Do you want an exciting read to make you think a lot? May I suggest the book, The Family Under the Bridge, by Natalie Savage Carlson. The main character is Armand, a jolly old man that wears a long coat, and a beret which he uses for begging for money. Other characters are the Calcet family which includes mom, Madame Calcet, and her three children Suzy, Paul, and Evelyn. Supporting characters include the gypsies and the hobos. This story takes place long ago, in Paris, France.
The problem in the story started when Armand was coming home from his evening stroll and he found three little homeless starlings in his sleeping place under the bridge. Armand calls children starlings because he feels they will steal your heart if you are too nice to them. The children in his space were the three Calcets children, Suzy, Evelyn, and Paul. Madame Calcet, their mom needed to work so they had money to live on, so she was not with them. Armand felt responsible for the children and took them under his wings and cared for them in their mother’s absence. At first he did not treat the children very well, because they stole his sleeping spot. Gradually Armand discovered his life as a hobo was not working because of his new responsibilities. He found a job as a night watchman in Monsieur Brunot’s mansion, but upon finding out that Armand had a family, Monsieur offered him a job as a maid instead. The job did not pay very much, because he got a place to live in addition to his salary.
Over time Armand began treating the children nicer and he started taking them on walks through the city and buying them treats, like pancakes, and chestnuts. The children started to think that Armand was their grandpa. But one day two ladies came to visit the children. The ladies wanted to take Madame Calcet away, and put the children in a foster home. Armand did not want the children to leave, so he took them to the Gypsies’ houses where he knew they would be safe. The Calcets’ mother didn’t really want to go live with the gypsies, because she did not trust them, fearing they might hurt her children. But she felt desperate and decided to take shelter anywhere she could. All the children got along and playing together and teaching each other new things. This worked well for a while until the gypsies had to move. Once again Armand and his family had no place to live. Armand felt guilty about his families’ living situation. He went out looking for a new job, and found the job as a maid. He got the job and his family lives this life. Armand was happy because now he was a workingman of Paris, and not just some hobo living on the streets.
I think the character the author chose were appropriate for this kind of book. The author’s writing style is a kind of style where you have to think about what you read then come to a conclusion. One of the reading strategies that made me understand this book better was to ask myself questions, like questions with If, How, and Why. They would help me understand parts of the story better. I also try to predict what was going to happen before the chapter I was going to read. The moral of the story is unkown
|
|
