Well, I haven't started yet, but I'm thinking that this book is going to be good. I already know that the main character knows every prime number up into the 7 thousands. I'm excited to read it because it actually has pictures, but also, it sounds like a mystery that we have to solve...
You know, it really bothered me that the book started on page 1 and on chapter two. I thought I skipped something. Why does Chris have the need to number them by prime numbers? I think my slight effects of OCD is kicking in, but I just don't understand that. Does he purposely want to make me crazy? On page 4, Chris begins to characterize the dog's moods. Why do you think he does this? How would he know? Do you think that maybe that's all he can feel? HE can only identify some feelings (faces) so maybe he thinks everyone can only feel those sensations.
Who is Siobhan? A sister? A friend? A neighbor?
Christopher is telling this story a bit weird. Why does he comment on where he got the ideas, how he is supposed to write? Why not just write it? Will this ruin the "mood" of the book? Being in front of his desk and in the novel at the same time?
Since he knows that nobody cares about dead dogs in a murder mystery, which way will he go? Try to change that, and make people care about the dead dog, or go with the normal way, and to make them care about the owner of the dog?
Ok, I think I have enough questions to get you guys going...
Why is the dog in the cover upside down? I mean, a dead dog is like dead, not standing on his head. He's lying on the groud or something. And, it doesn't have the pitchfork sticking out of it like it was described in the book, although it is a poodle.
Well, I too was trying to figure out who Siobhan is? It doesn't really give us any clues. I think its a friend.
My prediction is that the book is going to get a little more twisted. I don't think it is going to be simple to who killed the dog. I think Chris is going to find out so much more, by trying to find out who killed the dog.
Now, about the father, why didn't the father let Chris see his mother in the hospital when she had a heart problem? Was she at the hospital? Or was dead already? I think i have to read on.
I started reading a couple days ago and so far I think it is a good book. Christopher seems like a funny character because he likes to be in the real world. He doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. I think he likes to know the answers to everything.
I think Siobhan could be his psychiatrist.
What is the setting of the novel? I think it is somewhere in England because on page 16, as Christopher's father is at the police station he says "Of course I'm bloody angry." American people usually don't say that, more like the British.
And who could have possibly stick a fork in a dog!
I think that Chris is similar to a robot. He knows a lot facts, such as the prime numbers up to 7057 and the capitals of every countries. And yet he shows no understanding of human feelings. When his mom enters the hospital, his father is worried. And yet, he still asks all kinds of questions to annoy his father. On page 30, Ms. Shears spills her tea when she hears Christopher talks about the dead dog. It forshadows that Ms. Shears may kill her own dog. Christopher notices this but he does not use it to expand the idea. It shows Christopher needs some understanding on people.
Well, I have an idea about his mother. I think that she isn't really dead because when Christopher said that his mother died two years ago on page 22. Then on page 42, when he was on his investigation work, he said that Mr. Shears and Mrs. Shears got divorced two years ago. When he sees Mrs. Alexander in the store and they have a brief "chat" she tells him about how Mr. Shears and his mother had an affair. Christopher told her that his mother died and Mrs. Alexander seemed shocked at that so I think his mother could of possibly ran away with Mr.Shears. I think his father told him that his mother died instead of the truth because it would be easier that way and less explanation would be required since Christopher likes to know everything about everything.
Also, I think that Christopher will not find out who kills the dog because he promised his father he will not butt into other people's business and do anymore investigation on the murder. Christopher said he always kept his promises.
I think that Tiffany made a great prediction/connection as to the whereabouts of his mother. i ever thought of that and it maybery well be true. Although, Chris is a person in favor of "white lies" so he will bend the truth a bit.
Pg 12. I think Chris likes prime numbers because they are undefined, like life. There is no equation to make a Chris.
Pg 16. Chris is very demanding. "I want my name to mean me." How can a name define exactly what and who you are, your actions and feelings?
Pg 24. Christopher contradicted himself here. He just proved that the weather doesn't determine the kind of day one has, so why do the color of cars do that? Why is he so superstitious?
Pg 33. Chris always wants a clear definition, so when it comes to heaven, there isn't one. And he notices that people only "made up" heaven so that it would ease the pain of letting go in thinking that the person was in a better place. And, as to the Reverand, they all say that, come back later, another time, you don't need to know the answer... because they simply don't know or can't prove it and Chris notices this logic.
Pg 52. I feel like Chris has put the readers of this book looking from the outside in. There's something blocking the actual plot. I feel like we see the process, but not it. From reading this, I imply that there is a whole other book that he wrote and we don't get to read it. It's annoying!
Pg 61. I would like to nominate a new prime suspect: Chris's dad. He hates Mr. Shears and this would be a small way of getting him back through hurting his ex to resompensate for stealing his wife.
Pg 69. I think that Toby must be of some importance to the book. Chris frequently mentions him in all attitudes and feelings. ( I went home and fed Toby...) What could Toby possibly symbolize? Security, calmness, something to go back to?
Pg 73. I think it's a great quality to be able to detach one's mind at will, which means that you control how your mind thinks. And I know it sounds simple but many don't notice that ability, and since Chris does, I think it will help him in solving the mystery.
Christopher's mother is alive! I am surprised though, at how Christopher is reacting to this because there is no reaction at all. I thought he would be at least elated, but then again he does function like a robot.
On pages 106-110, when the mother explains in one of her letter why she left. It reminded me of the mother in The Lovely Bone, Abigail, because she did a similar thing. They both left because some things just got to be too much for them. Christopher's mother left because she fought with her husband all the time and Christopher got to be a handful. She was also having an affair with Mr.Shears. Abigail also had an affair, but she didn't run away with him. She ran away by herself to California to clear her thoughts and she came back.
Do you think Christopher's mother will come back?
I don't think it was right for Christopher's father to tell him that his mother was dead when she wasn't. I was also shocked when he admitted on page 120 that he killed Wellington.
First of all, I would like to give props to Tiffany for correctly predicting the whereabouts of Chris's mother. I think she did a good job puting together clues from the text.
I do not think that Chris's mother will come back to live with them. If she did, they would just fight again and again and that would not solve anything.
Pg. 96 I think after Chris actually read his mom's letter, his reaction was undefined. He gave so little detail about how he felt that no one would know.
Pg. 99 At first, I thought that Father didn't tell Chris because he couldn't handle the emotions of divorce. To me, his parents still treat him like a child which is the reason for his childish knowledge of emotions.
Pg 109 Here, I felt as if Mother was looking for excuses to justify her leaving with no notice. I feel like she is trying to make Chris be on her side as to whom's fault the separation was.
Pg 114 This part reminded me of myself when I was little and I had cheerios all on the floor and my father would come in and say "oh great." Even though my dad would be thinking of the mess he had to clean, Father is thinking about the explanation he would have to give.
Pg 115 I think Chris's reaction is typical for just finding out that his mother is alive. Although, I do not understand why he would fight his father in the first place. I think for him the information was overbearing. I think it was a good idea for Father to tell the truth about everything at once because then Christopher will only be mad at him once, and if he had waited, it would have been like "well, what else do you want to tell me? Am I a twin?" So, by packing up all the bad news at once, it becomes easier for Chris to cope with the bad news.
Pg 119 I think the defining everything as black or white characteristic of Chris is trying to prove how we and computers are alike. Even though they are silimar, we are very different and Chris cannot see the division.
Pg 121 I think Father was definitely jealous, and that's why he killed Wellington. I think the reason for Mrs. Shears now moving in is that she had to suffer the pain of being left behind. And the relationship the families were currently in would mess everything up and complicate it even more. i think she made a good decision.
So, now my prediction is that Chris will live with his mom for a while in London. I don't really know what else is going to happen. I thought the story was about the dead dog, but the mystery is solved and there are quite a bit of pages left to read so something of a greater meaning must be coming out soon.
Pg 122-123. After his father's confessions, Christopher said that he needs to get outta the house because he's afraid that his father will murder him. I find this to be sad because a child should never be afraid of their own parents. There should always be trust and love between a child and parent.
My prediction is that if he does find his mother, yes she will be happy, but then can she put up with him now? She couldn't do it before. Although Christopher's parents fought constantly, do you think she would be able to change?
Does Christopher really love his parents? or appreciate his father? I think maybe love is too complicated a subject for him because he gets too techinical. About his father, I don't think Christopher knows what his father has done for him and I doubt he ever will. What do you guys think?
I don't think that Christopher actually realizes what his father has done at this point of the book, but maybe later on he will.
I don't think that a mother ever stops loving her child regardless if he is hard to put up with. With his mom, I think that Chris will maybe find out a couple more secrets to untwist this novel.
What Christopher's father is doing is similar to what Holden is trying to do. They both want to protect the innocent children from the rest of the world. Even though Chris is just a child, he should have the right to understand what happens within the family. But on the other hand, it is very difficult for Chris's father to tell his son that the mom is leaving the child and lives with another man. But I believe Chris's father should not hide the letter from Chris. Those are sent to Chris, not the father. But I wonder, why did the father hide the letters with the risk that Chris may discover them? Chris will never know his mom is alive if the father destroys all the letters.
Howard, I think that the reason why the father hid the letters was, like you said, to protect him. Chris isn't just a normal child. He is autistic and it's harder for him to deal with emotions. This is because all he can see is black and white (not literally). So, the father wanted to prevent Chris's confusion of emotion.
I don't think his father realized Christopher would have ever found them. The only reason he did was beacause he was looking for his book. I don't think Christoper was even hurt about the fact that his father hid this from him. He was more afraid about the fact that his father killed a dog.
I feel sorry for Christopher's father at this point because it's like his own son is throwing back everything he ever did for him in his face.
Some of the main ideas in this book could be forgiveness because can Christopher's father forgive the mother for leaving them? Will Christopher forgive his father for killing the dog? Another main idea is love because isn't it out of love that his father hid the letters from him? And isn't it out of love that the mother left? She thought they would be happier with just each other, they seem like they didn't need her.
On page 168, when he said he didn't like policemen anymore, I thought it was funny. All they're trying to do is help, but he's hiding.
On page 171, a man tries to help out Christopher. But Christopher takes out the Swiss Army knife. But more funny is that he doesn't even understand why the man holds up both of the hands. It shows the violence within Christopher that even he does not know.
Also he just sits and watches the train to pass. It shows that Christopher is afraid of changes. He doesn't really want to see his mother even though she is alive.
Christopher will forgive his mother because he still doesn't understand the family problem that well. Also he will trust his mom more than his dad because his dad kills Wellington.
I agree that Christopher is afraid of change. His autism also plays a big role in his fear of change. Christopher needs to know everything little bit of detail there is or else he won't be comfortable and will take out his Swiss Army knife if he feels threatened. Then again aren't we all afraid of change? Christopher mentions how he would go to a college within the city because he's afraid of going to another city. I would be afraid of that change too because in this case, while Christopher is traveling to see his mother, he's going to a whole new city. He doesn't have a map of it in his head yet, so I think his fear is justified.
This travel is necessary for Christopher, so that he is able to see the outside world and understands that parents can't guard you forever. Without that trip, he will not be able to learn new things.
Without changes, humans will just stay at the savage level and never be able to achieve the technology we have today. So changes are necessary and they will be made no matter how. So we should not be afraid. We should try to do something about the changes.
Personally, I think this book is quite boring. It contains too many details that are not necessary for the readers to know. There are many things that does not about the story itself. Also most of the things stay at the same stage. The parents are still separated from each other. The only different is that Christopher will now have more time to spend with his mother.
The death of Toby may be a symbol in the book. His death symbolizes the changes on Christopher. At the beginning of the book, he doesn't have any special characteristic that can help him. But at the end, he believes in himself that he is able to become a scientist. The author uses the death of Toby to show us that Christopher is no longer like a rat. He is transforming himself to become more useful for the rest of the world.
Personally I think Chris is a very wise boy. For his age, he did some pretty great things. He was so intrested about finding out who killed Wellington, but he never would of thought that it would lead to finding out big secrets about his own family. I have a lot of respect for him, and think he was really brave in the process, even though he messed up sometimes, like not talking to his father at all in the begin. I can understand where his father came from, by telling Chris his mother was dead, but he still shouldn't of done it, it should of just stayed a thought in his head. If I where Chris i would slowly but surely forgive the father.
I feel like Chris's mother should of done more to see him. Yes, she did send him letters, but i think that wasn't enough. She even said to Chris that she was worried when he never wrote back to her. So maybe she should of done something about it. She could of gone to see him, no matter what the father said to her. No one can stop you from seeing your own son. Lets say that even if he didn't want to see her, then she would at least know that he was safe. I can only imagine what Chris was feeling when he found out his mom was still alive. At first he probabily felt really mad since his father had to lied to him. But then he must of felt realived that she was alive and that he could still see her.
I don't like Mr. Shears. I don't think he really appericates Chris's mom and how she wants to be with her son. I think he is a self centered, inconsiderate man. Even reading about him, made me mad. He left his first wife. Then he left his second wife. When reading the book, you don't really find out why he left Mrs. Shears, but then you know why he left Chris's mom. He left her because she wanted to be with her son, and he didn't feel like the center of attention anymore. I hate Mr. Shears. I don't think the Mother had very good judgement to get married to him, and espically leave without telling Chris this, so Chris would spent more then 2 years of his life, thinking his mother was dead. Both his mother and father have fault in what happened.
Chris isn't the easiest boy to handle, yes you do need to have patience with him. But just because he is hard to handle doesn't mean you should leave him. I feel like Chris's mom had a every big fault in this. Don't get me wrong, Chris's father did do a very bad thing too. But if you think about Chris's mom just left without saying anything. Ok, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt, becuase she was upset that her and her husband had just broken up, but still couldn't of she come back later to tell Chris and to comfort him. She told Chris that he was hard to handle and that he was probabily better off with his father. I thought this was very wrong. She is his mother, it shouldn't matter how hard something is, she should always be by his side.
I'm going to have to disagree with calculator. I think this is a great book. To be truthful in the begining, I thought this was going to be a boring book, becuase it was about a dead dog. But then getting into it mad me think, and I knew that it was going to be about more then just figuring out who killed Wellington. This story has so much to do about family, and how even though family is suppose to be the closet thing to you, they make mistakes too. But you should always give someone a second chance. I would recommened this book to anyone who likes mysteries, becuase it does make you want to read on and on. Always makes you wonder whats going to happen next.
27 comments:
Well, I haven't started yet, but I'm thinking that this book is going to be good. I already know that the main character knows every prime number up into the 7 thousands. I'm excited to read it because it actually has pictures, but also, it sounds like a mystery that we have to solve...
You know, it really bothered me that the book started on page 1 and on chapter two. I thought I skipped something. Why does Chris have the need to number them by prime numbers? I think my slight effects of OCD is kicking in, but I just don't understand that. Does he purposely want to make me crazy? On page 4, Chris begins to characterize the dog's moods. Why do you think he does this? How would he know? Do you think that maybe that's all he can feel? HE can only identify some feelings (faces) so maybe he thinks everyone can only feel those sensations.
Who is Siobhan? A sister? A friend? A neighbor?
Christopher is telling this story a bit weird. Why does he comment on where he got the ideas, how he is supposed to write? Why not just write it? Will this ruin the "mood" of the book? Being in front of his desk and in the novel at the same time?
Since he knows that nobody cares about dead dogs in a murder mystery, which way will he go? Try to change that, and make people care about the dead dog, or go with the normal way, and to make them care about the owner of the dog?
Ok, I think I have enough questions to get you guys going...
Why is the dog in the cover upside down? I mean, a dead dog is like dead, not standing on his head. He's lying on the groud or something. And, it doesn't have the pitchfork sticking out of it like it was described in the book, although it is a poodle.
Well, I too was trying to figure out who Siobhan is? It doesn't really give us any clues. I think its a friend.
My prediction is that the book is going to get a little more twisted. I don't think it is going to be simple to who killed the dog. I think Chris is going to find out so much more, by trying to find out who killed the dog.
Now, about the father, why didn't the father let Chris see his mother in the hospital when she had a heart problem? Was she at the hospital? Or was dead already? I think i have to read on.
I started reading a couple days ago and so far I think it is a good book. Christopher seems like a funny character because he likes to be in the real world. He doesn't like anything out of the ordinary. I think he likes to know the answers to everything.
I think Siobhan could be his psychiatrist.
What is the setting of the novel? I think it is somewhere in England because on page 16, as Christopher's father is at the police station he says "Of course I'm bloody angry." American people usually don't say that, more like the British.
And who could have possibly stick a fork in a dog!
I think that Chris is similar to a robot. He knows a lot facts, such as the prime numbers up to 7057 and the capitals of every countries. And yet he shows no understanding of human feelings. When his mom enters the hospital, his father is worried. And yet, he still asks all kinds of questions to annoy his father. On page 30, Ms. Shears spills her tea when she hears Christopher talks about the dead dog. It forshadows that Ms. Shears may kill her own dog. Christopher notices this but he does not use it to expand the idea. It shows Christopher needs some understanding on people.
Well, I have an idea about his mother. I think that she isn't really dead because when Christopher said that his mother died two years ago on page 22. Then on page 42, when he was on his investigation work, he said that Mr. Shears and Mrs. Shears got divorced two years ago. When he sees Mrs. Alexander in the store and they have a brief "chat" she tells him about how Mr. Shears and his mother had an affair. Christopher told her that his mother died and Mrs. Alexander seemed shocked at that so I think his mother could of possibly ran away with Mr.Shears. I think his father told him that his mother died instead of the truth because it would be easier that way and less explanation would be required since Christopher likes to know everything about everything.
Also, I think that Christopher will not find out who kills the dog because he promised his father he will not butt into other people's business and do anymore investigation on the murder. Christopher said he always kept his promises.
I think that Tiffany made a great prediction/connection as to the whereabouts of his mother. i ever thought of that and it maybery well be true. Although, Chris is a person in favor of "white lies" so he will bend the truth a bit.
Pg 12. I think Chris likes prime numbers because they are undefined, like life. There is no equation to make a Chris.
Pg 16. Chris is very demanding. "I want my name to mean me." How can a name define exactly what and who you are, your actions and feelings?
Pg 24. Christopher contradicted himself here. He just proved that the weather doesn't determine the kind of day one has, so why do the color of cars do that? Why is he so superstitious?
Pg 33. Chris always wants a clear definition, so when it comes to heaven, there isn't one. And he notices that people only "made up" heaven so that it would ease the pain of letting go in thinking that the person was in a better place. And, as to the Reverand, they all say that, come back later, another time, you don't need to know the answer... because they simply don't know or can't prove it and Chris notices this logic.
Pg 52. I feel like Chris has put the readers of this book looking from the outside in. There's something blocking the actual plot. I feel like we see the process, but not it. From reading this, I imply that there is a whole other book that he wrote and we don't get to read it. It's annoying!
Pg 61. I would like to nominate a new prime suspect: Chris's dad. He hates Mr. Shears and this would be a small way of getting him back through hurting his ex to resompensate for stealing his wife.
Pg 69. I think that Toby must be of some importance to the book. Chris frequently mentions him in all attitudes and feelings. ( I went home and fed Toby...) What could Toby possibly symbolize? Security, calmness, something to go back to?
Pg 73. I think it's a great quality to be able to detach one's mind at will, which means that you control how your mind thinks. And I know it sounds simple but many don't notice that ability, and since Chris does, I think it will help him in solving the mystery.
Ok, well see you guys tomorrow!
Christopher's mother is alive! I am surprised though, at how Christopher is reacting to this because there is no reaction at all. I thought he would be at least elated, but then again he does function like a robot.
On pages 106-110, when the mother explains in one of her letter why she left. It reminded me of the mother in The Lovely Bone, Abigail, because she did a similar thing. They both left because some things just got to be too much for them. Christopher's mother left because she fought with her husband all the time and Christopher got to be a handful. She was also having an affair with Mr.Shears. Abigail also had an affair, but she didn't run away with him. She ran away by herself to California to clear her thoughts and she came back.
Do you think Christopher's mother will come back?
I don't think it was right for Christopher's father to tell him that his mother was dead when she wasn't. I was also shocked when he admitted on page 120 that he killed Wellington.
First of all, I would like to give props to Tiffany for correctly predicting the whereabouts of Chris's mother. I think she did a good job puting together clues from the text.
I do not think that Chris's mother will come back to live with them. If she did, they would just fight again and again and that would not solve anything.
Pg. 96 I think after Chris actually read his mom's letter, his reaction was undefined. He gave so little detail about how he felt that no one would know.
Pg. 99 At first, I thought that Father didn't tell Chris because he couldn't handle the emotions of divorce. To me, his parents still treat him like a child which is the reason for his childish knowledge of emotions.
Pg 109 Here, I felt as if Mother was looking for excuses to justify her leaving with no notice. I feel like she is trying to make Chris be on her side as to whom's fault the separation was.
Pg 114 This part reminded me of myself when I was little and I had cheerios all on the floor and my father would come in and say "oh great." Even though my dad would be thinking of the mess he had to clean, Father is thinking about the explanation he would have to give.
Pg 115 I think Chris's reaction is typical for just finding out that his mother is alive. Although, I do not understand why he would fight his father in the first place. I think for him the information was overbearing. I think it was a good idea for Father to tell the truth about everything at once because then Christopher will only be mad at him once, and if he had waited, it would have been like "well, what else do you want to tell me? Am I a twin?" So, by packing up all the bad news at once, it becomes easier for Chris to cope with the bad news.
Pg 119 I think the defining everything as black or white characteristic of Chris is trying to prove how we and computers are alike. Even though they are silimar, we are very different and Chris cannot see the division.
Pg 121 I think Father was definitely jealous, and that's why he killed Wellington. I think the reason for Mrs. Shears now moving in is that she had to suffer the pain of being left behind. And the relationship the families were currently in would mess everything up and complicate it even more. i think she made a good decision.
So, now my prediction is that Chris will live with his mom for a while in London. I don't really know what else is going to happen. I thought the story was about the dead dog, but the mystery is solved and there are quite a bit of pages left to read so something of a greater meaning must be coming out soon.
Post comments! I want to see what you guys think!
Pg 122-123. After his father's confessions, Christopher said that he needs to get outta the house because he's afraid that his father will murder him. I find this to be sad because a child should never be afraid of their own parents. There should always be trust and love between a child and parent.
My prediction is that if he does find his mother, yes she will be happy, but then can she put up with him now? She couldn't do it before. Although Christopher's parents fought constantly, do you think she would be able to change?
Does Christopher really love his parents? or appreciate his father? I think maybe love is too complicated a subject for him because he gets too techinical. About his father, I don't think Christopher knows what his father has done for him and I doubt he ever will. What do you guys think?
I don't think that Christopher actually realizes what his father has done at this point of the book, but maybe later on he will.
I don't think that a mother ever stops loving her child regardless if he is hard to put up with. With his mom, I think that Chris will maybe find out a couple more secrets to untwist this novel.
What Christopher's father is doing is similar to what Holden is trying to do. They both want to protect the innocent children from the rest of the world. Even though Chris is just a child, he should have the right to understand what happens within the family. But on the other hand, it is very difficult for Chris's father to tell his son that the mom is leaving the child and lives with another man. But I believe Chris's father should not hide the letter from Chris. Those are sent to Chris, not the father. But I wonder, why did the father hide the letters with the risk that Chris may discover them? Chris will never know his mom is alive if the father destroys all the letters.
Howard, I think that the reason why the father hid the letters was, like you said, to protect him. Chris isn't just a normal child. He is autistic and it's harder for him to deal with emotions. This is because all he can see is black and white (not literally). So, the father wanted to prevent Chris's confusion of emotion.
I don't think his father realized Christopher would have ever found them. The only reason he did was beacause he was looking for his book. I don't think Christoper was even hurt about the fact that his father hid this from him. He was more afraid about the fact that his father killed a dog.
I feel sorry for Christopher's father at this point because it's like his own son is throwing back everything he ever did for him in his face.
Some of the main ideas in this book could be forgiveness because can Christopher's father forgive the mother for leaving them? Will Christopher forgive his father for killing the dog? Another main idea is love because isn't it out of love that his father hid the letters from him? And isn't it out of love that the mother left? She thought they would be happier with just each other, they seem like they didn't need her.
On page 168, when he said he didn't like policemen anymore, I thought it was funny. All they're trying to do is help, but he's hiding.
On page 171, a man tries to help out Christopher. But Christopher takes out the Swiss Army knife. But more funny is that he doesn't even understand why the man holds up both of the hands. It shows the violence within Christopher that even he does not know.
Also he just sits and watches the train to pass. It shows that Christopher is afraid of changes. He doesn't really want to see his mother even though she is alive.
Christopher will forgive his mother because he still doesn't understand the family problem that well. Also he will trust his mom more than his dad because his dad kills Wellington.
I agree that Christopher is afraid of change. His autism also plays a big role in his fear of change. Christopher needs to know everything little bit of detail there is or else he won't be comfortable and will take out his Swiss Army knife if he feels threatened. Then again aren't we all afraid of change? Christopher mentions how he would go to a college within the city because he's afraid of going to another city. I would be afraid of that change too because in this case, while Christopher is traveling to see his mother, he's going to a whole new city. He doesn't have a map of it in his head yet, so I think his fear is justified.
This travel is necessary for Christopher, so that he is able to see the outside world and understands that parents can't guard you forever. Without that trip, he will not be able to learn new things.
Without changes, humans will just stay at the savage level and never be able to achieve the technology we have today. So changes are necessary and they will be made no matter how. So we should not be afraid. We should try to do something about the changes.
Personally, I think this book is quite boring. It contains too many details that are not necessary for the readers to know. There are many things that does not about the story itself. Also most of the things stay at the same stage. The parents are still separated from each other. The only different is that Christopher will now have more time to spend with his mother.
The death of Toby may be a symbol in the book. His death symbolizes the changes on Christopher. At the beginning of the book, he doesn't have any special characteristic that can help him. But at the end, he believes in himself that he is able to become a scientist. The author uses the death of Toby to show us that Christopher is no longer like a rat. He is transforming himself to become more useful for the rest of the world.
Personally I think Chris is a very wise boy. For his age, he did some pretty great things. He was so intrested about finding out who killed Wellington, but he never would of thought that it would lead to finding out big secrets about his own family. I have a lot of respect for him, and think he was really brave in the process, even though he messed up sometimes, like not talking to his father at all in the begin. I can understand where his father came from, by telling Chris his mother was dead, but he still shouldn't of done it, it should of just stayed a thought in his head. If I where Chris i would slowly but surely forgive the father.
I feel like Chris's mother should of done more to see him. Yes, she did send him letters, but i think that wasn't enough. She even said to Chris that she was worried when he never wrote back to her. So maybe she should of done something about it. She could of gone to see him, no matter what the father said to her. No one can stop you from seeing your own son. Lets say that even if he didn't want to see her, then she would at least know that he was safe. I can only imagine what Chris was feeling when he found out his mom was still alive. At first he probabily felt really mad since his father had to lied to him. But then he must of felt realived that she was alive and that he could still see her.
I don't like Mr. Shears. I don't think he really appericates Chris's mom and how she wants to be with her son. I think he is a self centered, inconsiderate man. Even reading about him, made me mad. He left his first wife. Then he left his second wife. When reading the book, you don't really find out why he left Mrs. Shears, but then you know why he left Chris's mom. He left her because she wanted to be with her son, and he didn't feel like the center of attention anymore. I hate Mr. Shears. I don't think the Mother had very good judgement to get married to him, and espically leave without telling Chris this, so Chris would spent more then 2 years of his life, thinking his mother was dead. Both his mother and father have fault in what happened.
Chris isn't the easiest boy to handle, yes you do need to have patience with him. But just because he is hard to handle doesn't mean you should leave him. I feel like Chris's mom had a every big fault in this. Don't get me wrong, Chris's father did do a very bad thing too. But if you think about Chris's mom just left without saying anything. Ok, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt, becuase she was upset that her and her husband had just broken up, but still couldn't of she come back later to tell Chris and to comfort him. She told Chris that he was hard to handle and that he was probabily better off with his father. I thought this was very wrong. She is his mother, it shouldn't matter how hard something is, she should always be by his side.
I'm going to have to disagree with calculator. I think this is a great book. To be truthful in the begining, I thought this was going to be a boring book, becuase it was about a dead dog. But then getting into it mad me think, and I knew that it was going to be about more then just figuring out who killed Wellington. This story has so much to do about family, and how even though family is suppose to be the closet thing to you, they make mistakes too. But you should always give someone a second chance. I would recommened this book to anyone who likes mysteries, becuase it does make you want to read on and on. Always makes you wonder whats going to happen next.
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