Hank Reinhart

Hank Reinhart
Parrot In The Oven 
Victor Martinez
Realistic Fiction
Challenge
pg 104

1. I am on pg 104 in the book Parrot In The Oven by Victor Martinez. I am on chapter 6 and a lot of action has gone down. Manny's parents are out for the night, and Manny has to watch his sister Pedi because his other sister Magda is going out which is not allowed. Manny's parents are very strict and don't want Magna dating yet but she secretly is. While she is gone Manny tries to play dominoes with Pedi but Pedi keeps questioning Manny where she went. She finds out that Manny is giving false responses and gets mad at him. She soon falls asleep and Manny sneaks off to the cabinet where he got the dominoes. He puts the dominoes away but then feels his dad's rifle and takes it out. Recently his Dad went to jail because he tried to shoot his wife, lied to an officer about having a rifle, and that his rifle was unregistered. When he got out of jail he took most of the money in the family bank and bought it, which isn't good because the family is poor. Examining the rifle, Manny decides to shoot it. Right when he pulls the trigger his sister Pedi comes around the corner and falls back when the gun  goes off. Manny starts to panic and thinks he killed her but it turns out she was crying because the bullet missed her by an inch. Relieved Manny takes her back to the couch and she falls asleep right when his other sister comes through the door.

2. So far the book hasn't been that exciting, but after what I read in the chapter 6 I think the book will change. This book hasn't been the best book action-wise but everything else is very good. First of all the plot in the book is exciting because this family is a Mexican family that is dealing with problems. In the book there is a terrible drought and there's also a heat wave, which is making everything more expensive for the family. Also the characters are very interesting. Manny is a normal 14 year old boy but his family is screwed up. His father is very abusive and thinks little of his family. His mom cleans all the time like she can wash her troubles away. His brother Nardo is a pretty normal guy but he's really lazy and can't hold a job. These characters make the book much more interesting. The author of this book is very good too. He won a National Book Award for this book that's how good it is. He also uses a lot of descriptive detail in the book to paint a picture in your mind. One thing I don't like though is that he can't describe actions very well. So if something important happens you might not know because it looks like the rest of the text. Because of this you have to read very closely. Overall though I think this book is turning out very good.

3. The theme I chose for this book is hardship. I chose this theme because there are a lot of hardships for the family, to Manny in particular. Despite there being bad weather and the screwed up family Manny has a lot to deal with. One is that he has some bullies who are the Garcia boys. They just started to hate Manny because his dad made fun of them for destroying his croquet set. Also Manny wants a new baseball glove but he doesn't have enough money. But Manny's biggest problem is his dad. His dad is abusive to Manny most of all because he has no self respect for Manny and tries to find the tiniest imperfection about him and make it a big thing. Because of all these factors the theme of hardship changes the book overall.

4. My favorite character so far is Manny. He is the main character of the story so far. What I like about him is that he is very caring unlike the rest of his family. He helps out and makes people feel better when they need it the most. He is also a hard worker. Because he wants the baseball glove so much he works in fields for money instead of his parents buying it for him. What he needs to do more though is stand up for himself. He is just letting the bullies and his family push him around a lot and doesn't do anything. But what I like is he doesn't complain and moves on. Hopefully Manny will become a better character as the story goes on and doesn't lose any of these traits.

5. My least favorite character so far is Manny's dad. He is really mean to the family and Manny. One thing I hate though is that he tells Manny that he is a disgrace because he's lazy even though his dad can't find work. Instead he wastes all the money Manny, Nardo, and Magda make and spends it on beer at Rico's Pool Hall  and comes home angry and wasted every night. He also is mean to his wife a lot. First he tried to kill her with a gun because she embarrassed him at the pool hall. Seems harsh to me. Also he bought back the rifle with all the family's money without her permission. Manny's dad is ruining the family.

6. I predict that Manny's dad will get arrested again and that Manny's mom will leave him for good. Then the family will go bankrupt and Manny will run to the USA. I think this because the family is not doing good and Manny has heard how good the USA is so he might think about it. Also the book said that this would be his last chance with Manny's  mom. Honestly I don't know what will happen next but this is my closest guess.