Coming of age stories.

We continue to concentrate on stories told from the point of view of young people.

Today Emma finished reading Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee and answered five reading comprehension questions. We also worked on a word list from the book...today's favorite word was compulsive. A close second: valedictorian.

We always find it helpful to review book content by answering questions such as the following:

What was the story's setting/time and place? This is a crucial element to grasp but kids often skim over it.

How and WHY is Maycomb County in the thirties, or modern-day California, or New Mexico in the sixties, or wherever, crucial to the plot?

What problem or struggle has to be resolved (because conflict is the heart of all fiction).

What is the turning point for the main character?

Are there elements of foreshadowing, hyperbole, personification, or alliteration?

What diction did you find most challenging?

We studied World War II up to the point of the Allied invasion, using World War II: The American Story, a very creditable overview by, no kidding, Time-Life Books, and DK Eyewitness World War II.

We watched the movie The Diary of Anne Frank, the true story of a young girl claustrophibically trapped in a world of hate that she cannot comprehend, and it had a strong impact on E. The movie is based on the play written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett that ran on Broadway from 1955 to 1957.

And Emma also went to her second art class, held in a beautiful setting in what can only be described as Old Santa Fe.