Dear Liz |
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Summary:
Liz Gordon is a shy student who would like to become a journalist. She is having trouble with math and her teacher sets her up with a tutor from grade eleven. One day she is asked to join the school newspaper, not as a reporter but as the advice columnist. There's one problem: the letters are fake. Liz's “answers” are so clever that she soon receives real letters, including from a person who would like to become friends with herself. Liz and her friends speculate on who the anonymous admirer could be. Liz is invited to a party and there discovers that the letter-writer is the younger brother of a person she thought she liked. Her English teacher submits an essay on “The Person I Admire Most in the World” to the local newspaper and everyone learns about Liz's sister with Downs syndrome but the essay is so wonderful that Liz is promoted to reporter and it appears her future in journalism is assured. |
Before You Read — Pre-Reading
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Chapter One—Math Woes
Summary:
Liz Gordon hates math and spends time in math class daydreaming about one day becoming a journalist. She misses her friend Ellen Chang who has moved back to Taiwan. After class, Mr. O'Grady, the math teacher returns her “F” math test and suggests a tutor from his grade eleven math class. |
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Chapter Two—Facing the Music
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Liz's mother and sister, Trina, pick her up after school. Trina is eleven. She has Down syndrome so Liz helps her parents take care of Trina as much as she can. At dinner Liz tells her parents she failed her math test and needs a tutor. |
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Chapter Three—Jeffrey Who?
Summary:
Liz gets up the courage to call Jeffrey MacMillan but Jeffrey's father comes to the phone. When Jeff Jr. answers, he suggests they meet Mondays and Fridays in the library seminar room. Liz usually hangs out in the library at lunchtime. Miss Roth drops by and invites her to write for the school newspaper. |
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Chapter Four—A Bad Idea
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Miss Roth takes Liz to the newspaper office. Liz meets Rachel Kim, the editor-in-chief who offers her the job of writing the advice column. Liz's response is “forget it!” Liz finds out from Amber that she started as the advice column writer too. Liz gets an e-mail address and a Friday deadline. |
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Chapter Five—What Was I Thinking?
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Liz meets Richard, her friend next-door, and tells him about her newspaper assignment and her appointment with a math tutor after school. She imagines Jeff, the tutor, to be a geek. |
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Chapter Six—The Tutor
Summary:
Liz meets Jeff her tutor. He is not what she expects-he is cute, tanned and wearing a “Bayview Sharks” t-shirt. Jeff explains quadratic formulas and the explanation makes sense to Liz. Mark Peterson stops by to get Jeff to go for a burger. They invite Liz, but she passes. She goes home and looks at old advice columns. They all seem stupid to her. |
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Chapter Seven—She's Got Mail
Summary:
Liz stops by the school newspaper office to check her e-mail. She has six messages—five pranks and one real letter. She decided to respond to all of them. When she drops the copy off on Rachel's desk, Rachel reads it and laughs out loud. |
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Chapter Eight—New Friends
Summary:
Liz meets Jeff for another tutoring session. Liz tells him she wants to be a journalist. Jeff wants to be a firefighter. That night Liz looks over her writing assignment. She has to write an essay about the person she most admires. |
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Chapter Nine—Shy Guy
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On Monday the school is abuzz! Liz's advice column is a hit. In English class, Miss Roth announces that the best essay will be published in The Daily Tribune. When Liz checks her e-mail she gets a personal message from Shy Guy. |
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Chapter Ten—Meeting Mark
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Liz storms out of the newspaper office and runs into Mark Peterson. Mark offers Liz a ride home and invites her to a party at his place on Friday night. She is on cloud nine! |
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Chapter Eleven—Making a Date
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Liz gets a “B” on her math test. When she meets Jeff for a tutoring session they take the day off. Jeff asks her to Mark's party along with a group of friends. At the newspaper office Liz gets an e-mail from Shy Guy who is about to reveal his identity at Mark's party. Liz wonders if it is Jeff. |
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Chapter Twelve—Friendly Advice
Summary:
Richard finds Liz sitting outside under an oak tree eating lunch. She is thinking about her essay. Richard invites her to come and see his new telescope. Liz declines because she is going to Mark's party. Richard seems upset. Ellen calls from San Francisco. She thinks Richard is Shy Guy. |
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Chapter Thirteen—Mirror, Mirror
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Liz's mom helps her find the right outfit and shoes to wear to the party. After doing her hair, putting in her contacts and applying a little make-up, Liz is ready to go. But she is nervous. |
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Chapter Fourteen—Party Time
Summary:
Jeff picks Liz up along with enough people to fill the minivan. They head to Mark's house. Jeff, Mark and Amber comment on how good Liz looks. She wanders around the backyard. Mark finds her and offers her a drink. She meets Mark's shy, younger brother Doug. She still has no idea who Shy Guy might be. |
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Chapter Fifteen—The Party's Over
Summary:
When Jeff waved, Liz thought he was waving at her. She felt foolish and decided to go home. On the way out she bumped into Mark who had been looking for her. He had a secret. Liz thought he was Shy Guy and was disappointed when Mark said it was his younger brother, Doug. She ran into the bathroom to cry and then escaped to go home. |
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Chapter Sixteen—A Friend in Need
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Liz wakes up Saturday morning feeling terrible. Trina drags her out of bed to make pancakes. Liz tells her mother about Mark trying to set her up with his younger brother. Jeff comes by to drop off her sweater. He knew about the set-up but told Mark it probably would not work. |
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Chapter Seventeen—It's a Date
Summary:
Mark meets Liz at her locker to apologize and asks if she would like to hang out with the gang to play paintball. Liz declines. In class Liz makes a date with Richard to see his telescope. Liz stops by the newspaper office to check her e-mail. She gets an apology from Doug and answers him. Later that week Doug seeks her out and asks her to a movie. She accepts. |
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Chapter Eighteen—A Dream Come True
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Liz wakes up Saturday morning to find that her essay about Trina was published in the newspaper. Amber calls her with a new assignment for the school newspaper and suggests that they hang out together. Richard calls to confirm her visit to see his new telescope. |
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Chapter Nineteen—Moving On
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Liz spends the week interviewing Hans Wagner the German student and writing her article. She has Richard and Jeff read it to make sure it is good enough. Jeff thinks Liz no longer needs his tutoring help. She tells him she is dating Doug on the weekend. |
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Chapter Twenty—Sweet Dreams
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Liz gets ready for her date with Doug. He brings her a rose. At the movies they hold hands. When they get home they kiss goodnight and make a date for the following Saturday night. |
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After Reading — Post-Reading Reflection
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