Novel+Study

Entry one: 07/12/2010 Why did you select this novel? I selected “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” for two reasons. The first reason is because my brother read it in seventh grade (the swear words were censored) for his English class which generally means it is a thought-provoking book. Another reason is that after reading the synopsis I found out that the protagonist has autism (specifically Asperger’s) which is an area of interest to me because my mom used to think that I had Asperger’s.

What information did you need to know before reading the novel? The information in the synopsis (protagonist, plot outline, etc.) was enough.

What has happened before the novel began? Wellington (Mrs. Shears dog) has been killed with a garden fork.

What's going on as the story begins? Christopher woke up in the middle of the night and saw Wellington lying dead on his neighbour’s lawn. He walked over to check on the dog and saw that it had a garden fork sticking out of its neck. A few minutes later Mrs. Shears walked out of her house and saw him with her dog she freaks out and calls the police. The police arrive, and a male police officer grabs Christopher’s arm to pull him up. Christopher punches him. Christopher is brought to the police station, and is later picked up by his father. He then goes home, feeds his rat Toby and decides to conduct an investigation into the murder of wellington. At this point his mother has died, and her funeral has taken place(he did not attend. At the end of chapter 67, he decides that Mr. Shears is his prime suspect, and decides to find more out about him. 8/10 Entry two: 10/12/10

Who is telling the story? How does this person’s perspective affect the way the story is told? The protagonist is Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen year old boy with Asperger syndrome, which is a relatively mild form of autism. He tells the story in a way that makes sense, although he often wanders of topic before talking about the events which occurred. Another thing that s rather interesting is how he numbered his paragraphs; instead of counting up one at a time, he uses only prime numbers. What is the setting of the novel? Is the setting important or could the novel be happening anywhere? Why? The setting of the novel is Swindon, a small town in Wiltshire, England. I personally don’t think that the setting makes much difference, as the customs and laws don’t differ much throughout the western world.

What is the initial or first problem faced by the main character? After going out to see what happened to his neighbours’ dog, he is grabbed by a police officer, who he then hits.

PLOT OUTLINE FOR THIS SECTION? 7/10

Entry three:28/12/10 After Christopher's dad discovers the book he is writing his dad becomes very angry and they fight. The next day, his dad takes him to Twycross zoo for the day. On Monday, Christopher talks to Siobhan about what happened after she noticed a bruise on his cheek. When he gets home, he looks around ther house for his book, eventually discovering it in a shirt box in his dad's room, along with several letters from his mother (who he believed to be dead). Christopher passes out, and comes to when his dad walks in through the door. After getting cleaned up and having everything explained to him, Christopher lies awake until the middle of the night, then packs up and goes outside to sleep in the garden shed. the next morning, after hiding from his father, Christopher asks Mrs. Shears to look after toby for him. After she declines, he walks away and decides to bring Toby with him. this section ends with Christopher walking the streets of Swindon looking for the train station to bring him to london

Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events? The style of the Novel is unique. at random points in the story, there are chapters that discuss complex math and physics, with almost no connection to the story. Despite this, the novel has an easy to follow storyline, with clear, well described events

Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain. The language is not difficult, though at times, it is complex. Also, Christopher has a very literal voice, almost like a child. For example: "Mrs. Forbes said that hating yellow and brown was just being silly. And Siobhan said that I shouldn't say hings like that and everyone has favorite colors. And Siobhan was right. But Mrs. Forbes was a bit right too..."

To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence This novel is not aimed at a specific age group, but because of the language it would not be something for young children to read. The way in which Christopher describes the events is very matter-of-fact, which combined with the strong language makes a very interesting read.