Chapter 1: A boy walks out of the jungle. He finds another boy who is quite fat. They discuss and go swimming in a nearby lagoon. We learn that their plane had crashed on its route away from the war zone. An atomic bomb went off and supposedly killed all the people back home. They go swimming and we learn the first boy is Ralph and the fat boy is Piggy. Ralph finds a conch shell and blows on it, when he does dozens of boys come out of the jungle to the lagoon. One group of them wears all black robes and a red head named Jack is their leader. Ralph decides they need to hold a vote for chief. They do and Ralph wins. Jack was mad but he gets control over his choir boys still. Jack and Simon (another boy) head of to explore the jungle. They see the area where the plane crashed and say it is like a scar in the jungle. On their way back Jack finds a pig trapped in some vines but can not bring himself to kill it. The pig gets away and he claims that next he will have no mercy. Clarify: They boys were being evacuated from the war zone when their plane crashed. The time frame is during World War II. Ralph is the leader of the kids. Is it all boys on the island? Questions: Are there any other people on the island? Are there any wild predators? Will anyone die? Predictions: Jack will end up killing someone. Ralph will try to keep everybody civilized. Jobs will be given out to help keep things in order. Connections: Back in 3rd grade I was the leader of my friends and I would tell my friends what to do, sort of like Ralph bossing people around.
Chapter 2: Ralph blows the conch and calls forth another meeting. He tells everyone they must have rules and a lot of the little kids get excited (they are called littluns). First off, to be able to talk one must be holding the conch shell. Piggy explains how they may never get off the island so they better figure out how to survive. A boy with a birthmark comes forth and struggles to talk so Piggy translates. The boy says that he is scared of the "beastie" a snake like monster that comes out in the dark. They all laugh and Jack says since he is a hunter he will kill it if it is real. Ralph and the older kids go to start a signal fire so that a ship will be able to notice them and rescue them. They gather wood but do not have a way to start the fire. Jack snatches Piggy's glasses and uses them to light the fire and the fire spreads and burns down the surroundings. Piggy almost has an asthma attack due to the smoke, the littluns are missing, and things seem chaotic. Clarify: Is Piggy the smart one of the group? Is the beastie real? Why did the kid seem so scared? Questions: Will the signal fire always stay burning? Will Piggy die from his asthma? Will Jack kill the beastie? Predictions: The signal fire will be the reason they get rescued. The monster will kill some of the kids. Jack will die. Connections: Surviving of the land and making shelter reminds me of how my brother and I would always make little villages in the woods with huts.
Chapter 3: Jack is walking around in his shorts (underwear). He is now a savage version of his former self who is obsessed with killing a pig. Since he still can not seem to kill one he tries to blame it on Ralph and Simon who are building the shelter. Jack and Ralph get in an argument for a while. Ralph says that all the kids are still scared of the beastie. Jack admits to being scared when he is alone in the jungle. Simon walks off and helps the littluns pick fruits that are too high for them to reach. He finds a wide opening in the forest and hangs out there. Clarify: Jack believes in the beastie. Ralph is still the leader. Questions: Will Jack kill the beastie? Will Ralph remain the leader? Predictions: Jack will kill someone. The beast will eat somebody. Connections: Being afraid of being alone reminds me of when I was little and I would think that there were monsters under my bed.
Chapter 4: Roger, who is a bigun, begins to throw rocks at one of the littluns. Instead of just hitting Henry, the littlun, Roger throws the rocks as close as he can without hitting Henry. Then, Jack and his choir boys are preparing to hunt a pig. Jack decides to paint his face, he feels as if the mask is not him, he is a new being with the mask on. He then commands the boys to follow and they say that the mask controls them. Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Maurice are swimming in the pool when they see a ship come into sight. They dash to see if the signal fire is still aflame. The fire had gone out because Jack had forgotten to tend to it. Jack comes back with a dead pig that they killed and is so happy he shrugs off he just ruined their chances at rescue. Jack then punches Piggy in the face which breaks one of his lenses. They use the one good lens to start the fire. Afterwards, Ralph decides to hold another meeting. Clarify: The job of keeping the fire going goes to Jack and the choir boys. Jack finally killed a pig. Questions: Will Ralph demote Jack? Will Jack let the group down again? Will Jack keep killing more pigs? Predictions: Jack will not forget to keep the signal fire going anymore. He will also continue to kill pigs and provide food. Connections: Using the glasses to start flames is like how I would use a magnifying glass to light leafs on fire.
Chapter 5: Ralph holds a serious meeting. They are in a triangle shaped area with a log that falls back making all the kids fall off of it. He sets down three rules, keep the signal fire going, do not make any other fires, and to go short (poo) by the rocks and not all over the island. Kids start to talk about the beast and Ralph assures them that they there is nothing to fear except themselves. Piggy tries to add his input and Jack yells at him and calls him fat. A kid named Percival tells of how he saw the beast come from the ocean. Simon admits he was out at night and Ralph tells him to stop going out. The chapter ends with everyone wishing grown ups were there. Clarify: Ralph still holds the power stick. Nobody respects Piggy or his opinions. The kids still fear the beastie. Questions: Will the signal fire continue to be lit? Will the beast be some type of monster? Predictions: Everything will go smoothly for a while after this meeting. Conflict will arise from Jack. Connections: The meetings remind me of when we have basketball team bonding.
Chapter 6: Sam and Eric are fixing the signal fire, and keeping it going when they see the beast. The dead body of the pilot in his parachute swings up and scares them. They think it is the beast and they run screaming back to camp. When they arrive they awake Ralph who was dreaming of home. They explain what happened. The littluns get scared and Jack is ecstatic. Jack and Ralph take some boys up to the mountain to hunt the beast. When they get up by the rocks Ralph says since he is chief he will go look for the beast. Jack follows him and they do not find the beast. The other boys swarm to the rocks and have fun until they realize the signal fire has gone out. Clarify: There is no beast, it just was the dead body of the pilot. Ralph is still the chief. Questions: Was that the beast they had been talking about the whole time? Is there another beast? Is the island safe now? Predictions: Everyone will be at ease and more relaxed now that they know there is not a beast. Jack will try to become chief. Connections: When I as about six, I went into my laundry room and saw a sheet hanging while the light was off and thought it was a ghost. I screamed and ran to get my mom, similar to what Sam and Eric had done.
Chapter 7: The group of kids stop and eat for a little. They decide that the will stay and hunt the beast in the mountains deep into the night. Simon goes back to tell Piggy the plan. As time passes all the boys chicken out except Roger, Ralph, and Jack. They head out to look for the beast. Jack sees the parachute man and can not make out what it is. The other two follow him to see it and they believe it is an ape sitting with it's head between it's legs. The wind blows and lifts the dead mans head up facing them. The boys get scared and run off screaming and frightened. Clarify: There is no beast, just the parachute man. The boys still think there is a beast. Questions: Will they ever realize there is no beast? Will Ralph find out the truth? Who will figure it out? Predictions: Ralph will be brave and go look again and realize it is not a real beast. Jack will turn on Ralph. Connections: My brother, his friend Alex, and I used to venture into the woods at night to explore. That reminds me of them looking for the beast.
Chapter 8: The boys return to the beach and discuss what happened. Everyone is too afraid to go up to the mountain so that means the signal fire will not be kept going. Jack tries to get Ralph removed from chief, but nobody votes. Jack storms off and says whoever wants to go with can. Later on Ralph realizes everyone has left except Piggy, Sam and Eric. Simon went off to his meditation spot in the jungle. Jack and his gang found a group of sleeping pigs and kill the mother. They then cut off it's head and place it on a stick as an offering to the beast. Simon watches the whole thing take place and is horrified. Jack and his gang go back to Ralph's camp to steal some fire because they need it to cook the pig, and because Ralph created a new signal fire on the beach. Afterwards, Sam and Eric leave to go feast with Jack. All this time Simon is staring at the pig head on the stick. Flies swarm the pigs head and start to swarm Simon. The pig (lord of the flies) starts talking to Simon. It says that it is the beast and that it is funny how they thought they could kill him. The Lord of The Flies tells Simon all of the other kids are going to "do" him. He feels as if he is falling into "vast mouth" and then he faints. Clarify: The original gang split up. Everybody joined Jack's group besides Ralph, Piggy, and Simon. Simon is hallucinating. Questions: Is the Lord of the Flies real? Will Simon die? What will happen to Piggy and Ralph? Predictions: Simon will die at the hand of the other boys. Ralph will have to fight them off. Everyone will die. Connections: Simon talking to the pig reminds me of how children sometimes have imaginary friends and talk to them as if they are real.
Chapter 9: Simon wakes up and has a bloody nose. He asks the pig "what else is there to do?" He ventures up into the mountain bravely and finds the beast. He finds out that it is only the dead man in the parachute. He stumbles down the mountain to tell the others. Ralph and Piggy join Jack's group to see how everything is. Jack offers them food and they take it. It starts to thunder. Jack bosses everyone around and the party starts to not be so fun. Jack and the boys start to chant and reenact killing the pig. Simon stumbles onto the beach explain what happened but nobody hears him. The other boys decide he is the beast and they all attack him. They kill him and he lays in a mess of blood stained sand. It begins to lightning. The dead body of the pilot is blown into the ocean, and Simon floats out to sea. Clarify: There is no beast. Simon dies. The other boys kill Simon. Questions: Did the boys know it was Simon who came out of the woods? Will others die as well? Who will kill next? Predictions: Everyone will die and be killed. Ralph will make it off the island. Connections: I always get bloody noses and they are a mess, so I can just imagine how bloody it would be to get stabbed to death.
Chapter 10: Ralph and Piggy go back to their camp. They try to keep the fire going and discuss what had happened. Sam and Eric show up and they all decide that they had nothing to do with the killing of Simon and that they had left before. Back at Jack's camp Roger and Robert climb up Castle Rock and find a rock under a log. When stepped on the log the rock groans. Robert say show Jack is beating up a kid named Wilfred. Jack beats up the kid and then declares to go hunt. They must steal fire from Ralph again to cook the pig. Ralph gives up on keeping the fire going and things of home and a bus stop. During the night Piggy and Ralph here something outside their tent and get scared it is the beast. They huddle then something attacks the tent. Sam and Eric come in to see if they are alright, and they are not. Clarify: Ralph is in denial of killing Simon. Someone busted into the camp of the Ralph and Piggy. Questions: Who went into the camp? Did Piggy or Ralph die? Predictions: Piggy dies and then they all turn on Ralph. Connections: The boys sleeping in a tent like structure, reminds me of when I would go camping.
Chapter 11: Jack stole Piggy's glasses. Piggy wants to go up to Jack's tent and get them back. They take the conch to hopefully hold an assembly. When Ralph gets there he and Jack start to argue. Then they fight after Ralph calls Jack a "dirty thief". They swing with spears careful not to kill each other due to the previous issue with Simon. Jack stops and tells his crew to tie up Sam and Eric. Piggy then picks up the conch and tries to reason with them all. They are resistant to listen, then a boulder falls from above and crushes Piggy. Piggy falls forty feet to the rocks below and his skull oozes blood. Everyone watches as the waves suck him up. Then Jack gets exited and throws a spear at Ralph, his whole crew chases Ralph. Ralph's ribs are hurting due tot he spear form Jack. Ralph confronts Roger and tries to convince him to join him, but Roger refuses. Then Roger approaches Ralph, Sam, and Eric with "authority". Clarify: Piggy lost his classes. Piggy also dies and falls to the rocks below. Questions: Will everyone try to kill Ralph? Will they ever get rescued? Predictions: Ralph will fight back and kill Jack. Sam and Eric will turn on Ralph. Connections: This whole book reminds me of the movie Castaway. The struggle for survival and trying to escape while slowly becoming savages, much like Tom Hanks.
Chapter 12: Ralph is hiding alone in a thicket. His wound from the spear is hurting him. He smells the meat from Jack's camp and goes to see if he can have some. He realizes it will not work. So he runs off again and finds the open meadow where the Lord of the Flies is. He smashes the head, splitting the skull. He still thinks the skull is smiling at him. He takes the spear and runs off. He goes and hides near Jack's camp and watches them dance around the fire. Then he calls over Sam and Eric and tells them to join him. They are too scared but they warn him that Jack is planning to kill him tomorrow and put his head on a stake. Sam gives Ralph some meat and Ralph then runs back to his thicket. When he wakes he realizes Jack is feet away from him. The savages throw rocks at him trying to get him to come out. Since that does not work they try to smoke Ralph out. Ralph sneaks out the back and sees a little savage who is dazed from the smoke. He stabs the little boy and runs. Ralph runs into the thickest patch of vines he could find. A savage is walking towards him and peers in. Ralph then stabs the kid and continues to spring away from the flying spears and chasing savages. He sees the fire spreading into a wildfire. He trips and falls, rolling down the hill towards the beach. He realizes it is over for him and screams for mercy. When he stands up and looks he sees a naval officer staring at him. The officer saw the smoke from the wildfire. Jack and the other boys come out. The officers asks if they were playing a game. Ralph says that two kids were killed and the officer realizes he is serious. Ralph begins to cry and sob, and the officer turns away. All the boys feel embarrassed and sad. The officer feels guilty as well because his ship is involved in a bloody war as well. Clarify: Ralph was not killed. All the boys were rescued from a navy officer. Questions: Will the boys be charged with murder? How long have they been on the island? Is the war over? Will they reunite with their families? Predictions: Some boys will go to an orphanage, and others will go back to their families. Nobody will know that Piggy and Simon were killed. Connections: The ending again reminds me of Castaway because a ship saves Tom Hanks.