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“Secret Coders” by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes (pg 7,30,31)

One thing that helped me when reading “Secret Coders” was the repetition of the birds. The birds are used as a tool by the authors to teach kids about binary. When I first saw the explanation for this on pg 24 with the columns and pennies I was still confused. The thing that helped me understand was the repeated use of the birds throughout the book. For example, the chapter headings having one of the birds helped me understand a lot more. I knew that the next chapter would be chapter 2 but seeing the bird there helped me to connect it back to the binary columns. The same thing happened with the padlock combination. The birds on the building were giving the kids the combination which helped me connect it back to the binary learned on pg 24. I think the authors reusing this imagery of the birds would help kids make the connection in their minds and help them get more familiar with thinking in binary. 

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“Secret Coders” by Gene Luen Yang & Mike Holmes (pg 16)

One thing that stood out to me in this book was the coloring. The comic style book features only shades of white, black, and green. Some parts of the pictures like the sidewalk and Eni are filled in with Ben-Day dots. The white background is shaded with little black dots that create a cool pop-art effect. This effect along with the green color reminded me of a computer processor. The green color mimics the color of the processor and it has these little dots that seem parallel to the Ben-Day dots used in the comic. I thought it was interesting that the writers did this because it seems as if they are implying that the kids in the story are acting as the processor. 

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“Hello Ruby Journey Inside the Computer” by Linda Liukas

I chose to do 2 of the activities from this book. First, I named my computer. I liked Hardware Heaven because it has a ring to it and incorporates a part of the computer into the name. I chose the serial number by my graduation year (18), the day of my boyfriend’s birthday (28), the day of my birthday (29), and the month we were born in (03). I saw activity 20 which really sparked my interest because I think the fact that so much information can be stored in 1′s and 0′s is really amazing. I put the first initial of the computer into binary as well as my own name.

From doing these activities myself, I actually found them fun and interesting. I think it is a really cool way to get kids involved and allows for personalization. Being able to name your own computer and decipher your name through binary could really draw a young reader in by connecting with them and allowing them to be creative.

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The question of Steve’s guilt is ultimately resolvable by careful readers, but its ambiguity gestures toward bigger questions about white hegemony, such as how being treated as less than human might make young black men regard themselves, and how that distorted self-regard might even encourage some of them—Steve’s codefendant, perhaps?—to commit the crimes they are already widely presumed to have committed.

“‘What did she see?’: The White Gaze and Postmodern Triple Consciousness in Walter Dean Myers’s Monster” by Tim Engles and Fern Kory (pg. 53)

I thought this was an interesting take on “Monster” by Walter Myers. One thing that stood out to me throughout the book was that Steve’s guilt is not the main purpose of this story. It is meant to be a view into the thoughts and feelings of a young black man on trial. Engles and Kory suggest that the cycle of the justice system and institutionalized racism could be the bigger focus. The idea that these young black men are being treated as less than human and that is what could have caused them to commit the crime in the first place. Looking at our current justice system, you can clearly see a pattern of minorities being incarcerated more often than someone who is white. I think that “Monster” is showing this cycle through Steve’s perspective on the trial. He is presumed to be guilty before the trial even begins because he is being associated with other young black men who have committed crimes. Steve’s humanity is repeatedly ignored in this trial as he becomes just a criminal or a “monster” in the eyes of the justice system. I think it is important to focus on this blatant racism that takes place in our justice system and to see how the treatment of minorities as less than human can continue a vicious cycle of crime and incarceration. 

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- Quote from “Monster” by Walter Myers (pg 281)

This quote from the last page of the book sums ups Steve emotional journey throughout this trial. He was framed as a monster by the prosecutor. His lawyer framed him as an innocent high school kid but she may have not believed in his innocence. Throughout this whole trial, people are telling Steve what he is. He is a criminal, prisoner, young, black, a monster. After the trial ends, Steve has to come to terms with who he really is and accept his mortality. 

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- Quote from page 262

During the State’s closing arguments, Petrocelli says this quote about Steve Harmon. She is claiming that Steve is as much a part of the crime as anyone in this story. What is interesting is the way she plays on morality. She says that Steve made a “moral decision” to help commit this crime. She also appeals directly to Steve by saying that he cannot separate himself from this crime “no matter how many moral hairs he splits.” I think it is interesting how Petrocelli connects him to the crime through his own morality.  

When I first started reading the book, I couldn’t understand why Steve was being tried for felony murder if he is only accused of making sure no one was in the store. I would have thought he would have been tried for a lesser sentence since he wasn’t being accused of actually murdering anyone, but Petrocelli argues that his part in the crime is what led to the murder. She puts it on him by saying he is the one who chose to participate and that he can try to justify it all he wants but ultimately, his role helped lead to the murder of an innocent man.  

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- “Monster” by Walter Myers (pg 131)

This part of the book stuck out to me because of the description. Steve is setting this scene up as a montage of witnesses, much like you’d see in any crime drama. He describes one of the screens as “sometimes black, sometimes stark and startling white.” I thought the way he described the screen as simply black compared to describing white as “stark and startling” could be related back to race. Maybe that is the way Steve is seeing the white people in this trial, as this stark contrast to his own life. 

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(pg 203)

This quote from “Monster” has a real impact on the readers understanding of prison and crime. Steve is writing in his journal about his trial. He is writing about how he is losing hope and his fellow prisoners are trying to tell him the jury won’t be able to convict him for various reasons. Steve realizes that everyone is lying to themselves in order to justify their crimes. I really like how Meyers used this thought-provoking quote to make the reader think about prison in a new light. It makes me wonder if the prisoners are lying to themselves because they don’t want to feel like monsters or if they really believe that the crimes they committed weren’t wrong? 

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-Quote from “Monster” by Walter Myers (pg 156) This quote really stood out to me because it shows how young Steve Harmon really is. While reading the book, it is easy to forget that Steve is only 16 because he is living in an adult prison. This quote helps show how shocking it is by the fact that he wouldn’t even be allowed to visit the prisoners in there because he is too young. It actually made me upset when I read this because of how ridiculous it seems to have a kid who isn’t even old enough to visit this prison to be a prisoner there. I think Myers included this quote to show the harsh reality of many young boys being put in this adult setting and the hypocrisy of the legal system that put them there.

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A song that I think could be used on a soundtrack for “Monster” would be Radiohead's “How to Disappear Completely.”

I imagine this song running through Steve’s head while he walks around the prison, sits in court, and sees his parents. The lyrics include lines like: 

“That there That's not me“

“I'm not here This isn't happening I'm not here I'm not here”

These lyrics seem to exemplify how Steve must be feeling going through this process. Also, the music for this song is kind of ominous and depressing. It feels like it could set the scene for the book as part of Steve’s internal dialogue. 

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- “A Wrinkle in Time” by L’Engle (pg 205)

The religious undertones of this book come out in this quote. It seems to go along with the Christian belief of God being eternal even though he cannot be seen. It also goes along with the idea that the world is temporary until God comes to save us. 

I also found it interesting that sight in the book becomes a hindrance instead of helpful. I wonder if this is a message about how people get so caught up in their lives that they miss the beauty around them. Sight could represent people focusing on trivial things instead of seeing the bigger picture.

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-Quote from “Monster” by Walter Myers (pg 63)

This part of the book stood out to me because it seems like a metaphor for the voices of minorities being unheard, especially in the legal system. The main character of this book, Steve Harmon writes about a dream he had during his trial. He dreams that he cannot be heard no matter how loud he shouts. This seems like a representation of how minorities voices are not heard the same way as the majority. Myers repeatedly brings up this idea of people not being heard or respected because of their race. I am interested to see how this idea develops throughout the rest of the book. 

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I thought one reason they may have cast Mrs. Whatsit as Reese Witherspoon was because she is much younger than Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. Even though it doesn’t match with the book's description, I think they were attempting to show that she was younger than the others and more naive by casting a younger actor.

“At least Meg was reasonably sure that she was an old woman, and a very old woman at that.” -L’Engle (pg. 26)

Watching the movie before reading the book makes it hard for my imagination to flow. My mind wants to create an image of what’s being described, but then I picture what was shown in the movie; even if it’s not anything like L’Engle’s description. It’s interesting to me that the book seems so clear on some images or creations, but the movie seemed to try to make a social or political point instead of staying true to the book. 

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Like and equal are two entirely different things

L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” (pg 177)

This quote stood out to me because of the underlying political message it seems to contain. The book “A Wrinkle in Time” was written in 1962 which was at the same time as the Civil Rights Movement. This quote reminds me of the doctrine “sperate but equal” that was used to keep segregation in America. It seems like L’Engle is using this thought by Meg as a jab against this doctrine. While things were supposedly equal for both the white and African-American communities, in reality, there was a huge disparity between the two. It’s almost as if this quote is pointing that out by saying being alike and being equal are not the same thing. I wonder if L’Engle was trying to make a political point through this quote? If so, I wonder what message she was trying to send? 

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If I was going to recast a character it would be the Happy Medium.

The film used Zach Galifianakis to represent the Happy Medium even though in the book the Happy Medium is a woman. I found this to be an odd change and seemed to be for a sort of comic relief effect. 

If I was to cast the Happy Medium, I think I would use an actress like Julia Roberts. There is not much on the physical description of the Happy Medium in the book but Mrs.Whatsit says, “She is very jolly. If I ever saw her looking unhappy I would be very depressed myself.” (pg. 94). She is also described as having a “delighted smile” and as “looking happily.” I think Julia Roberts has a very infectious smile and laugh that could represent the kind of happiness the Happy Medium is described as having in the book.

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- Quotes from L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” (pgs 17 & 30)

This idea of the happy medium stood out to me in the first few chapters of “A Wrinkle in Time.” I thought it was interesting that L’Engle decided to repeat this exact phrase to Meg through her mother and her brother, Sandy. L’Engle could have used words like balance or harmony, but she uses this phrase happy medium twice. I wonder if this idea of a happy medium is foreshadowing for the journey Meg will go on during the rest of the book? Is the moral of this story for Meg to find her happy medium? I am interested to see how the book progresses with this idea of Meg’s happy medium. 

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I went and saw the movie “A Wrinkle in Time”. Overall, I thought it was interesting and there were some things about it that I really liked. 

I thought it was very visually appealing through the costumes, landscapes, and vivid colors used throughout. I remember that I kept getting distracted in close-ups on Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs.Who, and Mrs.Which because they had so much glittery makeup and elaborate hair but I think it adds to the fantasy of the story. The landscapes felt super whimsical at points which I thought was fun and appealing.

One thing I noticed though was that I felt kind of rushed through the story at some points. There were sometimes I was confused about what was happening or it seemed like it wasn’t explained enough, especially for younger children. I thought it was strange how the whole story revolved around Meg trying to save her dad but when he is introduced, he is actually not that great of a character. He basically tries to save himself and Meg by leaving his son behind. 

I did enjoy the movie and I found it engaging to watch but there were somethings that left me questioning what was happening. I can’t wait to read the book to see how it compares to the movie.