by Dave Pelzer Recommended by Yifei Cai, Jocelyne Flores, Armando Ixtlilco

Who is the main character?  Name: David  Age: 12  Talents, Skills, Important Traits: courageous, smart, depressed  Three Descriptive Adjectives: Lonely, quiet, shy, tender, helpless, worried, young, skinny, short, etc.  “I’m Mother’s prisoner.” (Stratton 3).

Who is a supporting character?  Name: Aunt Mary  Age: ( doesn’t say in book).  Talents, Skills, Important Traits: helpful, nice, older, likes working with children, etc.  Three Descriptive Adjectives: nice, smart, courageous,  “Suddenly I realized what was happening, Mother was trying to gain control over Aunt Mary, and Mother was loosing.” (Stratton 50 ).

What is the story about?  Setting : Mother’s house, when he was 9 years-old, foster home, In a environment of violence and abuse.  Main Conflict: Mother abused David and he was trying to get away from his mom, because she’s aggressive and mean.

What is one of the major themes?  Definition of Theme: Violence(Mother beating David).  “Before I can form a word, Mother again yanks on my right ear.” (Pelzer 3).  “With her free hand, Mother punishes my movement with a solid slap to my face.” (Pelzer 4).

What is one important scene?  A important scene was when David was in the foster care, his mother came. Aunt Mary and Mother start arguing. Mother was losing and David gets lighted up by the way his mother is, backing out. It was the first time anyone stands up to her.  I selected this scene to describe because someone finally puts Mother into her place and David felt safer now that someone is protecting him from his evil mother.

Visual Image from an important scene  “With her free hand, Mother punishes my movement with a solid slap to my face.” (Pelzer 4 ).  This scene is very important because it’s a violence that Mother beat him up all the time, and mistreated him.

What connections can you make to this book?  Text to media: The story reminds me of a movie I saw but I can’t really remember its name but its text to media.  Explain: They are both connecting because they both show a kid getting abused by his or her parents. Both include the kid having self- esteem because they get insulted and they make them feel less than they are.

Why should you read this book?  It’s explains how a young kid gets abused by his mother.  He didn’t stay with his mother and he finally gets justice.  His mother gets impeached because of what she have done to him. I’m so happy I never heard him loose plasma in this book to much beating. It’s a very nice ending.