Thursday, August 16, 2018

Summer Reading Reflection?

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 3:40p.m. on Friday, August 24th, 2018.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Over the summer two of the novels I read where Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore and All of This Is True by Lygia Day PeƱflor. I enjoyed the novel Wild Beauty because it was woven together wonderfully and all of the characters were easy to fall in love with. The characters in this book were hated because of their pasts and yet they were all filled with kindness and love, teaching me that the past should not define who someone is if they are willing to change it. This book's content matters to me because I will dwell on the past when the future is wide open, limiting my success. I liked the novel All of This Is True because it was engaging and mysterious, keeping me on the edge of my seat when I read it. In this novel, the characters gave their secrets out to an author who disowned them, using their secrets in her next novel without their permission. This taught me that I need to get to know a person before telling them my darkest secrets. This text matters to me because it shows how dishonest people can be with each other and how hard it is to trust anyone.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer, I read A Court of Thorns and Roses, and A Court of Mist and Fury, both novels by Sarah J. Maas. A Court of Thorns and Roses was an amazing story, and a fantastic twist on the beauty and the beast story. This novel was so entertaining that some nights over the summer, I struggled to put the book down to go to sleep. All of the characters were well developed and they all had astounding traits and character arcs. One of the main themes of the story was that not everything is as it seems. During the story, the main character, Feyre, learned that the creatures across "The Wall" aren't exactly the terrifying monsters she been told they are. This book matters to me because it is such a well-crafted story and plot. There are so many details in the story that don’t seem to matter at first but end up being super important to the story. As someone who enjoys writing and I want to be able to create my own story that also has small details that are more significant than they seem. The book was also fast-paced and full of action. I love books like this, and I want to write books like this. I also read A Court of Mist and Fury, which is the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses. I thought A Court of Thorns and Roses was my favorite book until I read its sequel. This book managed to take a character I adored in the first book, and turn him into the most hated character. The author, Sarah J. Maas, also turned one of my least favorite characters in the first book, to my favorite character in the second book. The relationships in this book are incredible. The character arcs, from the first book, are continued and expanded on in the second book and are even more engaging than the first book. It is one of the most well-written books I have ever read. Similar to A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury followed the themes of not everything is not as it seems. This book was also filled with action and entertainment. There were a couple nights where I was up until two in the morning to get to a good stopping point. I personally, want to strive to create a story as entertaining, as enthralling, and as detail-oriented as this book. Both of these books matter to me because the characters show that their past doesn't define them.

Anonymous said...


I read a series called Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. There are 3 books and they are all so good. ( I’m not going to summarize all three because I would spoil the first one) I suggest them because they are so well written and the endings are so unexpected. Basically, it’s set in a future world where the sun is red and it rain ash. The main character is Vin, a 16-year-old thief who lives on the streets of Luthadel, the capital city of the Final Empire. The story follows her as she comes into her own as one of the Mistborn, people who can use ingested metal particles to enhance their abilities, both mental and physical. She begins on a journey to find out who she really is as she fights against the Final Empire and overthrowing the Lord Ruler. With her help, along with the "crew", Kelsier, Vin's mentor, plans to lead a revolution and save the world at the same time. It sounds like an average plot but it’s really not. This series is so, so well done. I really like that the middle part of the book was just interesting enough to make you want to keep reading because the endings are so shocking. At the end of the last one, I was in shock for a good hour. The ending makes the whole book worth reading. This is true for all three books. The books are really about finding out who you are and what you can do with the talents that you are given. Brandon Sanderson did a fantastic job writing these books.

Anonymous said...

This summer, I had read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. If I stay was really inspirational because it showed that even though Mia's(the main character) family died, she could and would still live out her life. It showed me that you can always get through whatever has happened to you no matter how impactful it was. This message was the main thing that mattered to me in the book. The other book, The Maze Runner, was a really fun read. My favorite thing about the book was how descriptive it was about every detail. The book had taught me to never lose hope, even when you think nothing can work out. The most important thing to me about this book was the creativity that the author had put into it.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer I read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, and I also watched the movies for both. They were both super tragic, and both had a huge impact on how I viewed life. If I Stay was tragic because Mia lost her parents and her little brother in a car accident, and she had to make the choice if she was going to live or die. It was insane to me that even though her whole family died, she still made the decision to live, because she cared about her friends and the rest of her family so much. The Fault In Our Stars was also super sad. It was already sad that both Hazel and Gus had cancer, but it's also crazy how even though their circumstances sucked, they still loved each other so much. It was awful that Gus died and it must've been so hard for his family, and definitely for Hazel too. It was so mind blowing that she could still go on with her life after he died. Both the books made me realize how short and precious life is, and how we need to make the most of it.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer I read Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman and Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Stuck in neutral was really inspirational because it really puts it into perspective about how kids with CP see things and it makes me feel like its more than what you can see. I know that they are humans as well but never knew so much about CP.I loved Stuck in Neutral because it was told from the perspective of Shawn, the main character with CP, It talked about how he felt about the way people talked to him. I learned that parents that have a kid with CP struggle about many things but feeling like their child is suffering was the most prominent. This book made me want to know what happens next because it does end in a cliffhanger. For Flipped I liked how it was set in two different perspectives because it showed how each character thought about what was going on. I learned about what seems like a small thing may be big to another person. The book matters to me because it puts it into perspective about how little things to you may be big and important to another person and just be nice to everyone. You never know what goes on in someone else's life so just be nice, smile, wave, because it may make their day.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer the two books that I read were "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khalid Houssini and "Refugee" by Alan Gratz. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" really widened my view on what is going on in other countries (more specifically Afghanistan and Pakistan). The first book also gave some great insights to what it is like being "owned" by someone and how important it is to stand up and support others even when it might have a negative impact on you. The second book, "Refugee", took the lives of 3 different kids, in three different times, and managed to connect them together. Similar to "A Thousand Splendid Suns", "Refugee" showed the power of kindness and how drastically it can effect one's life. No matter the background, ethnicity, skin color, religion, or gender, a decision in one moment can change someone's life for better or for worse. Both of these books were incredibly impactful and broadened my view of the world and people around me.

Anonymous said...

Two novels that I read are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Giver by Lois Lowry. Both of these books impacted me in all different ways. Little Women had romance and also tragedies. I loved how the author made it interesting by using extensive vocabulary and romance. I learned that in Little Women the girls had hard times with their father being at war and them being so poor. But they went through it bravely and faithfully. I learned that I should be more grateful for what I have instead of what I don't have. The contents in this book showed me a new way of thinking about tough times and great times. Because all the characters in this book experienced both times to a certain degree. In The Giver I loved how the author made you feel with the words she used. The events happened as if you were there in the world with the characters. The scene about how the dad kills the baby without thinking, shows me that others would do the same in that situation and others. Which saddens me to how clueless humans can be. The content in this book that's important to me is that humans can get so blind that they have no idea what they are doing anymore. We also become close minded and don't want to be open minded about things which happened in The Giver. Overall these two books showed me a new light in the world and how I view it now.

Anonymous said...

This past summer, I read Looking for Alaska by John Green, and The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Looking for Alaska made me more aware of the reality of life, and not everything goes the way that you want it to. There will be unexpected journeys that you have to go through, good or bad, and you have to learn to except that anything can happen. It also conveyed that you should cherish the good moments in life and not take them for granted. In this book, the main character, Pudge, went away to a private school to get away from his hometown life. He made great new friends, including, the Colonel, and even fell in love with a girl named Alaska. Although one night while he was having the time of his life with his friends, he made the mistake of letting Alaska drive home while drunk. The next day, Pudge, and the Colonel find out the terrible news that Alaska had died from a car crash. Pudge had to figure out how to get through this rocky time in his life and forgive himself for what he had done that awful night. Altogether, this novel has reminded me to be aware of the consequences of my actions, and to admire the good times in life. The next novel, The Uglies can make one think about how life is surprising and you never know what will come. The main character, Tally, just turned 16 and is about to get her operation done to turn pretty. But, when her friend Shay "goes missing" Tally is forced to find her and reveal Shay's location or else, Tally will remain ugly forever. Shay leaves clues as of where she is and Tally is the only one that can understand them. Eventually Tally finds Shay at the Smoke. Just as Tally is going to turn Shay in, she changes her mind and decides to live at the smoke. All of the sudden, being ugly wasn't such a terrible thing anymore. This book taught me to keep my mind open to new ideas because you never know what will happen.

Anonymous said...

This summer I read The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey and Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard. The 5th Wave was intense but exciting at the same time. The story is about Earth and what happens when "aliens" disguised as humans take it over. It was unique because the author wrote the story from several peoples views which made the story more interesting. What I learned from this book is to never give up hope and to always be determined. One thing that stood out to me is that the main character lost her whole family, but still kept on going. Finding Gobi was super inspirational and a fun book to read. It is about a man who runs a marathon and along the way meets a dog. What I learned from this story is to never give up and pursue what makes you happy. One thing about this story that stood out to me is how the main character was determined to get his dog back when it was lost no matter what stood in his way. I enjoyed reading both of these books.

Anonymous said...

This summer I read two books called Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf and Close to Famous by Joan Bauer. I really enjoyed both of these books, but my favorite was Dead Girls Don't Lie. I really enjoyed this book because my favorite genre is murder mystery. I just find it very interesting to read about. One of my favorite books ever is The View From the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts. Dead Girls Don't Lie is about a girl named Jaycee and her ex best friend Rachel. Jaycee and Rachel were friends for years unil Rachel not mixed in with a bad crowd, months later Rachel was killed. I just love reading about the mystery and adventure in the story. Close to famou was also a pretty good book about a girl named Foster who dreams of one day having her own cooking show and is also facing a big challenge trying to learn how to read. I really enjoyed both of these books.

Anonymous said...

This summer I red two books called The Fault In Our Stars by John Green and I also red We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. Both of these books were different and very good. I liked both of these books a lot but I enjoyed reading The Fault In Our Stars better. The two main characters named Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace meet and become best friends and fall in love. These two teenagers meet at a support group. Hazel has lung cancer and Augustus suffers from osteosarcoma cancer. These two teenagers go through ups and downs together. They both used to be alone and have no one but when they met they knew they were going to be best friends. They fell in love with each other quick. After they get so close to each other sadly Augustus passes away and Hazel is now all alone. This book really taught be no matter who your best friend is or if you are going through something are just remember to be nice, stay strong and help one another out. I really enjoyed reading both of these wonderful books this summer.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer, I read This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I enjoyed these books because they helped me see things and different experiences that I have never been through. This Is Where It Ends is a book about a school shooting, over about 45 minutes. This book was very interesting because it went deeper into the psychology about the mind of a school shooter. THe book was from the point of view of many different students, helping me understand what it was like. This book was very intense, but I enjoyed reading it. The Hate U Give was a book about an African-American kid who was murdered by a police officer, and the trial that follows. The book follows a young girl named Starr, who was there when the officer shot her friend, Khalil. This book shows how traumatizing an experience like this can be, and what some people have to go through. I enjoy these type of books because they help me understand the situations some people go through, and help me see real life situations. It is important to me that writers write these kinds of books, so people around the world can read about situations that actually happen, and understand.

Anonymous said...

This summer I decided to read two books that interested me by what kind of books I like to read. My favorite type of books to read is romantic fiction or romantic comedy. In my opinion I think those types of books are really interesting to read. So for the books I read this summer is, The Fault In Our Stars, By John Green. This book was one of the recommended books on the list of the summer reading books. I decided to read it because I have never read it and everyone has told me that it is such an amazing book. I thought the book was really good. I was excited each time I sat down to read it because it had some times in the book that had some tear quenchers and there was times in the book that would make you laugh. In my opinion it is probably one of my most favorite books lately. The second book I decided to read was, The Kissing Booth, By Beth Reekles. I decided to read this book because the movie was such a good movie and I decided if I have seen the movie at least 10 times then I better read the book to see if I liked it. In the end the book was like the movie but it had a lot of changes as well. Over all the summer reading books I read this year was a success. I really liked summer reading because it gave me a time to go sit in a quiet place and get out of the chaos of summer and relax and just read. All in All summer reading was not as painful a I thought it was going to be.

Anonymous said...

This summer, I read two books. The first one was Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and this book was very interesting. Stargirl was about a girl who was very quiet and shy on the first couple weeks of school, but then she surprises everyone with her bright clothes and her backpack she carries around with her ukelele in it. When she walked up and down the halls, Leo Borlock catches a glimpse of her and instantly starts smiling. Stargirl also lights up everyone's day with her cheerful attitude during the pep rallies at Mica High. At the end, Leo finally ends up with her. The second book I read was Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell and this book was very I guess interesting also. The book talked about behavioral problems and it just went deeper into the meaning of thinking without thinking. I really liked this book and would recommend it to my classmates and other people around.

Anonymous said...

This summer I read the two novels Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon and Copygirl by Anna Mitchael and Michelle Sassa. Everything Everything was about a girl that would get critically sick if she went outside of her house, I thought of it as her being allergic to everything hence the title. I liked the layout of this book and the unexpected twists and turns in the plotline took. In the end, the Yoon states that it's not heartbreak or disappointment that kills us but the fear of getting hurt that will be our demise. Copygirl was about a copywriter in New York struggling with her co-workers and superiors. Kay the main character, escaped her harsh reality by creating videos of wax figures and eventually the videos go viral which helps her dilemma at work. I liked the relatable content and up to date setting. The theme of this book was to not be a copy girl and be brave enough to endeavor your own fate and it will bring you good fortune. Both books supported the message of being brave enough to make your own path in life and see where it takes you.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer I read the books All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin and Dreamland by Robert L. Anderson.These books were both fairly good books, I really enjoyed All These Things I've Done because the most important thing in the main character’s life was family which growing up family has been the most important thing in my life so the connection was a really nice factor to the book. Reading a book that was based around concerning family drama and the issues of high school drama at the same time was an inspiring thing to read. After reading All These Things I’ve Done I learned that sacrifice is harder than it seems to be. When reading Dreamland I thought it was an alright book, I just wish it had more of a moral to the story. But from the way it was written I learned how important it is to any story to use great descriptive words that help make the reader feel like they were in the story as well. What matters to me about the books was that in All These Things I've Done it was important that they had family as a really key concept and in Dreamland I enjoyed the imaginative side of the book which made the book feel like it had a creative concept.

Anonymous said...

Over summer, I read two novels, Every Soul A Star By:Wendy Mass and The Fault in Our Stars By:John Green. Every Soul a Star is about 3 kids who are having trouble with growing up and different situations that come up. Until they all end up at the same campground for a huge eclipse, where they all meet and work together to fix each others problems. This book was really well written but could get confusing since it was written in 3 different points of view as each of the kids. This book taught me that wherever you go you will meet new people and make new friends that can definitely change your life for the better. The other book I read was The Fault in Our Stars. This book is possibly one of my favorite books because it is so heartwarming and full of love. In this book two teenagers meet at a cancer support group and end up falling in love but have to face the challenges of their sickness and the world around them. It taught me that throughout all of the troubles, your true friends are super important and will always stick by your side. Both of my books were about meeting new people who change your life and i really liked their messages.

Anonymous said...

This summer, I read to books. The first book I read was Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose by Gillian McCain and Legs McNeil. It was about a true experience of teen girl who was so desperate to be loved and so eager to fit in, that she would go to ll extremes that could cost her life. This is a story of a young powerful woman that would do anything to get heard and loved. This compelling emotion ensures her voice will not be forgotten. She goes a lot, she drinks and does drugs, she goes to rehab multiple times. But when you read her diary it's like you are in her shoes, living her life. The other book I read was The Last Message Received by 16 year old, Emily Trunko. This book was a book adapted from the popular Tumblr The Last Message Received. that is followed by more than 85,000 people. This book features sudden endings and the type of loss that will inspire readers to think about the essentials in there own lives, and the importance of celebrating the people they love every day. This book is a collection of over a hundred final text messages, social media posts, emails, and more. I really enjoyed these books they may have both been upsetting to read. But I think that they each share there own message, that I recommend everyone should read.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer, I read the books The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green and The Maze Runner, by James Dashner. What I liked about The Fault in Our Stars is the Hazel Grace didn't let her lung cancer stop her from going to Amsterdam. She was so determined and wanted to live her life to the fullest, knowing that her life would be short. This book taught me to cherish life, because it is short. No matter what's thrown your way, there will always be happiness. The Maze Runner was a very suspenseful and thrilling book. I learned that the only way to get through life is with others. Thomas, Newt, Alby, and the others were never going to escape The Maze and Grievers without each other.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer I chose to read Wonder by R.J Palacio and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. I Chose to read Wonder because it was about a kid named Auggie and he has Treacher Collins Syndrome. He is just starting to go into into 5th grade from being home schooled. This was an amazing story because it showed that even when you are different and look different from everyone else it is okay. It also shows to never give up on the real you and to always be you no matter what. the other story I read was The Maze Runner this is about a bunch of teenage guys and one girls getting put into a maze. The point of this was to see if they could figure out they maze with out dieing or getting trapped in the maze over the night. The only challenge is the maze changes every night and the one way to get it closes at night to. I liked this booked because it talked about how you should always work as a team. These two books also ties into my new high school experience because when you are in school it's always okay to be yourself. Then when you are working in groups at any time of the day it's okay to work as a team and figure out the problems together.

Caitlin Wilcox said...

The books that I read were The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey and Night by Elie Wiesel. The 5th Wave was about an alien takeover and how Casey is trying to get her brother who was taken by them. The night was about Eliezer who was a Jewish boy who lived in a concentration camp during World War Two. I liked that The 5th Wave was told by two different main characters that had two totally different perspectives about what was going on in the world. In the 5th Wave, I learned to keep persevering and that things aren't always what they seem. In Night I Learned a lot about the hard times of the Holocaust. I knew the terrible things that had happened but not to the capacity that I read it in the book.

Anonymous said...

This Summer I read two books. The two books I read were Open Season by C.J. Box and Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. Open Season I enjoyed more and was able to relate to it more cause it took place where i use to live, Buffalo Wyoming. This book just caught my attention more and hooked me in more as a reader case is was more about the things I like to do and what sounds fun to me. In this book there was a man that lived in Wyoming with his family. He was a sheriff and would go hunting a lot. I also really enjoyed this book because I am more into mysteries and books that you did not know what was going to happen next. At certain parts of the book it just kept you wanting to read to see what was going to happen to them when they snuck up on the guy in the tent or when he looked outside and found a man lying dead in his backyard. This book really interested me and I learned even more about myself and liking to read mystery books or books that you don't know what is going to happen next to either a person or an object.

Anonymous said...

This summer, I had read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and The Maze Runner by James Dashner. If I stay was really inspirational because it showed that even though Mia's(the main character) family died, she could and would still live out her life. It showed me that you can always get through whatever has happened to you no matter how impactful it was. This message was the main thing that mattered to me in the book. The other book, The Maze Runner, was a really fun read. My favorite thing about the book was how descriptive it was about every detail. The book had taught me to never lose hope, even when you think nothing can work out. The most important thing to me about this book was the creativity that the author had put into it.

Anonymous said...

A book that really caught my attention this summer was The Girl With The Pearl Earring. This book interested me so much because it made me feel like I was in her footsteps throughout the whole book. This book was like I was living and seeing what she were doing. The book really made me feel what emotions she was having and it made me think a lot because it made me think that not everyone lives forever and made me think that I need to focus on more things then just my own situations, but the book also made me think that I need to sometimes not just think about other people, you got to focus more on yourself sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Over the summer, I had read a book called "Out of My mind" by Sharon Draper and "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld. In the book Out of My Mind, it is about a girl named Melody who is special needs. She can't walk or talk at all and goes through many different things in life like bullying, true friends, and even school events. This book was really inspirational to me because no matter what Melody kept going through hardships which I know can be hard sometimes. In the other book, Uglies, it is about a girl named Tally falling in love with a pretty. In the beginning, he was considered an Ugly until he was taken and changed into a "pretty". This story really gets me interested because I know in real life people label each other, but in the end it really shouldn't matter. I definitely recommend both of these books because they both speak a nice clear message to the heart and are similar or the same as some real life situations.