my fit for life paper

Summary: Summer of the Monkeys is a story about a 14 year old boy named Jay Berry who discovers about 28 loose monkeys running around in the prairie. Later in the story Jay Berry finds out the monkeys came from a crashed circus train and the owners are giving a reward to whoever can safely return them. Jay Berry then decides to catch the monkeys but soon realizes how hard it is and that he may not get the pony and .22 caliber shotgun he’s been wanting. When Jay Berry finally catches the monkeys with the help of his grandpa, instead of spending the money on the pony and caliber, Jay Berry gives the money to his twin sister to fix her crippled leg and give her the option to finally be able to walk.

Character Descriptions:
Jay Berry Lee: ambitious, care free, clever
Grandpa: happy, skillful, altruistic
Rowdy: brave, cowardly, smart, giddy
Jimbo: manipulative, sneaky, caring, self-less

Discussion questions:
1. In the book summer of the monkeys jay berry gives his reward money to his sister Daisy to fix her twisted leg, instead of buying the pony and .22 caliber he’s always dreamed of. If you were in this situation would you spend your money the same way Jay Berry did? Why or why not?
2. What does Jay Berry learn at the end of the book when he graciously gives his money to his sister instead of spending it on himself?
3. During this book Jay Berry spend his whole summer hunting down these monkeys and has, messed up numerous times, but has failed to give up. If you were in the same situation as Jay Berry would you give up after one shot? Or continue trying to catch the monkeys like Jay Berry?

Key Passage:
From chapter 17, page 267:
Jay Berry: “I can’t buy a pony, grandpa,” I said. “If I do, id always feels guilty. Every time id climb on its back to go riding, Id think of my little sister and that old crippled leg of hers. I’m going to give my money to her so she can go to the hospital and get it fixed up.”

Key Passage Explanation:
(TS) The