Reading Response

Your actions play a large role in handling an important situation when you're adopted. The book Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix is about two seventh grade best friends, Jonah and Chip, who go through a shocking journey all because of suspicious letters that came in the mail. The fictional story isn't fair because the government kept a lot of useful and hidden information from both Jonah and Chip's family that they should've know about, in their adoption life.

Jonah went through the FBI, the adoption centers and a lot more to find of information that he should've know in the first place. In the beginning of the story, Chip and Jonah read the letters, which said, "You are one of the missing." Being unsure, he asked his father if there was anything that the adoption center didn't tell them. For example, Jonah's father said " 'I called the adoption agency today just like I promised.'... 'But I talked to another woman, who looked up your file, and…Jonah, there is new information in your case.' " On page 66. After talking to his father, he felt trepidation but was still curious about what was on his adoption papers. Later on in the book, his family met with a man who supposedly knew something about the adoption, but not saying anything, Jonah took pictures of the files on his desk. With his sister Katherine, and Chip's help, they focused on the unfathomable pictures, which read "Chip had sat down at the computer and was manipulating the images, piecing several photos together like a jigsaw puzzle. The second sheet of paper in the folder hadn't been titled Witness. It has been titled Survivors. And the last two names on the list were very familiar: Jonah Skidmore...Chip Winston." These quotes help describe the parents and show how much they care about Jonah. They also show what kind of relationship Jonah has with his sister and Chip.

On the other hand, Chip found out that he was adopted, which was discombobulated. After he assumed that Jonah’s letter had to do with adoption, he wondered why he had gotten one right after. Later on in the book, it said, “ ‘are you adopted?’ Jonah whispered. Wordlessly, Chip nodded.” This part of the text questioned his father on why he hadn’t told him before. Plus, the way Chip acted so anxious made him more interested in his past. Finding out about his adoption and father’s secrets also helped him connect more with Jonah.

         In general, adoption is difficult to deal with in many ways. This is because there are the people who feel cryptic and the ones that want to know more. In the book, something that stood out in Chip’s reaction was that he wanted to know everything about his birth parents, his current parents and what his life would’ve been like. For example, the book said, “Three-fourths of the way down into the stack, he let out a low whistle. ‘Here it is.’ He held up a document labeled, Birth Certificate.” Plus, after Jonah met with the man who knew about his past, he felt the urge to do what ever it took to see those files. He wanted to know everything. These parts in the book demonstrate and connect to the real world and what people may have gone through. The book also illustrates what it would feel like to be adopted.

         The story isn’t fair due to what the government has chosen, not to show Jonah and his family about his adoption. Jonah should’ve known the truth about his life and what really happened, Chip shouldn’t had known that he was adopted 12 years after and adoption can be unfair sometimes. This book made me think about how people really feel in real life due to adoption and helped me learn that what you do can affect your future. All in all, the book focused on a story that was compelling and showed significance in your choices.