Do you ever wonder why you are here on earth? What your purpose is? What kind of mark will you make on others? Is your purpose right now to simply annoy your little brother or sister? To be a star soccer or baseball player? To be another Bill Gates? To be the pride and joy of your family?
This is an age old question that Jeremy and his friend (not girlfriend), Lizzy, set out to find out in Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. I know several people have already written about the story events and adventures that Lizzy and Jeremy go on to find the "keys" to unlock what life is all about, so I will not repeat any of that. However, there are a few things, I must comment on about the novel.
First, Wendy Mass does a wonderful job of pulling the reader in, creating interesting characters and showing how both main characters change from the beginning to the end. There is adventure, humor, and lots of connections to be made throughout the story. The ending is fabulous, and I agree with Mrs. Smith - you might want to get a tissue handy once you get to page 269.
One of the most profound things in the book (and there were a couple of them) that hit me was the folktale about the wolf on page 271. That is something that both kids AND adults should read. We all have wolves fighting in our heads. It's kind of like the angel and devil on your shoulder concept. But the overall point is that we DO have power over our actions. It's the qualities we feed that set our path for life. It reminds me of a line from "A Muppet Movie" when that famous green frog, Kermit, sang, "Life's like a movie, write your own ending; keep believing, keep pretending." We can all write our own endings and hopefully along the way, we will be wise enough to realize what really matters in life. The key or the "rocks,: as Jeremy finds out, are what really matters. The sooner people realize that, the more they will enjoy life and its truly important moments. Have you started your rock collection?
Mrs. Fusaro
Well, I've never read the book, but it sounds pretty interesting! Maby I'll try it sometim!
ReplyDeleteMrs. Fusaro,
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean about one's conscience! I was thinking about Jiminy Cricket when I was reading it!
Mrs. G.
Hi Mrs. Fusaro!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you read Jeremy, too. I loved reading your thoughts, and I totally agree about the folktale on p 271. The more often we "feed the good wolf" the happier we will be. And isn't life really about searching for happiness? Jeremy's dad recognized this as he was living each day. I think that's the trick to "rock collecting." We need to slow down to recognize that the big things in life are really the small things, and then pick up a rock as a reminder!
Mrs. Smith