Directions:

Choose one question below to answer in response to your

independent novel. Please restate the question in your response, so
it is clear which question you are answering. Your response should
be 12 point font, double spaced, and at least to a page of writing.
1. Describe the main character(s) in the story. What do they look
like, sound like, act like, etc.? What do they learn in this story?
Explain in detail.
Carmen: Carmen likes attention and can get pretty self conscious at times. For
example, when she plans on spending the entire summer just with her dad but
ends up staying with his new fiancee and her family, she gets very upset and
wants it to just be the two of them. Also in the letters that she writes to her other
friends, she mentions how she knows that shes being selfish and bitter.
Bridget: Bridget is a super fun and very confident girl. She also likes to break the
rules and explore. She demonstrates this when she goes to soccer camp and flirts
with the coach. This is against the rules and everyone knows it. She continues to
do this anyway and even sneaks out to a bar at night where she knows the coach
will be which is definitely breaking the rules.
Lena: Lena is a pretty normal girl that is looking for an adventure and is not
always too confident with herself, but she does know her self-worth and often
plays hard to get. When she is staying with her grandparents for the summer, she
meets a boy named Kostos. He is very charming although she acts like she wants
nothing to do with him.

Tibby: Tibby is an insecure girl that has trouble expressing her emotions and is
not a super emotional person in general. For example, when Tibby meets a girl
similar to herself at Wallmans, she is not very emotional towards her even
though the girl has cancer. She flat out admits that the only reason she is hanging
out with her is because she has cancer. Tibby does not like to lie and is a very
straightforward person.

2. What is the main problem of the story? If you know it already how was the problem solved? If you dont know yet - how do
you think the problem will be resolved (or will it at all?) Be
specific!
3. If you were the author, what would you change about this
story? Why would you change it? Be specific!
If I were the author of this story, I would probably make it more clear
when the next character is talking about whats going on in their life. In my book,
there are 4 main characters and they all have different stories. The author
doesnt make it very clear when a new person is speaking, and doesnt really do a
good job of transitioning from one person to the next. In the book the author just
kind of continues the story without telling us that the next person is speaking. I
would probably put a heading over the new sentence that has the name of the
next person that is speaking. I think the author just wants us to kind of infer
when the next person is speaking based on whats going on in their life and in the

story. If this were done, then it would make it way easier for me to comprehend
who is speaking when, and it would make it much easier for me to understand
the situation.

4. If you could be any character in the story, who would you be?
Why would you like to be that character? Explain in detail.
5. Summarize what you read today. What were the most
important events? What did you learn about the characters?
How did the conflict develop/resolve? Be specific!
Today, all 4 friends finished trying on the Magical Pants. They also
figured out that the pants were magical and they fit everyone. They also did their
annual tradition where they break into the store and have a ceremony with
candles and food. During this, they made a list of rules that all of the girls must
follow when wearing the pants, and when they have the pants. The next day, they
all went their separate ways for the summer. Bridget went to soccer camp and
made some new friends. They also started talking about how Carmen was going
to visit her dad for the summer and she was very excited. The most important
event was probably when they figured out that the pants were magical. That is a
huge part of the story, because the whole book is based on the pants and how it
changes the girls friendship. I learned that Bridget is very friendly and outgoing.
She makes new friends very easily. The book states, Bridget wasnt afraid of
strangers. Often she liked them better than people she knew. Where I am
currently in my book, there is not a conflict. My inference is that there will be an

issue with who gets to wear the pants when, and I think that it will affect their
friendship greatly.

6. Make a connection to yourself, another text, or to the world.

How is this novel similar to something you have observed in
yourself, another novel, or the world? Explain the connection
in detail.
In the book, Carmen went to go visit her father for the summer. She had
expected it to be just the two of them spending time together. However, when she
had got to her fathers house there was another family there that greeted her. She
was surprised to find out that it was her fathers fiancee and her family. She was
a little bit upset because she does not like to be taken by surprise, and she was
not expecting this to happen. In the book it states, I know Im being a big baby,
but my heart is rotting. I hate surprises. I can relate to this because many times I
am faced with surprises that I am not so happy about. For example, when we run
the mile in gym. It used to be that we ran the mile every Wednesday, but now
they decided to just surprise us and not tell us when we are going to run it. It is
supposed to relieve the stress of waiting to do the mile on Wednesdays, but for
me, it just makes me more stressed out to not know when we are doing it. I am
not always very happy about this because Im not expecting to have to run it that
day, and I dont like being surprised.

7. Pretend you could interview one of the characters in the novel.

What questions would you ask that character and why? What
would you hope to learn about the character? Be specific.
8. Would you recommend this novel to a friend? Why or why
not? What, specifically, about the novel made you decide the
way you did?
9. Make a prediction about what will happen next in the story.
What information in the text led you to that prediction?
Explain in detail.
I think that the next thing that will happen in the story is the main
character will share some more about her background, and explain how they got
the pants in the first place. I believe this because where I left off in my book, the
main character was still kind of talking about where she came from, and how she
met the Septembers. She was just sort of talking about her family and how all
of the moms met each other. She also talked about where she got the pants from.
She mentions that she was the one that almost threw them away. She starts to
sort of tell us the story of how the pants came to be. The book also talks about
how the same pants fit all of the girls. I think that we are going to find out the
secret of the pants. I also think that this story may be told from the points of view
of different characters in the story, because its starting to seem like different
people are talking.

10. Rewrite a section of the novel in a way that you wished it

would happen. Begin by providing a brief description of the
original event, followed by your updated version.

11. Pretend you are turning this novel into a movie. Who would
you cast as your main characters? Why are these actors/people
fitting to play the roles? What specific skills do they bring that
you would need? Explain in detail.
12. Choose one character in the novel and explain why you
would or would not like to have that character as your friend.
Provide examples from the text to support your decision.
13. Choose one character and describe how that characters
actions affect other characters in the story. Does this character
have a positive influence on others, or is this character a
negative influence? Provide examples from the text to support
your decision.
14. Choose an interesting/confusing/important/enjoyable
passage and explain why you chose it. Does it reveal important
information about the characters or plot? Is it really
well-written? Be specific in your explanation!
15. Who tells this story? Is it the best person to tell it? How
would the story be different if told from a different characters
perspective?
16. Pick a scene in which you disagreed with how a character
handled a situation and rewrite it in the way you think it
should have happened.
17. What quality of which character strikes you as a good
characteristic to develop within yourself over the years? Why?
How does the character demonstrate this quality?

18. Your choice: do you have an idea for a different option for a
reader response? Just tell me your idea and get it approved!