybe we can help each other to clearer understandings.

Chapter Six

Now that Otter seemingly has his wish, how do you think he feels?

Chapter Five

What is your understanding of the accident that occurred in this chapter?  What consequences does it have for Otter?

Chapter Four

What is "The Work" that Otter's father and Uncle Foxfire are involved in?

Chapter Four

This chapter is filled with tension between Otter, his father, his mother, and his uncle regarding Otter's desire to accompany his father back to the Golden Mountain.  How did the various characters feel about this possibility and why?

Chapter Four

Based on everything you have read so far in this story, what are Otter's reasons for wanting to go to the Golden Mountain?  Why does his mother have such strong objections?  What dilemmas does Otter face in trying to make a decision?

Chapter Three

Near the end of chapter three, Otter says to his father, "Why don't you step out from Uncle's shadow for once?"  What do you think this means?  What do you think his father's response means?

Chapter Three

What is "demon mud?"  How has it impacted the lives of the people in Otter's clan?