ipl-logo

Age Group-Self-Discovery In M. G. Leonard's Beetle Boy

1383 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Realism in 20th century literature

Important to realize, How I Live Now is intended for teenagers and young adults. Daisy’s story fits into the themes commonly explored for that age group - self-discovery. young love and survival. As much as consumer culture, and chaos and societal breakdown fits into Fight Club’s older age bracket.

Whereas, Darkus is actively finding his father in Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard - demonstrating that family is an important theme in standalone novels. His endeavour is the driving force of the plot. He is faced with malicious neighbours, army beetles and a monstrous woman which are light-hearted, fictitious elements that readers (ages 8 - 12) would still enjoy. Even though Leonard’s writing tends to be wicked - ‘ “I’d have to skin you before I could put you in a pie,” he grinned, “because human skin is pretty chewy.” ‘ - it’s a slight shift from what early readers are used to. For example, the witch from Hansel and Gretel did intend to eat Hansel and Gretel; however, these components are bearable because the protagonists get their happy-endings nonetheless. Once readers start shifting to young adult and adult fiction, as discussed in How I Live Now and Fight Club, ‘happy-endings’ are not as straightforward.

Characters also become more complex. Readers delve into Darkus’ emotions where he is …show more content…

If a fight club existed within Beetle Boy, it would be highly unbefitting and irrelevant to readers. Older readers may also find Darkus’ interest in beetles boring and childish. Although, I find that authors have to be careful in picking an element that works best with their targeted audience. My own story includes a childhood game - hide and seek. By including another element (i.e., fight club, beetles, war, bottled heart) alongside the overall theme of fatherlessness, it further attracts readers - instead of directly writing about

Show More
Related
62 Words | 1 Pages

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer is a biography about Dave Pelzer and how he managed to survive one of the worst child abuse cases ever reported in California. Dave’s life was full of starvation, torture, and cruelty from the age of four but it all came to an end at the age of twelve when his school officials reported

Read More
985 Words | 4 Pages

In the book “ A Child Called It”, by Dave Pelzer, Dave talks about the horrible childhood he lived because of his abusive mother. The book is a biography because it is based on a true event. The setting of the story is at Daly City, California. Some of the characters from the story are David’s parents: Stephan Joseph, his father, Catherine Roerva, his mother, Mr.Hansen(principal at dave’s school), Miss Moss(dave’s math teacher), Mr.Ziegler(dave’s 5th grade teacher),Miss Wood(is one of dave’s teacher) and his four brothers. Dave lives with his mother,four brothers and his father.

Read More
616 Words | 3 Pages

Mr. Cooger tries to transform himself into a boy so he can pretend being someone’s nephew, but the boys break the controls, and he goes so fast that he comes out centuries old. The two are being sought after by Mr. Dark, also known as the Illustrated Man for all of his tattoos, and his weapons include the Dust Witch and his now old sidekick, Mr. Cooger. This makes the book even more exciting, because the teenagers have to play cat and mouse with Mr. Dark and his carnival based on what he knows and doesn’t know. Will’s dad, Mr. Calloway, has a unique approach to life which inspires the boys and helps them survive. He believes that death is merely a word and it does not exist; rather, everything is in place to make us humans scared of death.

Read More
1204 Words | 5 Pages

Nathania Tilahun Ms Lesniak Language February 22 2023 Week 3 Reading Journal:Bud, Not Buddy Introduction: I am reading this book called Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis from chapter 9 to 11. Bud finds himself in the company of a jazz band called the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, led by Herman E. Calloway, who he believes is his father. The band initially does not believe him, but he eventually convinces them that he is related to Calloway by showing them a flyer with Calloway's picture and the name of his band. Bud is welcomed into the band and enjoys their music and company.

Read More
310 Words | 2 Pages

In his poem “First Grade” Ron Koertge describes, from the point of view of a student, the first major change children face: starting school. Beginning the poem, the speaker describes their fond memories of before school; but, towards the end of the poem, the focus shifts to how the speaker felt upon entering school for the first time. During the time the speaker of the poem recalls events from before school began, they focus on positive memories. Koertge expresses the whimsical joys of childhood shenanigans, such as thinking “it would be fun to wear snowshoes/all the time”, to establish normal behavior for kids (Koertge 3-4). Children possess imaginations strong enough to convince themselves that “Every forest/[has] wolves in it”; and, looking

Read More
1318 Words | 6 Pages

The people you surround yourself with really do affect who you become as you grow up. From the things they say to the types of things they are interested in, most people will conform to the ways of their friends by just spending time with them. You may not think about it but when your friends show you something cool that they are interested in it can sway your feelings for whatever it is and make you more likely to be interested in the same thing. This influence can work in both good or bad ways. If your friends convince you to go to church with them that could be considered a good influence but if your friends convince you to steal from a grocery store that could be considered a bad influence.

Read More
594 Words | 3 Pages

The book I chose to read is A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer who tells the story of his horrific childhood. Dave Pelzer as a child was brutally beaten and starved by his unstable alcoholic mother, his mother played so called “games” with him that nearly left him dead. He had to learn to play his mother's games in order to stay alive, as she no longer considered him apart of the family. As years went by Daves punishments or so called “games” became more dangerous, humiliating and disturbing. For example, he was forced to wear the same ripped, smelly clothing everyday.

Read More
1827 Words | 8 Pages

“Where is it written” by Adam Schwartz, is a story about a boy named Sam who doesn’t want to live with his mom anymore. Sam first tells his dad to sue his mom for custody of him. Then Sam goes to live with his mom and all they did was argue. Finally Sam ends up going to live with his father. Coming of age is an important theme in which the protagonist goes from being a child to an adult and awakening to a new understanding of his or herself and the world around him or her.

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

A coming-of-age story revolves around the growth of the main character throughout the book. Neil Gaiman is the author of "The Graveyard Book." The Graveyard Book is about a boy who is raised in a graveyard by supernaturals. The boy's name is Nobody Owens. Nobody Owens was the only survivor of his family's murders.

Read More
1051 Words | 5 Pages

Upon completing A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer for a second time, I am completely convinced becoming an educator is my purpose in life. The first time I read this book was in middle school and although the book did stir up a lot of my emotions and was a difficult read, it does not compare to the effect it had on me as I read it for a second time as an older woman. Dave Pelzer wrote a memoir that highlighted the horrific abuse he received from his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother, all while living with his father, siblings, and attending school. The book expresses the torturous, unpredictable games his mother would play with him. These games took a physical, emotional, and mental toll on Dave’s life and this is all evident through his description of the abuse and his desire to no longer live.

Read More
454 Words | 2 Pages

There was a correct way to settle the disputes between organized labor and big businesses. The group of people that were correct about settling the disputes were the organized labor. Instead of following socialism, the workers formed unions. They formed unions to gain power in their jobs. There is a more successful union between the National Trades Union and the American Federation of Labor.

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

For example, in The Goldfish, Sergei doesn’t want to use his last wish because then his only friend, the fish, will leave him. Then in The Lottery the feelings that are shown in their are hatred or dislike because no one seems to like Mrs.Hutchinson. In the last story, the little girl/boy is sad because she see’s the mother saying no to him wearing his hides, which brings the father down. Finishing off, some things can have a huge effect on our relationships and these help define who we are become because if your mean to someone they might hate you forever. And that defines who we may become because once your mean to someone, you’ll be mean most of the time in your

Read More
2332 Words | 10 Pages

Adolescence: A Look at Adolescence in the Movie The Breakfast Club The 1985 movie written and directed by John Hughes, called The Breakfast Club looks at five very different students who are coming into adolescence and becoming their own people.

Read More
172 Words | 1 Pages

In the poem “First Grade” by Ron Koertge, the writer uses diction and symbolism to reveal his meaning: school can kill one’s imagination. “Until then”, or before the present, the author had creativity and believed that “every forest had wolves in it”. He extends on this idea by saying that he loves to “wear snowshoes all the time” and “talk to water”. Yet, when he enters first grade, he witnesses the woman with the “gray breath” assigning the students’ seats. He describes the teacher’s breath being gray to show that the teacher and the school lack liveliness and imagination.

Read More
760 Words | 4 Pages

When Europeans discovered the new world, the whole world changed. The new world was named the Americas and it changed greatly when the Europeans discovered it. The Natives that inhabited the Americas were not happy with the new foreigners that had settled in their country. In Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, the Europeans sailed to the new world and brought many new items that the Native Americans had never seen before. In Coming of Age in the Dawnland by Charles C. Mann, in this story, it talks about the differences between the Europeans and Native Americans, and the differences between the multiple Native American tribes.

Read More

More about Age Group-Self-Discovery In M. G. Leonard's Beetle Boy

Related Topics

Open Document