The Last Holiday Concert
By Andrew Clements
Sophie Shoptaw
Hinkle/Block 3
Theme
I think that the themes in this story are Learning, Teamwork, and Motivation. Because when Mr. Meinert makes the kids in charge of the concert they have to use teamwork and work together and not argue and have good ideas and just work coropativly. The kids also have to be motivated to get things acomplished in time for the concert. Learning also is a big theme in this book because if you don't learn anything like the songs or dances or whatever they are going to do in the concert. I think that these themes are a good life lesson to put such a huge thing together in little time with no grown up help.
Setting
the setting in The Last Holiday Concert is the modern town of Brentbury and at Palmer Intermediate School. The school isn't any special school it's just a normal 6th grade campus with classrooms and a library and cafeteria. This setting has a effect on Hart by that he shot a rubber band at school and got detention at school and is popular at school.
Conflict and Plot
The conflict and rising action in this story is when Hart Evans shoots a rubber band at Mr. Meinert, Mr. Meinert gets super mad and decides to make Hart in charge of the big holiday concert. And so the problem is that all the kids have to figure out what they are going to do and what songs are they going to sing because Mr. Meinert will not even help them a little. In the plot the exposition is Hart Evans and Mr. Meinert are the main characters. The conflict and rising action are above. The climax is where the kids in chorus start to listen to Hart and think of some good ideas for the concert. The falling action is where the kids ask Mr. Meinert to help them and he does and they get all their plans ready for the concert and they get everything ready. The resolution is at the holiday concert where they put on a great show and every thing goes as it was planed to and Mr. Meinert and all the other kids at Palmer Intermediate School think it was the best holiday concert they have ever had.
Book Recommendation
I highly recommend this book because it shows how if you work together thing can always happen. This also shows that kids are capibal of anything that adults can do. I also highly recommend this book because it is one of the best books I have ever read. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next. It is really hard to even set the book down without wondering what is going on. I enjoyed this book very much because I love action. Andrew Clements is one of my favorite writers cause all of his fiction books have so much adventure and mystery in them.
Characters
Hart is the most popular kid at Palmer Intermediate School even though he doesn't try. One day Hart was in chorus and he shot a rubber band at his teacher Mr. Meinert and it hit him. He knew it was Hart and sent him down to the principals office. Hart gets detention after school for 2 days. This is the first time Hart has ever got in trouble at school. Everywhere Hart goes he is always popular and cool and smart and funny and even teachers and adults love him.
Mr. Meinert is the exact opposite of Hart. Mr. Meinert is mean and a grumpy teacher with no patience. When Hart hit him with the rubber band Mr. Meinert lost control and grabbed Hart's arm and dragged him down the hall and yelled at him so loud that the students in the chorus room could hear him. Mr. Meinert gets so mad that he decides to let Hart teach the class. At the end of the book Mr. Meinert turns out to be one of the nicest teachers at Palmer Intermediate School.
Sarah isn't a main character but she is Hart's sister and she always goes into Hart's room and looks through all his stuff. Even when Hart catches Sarah in his room he doesn't get mad. Sarah is the only one who gets to see the smart and nerdy side of Hart.