Acceleration Graham Mc Namee Jake Nadalin Chrystal Joy

Acceleration Graham Mc. Namee Jake Nadalin Chrystal Joy Mangosing Euan Vanrenen Domenique Richard

SETTING ����� • • TIME : 2003 (when book was published) and Summer -July/August. • • • CULTURAL SETTING : Lower-middle class, English • The jungle is a real place in Toronto but it’s called Lawrence Heights. • Wilson station (the main station Duncan went to) is a real place in Toronto. Pl. ACE : Toronto, Ontario, Canada in the neighborhood of Lawrence Heights ATMOSPHERE, MOOD: Eerie, sad, suspenseful, intense and mysterious SPECIFIC DETAILS: In the book they visit a library, numerous subway stations, a mall and the main character lived in a place called the jungle

SETTING Lawrence Heights

SETTING Wilson Station

THE COMPLICATION - The complication is when Duncan finds a leather journal. - Duncan finds the journal while working at the Toronto transit lost and found. - In the journal, the serial killer writes about him experimenting how long it takes to drown mice in different liquids, hanging dead cats and about the girls he is planning on murdering. - After reading all that, Duncan brings it on himself to find the Roach.

(� ’ -‘ )� THE CONFLICT man vs. man - man vs. man conflict in the book is Duncan vs. the Roach. - In the book the Roach is the serial killer Duncan is trying to stop. - The Roach could strike at innocent girls any moment, which stresses Duncan out alot. - Duncan isn’t quite sure on what to do but he tries to stop the Roach before something goes wrong.

THE CONFLICT man vs. self - In this book Duncan has problems dealing with the thoughts in his head and constant dreams he’d get. - Duncan has constant thoughts on dead people specifically girls - He imagined dead bodies floating around in a dark pool while swimming - He has reoccurring dreams of the girl he couldn’t save from drowning about a year ago

Duncan is the main protagonist of the story. He is dedicated, paranoid, bored and insightful. Drake Bell as Duncan

Scott Weber The Roach aka Scott Weber is the main antagonist of the story. He is tricky, twisted, corrupt and harmful. Tom Kenny as Scott Weber

Vinny is a side protagonist in the story. He is smart, cunning, lazy yet hard working. Danny Tambereli as Vinny

Other Characters Kim: Kim’s role within the book isn’t exactly significant, she is Duncan’s ex and acts as a distraction throughout the story. The author created her to give Duncan more character and show a bit more of his past life. Jacob: Jacob is the old man that Duncan works with in the lost and found. The author made him a character because Duncan needed someone at his job to learn from.

PERTINENT PASSAGES ● In the distance, I can pick out the lights from the other apartments where people are spending a sleepless night. two and a half million people in the city of toronto. And one psycho hunting. • I chose this passage because it explains kind of the setting and the protagonist is the psycho dude.

PERTINENT PASSAGES ● I stagger with the momentum of the missed punch, and before I can balance again, Roach hits me with a body check. I stumble and fall off the edge of the platform. I chose this slide because it mentions the roach that is the antagonist in the main character too getting into conflict in this passage.

CONNECTIONS I stumble and fall off the edge of the platform, hitting the tracks. When i’ve taken the skytrain people have always been don’t stand close to the tracks or you might fall in.

But it’s so quiet right now, like the whole world has stopped between breaths. my lungs start to burn. CONNECTIONS Sometimes when i'm swimming i just go to the bottom depending how deep it is and just chill there because it’s peaceful until I need air again.

Setting - BACKGROUND INFORMATION The story takes place in Toronto (Toronto Transit Lost & Found, Wilson Subway Station, Yorkdale Mall, Pool, Lawrence Heights “The Jungle”) The story takes place during the summer of 2003 Characters - Duncan: main character, 17 years old, works at the transit lost & found, determined, bright, adventurous, overprotective, daring, courageous. Vinny: Duncan’s best friend, 17 years old, helps Duncan find the roach, intelligent, brave. Scott Webber (Roach): antagonist, serial killer, abuses animals, lives with his grandma, acne scarred Wayne: Duncan’s Friend, helps Duncan pick the lock to the roach’s house, the muscles of the group, reckless, arrogant. Kim: Duncan’s ex girlfriend, 17 years old, blonde, plays center for Milton High girls’ basketball team, caring, broke up with Duncan because he was acting like her bodyguard. Jacob: Works with Duncan, grumpy, yells a lot. Author - Graham Mc. Namee was born and raised in Toronto Graham Mc. Namee has won several awards such as ALA Best Book for young adults and ALA Quick Pick. Graham Mc. Namee published his first book on August 14, 2001

FIVE KEY WORDS Stressful- The story has a very stressful feeling to it because Duncan starts seeing the roach in his dreams and starts stressing out about finding him. Duncan is also under a lot of pressure to find the roach before anyone gets hurt, this is very stressful for Duncan. Intense -The story is very intense the whole way through because something exciting/important happens in every chapter which makes you want to keep on reading. Risky -The story is very risky because what Duncan is doing is very risky and he could get seriously hurt or injured. Duncan is putting himself at risk by going out and finding the roach. Thrilling -The story is thrilling because something exciting is always happening that makes you want to keep reading. Adventurous- The story has an adventurous feeling to it because Duncan is on a mission to find the roach but will have to take many risks and try out new things that he’s never done before along the way. Duncan is also a very daring person and isn’t afraid to take risks.

THE WRITER’S STYLE “And then there’s a small, thick hardcover. No jacket, no title on the spine. Just plain brown leather. I sit back on my lawn chair and flip through it. Not really a book at all, it’s some kind of journal or notebook. I turn the yellow-edged pages. Near the beginning I find what looks like notes from a science experiment. There’s a graph showing different times running vertically up the side, with different liquids listed horizontally along the bottom. At first I think it’s a graph of how long each liquid takes to reach the boiling point. We did that one in chemistry a few years ago. ” - chapter 1 page 6. The writer's style is very detailed which makes it easy to visualize what is going on in the story. In this passage, the writer makes it easy to visualize what the journal looks like which is important because the journal is the main symbol in the story.

THE WRITER’S STYLE “SUBWAY ASSAULT END IN DEATH Police are investigating the death of a man hit by a train at Wilson subway station. In what may have been a failed mugging, two males were seen fighting on the southbound platform when one man fell to the tracks as a train was approaching the station. Witnesses report theatin the ensuing struggle, as the fallen man tried to climb back onto the platform, the other male also fell to the tracks and into the path of oncoming train. The train was unable to brake in time. One male died on the scene from massive injuries. The other is presently in critical condition at Baycrest Hospital. Names are being withheld pending notification of next to kin. ” Chp. 31 Pg. 193 The writer's style is informational. When writing about certain events the writer tends to go in depth. Lastly at times he writes about events as if it was a new report.

CONCLUSION: WAS THIS A GOOD READ? In our groups opinion we thought the book was overall a good read, we all enjoyed the writers style and how the author shaped the book. We did think the ending was a bit anticlimactic and fell that all the tension the author built up was not fulfilled.

CREDITS Setting, Complication, and Conflict (Chrystal Joy Mangosing) Illustrator and Character Studies (Jake Nadalin) Passages and Connection (Euan Vanrenen) Background Information and Keywords (Domenique Richard) Writer’s Style and Conclusion (Together)