Jude

This summer, I read Jude by Kate Morgenroth. It was an interesting book with many twists and turns. Jude was a 15 year old teenaged boy that saw his father get murdered, but he was threatened to keep a secret. Then, he had to move in with his mother that he had never met before. He had to confront many difficult situations and overcome his past.

The Book: Jude by Kate Morgenroth
1. Who is the main character and what is that character’s personality like? Type a complete sentence or two that include three different adjectives that describe your character.

The main character is 15 year old boy named Jude, and he is brave, smart, and tough.

2. Most good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Type a complete sentence for each of these three parts that summarizes what happens.

Jude sees his father get murdered and keeps it a secret. After the murder, he moves in with his mother, Anna Grady, whom he has never met. He told Anna’s boyfriend, Harry, that he killed his father, so Harry would defend him and stop the reporters from talking to him. Jude takes a kid from his new school to his old neighborhood to buy drugs. The boy overdoses and dies. Anna is a lawyer and has to solve the case, but she is also running for mayor. Police officers saw Jude with the boy that died, so they knew he was involved. Harry told Jude to pretend he sold drugs and set him up. Jude was found guilty in trial, so he had to go to jail for five years. His mother won the election. He wanted to impress his mother, and he got interested in becoming a lawyer. He studied in jail. When he got out, he teamed up with a kid from his high school that worked for the newspaper to make Harry tell his mother the truth. The high school friend published Jude’s story in the newspaper, and Harry went to jail. Anna ceased her time as mayor, and the people hated her. Jude became friends with his high school friend’s twin sister and got into Yale to be a lawyer.

3. Think about the experiences that the main character has and the changes that she or he experiences by the end of the story. In a complete sentence or two, describe what you think the author is trying to say about life.

If you persevere, you can succeed. Anybody from anywhere can overcome obstacles and become successful.



The Issues: Mother and son relationship; teenagers in prison; juvenile justice system

1. Explain how one of these issues affects the character(s) in the story. Write three complete sentences – either three different ways that one character is affected, or one way each that three different characters are affected.

Jude was affected by being a teenager in prison because it made him want to change his mind about how he was going to live his life. He had to give up five years in the outside world because of a lie. He became a stronger character by living in a harsher environment.

2. In complete sentences, describe two specific events that make the book’s social issue(s) seem real and important. How does the author make a big issue immediate and personal?

The social issues seem real and important because it was really easy for Jude to get caught for selling drugs. After Jude was declared guilty, his life in jail seemed very painful for him. People hated Jude’s mother personally for not believing her son at the end of the book.

image website:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Jude/Kate-Morgenroth/e/9781416912675