Chapters 21-23 Flags

While I read chapters 21-23, I made an prediction: the village that Christopher went to had some sort of relation with the village Kira lives in. Christopher's village used to be inside Kira's village, but there were some rebels, so they broke up.
I also made a question, "Why didn't Christopher tell Kira right away who he was, or why he didn't just keep it as a secret anyways?" Then I found out that Christopher had more things to talk about with Kira and that he had to tell Kira because he loved her too much.

Chapters 17-20 Flags

When I read chapters 17-20, I inferred that Matt loved Kira so, so, so much than anyone in the whole world because he abandoned his family to go miles and miles away to get her the color she longed for.
I also made a connection to the real world: just as Matt risked his life to get something Kira wanted, parents tries their best to do anything to do for their children. They're all sweet ways of showing affection and care, and we shouldn't take advantage of it and appreciate it.

Chapters 21-23 (END)

When the songs finally ended, Kira still felt the sorrow from being unable to thread freely. She walked miserably up to her room, but soon heard a cheerful voice from Matt: "IT'S HERE! THE BIG GIFTIE!" Apparently, there had been a bigger gift from Matt, and it was delivered by a blind man. He had walked all the way to the village, and he had woad in his hands, the plant that makes the color blue.
Kira fed him and took care of the blind man, and he had been so secretive the whole day of who he is and where he came from. Finally, he told Kira who he was at night.
Christopher, the man who Kira should call Father.
Kira, at first, had no idea what to do. Then she told him to stay here, where it was safe. He would be taken care of and would have nothing to worry about. She also told him about Jamison and how he kept her safe.
Then Christopher said that men knocked him out, and some people not from the village came and healed him. The people had always offered him eyes to lead him, and everyone with a weak spot would be helped. He liked that village, instead of Kira's village were the weak were cast aside. Then he added, "Jamison was there when men knocked me out. He was the one who did."
Kira tried to put these pieces together: Kira, Jo, and Thomas are all artists; they are all orphans; their parents all died; Christopher was almost killed.
When the "artists" are discovered, the parents are killed.
The next day, Christopher leaves town. He told Kira maybe he'd come back one day to see his daughter that he had missed all his life away from her, or maybe Kira would come to see Christopher in his happy village.

Chapters 17-20

In chapters 17-20, Kira had finished the robe and wanted to have a walk with Thomas. They did their little walk to the Fen, where Matt lives, and found out that Matt's mother had thrown rocks at him and he ran away for a "giftie" for his "friend," according to Matt's brother. Of course, since the trial he must have gone is so far away, he wouldn't come back for a while. Then came the time of Gathering, where the Singer sang the old, old songs and they worshipped the Great Object. Before the Singer sang, the Council introduced some people: Thomas, the carver; Kira, the threader; and Jo, the future Singer. As the Singer sang, Kira spotted Matt in the crowd. He had not been in town for almost a week, and he had been very dirty. At lunch break, she greeted Matt very happily and he gave her blue: a color very hard to find to dye threads. Kira thanked Matt for a long while and declared Matt her favorite.

Chapters 14-16 Flags

While I read Gathering Blue, I made a prediction: Jo, Thomas, and Kira were going to do something of rebellion. Jonas in The Giver tried to do something of rebellion because they lived in a world where there wasn't much choices, and this community is where the weak are cast aside, so I thought that Kira and Thomas might do something of rebellion and drag Jo into it.
I made a connection of this with the real world. Some orphans have to stay alone inside a room, and sometimes it's locked. They always feel lonely without a family, and that's what Jo has to go though in Gathering Blue.

Chapters 14-16

In Chapter 14, Kira got ready to go to Annabella's, like usual. She asked a woman named Marlena on her way about Jo. She told Kira that Jo had a beautiful voice. "Nobody teached her [the songs Jo sang]. The songs, they just come," she said. "I heard that them songs was full of knowledges."

Kira, mystified, heads to Annabella's, and on the way, Matt tells her that Annabella had been taken to the Fields, where the dead is placed. She was dead when they dragged her. Kira was about to go to Jamison to tell him, but Matt said he was beside Annabella. She then went to the place she was nurtured. She went to where the singing tyke was. She tried to go in, but it was locked. So she instead whispered into the keyhole that she will come back. She did, later, with Thomas. He had carved a key that opened very door in the apartment. Jo quickly became attached to Kira and cried for her mum. She said she was stuffed with everything "they" taught her, and Kira knew that "they" were Jamison and the Council.
Kira, back at her room, realized that Jo, Thomas, and herself, were artists. They were happy when they made beautiful things, but they were forced and stuffed with the things the Council gave them, not free to be happy with whatever they made.

Chapters 11-13 Flags

While I read chapters 11-13, I predicted something while I read the part Jamison told her not to stray. I knew that Kira's world is not the same as ours, and they must have some way to keep outsiders away. I predicted that Annabella was telling the truth because she's old and wise. There WERE no beasts, but they told that to the villagers to make them not stray past the paths, so that they are away from anything "outside".
When I read the part about Jo, I inferred that she was sad because she didn't know what was happening and being downstairs in a room made it feel like beasts might attack her.

Chapters 11-13

In chapters 11-13, Kira was going to Annabella's to learn more, but a beast followed her on the way. She didn't see it, but she heard it growling and following her. Annabella told her in the way some people talk: "There be no beasts." Kira tried to convince her, but over and over again: "There be no beasts."
The next day, there was a storm. Thomas came over to her room to tell her he had heard voices and weeps. They got Matt and he followed them downstairs to find out what the weeps were about. When they went down, they saw Jamison. He was looking at a sobbing tyke with cruelty. He made her sing and she had the most beautiful voice ever. When she stopped singing, she went back to crying and Jamison slammed the door in her face.
Back at Kira's room, Matt said he knew the tyke, and the tyke's name was Jo. Her parents were both dead.
Jamison came to Kira's room later to see her progress with the robe. Kira asked him if he had seen beasts. She also told him that Annabella had said: "There be no beasts." Jamison told her firmly that there were beasts and he had seen them. Her father was taken by beasts, witnessed. She must not stray past the paths.

Chapters 8-10 Flags

In chapters 8-10, I saw the word voluminous in the sentence "Triumphantly Matt pulled a thick wad of bread from the voluminous pocket of baggy shorts." I wasn't familiar with the word, but it looked like "volume," which probably has something to do with the size. Also, I used context clues to figure out that it probably means: a lot. The dictionary definition says: (of clothing or drapery) Loose and ample.
I made a connection: in real world, when little kids move to another house, they feel scared, so they usually clutch onto their stuffed animal for comfort, just like Kira holds onto the fabric and Thomas wood.

Chapters 8-10

In chapters 8-10, Kira left to the woods with Matt trailing behind. She went to Annabella's house and she listened to all of the lectures on which plants make which color. She tried to memorize them with Matt, then Thomas wrote it down so that he can read it to Kira when she forgot. It turns out, like Kira, he had a piece of wood that comforted him when he felt lonely. While they memorized, Kira got some threads ready. As they did that, they noticed something. The men were getting ready to hunt, and Matt had decided he wanted to be in it. Thomas and Kira chased after Matt and gave him the most cruel punishment for Matt: bathe him. When he left, they went back to work.

Chapters 6-7 Flags

While I read chapters 6-7 in Gathering blue, I made a connection: When Kira was new to the facilities and had to learn how to do the easiest things, like bathing inside a tub, she felt like an outcast and not normal. When I first came to America, I didn't know English that well or the usual norms, so I couldn't really do anything. I felt exactly like Kira then.
Also, when Kira saw the white, plain threads facing her inside the closet, it said her face fell with disappointment. I could visualize her feeling very bad that she didn't know how to dye and felt useless.

Chapters 6-7

In Chapters 6-7, Kira moved into the dwelling which was like an apartment in our world. She had to get used to showering in the bathtub, sleeping on the bed, and lots of other stuff. Out of all this trouble, Matt was the only one who could comfort her, although he was horrid naughty and full of remonstrance. The only other thing that comforted her, when Matt wasn't here, was the cloth she has been given when she was a tyke. Although Kira was nervous, Jamison pushed her to get started on the robe. She met Thomas, the boy who carved wood. They became friends quickly. When she was about to thread the Singer's robe, she noticed that the variety of the threads given for Kira had one big thing in common: they were all white. She had not yet learned to dye the threads yet, and Jamison thought that she already knew how. She then got appointed to meet Annabella, an old dyer, to learn to dye. That would facilitate her to finish the robe.

Chapters 3-5 flags

When I read chapters 3-5, I thought that it was surprising that people managed syllables of people's names according to their age. For example, Kira was originally Kir when born. I thought it was also surprising that a woman could put a girl in jeopardy just because she had a bad leg when born.
I asked a question: "What would have happened if Vardana won and Kira was agreed useless? Would she be sent to somewhere else? Would she be killed? Would she become a slave?" The community in The Giver would have been released, but the book didn't say what type of punishment is given.

Chapter 1-2 Flags

While I read chapters 1-2, I predicted what would happen next. When Kira's mom died, I predicted that she'd get taken care of by some sort of government in her world because that's what happens to orphans and homeless children.

Chapters 3-5

Vandara has officially have taken act to get rid of Kira. They went to a room that looked like a court, where the Council of Guardians, the people in charge, were there. This was pure anguish for Kira because they were talking about how Vandara was the "accuser" and all other crazy stuff. They asked if she wanted a person from the Council to help her refute. She said yes and someone named Jamison acted kind of like a lawyer in our world. Kira was proven innocent and she'd now be taken care of by the Council. She'd have to use her artistic talent to help the Council, though. Kira's heart was thumping, apprehensive of what could happen next, while still feeling melancholy of how she'd have to leave everything behind.

Chapter 1-2

These two chapters were basically the "introduction" of this whole book. Kira is the main character who has a twisted leg since birth. Her grandfather was very famous and her father was famous for hunting, but they both died. That left only her mother as the person to love, but that was enough for Kira. Now the only person died when their cott was burned up. This was a huge downpour of Kira's life. When her grandfather died, her dad inherited the poor cott. When her dad died, the cott was her mother's. Now that her mother died, she thought that she would inherit the cott. Well, the place where the cott was. She went to her friend Matt, who was only a tyke, or a child. Matt offered to help her, and also told her about Vandara, the lady with a long scar on her neck from an attacking beast. Vandara had something against Kira because she thought that Kira just wasted food and space. Where Kira's home had been placed, Vandara had planned to build up fences to capture the wild beasts. Kira said that it was precisely her space, not Vandara's, to Matt.