Eder’s Game Sequels

This is for our fellow Ender’s Game fans!

When I first read the Ender books the sequels that follow Ender began with Speaker for the Dead.  It is the second novel Scott Card wrote in the Ender universe.  If you want to read the series in chronological order of Events Ender in Exile would follow though there are things that will make more sense after reading both the Ender and Shadow sequel sets.

As I will not be giving away any endings or any big secrets, I’ll start with Exile. It has been decided that Ender can never return to Earth, and he really has no desire to do so.  Instead he decides to join the colonization project by becoming a governor.  The surviving members of the International Fleet are landing on the nearest planets to their final location from the war.  They have become colonists.  People all over Earth are signing up for the project as well so that they can have families as they’d like to, there will be no worries about limiting the number of children to two per family in space and it will help reduce the population of Earth. Ender will not be alone on the trip his sister Valentine will be joining him.

Back in Italy Alessandra Toscano’s mother has come home and announced that they will be heading off to space.  Alessandra is tired of her mother and her mother’s crazy ways so she takes off to find her grandmother.  At her grandmother’s home she discovers why her mother has never introduced the two of them.

Once everyone is on board the ship Alessandra is pushed towards Ender much to her dismay.  Ender is in contact with the current governor of the colony now known as Shakespeare while trying to head off the suspicions of Admiral Quincy Morgan who believes he will be the actual governor while Ender is merely a figurehead.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but some of it did feel decidedly retconny, not a word I know but it works.  Several of the chapters were originally short stories featured in Orson Scott Card’s webzine InterGalactic Medicine Show.

There is a short story in First Meetings that is next chronologically about how Ender obtains his “assistant” Jane.  It’s not necessary to read but it is a nice little addition.

Ender and his sister Valentine seem to have finally found a planet to settle on in Speaker for the Dead.  They have both become professors on Trondheim and Valentine has married a fisherman and is pregnant.  On another planet, Lusitania, a xeonlogor has been killed by the species he has been studying, a sentient pig-like group called the pequeninos or piggies.  This is the first sentient species other than humans found since Ender killed the buggers in the third and final Formic War.  Novinha a thirteen year old apprentice xenobiologist under the tutelage of Pipo the xenologer that has just been killed, calls for a Speaker for the Dead to come speak for Pipo.  Afraid that it is her fault that Pipo is dead because of files she showed him she locks up all her work as she can not delete it and does not allow Pipo’s son, her best friend, Libo to see them.  Light years away Andrew Wiggin, he no longer uses the name Ender as he is now known not as the hero of the human race but as the killer of an entire species the name Ender has become an epithet, has heard of the call for a Speaker and decides to accept it.

While Ender is in flight to Lusitania, Novinah cancels her call and two others are issued by her son Miro for the death of Libo, and her daughter Ela for the death of their father.  The piggies become very excited when they learn that Ender is coming and insist they must see him.

The story continues in Xenocide and Children of the Mind.  I loved this set of sequels more so than the Shadow I think because this set is about Ender, about his struggle with himself and what he did, his struggle to find a life and to be accepted for who he is.  I have read and reread these books several times and will again.

The Dirty Life

Kristin Kimball is the woman behind the Dirty Life blog.  She is also the author of The Dirty Life, which was published in 2011.  I’ve just finished this book – and I really liked it!

It is a chronicle of her departure from her busy writing career in New York City to a farm in a rural part of New York state.  This is not only a departure from life as she knew it, but it’s also a conversion from city life to farm life, in which she becomes more in touch with the earth, the soil, and her partner in this adventure, Mark.  I’ve never wanted to live in New York City, and I’ve also never wanted to live on a farm, yet this book was incredibly interesting.  It was also a tale of how opposites attract.  The reason why she leaves NYC is because she meets a man so intriguing she was willing to make this astounding leap.

Mark had been farming for a while, on a small scale, before they met.  She was working on a story that led her to interview Mark.  She became interested not only in his way of life, but also in finding out how and why this college-educated man would choose this lifestyle.  And once she understood, she became a convert as well.

Her husband Mark had a vision of starting a farm co-op, in which individuals would pay a yearly membership in exchange for crops, fresh meat, eggs, cheese, and other goods.  At first this is quite a lofty goal, with  Kristin as his partner, who has no farming experience at all.  She certainly had her doubts, several times throughout the book she questioned whether or not they would be able to make their farm co-op successful.  It took a little bit of love, a little bit of luck, and a lot of hard work.  One thing that made this project work was their commitment to each other, and their commitment to this goal.  Her faith was shaken quite a few times – and she’s open about that, yet she continues to work tirelessly alongside Mark.

In reading this book, I have gained a better appreciation for the fresh food that I eat.  Through her words, I have a better understanding of just how hard farming can be.  I guess I forgot to mention that when they started this project, they weren’t married yet.  So, in many ways, this challenged their relationship.  Because they survived and succeeded at getting their farm co-op off the ground, what other challenges couldn’t they face?  They eventually did get married, there on the farm that they owned, and were able to feed the wedding guests with food they had grown themselves.  It was a proud moment in so many ways for them; and it was especially surprising for Kristin’s family and friends who thought she was crazy for getting involved with Mark and leaving her career in NYC behind.

I was really inspired by this book!  I probably won’t be starting my own farm anytime in the near future, but I will be more mindful of where my food comes from.  I also have a greater appreication for food, how it is grown, how it arrives in the supermarket, and for the people who worked hard to grow and cultivate it.

New Fiction Friday: Read It and Weep

This book is the newest in the Library Lovers Mystery series by Jenn McKinlay.  I discovered this series randomly at the library this summer while looking for new books to read.  One of the things I love about my library is they have several displays of books set out: new books, books recently returned, books on a theme, and popular books to name a few.  I came across the first book, Books Can Be Deceiving on the recently returned shelf.  I then ran, ok not ran it is the library after all, but I did hurry back to the mystery section to find the next two books Due or Die and Book, Line and Sinker.

This series is set in Briar Creek, Connecticut (side note I’m a teacher and I just now realized it’s spelled connect-i-cut, oh I’m so ashamed).  Lindsey Norris is the head librarian and quite the curiosity struck lady as well, in case you hadn’t guessed she would be our Nancy Drew, our Jessica Fletcher, our Sheryl-lock Holmes.  Ok yeah, I apologize for that last one it was really bad.

Briar Creek, which has always been a quiet little town, well not always there have been a few incidents that come back up throughout these books.  The town and that includes the Thumb Islands, about a hundred small islands off the coast (perhaps modeled after the real-life Thimble Islands, off the coast of Stony Creek, Connecticut.  Lately however there has been a frightening number of murders, well including this book four.

It’s time for a new play to be put on at the local theatre in Read It and Weep.  Lindsey’s friend Violet, a former actress former in the sense that she no longer acts for a living, is producing A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Heartthrob and good friend of Violet, Robbie Vine has come to town to play the role of Puck.  Robbie takes an interest in Lindsey which seems to intrigue and fluster her.  Many of the townspeople audition for parts including “the lemon” old school librarian Mrs. Cole.

Rehearsals begin and so does the trouble.  Someone is out to get one of the actors, from injuries, to a blackout and attack, and finally poisoning everyone is on edge and Lindsey is determined to figure out what’s going on.

I have come to really enjoy mysteries, which should come as no surprise as I was a HUGE Nancy Drew fan as a kid, used to check them out ten at a time, it just took a bit for me to find an adult mystery series I enjoy.  Hope you enjoy this series too!

Milford Years

Any fans of The Mitford Books out there?  If you haven’t heard or read any of Jan Karon’s books, you may be pleasantly surprised!

This series of books by Jan Karon follows the life of Father Tim, an Episcopal priest living in a small town in North Carolina.  In the first book, At Home in Mitford, we meet many of the citizens of this small town, especially the congregants of Lord’s Chapel.  Miss Sadie, an octogenarian is an especial delight.  She has found an old painting in her attic of Mary and baby Jesus that she wants to donate to the church to be hung on the wall.  Then one of the church board members thinks the painting was done by the famous Veneer, and things get a little crazy.  On top of that their church bells that have been on order from England continue to be delayed, a Buick of a dog has attached himself to the priest, and Father Tim finds himself in charge of a young boy.  Dooley Barlowe is the grandson of the church sexton who is incapacitated.  In the midst of all this a charming and very pretty children’s author moves in next door to the rectory.

Visit Mitford again in A Light in the Window.  Dooley continues to live with Father Tim.  He and Cynthia begin to find their way toward each other.  An Irish cousin Tim doesn’t recall meeting, though he met so many who could keep track, arrives to take up residence in his guest room.

The next book in the series to read is up to you.  When I originally read the books These High Green Hills was next, and is in publishing order but after she had written the first four books Jan Karon went back and filled in Tim and Cynthia’s wedding story with A Common Life so when I reread the series now, as I do almost yearly, I read this book third.  The final book of the original four is Out to Canaan in which Father Tim announces his retirement to the consternation of it seems the entire village even those people who are not members of Lord’s Chapel.

Tim and Cynthia are off on the adventure of retirement as he is sent to fill the post of parish priest on a little island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Whitecap in A New Song.  I admit to being worried about no longer keeping up with all the wonderful characters back in Mitford, but my fears were laid to rest as the rector and his wife get letters and phone calls from home while also meeting and tending to the needs of a new flock.

Home for three years from Whitecap in the book In This Mountain, Father Tim has become dissatisfied with his life in retirement and his diabetes seems to be one of the biggest thorns in his side.  Cynthia however is blossoming as her career as a children’s author and illustrator seems to just keep growing.  Tragedy strikes though and leaves Tim even further in the pit of despair. What will it take to find his way out?

Christmas is coming to Mitford and Father Tim is seeking the perfect gift for Cynthia in Shepherds Abiding.

The final book of the Mitford years, Light From Heaven, finds Tim and Cynthia spending a year on Meadowbrook farm, house sitting while their friends Hal and Marge Owen are off to Europe.  It also brings the Father a challenge and with it a unique helper.

While this may be the last of the Mitford books it is not the last the Kavanaughs they return in the Father Tim books.  Jan Karon has also written other books based in or around this series including a cookbook, Patches of Godlight: Father Tim’s Favorite Quotes, written as if it is Father Tim’s own journal, The Mitford Snowmen a short Christmas story bound in a great little gift sized book, A Continual Feast another of Father Tim’s journals, The Mitford Bedside Companion, and Ester’s Gift, another gift sized short Christmas story.

Flowers in the Attic

So Lifetime aired a new movie version of Flowers in the Attic Saturday night.  I’m not a huge fan of Lifetime, so I was interested how well they would do with this version.  I had no idea a new movie version was in the works until I saw the three female stars of the movie interviewed on the Today show a few days ago.  Anchored by Kiernan Shipka, the talented young actress who also plays Sally Draper on Mad Men.  She has certainly experienced her share of drama and difficult subject matters at such a young age, and it shows.  Heather Graham plays Corrine, darling and doting mother to the four perfectly blonde children.  In the book she is described as an ornament; beautiful, charming, and airy – yet useless at providing for her family in her husband’s absence.  I’ve never seen Heather Graham in a real dramatic role, but I think she has done well portraying this cunning woman.

Ellen Burstyn plays the evil grandmother, Olivia Foxworth.  Because part the story is so utterly disturbing, I imagine this is a difficult role to take on.  She does it well, were it not for these three actresses this movie would not be as great as is.  It’s really difficult to find anything bad to say about the movie. Of course I’m not a TV critic, only an amateur book critic!  But if you loved the book and missed the movie – you should definitely watch it!

I loved the book, and have read it multiple times.  Each time I’m shocked by how cruel the mother and grandmother are – and also why the children stay so long without trying to escape.  I am now interested in reading the follow-up books Andrews wrote (and I believe there were 4!).  The movie certainly left things off with a hint that there would be a sequel.  Andrews actually wrote 3 follow-up books, and I heard that the movie sequel is already in the works.  I’ll definitely be watching!!!

New Fiction Friday: After Dead

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here!  I love when a book I’ve been waiting for comes in at the library.  I’ve been waiting for this one since Amy posted the preview of it.  I actually did something I’ve never done before.  I went on a few sites and looked at reviews of the book.  I was surprised to see how many people seemed to hate it and be seriously disappointed.  Then again as you may remember from the vampire posts, I’m not a major Sookie fan.  I enjoyed the books but I wasn’t nearly as invested in this series as in others.  I know there are people who were furious at the end of the last book.  Me not so much, I liked it.  I felt it was a great end to the series.  I was happy with who she ended up with.

Anyway, much of the vitriol out there about this book is due to its length and price.  As many say, it is a 200 hundred page book but can easily be read in 30 minutes, yet it costs $18.  Yeah too much for what it is, it might be worth half that.

Now after reading these reviews I went in with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.  I enjoyed the book.  For those that don’t know After Dead is not a story it is an update encyclopedia of characters from the series.  Fortunately I read the entire series this summer so I remembered more than I think people who simply read each book once as it came out, even with that there were still characters I didn’t remember but it didn’t bother me.  The characters are in alphabetical order which is nice because if there are particular characters you really want an update on, you know like Sookie you can go right to them.

I sat down to read this and ended up laughing out loud several times.  Charlaine Harris must have had a blast when writing this book.  Some of the updates are long and some are quite short as in one line though at least one of the one liners really had me laughing even though I didn’t remember the character “Hank Clearwater contracted gonorrhea.”  Then there were one line updates that are irritating and the reason for so many bad reviews like “Isaiah is still the King of Kentucky.” and “Freyda is still the Queen of Oklahoma and has never regretted her bargain with Eric.”  Um really?  That’s it?  Yes we get more information when we read Eric’s update but still this is annoying.

Bill and Sookie’s  updates are much longer and well worth the read as are several other of the main characters updates.  All in all I’d say read this before you buy it, borrow it from a friend, check it out from the library, something and if you like it enough to spend the money do it.  Or maybe wait and get it when it comes out in paperback.  Just don’t go into it expecting some majorly comprehensive update of the characters, this is really just more for fun.

When You Reach Me

Do you have a book on your bookshelf that you see every day and still haven’t read??  Maybe you’ve seen a particular book at the bookstore and think about reading it but never get around to it?  This is that book for me!  I finally got around to reading When You Reach Me, and I’m so glad I did!  This was published first in 2009, so I guess I had avoided reading it too long!!  The story is actually set in 1979, and is focused on the life of 12-year-old Miranda, living in New York City, whose Mom is preparing to be a contestant on the $20,000 Pyramid game show.  The author, Rebecca Stead, won the 2010 Newbury Medal for this book, and what’s really interesting is that there seems to be a bit of Rebecca in Miranda.  She too was raised in NYC, and would have been around the same age in 1979 as Miranda.

One of the reasons why this story is set in the 70s is that there is an element of time travel.  Miranda is interested in time travel and wonders frequently if it’s even possible.  It turns out, that in this story at least, it is possible!

As I am someone who was born in the 70s, it was interesting to pick out signs that this was set in that decade.  Of course the game show $20,000 Pyramid was a hit in the 70s, and it was hosted by a younger Dick Clark.  And although I wouldn’t refuse $20,000, the prize money today wouldn’t be exciting enough for a game show!  Miranda and her friends are allowed to wander the city streets alone – something that even in a much smaller town would almost never happen in 2014.  Especially after a confrontation with a crazy seemingly homeless man who is always on the corner near her apartment, these kids would not be walking New York City streets alone.

The target audience for this book is 9 – 12 years old.  One of those other signs of the 70s is that Stead mentions that one of the characters received a draft deferment during the Vietnam War.  This is kind of interesting to me as an adult reader, and it definitely gives a good description of that character.  I’m not sure young readers will have an understanding of that characterization.  That may be the only, even remotely, critical thin I have to say about When You Reach Me.  This really is a great story.

Miranda is being raised by a single mother who dropped out of law school after getting pregnant.  She works as a paralegal, and even her daughter knows that she is smarter and more capable than most of the lawyers she works for.  They have a very close relationship, yet face difficulty when her Mom announces her engagement to Richard, a close friend, right around Christmas.  The story pivots on a series of mysterious and anonymous notes that Miranda finds that in several locations around their home.  Her mom helps her to solve the mystery.  Who left these notes and why?

“Common sense is just a name for the way we’re used to thinking.”  She always seems to be challenging and challenged by ideas, concepts, and common beliefs.  As a character, she has incredible tenacity and wisdom, something to admire in a 12 year old.  This is such a great story, and so interesting the way time travel fits in – reminding me of The Time Traveler’s Wife, which I absolutely love!  Like other young adult novels, this is one adults will love too!

Ender’s Game – the first book in the Enderverse

Ender’s Game seems to be incredibly popular now.  This book recently turned movie began life as a short story in 1977, it grew into the book it now is and was published in 1985.  Author Orson Scott Card is well known in the science fiction genre, and while I haven’t read any of his other series I have devoured the books in the Enderverse and own all but the three, wait make that four most recent releases.

I was introduced to Ender’s Game by a friend around the time that it was listed as the One Read book for our local library.  Ender is a young boy, the third child of a family living in a future where having more than two children is near criminal.  Ender’s parents are geniuses, though none of their three children believe this, thinking them instead to be total idiots oblivious to what the children do and say.  Too bad the kids don’t know what the reader can find out about their parents from the first two stories in Card’s book First Meetings, a set of four short stories including the original Ender’s Game.

Ender was commissioned by the International Fleet, meaning his parents were asked for conceive him, therefore he is afforded privileges few other “thirds” are given such as going to school.  We begin the book with Ender having a monitor removed from the back of his neck; the IF has been monitoring him for years as they did with his brother Peter and sister Valentine.  When the other students in Ender’s class see that his monitor has been removed they take the opportunity to bully him knowing that no one is watching him any longer.  Ring leader Stinson goes down in the fight when Ender decides this is his chance to be sure they leave him alone not just for today but forever.  He explains this to Colonel Graff when the IF officer comes to his house to question him.

Ender leaves Earth with Graff to go off to Battle School, in orbit.  Children from all over the world have been taken to the space station to learn to fight.  They are to become the army that will take down the Formics and alien force known as the buggers. (I have to be honest here when I first read this I had the aliens from Starship Troopers in my head, and I’m almost ashamed to admit I’ve seen that movie, no I’m really not.) At least that’s what the children believe, rather they are there because the International Fleet is seeking someone, a new leader to take the place of Mazer Rackham who won the last Formic War.

Ender moves rapidly, too rapidly by the thoughts of most of the students and many of the staff up through the school until he is in command of his own army.  The student armies fight each other in the Battle Room.  Command at the school, Graff, seems to be in a hurry to push Ender to his limits, to try to break him or mold him.  Fortunately for Ender he inspires loyalty if not necessarily friendship amongst his army or “jeesh.”

I’d love to go on and tell you more but I don’t want to give away the whole book.  I will say this, I have not seen the movie yet though I hope to soon as I’ve heard good reviews from friends who have read the book as well.  These same friends have also told me that there is a large sub-plot from the book centered around Ender’s siblings Peter and Val, which directly lead into the two sets of sequels yes two sets, that was left out of the movie.  So if you’ve seen the movie but not read the book, go pick it up you won’t be disappointed.

Ender’s Game has also been turned into a set of comic books.  Those books have been bound into two larger graphic novels the first being Ender’s Game: Battle School.  As the title suggests this story is really just Ender’s time in space on the orbiting Battle School.  Some small changes have been made and you get less insight into Ender’s thinking throughout the comics but the illustrations were good.  I enjoyed this as a companion to the original book.

The second graphic novel is title Ender’s Game: Command School which is somewhat misleading as it picks up where the last one left off while Ender is still at the Battle School.  I have to be honest, this bothered me.  Why not put all of the Battle School stuff in that graphic novel but then again I’m not a comic book aficionado though I do enjoy reading them.  There must have been a reason, and hopefully one beyond having an even number of books in each set.  This story does continue though with Ender’s trip to the asteroid Eros where he gets a new teacher: Mazer Rackham.  The final battle sequences were really interesting to see through the illustrator/artists eye.

If you know someone who has seen the movie and is not a big reader the graphic novels just might be the way to get them to move on to the series.  A gateway perhaps which is always down 😉

An interesting side note, Amy shared this article with me “Ender’s Game” theme strikes nerve with military.  I enjoyed reading it and if you’re already a fan of the series you might as well.

Unjunk Your Junk Food

Need help sticking to your New Years resolutions?  If your resolutions include trying to eat healthier, this book can help you out!  Unjunk Your Junk Food provides healthier alternatives to some of our favorite snack foods.  I found this book incredibly helpful, as so many of the popular snacks found in any grocery store are filled with artificial ingredients – which is something I’d like to avoid.  They’ve taken the guess work out of grocery shopping – listing some of the worst ingredients that should be absolutely avoided, and they’ve also explained and defined each item you may find on an ingredient list (you know those words that seem impossible to pronounce, and seem better suited for a science lab??).

Unfortunately, some of the healthier alternatives listed in the book seem a bit more expensive than their less healthy counterparts.  That’s one myth the authors would like to dispel – “We know what you’re thinking: healthy eating costs more.  It’s true, and no one is denying it.  But when it comes right down to it, we’re talking about your health and your children’s health.  Get this: 95% of money spent on health care in the United States goes toward treating illness, and only 5% is spent on prevention.”  That’s something to think about – I like to save as much money as possible at the grocery store, but I also think about buying the healthiest things within my budget.  Calculating cost vs nutritional value is a complicated equation – but it really shouldn’t be!!!

What I like most about the book is the breakdown of the ingredient list – it lists many of the typical ingredients you’d find in a snack food.  They’ve labeled ingredients that should be avoided in red, for the worst ingredients, and yellow, that should snackers should be wary of.  There is an analysis of some of the most popular snack foods on the market – breaking down their nutrition facts.  If you’ve ever wondered what the big difference is between snack foods (I know I have), this may put an end to some of those debates.  Can one snack food be healthier than the other, with the exception of choosing a banana or carrot sticks?  One of my guiltiest snack pleasures is one of the worst offenders – Doritos.  Now I’m more aware of just how unhealthy these chips are, but giving them up will be nearly impossible!

The ingredients that should be avoided at all costs include trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors.  I’m not that surprised by the snack foods that are dissed in this book – I try to inspect labels before food gets tossed in my cart at the grocery store.  This book still helps.  If your goal is to eat healthier – or get your family to eat healthier, this book is worth checking out!

A Kids Take: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Hello, Kelly here.   My son, a third grader, is just recently a convert to the world of bookworms.  The book that did it, the series that served as the gateway was The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Bless Jeff Kinney.  As a teacher I know that some kids just need to find that one book to get them started on a lifetime love of reading.  I’m thrilled my son finally found his.  This is his review of the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, in his words, dictated to me run-on sentences and all.

The Wimpy Kid boy is named Greg Heffley.  He is in middle school stuck with a bunch of “morons.”  He does not like middle school at all.

In his family he has a mom, dad, older brother named Rodrick, and a little brother named Manny.  His brother Rodrick picks on him all the time.  He punches Greg sometimes.  Greg has a journal not a diary.  He specifically told his mom to get something that did not say diary on it, she didn’t listen because the book she gave him said diary.  His mom thought he would write his feelings in it, but he didn’t agree with her.  The only reason he agreed to write in this thing was once he was rich and famous he would not have to answer people’s dumb questions like tell us about your life.

In his diary he mostly talks about his life.  He goes to a school and the vice principal is Mr. Roy, he doesn’t like Mr. Roy because he is always bugging Greg about not doing the right things.  Rowley is Greg’s best friend and Rowley has the video game Twisted Wizard that Greg always wanted.  Greg’s dad is always bugging Greg about doing something active and one night after dinner Greg told his dad that he could play sports without getting sweaty but as usual his dad made him go outside.  Once his dad sends him outside he goes to Rowley’s house to play Twisted Wizard.  Most of the times once Greg suggests another game Rowley’s dad looks it up on the website for parents and if it has fighting he says no.

On the second day of middle school a bulletin board was up on the wall; it showed some activities like dancing and wrestling.  Rowley showed Greg the wrestling program and Greg said he knows all the moves in wrestling like the Vader Bomb, but Greg didn’t know that was fake wrestling so his wrestling coach told him they’re going to do the speed takedown and Greg asked what about Vader Bombs.  His coach said “that was fake wrestling this is real wrestling.”  Greg gets beaten up by the weirdest kid in the school, Fregley, during wrestling.  Fregley is really not popular.

The movie is different from the book. (Mom aside: well yeah, ok back to the review)  In the book Greg won the comic contest for the school newspaper, in the movie Rowley wins.  Greg’s comic was called Creighton the Cretin.  Rowley writes this comic called Zooweemama.

Rowley breaks his arm from a big wheel accident.  All the girls at school want to sign his cast.  Greg says “is it really broken?” Rowley says “the doctor said it’s broken.”  Greg doesn’t feel happy because Rowley is getting all kinds of attention.  Read the book to find out more and get your Wimpy Kid on!