You Are Special
by
Max Lucado
Main Character
Punchinello is a short wooden puppet called a Wemmick. He wears green clothes and a matching hat. He has blond hair, a big nose and rosy cheeks. Punchinello’s paint is peeling and he has lots of dents and scratches from falling down. He is covered in grey dots placed on him by the other Wemmicks. In the eyes of the other Wemmicks, Punchinello is not an attractive puppet. Sadly, all Punchinello wants is to be liked and admired by the other Wemmicks, but he is not.
Setting
The setting of ‘You are Special’ is in the past in a small village inhabited by Wemmicks. Wemmicks are small wooden puppets carved by a craftsman named Eli. Eli’s workshop is on a hill overlooking the town. The town is made up of old-style houses with thatched roves that line the cobblestone streets.
Plot
Main Problem
In the Wemmick’s village, the Wemmicks go around giving each other grey dots and gold stars. They give the stars out whenever someone does something good or special. Sometimes they give them out just for looking good. The Wemmicks give out grey dots to puppets that do not do things well. If a Wemmick’s paint is chipped or he/she falls down, he/she is given a dot. Some of them give grey dots just for having grey dots.
Punchinello is a Wemmick that receives a lot of grey dots. As a matter of fact, he is covered in them. He is not happy about his dots and wants to earn gold stars. However, the more Punchinello tries, the more grey dots he receives. He is not a happy puppet.
Solution
One day, Punchinello meets a girl named Lucia. She has no stars or grey dots. She tells Punchinello to go see Eli, the wood carver who made the Wemmicks. When Punchinello meets Eli, he tells Punchinello not to worry about what the other Wemmicks think. It only matters what he thinks and Eli thinks that Punchinello is special. As Punchy walks out the door, a grey dot falls to the floor.
Main Idea
The main idea of 'You Are Special’ is that you should not care what others think about you. In the beginning, Punchinello does not like who he is because he cares what the other Wemmicks think of him. He tries to impress other people by being a puppet that he is not and it just causes more people to make fun of him. After meeting Lucia and visiting Eli, he realizes that what others think does not matter. By the end of the story, Punchinello learns that the only thing that matters is that you know you are special in your own way and God does not make junk!
Figurative Language
Personification - Whenever a Wemmick speaks, it is personification. Puppets cannot talk.
Simile - “Lucia bounced away as happily as a child going to a birthday party.” (Pg. 8)
'The Paper bag Princess'
by
Robert Munsch
Main Character
Princess Elizabeth is the main character of "The Paper Bag Princess". Elizabeth is about 13 years old and is small and skinny. She has wild hair and wears a burned paper bag dress. She has a burnt crown on her head and smells like ashes. Elizabeth is smart and cunning as she out smarted the dragon to save Ronald. She is also brave and strong. She went to the dragon’s cave and faced the fire breathing dragon. Princess Elizabeth is the hero of the story.
Setting
The setting takes place over the time of one day in Medieval Times. There are princesses, princes, knights, kings, and queens. There is a dragon's lair in a big cave with huge wooden doors. The ground is littered with horse and knight bones that the dragon has killed. The Dragon's lair is surrounded by burnt forests. The castle is close to the Dragon's lair and there is a pathway of stones leading to it.
Another setting is the princess’s room. It is surrounded by pictures of the snobby prince, Prince Ronald. She has a queen sized bed all to herself.
Plot
Main Problem - Elizabeth is going to marry Ronald. One day, the dragon destroys the castle and captures Ronald. The dragon takes Ronald to his lair to get his shiny gold. Elizabeth clothes get burned off and she finds a paper bag on the ashes to wear as a dress. She knew were the dragon was because the trail way of bones and ashes. She decided to be brave and try to rescue the prince.
Solution - In the end Elizabeth, outsmarts the dragon. She tells the Dragon to burn down 50 forests and his next breath only a little dust came out. Elizabeth told the dragon to fly around the world in 10 seconds and he did it again and again. After he did it again, he was so tired he fell asleep. So Elizabeth tried to rescue Ronald . Ronald was stubborn and said " Come back and rescue me when you don't smell like burnt ashes, and when your wearing a proper dress and not a paper bag." So Elizabeth ran out of the castle and called Ronald a bum. (He truly is a bum)
Main Idea
The main idea of 'Paper Bag Princess' is that girls can do anything. In the story, Elizabeth is called upon to be the hero and save Prince Ronald from the fire-breathing dragon. Elizabeth bravely faces the dragon and outsmarts him. She tricks the dragon into tiring himself out and breathing out all of his fire so that she could save her friend. Elizabeth succeeds in defeating her foe, even though many fearless knights had failed before her She proved that anyone can do anything when she sets her mind to it.