Wide Reading Log #1

Level 1 Wide Reading Log:

Text Title – Big Brother, Little Sister 

Author – Witi Ihimaera  

Text Type – Short Story

Date Read – Term 1 2020

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Brief Plot Overview(3 sentences)

Big Brother, Little Sister by Witi Ihimaera is a short story about two siblings and how they are involved around domestic violence. Hema and Janey’s mother felt like she had to have a man in her life no matter the outcome or effect it was having on her kids. This short story talks about their journey towards finding a safer home but how it soon gets affected by the love Hema and Janey share for their mother, even after everything she didn’t do for them. 

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Characters You Find Interesting And Why

A character I found interesting in Big Brother, Little Sister was Hema. I found Hema the most interesting character because he had so much responsibility at such a young age. I feel bad for Hema because when he looks back at his childhood he won’t think of how he had fun with his friends at school or how his parents taught him how to ride a bike. He will think of his mum and how he couldn’t run because he loved her too much, how her decisions affected him and Janey, how she felt she had to have a man in her life no matter the outcome. He took care of his younger sister when no one else could. This shows how mature he is for his age. This also shows that when his mother told him to “look after your sister” he respected what she told him to do and took good care of his little sister. Hema stayed strong through everything his mother and Uncle Pera through at him. I believe that Hema is a head strong kid and is very mature for his age. Hema is also a very realistic character in this story because in our societies today there are kids out there that have to deal with some of these same situations.

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Messages You Took From The Text And Why

A message I took from the text was a raise of awareness. In the text the author used a real life living situation to successfully get this message across to the reader. I feel like the author is trying to put across that not everyone’s family and living situations are the same or alike. I also think that the author successfully got this message across in the story because he used a real life living situation. We live around domestic violence happening to others in their own homes but we don’t realize it. I think that reading this story has really opened me up to become more aware of what might be happening at other peoples homes, hidden behind the smile they plaster on at school or with friends.  

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Challenges That Characters Had To Deal With And Your Response To These

One challenge that Hema and Janey had to deal with was how their mother was never around but when and if she was then so was Uncle Pera. Uncle Pera didn’t care for Hema and Janey all he cared about was how he could manipulate their mother into leaving the kids to go party with him. It would be the same thing she would say to Hema and Janey “were having a party tonight Hema, look after your sister”. “We want to be by ourselves tonight, look after your sister”. Hema had to have more responsibility than I could ever at such a young age. He had to deal with his mother’s poor decisions that came back to affect him and Janey. I felt like Hema was put in a really tough situation. Wanting to leave with Janey to a safer place but didn’t want to leave his mother. I can’t understand what this would have been like for him because I have not faced anything like this over my whole life. My response was only that I could never know what that must have been like for Hema and Janey.

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Discussion About The Title Of The Text And Why It Was Appropriate

When I read a title I want to be able to think about the text and wonder why the title of the text has been chosen to be that certain one. When reading the title Big Brother, Little Sister I instantly think there will be some sort of story involving a big brother and his little sister but also about something that they go through together, a sibling relationship maybe. For example a book I have just read titled Maze Runner. You expect the text to be about running and a maze, right? This is why I think that the title of Witi Ihimaera’s short story is appropriate. As the title of the text is Big Brother, Little Sister some may disagree and say that this title is not appropriate for this short story but I believe differently. Big Brother, Little Sister is very appropriate because it gets the reader thinking about what the story is going to be telling and questions like, why is the title just about a big brother and a little sister? What do they go through together that makes them have a story? I feel like this is why the text title is important because you read the title before anything else. People read the title  of a book and if their minds are not intrigued then why would they bother to read more about that book. The title sets the book up before it has even started.

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Who Would You Recommend This Story To And Why 

I would recommend this short story to students and teachers. This is because students are around kids all day that may have hard living situations and teachers because they are there teaching the students. Students should feel like they can be able to talk to someone that is not a friend or family member. The author has really put detail in the story about how the actions and decisions of Hema and Janey’s Father, Mother and Uncle Pera can affect the kids. This can sometimes come back to affect the kids in different situations around different places. Hema and Janey is a story that I would recommend to anyone attending high school level and up, plus the teachers.