Fast
“Slower Than the Rest” by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic short story about a boy named Leo who finds a turtle that changes him. In the beginning, Leo finds a turtle and names him Charlie, who helps him feel happy. A little while later in the story, Leo has to do a report about forest fires and Charlie gave him a great idea of what to do. Towards the end, Leo felt confident and feels something new. Leo learns he can feel fast, thanks to Charlie.
In the beginning, Charlie helps Leo feel fast because Leo found Charlie. Because of this Charlie turned Leo around. For example, in paragraph 5, it explains how Leo felt before he met Charlie. The author says, “Leo was slow in reading, slow in numbers, slow in understanding nearly everything that
…show more content…
With Charlie there Leo knew what to write it about. He would write it about Charlie. For example, in paragraph 15, the author says, “He talked about Charlie the turtle and Charlie the friend, and what he said and how he said it made everyone in the class love turtles and hate forest fires. Leo’s teacher had tears in her eyes.” This proves without Charlie there, Leo would probably not know what to write his report about, because it was about Charlie.
In the end, Charlie helped Leo feel fast because Charlie helped Leo gain confidence. Leo was able to recite his report, and feel happy about it. For example, in paragraph 22, the author says, “That night, alone in his room, holding Charlie on his shoulder, Leo felt proud. And for the first time in a long time, Leo felt fast.” This means Leo finally knew what it felt like to feel fast. It proves Charlie helped Leo feel fast because with Charlie there he felt confident.
With Charlie there Leo could feel fast. Leo was happy once again thanks to Charlie. Leo was proud about what he could accomplish with Charlie as a friend. Lastly, Leo gained his confidence with Charlie being by his side. Anyone can feel fast with a little bit of happiness, feeling proud, and lastly