Lukas K.'s Reading Log

1st chapter:

The first chapter of the novel Snakeman deals with Cathy, who is new at Portland High School. It’s her third school in the last four or five years. Because she doesn’t want to be an outsider, she trys to make a good impression right from the beginning. Her homeroom teacher, Mr. Deedles, introduces Cathy to the class, while he tells her new classmates all the nice things she has told him personally. When the bell rings, Jamie, a boy in her class, introduces himself to Cathy. He works for the school newspaper and asks her for an interview. Cathy approves for an interview during lunch. During the interview, Jamie asks Cathy for example about her hobbies or about reading books. Afterwards he asks whether she wants to work for the school newspaper. She says that she would think about it.

2nd chapter:

The second chapter is about the first coming together between Cathy and Snakeman at the new school. Just after school finishes, Cathy opens her locker when she feels a strange attendance behind her. She turns around slowly. Cathy is astonished as she sees a tall and thin guy with empty eyes of a snake and two other boys standing a few feet away on both sides of her. Snakeman forces Cathy to join his club. From now on Cathy has to pay weekly membership dues. The price is five dollars a week. Cathy isn’t allowed to disagree and has to cooperate with Snakeman. Otherwise he impends to hurt Mike, Cathy’s little brother. After making the first payment, Cathy stands about two minutes alone in the corridor and thinks about what even happened. Then she walks to the main door.

3rd chapter:

In the third chapter, after the school has had ended, Cathy takes the bus home. While she is sitting in the bus, she thinks about the incident that happened in school just a few minutes ago. When she arrives at home and comes into the kitchen, her little brother Mike asks her about the first day at school. Cathy has braced herself up for this question and says that it hasn't been bad. After answering the question, she checks Mike’s reaction to make sure he doesn’t realize that something bad has happened. Then she asks Mike how his first day has been. When the conversation Ends, Mike goes to the park to play some basketball. Until her mum comes home, Cathy thinks about whether she should tell it or tell it not. She decides to wait a few days. Her mum arrives lately at home and tells Cathy about her problems she had on the first day at her new job. Then Cathy goes into her room and in the end, after two hours, she has a strategy to deal with Snakeman.

4th chapter:

The 4th chapter deals with the failure of Cathy’s non-resinstance strategy. After a few weeks, Cathy notices a change when Snakeman comes and collects the money. Snakeman looks at Cathy as if he wants her to say or do something. On a given day, Snakeman continues staring at her necklace. He asks whether he could take the necklace along, so that a good friend could have a look at it whether it is faked or not. Because Cathy doesn’t want to give the necklace away, Snakeman impends to take it himself. Consequently, she gives the necklace to Snakeman. When Cathy is back at home, she feels certain that she won’t hand over the money anymore. Then the telephone rings. It is Jamie. He wants her to join the school newspaper. In the end, Cathy agrees on a try-out basis. After that she trys to concentrate on her thoughts about Snakeman and realizes what her next step would be: she would try to find a confidant.

5th chapter:

Chapter five is about the meeting of Cathy with the principal, Dr. Callahan. Cathy has arranged an appointment with him. Dr. Callahan’s secretary asks Cathy to come in and when she enters the room he stands up and asks Cathy to have a seat. They talk about outdoor living and the principal narrates about his summer home on the coast. He says that he would spend all his time after this year with his wife there. The appointment lasted about fifteen minutes. On Cathy’s opinion he seems friendly but there is something about him that Cathy’s doesn’t like. Always when she suggest her problems, he seems nervous. Whatever it is, Cathy feels certain that he isn’t the right person to speak with.

6th chapter:

The sixth chapter is about the meeting between Cathy and the counselor, Mr. Black. He is one of the members that are on Cathy’s list. Mr. Black is one of those, Cathy thinks she can trust. She has prepared a fictional story as her problem. First she says that she had a little problem. She tells Mr. Black about her problems regarding the first days and weeks at the school. After that she tells Mr. Black that her necklace has been stolen during phys ed. Subsequently Mr. Black asks whether she has reported it to the principal. But that was the reason for coming to Mr. Black. When Cathy leaves Mr. Black’s office, she has already crossed him off the list.

7th chapter:

In chapter seven, Cathy tells her mum about Snakeman and his strategy. Eileen, Cathy’s mum, is surprised and asks Cathy whether she hadn’t told it her before. Cathy hasn’t told it her before because her mum is new at her job and has a few problems at her first days. After Cathy has told the whole story, they think about a solution for the present situation. This solution is: finding pupils and teachers who are on Cathy’s side. So her mother provides her help to fight against Snakeman.

8th chapter:

Chapter eight deals with the first appointment or date between Cathy and Jamie. Cathy is more and more interested in working for the school newspaper. She writes good texts and, especially, she likes the weekly staff meetings which were a lot of fun. After one meeting Jamie asks Cathy whether she wants to canoe with him and Cathy was absolutely delighted. Jamie explained Cathy how to canoe, although she has already learned canoeing. While they canoe on the river, a thunderstorm approaches. They panick and the canoe turns over. Both of them try to find all the things they have lost. They hang the clothes up at the campfire and massage each other. Then Cathy begins to tickle Jamie, and a `Tickle Party‘ has already started. After a while, they already are paddling on the river again and later, on their way back when she sunset has even started, they pull the canoe out of the water and Jamie kisses Cathy.

9th chapter:

The ninth chapter concerns another change in Snakeman’s behaviour towards Cathy. Recently he asks Cathy several questions. For example he wants to know whether she had already thought about a tattoo. Consequently Snakeman shows Cathy his tattoo, a big, fire breathing dragon. Then he asks her whether she had ever been on a chopper. She hadn't but she says that she had. In the end of the conversation, Snakeman wants her to drive with him on a chopper and Cathy says that she would have to ask her mother before but Snakeman nearly forces her. At home, she is thinking about the recent incindent in school all the time and has already draft a new plan.

10th chapter:

Chapter ten contains a nightmare of Cathy. In her dream she and Snakeman drive on his chopper. The destination is a very high mountain. Out there it is harder for Cathy to breathe because the air is thin. Almost she has to fight for breath. When the two arrive, Cathy can see two men she’ve already spoken with: Dr. Callahan, the principal, and Mr. Black, the counselor. She shouts for help but it seems that they can’t hear Cathy. Snakeman leads Cathy to the edge of the mountain and shows her the view on the city. A little later, Snakeman wants Cathy to kiss him to be his girlfriend but Cathy doesn’t want to kiss a face that looks like a snake and just pass out. But it all was only a dream.

11th chapter:

The eleventh chapter is about a conversation between Cathy and Jamie about the Snakeman. Just after a staff meeting, Cathy wants to talk to Jamie and asks him to stay at the desk. That is the first time ever that Cathy tells Jamie about her problems with the Snakeman. Cathy narrates about Snakeman’s organization and his power. Jamie asks her whether she had already spoken to the principal or to one of the counselors. Cathy says that she had but that all these talks were negative and that she doesn’t trust them. Both are trying to find a way to fight against Snakeman and want to publish an article about him. But the two problems are: the magazine will be published in two weeks and they have to convince the faculty adviser.

12th chapter:

Chapter twelve concerns the appointment of Cathy and Jamie with Ms. Southerland, the faculty advisor of 'The Beacon'. They have to show her their idea about the text about Snakeman, so that Ms. Southerland is convinced and permits the release of 'The Beacon'. Cathy explains her idea. Right from the first Minute, Ms. Southerland doesn’t like Cathy’s idea and only wants to publish positive texts in the school newspaper to cast a good light on Portland High. With each passing Minute, Cathy gets angrier and angrier and trys to convince Ms. Southerland. Because Jamie abstains, Cathy asks Jamie in a upset way whether he would say something too. But he only repeats what Ms. Southerland has sayed for a few seconds. Even Jamie suddenly refuses Cathy’s idea and because of this Cathy leaves the room angryly.

13th chapter:

In the thirteenth chapter, Cathy mets a boy, whose name is Ophir. They are eating a large pizza when Jamie sees them and comes over to the table. He looks unsure of himself and is surprised that Cathy mets another boy, although Jamie and Cathy are best friends, they have a special friendship. Also Jamie is startled about a tattoo on Cathy’s arm. It is a dragon, reminding on Snakeman’s tattoo. Jamie doesn’t know what to say and can’t go on speaking. Cathy likes that trys to take revenge on Jamie because he let her down. When Ophir leaves, Cathy and Jamie have the opportunity to talk alone. Jamie trys to explain his situation and says that Ms. Southerland has been the one, who let her down. But Cathy reverses, while she says that Jamie was a wimp and explains why she thinks so. In the following, Jamie trys to win Cathy’s feelings back. He absolutely want to get back together with Cathy and Cathy has only one condition: Jamie has to ensure that the story of the Snakeman, whose real name is Gordon Baker, will be printed.

14th chapter:

Chapter fourteen deals with the conversation between Cathy and Jamie about the result of Jamie’s talk with Ms. Southerland. The discussion between Jamie and Ms. Southerland hasn’t been so good because she said no. Jamie narrates that she even has impended to look for a new editor-in-chief, although he was and still is her best editor-in-chief. Ms. Southerland has predicted him a great future too. But then she had started getting loud. She had put the blame on Cathy because the teamwork wasn’t so good since Cathy has joined the staff. That doesn’t delight Cathy but Jamie has another risky idea: they will release a special edition of 'The Beacon' without Ms. Southerland’s permission.

15th chapter:

Chapter fifteen deals with the sale of the special edition of 'The Beacon'. Six staff members and six of those Cathy thinks she can trust have a meeting in the room used by the staff of 'The Beacon'. When the last pupil comes in, Jamie begins to explain every detail of the plan. He reminds them also that the job they will do is dangerous. After they have discharged the delivery van, they all get in their positions for the sale. Then the bell rings. In the end, all newspapers have been sold. At the afternoon, when Cathy and Jamie are sitting in Mr. Ferrero’s Spanish class, there is a knock at the door. Both of them are requested to come into the principal’s office.

16th chapter:

The sixteenth chapter concerns the dialog between Ms. Southerland and Dr. Callahan, and Cathy and Jamie because of the special edition of 'The Beacon'. When Cathy and Jamie come in, both teachers are looking angry. First Dr. Callahan and Ms. Southerland are very angry but then, the principal’s phone rings. It is Mayor Simpson, who is pleased about the publication of the story about Snakeman. He also praises Jamie and Cathy for their courage. Suddenly the principal changes his mind. He gives Jamie and Cathy an explanation, why he was angry and why he didn’t move against Snakeman. He did know what was going on in his school and didn’t want to deal with another crise in his last year before retireing. Then Dr. Callahan and Ms. Southerland apologize for their past behavior. After a moment of silence, the principal tells about what the mayor has sayed. In the end, they practise for the press-conference at evening.

17th chapter:

Chapter seventeen is about the remaining fears. First Snakeman is disappeared, he must have left the city. Because Cathy and other pupils still have fears of Snakeman, Cathy takes her mom’s advice to form a group, in which they all can talk about them. The first meetings are slowly and no one really wants to talk but with each meeting it gets better and better. But one fear doesn’t get out of Cathy’s mind: that one day Snakeman will come and take revenge on her and if he do it, then, when she is alone. And this fact ensures that Ophir, Jamie and her mother notice a change in Cathy. In the end, when they are on a party, Ophir and Jamie read an article in the newspaper that they have to show Cathy: Snakeman, alias Gordon Baker, was killed in a drug bust.