by
Roberet O'Brian
The late author of this suspenseful novel won a Newbery Award for "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." Told in diary form by a 16-year-old girl, O'Brien's posthumous story is set in the future, after a nuclear war. Ann Burden believes she is the last person on earth. Her family has left her to look after their farm in a deep valley as they drive off to look for other survivors. They never return. One day, Ann sees the smoke from a campfire and watches as it comes closer. The reader is at first relieved but gradually frightened, like the heroine, as she finds that the man who arrives at her home is no friend but a deadly enemy. The private war between the two is graphically described in a novel which is exciting and thought-provoking.
Facing Reality
Reviewed by Michael Lamb
In Robert C. O'Brien's Z For Zachariah, the author presents a life and death situation. There has been a nuclear explosion and Anne, a girl who was left at home when her family went to investigate the situation, thinks that she is the only person left on Earth. Then she sees a man coming. She's so excited. "I wanted to run down the hill calling, I'm here I'm here, and I wanted to touch his face," she says on page 23. She then thinks better of it and decides to camp out in the woods, watching him.
After a few days, the man takes a bath in a radiation exposed pond and he develops a virus. Anne sees this and her excitement quickly turns to pity. She helps him through the virus and he is quite nice about it. Then, in an extreme turn of events, he has a night mare and reveals an anger that has been lodged inside him. He killed a man named Edward, after Edward had stolen the man's radiation suit. This shows that the man has a very, very short temper. From this point on, Anne becomes more and more suspicious of him. At the same time, the man she now knows as Mr. Loomis is recovering. He also gets bossier.
After he is able to walk better (with a cane), he tries to accomplish his main objective: having a child. One night he comes into Anne's room and pounces on her. Luckily, she has not been able to go to sleep and is prepared for the situation. With a quick move, she swats him and runs out of the house.
This event changes the rest of their lives forever. His attitude often changes dramatically and instantly throughout the book. However the end of the book is predictable, and the quotes at the end summarize Mr. Loomis' ever-changing attitude and emotions. Throughout the whole book, Anne remains brave and courageous, no matter what the situation. For example, on page 247 she says, "If you shoot me you will really be alone...You have the valley." Later on page 248, she admits, "There was a lot of bitterness in my voice." These two quotes show how she has had it with him, and has made up her mind. Her final decision makes the reader curious about what will happen next. This book was really, really enjoyable. If you like realistic fiction books, then this is the book for you!
Dr. Denny—English
Novel Questions--
Write a brief biography of Robert O'Brien--50 words.
Z for Zachariah
Chapter 1:
1. What happened to Ann Burden’s family?
2. What catastrophe has taken place in the world?
3. Draw a picture of Ann Burden’s house and valley.
Chapter 2
4. Why did Ann dig up her garden?
5. What system did Ann create to accurately keep track of the days?
6. How long had the war lasted?
7. When did it start and end?
8. How was the intruder dressed?
Chapter 3:
9. Describe the intruder?
10.What amazing sounds did the intruder hear on May 25th?
11. What was the intruder’s great mistake mentioned in chapter 3?
Chapter 4:
12. Did the dog, Faro, pose a danger to Ann?
13. What horrifying discovery did the intruder make on his tour of the valley?
Chapter 5:
14. What was Ann’s troubling dream?
15. What was the label on his bottle of pills?
16. Describe the stages of radiation illness.
Chapter 6:
17. What was the intruder’s name?
18. What killed most of the people according to Mr. Loomis?
19. Why didn’t Mr. Loomis use the cars to explore the region?
Chapter 7:
20. Where did the title of the book “Z for Zachariah” come from?
Chapter 8:
21. What were Ann’s wedding plans?
Chapter 9:
22. What book did Mr. Loomis use to explain the working of the gas pumps?
23. How many gallons of gasoline can a gas station tank hold?
24. What illusion had Anne been avoiding all this time?
Chapter 10:
25. Why did Mr. Loomis fire three shots at the house?
Chapter 11:
26. How high is Mr. Loomis’s fever on June 4th?
27. Who was Edward? Give a summary of his life.
28. How did Anne confirm the murder?
29. Why did Anne go the church?
Chapter 12:
30. What good omen did Anne find on June 5th?
31. Was Mr. Loomis justified in shooting Edward? 50 words for shooting/ 50 against shooting.
Chapter 13:
32. What was Anne’s June Christmas present?
Chapter 14:
33. Why was Mr. Loomis so irritable on June 15th?
Chapter 15:
34. How far away was Ogdentown?
35. On June 22, Mr. Loomis spoke of starting a colony in the valley. Why did this disturb Anne?
Chapter 16:
36. What frightening incident happened to Anne on June 24th? Elaborate.
Chapter 17:
37. Why do you think Mr. Loomis wants Anne to read to him?
Chapter 18:
38. Why was Anne too nervous to play the piano well for Mr. Loomis?
39. How did Anne manage to get away from Mr. Loomis when he attacked her in the bedroom on June 30th?
Chapter 19:
40. Anne decided to go talk things over with Mr. Loomis. What was she going to tell him?
Chapter 20:
41. Why did Mr. Loomis have Faro on a leash?
42. What were the five most important things Anne had in the cave?
43. Why did Anne build a stone wall in the woods?
Chapter 21:
44. How many tomato plants did Anne have growing?
45. What mistake did Anne make in this chapter?
Chapter 22:
46. Why did Mr. Loomis take the tractor key?
47. Where did Mr. Loomis think Anne was hiding?
48. What did Mr. Loomis do with the padlocks?
Chapter 23:
49. Where did Anne get shot?
50. How serious was the wound?
51. Why didn’t Mr. Loomis shoot to kill her?
52. Why was there smoke at the cave?
Chapter 24
53. Describe Anne’s dream?
54. What happened to Faro?
Chapters 25-26
55. How did the story end?
Here is a local article in the Virginian-Pilot about a protective suit similar to the one in the novel.
Your reading pace is to read one chapter a day. A-day students began on 10/13/06; B-day students began on the 10/16/06.
Our test will be November 17th. Just keep reviewing these questions.
You will need to turn in these questions and your "Say Something" Reflections on each chapter.