Emily wrote:

When I first started this book I thought it was very interesting. Throughout the first chapter I could not put the book down because of the suspence. The main character, Brent, tries to kill himself and this happens almost immediately in the story. This happens because he was turned down at a party by the beautiful Brianna. Also at this party, Brent realizes that all the popular kids don't like him and he will never have a chance with Brianna. While trying to commit sucide, Brent accidentaly kills 18 year-old Lea. Brent is instructed to build four whriligigs in the four countries of the United States to keep Lea's spirit alive. While Brent is busy building the whirligigs, he realizes his problems, such as being popular and having Brianna are not very big issues compared to Lea's and what he has learned. Throughout his journey to Maine, California, Washington and Florida, Brent meets many people. These poeple share their life stories with him and Brent realizes there is more to life than being popular and having a beutiful girlfriend. All the people are very unique and different in many ways and teach him all about life.
In the story whirligig, The chapters switch around from Brent's life and making the whirligigs to the places where Brent put the Whirligigs and the people that the Whirligigs affect.

Madeline thought:

I think that this book is really meaningful because of the way that it shows that sometimes you have to be forced into doing things before realizing that they are the right things to do. When Brent sets up the whirligigs in the 4 corners of the United States , he learns that his life really wasn't that bad and that people have it much worse than him. Throughout the book there are short stories where the whirligigs change peoples life. Also, the whirligigs change Brent's life.

3 Stars2: checkbox

Pegster says:

I am just going to write the turning point, because that was our assignment. I am not going to write a whole essay about the book, as Petar did or nothing about the turning point at all, as Josh did. I am JUST going to write the turning point so that Mr. Z will be happy!! So here I go!!

I think the turning point is when Brent talks to the little kids on the beach about the whirligig and he teaches them, too. It is then that he realizes that his actions can affect others' lives not just his.

Valerie writes:

Whirligig is an okay book. I do however think that it is not for me. I like fun comedic books while this was slow, dark, and lacking action. While he is setting up the whirligigs not much happens that is really worth mentioning. I belive that the turning point is when Brent sees the first whirligig spinning. As he watched, "The phrase 'breath of life' traveled through his mind." (page 54) This has changed his character because in the beginning he blieved that "his life was a house that had been burned to the ground." (page 17)Yet, when he sees what he has created, he feels fresh and new and glad that he could do something for someone other than himself.