Reading response: Madison Mitchell 804 I the story The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, By Heidi Durrow, the main character Rachel, survived an accident that took place in Chicago when her and two siblings and mother mysteriously fell from their roof top. Rachel is taken by southern grandmother and and learns how to live in a whole new life for her. Rachel changes along the way as she struggles through the troubles of growing up. Along the way, the story flashes back to the times of the accident told from different points of view. Rachel refers to herself throughout the story by calling her "the new girl". Rachel struggles with finding herself and fitting in. So far Rachel is beginning her brand new life as grandchild who lives in Oregon. A bossy grandmother, gospel,church,haters, boys.This is all pretty much new to Rachel. Rachel is struggling with fitting in, something that many teens struggle with in the process of growing and becoming your own person. As Rachel calls herself the new girl, it shows that she is out of her element. For example when her grandma took her to church, they sang gospel but not Rachel. She talks about how much she likes it, but has never heard it before being that her mother was Danish. Another example of how Rachel adjusts to fitting in is her skin color, hair and eyes. Rachel is half black and and half white. She chides not to tell people (that she now lives around) that she is mixed. In her school it is a little bit of a problem when black and white children are friends with each other. Rachel hides when she is with her white friend Tracie. She fears Tamika who is a bully and and hates on Rachel for having long hair and blue eyes. Rachel also hides her other half from her friend lakeisha because she doesn't want people to know and she knows what people would think of her. Rachel feels different from everyone else she is surrounded by because she half white and feels smarter than them and learns "black ways" while it comes naturally to everyone else. Rachel feels different else which is something most of use will experience whether it's going into a new high school or feeling like an outsider for any reason. Rachel and Brick, the two characters in this story so far, are finding themselves and becoming their own people. Brick, who's is also know as James or even Jamie,may not the kind of person he is trying to be just based off of his name changes. James was his real name but people Jamie to feel mire childish. Jamie felt too childish and Jamie wanted to be a stinger person so he made the final switch to Brick. Teens feel sometimes that maybe something about them they've grown out of such as hair styles, clothing,personality evan names and "Brick" seems to have grown out of his name. Rachel once again, also has problems with her true identity. She doesn't let people know her true or full ethnicity. And she calls herself the new girl but then again sometimes she doesn't. Rachel seems to feel inside that she is not new to this but on the outside knows she is. It seems Rachel hasn't fully adjusted to to this life. Kids around their coming of age may find it difficult to figure out what or who they orientation wise and just as people.