first post

I chose Pop for my summer reading activity because it seemed the most interesting book out of the choices. After reading the novel, what I found most interesting was how a young high school player met and practiced with a retired star in the NFL. I thought this was very cool because playing Lacrosse with a professional athlete is one of my dreams. I think I would learn a lot from the pro because he is very experienced and could tell me what I'm doing wrong. Another good part of the book is when Marcus realizes that Charlie is Troy's father. This caught me by surprise and I definitely was not expecting it.

second post

In the second half of the book, we find out that Charlie was a professional football player. He also had played in college and he was a linebacker. As the players get bigger and stronger the hits get more devastating. Each hit would increase a football player's chance of getting Alzheimer's.  We also find out that Charlie is supposed to be inaugurated into his college's hall of fame. This is where a stroke of luck hits Marcus. After Marcus takes Charlie to the Hall of Fame. Marcus goes to the Raider's game. When Charlie and Marcus arrive at the Raider's game, Marcus finds out that Troy Popovich had hurt his hand. Troy was the starting Quarterback of the Raider's and Charlie's son.The Raider's want to keep their win streak alive, and eventually they end up keeping their win streak as the Raider's win 17-14 with Marcus as the QB.Marcus's good luck quickly spiraled downhill when Charlie thinks he is a teenager again. He climbs to the top of the stadium and loses balance, falling off the top and downwards to his death. This death was being foreshadowed in this book because his Alzheimer's was getting more effective everyday. Sooner or later his entire memory would be erased. But the death that he had here was sad but predictable.

Beginning of the book

The book that I am reading is Pop by Gordon Korman. I am posting about the first half of the book. In the book so far Marcus is a new kid that practices playing football in the local park everyday. Then one day while Marcus is playing football he notices that someone in particular keeps on showing up in the park. It is Charlie. Charlie has gave Marcus some problems in the past, but since Charlie has  Alzheimer's, Marcus couldn't reveal the truth to anyone because everyone would find out. In my opinion if I was Marcus, I would tell everyone. It's better to share your feelings then to bottle them in. Plus, he's getting punished and receiving consequences for stuff that he did not even do. Marcus also starts to realize that Charlie keeps calling him, Mac. Mac isn't a nickname for Marcus, but it was Charlie's best friend from his childhood that Charlie believes is still alive. I think that this was like a foreshadow. That the real Mac will sooner or later appear in the book.

JackM10, Final Post

The ending of the book was unpredictable I thought.  Charlie falling off the top of the stands was something that no one would have thought of.  Then again he did have a condition in which made him forget who other people are, and where he is.  Marcus attending his funeral and going back to the Popivich house showed a lot of respect.  Lastly, Marcus doing what he did with Charlie and the friendship they had together I think wasn't a bad thing.

Second

Through the later chapters of this book, friendship becomes a major theme. But it is mostly a one-sided friendship because Marcus does most of the giving and Charlie does most of the receiving even though he doesn't know what is good for him. When Marcus and Charlie go to the Hall of Fame, that really shows that Marcus cares for Charlie deeply. I was really surprised when the police took Marcus, but instead of going to the police station, they went to the football game. This book is alright because nothing really interests me to much.

Response about the book

Overall, the book Pop was good because it had a lot of meaning. My favorite part was in the beginning when they met because you would not think of that ever happening. My least favorite part was when they got me confused. I am not sure troy is Charlie's son or not. I would suggest this book to a reader who likes sport books.

Post #2

When Marcus brought Charlie to East "Bumwipe" for the hall of fame awards ceremony, I think it was the right choice. You could tell that Charlie knew exactly what he was doing. And also when he died. Did anyone notice that he knew exactly what he was doing and what was wrong with himself? Marcus says that he could see the same old Charlie in his eyes. The family didn't know that, but Marcus did, and he respected Charlie for that.

Chapter 23-24

A second interesting plot in the book Pop by Gordon Korman happened in the chapters of 23 and 24. In chapter 23 Marcus ends up bringing Charlie to the Hall of Fame at East Bonaventure University. On their way back from the University officer Deluca ends up pulling them over and telling Marcus to get in his car because the Raiders need him to play in the game for Troy. Marcus will not be arrested for any of the gags he played in the beginning of the book with Charlie and the Popovich's are happy for Marcus bringing Charlie to the homecoming at East Bonaventure University. In chapter 24 Marcus was given a chance to play QB and the Raiders ended up winning the game 17 to 14 keeping a winning streak alive.

Chapter 17

Throughout the book Pop by Gordon Korman there were many interesting plots that capture my eye. One in particular was in chapter 17 where Marcus is getting to know Charlie a little better. Marcus already knows that Charlie is a pro football player and he's starting to get Alzheimer's as he ages. Marcus decides to choose between either going to his football game or bring Charlie to the Hall of Fame at East Bonaventure University. Marcus ends up bringing him to the Hall of Fame at Charlie's University. It seems that Marcus cares about Charlie more than his family does.

post #1

I agree that when I first started reading the book, I thought it would be about some kid who moves to a new town, try's out for the football team, and isn't liked by most of the others. But it ended up being more than that.  Marcus really stepped forward and showed the team what he can do, not only as a quarterback, but also as a cornerback. I think that practicing with Charlie has improved Marcus' playing ability and will benefit him in the long run.

Reaction to Pop

When I first started reading Pop, I thought it was just going to be the story of how a new kid, Marcus Jordan, tries out for the football team as an underdog without anyone on his side, like Troy Popovich, the arrogant quarterback, and him ending up proving everyone wrong when he shows the team how good he can be.  But, the novel turned out to be more than just a football underdog story with the introduction of Charlie, a former NFL linebacker who has Alzheimer's disease from getting too many concussions during his career.  Charlie gets Marcus in trouble multiple times with the police for harassing a hardware store owner, which causes Marcus to get charges against him.  The problem is that blaming what happened on a man with Alzheimer's wouldn't  sound believable.  But, Marcus is able to pull it off from the help of Charlie's old friend Mac who helped Marcus prove both that Marcus was innocent and do what is best for Charlie even though it goes against what his family wants.

Overall, I enjoyed how the author kept the novel related to football while bringing in a new aspect, which was the result of repeated head trauma from football which caused Charlie's disease.  Dealing with Charlie's issue becomes the main plot point of the novel which is not what I expected but very interesting.

1st Half of the Book

I am reading the book Pop, by Gordon Kormon. Right now, I am halfway through the book. I am glad I am not in Marcus' position. He's a new kid that practices football everyday in a park. A random stranger named Charlie starts appearing in this park. Charlie has gotten Marcus in trouble on two occasions. Marcus can't blame it on Charlie because he has Alzheimer's disease, and Charlie's family doesn't want anyone to know about it. If Marcus turned him in, everyone would find out. If I were in Marcus' position, I wouldn't know what to do. It's probably really hard for him to confess to commiting a crime that he didn't do.

One thing I didn't understand from Pop is why the family was so loose with Charlie when they know he has Alzheimer's. The family let him go where he wanted when he wanted and expected him to not get into trouble. They should not have given him that freedom because of his disease.

First Half(Chapters 1-14)

When I first started reading Pop, by Gordon Korman, I thought this was going to be another story about a new kid working hard to play football and have all that hard work payoff in the end, but I quickly learned that was not the case. The first among many unexpected twists was the arrival of an extremely athletic middle aged man who decides to crash the teenage quarterback, Marcus Jordan's training session. They then develop a close bond due to their love of football and overall, the pop of a good tackle. Eventually the mystery behind Charlie get to be too much and Marcus googles his new training partner to learn he is a former NFL linebacker known as "The King of Pop". After some time, Charlie's training started to pay off as Marcus earned a spot at corner and fullback. In the eyes of most people, he was part of the team, but not to Troy Popovich, the Raiders' quarterback and Charlie's son. It wasn't until Marcus saw the panic in Troy and his sister Chelsea's eyes upon learning their father was missing that there was something severely wrong with Charlie. With some further research, Marcus realizes that Charlie is suffering from the disease Alzheimers, which is causing Charlie's memory to slowly deteriorate. Marcus than realizes that when Charlie calls him "Mac" it is not a nickname, but Charlie's best friend from his teenage years which Charlie believes he is still living. How will Marcus try to help Charlie and how will his search for the real Mac turn out? I am eager to find out.

First post

I wonder if Charlie ever thought about what Marcus's opinion of him was?

finished the book

In the end Charlie did change Marcus's view of football. Marcus did become the quarterback after Troy quit the team. It was sad when Charlie killed himself. Over all the book was really good and I really liked it.

Second Post

When Charlie would go into different stores, he would take things without paying.  I know Mrs. Popovich would pay for it later.  The cashiers didn't try to stop him.  Is this because he is a retired NFL player or is it because they know he has Alzheimer's?  If they know he has Alzheimer's, I thought it was supposed to be a big secret.

Chapter 10-End

Marcus injured his shoulder playing with Charlie at three alarm park. After injuring his shoulder Marcus chooses not to practice with Charlie anymore.  Marcus overhears Troy's sister Chelsea talking about how Charlie went missing.  Marcus goes to three alarm park to see if he is there, he is not.  Based on Charlie's memory problem Marcus finds out that Charlie has Alzheimer's which makes him think that he is the same age Marcus. Charlie is inducted into the hall of fame but his family doesn't think he is in the right condition so, Marcus plans to take Charlie to the induction.  On the way there Marcus, Mac (Charlie's old friend), and Charlie talk about Charlie's college days to make him feel safe.  They stop at a truck stop only to find that Charlie ran away.  They find him hitchhiking in the street but then safely take him to his hall of fame induction.  Chelsea sees Charlie on tv acting professional in front of everybody, as if he had nothing wrong with him.  Police show up to take Charlie to a football game which is the biggest game of the season for Marcus's high school.  They get the win on the game.  On the final game of the season Marcus is the starting quarterback because Troy quit football.  During the game Marcus sees Charlie tight rope walking on the ledge of the stadium.  He died and his funeral was the next day at his house.  As for Troy and Marcus their relationship is now okay.

My final post- end of book

Charlie's tragic death at the end of this story was one that I saw coming for a long time.  Throughout the story, Charlie's disease gets progressively worse as time goes on and the author makes it clear through his actions that something terrible will eventually happen.  His death comes at almost the worst possible time, during the final game of the second perfect season.  The tragedy at the field caused the game to end early, and it ruined the DNA football team's chance at a second official perfect season.  It was a tragic ending to a very well written novel.

First

When starting the book, we find out that our main character Marcus is trying out for the David Nathan Aldrich Raiders and makes the team, but is hated by most of the team especially Troy. Later on, Marcus finds out that Troy's dad is Charlie, a retired NFL linebacker. When Marcus found out that Charlie was Troy's dad, their relationship worsens, but the team slowly starts to like him more. The beginning of the book was okay because it had some interesting events.

First Post

When reading this book, we find out that Charlie, a retired NFL linebacker, has Alzheimer's.  I did not understand why the family had taken so long to get some help for Charlie.  The family had waited until the end of the book just to be put on the waiting list for the next room available in a retirement home.  I think Charlie's family should have gotten help as soon as possible.

My second post

In the second haft of the book Marcus finds out that Charlie was a pro football player. He found out that Charlie was a linebacker that played both collage football and he played in the NFL. Later in the book he finds out that the intense hits pro football player give and receive can increase the chance of Alzheimer's. He then finds out that that is why Charlie acts like a teenager. when looking at his football history he finds his old collage website that shows that he will be inauguration into their hall of fame. Charlie's family deside it is a bad idea to bring Charlie to the inauguration. Steve bring him any way. After the inauguration Marcus is raced back to his raiders football team game to replace the quarterback. who heart his hand. During the game Charlie thinking he was playing football like when he was in high school so he climbed to the top of the stadium where a falcon was siting as he got to the top he lost his balanced were he fell to his death. 

first post

In the first nine chapters of the book Marcus meets a NFL star named Charlie. He tries out for the Raiders, and gets on the team. Marcus and Charlie prank Kenneth Oliver after they break his car window. Marcus realizes that Charlie is Troy's dad and that he was a NFL star.

My Second Post~read up to chapter 23

Thus far the story has been surprisingly good.  Although he ended up getting in trouble in the end, Marcus did a very noble thing to help Charlie get to the Homecoming game at EBU.  Charlie may not even remember the massive ovation he received at the stadium, but it was still an incredible moment in his life that may be one of the few he remembers as the disease gets even worse.  That's why I believe Marcus did the right thing by bringing him to the game.  The one mistake he made was not telling the real Mac that Charlie wasn't supposed to be at the game.  If Marcus told him, Mac would have better understood their situation, and I'm sure he would've agreed that it was the right thing to do.  If Mac understood the magnitude of the situation he might have been able to prevent Charlie from running away.  Instead, Charlie was brought in to the police station and Officer DeLuca almost had to arrest Marcus for kidnapping Charlie.  It will be very interesting to see how Charlie's family reacts once Marcus returns home to Kennesaw.

JackM10, First

In the beginning part of the book something was wrong with Charlie right away.  He broke a car window without paying, takes things from the stores without paying, and calls Marcus Mac when Marcus told him his name.  I thought something was going to happen to Marcus and his football career, and him and Charlie would have to fix it.  The beginning part of the book is okay so far.  The things they do are interesting, but I think it's setting the stage for something to come later down the road.

Finished the Book

The book is about Marcus Jordan, a 16 year old boy who just moved to Kennesaw from Kansas.  He meets a 54 year old man named Charlie in the park one day and they bond.  Due to his Alzheimer's he has a warped reality.  Charlie realizes that he went to college and played in the NFL but still believes that he is a teenager and that Marcus is his teenage friend Mac.   I think that Marcus became friends with Charlie because he had no other friends in his new town.  I knew that Charlie had at least played on a college level of football due to his size and athletic ability before it was revealed in the book, but I never caught on to his disease until Marcus found out.

For his own safety, I really feel that Charlie's disease should not have been kept a secret by his family.  Even though Charlie did not want to go to the home, it was the best thing for him to keep him out of trouble and provide safety.

After reading the book, I was stunned that Charlie died so suddenly when he fell off of the stadium.  Marcus never said in the book, but if it was me that took Charlie to the stadium against his family's will, I believe I would have felt very guilty.

I was also flabbergasted that Charlie died with his disease still a secret.  I believe that if Charlie had lived longer, his secret would have been exposed eventually because his condition was progressing.  It was also unexpected when Marcus and Troy made amends at Charlie's funeral.

this is for the first 9 chapters of pop.  marcus seems to have met the father of the starting quarterback of the highschool team of the town he just moved to.  the man was in the NFL and seems to be very immature even though he is 50.  he broke a car window and left marcus to deal with it. the book is okay so far

Second Post

In the first 21 chapters Marcus and his friends try to help their friend Charlie. His problem is that he is doing poorly in his classes. His friends are trying to help him but he won't let them. He never had to ask for anything in his life because he was such a great football player at his school. Due to the fact that his skills were so fantastic in football, he felt like he never had to ask for help and really doesn't feel comfortable askin for it. Especially when he really needs it.
So far,  I like the book. I like the book because it is a friend trying to help out another friend even though that friend dosen't want any help. He won't give up on him and will keep trying until he succeeds in school. I like when people never give up and I always try and give it my all, just like Marcus. This is why I can really relate to this book and really enjoy reading it.
 I think it will end with Marcus finally helping Charile.This will pay off in the end and Charlie will finally know that asking for help can be a good thing, especially when you need it. My favorite chapter in the book is chapter 20, in chapter 20 Charlie runs away and Marcus runs out to find him and trys to get him home so they can talk about everything that makes him mad. Also It says that Marcus is a friend who helps people that struggle in life. Thats what I like the most,  a friend helping out another no matter what it takes and no matter what the other friend says.

While reading Pop, before Marcus finds out that Charlie has Alzheimer's, I already guessed that Charlie had this sickness. I don't think the author had to wait so long to reveal the big secret. The one thing that did stand out to me is why the family did not want to get help for Charlie. I understand that they want privacy and he is still very young to get this sickness but getting some kind of help for Charlie was in his best interest.

My First Blog

While reading Pop I was expecting a story of a football player that had one play that changed his career. The however, results were totally opposite. In the book there is a kid named Marcus Jordan who just moved with is mom who was recently divorced from his dad. One of the things he did during the summer was to go to Three Alarm Park. Marcus would usually tie a picture frame to a tree and throw a football through it to practice his arm. One day during his practice a large man showed up on the field and intercepted one of Marcus's pases. That man's name was Charlie. Together they practiced throwing, catching, and tackling. One day during one of the sessions Marcus asked why did he liked football so much. Charlie said that he loves the pop. When tryouts came for the raiders high school football team Marcus didn't get off on the right foot with his team. Marcus met his new nightmare Troy, his soon to be girl friend Alyssa, and his good friend Ron. I loved the book so far. Especially how the author keeps suspense in each and every chapter by cutting off the solution to the problem or event.

My First Post

My first impression of the book was that it would be about a football player and that something popped that changed his life and that person was never the same again. What i read so far is that there is a boy named Marcus Jordan who was killed on his motorcycle. Marcus plays football and he is not afraid of anything. He can take a hit and continue playing without feeling any pain. He will never back down, will never quite, and he will always give it his all and won’t stop until the job is done. He gives everything he does 110% and won’t stop until he feels like he has won.  Marcus happens to be one of my favorite characters in the book so far. He is someone who never runs from a problem, even if the problem is too big for him to handle. I think what will happen is one day when he doesn’t run away from a problem, than he will get really hurt. I think that because he doesn’t turn away from this problem and gets hurt because of it then it will change his attitude completely. I also think that this will then teach him a lesson that he should sometimes walk away from certain situations that he faces in the book.