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Over All:
This entire book was very interesting and thought provoking over all. I think that this was a good book for our age group to read because it has very many issues that happen in our teenage years. You will enjoy a story so much more if you can connect with it. I also thought that Chris Crutcher did an excellent job creating character’s personalities to fit the story and the part they played in it. From what I researched about child abuse Sarah really fit the part with her being rebellious and running away all the time from people that want to help her. She was also very strong and didn’t cave into anything which is what most teens are like when they are getting abused. Jody also fit the part that she played very well. She had a lot of the emotions and thoughts that a girl would probably have if she was forced to have an abortion. The characters descriptions played a key role in the book as well. In order for Eric to have liked Judy without talking to her at all, she was probably remotely pretty, and for Eric to have sweated as much as he did, he had to be a little over weight. Having the characters fit the parts that they play both physically and emotionally really helped the book become more believable to the reader.

This book, although confusing, had a very interesting layout really had to think about where they were and if it was before or after the paragraph before. “It really clicks together well”, said Kayla (Mulan361), of MN. I also thought it was interesting how Sarah didn’t tell anybody what really happened to her face when she was younger. I thought that she would have told someone right after it happened when she was at the hospital. Her dad must have really threatened her or she got something in her mind that she couldn’t tell anybody otherwise something bad would happen. She must have been a strong little girl to have kept all her feelings inside. I also wonder wither the hospital staff would have looked more into her case when she got burned then they did. If I worked in the hospital I would not have believed that the burn marks she had was from a pot of boiling water.

I also thought that CAT class addressed some pretty strong topics and I wonder if they would really have a class that talks about topics like that in a modern day school. In the middle of the book I started to think that Sarah and Eric were going to fall in love. If that would have happened Sarah may as well be a Disney princess and Eric a Prince. I think, even thought stuff like this happens in real life, it would have been not as realistic.
I found it funny that Dale was an enemy at the beginning of the story but later turned out to be a big help in so many ways. Like he helped when he told what really happened to Sarah’s face and also when he saved Eric’s life. So many things happed in this book that was unpredictable that it kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading it. I would have to say over all this has been a very interesting book and it taught me to stick up for myself and others no matter what might happen to you.

If it was different: When Eric found out that Sarah’s dad was the one that made the burn marks on her face by pushing her into a stove, he told a person that he could trust, Mrs. Lemry. He could have done so many other things that could have ended the book differently. Another choice he had was to tell the police or the hospital staff. They might have not believed him and Sarah would have gotten very mad and ran away. If Sarah would have accepted their help I believe the whole story would have been different. The police would have arrested Mr. Byrnes and then they would of helped Sarah find her mom and the police would check if she had a stable enough life to keep Sarah. Eric then would not have gotten stabbed and carver would have not had to go to jail. There would be so many things that would be different and some things that would be the same. If all these things were changed then the whole theme would be changed too. Sarah would have not been such a strong character and would not have shown individual strength. It would also not seem such a big deal either. This book would have also been extremely different if Eric would have picked a different way to help Sarah become safe. If Eric would have told the hospital staff they would have not allowed Mr. Byrnes to see Sarah and then he would have suspected something and hurt either Sarah, Eric, or the hospital staff.

This book would have also been different if Carver wouldn’t have gone to find Mr. Byrnes. He might still be out there if he didn’t find him. Mr. Byrnes probably would of gone to find Sarah and either kill her of hurt her. The he might have finished off Eric and Mrs. Lemry for helping Sarah find her mom and escape. In this book changing one big or small detail would change everything.

Problems in the story:
Child abuse is a growing problem and in this book it is a big problem. It is nearly impossible for a kid so stop their parent from abusing them by them self. You need support. In this book, even though Sarah is strong and can take care of her self for the most part she needed help. I think that there is no reason for abusing a child. Most people choose to have a child and even if it was a “mistake” it is still their responsibility to take care of it, treat it well and give it what it needs. I also think that there is no excuse to verbally abuse a child if for something that the other parent did or something that the abusive parent did. It is unfair to the child to have to live their life with out the necessities and without a chance to grow up and become what ever they want to be. No matter what kind of abuse a child gets they shouldn’t be getting it because they can hardly defend their self and they most likely feel lost in the world. Child abuse is a growing problem that should be stopped because there is not one excuse in the world to abuse a child.

Another problem in the book Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is abortion. They talk about this problem a lot in the class that Eric and some of the other main characters argue about what they think about it. When Mark thinks that abortion is ok and Eric thinks it isn’t the story gets pretty heated up. They are arguing and both making some good points. I don’t think that Eric would have had that much of an opinion about abortion before he knew Jody but he did. I also don’t think that Mark should have said too much because it must have been very awkward for Jody. Also when Eric found out that that Jody had an abortion he must have been very shocked that she let Mark say what he did. Jody’s and Mark’s relationship must have been very controlling since Mark made her get an abortion. I thought that this problem really helped the main point and all the little points come together in the story.

A third problem in the story was religion. Also in CAT class this was talked about. I think that this issue was probably bigger then Chris Crutcher had to make it. I don’t think that this had too much to do with the story except for the small part where Mark tries to commit suicide. Mark and Ellerby were the two people with the biggest religious views. I really don’t think it was necessary to include this small section but I am glad that Chris Crutcher did because if he hadn’t then Mark and Ellerby wouldn’t be as big of characters as they were.

All the little problems just contribute to the big problem of how to get Sarah safe. This makes the story more interesting so all the characters contribute to the conflict somehow.

Book Description

Characters:
Sarah Byrnes~ she has always been an outcast with having burns on her hands and face. She is friends with Dale and Eric Calhoune. She lives with her abusive father and wont back down to anyone.
Eric Calhoune~ Eric, the narrator of the story, also know as Mobe, has been an outcast his whole life because he is heavy. He is very good friends with Sarah. He enjoys swimming and arguing. He looks up to Sarah because of her courage that he never has to stand up to people.
Mrs.Lemry~ she teaches CAT class and also coaches the swim team. She is a kind and understanding person. She likes to get involved with her students' lives.
Elerby~ He is one of Eric's best friends. He is religious and drives a religious car.
Dale Thorton~ He is the school bully that is always picking on Sarah and Eric. He always finds a way to get his way. He is not the brightest bulb on the tree but he loves building cars. He later becomes friends with Sarah.
Mark Brittain~ He went out with Jody. He has very strong believes. He also swims and is very competitive.
Jody~ she is a girl that went out with Mark. She got pregnant and had and abortion. She later tells Eric and they start going out shortly after. She is opinionated and has very strong believes.
Eric's Mom~ she and Eric are comfortable with talking about anything. She is in her 30s and dates a lot but she fount a man named Carver and she likes him a lot.
Carver~ He dates Eric's mom and gives Eric very good advice about life.
Mr. Byrnes~ He is Sarah's dad. He is abusive and always thinks he knows everything. He is a creepy creeper.
Mr. Mautz~ He is out to get Eric. He is the schools principle and is always trying to catch Eric doing something bad.

All these characters change and relize that it is on the inside what counts and that you have to stick up for your self.


Setting: Present day in the midwest

Summary:
Sarah Byrnes and Eric Calhoune had been friends since they could remember. They were both outcasts in their school. Eric because he was fat, for lack of a better term, and Sarah because, as she says, she dropped a pot of boiling spaghetti on her face when she was little. Although nobody believed her nobody dared asked her or say different. Having people make fun of them, they wrote a news paper called, Crispy Pork Rinds, which made fun of all the people that made fun of them. They especially liked to make fun of a boy named Dale Thornton. He was the school bully. Eric and Sarah decide to later include Dale in their news paper so they won’t get beat up. They are very close to getting caught and they decide to stop with the news paper. As they go threw their senor year of high school, and having their news paper stopped, they grow farther and farther apart. Eric starts loosing weight and becomes more popular. As for Sarah, which lives just with her abusive father, is sent to the hospital because she became unresponsive. Eric goes to visit her at the hospital and finds out that she is faking to stay away from her father. He also finds out that her father pushed her against the stove and gave her the burn marks she has on her face. Eric tells his teacher Mrs. Lemry, which teaches a class where they talk about recent issues in the world. Mrs. Lemry wants to help and takes Sarah from the hospital without permission and the two of them head to Reno to find her mother that ran away when Sarah was little. Sarah’s dad wants to find Sarah and kill her for running away but can’t find her. He is desperate and he goes to Eric to ask him where she is. He says he doesn’t know. The next night when Eric is driving home from his swim practice Sarah’s dad holds a knife to his throat and asks him one last time where Sarah is. Eric tells him they went to Reno. Mr.Byrnes doesn’t believe him and tries to kill Eric. Eric runs threw streets and allies trying to get away when he feels a pain in his back. Mr. Byrnes had stabbed him and Eric knew that he didn’t have much time to find help so he ran to Dale’s house and Dale called the hospital. Eric later finds out that Sarah found her mom but didn’t bring her back. Mr. Byrnes got caught and put in jail. Sarah was adopted into Mrs. Lemry’s family and Sarah, Dale, and Eric remain friends for many years to come.

Six+1 Traits of Writing

Chris Crutcher did a superb job of using the six +1 traits of writing in the novel Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. Since he included most of these traits the novel was much more enjoyable to read.

Ideas and content: Chris Crutcher did an okay job of using this trait. For the most part the details were good but the book skipped around with the order of things. This made the book confusing at some parts. A lot of the ideas he had were very good and fit right into the story. I think that this helped the book immensely.

Organization: This was one of the worst traits that he used. The book skipped around a lot and the sequencing was not logical at all. It really confused me and I had to think about what was happening at all times. I think the organization clicked with the context of the book very well and it showed how confusing the characters lives were by comparing it to the organization of the book. Even thought he didn’t do a very good job with the organization of the story it sort of helped the book become what it is. It also had a very logical ending.

Voice: He had many different conflicts and subjects that he had strong feelings about so he could really put feeling behind the characters. Each person felt different about each subject so they all had different voices which made the book more interesting. Putting voice behind characters really helps the reader connect with the characters.

Word Choice: Word choice was one of the books stronger traits that Chris Crutcher used. The words that he used were elaborate and helped the story come to life. The words were very descriptive and helped paint a picture. This helps the reader understand what is happening better.

Spelling and sentence fluency: This trait was very good because the book did get published and was checked many times for errors like that. The one thing that was not so good about this trait was the fact that some times I had to pause and read the sentence again to get a better understanding of it. Other then having to read a sentence more then once the sentence fluency and spelling of the story was very good.

Message: When the message in the story is good that makes the book more enjoyable to read. There were many messages in this book and they were all very good messages. Chris did an excellent job backing up these messages and that made the story more enjoyable.

Over all, I believe that Chris Crutcher did an excellent job using all the six traits of writing to make this story more enjoyable to read.

Child Abuse

Child abuse is one of the countries biggest problems. There are many people and organizations that are trying to solve it like the Tennyson Center in Colorado, which is one of the leading states having child abuse in the country. “Although we save so many kids life’s”, says the Tennyson Center, “There are also so many more that we still have yet to save. It is a never ending process.” There are so many kids that are being abused that every ten seconds child abuse is reported and every day three children die. There are four kinds of child abuse. Physical, the most common kind of abuse, is when a parent, guardian or other person beats or hurts a child in a physical way. Sexual abuse is when someone sexually harasses or sexually abuses a child. Verbal abuse is when a parent or other person calls a child names or yells at a child hurting their feelings. Finally neglect is when some one ignores the child and doesn’t act upon their needs. The child is left to fend for their self. Child abuse is most common in a single parent family, most of the time because the child is blamed for the other parent’s death or absence. Another reason might be because the single parent is lonely and needs someone to take it out on. Most abuse happens at home where it is confidential but some times it can happen at public places as in a store, business place or even a church. Most of the time the abuse is emotional which may result in the child becoming depressed, violent or it may make the child think about suicide. Older children that are abused have a higher chance of using drugs, drinking alcohol, or running away. There are so many children that are abused in the world and so many children are dying. Child abuse is a big problem that needs to be fixed.

Work Cited

Thank You for All the Infromation

Crutcher, Chris Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Child Abuse Copy Right: March 27, 2005 Available: keepkidshealthy.com

The Reality of Child Abuse and Neglict Copy Right: 2006 Available: childabuse.org

Child Abuse Copy Right: September 3, 2007 Available: nlm.nih.gov