Yes, I FINALLY got this thing up.
Thanks for being patient, kiddos. Had to get through my wedding, recuperate, and NOW I can try to return to normal! Anyway...
This is where you guys post a comment/question based on the summer reading "chat" I gave you all in Mrs. Jackson's class. Make sure you tell me WHO YOU ARE! I don't know you yet, so be specific - 1st & last names. Also, feel free to check out some of the other comments from LAST year's 8th graders, especially the part about WHAT THEY WISH THEY HAD KNOWN. Their hints, tips, advice & warnings might be very useful to you! (The end of this year was so messy that we never got around to posting, but these comments will still be helpful.)
You might also want to take a peek @ favorite books of the year 2008-2009. You might have the same faves OR you might find some new ones that you would like to give a try this summer. I'm trying some new books this summer, too, so if you have any suggestions, post them here.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
120 comments:
Alexis Nailing-The first book I read was Reality Check by: Peter Abrahams: This book was about a boy, Cody Laredo, whose life was perfect, he had a perfect girlfriend,Clea, was quarterback of his town foootball team, and was passing all of his classes. He was soon hit with Reality when he found out that his girlfriend had to move to another state. Knowing this Cody decided to break up with her. After these events Cody dropped out of school. Later on in his life he found out some disturbinng news: Clea was found missing! Cody wanted to do all he could to find Clea... While in the process of finding her he discovers a secret noone would've expected. This edgy mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat, never wanting to put the book down. I would also recommend this book for the summer reading list next year.
Faith Farber To Kill a Mockingbird-When I first picked up this book I thought it was going to be about a real mockingbird being killed! To me that just sounded like a weird book, but whatever I was going to read it anyway because it is like my mom’s favorite book! I started to read this book and listened to what some people said about it and I realized that it was not about a real mockingbird. it just couldn’t be, that would not make since. From what I have read and heard I predict that the book is really about Jem, Dill, and Scout mocking the Radleys’. I think this because of the play / game that the kids made up. They seem to be using the play / game to make fun of or mock the Radleys’. They are basing the play / game off of rumors that go around the town and their own opinions. I feel that the Radleys’ are not going to be the people that the citizens of Maycomb think they are and that this is where the name To Kill a Mockingbird comes from.
Daja Perry-The book I read was The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. I chose this book because I seen some of the movie and it seemed interesting but I didn’t get to finish it. There weren’t really any parts that jumped out at me because the entire book was good. But even though the book was fiction, it seemed real because of the facts it gave. The only thing I didn’t like was the repetition and it annoyed me to see the same word three times in a row. My favorite character was Jimmy because he stood up for what he believed and tried to get others to join him. I would recommend this book for any student who likes history.
Ruqayah Bhuiyan Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan- The reason why I picked this book was because, I had it. Now that might seem like I don't like book but this was different. See I was going to read the Count of Monte Cristo but when I saw Esperanza Rising in the back of my table, I thought to myself I have had this book for almost six years and I have never read it and it was on the reading list so I just read it. I really did not have the slightest clue what it was about. I really thought it was going to be a love story, well it kind of was between Esperanza and Miguel at least, but I thought it was really going to be a real love story since there was a girl and some roses on the cover. When I started to read it I again made a prediction that it was going to be about how this girl, Esperanza, lived her life. And it was till her dad died and they moved to The US. I thought that her mom was going to die also and Abuelita would never come. But at the end everything became alright. The only thing I did not like was the ending it was sort of too short. But overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone.
Terrence McHugh-Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
There was a lot of hype about this book. All of the teachers and students declared that it was a great book and that everyone should read it. However, people also said that once you started reading the book, you couldn't stop. Maybe it's just the summertime and I was too busy to read, but I put it down for two weeks before finishing it. It is a good book, though. I think this because it has an interesting plotline and the all of the characters change by the end. The book is about a family in Pennsylvania whose lives as they know it change when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth. Soon afterward, nature's delicate balance has noticably shifted,taking a turn for the worse, and the family has to try to survive the shifted scale. To conclude, I enjoyed this book and would recommend that all of my friends read it.
EZapata- Of the three books I read "Life as we knew it" was my absolute favorite. It starts off with a young girl called Miranda who feels as if her life is going nowhere. Her best friends have left her for their own personal interests and to her it seems as if all she does these days is blog about her favorite skater. This all changes when a highly anticipated meteor crashes into the moon bringing it much closer the earth. Immediately the world is thrown into chaos with tidal waves, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions and Miranda and her family must learn to survive in this strange new world. I love this book mainly because of how the entire book is written as if it were a diary. It is definitely a must read.
Name: Guillermo Zapata, Title: Life as we knew it, Author: Susan Pfeffer
Truthfully when I first picked up this book the first thing I thought was, “What a weird last name.” Of course when I got over that, looked at the inside cover, and read the summary I realized that it was going to be a really good book. As far as I’m concerned the best part of this story was the characters. By writing the story like a diary the characters seem to have real moods and feelings by seeing how they react to the main character, who also portrays this through her writing. The book also portrays the different levels of human character through the people in the story from the minister who is manipulating people to bring him their food to the doctors in the hospital. Another thing I really liked is the scientific aspect of the story. The way it was explained made it seem like it could all really happen, and was also really interesting. In fact it made me wonder what would happen if the moon was hit and went farther away. But to get to the bottom of it when I read it I couldn’t put it down and I bet it would be the same with my friends. I would definitely suggest it.
Name: Joe Aubry book: To kill a mocking bird Author: harper lee- I picked up this book just because it won the Pulitzer prise and though it was about time I read it. my favorite part of the story was probably when Jem and Scout were walking home from the play and they are attacked by Bob Yule I like is part because I like action in the books I read and this was the only action in the book. The theme in this book was the hatred of blacks by whites in the court when Tom Robinson was being tried the evidence supporting Tom was stronger but the jury still accused him of being guilty just because he was black. When I think about the story I see myself in Jem's place because I feel that I would support my dad what ever happens to me or him. This book may start of slow but after a day of reading any body would get sucked into the story.
Barrett Binder: The Book Thief. I read this book because it was supposed to be very good, and it was! My favorite thing about it is that the main character found good in the story where others might not have. On the same train of thought I liked how even though many terrible things happen, there is also good in the story. My favorite character is Rudy because he is not held down by the prejudices of Germany at that time against racial differences such as being black. This book also gave me a lot of insight about the holocaust. In short I think that it was a great and informative book that should be on the list for next year.
Amy Hoyt- Life As We Knew It
I chose to read this book as one of my summer reading assignments because of Ms. McNeeley’s recommendation. On a scale of one to ten I would give this book a twenty. It’s an amazing book and I would recommend it to anyone. Life as we knew it has a little of everything in it. There’s some romance when the main character begins crushing on one of her friends, action when all the volcanoes are exploding and the moon is effecting tides, causing tsunamis everywhere and suspense when you’re wondering whether or not they will survive the winter or if there is any hope of surviving at all. At first I wasn’t sure whether or not I would like it because it sort of sounded like a science-fictiony book, but I gave it a try and fell in love with it.
Amy Hoyt- And Then There None
I chose to read this book because I enjoy mysteries and Agatha Christie is known for all the mysteries she’s written. It was kind of hard to get into the book in the beginning because it kept on jumping back and forth giving all the background on the characters which I understand, but I don’t really like it when it does that. I’m glad I kept reading though because it is actually a very good book and a kind of book that you just can’t put down after you get into about the third chapter. The good thing about this book is that you think you’ve put all the clues together and you know who the killer is, but all of the sudden they die and you have to start all over again so it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Nicholas Byrne - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Ever since you came into Mrs. Jackson's class and told us about how you were completely absorbed by the storyline of this book. And I can say I was deeply interested in reading it. I am easily persuaded about reading books, and this can be both a good and bad thing. But this time it was a good thing. By the time I finished the first page I was already attached and I knew I was going to be in for a ride. The whole book felt so real to me. From the feet of snow to the flu I felt as if I were there. That is what made me want to keep turning the page. Well that, and the natural catastrophes. And it all started because of an asteroid slamming into the moon! Then came the floods, erupting volcanoes, and the excruciatingly freezing winter. I was definitely doubting their survival! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a wonderful story that makes you bite your nails through the last page!
Camden Adams-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams:
I had already seen the beginning of the movie, but the book was a little different. I have to say I like the book better. The book is about a man named Arthur Dent and his house is about to be demolished, to make a highway. His friend, Ford Perfect, was not from earth. He just got stranded there hitchhiking. Ford saved Arthur from being killed by the Vorgons, who had come to Earth to blow up it up for a hyperspatial express route. The book continues on with Arthur's and Ford's journey through the galaxy. I would recommend this book to any body that likes science fiction.
Lareina Bawayan
And Then There Were None also known as Ten Little Indians
By:Agatha Christie
This was the first book I read this summer and it was amazing! I would starting reading it in the afternoon then deep into the night, since it was a mystery I didn't feel comfortable reading it at night (yes i am still scared of the dark). But I couldn't PUT IT DOWN! It's all about 8 people who have nothing to do with each other are all invited to Indian Island by this one person, U.N. Owen and his wife. They all arrive at Indian Island to find Mr and Mrs.Rogers, they are the servants hired to care for the guests. A few hours after they all arrive a mysterious voice accuses each person of murder. They all start wondering "Who is this U.N. Owen?" and "What does he want with us?" but, all the sudden they die off one by one. The most strangest yet creative thing is they all die in according to a poem "the Ten Little Indians". Hence the other known title "Ten Little Indians"!
Faith Farber Fahrenheit 451-To me the theme of Fahrenheit 451 is that society takes many twist and turns that are not necessarily the best choices, but we as the people need to stand up for what we believe in no matter what the consequences will turn out to be. In Fahrenheit 451 Montag takes heart breaking actions in order to stand up for what he believes in. His consequences where losing people he cared about and having to run for his life during a man hunt. Though our consequences may not be as extreme, this book still shows us that standing up for what we believe in can lead to a happy ending, a sad ending, or a mixture of both.
Name: Guillermo Zapata, Title: The Book Thief, Author: Markus Zusak
“The Book Thief,” what an intriguing title don’t you think? Well I thought so, and it just kept getting more interesting when I realized it was narrated by Death. So as I do with most seemingly interesting books I picked it up and read it, and just as I suspected I liked it. This book was probably one of the best books on the list, especially since we had to read, “Diary of a Young Girl.” By reading these books in correlation you sort of got a look at both sides of the story for the Jews in hiding, with the people in hiding in Anne Frank, and the hiders in “The Book thief.” Of course though that wasn’t the entire basis of the book. It also gave you great insight into the life of Liesel the main character of the book, and the many hardships she faced by hiding a Jew in her basement and having a father who detested the Nazis during the time of WWII. What’s really good though about the book is how at the end you finally find out how death has known this whole story while only encountering Liesel three times, and how he saved the book and then finally returned it to her. This definitely should be on the reading list next year.
E Zapata The Book Thief- The first thing I have to say is that this book is a perfect match for Anne Frank: the Diary of a young girl. If you read the two of them together it gives the viewpoint of not only a Jew in hiding, but also of the family hiding the Jew. This really brings the fear of both groups into perspective. This book though is not solely on a hiding Jew; it is about the life of a young girl called Liesel who lives during WWII. Early on her mother decides that she cannot take care of her children and she puts them out for adoption. When the Hubermann family took Liesel in she discovers how to take care of herself and live in this uncaring world. I Love this book immensely due to the fact that death narrates it and that He actually talks with Liesel in the end about her book.
Aaron Holmes~ "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
I decided to read The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier last month because it seemed to have a funny title for a 12th grade level book, and I was intrigued by what I read. Despite the seemingly innocent title, the book was edgy and cynical, and written in a way that you didn't know which character was "good" or "bad". The story is centered around a boy named Jerry Renault, a freshman at a boys-only catholic school. Jerry's mother had died that summer and he was left with an unhealthy, hurtful relationship with his father. At first he goes along with his daily life, but he is shaken by a comment from a total stranger: "Don't miss your bus, square boy. You're already missing so much in life, might as well not miss your bus." He begins to try to lead his life in a new direction. The author tells his story mostly from his point of view, but alternating from viewpoint to viewpoint of other students in school. Jerry's rebellion begins when he stands up to the most intimidating teacher in school and refuses to sell chocolates for an annual fundraiser. For a time, he is worshipped by his peers, yet still unsatisfied with his life. At this point in the book, a secret society run by students called "The Vigils" surfaces. Unhappy that a freshman thinks he can stand up to a school they never could, the vigils begin to brainwash the population, getting "cool" kids to sell a lot of chocolates and making everyone mad at Jerry for not selling them. His popularity quickly disappears, and he becomes widely hated. The book's climax happens when the Vigils trick Renault into publicly fighting Emile Janza, a violent senior who has been bribed by the vigils. Tickets are sold in secret behind teachers backs, and at the fight at the football field hundreds of students line the bleachers screaming for blood. In the shocking conclusion, something happened that I would never have expected: the protagonist, Jerry, is completely beat up and sent to the hospital, and what he tells his last friend through bloody lips at the close of the book is, "They tell you to do their thing, but they don't mean it... don't disturb he universe, no matter what anybody says." This was probably the first book I've read that had such a conclusive yet unsatisfactory ending. The hero stood up for what he believed in, and lost. I was shocked, but this book had me thinking for weeks after I finished it.
Name- Joe Aubry
Title- The Queen of Sorcery
Author- David Eddings
This book is the second in the Belgrariad series about a farm boy named garrion, his Aunt Pol, his (Great Great Great Great etc.) grandfather Belgarth, and a few others and the adventures that they go on through the fictitious lands they live in. my favorite thing about all of these books is that they flow from a very calm part to apart that something happens that is so important that skipping it would make the book so confusing you'd have to start it all over again. Garrion is 14 years old in the story so most boys my age can relate to him. I throughly enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who liked Beowulf.
Terry McHugh- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To begin with, I planned to read this book because it is a "classic" and everyone told me to read it. However, in the second chapter, I found myself reading it for fun. I thought the book was very engaging, with a setting that people in Georgia could relate to, and a pleasant group of characters. The book is about a lawyer's family in Maycomb, Alabama. The children, Jem and Jean Louise(Scout) Finch live a playful, lazy life, doing whatever they feel, including trying to find the mysterious Boo Radley.
Then, their lives change when Atticus, the father, takes on a Negro's case. This novel keeps you reading. I would require this classic to be read over the summer by students taking this class.
Natalie Schmidt- Life As We Knew It
I was extremely excited to read Life As We Knew It because of all the hype surrounding it. I had very high expectations for this book, and it did not disappoint. After the first catastrophic event (widespread tsunamis), I knew that I would not be able to put this book down. I felt like I was Miranda as she struggled to survive through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, freezing winters, and starvation. A rush of relief came over me when Miranda and her family were given a supply of food. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying a book on a summer reading list! I recommend this book to anyone- even people who hate reading.
Anna Grossman
Life As We Knew It- Susan Beth Pfeffer
This book begins with a girl named Miranda, an average girl with an average life in a small town in Pennsylvania. She seems like an utterly bored teenager until some exciting news happens. A meteor is going to crash into the moon! At first this seems like a minor event with no consequences, but that couldn’t be more wrong. So the night that scientists predict the crash will happen, people gather on the front lawns and watch the moon. The meteor crashes into the moon, but something terrible happens, something catastrophic. The moon is hit so hard by the meteor that it is knocked out of its orbit and comes extremely close to Earth, causing worldwide disasters. First it’s tsunamis, causing many major cities and coastlines to disappear underwater. Then it’s earthquakes that destroy many other landmasses and important places. And lastly, volcanic eruptions occur, producing clouds of dust so it is impossible to grow any crops. Many families die during these events, and her family struggles to survive. I loved this book because it was so engrossing, the writing style just made it seem like you were there! I could practically feel all the emotions she felt! I would recommend this book to anyone.
Perrin Aycock-Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
As soon as I heard that everyone who had ever read Life As We Knew It had completely and totally loved it. I was eager to get my hand on a copy. In the start of the book Miranda’s life was so normal. When all the apocalyptic things started to happened they seem very plausible. Miranda was also a person that people could connect with. In lots of books that are written the character is special in some way or another but Miranda was just like anybody else. It was the situation she was in that made the book worth reading. The way that the author conveyed Miranda’s normalcy made the insane events that happen seem like the could happen any second. In the back of the book there was a chapter of another one of Pfeffer’s books that was written at the same time but in New York City instead. I am really looking forward to reading it.
R. Walker
Animal Farm
Animal farm is a book about animals that revolt against their master, take over the farm they live on and say everyone will be equal. I won’t ruin it for you, but it doesn’t end well. I found it quite interesting how it seemed to make fun of Stalinist Russia because of the propaganda and the reassurance that everything is always ok. It also shocked me that George Orwell created a world like the USSR and in the future. that’s how most communist countries tend to turn out these days. Unfortunately, the book was quite short and left you hanging in places. I wish that before he died George Orwell had written a sequel.
Animal Farm is considered a masterpiece that hooks the reader from the very beginning. It's pretty easy to read as well as enjoyable; not enjoyable in the sense that this is a "happy tale," but enjoyable in the sense that you really feel like you're reading something great. Orwell goes into great detail of his stories (same with 1984) and makes sure that everything is understandable. The line that I think means the most towards old and new age communism is the quote “All animals are equal, but, some animals are more equal than others.” This quote shows Orwell’s views on the way that Soviet communism had gone from good to bad.
Perrin Aycock-Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
I absolutely loved Cold Sassy Tree. My favorite character by far was Rucker Blakeslee. I liked the way he thought about the world. Blakeslee lived in a very close-minded town and did almost exactly opposite of what was expected of him. You might expect him to be an outcast but despite his wrong doing the town has very high regard for him. My favorite thing that Blakeslee did that surprised the town, was give a decent funeral to a man that had killed himself. The man he gave the funeral to was his daughter’s husband both he and the daughter had never been particularly nice to him. No one had ever even thought about giving a man who had killed himself (which is a huge sin) a proper funeral. Blakeslee made it happen though and because the town respected him they went along with it. To me Blakeslee was like an old school example of defying peer pressure and doing what he thought was right.
Name: Joe Aubry Book:Life as we knew it Author: Susan Pfeffer
The answer that you want to hear is I loved this book and I couldn't put it down. That would a total lie. This book starts with a meteor crashing into the moon and bring it closer to the earth, and you know when the moon is so much closer to the earth bad stuff happens. When I say bad stuff I mean tidal waves and earthquakes but thats just the beginning all of this is followed up by volcanic eruptions, even then when every thing seems to be getting better a strand of flu comes and kills of most of the town and Miranda's family hardly survives after that they run out of food, this book ends with the government bring food to the people who are still alive. I started this off with saying that if I said I liked this book I'd be ling this book was JUST TO DARN DEPRESSING, every time something good happens something worse happens and kills half the town. I would recommend this book to people who like post apocalyptic books.
Aaron Holmes~ Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Reading "Pride and Prejudice" was a lot like drinking a pitcher of sugar free lemonade— it was hard to get through, by the end I felt like if I read another page I would expire, and it wasn't as satisfying as finishing a book (or a pitcher of real lemonade) usually is. However, just because I didn't enjoy "Pride and Prejudice" doesn't mean it wasn't a good book. It simply wasn't my style of books. The reason "Pride and Prejudice" is so well-known and loved is because at the time it was published, it was extremely controversial to have a book written by a woman that satirized and ridiculed the then-modern society. In fact, the satire was so subtle and yet so cutting that it made the book bearable to me. I read this book because it was recommended by my mother, and although i disliked it overall, it was easy for me to see why she or anyone would enjoy it so much and why it had become such a classic.
Name: Quentin Smith
Book: To Kill A Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Awesomeness: Extreme!
This book takes place during the Great Depression. It follows a part of Jean Louise and Jem Finch’s lives in Maycomb County, Alabama. The book describes their school life, activities, and their affairs with their neighbor who never leaves his house, “Boo” Radley. Later on, their father Atticus, a lawyer, has to back up an African-American defendant who is being accused of a serious crime by Bob Ewell, a guy who is poor in both wealth and education.
The entire structure and flow of this book is just great. The dialogue is very realistic of the time, and everything about the characters is described well. The describing is in brevity, but it is not too short, and nobody likes a book that goes on paragraph after paragraph to portray a single event or person. The plotline is very interesting, and it contains several plot twists that you would never expect (I really like those). Of course, then there is how the book flows. The story flows smoothly and at a steady rate, for the most part. There are only a couple parts in the entire story where nothing but information is being chucked at you and nothing is actually happening.
Overall, this is a very good book to read. It portrays life during the Great Depression very well, and it is very entertaining to read. As well, I think it is the only book that has ever made me cry; the ending is very emotional.
Two words: great book.
Name: Quentin Smith
Book: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Awesomeness: Also Extreme!
I have never read a book anything like this. Even when I first got it, it stood out. The edition I got was the 50th anniversary edition, and on the cover there is a guy who appears to be made of newspapers going up in flames while crying.
Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a strange world where it is illegal to read books and they are burned with flamethrowers. The main character is one of the “firemen” who does this.
While reading this great book, if you look beyond the obvious things about stuff being burned, there is a whole philosophical battle going on in this world. The reasoning behind how this weird place got to be how it is pretty much makes you completely rethink the purpose of things’ existences and importances, as well as the human race itself's. All of these thought-provoking concepts, as well as the plot, are backed up with great metaphors that put things into perspective and make the writing more interesting.
Throughout F. 451, I encountered so many miniscule things that, in a combined effort, make the book unique in its realism. One thing that stood out to me is that after the main character Guy Montag commits a plot-twisting crime, he thinks all about it and the present consequences. With all this pressure and sadness on him, he breaks out crying (which makes sense; trust me, you would too if you were in his shoes). However, in most novels, if the character had done this, he’d likely walk away without a second thought. That is not realistic.
When the book ended, I was stunned. I was thinking, what, it can’t end here. No…! There was so much left to think about! Once I was cured for shock, I read the afterword and the interview with Ray Bradbury (that’s the first time in my life I’ve done that). They were very intriguing. Bradbury’s views and writing process are just so… unheard of, at least from me, until now.
The bottom line is: if you like to think, this book is for you. If you like action, there’s a great dose of it in here too so this book is for you as well, but if you’re not careful you might… (dun dun duh!) end up thinking.
And I’m fine with that.
Alicia Thomas-A Child Called “It” is an autobiography about a man named Dave Pelzer. In the beginning chapter “Good Times” everything in Dave’s life seems to be going great. Then things take a turn for the worst and his mother starts to abuse him. As the story goes on the abuse gets worse each day because his mother finds new ways to torture him. As she finds new ways of torture Dave learns to avoid them. I would recommend this book because it’s filled with drama, sadness, and mystery mixed together. If you love this kind of genre you will love this book. but if you have a weak stomach I would not recommend this book because this is a very graphic book. But overall this is a great book.
Alicia Thomas
Life As We Knew It
Susan Beth Preffer
I chose Life As We Knew It because Mrs. McNeeley recommended it. I usually don’t use teacher recommendation but this turned out to be a great book. This book starts off just like a child called it. The tone is happy then it gets bad. It starts with a girl named Miranda and she writes in her diary about her life. One day while she watching the news she hears that a meteor is going to hit the moon on a Wednesday. Finally the day comes and everyone in her neighborhood is outside waiting to see what happens. But little did the people know that the impact would be worse than they thought. Once the meteor hit the moon it didn’t just leave a crater. Instead it pushed the moon so close to the earth that everyone could see each and every detail on the moon. But the trouble didn’t end there in the middle of the night Miranda hears on her radio that many states are underwater. Also many natural disasters are occurring such as: tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, and more. I recommend this book because it keeps you on edge. Also, it’s very hard to put this book down once you’ve started. But overall this is a good book.
Ethan Crane~
The Awakening
Kate Chopin
The Awakening is a short, yet descriptive tale of Edna Pontellier, a New Orleans housewive who dares to think in a different mindset in the late ninteenth century. Chopin was able to intrique me with her unique writing style, using many french words and sayings, relevant to the setting, and rich descriptive power to draw her readers in. Edna spends much of her day at Grand Isle with her girl friends, especially Adèle Ratignolle, and Robert Lebrun, the son of the resort owner. Edna's husband, Léonce, seems distant from her, and when he returns late at night from a night out, this feeling is only accentuated. Spending more and more of her time with Robert, she realizes that she has fallen in love, however, when Robert announces that he is moving to Mexico, for business prospects, she is crushed.
Back in the city, Edna lives comforatably in her mansion on Esplanade Street. She visits her friends often throughout the day, and when visiting Madamoiselle Reisz one day, she discovers that Robert has been writing to Madamoiselle, but not herself- which Robert had promised to do. Edna has also re-discovered her love for art, and has started drawing regularly. Her husband notices her new mindset and is worried, talking to a doctor about it; he confronts her and she blatantly answers that she is her own person, and shall do what she pleases.
When Léonce goes to New York on business, and her sons Étienne and Raoul go to Iberville, Edna further defies commonplace society of the time by moving out of her husbands house. She discovers one day that Robert Lebrun has returned from Mexico, finding no greater business ventures than those available to him in New Orleans. She once again falls in love with Robert, and has a short affair, yet Robert feels it is best for them to not see each other, and says he must leave because he loves her. Edna takes this to reflect upon her life, feeling greatly troubled over her seemlessly loveless marriage, and her children.
She returns to Grand Isle early in March, when repairs are still being made for the summer visitors. She is to have dinner with Victor, Robert Lebrun's younger brother, and Mariequita, a firl from the Chênière Caminada. Edna wishes to take a swim in the Gulf before dinner. She swims out in to the water, and thinks about her life; her childhood in Kentucky, her father, the former Confederate colonel, and sinks into the water.
Ethan Crane~
The Awakening
Kate Chopin
(Continued)
This book was very interesting to me, and I would recommend it to anyone. However, it may not be for everyone, as it is very wordy, and the extensive footnotes may not work for all. The ending of the book certainly seems a like a cliff-hanger, however I feel like this novel requires you to reflect on its contents after finishing to discover the true meaning.
A shocking statement on a woman's individuality and bold spirit, Chopin deeply intrigued me with her work, and left me highly impressed.
Name: Zehadi Nirman
Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
This is the first book in the Hitchhiker’s series. I chose to read it after reading the brief summary about it, which really caught my attention. When I read the first paragraph of the book, which starts off by mentioning a blue-green planet orbiting a yellow sun, I knew that I was going to enjoy this book. (Mostly because of how the book started off).
The story of this book starts off at Arthur Dent’s (the main character) house, which is about to be knocked down and replaced by a bypass on the same day that Earth was about to be demolished to make way for a galactic freeway. Later on, Arthur’s alien friend, Ford Prefect, who was not from Earth, but from another planet, saves him. Throughout the story, the two encounter alien starships, aliens, and alien planets and travel throughout the galaxy. What was fun while reading was how amusing the author made the galaxy look.
Overall, I would say that this was a wonderful book that I really enjoyed reading and found difficult to put down. The book receives a 10/10 rating from me and I would recommend it to anyone, especially if they like science fiction.
*Keywords and certain events in this book reminded me of Star Wars
Anna Grossman
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
I thought this book was captivating. Zusak uses fabulous descriptive words that I would have never thought to combine. He wouldn't just say that the sun was peering over the clouds, he would say that a rumor of sun shown from behind the clouds. Little words here and there that just made the writing so different than anything else that I have read. I loved it! The use of death as the narrator was a great idea. He wasn't as grim and gruesome as I expected. He had a tinge of caring to him, which one would not think would be a characteristic of death. The book was rather long, but it was not so bad, because I was looking to reading every day. All in all, the book was unique, in a very good sense. It has to be my favorite book I have ever read, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Ethan Crane~
L'etranger (The Stranger, or The Outsider)
Albert Camus
I chose to read this book because of two main reasons, a) my dad recommended, and had said he thoroughly enjoyed it when he read it and b) the summary on the rear cover really drew my attention, as it was short and sweet, yet captivating.
Revolving around Mersault, a man living in French Algeria in the 1940s, the book starts with a two word sentence that draw you and make you feel sympathy for the main character: "Maman died today." Since the original text was written in french, and not english, the translator's note gave a description on how he (the translator) tried to convey Camus' use of language, which was one that pleased the reader in the late 40s. The sentences are, as mentioned above, short and sweet, throughout the whole book, however they posess a descriptive power that lets everything in to your mind.
The book is written in parts, the first part being about the live of Mersault, the second being about his trial, and life in prison after he murdered an Arab. Camus' was able to make the reader feel as if they were in the body of Mersault, with rich meaning. I thouroughly enjoyed L'etranger and would recommend it for next year's reading list.
Aron Williams
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Call of the Wild is about a dog named Buck who is from Santa Clara Valley. He is enjoying his peaceful life in the south until the gold rush starts. The men who go to the North in search of gold needed sled dogs. But Buck didn’t know that his breed of dog was exactly what those men were looking for. He ends up going up to the North to become a sled dog. While he’s in the North, he learns a lot of valuable laws.
One of those laws was the law of the club and fang. He respected this law a lot because he already experienced them himself. A man with a club was someone to obey. And in the North, it was kill or be killed, and eat or be eaten. The only way to avoid being killed or eaten was to know how to fight, tooth and claw. Buck learned this very well. After making several trips in the North delivering mail and being sold to different people, Buck eventually wound up in the hands of John Thorton. He saved Buck from his previous owner, Charles, who would’ve killed Buck by beating him to death.
After staying with Thorton for a while, Buck started to hear a call in the woods; thus, the call of the wild. He started going to the woods more often to see what the call was and found that it was a wolf. Buck soon started going out to the woods more and more everyday. But one day, Buck returned to find his master dead, and full of Indian arrows. Buck set out in revenge of the Indians and managed to harm the chief pretty badly. Now that Buck has no owner, he starts going back to the woods where he eventually finds his wolf friend who takes him to the pack where he fights, and is soon accepted into the pack after a heated battle.
Daja Perry-The House of the Spirits: I thought it would be scary based on the title. Turns out it really wasn’t but it seemed to have weird characters, like Clara del Valle-Trueba. She could predict the future and had signs to tell her of a certain event. When she married her sister’s, who died, fiancée it seemed odd because in a way he was her brother-in-law but it might not count because of the death. When Clara marries Esteban Trueba, he gets a huge house built and stops doing the things he did as a single man. Clara has 4 kids and each has his/her differences about them. Interesting parts to me were when Esteban wanted to kill the peasant whom his daughter was in love with. I mean I don’t see why it was such a big deal since they were in love. I would recommend this book to any student because it was just that good!
Jasmine Scott- The first book I read was Hellen Keller The Story of My Life. I chose this book to read because in sixth-grade I watched bits and pieces of the movie, and thought I would read the book to finish it. The book interested me ,because I knew she had her illnesses and still had the ability to write an entire book! The parts that I enjoyed most were when she first started learning to read and write, how she didn't want to cooperate then ended up liking it. The ways she describes her life makes me feel as though I was actually there. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys biographies.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Aron Williams
When I first saw this book I thought, “Who would want to read about a mockingbird being killed?” But then I heard a lot of adults saying that this book was like a classic and was one of their favorites; so I decided to read it. The first part of the book was about Jem, Scout, and Dill mocking the Radley’s. They made up this game about the Radley’s and they based it off of the rumors that they heard around town. Some parts were kind of interesting, but I think that it was a little boring.
The other part of the book was about Atticus (Jem and Scout’s dad). Atticus is a lawyer, and his job in the book was to defend a black man accused of rape from a white woman. I thought that this part was interesting because I’ve always liked court scenes. Since rape was a capital offense in Alabama, the sentence the judge would give would be severe. I knew Atticus had no chance of winning because it was a black man’s word against a white person’s.
After much debating, yelling, and crying, the jury decided that the black man was guilty, and that he was going to be executed. This was one part that I found interesting. But I didn’t really like most of the book. I guess that’s because it doesn’t match the type of genre I like to read. I also was probably expecting much more from all the “extraordinary” comments on this book.
White Fang by Jack London
Aron Williams
White Fang is about a little gray wolf-dog who is basically the best fighter in the Northern territory. Through his life, the author explains all of White Fang’s emotions and how he analyzed them. I also liked this book because not only was it easy to understand, but there’s tons of action going on. I love action packed books, so I was hooked on it almost immediately. And I also like books with animals as the main character and this fits in that category perfectly.
What most impressed me about White Fang was the way White Fang could fight. When Beauty Smith was his owner, he was put into a pen and he fought dogs, wolves, and even a lynx! After those times, he was known as the ‘fighting wolf’. Another thing that fascinated me was how when he fought, he could never get thrown off his feet. He was also very good at flipping enemies off their feet and killing them by biting their throat.
And Then There Were None
J Hubbard
And Then There Were None starts out when ten mysterious people read a letter, some in their cars, and some in a train. They are all invited to visit a very popular place named Indian Island by Mr. U.N. Owens. This island had been in the news, mostly because a celebrity had built an enormous modern house there. As soon as they arrive, they realize there host is gone, and they are immediately charged with murders! Each and every one of the guests! Suddenly, a young man staying there gingerly laughs, drinks a glass of whiskey, as if it was a joke, and suddenly, he dropped to the ground! These murders continue; can the guests reveal their dark past? Or will there be none?
Barrett Binder, the other book that I read was Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. This book was part of the Enders game series and was about a planet with 2 more sentient species. This planet is about to be blown up. To save this planet Ender and his friends have to figure out how to make faster than light travel. What I liked about this book is that even though Ender is trying to save the world, he isn't the perfect hero. He still has his own troubles and makes as many wrong turns as a normal person would. I also liked that Ender is not completely at ease with himself, and is always trying to balance himself between his wife and his computor (another sentient being). I would highly recomend this book to others because of its high readability.
Natalie Schmidt
A Break With Charity
To be honest, I chose this book because I find gory thing like hangings and being pressed to death fascinating. I was disappointed to find that there were not as many scenes where the accused were being executed as I expected. That said, I found this book very informative on the Salem Witch Trials. I never knew that all of the witch madness started when an exclusive, revenge seeking group of girls accused innocent people of tormenting them. It fascinates me that so many people were imprisoned and killed because of a few immature girls. Overall, I would say that A Break With Charity by Ann Rinaldi was an interesting book, although I never found myself truly engaged.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
C. Dunn-Grandpre
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a good book if you like books that are imaginative. It is about a girl named Alice who sees a white rabbit in a waistcoat and follows it down a hole into a place called Wonderland. There she meets all sorts of strange creatures like a blue caterpillar, the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat. Then she meets the evil Red Queen who likes to chop off peoples’ heads. At the Red Queen’s castle she paints roses red, plays a game of croquet and goes to court for the Knave of Hearts who stole the queen’s tarts. The ending is not what you think it might be.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte C. Dunn-Grandpre
Jane Eyre is a book about a girl named Jane Eyre.
She is orphaned at a young age and raised by her mean aunt. At the age of ten she is sent to a horrible school where she meets Helen Burns who becomes her friend. Unfortunately Helen dies during a typhus outbreak. Jane spends eight years at the school ,the last two as a teacher. She then she becomes the governess to Adele, the ward of Mr. Rochester. She eventually falls in love with him despite the twenty year age difference. She is about to marry him when she finds out he is married to an insane person. She then runs away and she meets people who she later finds out are her cousins. Then her cousin St. John proposes to her despite the fact he does not really love her. She runs away again and goes to find out what happened to Mr. Rochester. She is surprised by what happened to him. I didn’t like the ending because of how sad part of it is.
G. Pynn
Fahrenheit 451
I have just finished reading Fahrenheit 451. It is a very confusing book. One reason is because it is far in the future and some of the technological advancements are not thoroughly explained. Such as the "Family" and the "Guard Dog". Another reason why it is confusing is because it is a very fast paced and psychological plot.
All of the characters are use to a regular life cycle and are afraid to have it changed. Guy Montag starts having psychological breakdowns when he questions his job as a fireman. He starts to read books he is supposed to burn. His life is crashing and he starts being chased by the police!
Adam Baker fallen angels- I honestly read this book because it said the language was severe. But i am also very interested in the Vietnam war. I loved the book because it showed the horrors of war. It showed friendship through the hardest times and I just couldn't put it down. at some parts I was close to tears because so and so had died or because so and so's life at home was no good and he had no choice but war. the good thing about this book was that it wasn't to slow in the beginning, meaning the action started fairly quickly. I myself cant find any faults in it, so all in all it was a great book. keep it on the list!
Hiroshima
Keith Gluodenis
I thought the book Hiroshima described what was happening to the main characters in the book during the bombings of August 6, 1945 exceptionally well. I liked how the author put together separate stories from six different people and made it flow so well. At first I thought it would be difficult to remember which character was which. As I read the book, I figured out that I had memorized the characters without realizing it. Each setting was described admirably. The book wasn’t overly dramatic or lacking, which made it perfect to read. It’s definitely a great book for nonfiction readers.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Keith Gluodenis
I can’t say Eats, Shoots & Leaves was ‘that humorous approach to describing English grammar’ that I was expecting. It didn’t seem comparable to the comment “you don’t have to be a grammar expert to enjoy this one…who knew grammar could be this much fun” by Newsweek. I think the problem is that the author got sidetracked on confusing side stories too much. I do have to give those side stories credit because they all related to the point in some way or another. However the book was very educational and I learned a lot of useful things from it.
R. Walker
Life as we know it
Susan Pfeffer
I know everyone has written a review on this book, but I loved it. This book was AMAZING! The author really made you believe that this event was really happening. I even looked out the window at times to make sure that the moon was far away. The book was highly addictive and I read it in one day. The characters in this book are believable which is quite rare for books. Some of the parts however were unbelievable in a way, because, who in the middle of all this (even for the food) would send their child away to an unknown place for a while. I most certainly would not. This book captured your attention and made it last. This book stands in a category all its own.
Adam Baker life as we knew it- yep! I read it too! Life as we knew it was a great book. I read it because Ms. Hinger and Ms. McNeeley recommended it to me. It was so interesting I just couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days!
What was great about it to me was how realistic it all was. All the things that happened could happen. It was never boring, just one event after another. There would be one disaster and then another, slowly getting worse. And then it was almost impossible to keep from freezing to death.
But the book was definitely sad. I felt so sorry for her almost every time I turned the page. She was always losing a friend or being blamed for something. Not to mention having the world collapse around her. A truly great book! Thanks for the recommendation!
Jenny Javetz
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 is the degree that will burn paper. Guy Montag is a fireman, only he doesn’t put out fires, he sets them. He starts fires to burn books because they aren’t allowed. In his society, the written word is banned. The government thinks that reading leads to having ideas, being an independent thinker and questioning rules and regulations. Their goal for their citizens is to be happy and care free. Even though this book was written in the 50s, I’m amazed how much our present world is like Bradbury described. For example Montag’s wife spends all day watching reality shows on TV. Montag is a man that knows no other way of life until he meets Clarisse, a teenage girl. She shares about a time when fireman put out fires and didn’t start them. She was a breath of fresh air; she had ideas and was excited about the world. One day she disappeared and it changed Montag’s life forever. It made him curious about reading books, so he began to collect some in his own home. Well this was not allowed and his own wife turned him in. I thought that was brave of him to collect books even though he knew it was wrong, he risked everything to read them. He was an outlaw now and he could never return to his normal life.
Grayson Pynn
The Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, is a very interesting book. It talks a lot infinity and the question of the universe. it is also a funny and random book.
It is random and funny because sometimes random things happen like whales falling from the sky, and wars started by wormholes and starfleets are eaten by small dogs.
Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy is a book about a book. It is an encyclopedia (or "guide")about all of the galaxy.
The story is about a man named Arthur who is taken from his home planet earth to avoid it's destruction. He then travels around the galaxy with another guy named Ford Prefect who is manufacturing a new Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy. They both end up with the president of the galaxy: Zaphod Beeblebrox.They escape from aliens, explore legendary planets and fight off the police. This book is amazing and I would reccomend it to anyone who likes science fiction.
B. Kipreos
Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy
Looking Backward is a book about a man named Julian West, who is put into a hypnotic sleep on the night his house burns down. One hundred and thirty-two years later, he wakes to find a perfect world where none of the sorrows from the 19th century exist anymore. The utopian world Bellamy created was absolutely amazing; every person in the world gets the same education, has the same opportunities as everyone else, and is able to choose a job based on what he wants to do, not what puts the most bread on the table. Stores are nonexistent, so everyone gets the same prices for the food they want. There is no more murder, no sexists, no theft, and no more war. The characters were fine, nothing breathtaking there, but I’m still surprised that enough imagination exists inside one man to create the solution to all of our problems. I would love to live in Bellamy’s utopia.
B Kipreos
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
After watching 2012, I immediately interested in “end-of-the-world” movies, books, and theories; so naturally, Life As We Knew It’s summary caught my eye. It definitely lived up to my expectations. The characters were great (my favorite was Matt, he’s sweet), I really felt like they were real, everyday people, especially Miranda. I first thought I’d get bored of reading someone’s diary (even fictional), but I wasn’t. Instead, I found myself glued to it, so much, I read it in a day and a half. I think it takes a really good author to make every day of a character’s life for eleven months exiting. This book definitely made it to my top five; I enjoyed every page of it.
Yung Kipreos - Slaughterhouse-Five
Interesting title, right? That's why I choose this book. When I choose it, I had no idea that it would become one of my favorite books I've read all year. It's one of my favorites because it's the most unpredictable, I mean, at one point, the main character, Billy, even got abducted by aliens and was held in a zoo on their planet, Tralfamadore. I even got to learn a bit about world war two, considering that world war two was where the book took place. But at times it's hard to follow because Billy uncontrollably enters different parts of his life at random times. So maybe if you're reading about Billy walking through the forest, the next paragraph he could be on a distant alien planet. But for the most part, this book is definitely worth reading.
Yung Kipreos - Life As We Knew It
I choose this book because eight graders last year liked it and it sounded interesting. I liked reading this book a lot because it felt like it was really happening to me even after I put it down. I found me having to remind myself that no; the world is not coming to an end. And without realizing it, I had read for hours, while it felt like only 30 minutes. My favorite part was when they found the cat. It wasn't a big deal, but I was glad they found him again. I'd recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it yet, because I'm sure they'd enjoy it as much as I did.
Name: Guillermo Zapata, Title: And then there were none, Author: Agatha Christie
This book, as far as I can tell, is a little old fashioned, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t any good. In fact it is probably one of the better books I have read. It has a lot of character development right at the beginning where it explains why they are coming to the island through them reading the letters. The author sets it up almost like a movie rather than a modern book where it shoots strait into the action, and spreads the character development around. Another thing this book has that isn’t quite like modern books is a real feeling of suspense and mystery. The way she leaves little clues at the end of almost every chapter keeps you guessing who the killer is so at first you think it’s the doctor, and then Vera, or the old woman. Finally when it starts nearing the end it starts to take an almost super natural quality the way the clock just happens to fall out the window, and how when Vera gets to the room the noose is already set, very spooky indeed. The way all the killings are set to the poem Ten Little Indians is pretty creepy too and seems to be like the work of someone who should have been in a strait jacket long ago. The thing is though usually you don’t feel sorry for the people when they die because by then the book has revealed that they are in fact guilty of the murder they were accused of from the beginning. What makes the book so good though is the way that most likely if you didn’t read what it says at the end about the judge you would never know who was the killer because the killer in fact killed himself. Overall a great but a little slow of a read I definitely suggest it for those willing to take a challenge.
Name: Guillermo Zapata, Title: Fahrenheit 451, Author: Ray Bradbury
As soon as my mom saw this book she said, “I love Ray Bradbury! Can I read it after you?” Because of that I immediately expected it to be good. This books message seems to be that books really are kind of like the reflection of humanity when we have really artistic times, like the renaissance for instance, we have an abundance of books when times get bad, like with the world wars, books get to be of lower quality or quantity. Overall what he’s saying is that by destroying books we begin to destroy ourselves and that is what is happening in this futuristic world. In the name of a skewed version of happiness the government in this future destroys books and overall intelligence. This in turn makes a very ignorant race of people know only what is put in front of them. To keep this so called happiness everyone is kept the same by burning books and destroying other ways to get knowledge. Those who don’t comply and begin to act independent in this world are considered a threat to humanity and thus are killed. Ultimately by not facing the outside world the civilization in the book is very unstable, and war ultimately tears it apart. Ray Bradbury makes a reference in the book to the phoenix several times in the book saying that human kind is much like it, constantly burning itself to ashes and then being reborn; and that he hopes that someday it will make the decision not to destroy itself and keep going. This is how the story ends with the main character and some others keeping the knowledge of man kind locked up in their heads and not telling anyone until mankind is ready. I think this book is definitely something to be taken to heart and is must read for all my friends.
Name: Zehadi Nirman
Book: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Life as we knew it is the first book in the Moon Crash Trilogy (unofficial name). All that I can say about this book is: there is no one word that could possibly describe how great it was (as far as I know). This book was incredible! It was unlike anything that I’ve ever read! The reason that I chose to read this book was after reading the brief summary about it, which gave a pretty good overall description of the book. When I finally got the book and started reading a couple of pages, I was completely absorbed into the story.
This book is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Miranda Evans and her family whose previous life as they knew it (a normal life with TV, computers, school, etc.) no longer exists (and most likely never will) and changes dramatically because of an event that happened in outer space. It was announced by astronomers that an asteroid will hit the moon. It was supposed to be the biggest asteroid ever to hit the moon and the impact of it could be viewable on a clear night. On the night that the asteroid hit the moon, the moon was knocked closer in orbit to the Earth, and it changed the world forever. The event caused worldwide tsunamis and earthquakes later followed by volcanic eruptions. Miranda and her family’s lives are now full of restrictions (limitations on food, water, fuel, etc.). They must learn how to survive in a gloomy, gray, dead world where things only get worse as time goes on.
It would be an understatement to say that I enjoyed reading this book. This book is a LOT more remarkable than that. What was so amazing about it was that even though this is a fictional book, the events and characters seemed so real and believable. I find that extremely rare in a lot of books. Stories aren’t really very affective if it is accepted by the mind to have never happened or could happen. This story however was told in a way that it would make you accept that it could happen (or if you’re extremely absorbed into the story, it would make you accept that it did happen). The scientific reasoning and explanations for the effects of certain events in this book made the story very believable.
This was an extremely sad book. (Understatement. It was a lot sadder than how it was stated). This was probably the first book (other than Star Wars) that has made me cry and left me depressed for days. There were so many deaths in this book that a reader such as myself just couldn’t take it. People committed suicide, people were killed, and people were separated. The believability of the story with all of the extreme events enhanced the effectiveness of the sadness of the story.
Overall, I would say that this book has infinite awesomeness and I found it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to put down. The book receives a 30/10 (bonus points for being so awesome) rating from me and I would recommend it anyone, especially if they like sad stories and are emotional.
*Nothing said above was an exaggeration.
Nick Dawe My first book was life as we knew it. Life as we knew it is a book about a 16-17 year old girl who is trapped in her house due to an asteroid that hit the moon. I personally think that the book is a little slow at parts but overall is very good. I like the way the author shows the gradual change from the main character’s life being unchanged to ice storms, people dying, and shortages of food as well as the change from unrest to acceptance. I also like the way the author took the main character’s previous needs and wants and showed that they even exist in times like hers. I would recommend this book to others.
Nick Dawe- my second book was animal far by george Orwell. Animal farm is a book about a farm owned and operated by farm animals. In the beginning the animals are inspired to take over the farm from a tyrant but in the end they fall under control of an even worse one. I like this book because it shows how a majority of people can be tricked into a worse scenario by a promise of freedom and that even if you think you’ve reached freedom it’s easy for one group to take their place as tyrant. This book at first confused me , I thought it would be odd, but when I got to the end I saw that this book deserved to be a classic because of how it shows the gradual change of democracy to dictatorship.
Name: Joe Aubry Book: Magician’s gambit Author: David Eddings
This is the third book in the Belgrariad series until about the middle of the book it is narrated through princess cinedra’s eyes after she stays in ulgo with the gorim the book in told in the third person. Belgrath the Sorcerer is trying to kill Chuchic the magician and along the way they make some new friends like Relg a man who can walk through stone and tantoloreian an amazingly skilled archer. They also meet tebetan in mergos a man who is trying to kill the king of mergos and is willing to help them on their quest to kill Chuchic. This book is the best in the series so far and is a must red for all who like fantasy.
Talle Parrish
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
The reason why I picked this book was because, it seemed like everyone has read it in elementary school except for me. Now that might seem like I don't like book but it was really because it never seemed that interesting. And in my opinion, I was right! My mom had to continuously tell me to read it and trust me, I didn’t want to. I may have finished it quickly, but that was so I could get it over with.
The writing structure to me was bland, and quite frankly, it reminded me of Twilight (not a good thing). As there are no vampires in Esperanza Rising, there also isn’t much description; and with the little that there is, it’s not very well written. In every situation I could imagine it in my own way, and that can get annoying.
But, enough of my dislikes of this book; on to the DESCRIPTION!
In the beginning of Esperanza Rising, Esperanza’s life is perfect as if nothing could go wrong. Then, the terrible death of her father comes as a shock to her and her family. Everything starts spinning out of control and the only way to stay in Mexico is for her mother to marry the very “evil” uncle. At first, Esperanza’s mother refuses, but as tension arises and a plan begins to form, she accepts. But the day after, Esperanza, her mother, Miguel, Alfonso, and Hortensia all run away to California to stay with the family of Miguel and his parents.
Esperanza meets all of these nice people but also these annoying protesters that mock her. As they continue to live on a large farm, Esperanza’s mother becomes sick with Valley Fever and keeps getting worse, Esperanza learns how to work to help her family and deal with not having everything, and all of the protesters get taken away.
Of course, in the end, Esperanza’s mother turns out okay; Esperanza learns the true meaning of life, love, and family; and Miguel brings Abuelita to California, even though he had to use all of Esperanza’s money to get her there.
The very end was something I had a problem with. It was too short. It didn’t seem long enough to really be an end. And right now, I can’t even remember the ending now. Since it was so short I guess the author was maybe trying to set it up for a sequel, but that would ruin it even more. What more could really happen - More deaths, drama, and relationships? I guess so, but it would be what happens in a lot of sequels.
I would recommend this book to people who don’t like the same books as me.
Jenny Javetz
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
When a meteor strikes the moon knocking it closer to earth, it sets off a horrific chain of natural disasters (tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc.). This story is about Miranda a teenage girl and her family’s ultimate survival and hope for their future. I liked how she used a journal to record her thoughts because it seemed more personal. I could feel her fear and despair in every word she recorded. She still wrote about the occasional glimmers of hope, like when she got letters from her dad. They let her know that he was still alive. Her journal also captures her growing bravery. For example, when she skied in all the way to the hospital to get help for her mom’s hurt ankle. Overall, this was a gripping reminder that life is precious and our own future is still unknown. I couldn’t put this book down and I would recommend it to readers everywhere.
Cassidy Campbell- Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. When you first brought this book into our classroom and said 'This science-fiction novel...' I totally zoned out. I thought 'Ew. Science fiction? Really?' Until I read this book I thought all sci-fi was awful. Ridiculous stories that I didn't want to read because I knew that they would make me fearful of what could happen in the future. HOWEVER, this is (by far) one of the best books that I have ever read. The riveting tales of every day life for Miranda really captured my attention and totally brought images of what the book was describing to my head. Not to mention, the hardships that seemed so real and absolutely believable to any teenager really made me think about how lucky I was and what I would do in Miranda’s situation. I also really enjoyed the writing. Susan Pfeffer can describe anything and make me want to eat, play, laugh, enjoy or even despise whatever it is that she is describing. Even though I had nightmares for, I don't know, about a week after I finished it. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Not only sci-fi readers, but to any book lover or anyone I thought could really use a good read. Thanks for introducing me to one of my new favorite all time books! Maybe I can repay you someday. :)
My name is Louise Kinman Platter and I decided to read Life As We Knew It by
Susan Beth Pfeffer. I chose this book because so many teachers and students whom
I hold in high esteem have recommended it, so naturally I was very excited to begin.
As soon as the action started up I knew I was hooked. This book is about an average
teenager--boring even-- called Miranda. Soon after Miranda and her family are
introduced an announcement is made that a meteor is going to crash into the moon. The
story then develops into a harsh game of survival when the meteor hits the moon in
exactly the wrong way and causes much chaos on Earth.
The book was addictive, and there is nothing better than a book that causes you to stay
up late, not because you can’t sleep, but because you can’t put it down. With its diary
style that puts you right into the head of the protagonist I found myself sympathizing with
Miranda and feeling real anger towards her mother, or concern for her brother. I thought
everything was very realistic and the characters were believable and interesting. There
was a delicate balance of good things happening (so it wasn’t a sob story) and the natural
struggles of a family, used to living in relative luxury, thrown into a world where nothing
is handed to you, and everything has to be earned.
This is a book that I would recommend to anyone who has ever felt bored by summer
reading.
Cassidy Campbell- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
To start off my little “review” I would like to say that I went out and (with my own money) bought a ridiculously expensive version of this book. Why? Because it had all the footnotes & endnotes and (me being the nerd I am) thought that it was a fantastic idea to have all these little helpful hints to get me through the book. I was right. Anyways, on to what I thought of the book! I started out this book as a firm believer in the literary strengths of Ms. Jane Austen. However, as I read this book and got further and further immersed into the world of Mr. Darcy and Ms. Elizabeth Bennett, I realized that she was not only a strong writer, but also one of the best this world has seen. Even though this novel was written years and years before I was even THOUGHT of, I still find it ridiculously interesting. I loved Elizabeth and her quick wit and amazingly different views on the world and on society. They were advanced (to say the least) for her time period. I also, immensely enjoyed Austen’s writing! How she would describe a lot of things that many authors would simply skip over. It made me really notice the smaller things in my life. I know that this book is a classic, and I am very glad it is, but I think that it should have a little more recognition in the future. Not just in middle school/ high school English classes, but world-wide.
Larry Childs- The book that I read was Fahrenheit 451 By: Ray Bradbury. This book was about firemen who burned books instead of putting out fires. One of the fire fighters, Montag, was real happy about his job; until they were called on duty to burn some books. He tried to help an old lady but she did not want leave her books so she was burned in the fire with them. This made him feel guilty but he had a secret he took one of the books. Then he hid it under his pillow. Then captain Beatty came to visit Montag and came close to finding his secret. He then seeks guidance on why books existed, and he went to see Faber was told that the world did not need books because what they teach us can also be taught through the television and radio. Then all turns worse when Beatty come to burn his house down, but Montag pulls a fast one and burns the fire fighters and runs. Then they send a mechanical hound after him on a TV special but he uses Faber’s clothes to mask his sent and lose the cops, but in order to end the special with a bang they kill an innocent person. Montag runs to the river and goes down stream and finds other fugitives who are in hiding that have all read books and say they are the surviving books, because they have read the books and there are no more copies left in the world. I would recommend this book to people because it is a good book and it teaches us that we need books in order to really feel “alive”.
Katie Elliott-Gower
I read “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini. This book is very unique, and enjoyable. It’s about a kid named Craig, who dedicates a year of his life for studying for a test. This test will allow him to get into a really good school. When he gets into the school, he becomes depressed. He begins throwing up his food, and not being able to sleep well. He takes medication for it, and begins to feel better. Thinking he’s cured, he stops taking medication. One night, he has severe suicidal thoughts, and ends up in a psychiatric hospital. The book is about all the people he meets, and the relationships he forms. As well as his path to happiness.
Although the subject is rather heavy, the book is very light. It had me laughing several times. It was a nice summer read. I would recommend this book to anyone really. I think it’s a book all ages, and interests could enjoy.
Name: Brittney Butler, Title: “Life As We Knew It”, Author: Susan Pfeffer
I usually don’t read books that are about the world ending, but I really absolutely loved this book. Before I actually started reading the book I read the summary on the back of it. Overall it sounded like it would be an okay story, but not too interesting. I had the wrong first impression. It was a very interesting book with a well crafted plot. I enjoyed how the plot changed quickly and kept me reading and wanting more. It started with a pretty normal family living in a normal town. They had problems that normal people do, friendship problems, romance, financial problems, and school work. They led ordinary lives, but in one day everything changed. It all started when a meteor crashed into the moon which made it come much closer to the earth. Nobody thought it was anything to worry about, but there were almost immediate effects. There were natural disasters happening everywhere. The world was coming to an end and people were trying to figure out ways to survive. Many people were dying every second from natural disasters to the flu and starving to death. Everybody was either moving or dying. There were very few who survived. I really didn’t want the book to end; by the end of the book I was so interested on what would happen next. The ending did not really meet my expectations though, because it seems like it could have been more dramatic. Even though the ending of the book could have been better, overall I really enjoyed this book. I would suggest this book to anybody.
Name: Brittney Butler, Title: “The Book Thief”, Author: Markus Zusak
I have always been intrigued by books about the Holocaust, and I thought this book was absolutely amazing! After reading the first couple of pages I was confused about who the narrator was, but soon I figured out that the narrator was supposed to be Death. I thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea. I loved how the story was set up so Death was taking you through the whole story and telling you what was actually happening, like it was a behind the scene tour of what was actually happening. I read this book as I was reading “Anne Frank” and it was like I was getting both sides of life during the Holocaust. I got to read about what it was like to be a Jew in hiding in “Anne Frank” and I got to read about what it was like for Lisel and her family to hide a Jew in their basement in “The Book Thief.” Reading about all of the hardships in both of these stories made me realize how hard it actually was to survive during the Holocaust. I also liked how this book was not only about the Holocaust and what was happening, but also about Rudy and Lisel’s friendship and how they affected each other. They made each other’s lives better while their families were going through the trouble of war and hunger. I loved how Lisel had a strong connection between her and the books she read and stole. Words helped her get through the hard times of her life and help her fill that empty spot she had inside of her. I really did not want the book to end because I really enjoyed it, but I love how the book ended with Death having a conversation with Lisel about him finding “The Book Thief.” This book was very impressive and I would recommend it to anyone.
Katie Elliott-Gower
Animal Farm is about a farm run by Farmer Jones. The animals create a rebellion against the farmer, and end up running him and his workers off the farm. Then they continue to run the farm by themselves. The animals are promised, by the pigs (who are leading the rebellion), that the situation will get better. They will get more food, and not have to work as many hours. By the end of the book this farm has the worst treated animals in the country. All of the farm’s laws and morals are changed by the pigs. Animal Farm took me a while to sink into. The book is written in a way that’s very easy to understand, which was helpful. Animals overthrowing their farmer, and running a farm on their own was a rather difficult concept for me to grasp though. It was a really odd book. But, after sinking into it, I began to understand it. It was a short read, but I enjoyed it. It was a bit confusing at the beginning though. One thing I noticed is that it’s very symbolic of politics in real life. It represented a lot of what happens to real governments, which I liked about it. I would most definitely recommend this book to others. It’s a classic, and it’s a fairly easy read.
Katie Elliott-Gower
I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I picked this book because I had watched the movie, and I had really enjoyed it. I’ve heard really good things about it as well. I actually read it last year, but I didn’t remember anything about it, so I figured a reread was definitely necessary. This story line is really unsettling. It’s one of those books where you just want to reach in and help all of the characters. One thing that’s very important to me is justice, and this book is an example of how unfair life can be. I think that everyone needs to read this book. It’s very thought provoking, and it’s great writing. It’s also a classic, so I think everyone could benefit from reading this book.
Fahrenheit 451
Gemma English
Fahrenheit 451 pulls you into a world different from your own… A world where books are banned and people don’t appreciate the beauty in life anymore. The main character of the book, Guy Montage, is a fireman, a respectable kind of job, where he goes around burning books, and anyone who won’t leave them. He meets a young girl that lives next to him that’s different from anyone he has ever met. She walks slowly, asks why instead of how, plays, her family talks to each other, and stays out late on their porch. She sparks Montage’s curiosity about life, and about what has always been forbidden, books. It sets off in him a kind of craze, which his wife, who would much rather chatter away to the voices on the screen, is never able understand. At the start of the book, Guy takes pleasure in his job, sees the beauty in watching the paper burn, he believes what people say. But as his mind is opened, both by a young girl and the books he has kept hidden in his house, he goes through conflict over what is right and wrong. Reading through the book and how it explains how society has come to where it is-- the cars that speeds down the highway never stopping to see the scenery, the constant buzz of voices in people’s ears, never listening to what the people around them are saying, and rooms filled with television screens- you can see remnants of society today and it makes you wonder where society is headed. In this bleak world no one reads, and those who do are punished, their homes destroyed and they are pulled away to jail. A girl who is curious about life is most likely going to be killed and a fireman who thinks his job is wrong is hunted down. Is this the future that awaits us?
To Kill A Mockingbird
Gemma English
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the summer of a small Southern town in the mind of an innocent, six-year-old named Scout Finch. The story follows Scout, her older brother Jem, and her father Atticus. The children are entranced by the town recluse, Boo Radley, while Atticus is charged to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus is forced to put up with the ridicule of the town as he tries his best to defend Tom Robinson, when most think that he should let him fall.
The story follows racial injustice in the South during the 1930’s and the killing of a mockingbird, which is a symbol for the loss of innocence. As Atticus says to his daughter, “shoot all the bluejays that you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” They later explain in the book, “Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The mockingbird represents a number of things throughout the book, it represents Scout, as she grows up and is forced into the world where she must be a lady and act like things are okay even if they’re not. It represents a black man who is innocent, but charged guilty. And it represents a town recluse who has never done anything wrong, and should not be pulled into the spot light no matter what he's done.
Tomislav Zabcic-Matic, The Book Thief
I loved this book. It tells the story of a young girl, Leisel Meminger, who was sent to live with foster parents in a small German town called Molching. On her way to her foster parents, her brother died, and when one of the gravediggers dropped a book called the Gravedigger's Handbook into the snow and didn't notice, she took it and got her first book In Molching she makes new friends and develops a passion for reading. Eventually, when the mayor’s wife tells Leisel that they are canceling her foster mother’s washing and ironing services, Leisel starts stealing books from the mayor’s private library, becoming the book thief. Later on, a Jew seeking shelter and protection from the Nazis comes to Leisel’s new home and stays in the basement, giving Leisel the task of keeping a dangerous secret as well as hiding her hatred of Hitler and the Nazi party.
The book is narrated by Death, who frequently gives hints that a character will die. Subtle and very well incorporated into the story, these “hints” would go nearly unnoticed by me at first, but then I reached the point of a character’s death, I would think to myself: “oh yeah, the narrator did say that this character was going to die.”
When I finished this book and started the Diary of Anne Frank, I thought: “wow, these two books are very similar.” The Book Thief portrays the story of a young girl whose foster family is hiding a Jew, and the Diary of Anne Frank tells the true story of a Jewish girl who along with her family went into hiding. In one way, the two main characters in both books play very similar roles as in both cases, they are in precarious situations and their secret could be discovered if a few words were let out, but also, their roles are in a way polar opposites.
It truly amazes me how much Leisel had to go through, and how she overcame all of those challenges in some way or another, and how in a time of great hardship for her and her family and friends, she could still be very kind and generous to those around her who were suffering much greater hardships that she.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those interested in historical fiction because this is a wonderfully written novel that was written with emotion and feeling. This is a truly great book.
Tomislav Zabcic-Matic, The Book Thief
I loved this book. It tells the story of a young girl, Leisel Meminger, who was sent to live with foster parents in a small German town called Molching. On her way to her foster parents, her brother died, and when one of the gravediggers dropped a book called the Gravedigger's Handbook into the snow and didn't notice, she took it and got her first book In Molching she makes new friends and develops a passion for reading. Eventually, when the mayor’s wife tells Leisel that they are canceling her foster mother’s washing and ironing services, Leisel starts stealing books from the mayor’s private library, becoming the book thief. Later on, a Jew seeking shelter and protection from the Nazis comes to Leisel’s new home and stays in the basement, giving Leisel the task of keeping a dangerous secret as well as hiding her hatred of Hitler and the Nazi party.
The book is narrated by Death, who frequently gives hints that a character will die. Subtle and very well incorporated into the story, these “hints” would go nearly unnoticed by me at first, but then I reached the point of a character’s death, I would think to myself: “oh yeah, the narrator did say that this character was going to die.”
When I finished this book and started the Diary of Anne Frank, I thought: “wow, these two books are very similar.” The Book Thief portrays the story of a young girl whose foster family is hiding a Jew, and the Diary of Anne Frank tells the true story of a Jewish girl who along with her family went into hiding. In one way, the two main characters in both books play very similar roles as in both cases, they are in precarious situations and their secret could be discovered if a few words were let out, but also, their roles are in a way polar opposites.
Tomislav Zabcic-Matic, The Book Thief part two
It truly amazes me how much Leisel had to go through, and how she overcame all of those challenges in some way or another, and how in a time of great hardship for her and her family and friends, she could still be very kind and generous to those around her who were suffering much greater hardships that she.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to all readers, especially those interested in historical fiction because this is a wonderfully written novel that was written with emotion and feeling. This is a truly great book.
Animal Farm
J Hubbard
The first part of this book starts out with an old boar named Old Major giving a speech to his comrades (other animals on the farm) about a dream he had, were animals rule England, and men are simply parasites. Later in his speech he teaches the animals a song called “Beast of England.” Three days later old major dies and two other pigs take over (Snowball and Napoleon) and immediately revolt against the farm owner, Mr. Jones. After their immediate victory, they control the farm on there own and right seven commandments to rule the animals. The farm runs smoothly until Mr. Jones tries to retake the farm in a battle which is now known as "Battle of the Cowshed." Later on the Pigs become greedy and hog food for themselves, and the two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, fight for leadership, and later Napoleon chases Snowball away with his dogs, and declares himself leader of the farm. Napoleon becomes cruel and misuses his powers towards the other animals. Soon after that the pigs rewrite the rules of the farm, "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess” and making snowball an outlaw, killing any animal who talks to him. Mr. Fredrick, a neighboring farmer, attacks the farm, the animals win the battle, but suffer a great loss, including a valuable workhorse injured, and there windmill destroyed. Many years past and the pigs become a spitting image of what they set out to destroy, wearing clothes, carrying whips, and eating off of plates. They have a dinner party were Napoleon announces an alliance between humans and animals. When I first read Animal Farm, I interpreted this book simply to be a fictitious short book, or “fairly tale” if you will. I talked to my dad about it and he opened my mind into a whole new horizon of the book, the rise of the Soviet Union, and it made perfect sense! The animals create Animalism immediately after the revolution which is a spitting image of the Soviet Union in the beginning. When in animal farm, the original 7 commandments are altered, such as “all animals are equal” changes to “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Tomislav Zabcic-Matic, Fahrenheit 451
This is a book about a man, Guy Montag, who is a “fireman”. The job of these so-called firemen is not to stop fires, but to create them and burn books and the book-owners’ houses. In their world and time books and reading were forbidden. Montag had never questioned his job in his previous ten years of service, but when he started reading, he became aware of how much the world needed reading. He began reading every day, trying to keep his violation of the law a secret, but when friends of his wife told the fire station chief about his awkward behavior, he was branded a criminal and had to go into hiding. He joined a secret group of people that remembered books word for word, so that they could re-print them after the book-burning madness was over.
This is a classic example of censorship by a corrupt government, trying to destroy all intelligence in an effort to stop all thinking and erase all knowledge, for knowledge can lead to questioning of power, and that can lead to rebellion, something that the government didn’t want. It amazes me how much Fahrenheit 451 can be linked together with the world of today, and how powerful a message it sends, a message that says that people have to stand up for what is right, no matter what, and if they fall down, they need to stand up again.
This book is full of metaphorical meaning and is very well written. It also gives a frightening glimpse into a possible future where people harboring curiosity, and lovers of reading are hunted and killed.
At first, I chose to read this book because my parents and other adults recommended it to me, and because Ray Bradbury is a classic author with many great books. However, as I got into the book, it became very interesting and intriguing, with many plot twists and philosophical metaphors. I strongly recommend this book for next year’s reading list.
Hanleigh James, The Awakening By: Kate Chopin-When you read the summary of The Awakening your first thought of Edna, the mom, is 'How could she just leave your husband and children that way? She is awful.’ As you actually read the book you then think that maybe she isn't so bad, or that it isn't her fault. Edna's husband was very uneasy, and later he had to go to a business trip to New York. Also Edna had a friend named Robert, who secretly loved her. Later, Edna left her mansion to a smaller house, and Robert left to Mexico like he always wanted. As Robert was gone Edna discovered feelings for Robert. When Robert came back they both expressed their love for each other. They were paramours, but Robert ended the relationship because he loved her. This is a really good book! I recommend this to everyone!
The Stranger
Skylar Davis
I chose this book because the description interested me. It said it was about a man who commits a pointless murder. However, I didn't find the actual BOOK all that interesting. Even the part when he actually commited the murder didn't captivate me. The whole book seemed to drone on and on with no "WOW!" moments in them or surprises. When he commited the murder, it didn't come across as surprising. I could pretty much guess what was going to happen next, which I detest. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, unless you like average, boring books. The last part in the book was probably the only part in the entire story that held my attention. It was sort of like a surprise ending. I definitely wasn't expecting that sort of ending from such an amazingly average book.
K. DOWNS-SIX RULES OF MAYBE
The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti was a fantastic, fictional book. Scarlet is 17, four years older than me. Scarlet’s sister, Juliet, is 20. Juliet is a singer at a mediocre hotel in Portland, Oregon, but she comes home pregnant and married to a man named Hayden, 23. She quit singing, because no one wanted her performing to middle-aged men in her condition, especially Hayden.
But there are other problems.
Juliet’s old boyfriend, Buddy Wilkes, is still interested in her. Juliet tells Hayden that Buddy makes her feel safe, so she tries to stay connected. Hayden understands that Juliet is sensitive, but he doesn’t like that his pregnant wife is going after her old boyfriend.
Scarlet’s best friend, Nicole, likes a boy named Jesse, but he likes Scarlet. Nicole gets angry at Scarlet and does not talk to her for a while. But in the end, they become friends.
While all this is happening, Juliet leaves Hayden without telling anyone where she is going. Hayden waits around, and after a week, he goes home. After he’s gone, Juliet comes back to her mother’s house and her mother makes her go back to Portland, where Hayden is staying. Juliet’s mother says, “That baby needs a father, Juliet”. Both girls grew up without their father. The father left when Scarlet was a toddler.
In October, Juliet had a baby girl in Portland, Oregon with Hayden by her side. I think the six rules of maybe refers to the anything that might happen and you should never give up on what your working towards.
I chose this book because I liked the summary, and I thought it would be interesting. In reality, the book spoke to me, because I am also a teenager with worry issues. When I read a book about other young people suffering, I can relate. Somehow when I read about fictional characters with ups and downs, I find comfort in it. I really like the fact that everything turned out okay.
I recommend this book because the characters were so intriguing. They were all so different from each other, but I felt sympathetic towards them. I had a wonderful time reading this book.
K. DOWNS-SWEET DATES IN BASRA
In fictional Sweet Dates in Basra by Jessica Jiji, Kathmiya is sent from her home in the Marshes of Iraq to a bustling city to work as a housemaid. When she meets a Jewish boy named Shafiq, her life changes.
Kathmiya is 13, a good age to start finding a husband. Her sister, Fatimah, is already married. She met a lot of men, but none if them were decent enough. Kathmiya and her mother, Jamila, went to several matchmakers, but they could not find anyone that suited their standards.
So, about 5 years later, Kathmiya secretly married Shafiq, and the next morning, when she found blood on the sheets, she knew she was pregnant. In a panic, she left Shafiq and married a man that her parents had found. When she bloodied the sheets, again she lied and told her new husband that it was his baby.
When the baby boy, Ali, was born, Kathmiya wrote Shafiq and they decided to meet once more before Shafiq was scheduled to go to America for college. They met, with Jamila close by. Shafiq met Ali. As Jamila stepped between them, Shafiq whispered to Kathmiya and said, “You will always be in my heart. Always.”
I chose this book because my mom got it for me and it sounded really interesting. I liked it because not only did I learn about a different culture, but because it told about the culture of Iraq in an interesting way.
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
Nicholas Byrne
A year ago I picked up this book and just couldn't get into it. So when I saw it on the reading list I was a little bit cynical. When I got a hold of the book I skipped to a page in the middle, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was amazed with the scenes of battle as Perry fought the Vietnamese. Because of this I started the book over and I absolutely loved it. I thought that Perry was an excellent main character because he was very realistic and someone that you could relate to. When he joins the army in 1967 at age eighteen he sees many things that a man should never experience. He becomes great friends with many soldiers only to see them die gruesomely right next to him. He finds out that war is not how Hollywood portrays it. Perry learns what it feels like to kill a man and ponders whether or not he is doing the right thing. Myers wrote the book as very harsh and as close to real life as I can imagine. Everything Perry did I could imagine myself doing exactly the same thing because the attention to detail was so great. This book made me really appreciate soldiers and what they do for their country every day.
Susanna Conine-Nakano To Kill a Mockingbird
"To Kill a Mockingbird" is a book which is hard to uncover any problems or cons within the novel. It is a heart-warming story that depicts prejudice and injustice in the South during the Great Depression. Lee describes with passionate detail how one man's attempt to stand up and do what is right influences the opinions of those around him . It is also a story about growing up and losing childhood innocence including misjudging the people that are part of your everyday life. Harper Lee has written an amazing book that is witty, good humored and is full of compassion. I enjoyed how Lee wrote the book so an older Scout is narrating and reflecting back onto her childhood memory and the series of the trials that she witnessed. I thought this was a great way of Narrating because of the feelings the Narrator can express by reflecting on a memory. When I started the book I did not understand the title of the novel. Then, in chapter 10, I realized where the title came from. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
A few chapters later, Scout says to Atticus, "Well, it'd be sort of like shootin' a mockingbird, wouldn't it?" To me both the death of Tom and the protection of Boo depicts the struggle of killing of a mockingbird. Both are kind to those around them and misunderstood for their actions. The book has definitely lived up to being a classic. It is amazing that "To Kill a Mockingbird" is the only book Harper Lee ever wrote.
Susanna Conine-Nakano A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water is about three generation of Native American women starting with Aunt Ida,the grandmother who refuses to be called Grandmother along with Christine, the mother and lastly the daughter Rayona. The book is mixed with each women's point of view. Each one tells their perspective about the other. I found how the writer wrote in each women's point of view allowed the reader to engage in the story more deeply At times, you had go back and put together the story which made me absorb the situation more than I would typically do. The author realistically illustrated the love-hate relationship between the three generation which they always had to fall back on. This book expresses the generation gap that occurs in today's society while still making it an enjoyable read. One generation thinks that the other could never understand what they're going through while the older generation has had a long hard life but sometimes decides to keep their stories secret not allowing the younger generation the wisdom they learned. At first I was not sure how the writer would incorporate all of women's point of view but in the end I really enjoyed reading about each persons point of view.
The only parts in the book which were disturbing was the endings. It leaves the reader with some loose ends which the reader can not resolve. It also seems to happen at the end of each of the sections, especially with Rayona's. The book overall was extremely engaging and I highly recommend it.
Susanna Conine-Nakano The Joy Luck Club
From the beloved novel, "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan tells an intriguing story of two generations of families who have migrated to the United states from China. Ms. Tan did an excellent job of intertwining all of the characters stories together to captivate the reader. Each character's story was extraordinary enough to keep every reader engaged along with allowing them to discover unique insights into their own experiences that drew them into the narrative.
The method in which the author incorporates the various details is absolutely amazing. At points in this book you feel so connected and lost in the book that is it is like you are actually in the book yourself. The Joy Luck Club is a rare and mesmerising novel which describes the love and misunderstanding that lies between two generations engorging in the same culture though at different times.
Larry Childs- I read the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. In this book, Victor heads off to study chemistry and philosophy. When Victor finishes his studies, he uses old body parts to build a living creature. He then sees how grotesque the living creature is and returns to Geneva to correct what he thinks went wrong. But before he can leave, he gets a letter from his father saying that his brother, William, was murdered. In fear that the monster he created killed his brother; he went to the woods to investigate. He saw his creation there, but he was too late. The suspected Frankenstein daughter, Justine, was convicted and executed even though she was innocent. He then confronts his creation which confesses to killing his brother because of his master’s wrong doings. The creation begs for him to create him a mate, but he refuses. He heads to England to try and build his creation a mate, but she dies in the process. He then dumps her remaining body in the lake. His creation was upset with Victor because of his failure. The creation threatens to kill him. He then sets off to kill the monster before it kills him. He then follows him to the ice, but the ice in front of him breaks. He meets Walton; a captain on an Arctic bound ship. Walton tries to save his life, but unfortunately he fails. Walton goes to see where his dear friend’s body lies. Walton sees the creature weeping over Victor’s body. The monster tells Walton of his solitude and then the monster heads north towards the ice to die.
Ruqayah Bhuiyan The Book Thief by Markus Zusak- this is the second book I read and my friend Nafisa, which was your student last year, recommended it to me. I really loved this book and I was emotional about what happened in the book. It was about a girl and how the war and her mother lead her to foster parents that she learns to love very deeply. When she first came she meat a boy by the name of Rudy, that later becomes her best friend and stealing buddy. There is Jew that they are hiding and has to leave after a year or so when Liesel’s father helps a Jew on the street and thinks he will get in trouble so Max, the Jew in hiding has to go. Before Liesel came to her foster parents she could not read and her foster father teaches her. And when the mayor’s wife found out that Liesel reads she gives her books to read. At the end all of her friends and foster parents die in an air raid, and the sirens did not go off and that is why everyone died but Liesel did not because she was in the basement. And then she goes to the mayor’s wife and lives with her. Later on she meets up with Max and goes to Sidney and lives there.
Emma Purcell-Life As We Knew It
Ms.McNeely came into Ms.Jackson's class absolutely gushing about this book, telling all of us we needed to read it. As soon as I opened the book, I could see why she insisted on it. The book is about what happens when a meteor crashes into the moon, and the moon gets knocked out of orbit and far too close to earth. After this happened, everything started to change. I'm not a book person, but Life As We Knew It captivated me, and got me thinking,"what would I do if this happened to me?". It was one of those books that had me dreaming about it, and making me get philosophical. If I had to give the one to five star rating, I'd say this book was a five, and everyone should read it. No matter what age, or what genera they're into. I found this book has something for everyone. Mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and love. I give my highest recommendations to this book.
Hanleigh James, Fallen Angels By: Walter Dean Myers-Fallen Angels is a very powerful book. It talks about the people who fight in the Vietnam War. It also talks about the relationships between the people in the army. The book also describes the emotions throughout the book like when some you know was killed, you feel hurt or upset. Also you feel emotion when you have other dreams or wishes, but you have to fight in the war. That situation would make feel sad or left out of the world you wish to be apart of.Then the way you feel when you are actually in the fight, you are nervous and afraid. This book is great! I recommend it to everyone.
Hanna Harper- Life As We Knew It
When I first went to the bookstore early this summer to choose the books I'd be reading, I fell upon none other than 'Life As We Knew It' by Susan Pfeffer. It was at the top of everyone's suggestion list and it certainly had quite a fuss made over it. After I picked it up and turned the first page, I would undoubtedly get frantic over what was behind the next page corner. Miranda, the narrator of this nerve-racking story, tells us about a seemingly innocent meteor that strikes into the moon, sending it precariously closer to the Earth. After this the rest is nothing short of catastrophic. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, and there always seemed to be at least one natural disaster occurring, whether it was earthquakes or family problems. I was biting my nails and finding myself attached to each and every word. Closing the book with a relieving ending that I refuse to spoil, I will most definitely say that I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
Life As We Knew It
By Susan B. Pfeffer
Talle Parrish
Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer starts with news of an asteroid about to hit the moon. The main character, Miranda, is only worried about her homework but when the asteroid does crash into the moon, knocking the moon out of orbit, and closer to Earth, she quickly learns that staying alive is her main priority. When floods, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes start to break out across the world and the number of meals she can eat is declining, Miranda can only hope that things will return to life as she knew it. And, as those problems arised, Miranda wrote the happenings in her diary. It is an incredibly captivating book and reminded me that the world can change in an instant and the fact that I know that I wouldn’t be able to survive. That is why I think it had control over my life for a while.
I can’t wait to read the other two books in the Moon Crash Trilogy!!
By the way, the other two books are The Dead and The Gone, and This World We Live In.
Emma Purcell- Cold Sassy Tree
Cold Sassy Tree is a book about a teenaged boy's life in a small Georgia town in the early 1900's. The main character is Will Tweedy, and most of the story is about his grandfather's marriage to a younger woman, just a few weeks after his grandmother's death. The woman, Miss Love, is a hatmaker in his grandfather's store. Most of the town is upset at Grandpa Blakeslee marring a younger woman so soon after his wife's death, but will is happy about it, because he thinks his grandfather needs somebody to take care of him. After the wedding, his grandfather and his new wife go to New York, and come back, and seem like they are in love. Will's grandfather sees the first car to come through Cold Sassy, and gets the idea to start selling cars there. In the end, Cold Sassy changes it's name to Harmony Grove, and then to Commerce. Cold Sassy was an old name for the town now called Commerce, because there was a huge sassafras tree in that spot on the stagecoach line from Clarksville to Washington, and that tree was said to be the least hot spot along the way. The tree stood in what is now downtown Commerce, along the railroad, across the street from where a park is now.
Hanna Harper- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
After The Giver's long reign at the top of my favorite book list, it has finally found its competitor. I opened the title cover of The Book Thief having not a clue of what awaited me on the pages to come, but I kept myself open-minded. I must admit that I found the beginning quite sluggish, but that most definitely didn't last. Liesel, the main character, had a rather grim background, with her mother abandoning her and watching her younger brother die on the floor of a train with none other than Death itself to narrate it all. She is soon dropped off at the home of Hans and Rosa Hubermann, a couple that you would have never expected to be matched. Liesel couldn't have dreamed of a better father than Hans, a lighthearted master at the accordion. Rosa, on the other hand, is a very strict and demanding woman, but Liesel learns to love her anyway. Everything is going well, until a man named Max shows up at the Hubermann's door. Being a Jew during WWII, they offer him a hiding place in their basement. Max finds himself connecting to Liesel, and he tells her stories about his also shady past. After he came into their lives, everything seemed to be getting worse and worse. But if any further words were said, the ending would be ruined for the future readers. It is my absolute favorite book, and I would be insane not to suggest it to everyone.
Milan Pavlic- Tale of Two cities Charles Dickens
First of all, this was a work of fiction. When I started reading the book I quickly disliked it. The book seemed to drift off to different people with no relation, tell you a quick story about them and on to the next set of characters. This went on for two books (there are no chapters in Tale of Two cities only 3 books) until I reached the third book in which I could not put the book down. It was amazing to see dickens relate every single character in his novel too each other: for example Ms. Defarge, the wife of a wine shop keeper in Paris, France and Mr. carton an alcoholic attorney. He relates them by Ms Defarge was a poor peasant girl and when she grew up she had a hate for a certain noble family (Marquis) When the French revolution comes around she wants to kill the last surviving member who’s name is Charles Darnay,
Who had renounced that name and fled to England before the revolution. He comes back to save one of his noble friends and is jailed. He is set free the first time thanks to his father-in-law who was a Bastille prisoner. He is jailed a second time where his father-in-law cannot save him and is to have is head cut off, so Mr. Carton trades places with him in his love for his wife, Ms. Manette and gets his head chopped off instead. My dad recommended this novel to me and I enjoyed it, although I would not recommended it to this year’s list because it can get dull in the middle of it.
Milan Pavlic Call of the Wild by Jack London. I chose to read this novel because my mother recommended it to me. This novel is fiction. At first I didn’t want to read this novel at all because I am a person more into history, sports, and classics. But as soon as I started reading it I couldn’t put the book down and I finished that day. This was a great book about a St. Bernard/Shepard name Buck is stolen by his master’s gardener and sold to buyers looking for mush dogs in the gold rush to Alaska. One thing that startled me is the ferocity of these animals, in which they would fight to the death with all the other dogs surrounding them; slashing and biting each other until one animal fell in which all the other dogs would come in and mangle the body until it’s unrecognizable.
My name is Louise Platter and I chose to read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The fact that the book is a loosely-autobiographical novel gives Sylvia Plath the opportunity to really write from her heart about things she knows about.
The book begins with a young woman named Esther landing a dream opportunity to work for a fashion magazine in New York. The story starts off with Esther explaining to her audience that she knows that something must be wrong with her. Disturbing thoughts chase each other through her head relentlessly. At first this is her only complaint, but as her duties and mishaps add up she begins to feel much, much worse. When Esther goes home to stay with her mother for the summer something triggers her. She can’t sleep, she can’t eat, and she even loses her ability to write. Her already fragile state of mind completely collapses and her daily life turns into the grisliest of nightmares.
Her clueless, but kind-hearted, mother notices that something is wrong, and finds a doctor whom she believes can help. Esther’s experiences with the doctor are less than agreeable. He prescribes shock treatments to help her. The first experience she has with the shock treatments is horrifying. She begs her mother to let her just go home and let her heal at her own pace. Her mother agrees in hopes of keeping her daughter happy.
Esther attempts suicide several times but always finds herself blocked by her body’s natural defenses. Finally she decides to try to give herself an overdose of sleeping pills. Her plan, however, is foiled by the discovery of her inert but still living body. Esther is immediately rushed to an asylum. Much of the novel takes place in institutions such as these. She describes her existence as living in a ‘bell jar’ breathing in her own sour air.
After Esther spends a short time in the asylum, a novelist who is intrigued with Esther’s case pays to have her moved to a luxurious asylum, more like a country club than anything else. Esther is no better, yet she still continues to be upgraded through the latter of the asylum. She is baffled by this, seeing as she feels no improvement. An old acquaintance of hers, Joan, comes to live in the asylum. Esther, who has never really liked Joan, is annoyed, yet oddly comforted by the presence of Joan in her life.
The pattern of Esther’s days continues, until she is sent for to receive shock treatments. Esther is terrified by the idea of another horrifying procedure but she is assured that it will be nothing like her previous experiences. These words prove to be true. Esther describes it as ‘like falling asleep’. When she awakes she feels as if the ‘bell jar’ is lifted and she can breathe again. This is the beginning of a more hopeful chapter in the story, that is, until Joan is found dead—suicide. Although Esther never truly liked Joan she is saddened by her passing. She had always felt that she had always shared a bond with her that was broken as Joan suffered the ultimate loss.
This is the turning point in the novel. Esther begins to see her life stretching ahead of her, all the different roads she could take. The book ends on a hopeful note, as Esther is about to leave in asylum and start her life anew. The readers are left with the feeling that Esther is onto bigger and better things.
I personally found this to be one of my favorite books, but I would not recommend it to just anyone. This novel is a grim shadow of Sylvia Plath’s life and should not be read by the fainthearted. To me the book was interesting, emotional, and simple beautiful in some places. I am very glad to have read this book.
Skylar Davis
Life as we Knew It
So I've noticed a lot of people have read this book and commented on it already, but after Ms. McNeeley told our class what an amazing book it was, I decided I just HAD to read it. It really was an intense book. It was about a teenage girl named Miranda whose life was pretty average until talk of an asteroid hitting the moon began. When it actually happened, though, people were shocked at how much damage was done. The asteroid had pushed the moon extremely close to the earth. After all this happened, her life was turned upside down. Every day was a constant battle for survival. There were tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes which produced volcanic ash that blocked the sun. These natural disasters limited food and water supply. She also lost many of the ones whom she had been so close to. I LOVED this book! I can honestly say I could read it over and over again.
Post a Comment