eye+contact

Week** **1** (12/4/2009) A. Lexi Halperin B. Maura Carey 1. On your group's wiki page, describe the main characters in your text. What makes them interesting? What is their story or background? Why are you drawn to them? Conversely, are there any characters that you just cannot stand? Why not? (B) The main characters so far are Cara, and her autistic son, Adam. Cara is interesting because through her, a reader can learn about the struggles it takes raise an autistic child. For example, she tries to protect him from the world and those who don't understand his disability. At the same time, she pushes him to be like the other kids. Cara is a great example of a character with a conflict, who loves her child so much but is burdened by his disability. Furthermore, the author seems to hint that Cara's mysterious past will come into play in a big way. Adam is the other main character who is very interesting. He witnesses a murder, and yet his autism prevents him from being able to tell the police anything that he has witnessed. The traumatic event of seeing the murder has caused his disability to revert to the level he was at when he was a toddler. Adam is disabled, but very talented. It is interesting to hear about his special abilities, which include listening to music (he, at 12, loves operas), and investigating machines. He can hear sounds that no one else can hear. It's foreshadowed that these abilities could be used to solve the crime. C. Deandra Donato Despite the last book club from our previous book, we have made a vast improvement. Overall, we enjoyed the reading about the intense love and care for Adam, the mystery of Amelia's death, and the helpful clues which will eventually uncover her death. This novel allows you to have a different perspective on life and look into the difficult life of an autistic child. We took pleasure in reading about this special child and we look forward to the path that the protagonists take as it leads us one step closer to solving the mystery. As students we can easily relate to times when we have witnessed a special child and the cross that they must bare on a daily basis. Moreover, our book club went smoothly and our conversations and input added to the experience of reading a book that is someone's reality. Finally, after eating the food that Lexi brought in, listening to Maura's descriptive summary, and answering Danarenae and Sammy's questions, we can call this a successful book club. D. Samantha Cannillo
 * **[[image:http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:RUPaIlbUjOtEXM%3Ahttp://www.funis2cool.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/eloquent-eyes-01.jpg width="128" height="87" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.funis2cool.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/eloquent-eyes-01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.funis2cool.com/cool/eloquent-eyes.html&usg=__YLcn5IpK2dpTvrCiU013V1TQARo=&h=313&w=460&sz=18&hl=en&start=12&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=RUPaIlbUjOtEXM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcool%2Beye%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLD_en%26um%3D1"]] [[image:http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:hJgROrqKwTTvHM%3Ahttp://www.familyeyecareofapex.com/images/contacts.jpg width="124" height="93" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.familyeyecareofapex.com/images/contacts.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.familyeyecareofapex.com/contacts/&usg=__qtHyc664HnvetWzKOiW8dJrv_Iw=&h=296&w=395&sz=12&hl=en&start=7&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=hJgROrqKwTTvHM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcontact%2Bon%2Ba%2Bfinger%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLD_en%26um%3D1"]]
 * 1) On page 30-31, what does is this passage explaining?
 * These paragraphs are explaining Adam's disabilities. Adam is very adapt to sounds and I'm sure can memorize anything that he hears. Although, in many autistic child cases, children suffer from one very weak area, but have one very strong area. For example, Adam cannot comprehend when someone says his name.
 * 1) Why do you think this is included in the story?
 * It could be included in the story because his excellent ear might help him remember Amelia's murder.
 * 1) As of now in the book, what do you think the title, __Eye Contact__ means?
 * It shows how Adam can do so little things such as not being able to keep eye contact with the person he is talking to. It summarizes how this will //greatly// hinder their finding of the killer.
 * 1) During the questioning session, Cara often says to herself things that doubt Adam's ability to answer. Even though she was right about everything that he couldn't do, has she truly 'accepted the fact' that her son is different, like she said she had at the bottom of page 42?
 * I think that yes, she accepted the fact, but she is in a way ashamed that her son can't do certain things. She knows that people aren't mocking her because of her son, but she is scared for his future.
 * 1) What could be the relation between Cara's childhood story with Kevin, and the case between Amelia and Adam?
 * I think that Cara is afraid that Adam is the boy in Amelia's life that she felt sorry for. She is scared that her death could be Adams fault, and that this girl was on a mission, like she was (pg 40).

D. Danarenae Donato 1. What do you think the steps were that lead up to Amelia’s death? Amelia and Adam wandered off into the woods, where they were singing. A random stranger or Morgan, the teenager who is writing a confession, most likley came and killed Amelia, but for some reason did not want to kill Adam.

2.At this point in time, what do you believe are Phil’s, Adam’s aide, negative and positive attributes? He treats Adam like a normal boy and is teaching him some normal things that boys do. He is young and seems to make more mistakes at his job. He does not seem to keep Cara up to date on Adam's progress or inform her on everything that takes place on a daily basis.

3. Do you think that the administration did their part in protecting their students? Although they had eight supervisors out on the playground, the failed to protect their students. Two children should not be able to walk to the woods without being seen. In addition, the safety of all the students should always be a top priority with safety regulations in place just in case of an emergency.

4. Pretend that you are Cara. How would you have responded to Kevin’s note, “For seven years, I have loved you?” We would have responded, “I love you too,” or, “Let's go out sometime after you get out of the hospital.”

5. How is the physical layout of the school not appropriate for the children that are enrolled? There should be a fence that surrounds the school so that the special children cannot endanger themselves or wander off the property. Also, outsiders should never be able to enter onto school grounds without checking in. If this pathway is regularly used by children of all ages, then it should be guided at all times.

Part A: Deandra Part B: Lexi On your group's wiki page, discuss the type of language that your book contains. Is it easy to read? Conversational? "Classic"? Does it use a lot of words you don't understand? What grade level do you think the book is written at, and why? This book is written in very modern terms, and is extremely easy to understand. I like that it shows little parts of the story at a time so it is easy to stay focused. Sometimes you do not understand at first why they are telling you about a certain part, but then in comes into the story and everything pieces together. Sometimes, because the story jumps around so much, it is hard to follow is or understand who they are talking about at sometimes. But, it always makes sense in the end anyway. The book reminds me of watching an episode of Law and Order because it skips around different points of views telling everyone’s story. I believe it is a 7th grade and above reading because it talks alot about autism and its side affects and I believe the reading must be mature to understand the content fully.
 * (WEEK 2)**

Part C: Danarenae As we progress further into the book, there are more twists and turns that make the novel enjoyable and exciting. New relationships are introduced such as Cara and Teddy, and new clues as to what happened in the woods are revealed. These are all factors that make this book so interesting. As we ate the bagels and drank the orange and apple juice that Deandra brought in, Sammy and Maura asked us the questions that they had prepared. Throughout the discussion, we talked about who we thought the killer was and the steps that lead to the murder. Moreover, we also talked about some of the events in the book that stood out, some of which Adam refers to. For example, we discussed our thoughts about the game 'Battle Zone,' and how it may have caused the teachers not to see Adam and Amelia walk into the woods. Also, we talked about how Adam seems to be fully retreated into himself and does not give eye contact often. When he does make eye contact his eyes have an empty look. It seems this situation is where the name of the book comes into play. Part D- 12/10/2009 Samantha Cannillo Part D: Maura 1. Why do you think Morgan had a positive effect on Adam? Morgan can relate to Adam more because he is younger and both of them are somewhat outcasts. 2. What new evidence have readers learned about Amelia’s murder? We know it was a man, that sound was involved to lure Adam, they were in a car, the person said, "Watch yourself," and they were barefoot. 3. What have we learned about Suzette as an adult? What about her relationship with Cara? Suzette is Cara's best friend from elementary school. In present day, she refuses to come out of the house. Her brother says that she became reclusive due to something that happened with Cara. 4. Can you make a guess as to who killed Amelia? And why? We think that Kevin, the special needs student who was befriended by Cara, is the murderer. 5. What is the significance of the changes Cara has observed in Adam? He is regressing significantly. One interesting change is that he now wears socks, which probably has something to do with the murder.
 * 1) Now that we are further along in the book, does the title __Eye Contact__ present a new meaning to you? (refer to page 65)
 * Yes, now it represents a sense of 'hope' for Adam. Since this page describes how he was never able to look at people while he spoke, but now it is a skill he has mastered and never forgets to do. This could foreshadow how Adam might eventually be able to help uncover the murder mystery.
 * 1) If Cara has never before offered someone 'help' and the ability to call them with any problems, than why do you think she did to Lincoln's sister, Mary?
 * This is because she knows how hard it is to be the mother of an autistic child.
 * Also because maybe she could actually help her and give her advice, and vice versa.
 * 1) On page 100 in the middle section, who is the girl and what is this describing?
 * I think that the girl is Amelia, and it is describing when they went into the forest together and what lured them in.
 * 1) How do the words “elephant, trees, birds, and flute” tie with the rest of the story, on Adams boggle list?
 * Elephant- the sound that Amelia was making to lure him into the woods
 * Trees- represents the forest
 * Birds- the chirping and music of the birds
 * Flute- the alluring flute player/ flute sounds
 * 1) Explain the game 'Battle Zone' and what could it have done to cause the murder?
 * The game is a shooting/ cops and robbers game. If you are tagged you lie fake dead on the ground, but run across the field and try not to get caught. This could have mislead the staff on duty when Amelia and Adam ran off

A. Danarenae B. Deandra
 * Week 3**

Throughout these next chapters, the tone of the book becomes more serious and intense. With this in mind, the characters are forced to deal with the continuation of uncomfortable situations, anxiety, and the threat of the unknown. In addition, this enticing drama seems to intertwine the characters into a web where communication, friendship, mothering, and loneliness present itself in a different light. Finally, the mood of these chapters depicts a parent’s frustration, the cruelty of childhood, the anxiety of the unknown, and the broken words of those who are trying to find their place in the world. One example that portrays the mood and tone mentioned above can be seen when Morgan, who unintentionally sets the conservation land on fire, tries to share the pain that he endures because he wants his life to change. Another example is when June speaks of her anxiety of never really displaying her love for Kevin and the children. In addition, Cara, a mother who continuously strives for only the best for Adam, contends with the frustration of having an autistic child, the loneliness of raising a child by herself without her best friend. C. Sammy- Summary This week Deandra kicked off the meeting with a short piece about tone and mood of the novel. It explained how the story is getting more intense and the plot line is getting more interesting. The novel is progressing rapidly and our entire group is enjoying it immensely. We talked about how Adam's father is most likely Kevin and why we thought this. We also discussed the relationship between Suzette and Kevin, and whether it was an actually relationship or not. Surprisingly, we proved that Kevin was the liar, and that he was in a previous relationship. In addition, we discussed the more clues that the author added to the novel. We learned that the killer had 'hair' and that he threatened to Adam, “watch yourself”. This threat could be why Adam is so scared and uneasy about talking about the murder, which obviously does not help the police. Overall, this meeting went well, and we learned about more clues to uncover the mystery.

D.Lexi Do you think Adam's biological father will appear in the next section being that we begin talking about how cara got pregnant in this section. Do you think Adam gave a real clue when he said the word "hair" for the police. Why do you think that Adam is so dismissive to Cara, but yet very friendly towards Morgan? What do you think happened between Cara and Suzette Do you think June and Teddy's relationship can ever get serious since he has to take care of Suzette all the time
 * We think that if it's Kevin, he will show up, but if it's not, he won't become a character in the story.
 * Yeah because the music teacher was bald so it must have stuck out in his mind, because certain detail stick out in autistic children lives
 * We think its because he can relate to Morgan more, and Cara found out about the rabbits foot and that might be a big secret so he doesnt want cara to find out about anything else for her own saftey.
 * Once Cara had Adam she didn't have enough time, and so they started to separate but we don't know what happened to make her a recluse in her home
 * June is annoying character, Teddy should be with Cara, so no, it will never get serious.

D.Maura 1.Why did Kevin lie about dating Suzette? He loved Cara and didn't want to ruin a chance at their relationship. 2. Who do you think is Adam's dad? Kevin. We learned that the baby was too young to be the son of her first boyfriend. 3. What is the significance of the rabbit's foot with the knife through it? Adam was re-enacting what he saw. The rabbit's foot is Amelia. 4. What caused Adam's fit in the hallway? Adam was remembering the murder. 5. What is echolalia? Echolalia is the term used to describe the way Adam's brain works in response to music.

WEEK 4

A. Sammy B. Danarenae Several themes that are incorporated into this next part of the novel are loneliness, secrets, miscommunication, and not responding well to others. These reoccurring themes seem to be represented by each character in a different way. For instance, Suzette exhibits loneliness through her isolated living conditions and paintings, while Cara leads a life that is centered around her autistic son who encompasses all of her time. Next, the secrets that are kept locked inside so many of the characters are eventually unleashed. For example, the clandestine relationships between Cara, Kevin, and Suzette caused such a strain on their friendship. Also, the miscommunication that is repeatedly present creates undo stress for so many of the characters. For instance, the miscommunication between Morgan and his mother leads to a child who craves for someone to listen to his pleas. He couldn’t express his feelings about his shoes because he felt that his mother wasn’t listening to his words of distress. Finally, the theme of not responding well is apparent in many situations throughout the novel. For example, Kevin responds inappropriately at important times by Kevin, leaving Adam and Amelia with a possible killer holding a knife. All of the above mentioned cause people to communicate one thing, but accomplish the opposite. Many images play a role in this novel that represent the miscommunication and inadequate expression of feelings that are conveyed. These characters all struggle, but convey their message through images such as Amelia’s drawings. Amelia’s drawings depict and represent the true and inner emotions of Cara, which are impacted and in connection with the themes of the novel. Amelia’s drawings also contain clues that one could follow to learn about the crime and the events that lead up to it, such as the drawings of Kevin’s mother. Morgan’s reactions and actions, such as asking if anyone knows who the murderer is on a bathroom stall, represent the themes of book such as not responding to situations correctly. The rabbit foot represents Amelia as Adam shows that he knows that she was stabbed by impaling a small, serrated kitchen knife into her rabbit foot. The author uses these images because they each correlate with either several of the themes or the murder mystery aspect of the novel. C. Maura This week, we started off by discussing the question of the week, which dealt with the themes of the novel. Everyone agreed that themes of communication, and miscommunication, are very prevalent, and became even more so in the latest part of the book. We discussed the new developments in the plot, and cleared up misunderstandings about the plot. Like any good murder mystery, the plot has become quite complex by this point. While enjoying our bagels, we began to answer Sammy and Lexi's questions. Every week, we discuss who we think the killer was, and this week was no different. The group seems to be increasingly suspicious of Kevin, but the introduction of a new character, Kevin's mother, still has us guessing. We discussed the relationship between Adam and Morgan. We were all intrigued by the "love triangle" involving Cara, Kevin, and Suzette, as well as the cause of Suzette's agoraphobia. We also discussed how shocked we were by the frequent plot twists. The meeting went well, and the whole group is obviously eagerly anticipating the story's dénoument. D. Lexi 1.) Do you think Kevin had a right to be in the woods watching Adam? No its creepy, and illegal because he was soliciting minors on school property. 2.) Do you think Kevin killed Amelia? Yes because he wants to get revenge on Cara for breaking his heart, and he admits he was at the seen of the crime. 3.) Do you think that Suzette will leave the house now that things are better with Cara, or is there another reason she is staying in? She will leave now if she wants to, Cara and her making up definitely helped out at least a little. 4.) Do you think its wrong of Morgan to try and get adam to give him clues while they are alone? Its all just little kids games, its really not a big deal because it just immaturity. But we will be afraid that once the murder is solved, Morgan will leave Adam. 5.) Why do you think Suzette was so intrigued by Amelias drawings? Because they are very artistic, and advanced for someone her age, also there was a picture of cara, but amelia has never seen cara.

D. Deandra

1. Do you believe Chris’s compulsive and anxiety disorders stem from the bullying that he endured or were these disorders what prevented him from seeking help? Explain your answer. Bullying has psychological effects and it seems that a lot of his issues come from bullying.

2. Do you think that a change in diet is what helped Adam and other autistic children to advance to the next stage in their learning? Yes, change of diet definitely helped Adam advance as well as other autistic children.

3. Morgan has exhibited poor judgement several times in the story. Give examples of this behavior. (pg191) Morgan wrote on the bathroom stall and asked who the murderer was, however, this exhibited poor judgement as it wasn't necessary or a logical way to respond.

4. Based on various clues that Cara has put together (“watch yourself”, stuttering..) Do you believe that Kevin committed the murder of Amelia? It seems that Kevin has committed the murder based on various clues.

5. Give an example of a time when a person communicated one thing, but accomplished the complete opposite. (pg219) At one point in the story, Teddy thinks that June is breaking up with him, when in actuality June is trying to express how much she loves him.
 * WEEK 5**

B. Sammy On your group's wiki page, discuss your final reflections on this book. Would you recommend it to peers? Why or why not? Has this topic been discussed more/less effectively in another book or books? Should this book be considered for the school's curriculum? __//Eye Contact//__ //was a very likable novel. It incorporated mystery, love, and uncovering of one's past into a very intricate and well planned plot line. I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery and an easy read. The book wasn't too complicated, yet it still kept you on the edge of your seat. The main topics discussed in the novel are most likely the effects of autism, the uncovering of a mystery, and of Cara's past. I enjoyed finding out about Cara's past and understanding her relationships with characters, such as Kevin, Suzette, and Mrs. Borrows. I have never read another book that can incorporate love and mystery effectively into the same plot line. Not only were the two told in the same novel, but one had an impact on the other, such as Kevin's relationship with Adam. This book should be included in a school's curriculum because there is a lot of foreshadowing. It would keep high school students interested in their assigned novel, instead of forcing them to read something classic and unexciting. Although, I do not think this book would make it into our schools curriculum because it does not contain a wide vocabulary.//

D. Sammy 1. What aspects of the mystery were unnecessary? Was it too 'ironic' that Kevin trying to find Adam and Harrison bullying Chris all happened at the same time? //The yellow socks did not tie in the with mystery, and it was unsolved how Amelia knew what Cara looked like. Also, the irony that both situations occurred at once made the novel interesting and eventful.// 2. Why did Mrs. Borrows want to kill Cara? //This could be looked at as the same reasons why Cara would not want Amelia around Adam, because she was scared she would negatively influence her son. Although, resorting to and type of murder involving a stabbing motion with a cerated knife seems a bit brutal.// 3. In your eyes, who really solved the mystery? Everyone's clues pieced together to find the killer. The most crucial clues came from Chris, Cara, the police, and Morgan. 4. Explain how Harrison killed Amelia? Was this unexpected? Harrison was in the woods about to beat up Chris, while Amelia stalled him and taunted him unknowingly, carrying a knife. Threatened and annoyed by Amelia, Harrison stabbed her. I thought this was unexpected because the first we ever heard of Harrison was in the last 5th of the novel for the most part. 5. How did you like the novel, would you recommend it? The group in entirety enjoyed the novel. We have all recommended it to our parents, and they are so far enjoying it. Also, it was a much better book choice than last book club's reading of __//Devil in the White City//__//.//

//D. Danarenae//

Name a similarity between Cara and Mrs. Barrow, Kevin’s mom? Both women are caretakers and are ready to give their life for their child. They will stop at nothing to help their child.

Morgan stated, “A crime had been committed and someone should be punished.” What do you think Morgan was referring to when he made this comment? He was referring to him not reporting that Chris was being bullied, he just looked the other way and felt responsible.

What do you believe was the most unique quality about the way in which the book was written? At what point in the story did you experience this uniqueness? It is unique because it incorporated Cara’s past into the solving of the mystery. The way in which the author changed the readers emotions toward the characters who were suspects, made the reader believe that the author might have been changing the ending of the plot several times herself.

What is the significance about Harrison’s shoes? They are the same as Adam’s shoes. They show that he is still a kid although he tries to act tough and older.

Why do you think Amelia is on the cover and not Adam? It makes the cover appear scary and more intriguing because although she looks like an angel, there is a creepy vibe. Also, it encourages the reader to wonder about Adam and his role in the story. The woods and the way in which she is turned entices the imagination. ||

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