Important Trait(s)

Pages 21 - 22.

"He won't let me push him on the swing. He says, You uck kill me uck on seesaw. He gets Freddie Leibowitz to push him and he's happy, laughing when he swings to the sky. Freddie is big, he's even, and I ask him to push me. He says, No, you tried to kill your brother.
I try to get the swing going myself but all I can do is move it back and forth and I'm angry because Freddie and Malachy are laughing at the way I can't swing. They're great pals now, Freddie, seven, Malachy, two. They laugh every day and Malachy's tongue gets better with all the laughing.
When he laughs you can see how white and small and pretty his teeth are and you can see his eyes shine. He has blue eyes like my mother. He has golden hair and pink cheeks. I haave brown eyes like my Dad. I have black hair and my cheeks are white in the mirror. My mother tells Mrs. Leibowitz down the hall that Malachy is the happiest child in the world. She tells Mrs. Leibowitz down the hall, Frankie has the odd manner like his father. I wonder what the odd manner is but I can't ask because I'm not supposed to be listening."

I chose this passage to share with my group because it shows the true meaning behind Malachy's actions and words and shows what Frankie is really thinking. This passage stuck out to me because it shows that practically in the beginning of the story, Malachy has lost trust in his older brother and is now somewhat afraid of him. Throughout the rest of this story. this loss of trust may cause problems for the brothers as well as the rest of the family.

• What do you think about this passage?
• Do you think this might affect what may occur in the future?

Brianna H.