Book 21

Dear Ms. Zrihen,         01/23/12

 I am enjoying reading the book, Edison, his life and inventions, written by Samuel Insull, E. H. Johnson, F. R. Upton, R. N. Dyer, S. B. Eaton, Francis Jehl, W. S. Andrews, W. J. Jenks, W. J. Hammer, F. J. Sprague, W. S. Mallory, C. L. Clarke and, Thomas Edison.  The genre is definitely an informational biography / autobiography.  The story takes place partily in the U.S.A. The main character is Edison.  He is round/dynamic.  The plot evolved in the following way threw the story: First, Edison goes to Canada, then he goes out to try to hatch eggs by sitting on them. Later, his friend drowns  in a river.  The main problem is that he mite be blamed fore the death.  The tone of the book is very suspenseful and mysterious.  A theme that appears in the book is Edison gets into strange situations. The book appears to have no moral.  From my point of view, I could see that he is not very curious about how life works. The author organized the book through chronological order.  The author’s purpose is to inform. His perspective is that Edison gets into gets into allot of strange situations of strange situations. 

 “ He noted a goose sitting on her eggs, and the result.  One day soon after, he was missing.  When his father found him, he was sitting on a nest filled with goose-eggs trying to hatch them. ”  This was written on page 213.  I picked this passage because it shows that while he seems crazy, he really was trying to prove how this may work.  The passage is significant to the story because it shows Edison has a creative mindset.

 I used several reading strategies throughout the book. Before reading, I skimmed and scanned through this book, or I flipped through the pages looking for text features to see whether or not I would like this book.  Also, I read the synopsis, or summary.  While reading, I would quiz myself on what I read after each page and re-read parts I didn’t understand.  

 Figurative language I saw in the book: alliteration, simile, metaphor, oxymoron, personification.

 I would rate this book 5 stars ***** because once I start reading, I can’t put it down.  Throughout every page, there is so much information about Edison and his unique life, so you want to read more all the time.  Also, I do recommend it to the class.

Sincerely, 

Mikey Rogatinsky