week 1

Summary: The book starts out with Jodee, the main character, on her way to her high school reunion. She is really afraid of going in to the building because she is afraid that her old class mates might be the same way they were when she went to school with them, bullies.
Then it skips back many years to her first day of her freshman year of high school. Jodee is really nervous, too nervous to even eat breakfast. She prays that high school will not be the same way as middle school was for her. She gets on the bus and sees the same people that went to her middle school. Jodee asks to sit with the “cool” people. They automatically deny her request. The only seat left is the “loser” seat up in the front of the bus behind the bus driver. Suddenly, she feels things hit her head. She doesn’t want to turn around and let he cool people see her sad, so she reaches her hand around to the back of her head and feels spit balls stuck to her hair. Jodee then starts to cry but won’t let others see it. She gets inside her first class and sits down. The class has to start out with a speech to say in front of the class. Jodee doesn’t know if she should do a bad speech so the “cool” people think she’s also cool, or if she should do the best she can so the teacher likes her. She decides to do a really good speech. The speech was about how people get bullied. A lot of people make fun of her but then this one girl comes up to her and tell her that she thought her speech was amazing. Her name was Noreen. They plan to go shopping later that week.
Once again it skips back a few years to when she was in fourth grade. It was Jodee’s ninth birthday party and she had invited almost everyone from her grade at school. The party turned out to be great, and everyone had fun. She goes to school the next day and everyone is her best friend because of her party. Jodee thinks it would be fun if she was to help out one of the nuns at the special program for the deaf. The nun is very excited and allows her to help. The next day she goes to the program. Jodee meets a new friend who’s name is Marianne. Marianne is younger than Jodee. Jodee thinks of her as a little sister. Jodee want her to come over to her house one day for a play date. Their parents agree to it. Jodee’s mom and Jodee go and pick Marianne up from her house. They realize that her house is very run down. Someone Jodee knows sees Jodee at the park with Marianne. That person tells Jodee’s best friend, Jo Ellen. Jo Ellen tells Jodee that if she wants to be her friend than she has to stop being friends with Marianne because the deaf people at their school are know as losers. Jodee knows its wrong but the quits helping the nun with the program. Jodee’s mom finds out that she quit and tells her that Jo Ellen shouldn’t be making her stop if she a real friend. Jodee then starts up with the program again.

Reaction: My reaction to the book so far is that, I think that helping out with a special program for the deaf is a good thing, not a bad thing. I don’t understand why her class mates find it to be such a bad thing to be helping disabled children out.