Independant+novel+study

Holly Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass pages 1-25 December 3rd 2010

The book starts off by Jeremy Fink talking about why he always smells like peanut butter, because he only eats peanut butter samwhiches. He is at his uncle's comic book store with his best friend Lizzy. Lizzy is Jeremy's long time best friend and they have been for a long time because there apartments are right beside each other. Soon later Lizzy steals something off the book shelf forcing them to both run home quickly. Once they reach there apartment building the mail man arrives with a strange package addressed to Jeremy's mom. Lizzy quickly convinces the post man to give them the package. They then went inside and stared at the package. They where desperate to open it, so they did. It was a wooden box with the phrase "the meaning of life" engraved on the top. "For Jeremy Fink to open on his 13th birthday" There was also a letter inside talking about how it needs 4 keys to open it but all of them where missing.

Why did you select this novel? I selected this novel because I thought it would be very interesting. I read the summery on shelfari and it sounded interesting. I like the idea of people going on a adventure to find something; that highly interests me because once I know thats what the book is about I must know how it ends. I also chose it because I thought it would help me learn more about why we are here and what our purpose is, thinking the book could give me a few life lessons. For me to carry on with.

What has happened before the novel began? Before the novel began Jeremy Fink's dad has passed away. When jeremy was 5 him and his dad when to a carnival and went and saw a palm reader. The palm reader told Jeremy Fink's dad that he would die when he was 40 years old. The prediction was almost exactly right his dad died when he was 39. When jeremy was born his dad immediatly started working on filling a little wooden box with 6 key wholes and he started filling it full of things. These objects that he was putting in the box where so top secret that even his mom didn't know what they where. The box was titled "the meaning of life" and was for Jeremy to open on his 13th birthday, which now in the story is only 1 month away. After Jeremy's dad died his mom mailed the box to his good friend Harold to keep safe.

What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character? The problem for Jeremy Fink is that, he turns 13th in a month and Harold has mailed the box back to his mom, that jeremy now knows about. There's just one problem Harold has missed placed all keys in a move to his new house, he has no idea where they are. Each key whole requires a different key which leads to a main hatch to open the box. Not even the locksmith could help him. He now has to go on an adventure to find the missing keys before his 13th birthday.

10/10 ﻿Journal entry #2 Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of life by Wendy Mass pages 25-101 December 10th 2010

Where I left off was when Lizzy had come up with a few ideas to help Jeremy fink find the missing set of keys. Her first plan was to put it in the freezer to try and freeze it open, but jeremy had already tried that. Her second plan "plan B" was to put it in the microwave to heat up the locks and maybe they would open, but once again Jeremy almost tried that. Before he was about to heat it up he realized that he didn't want to ruin what was inside "the meaning of life". So they moved on to plan C which was to go Harold's office and search for the keys themselves. They came up with a plan: To tell Jeremy's mom that they where going for a tour of the post office where Lizzy's dad works, but instead catch a bus down the the office building and search for the keys. Before they went to the office they got all dressed up to look "professional" and went and bought some candy from the comic book store to win-over the security guard if there was one. At first the plan was going well, they got into the office and started searching around, under the carpets in the ceiling etc.. Sadly they got cought by the NYPD and was taken to a little mini jail in the bottem of the office building. Later after chatting with the officer they where signed community service, to go help Mr. Oswald move out of his pawnshop.

What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? The setting takes place in New York in a little neighborhood where they have everything they needed, So Jeremy had never left his neighborhood. There was a food store, comic book store, library, post office etc.. The setting is important because Jeremy has to venture out and discover new parts of new york to search for the keys. So no it couldn't just happen "anywhere" the setting is very important.

Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? Jeremy Fink is telling the story as he saw it. The perspective changes a bit because don't forget Jeremy is pretty much afraid of everything. So he sounds a little upset sometimes while telling the story. Jeremy has never left his neighborhood, doesn't like meeting new people, or trying new foods. So this is all new to Jeremy. I feel as if the experiences that he will go through in this book to find the missing set of keys will change Jeremy dramaticly. He may just realize the meaning of life while going through this experience, keys or no keys.

What has happened before the novel began? This question seems kinda like a repeat of the question I answered in the first journal entry but I can't answer any other questions because I haven't got that far in the book. So here it goes. Before the story began Jeremy's dad had died in a car accident when he was 39. When jeremy was born his dad right away started working on a box filling it full with "the meaning of life" for jeremy to open on his 13th birthday. Once Jeremy's dad passed away his mom mailed the box and four keys for it to his dad's best friend Harold. Now it is a month away from Jeremy's 13th birthday and Harold has mailed back the box but the keys are missing. Harold missed placed them in a move between offices, and forgot where he cleverly hid them.

10/10

journal entry #3 Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life by Wendy mass pages 101-126 December 16th 2010

Jeremy and Lizzy are sitting on the steps of there apartment building waiting for Mr. Oswald's driver to come pick them up. Later a limo arrives for them, they quickly hop inside very excited. Once they arrive at Mr. Oswald's building, they head inside to talk to Mr. Oswald. He tells them they need to make some deliveries for him. There first one was to take a little blue book with the title so faded out they couldn't read it, and they didn't get to see the address either. Once they arrive there "James" the limo driver takes them to the door of the lady they where to deliver to, but from there on they where on there own. An very old lady answers the door. They give her the book and she has no idea why, They ask her if she ordered it from Mr.Oswald. She replied "no". Lizzy and jeremy are very confused. The Lady looks at the book, and gasps. The lady explains all of this to Jeremy and Lizzy. The book is winnie the pooh and it was specialy given to her and her best friend when they where very little signed by the author, the author wrote this. "to winnie the pooh's biggest fans" it was then signed by the author herself. It was worth alot of money, so one day she sold it to buy a dress, that she met her husband in. Her best friend was so upset that she hasen't spoken to her since.

Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective effect the way the story is told? Jeremy is telling the story. It changes the story because it's from the way he saw it, not from the eyes of another person who also came on this journey. Because the story is about Jeremy, it changes because it's the way he saw it all go down.

How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest? The author gets you to hold ur intrest, by the asspect of if he is going to find the keys. You keep on reading, to know weather or not he gets to open the box, or not at all.

What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? One of the huge promblem Jeremy also is faced; is that he has to do community service for Mr. Oswald instead of searching for the keys. Instead of searching for the keys, he is deleivering pawn items to their original owners. While deleivering theese items, Jeremy still is courious about the question "the meaning of life". So while he is meeting theese new people, he askes them what their opinion is on the meaning of life, incase he never does find the keys in time.

Journal entry #4 Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass Chapters 10-19 January 7th 2011

Over the winter break i read 9 chapters of my book. A lot went on in those 9 chapters. First as part of their community service, delivering pawn items for Mr.Oswald, they went and met Mr. Rudolph. They had to deliver an old lamp that Mr. Rudolph pawned along time ago. When they get to his apartment they are shocked about how little decorated it was, It seemed so empty and white. They only color in the room was a painting of a sunset on the wall. While chatting with Mr. Rudolph, Jeremy realized that he may not be able to open his box by his 13th birthday, but he still wanted to know what the meaning of life was. He decided to ask Mr. Rudolph. Mr. Rudolph took his time to try and explain to Jeremy and Lizzy, that it's not the meaning of life your searching for, it's your purpose on this planet. Later they went on another delivery, they where to deliver a very old telescope to a scientist at the measeum. Jeremy is very interested in science, so they spent quite some time talking to the old scientist, he also asked him what his understanding on the meaning of life is. A week later they went back to see Mr. Oswald and Mr. Oswald told them their community service was done, and that he was moving away. So Jeremy and Lizzy each got to Pick one of Mr. Oswald's old pawn items for keep. Lizzy choose the doll with the big blue eyes that she spotted and fell in love with before, everyone was shocked by Lizzy's choice because she has never owned a doll in her life. Jeremy choose the old suite case, the he later found out was filled with old light bulbs and doorknobs and....KEYS! After they found out it was filled with keys they rushed home to search through all of them. There was over 500 keys to try in Jeremy's box, after 2 days of trying keys they found 3 out of the 4 missing keys! They where depressed though that they didn't all four keys, because Jeremy's birthday was coming up in a few days, and they where going to be in Atlantic city. They where going to Atlantic city to compete in the talent competition at the fair, because they lost a bet with Jeremy's grandma. They came in second place with their hula-hop act.

Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose? They new character that is introduced is Mr.Oswald, Who plays a very Important role in the book. Mr. Oswald owns a pawn shop, that Lizzy and Jeremy had to go work for after breaking in to Harold's office and being assigned community service. Throughout delivering items for Mr. Oswald Jeremy and Lizzy learn many different ways to describe the meaning of life. After having finished their community service they each got to select an old pawn item to keep, this makes a lot of progress in the story because in the item Jeremy choose was 3 out of 4 of his missing keys.

Why did (or didn't) the novel meet your expectations?
The novel actually didn't meet my expectations at all, I thought it was going to be a boring book that I was gonna hate reading. Actually it was very interesting, sometime i couldn't wait to get home to find out what happens to Jeremy and his box.

Why would you (or why wouldn't you) recommend this novel to a friend? I would highly recommend this book to a friend. It has easy language, it's easy to follow, and the author is very good at keeping u interested. They plot of the story is also very interesting making more interesting to read. It's also good because now that I've read the book, my mom tells me they are currently in production of the movie to this novel.

Journal entry #5 Jeremy Fink and the Meaning Of Life by Wendy Mass pages 258-289 January 11th 2011

In the final 2 chapter of the book, it approaches Jeremy's birthday. Once his birthday is here, he is at his grandma's place and with-out all for keys to his box. When he awakes his mom, grandma and Lizzy and entering his room with a cake and are singing happy birthday. After cake they go the beach where Jeremy and his dad use to fish all the time. After there lunch they open presents, Jeremy's mom got his a telescope and his grandma got him a gift-card to the science measuem. At this point Lizzy is bouncing up and down excited for jeremy to open her present. She gets his a few new comic books and a lot of assorted candy, as she does every year. A few minuets later Lizzy mentions that she is not finished with her gift and that there is one more thing, she has the fourth key. She found it after they found the second one, and since jeremy wasn't looking she took it to give him on his birthday. Jeremy is a little upset that he does not have the box and other keys currently with him at the beach, so that he could open the box there. Yet Lizzy has one more trick up her sleeve., since she knew she has the key with her she brought the box and other keys with her. They paddle out in a row boat to a giant rock in the middle of the lake. There they open the box, inside is a note from Jeremy's dad. The note talks about the meaning of life and all about the objects that are in the box, and the note mentions that there is something for Lizzy in the box too. Inside the box is a really bumpy object or objects covered by rapping paper. Jeremy removes the wrapping paper to only find a bunch of small rocks and another note. The note explains the meaning of each rock, and how ever rock was from an exciting place where something exciting happened. For example one of the rocks is from outside the hospital where Jeremy was born. At the bottom of the box is a blue envelope with something for Lizzy inside it. Now Lizzy collects playing cards that she finds around town, she almost has a full deck except for 2 cards. Oddly enough in the envelope is one of her missing cards. Lizzy is shocked as well as Jeremy about how he knew what card to put in there. On there way back to shore it hits him, he figures out how he knew what card to put in there, he doesn't decide to tell Lizzy to keep the magic alive in her. When they return back t0 Jeremy's home town right away Jeremy says that he must go somewhere that they can't know about. He busses to Mr. Oswald's place and asked him why he put the card in the box and why he had the keys the whole time. Mr. Oswald explains how this whole thing was set up by his dad before he died, and that there was no Harold Folgard. Before Jeremy leaves Mr. Oswald passes him an envelope explaining everything plus a little gift. On the way home he opens the gift. It was the stamp his dad was trying to collect, it is now worth a whole lot of money.

Is there a message or main theme emerging in the book? How is it shown? The message in the novel is about, the meaning of life (obviously) and about learning about how to live your life and the purpose of why your here. It is shown through the whole story while Jeremy is on a search to find the meaning of life.

To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence. This novel can be aimed at all age groups. From pre-teens to almost adult or even adults.

Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain. The language in the novel is pretty simple, for anyone to read. It doesn't have big fancy words and it is really easy to understand. It is one of the main reasons I choose this book, because I thought it would of been easier to follow along.