英閱寫報告
<<Fig Pudding>> Author: Ralph Fletcher
It’s about a boy’s family life in the past year. Clifford Allyn Abernathy III is eleven, the oldest of six kids in the family. His nickname is Cliff. Because he is the oldest child, it makes him different from the other kids. His parents expected more from him. He had to be Mr. Responsibility, Mr. Set-a-Good-Example and Mr. Almost-Perfect. But be an oldest kid could know many things that the other kids didn’t know. He thought the past year had been like nothing he’d ever thought possible. Like five years crammed into one.
It started a few days before Christmas. Their grandmother and Uncle Billy visited them. Children talked about what they want to be a present. Josh, the youngest kid, said that he wanted a yidda yadda, but nobody knew what it is. Then they and Grandmother made the stollen. After that, they listened their grandma tell her stories. Suddenly, Josh curled up under kitchen table. Sound asleep. But it’s strange because he’d already taken his nap. Cliff touched his forehead and it felt hot. Then Josh was sent to Good Sam hospital. In the Christmas Eve morning, in order to make children happy, their grandma let them make bread. After they made bread and had a supper, they went to hospital. Josh was much better. Suddenly, Josh pointed at the wooden ladder and said “A yidda yadda.” Then everyone knew what that was. It was a little ladder! When they came home except Josh, they made a little ladder together. In the Christmas morning, they carried the present to the Good Sam. Josh was very happy and cried “A yidda yadda!”
In the chapter three was about Teddy, the forth kid in the family. He liked to make tricks but he never lied about what he did. When he made tricks, Mom would let him stayed under the kitchen table. Although he didn’t like to stay there, he could know something that other people didn’t know. For example, he knew Mrs. Reamsnyder and Mr. Hollis would get married because he saw that they holding hands when he was sitting under the kitchen table. Then there became Teddy’s favorite place.
On April fifth Cliff turned twelve and got the best present: a fishing tackle box. One day, his father wanted to borrow his tackle box so his father could take the other kids out fishing. Cliff loved his tackle box very much so he took stuff in the box out and stuffed cloth into it. His dad thought Cliff was a good brother and gave him five dollars. Then Cliff was very sorry about what he did. When his father and the children came home, Cliff apologized and returned the money to his dad. But his dad wanted him to keep money and remembered this lesson.
Later the summer, Cyn (short for Cynthia), was the third kid and the only girl of the six kids, she became love animals. She traded her family for the Wynns. The Wynns were Mrs. Wynn, a veterinarian, and Cyn’s best friend, Sharon. Cliff was unhappy about his sister traded them away but his mom said that if he was the only boy of six kids, he would do that, too. One day, Cyn said she wanted to keep a kitten. Her dad agreed so they keep a pet. Cyn named the kitten Snow because it was white. After they took Snow back home, Teddy scared it and Snow was disappeared. Everyone started to find it. Finally, they found it in the fireplace.
In the chapter six was about Brad, the fifth kid. Brad is innocent. He believed everything that people told him. One day, Nate, the second child, he lied to Brad that Uncle Billy was dead and Brad believed. When Brad found that was not true, he got very angry. In the dinner time, everyone’s chick was headless. Brad said that he wanted to get back at Nate for always pulling his leg, and he started to eat Nate’s chick. Because chick’s head tasted so delicious, he ate everyone’s.
On October fifteenth, the phone rang at Cliff’s house. It’s about Brad turned his head when he was riding the bike with his friend and he smashed full speed into an ambulance parked on the street. Then he was sent to Good Sam. One day later, Brad died. Everyone was sad. Although Cliff was sad, he couldn’t cry. He tried but he couldn’t. After the funeral Uncle Billy told Cliff “When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later on. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing. There’s no way around it.”
When it got close to Christmas, Cliff’s parents decided to go to Vermont for a couple days. Although everyone was sad and cannot accept that Brad was dead, they had to. And finally they did it. Two days after Christmas they came home. The second night home Cliff dreamed about Brad. He woke up and felt he’d spent time with Brad. Not dream time but real time. Cliff opened his eyes and cried. He finally got down to eating the bowl of sadness that Uncle Billy talked about.
Few days later, they needed to make fig pudding to go to Aunt Pat’s holiday party. The next morning, they went to Aunt Pat’s house. But in the half way, Josh lurched past Cliff in the car and Josh’s whole foot broke through the plastic wrap and sunk deep down into the brownish pudding. Then their mom thought they couldn’t go to the party but their dad had an idea. He said that Josh’s shoe was brand-new and clean. Then he took out the shoe and the plastic wrap, and smooth over the top of the pudding. He said this was a family secret and everyone couldn’t say a word about it. They arrived in the house and enjoyed the food in the party. Uncle Eddie ate the fig pudding and said it tasted delicious. Their mom was the first person who went to kitchen. Then Dad, Cliff, and his brothers and sister all came into. They were all laughing hard. They laughed just like they always did before. And I think it’s a happy ending. This story is filled up people’s common lives. There are many happy and sad stories. I think it’s an interesting book.
It’s about a boy’s family life in the past year. Clifford Allyn Abernathy III is eleven, the oldest of six kids in the family. His nickname is Cliff. Because he is the oldest child, it makes him different from the other kids. His parents expected more from him. He had to be Mr. Responsibility, Mr. Set-a-Good-Example and Mr. Almost-Perfect. But be an oldest kid could know many things that the other kids didn’t know. He thought the past year had been like nothing he’d ever thought possible. Like five years crammed into one.
It started a few days before Christmas. Their grandmother and Uncle Billy visited them. Children talked about what they want to be a present. Josh, the youngest kid, said that he wanted a yidda yadda, but nobody knew what it is. Then they and Grandmother made the stollen. After that, they listened their grandma tell her stories. Suddenly, Josh curled up under kitchen table. Sound asleep. But it’s strange because he’d already taken his nap. Cliff touched his forehead and it felt hot. Then Josh was sent to Good Sam hospital. In the Christmas Eve morning, in order to make children happy, their grandma let them make bread. After they made bread and had a supper, they went to hospital. Josh was much better. Suddenly, Josh pointed at the wooden ladder and said “A yidda yadda.” Then everyone knew what that was. It was a little ladder! When they came home except Josh, they made a little ladder together. In the Christmas morning, they carried the present to the Good Sam. Josh was very happy and cried “A yidda yadda!”
In the chapter three was about Teddy, the forth kid in the family. He liked to make tricks but he never lied about what he did. When he made tricks, Mom would let him stayed under the kitchen table. Although he didn’t like to stay there, he could know something that other people didn’t know. For example, he knew Mrs. Reamsnyder and Mr. Hollis would get married because he saw that they holding hands when he was sitting under the kitchen table. Then there became Teddy’s favorite place.
On April fifth Cliff turned twelve and got the best present: a fishing tackle box. One day, his father wanted to borrow his tackle box so his father could take the other kids out fishing. Cliff loved his tackle box very much so he took stuff in the box out and stuffed cloth into it. His dad thought Cliff was a good brother and gave him five dollars. Then Cliff was very sorry about what he did. When his father and the children came home, Cliff apologized and returned the money to his dad. But his dad wanted him to keep money and remembered this lesson.
Later the summer, Cyn (short for Cynthia), was the third kid and the only girl of the six kids, she became love animals. She traded her family for the Wynns. The Wynns were Mrs. Wynn, a veterinarian, and Cyn’s best friend, Sharon. Cliff was unhappy about his sister traded them away but his mom said that if he was the only boy of six kids, he would do that, too. One day, Cyn said she wanted to keep a kitten. Her dad agreed so they keep a pet. Cyn named the kitten Snow because it was white. After they took Snow back home, Teddy scared it and Snow was disappeared. Everyone started to find it. Finally, they found it in the fireplace.
In the chapter six was about Brad, the fifth kid. Brad is innocent. He believed everything that people told him. One day, Nate, the second child, he lied to Brad that Uncle Billy was dead and Brad believed. When Brad found that was not true, he got very angry. In the dinner time, everyone’s chick was headless. Brad said that he wanted to get back at Nate for always pulling his leg, and he started to eat Nate’s chick. Because chick’s head tasted so delicious, he ate everyone’s.
On October fifteenth, the phone rang at Cliff’s house. It’s about Brad turned his head when he was riding the bike with his friend and he smashed full speed into an ambulance parked on the street. Then he was sent to Good Sam. One day later, Brad died. Everyone was sad. Although Cliff was sad, he couldn’t cry. He tried but he couldn’t. After the funeral Uncle Billy told Cliff “When someone you love dies, you get a big bowl of sadness put down in front of you, steaming hot. You can start eating now, or you can let it cool and eat it bit by bit later on. Either way, you end up eating the whole thing. There’s no way around it.”
When it got close to Christmas, Cliff’s parents decided to go to Vermont for a couple days. Although everyone was sad and cannot accept that Brad was dead, they had to. And finally they did it. Two days after Christmas they came home. The second night home Cliff dreamed about Brad. He woke up and felt he’d spent time with Brad. Not dream time but real time. Cliff opened his eyes and cried. He finally got down to eating the bowl of sadness that Uncle Billy talked about.
Few days later, they needed to make fig pudding to go to Aunt Pat’s holiday party. The next morning, they went to Aunt Pat’s house. But in the half way, Josh lurched past Cliff in the car and Josh’s whole foot broke through the plastic wrap and sunk deep down into the brownish pudding. Then their mom thought they couldn’t go to the party but their dad had an idea. He said that Josh’s shoe was brand-new and clean. Then he took out the shoe and the plastic wrap, and smooth over the top of the pudding. He said this was a family secret and everyone couldn’t say a word about it. They arrived in the house and enjoyed the food in the party. Uncle Eddie ate the fig pudding and said it tasted delicious. Their mom was the first person who went to kitchen. Then Dad, Cliff, and his brothers and sister all came into. They were all laughing hard. They laughed just like they always did before. And I think it’s a happy ending. This story is filled up people’s common lives. There are many happy and sad stories. I think it’s an interesting book.
