Rating: 
Summary: Surviving the Applewhites: A Great Book!
Review: I read Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan. I would definitely give this book 5 stars. This book was funny, heartwarming, and interesting.
This book had many fun and crazy characters. Each of the characters had their own artistic talents, except for E.D. She wanted to be organized and be prepared to enter the world, while the other Applewhites practiced their own artistic skills. Jake Semple, a delinquent from Rhode Island, hates living with the Applewhites at the Creative Academy. Winston, the dog, and Destiny, the youngest Applewhite, love Jake and eventually Jake starts to love living at the Creative Academy. Jake even finds an artistic talent of his own, singing. The Creative Academy is a crazy home school. You choose what you want to do. You can practice art or, like E.D., do regular schoolwork like you would do in a public school.
This book makes you feel good inside. Jake changes from a delinquent to a normal teenager. He cut his spiky, red hair and he took out his earrings. When Randolf Applewhite was hired to direct The Sound of Music Jake finds his artistic talent. Randolf has Jake play Rolf, a main character in the play. The play is going good until the entire technical staff quit. The Applewhite family fills in for the entire technical staff. They did the choreography, costumes, and even E.D. steps up to be the stage manager. The play faces another obstacle when Mrs. Montrose, the president of the board, cancels the show. E.D. believes that they can have the play in their barn. The Applewhites bring in lighting, audio equipment, and people to help turn their barn into a theatre. Opening night comes and the theatre is only big enough to hold camera crews and the parents of the cast. When disaster strikes during the middle of the play, an unlikely person saves the day. You have to read this book to find out the ending, but you should read it just because it's a great book. I would recommend reading the book Hoot by Carl Hiassen. I would also recommend two great science-fiction books: The House of the Scorpion and The Hitchhiker's Trilogy.
Rating:
Summary: Book Review for Kutztown University
Review: I highly recommend Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan because of its high literary merit along with its high interest appeal. An intriguing 'dramatic question' develops in the mind of the reader early in the novel: Will the Applewhites' alternative school influence Jake Semple enough to change his intolerable, disruptive behavior and unique appearance. Tolan describes the characters and setting of the alternative school (Wit's End) in a unique, yet believable manner. For instance, the story takes place at the home of the Applewhites, a place that also doubles as the creative school. This school setting is very unique and different from school as readers typically imagine. Yet, the personalities of characters and conflicts within the plot make the Applewhites seem real. E.D. Applewhite reacts as a normal child when she feels jealous towards Jake and other members of her talented family. And, Randolph Applewhite has to deal with real parental pressures after he chooses a multi-cultural cast for The Sound of Music. Readers gain insight into the lives of these characters through dialogue, a natural way to relate facts. A stranger comes to the Applewhites' house for dinner and learns along with the reader about the family. This smooth style along with Talon's use of sentences that vary in length makes the book a quick read. Talon often follows up long sentences with short, four word sentences to emphasize a point. Throughout the book, Talon develops a theme related to the growth of the characters over time; a banner that hangs in the creative school refers to this idea of, "an adventurous quest for the meaning of life, involving the ability to think things through" (215). Read Surviving the Applewhites to experience the excitement of this quest and to learn the fate of Jake Semple.
This book could be used at multiple grade levels. Yet, the book corresponds best with the skill levels of 5th and 6th graders. The sentence structure and vocabulary choice makes the novel a relatively easy read and appropriate for 10-12 year old children. This pre-teenage group could also relate to Jake's behavior and benefit most from the idea of each child as a carrier of a special talent. A teacher could read the book with students and then have the students write about a time in their own lives when they rebelled, or when they discovered a special talent. Teachers should then evaluate student writings based on the standards that relate to quality of writing. Music teachers could also bring this book to life by signing songs from The Sound of Music, or working together in class to act out parts of this musical. In addition, this book could also be used by older students, even those in college studying alternative school and home school. Ideas could be taken from this book that relate to creative learning and problem solving as opposed to the more traditional lecture style of teaching.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Book for All Ages
Review: Thirteen-year-old Jake Semple is somewhat of a legend around the state of North Carolina. Rumor has it he's burned down schools in the past, and at this point, no school wants to take a chance in enrolling them into their classes. Except, of course, a homeschool program run by the Applewhite family called The Creative Academy. So that's where Jake's grandfather brings him, in the hope that it will not only reform him, but get him off his back for awhile, while his parents are in prison. Jake is shocked that the entire Applewhite family, a clan of crazy artists, even put up with his antics of cursing, smoking, etc. But what's even more shocking is that E.D. (short for Edith) is an Applewhite. E.D. is what every Applewhite isn't. Smart, organized, and sensible. That's why she can't stand Jake Semple. Especially when he starts showing his true self, which might not be as bad as he'd like everyone to think. I often shy away from books that have won the Newberry Honor Award, seeing as I haven't liked many of them in the past, but SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES caught my eye, and by the end of the story, had captured my heart as well. As someone who has been in Independent Study (it's like homeschooling, only I teach myself) for over 9 years, I was very excited to see homeschooling as the subject of an entire book. I found that Stephanie S. Tolan did an amazing job in describing how homeschoolers make up their own curriculum's, and spend their time, etc. I found that the characters were enjoyable (my personal favorite was E.D., as I found that I related to her the most), and the crazy things that happened to the Applewhite family were absolutely hilarious. Children and adults of all ages will enjoy reading about this artistic family and their crazy life, and homeschools will enjoy reading about other kids their age who share their schooling situation. A must-have book for all. Erika Sorocco
Rating:
Summary: Surviving the Applewhites: A Great Book!
Review: I read Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan. I would definitely give this book 5 stars. This book was funny, heartwarming, and interesting.
This book had many fun and crazy characters. Each of the characters had their own artistic talents, except for E.D. She wanted to be organized and be prepared to enter the world, while the other Applewhites practiced their own artistic skills. Jake Semple, a delinquent from Rhode Island, hates living with the Applewhites at the Creative Academy. Winston, the dog, and Destiny, the youngest Applewhite, love Jake and eventually Jake starts to love living at the Creative Academy. Jake even finds an artistic talent of his own, singing. The Creative Academy is a crazy home school. You choose what you want to do. You can practice art or, like E.D., do regular schoolwork like you would do in a public school.
This book makes you feel good inside. Jake changes from a delinquent to a normal teenager. He cut his spiky, red hair and he took out his earrings. When Randolf Applewhite was hired to direct The Sound of Music Jake finds his artistic talent. Randolf has Jake play Rolf, a main character in the play. The play is going good until the entire technical staff quit. The Applewhite family fills in for the entire technical staff. They did the choreography, costumes, and even E.D. steps up to be the stage manager. The play faces another obstacle when Mrs. Montrose, the president of the board, cancels the show. E.D. believes that they can have the play in their barn. The Applewhites bring in lighting, audio equipment, and people to help turn their barn into a theatre. Opening night comes and the theatre is only big enough to hold camera crews and the parents of the cast. When disaster strikes during the middle of the play, an unlikely person saves the day. You have to read this book to find out the ending, but you should read it just because it's a great book. I would recommend reading the book Hoot by Carl Hiassen. I would also recommend two great science-fiction books: The House of the Scorpion and The Hitchhiker's Trilogy.
Rating: 
Summary: Find your talents and express them!
Review: The major dramatic question (one of the important factors in choosing a book with literary merit) in Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan is whether or not Jake will once again be a model citizen and find what his purpose is in life. The reader first gets the theme in their head when Jake reads the motto in the schoolroom: "Education is an adventurous quest for the meaning of life, involving an ability to think things through." Jake is a juvenile delinquent who has been sent to a home school called Wit's End. A family runs it by the name of Applewhite, and they are not your normal, run of the mill family. Each family member has a unique characteristic, and they are illustrated in the book by either the things that the children learn at school or the jobs that the parents hold. E.D. is the girl that Jake has to study with, and she is not like the other members in her family. One might think that this book is told from the point of view of Jake and his adventure to "finding himself", but it is actually told from E.D.'s point of view. The reader finds out that Jake is not the only one with identity problems. Tolan shows the reader two aspects of the phrase "fitting in." Because there are so many characters, the dialogue between them helps the reader to learn about each of the character's unique characteristics. At breakfast, when Jake is meeting the family, Destiny, the youngest Applewhite, starts asking him all kinds of questions. "'How did you get your hair that color?' he asked. He went right on, leaving no room no time for Jake to squeeze in so much as a syllable...Lucille put a plate of bacon and toast in front of Jake. 'Don't mind Destiny. He can go on like that all day.'" As the book moves on, the reader can slowly see that Jake's life is starting to turn around because of the encounters that he has at the Applewhites'. Tolan plants little hints along the way of what the theme is, like the motto in the schoolroom, and lets the reader find out for themselves how Jake and E.D.'s lives are going to end up.
Surviving the Applewhites is a great book for any child that doesn't feel like they fit in. It can show them that every person has their own unique abilities and that those abilities are needed somewhere in the world. This book would be great for a fifth or sixth grade student who is trying to "find themselves" and to figure out where their talents can best be used in the world. The students could put on their own play and designate a job for each person in the classroom based on their talents, or have a talent show. If your school doesn't have the means to put on a play, have the students write in a journal about their special talents and share it with the class. Find a way to make every student in your classroom feel special by expressing his or her uniqueness.
Rating:
Summary: surviving the applewhites
Review: this book is about a sixteen year old boy by the name of Jake.
one day his parents stop a car outside their house. they asked the person driving it if they had any drugs, and to their surprise, it was an undercover cop ! oops, bad idea! anyway, the cop read them their rights and off to jail they went. so with his parents in jail, jake was sent to live with his grandfather and his grandfather lived with this wierd family , the applewhites.after awhile, jake gets tired of being bored so,
he decides to get into a little trouble! so, he gets aciggarette and smokes it ! if you want to find out if he gets into trouble , read the book.
Rating:
Summary: APPLEWHITES REVIEW
Review: SURVIVING THE APPLEWHITES IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. THE WEIRDNESS OF THE APPLEWHITES AND JAKES PUNK ATTITUDE REALLY MAKE THIS A SPECTACULAR BOOK. THIS BOOK WOULD PROBABLY ENTERTAIN KIDS IN 6TH TO TO 8TH GRADE THE MOST BUT ADULTS WOULD GET KICK OUT OF IT BECAUSE OF ITS TINY SINCE OF HUMOR. AS A 7TRH GRADER I READ THIS BOOK IN ABOUT 2 WEEKS READING WHENEVER I HAD TIME SO THIS IS A QUICK BUT INTERESTING BOOK. BUT DON'T LET ME SPOIL EVERYTHING FOR YOU , READ IT AND ENJOY FOR YOURSELF!
Rating:
Summary: The Family that Fights Together...Stays Together
Review: The Applewhite's aren't your usual every-day family, every single person had some artistic talent, except for ED. ED is begining to feel alone, and then along came Jake...
Jake as ED says is a, " Tough looking kid with spikey red hair and too many piercings." I don't think he mind it either. Jake had been sent to live with his grandfather after his parents were put in jail. Jake needed a new school...after being kicked out of "all" of the ones nearby so, his social worker stuck him in the Applewhites Academy of the Arts.
As the story goes on, Jake causes problems, solves a few, gains friends, and suprises even the smartest of people. I love this book and recomend it to everyone who know how to read! <3
Rating:
Summary: The family that fights together stays together
Review: The applewhite's aren't your usual every-day family, everyone in the family is an artist, except for ED. One day, a boy by the name of Jake Semple comes to stay as a student at their school, The Applewhite's Academy of the Arts. When ED first meets Jake she describes him as, "A tough kid with spiked red hair and too many piercings. Little did she know he would change her life forever. Jake had been kicked out of his afore school and had nowhere else to go. His parents had been arrested earlier that year so, he had been taken out there to live with his grandfather. Jake's grandfather thought that he was too much work and went to seek help from a social worker. so, he ended up there. Throughout the story, Jake causes problems, solves them, and find out who he really is. In the end both Jake and ED learn lessons that will cahnge their lives forever.
I love this book and recomend it to all!!!! <3 !!!
Rating:
Summary: surviving
Review: Surviving the Applewhites is among the most fabulous book I have ever read in my life so far. Jake is a juvenile delinquent, who gets kicked out of going to any school in Rhode Island. When his parents get thrown in jail for drugs, his grandpa lets him move in. The first day he is there he meets the Applewhites. They home school Jake. They try and teach him they way of life. After awhile he becomes a nice guy and doesn't do all the bad he had done before.
Surviving the Applewhites means that you should never be a bad influence in life. You should always have a plan for the future, like becoming a writer. Never care about what other people think of you. You are what you are and you should live life to the fullest. "Applewhites, he said, shouldn't be required to do what other people did just because other people did it-Applewhites weren't like other people."(Tolan pg.17)
If I was in Jake's spot I would kiss the old life goodbye and start acting better and never burning down another school. And I would have came up with my own plan for school because E.D.'s would have been regular hard school stuff and I would want my own to work up to. E.D. always needs a challenge t become the best she can be.
This book is similar to my life because I tried to be the cool person and always getting into trouble and I'm into the hole eyebrow piercing thing and tattoos so I could relate to Jake in this story. I would recommend this book to everyone who thinks there is nothing for them in life and if they are always in trouble and don't think there is a way out. Believe me there is a way to be a good responsible teenager and for adults too. Everyone needs a chance or two.
|
