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Drums Girls And Dangerous Pie Study Guide

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Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie Essay The main character in Jordan Sonneblick’s novel Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie is a young boy named Steven Alper. Steven is an average 8th grade boy with average grades and a huge crush on the hottest girl in the grade; Renee Albert. He also loves to play the drums and hated his younger brother Jeffrey. Everything is going great with Steven Alper until one day he finds out that his younger brother has Leukemia. Steven and his family struggle with bills and keeping up with Jeffery. They learn that under certain circumstances you just have to give up things like your personal pride and your job. So, throughout his brother’s cancer diagnosis and his 8th grade year, Steven learns the meaning of sacrifice. …show more content…

Specifically, when it all started in Mrs. Palma’s class as he wrote about how much he hated his little brother Jeffery. He also explains all the things he has had to give up for Jeffery. For example, in the story he tells about when Jeffrey was born; “How would you like to be the King of the Planet for eight glorious years, and then suddenly get demoted to Vice King?”(pg. 4) This is an example of how Steven had to sacrifice something for his brother. Moreover, Steven also describes the condition of his “Special Sticks”(drum sticks of Steven signed by Carter Beauford) after Jeffery spoiled the while he was “cooking”; “The Special Sticks STILL smell funny.”(pg.7) This event shows another way Steven had to sacrifice for his younger …show more content…

One of Steven’s best friends, Annette, and his all-time crush, Renee, decide that the concert will be a benefit concert for Jeffrey. This could mean a huge relief to the Alper Family. On the actual day of the concert, things are going great until the intermission. During this period, Steven finds out that Jeffrey has a temperature after he threw up, so he has to go to the Emergency Room. Jeffrey really wants Steven to go with him, so Steven has a choice of either staying and doing his big drum solo, or going with Jeffrey. Steven recalls when he met a girl named Samantha at the cancer ward in the hospital, and how she told him “Stay with your brother… no matter what”(pg.232). To this thought Steven says to his band teacher, “Mr. W, I have to… I know. Go!”(pg.261) This event shows yet another way Steven sacrificed something for his brother, because he literally let go of the one thing he was working toward the entire

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The author of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie uses chapter titles to lighten the mood, foreshadows the chapter, and shows how important Jeffrey is to Steven. One use of the chapter titles is that they help add a humorous tone to the novel. For example, one of the chapter names is “A Man’s Journey” (Sonnenblick). The chapter title sounds silly and goofy. You most likely wouldn’t guess that the chapter says, “There were sick kids everywhere一walking with IV poles, playing games, lying in beds, watching TV, sleeping.”

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fascinating “Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie." is the focus of “things you can change, not the things you can 't change.” In this novel Steven was frustrated because he couldn 't do anything about Jeffery having leukemia and the family is extremely low on money. So instead he learns from Mrs.Gally that he should focus on the “things you can change, not the things you can 't change.” With this advice Steven changes things about himself for the better. Steven did things for his family and Jeffery to make things easier in a time of difficulty.

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He gave up a college scholarship so that he could look after them. He did this so that his brothers would not be sent to a foster home and get separated, he did it so that the family could stay together. He gave up education to work multiple jobs so that he could provide for them. His sacrifice emphasizes his care and responsibility to stay with his brothers. Darry also shows the characteristic trait of protectiveness.

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