Gone With The Wind (Thing 2)

We watched "Gone With The Wind." It is a movie that took place during the Civil War. We have been studying a lot about the Civil War lately, so we knew about it before we watched. "Gone With The Wind" is a movie about a girl named Scarlett, all of the boys like her but she only likes one of them, Ashley. She soon finds out that Ashley is going to marry Melanie, Scarlett's friend. She then becomes relentless in trying to get Ashley to love her. This all takes place in the south.


 I would give this movie

because the music was very good, and I enjoyed the story. I would have given this movie 5 stars, but I didn't really enjoy the beginning.

"Gone With the Wind" (Thing 1)

Our family watched "Gone With the Wind" (over several days, as the movie is four hours long). It's about a young woman named Scarlett O'Hara living in Georgia during the Civil War. Scarlett's best friend, Melanie, is betrothed to Ashley Wilkes, who Scarlett is desperately in love with. As we've been learning about the Civil War recently, we thought this would be a good movie to watch.

What I liked: Despite being a behemoth, "Gone With the Wind" manages to keep your interest and is very character driven. Scarlett is feisty and doesn't hesitate to get her hands dirty, something I didn't expect from her at first. Melanie and Prissy are probably my favorite characters; Melanie because she's incredibly sweet and kind to everyone around her, and Prissy because her dingy-ness and breathy voice provides comic relief.

What I didn't like: The first hour of the movie is a little slow and didn't grab my attention like the rest of it did. Scarlett, while very driven and willing to work hard, is cruel. She spends years pining after Ashley, even though he's happily married to her best friend. She even tries to make a move on him a few times. I have a very hard time watching a movie or reading a book where the main character is unlikeable. And while I liked Rhett as a character okay, I found him to be very pushy and inappropriate towards Scarlett, like when he forces her to kiss him multiple times throughout the movie.

I would give this movie

(actual rating: 3.5). It's a great movie to watch as a family, especially if you're learning about the Civil War, but make sure you have plenty of time set aside to devote your attention to it!

Because of Mr. Terupt (Thing 2)

We read Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea. It's about a bunch of kids in a school who all have different personalities and challenges. Their teacher, Mr. Terupt, is the only one who seems to know how to deal with all of the kids. The teacher does tons of cool projects, and all of the kids seem to enjoy him. Then one day in the winter, accident strikes.

I would give this book

because it was a sweet story, I enjoyed the characters, and it was funny.

P.S. In the book they did a math challenge called dollar words. You calculate the letters as numbers. For example, A=1 cent, Z=26 cents, etc., and you need to create a word that equals a dollar!! My word I figured out is: problems.

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (Thing 1)

We read Because of Mr. Terupt (dollar word) by Rob Buyea. It's about seven kids starting fifth grade with their new teacher, Mr. Terupt. They all have their insecurities, their fears, but Mr. Terupt helps them to overcome them and to make new friends. Until an accident changes everything.

What I liked: The changing perspectives, getting to see the same scene through every kid's eyes without it repeating itself. The characters, Mr. Terupt, the dollar-word game*, the simplicity, the ending. Everything about this book was wonderful, right down to the different fonts when there was a new narrator.

What I didn't like: At first I was uneasy about reading a book where there were seven kids to keep track of. I don't like having to keep track of too many characters at once, especially when they're all narrating. But it didn't take long to get used to it, and in the end it made all the difference. The story wouldn't have been the same if they hadn't all played a part.

I give this book

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good family read, especially for those who love the books Wonder by R.J. Palacio and Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper.

(After finishing the book, our family did the dollar-word challenge. My word: Sherlocked.)

*The dollar-word game is a math project Mr. Terupt had the kids do where they attempt to find a word that equals one dollar exactly. Each letter is worth a certain amount to make up the dollar. For example, a = 1, b = 2, c =3, and so on.