After you have read one of the books on our list, complete the following assignment. (You should type your answer if you can, otherwise, please use blue or black pen & loose leaf paper.)

Assignment Directions:

In each of the selected books the main character experiences growth, a new awareness of himself/herself, in large part due to certain events and circumstances he/she faces. Choose one character from the book you read and explain the internal conflict he/she is faced with. Then discuss the factors that lead to the character's new awareness of himself/herself.In your response you should discuss who the character was, what his/her conflict was, what he/she went through, and how these events changed him/her. Feel free to use quotes from the book to support your writing.

Assignment Examples:

For example, if you had Mr. George or Mrs. Foley as your English teacher in 7th grade, you remember the book, The Trouble with Lemons, by Daniel Hayes. Tyler, the main character, thought he was truly a lemon (like the family car) with many problems: asthma attacks, an out-of-control temper, and nightmares. He even blamed himself for his parents' divorce. However, by the end of the novel, Tyler gained self-acceptance by realizing that he was really a normal kid. In an important scene with Chuckie, the groundskeeper, he learned that his parents' marriage was in trouble long before he (Tyler) was born. He learned that both his parents loved him very much. And by the end of the novel, he realized that other kids like Mark Blumberg had even bigger problems. Tyler was a great example of a character who learned a lot about his strengths, his weaknesses and that it's okay if you're not perfect.

Or, those of you who were seventh grade students of Mrs. Foley remember Lyddie in Katherine Paterson's book, Lyddie. Lyddie goes to work in the Lowell Mills when she is 14 years old. She hopes to earn enough money to pay off the debts on the farm and reunite her family. However, her uncle sells the farm, then her mother dies. When finally her brother Charlie takes her sister Rachel to live with him as a daughter to the kindly Phinneys, Lyddie realizes that she cannot reach her goal, that, in fact, she is the only family member working toward that goal. Once Lyddie is dismissed from the mill, she has no home and no place to go. Finally, at the very end, she knows what she must do. " 'I'm off...' she said, and knew as she spoke what she was off to....'to Ohio. There is a college there that will take a woman just like a man.' " (p. 181)