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Chapter 5

> This is the second time it’s caught my eye to see “blond” (instead of “blonde”) used to describe the girl in the painting. It’s one of the few gendered adjectives used in AP and Chicago style manuals, so I’m wondering if Scholastic uses a different style guide or if that’s one of their own internal style choices.

> Two girls in this chapter have almost identical reactions when Chase tries to help: Helene tells him to put her down and then runs away to her mother; the book cart-pushing girl at Hiawassee Middle tells him not to pick up the spilled books and then runs off. That’s got to be a gut punch for Chase.

> Like there’s a great piano shortage in the world. – Couldn’t help but laugh at that take on things from Aaron.

> Aaron and Bear wouldn’t cry if you jammed flaming bamboo under their fingernails. – I think this is the third GRK book mentioning flaming bamboo and fingernails. Funny, memorable, and they’re some of my favorite books!

> This chapter really brings out the frustration and confusion Chase is experiencing: He hears different versions of events, and different versions of himself, when he listens to his Mom vs. his Dad vs. his football buddies. He has to piece it all together while also reading the reactions of everyone he encounters. “Stranger in a strange land,” indeed. 

@Jade, I think your comments for chapters 3/4 were on Forum delay when I logged on yesterday. Thank you for adding OPERATION DO-OVER to the “different perspectives of ‘memory’ in Korman books” list. Good one! And you should definitely read POP. It’ll make you love and hate football! As for Team Brendan, count me as a member. (My list of all-time favorite GRK characters would be different from yours, but Brendan Espinoza makes the long list for sure.)

@Logan, @Marlo, @J.R., looking forward to your comments!