Sydney Collins Period 7 Realistic Fiction

The setting takes place on the third floor of Camillo Junior High during seventh grade. It is important because it’s where Holling spends his time in most of the novel. It adds meaning to the story because if the author did not state it then you would get lost in the book and confused as to where the characters would be. If Holling was in a different setting, such as his house, then almost all of the characters would change along with the conflict and plot.

On the first day of school, Holling is cold, sweaty, and while he plays Ariel he wears yellow tights. Holling is:  Courageous because he isn’t afraid to stand up to Doug Sweiteck’s brother.  Dignified because his friends are willing to stick up for him.  Loyal because he supports his sister when she wants to find herself in California. Heather wears red lipstick, a painted flower on her cheek, and hands on her hips. Heather is:  Compassionate because she feels sorry for Holling.  Unwilling because she began to go home in Minneapolis while trying to find herself.  Conceited because she makes Holling walk on the other side of the street when she doesn’t want people to know that they are related.

 The conflict in this novel is man vs. society.  Holling Hoodhood has to play Ariel, a fairy, in a play and gets teased about it for the rest of the school year.

In the beginning, Holling thinks that Mrs. Baker hates him. He gives Doug Sweiteck’s brother a concussion on the first day of school. He is sent to Mrs. Baker’s room every Wednesday after school to clean her room and read Shakespeare. He performed as Ariel, was teased about it, and went camping during the summer. In the end, Lieutenant Baker returned from the Vietnam War.

Friendship is everything.  “You are a pied ninny. C’mon Holling.” said Danny Hupher.  Whatever it means to be a friend, taking a black eye for someone has to be in it.  Joe Pepitone gave me his jacket.

The author uses first point of view. This point of view helps the reader understand that Holling is speaking when he states “I.” If the author used third person omniscient point of view, then the reader would be very confused as to who was speaking. He also would not have used the pronouns, such as I, we, or us.

A baseball that is round, white and red, and hard symbolizes friendship in this story. It affects the story by Danny Hupher being Holling’s friend. Mickey Mantle decided not to sign Holling’s baseball just because he was wearing a fairy costume. Danny didn’t think it was right that Mickey did that so he gave his signed baseball back to Mickey and walked away with Holling.

I recommend this book because it engages the reader, even though it could be for a school assignment. This book is worth reading because it is more modern than most books so that we can relate to it. It is from a perspective of a seventh grader to a seventh grader. This book keeps you interested through all of his dialog, not just one part of the story. It makes you want to read more. Kids our age should read this book.