Zebra Forests - 1/1915

Slight Spoilers!

Prompt: Are the characters realistic? Why or why not?
Pages Read: 1-94
Author: Adina Rishe Gewirtz

     Zebra Forests is a novel about 7th grader. Annie lives with her grandma and her little brother, Rew. Their mother left them with their grandma when they were very young. Before she left she says, "They were always his idea, anyway." Meaning that it was their father who wanted to have them. At the end of the first chapter it is revealed to the reader that their father is dead. Now Annie is just very curious to meet her dad and find out more about him. That is on her list; 1. Get Tall   2. Have and adventure  3. Meet my father. How is that possible if he is dead? Though, there are other secrets to be revealed as the book carries the reader.

     Based on the character's background about her parents, the characters in the story do seem realistic. Not everyone has a (one would say) perfect family. If the book started off with a perfect life and perfect family then all of a sudden the author turns the switch, then the book would not seem as realistic to me. There needs to be a few flaws with the character's life. They do not have to be huge flaws, but just to take away that fake feel of the book. Second, America is also being held hostage by Iran in this book. The fact that there is a world problem in this book gives the whole story plot a realistic mood because this affects the characters.

     There is this forest that Annie and Rew call "Zebra." Hence the title of the book Zebra Forest. The reason they call it Zebra would be because the white oak trees and dark shadows in the forest make it look like a Zebra's pattern. Annie and Rew found a book in their Gran's room, Treasure Island. The first seven chapters were ripped away from the book. Annie and Rew gave the story a new beginning. They came up with multitudes of beginnings. Based on these two things it is obvious they have a creative mind. Especially Rew. He loves coming up with cheesy jokes and riddles. For their age their behavior matches perfectly. It is their imagination that stands out the most. Overall, yes, I do think the characters in this book are realistic because of their behavior with imagination and their lives. Imagination is something so powerful that one should always carry.