Over the summer, you were asked to read at least two novels of your choice.
1) Briefly tell me what you read, including the titles and authors.
2)
I want to know what you liked about the books, what you learned and,
more importantly, what matters to you about the books' content.
*Make
sure to adhere to proper conventions and proofread your response. If,
for some reason, you did not read two novels, tell me about two novels
you have read and answer the above. This blog post must be completed by
2:30p.m. on Friday, August 25th, 2017.
24 comments:
Over the summer I read several books, around 20, but overall my favorite was the Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling. What I loved about the series is how Harry, Ron, & Hermione went on several mischievous adventures and how they relied on each other. They had a solid unbreakable friendship that went through some rough patches but in the end always proved to be strong. I Loved the overall vibe of Hogwarts, how there will always be help given to those who need it. Also there is always a silly prank or fun mishap about to happen. I love the dynamic of the school. One thing that I learned from the book series is that it is always okay to ask for help. In the end if Harry did not get help from his fellow students, the professors, Ron, Hermione, the Order of The Phoenix, Dumbledore, Dobby, and several other crucial people then he would have failed. He asked them to help and they did, making it possible to kill Voldemort. The most import thing about the book series to me is the important message of love conquering all. It was Harry’s mother’s sacrifice that protected Harry from Voldemort, and would give him the power to kill him. When Lily died for Harry, her Love protected Harry. In the end it was Voldemort incomprehension, total underestimation, and lack of any love that lead to his death.
The 2 books that I read over the summer were Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise (the second book to the first) by Danielle Paige. These 2 books were really interesting, the first book Dorothy Must Die was about this young girl named Amy that was sent to Oz just like Dorothy in the original story, but when she arrives it is much different. This story is different where Dorothy had gained too much power and became the princess of Oz, soon enough the wicked became good and the good became wicked in a war to try and save Oz from Dorothy’s wrath in draining all of Oz’s magic. It was a creepy and mystical adventure all in one book it was amazing. And the second book was just continuing from the first book. I loved how there was so much descriptive content and had amazing plot like for example, one of my favorite plots of the story was when Amy had to fight the Lion, for the lion was Dorothy’s guard and it was crazy exciting and made my heart beat so fast, it all ended when she took his “courage” and he turned back to the cowardly lion. Then there was the characters, they all had such good personalities and each person was different in their own way. There was no lack in anything in my opinion it all ran perfect together. It was so hard to put the book down. Throughout this/these books I have learned that not every story is going to end happy and is not always going to have a smooth ride through everything, there is going to be the bumps and curves that make things more interesting, just like in the book when we thought that Dorothy went back home when really that is not how it ended. Sometimes these books would have such plot twists that made things change and end up harder for the characters, but it really is just like life because we are not always going to have the best life at all, we are all going to have those bumps and we are all going to have those plot twists just like in the book.
Over the summer I read two books. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (162 pages) and If I Stay by Gayle Forman (261 pages). If I Stay is about a girl named Mia. The book is in her point of view during the story. She gets in a car crash which causes her to go unconscious (she doesn't really die) but events happen while she is in that state. Like flashbacks, memories, and current day. Coraline is about a girl named Coraline. Coraline moves into a new house and she gets curious about the random little door in the house. During the day she opened it and it was just a brick wall. During the night she opened it again and found a ‘tunnel’. She went through that tunnel and found her “other mother” and “other dad” (“other parents”). Strange things happen when she returns back to her real mother and father. The book that I really enjoyed to read over this summer was “If I Stay”. I haven’t see the movie in a long time but from I remember, the book is mostly like the movie. Some parts I read from the book made me remember scenes from the movie.
Over the summer I read Paper Towns by John Green and Mocking-jay by Suzanne Collins. What I liked about Paper Towns is that it was all humor. And the story was being told by someone close to my age, so it was easy for me to relate to the book. It was all about romance and adventure, my favorite combo. I learned that sometimes, you have to do things for yourself. In the book, the main character Quentin follows Margo, a troubled girl, across the country to find her. When he finds her, she tells him she doesn't want him there. Along the way when he looks for her, he ruined friendships. SO I learned that you have to do things for yourself sometimes. The other book I read was Mocking Jay. This book had so many powerful events that really made me think back on my life. I though to myself a lot "life could really be like that some day and I should be very grateful to be as privileged as I am today. I like that the book had a strong female role. Katniss is a great leader, and I honestly look up to that. What matters to me is that Katniss never stopped doing things to protect the people she loved, even if those things were down right awful. Thats what really touched me about the book.
This summer I read Boy nine missing, by Nick Joseph. I also read Christy Miller the third volume, by Robin Jones Gunn. While I was reading boy nine missing, I learned that you should be grateful for everything, but to also be grateful for the little things in life you may not pay attention to. I think after reading it, I am more thankful for my family. In boy nine missing, I liked how it always was on a cliff hanger every time I stopped reading, it really kept me interested. The thing that matters to me the most about the content of boy nine missing, would be how the family had tough times, but they still stuck together and worked what they still had. The second book I read this summer, was called Christy Miller. While I was reading the book I loved the plot twists during it, you never really know what would happen next. I also loved how the character was my age, and I could relate to the same things she was going through. The thing that mattered to me a lot from the content, was how to treat your friends and to always be there for them no matter what.
1) Briefly tell me what you read, including the titles and authors.
2) I want to know what you liked about the books, what you learned and, more importantly, what matters to you about the books' content.
The two books I read over the summer were, The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, and Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. What I liked about the Princess Bride was how adventurous and humorous it was compared to other love stories. It went into extreme depth of each character, and really emphasized when it was getting to an important life lesson. In Ender's Game, I enjoyed how different it was from the movie, considering the movie left out many important details. Ender's Game was also very interesting due to the fact that it is Science Fiction, and it takes place in a battle school. There are also many clever, well thought, jokes in this book. It also really well describes how isolated and home-sick all the children are during their time at battle school which we didn't get a feel for in the movie. In the Princess Bride, what matters to me about the books content, is the fact that it is a story for all ages and that it doesn't approach one person's age group. In Ender's Game, being a more mature book, it does direct it's audience to older people, yet has an amazing message behind it, and overall, it is just a really well written, and interesting book.
The first book I read was 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Looking for Alaska by John Green. In 13 Reasons Why the book really got me thinking about what happens to the people left behind when somebody takes their own life. Obviously it is nothing very positive and it is a lesson to everybody that we need to be nicer and be there for each other, before it is too late. I like the book because the author really used great metaphors and made you feel like you were there. Looking for Alaska is actually my all time favorite book. It has humor but an overall seriousness to it also. This book taught me that people do really stupid things that will hurt, but the way to stop your pain is to forgive. After reading this book I can now see that this is a lesson that should be used everyday of your life.
This summer, I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Secret Life of Bees was one of the recommended books, and is now one of my all time favorites. The levels of depth and meaning put into such a simple idea was completely outstanding. The reason I loved it so much was because it was so foreign to me and different from the other topics I read, so I got very involved. For example, I am not very used to southern setting, so it was very different to me, and I enjoyed having a new setting to read. Also, it was very interesting to read a book about a girl that is fairly close to my age, and has such a different and more complicated life compared to me. It was interesting putting myself in her shoes and trying to imagine myself in her position. The other book that I read was The Great Gatsby, which was not on the recommended list, but I also absolutely loved it. The setting of the story was in the 1920s, so like The Secret Life of Bees, it was a new and I’ve never read any other books set in the 1920s, so I really enjoyed it. The Great Gatsby had a very unique sense to it and was very interesting to read. I especially enjoyed how the story was told in a way that kept me so involved. I would overall definitely read these books again, and absolutely loved getting the chance to keep my mind active during the summer.
During the summer the two books that I read were 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. 13 Reasons Why made me know what bullying can do to a person and that we should all be kind and respectful. The author made you feel what the main character was feeling. The book Uglies was about this girl named Tara and when she is sixteen she turns pretty and lives in another world but she becomes friends with this girl who ends up running away. Tara is left to tell the authorities where her friend is or risk never being pretty. In this book there wasn't a message coming through but that your beautiful in our own way no everyone needs to look the same and be beautiful. I really enjoyed reading these books this summer and I would read them again.
This summer I read Note to Self by Connor Franta and This is where it ends by Marieke Nijkamp. A Note to Self is the diary and poetry book about an internet personality. I liked how real Connor was with his audience. He opened up so much about things us, his fans never knew about. Like a horrible break up he had. The feelings and things he experienced were so relateable. I connected so much more with the author than I already do. The realness of the book is what I loved so much and thought was most important. This is Where It Ends is about a school shooting. It was very disturbing how intense it was. I liked it but it was very intense and too much. I dont know if its a book ill read again. I enjoyed both books very much.
Over the summer I read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and The Land of Stories- Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer.
In Percy Jackson, I learned a lot more about Greek Mythology.There were so many things that finally made sense to me when I remembered all the references I've seen to Greek Mythology. I really love the description and creativity. The content was amazing because it had a lot of twists, action, and teenagers I could relate to. In The Land of Stories Worlds Collide, I learned a lot about the characters I've been reading about for 5 years. It was a great way to end the series by putting all the pieces together and ending it in a magical way. Both Authors did an amazing job for the the first book in a series (Percy Jackson) and the last book in a series (Land of Stories).I love fantasy very very much and both of these books were perfect for me!
1. Over the summer, two of the books I read are Looking For Alaska by John Green and Open by Andre Agassi. Looking for Alaska was a realistic fiction novel about a group of friends that experienced a tragedy at Culver Creek High School. Miles Halter, the main character boards in Alabama in order to attend, resulting in his roommate, Chip Martin, becoming his best friend. Gradually, Chip introduced Miles, aka Pudge, to all of his friends from previous years. One specific girl stuck out, Alaska, and Pudge was instantly in love. Alaska was beautiful, adventurous and intelligent, but unpredictable and unstable. One night, after a drinking game, Alaska was driving off campus and died. Pudge’s emotions crumble and he is left with only a great perhaps. On the other hand, Open is a book narrated by the legend himself; Andre Agassi. The former tennis pro talks about tennis in all aspects. Through a million different lenses.
2. Throughout the well-known Looking for Alaska, I liked how the story painted a vivid picture in my head, not just spit words at me. I was able to feel all of the emotions that the characters in the book felt, specifically Pudge. Technically, this book is in the realm of realistic fiction, but it truly redefined that genre for me. The book portrayed the characters in a way that helped me understand them in the 136 days before and drowned me in sorrow during the 136 days after. This novel taught me that I need to live each and every day to the fullest. Making memories and a daily dose of laughter. Recovering, even after life throws the biggest obstacles at me. I need both of those lessons because one depends on another. If I never recover from loss, I will never be able to fully live; but if I never laugh I can never fully recover. Step by step this growth-mindset will strengthen my tolerance. The content mattered most because of the way I was able to relate to the emotions and how the emotions changed, day after day, week after week. The content showed me that grieving can be delayed, but never avoided. After the tragedy (Alaska’s death), Pudge was aloof from the rest of the world. Not wanting to feel the heavy pain of a hole in his heart, he goes into denial. It is not until the end of the book that he finally realizes Alaska’s words mean the most, but they are the one’s that he will never know. Additionally, he will never find the truth about the crash; whether suicide or accident, Pudge must acknowledge that it will forever be a storming unknown. After letting her death sink in, Pudge blames himself for killing Alaska. The night the crash took place, Alaska was driving drunk and she hit a police car. However, Pudge along with his friend the Colonel (Chip) let her go. They both allowed her to slip through their grasp. In the end, Pudge and Chip finally accept that all she left them with a “great perhaps”. That’s the best gift of all.
Throughout the autobiography Open, I liked that Agassi started with one of his last tennis matches as an older player. Consistently, his mind told him he hated tennis and he should quit. However, his heart overruled his mind repeating he needed to keep pushing because he loves tennis. Also, the way that Agassi writes in the first pages of his book about the five set match, he explains it in such detail, he had everything mapped out to the minute. This novel taught me that even the best players hate the game sometimes, but they are the best because they don’t quit. Fight for everything. Pro players are feisty and incapable of saying “I can’t” or “I won’t”. The mental, physical and emotional pains of the game just wash over them. Also, the way that Andre’s father pushed him even though he was so little and helpless inspired me to push myself harder than ever. The yelling when Andre missed a ball, especially in the net, the spankings when Andre messed up, the constant grind causing physical pain. It’s all part of what made Agassi who he is now. The most important part of the content is that it shows what it takes to be the best. Agassi’s family gave up everything in order for him to be able to play at such a high level. As a result, when he didn’t perform well in tournaments, the pressure fried him alive. Somehow he pushed through to the point past his satisfaction, but just reaching he father’s expectations. Agassi might have hated his father for the constant cruelty, but it is because of his father that he was number one. Every unannounced match back in Vegas, every national tournament feeding on only lentil soup, and taking advantage of the Nike sponsorship was his father. Lastly, the way that Andre meticulously maps out his routine before a match shows the type of dedication that takes place off of the tennis court.
Overall these two novels were brilliantly written and expanded my horizons.
Over the short, but sweet summer, I was able to read two novels. The first novel is a well known motion picture called “Everything, everything.” I started to read the book in late june, after I heard about it because of a trailer for the movie. I read the book, but I still haven’t actually seen the movie. The book was amazing, except for the ending. It was about a girl who has grown up with an illness that makes her allergic to so many things, but you never know what. She was pretty much trapped inside all day, all night, all the time. She then finds loves and runs away from her mom to experience the ocean by going to Hawaii. There is a major plot twist in the end that caused me to not like it as much. The second book that I read was the end of the confessions series. This series is about a family who’s parents died, and the track to find who killed him. Over the summer, I finished the series of four books.
One of the books I read over the summer was The Raft by S.A. Boden. It was a book about a girl who stayed in Hawaii with her aunt for on her way home her plane crashed in the middle of the ocean. She was stranded in the ocean by herself with nothing but a raft and some skittles. I really enjoyed the plot of this book it was entertaining and there were always cliffhangers making you want to read more. I also sort of learned how to survive on a raft for quite some time with barely any supplies. The other book I read this summer was The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, I have already read this book but it is one of my favorites so I wanted to read it again. I love the thought behind it with all of the districts and what they represent and mean. In the book 2 people from each district are chosen to fight to their death in an arena but there can only be 1 winner. I enjoyed both of these books and would read them again if I had the time.
One of the books I read this summer was Since You've Been Gone, by Morgan Matson. This book was about a girl who's best friend dissapeared right as summer was beginning, the only thing Emily was able to find while looking for her missing friend was a list of outrageous things that she was supposed to do. I really enjoyed this book, the mystery of it all combined with the humor and romance was very appealing to me. The other book I read was The One Thing, by Gary Keller. This book was mostly just about how to focus in on one thing in your life in order to be successful. I overall didn't necessarily like this book, mainly because it was more for adults rather than teenagers.
The best book I read this summer was Uglies, bye Scott Westerfeild. This book is about a society where you aren't beautiful until you turn 16. You get an operation where you get turned ugly to beautiful. A girl named Tally can't wait to be pretty but her friend Shay runs away because she knows the truth about being pretty. I liked this book because I always wanted to know what happened next. The other book I read was Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. This book was about a girl, Maddy, who was bound to her house due to a rare condition, which makes her get sick very easily. But when she meets her new neighbor, Olly, her whole world turns upside down. I liked this book because I loved the ending, it was very unexpected.
One of the books that I read this summer was Oh Yea, Audrey, By Tucker Shaw. This book was about a girl who had a fan page for Audrey Hepburn with a couple of friends she met online. They spontaneously decided to go to New York city together to spend one day like Audrey did in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Together they tour New York City until the main character, Gemma, finds a boy and falls in love with him and decides to ditch her plan with her fr blog friends and hang out with this new boy Dusty. He shows her the real New York and when the day is over Gemma isn't sure that its as magical as she thought it was. The other book I read was Zac and Mia. Zac has leukemia and has been in the hospital for the last 9 months. A girl named Mia moves into the room next door to him and they don't get off to a great start. They slowly start communicating through taps on the wall they share and then on Facebook. They are really starting to like each other until Zac is allowed to go home and they end up having to separate, until Zacs cancer comes back. I liked both of these books because they felt really real and raw.
Over the summer I have read a book called Unfortunate Events The Carnivorous Carnival written by Lemony Snicket. Three Baudelaire Sunny, Klaus and Violet lost their parents in a house fire. It's about a man called Count Olaf that tries to come up with many different schemes to get Baudelaire Orphans Fortune that was left by Baudelaire Parents. So the Baudelaire goes to a place called Carnivorous Carnival. In order to stay disguised they dress up as a freak to undercover that Count Olaf is going to do and How did Olaf find the info about Baudelaire's parents. Also Sunny, Klaus and Violet are trying to find a true meaning of V.F.D. Count Olaf continues to escape from Baudelaire's crutches again.
One of the books that I read this summer was Looking for Alaska. I really enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed how the reader told the story, the reader did not just tell the story, but was very descriptive and painted a clear picture of what was happening in my head. This made what was happening in the story seem more real and made the story more emotional to read. This story is about a girl who goes to a boarding school and her friends and what happens in their lives. Alaska is the main character and she is a girl everybody loves. Overall I loved this book because the plot line was so interesting and kept making me want to read more. Overall this book is a romance and realistic fiction book and is very interesting to read.
One book I read over the summer is called "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins.This book is about a Mormon girl with 7 or 8 other siblings, Peyton is living a hard life at home and at school. She has never had a real relationship with a boy and becomes very curious about it. Peyton's life at home isn't so easy, her alcoholic father beats their mother very often and when she can't be beaten he turns to Peyton as a punching bag. Although at church her father is very respected so nobody would believe them if they spoke up. Peyton starts to get curious about boys and one day she goes a little far. Her and the boy she was talking to kept seeing each other more and more, one day her dad caught them. Aaron was now scared of Peyton because her dad went and held a gun to his head. Peyton then lashed out at school and had bad attitude at home. Her mother became pregnant with the first boy at this time, her parents thought she was a burden so they sent her to live with aunt Josephine. On the farm she falls in love and developed a serious relationship with a boy named Ethan. When Peyton moves back home she realizes how terrible things have gotten as well as she finds out she's pregnant. Ethan comes to pick her up and one of her schoolmates writes down the license plate number. As the cops chase them up a steep curvy road they speed up, the time of year is winter so the roads are slick and covered in black ice. The car slips on a sharp corner and causes a wreck tumbling down the mountain, later in the hospital Peyton gets told that Ethan and the baby both did not survive the wreck. This is where this book ends and the next one begins which I will be sure to read.
The second book I read over the summer is called "The Princess Saves Herself in This One" by Amanda Lovelace, this book is a lot more emotional. This book tells a story about a girl who struggles with child abuse, partner abuse, bullying, self-harm, eating disorders, so on and so forth. This book doesn't just tell you whats going on, whats going on is implied. The book is very depressing but by the end of the story the girl grows up and learns how to stand for herself. This book is very tricky to understand but I feel like I understand the context pretty well.
A book a read over the summer called "The Secrets of Attraction" by Robin Constantine is very romantic and drama filled kind of book. The book is about a girl who is with a boy, but she falls for a boy in a band that is still getting over his recent breakup,but he starts to fall for this girl too. Until she finds out about a life changing secret..
The second book I read was "Sleep No More" by Aprilynne Pike which is story of disaster, mystery, and romance with all types of twists and turns. This book is about a girl who has visions of the future, she is a an Oracle and there are rules she must never break 1. Never interfere 2. Fight your visions don't let them break you. But, when a murderer is o the lose she just can't help herself.
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