TKAM: Found Poem

Atticus

We are indeed
licked before 
we begin.
The bravest person I ever knew
said, all men are created equal.

Real courage is, when
you rarely win,
when you know
you're licked before you begin.
When, you see
not all men are created equal.

Real courage is, not
a man with a gun in his hand, but
when, you know you're licked before you begin.

Explanation: My poem is told from the point of view of Atticus. It is explaining what Atticus thinks of courage. Most lines are from the ending of part one. When Atticus is explaining to Jem about real courage. The others are taken from the end of the trial. I believe that these two parts are the most important in the book and they also explain Atticus's belief well.

Comments: Maria, Autumn, Gianna

TKAM: Character Relationships

Characters: Dill and Francis

Dill and Francis are foils of one another. In other words, they are the complete opposite. Dill can be mean at sometimes, but only because he's with Jem and trying to act tough. If he isn't with Jem, he really is a sweet kid that cares for Scout. Francis on the other hand is just mean. He teases Scout knowing that she will get upset. Another difference between them is their level of maturity. Francis is saying what he heard Aunt Alexandra say, not even what he thinks. He probably does't understand half of the things he says. Dill likes to think for himself. He even tries to get people to see the same as him. Making him sort of debating, which, makes him seem older.

Even tough Dill and Francis are foils of one another they are also alter egos. They act differently, but their physical features are same. For instances, they are both boys. This adds to how they like to play. Dill and Francis like to tease Scout, but Dill does it for fun, while Francis is serious about it. They also are around the same age. They both are around seven year old, so this also plays into the category of how they like to play.

The relationship between Dill and Scout is sometimes hard to distinguish. Sometimes, Dill can get Scout extremely upset, making Scout hate him, but sometimes Dill can be Scout best friend. I would call their relationship to be like one of a brother and sister. They fight sometimes, but always make up and get along afterwards. Scout learns a bunch from Dill as the years pass. She learned that it's not always necessary to follow the group when you know they are heading down a dangerous road. She also learned how to be independent and handle her own situations. Francis relationship with Scout differs from the one with Dill. Francis is like Scout's bully. He is always picking on her and annoying her. She learns from Francis that sometimes you have to blow off some steam when someone is provoking you.

TKAM: Photo Analyze

Title: A street in Brookside, Alabama, the small mining town where many of the Gardendale Homesteaders formerly lived

Observations:

I noticed several things when I first laid eyes on this photo. The first thing I noticed was the uneven dirt road and the little moats between the road and houses. There is some kind of church that seems to be on stilts, in fact all the visible houses seem to be on stilts. There is a bridge connecting the road and grass. I noticed that the telephone poles aren't straight, perhaps a storm made them unstable.

Reflection:

I think the image was made to show the living conditions of the mine workers. I think that the miners have gone to work for the day and the town has been abandon for the day. You can learn that the people who lived in this county had to be prepared for things like flood. The houses are on stilts which means they are aware of floods and are prepared for them. If someone took the same picture today, I think that there would be more people in the town. Maybe some kids running around the roads playing tag. I think the chapel would still be there, but maybe it would be slightly improved.

Questions:

What is the importance of the photo?

What is on the road?

Why are there no people?

What time of day was the photo taken?

What exactly was the photographer trying to 

capture in this photo?

Where are the fallen leaves from the trees?

Could it have been taken in Maycomb county?

The first time I saw this picture I thought of Maycomb county. There are some baptists that are religious. In the picture there is a church which reminds me of the baptists. The town in the photograph has dirt roads, just like Maycomb. Plus, the town reminds me of a old, tired town. This is exactly like Maycomb for Scout describes the setting as, "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop;" Having the streets turn into red slop when it rains suggest that the roads are made of dirt.

The Voices of Rape: Week of 11/17/14

Pages Read: Finished
Prompt: What made you read this book and What makes it unique?

Even though the topic is not very pleasing, I still love this book. It shows the reader how different people think of the topic. There were many storied that I really liked so it's hard to pick a favorite. I think the story I found the most interesting was one that was not told by a survivor or offender, but the conversation between high-schoolers. They had to fill out this survey and when they were done ask questions. After a few questions, the students got into a debate. It was interesting to see what each student thought. Not only to see their opinions, but also to see what people around the same age group as me thought. I was jumping into the debate in my head adding some points to defend what I think. I think I got a little into the whole debate thing, oops.

Not gonna lie, my lack of focus made me read this book. I was just sitting in excel trying to get work done, but kept getting off task. I got bored and started to look at other people's book. I picked up Athziry's book, this book, and the cover looked cool. I asked how she liked and all that kind of stuff, until I decided I would read it. It sounded like an interesting book to read, and it was. I guess sometimes off task is a good thing.

This book is unique in many ways. For one, it tells stories from different people who were connected with rape. There are stories from the victims, the offender, and police. The stories are all different, but share the same relation, which I found interesting. It also tells the reader the process of things when a rape victim reports it. These stories are from a judge, police, and two lawyers. I enjoy knowing multiple thoughts on the topic, it really always me to see the whole thing better.

Update!

I've been having fun while doing this project. I'm helping the world by researching the thing that I'm most "passionate" about, dogs. My project is going great. I have gathered information about the topic and have started to write about in the blog that I have created. I only have one post so far introducing the purpose of the website, but have researched enough to add a one or two next week. I need to email different places where they let people adopt abused animals. I found many places to email and plan on emailing them soon. I emailed one place called the Animal Welfare League, but they have not emailed back. I brainstormed ideas for to advertise my blog, but I don't want to start advertising until I get a response from one of the companies I have found.

Forget Me: Week of 11/11/14

Pages Read: Finished

I started to read this book when I was in the car with nothing to do. In fact, this is my sister's book that I didn't even knew exist until my phone died. I started to read this book with hope that I would like it, fortunately, it is one of the best books I would read. It has murder and mystery, one of the best kinds of books, in my opinion. I would suggest everyone to read this book. It is one of those books that when you pick it up, you won't want to put it back down.

The main character of this book is Morgan, a 16 year-old girl. Since the book is written in first person, Morgan telling the story, the word choice is one of the best things about this book. The author, Harrington, had to write this book using the words of a teenager. One example of this is, "It was a great smile-half cocky, half adorable-but it wasn't Flynn's." This is the first time Morgan saw Evan, a guy that looks like her dead boyfriend, but a teenager would totally say this. Harrington did a great job writing the job from Morgan's point of view because of the word choice.

Dialogue plays a major part in all books, but this one especially. Having it be told in first person, dialogue allows the reader to understand what other characters are thinking. It also affects the readers emotions. For example, the last two pieces of dialogue in the book are, “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.” and “I’m your best friend. It’s my job.” These few short sentences actually made me cry. After reading the whole book and getting to know the characters, this makes you feel happy for them. Happy for their friendship, which makes you think about your own friendships after you put the book down.

Hugo: Week of 11/2/14

Pages Read: Finished
Prompt: Summary & How do pictures affect the book?

As you can tell, I finished "Hugo" in just one week. It is an easy book to read, but I still feel like it's for my age group. Hugo has many pictures in it, which play an important part of the story. The pictures really showed the story in an unique way. There were doodles and pictures taken by a camera, both adding much detail to the story. This picture to the right might have played the most to the story. It was Hugo's father's first movie he saw. Doesn't sound like much, but to Hugo, it was the world. Hugo's father had died in a fire and this picture is one of the things that remind him of it. The picture below, is the second thin that Hugo uses to keep memories of his father. The automaton was something that Hugo's father had found and was rebuilding, with some help from Hugo himself. These pictures show the reader (along with words) why they are important to Hugo. They also allow the reader to read the book knowing how these two things look. This helps the reader because there are many references, especially the top one, throughout the book.

**My favorite part was the ending so I'm going to skip the beginning of the story and go to the end.**

Hugo and Isabelle had finally got Isabelle's godparents to be okay with bringing up the past, after a series of unfortunate events. Hugo was running to get the automaton from his room in the train station. Since he had a broken hand he wasn't sure how he was going to mange, but he'll think of a way. He was relieved when he heard a knock on the door thinking it was Isabelle to help, but to his demise it was the station inspector. Hugo tried to run, but couldn't escape the tight grasp of the man. As soon as he loosened his grip, Hugo made a run for it.

Hugo ran as fast as he could to get out of the walls. He dashed through the crowd to get out, but soon he lose his sense of direction. All he could tell was where the station inspector was. To him, that's all he needed to know, until he fell. He didn't just trip, no, it's way worse, he had fallen onto the train tracks! Hugo looked up in confusion to see a train hurdling towards him. Hugo was panicking not sure want to do, when he was saved. He was grabbed a spilt second before the train would have hit him. He was relieved for a moment, until he heard the station inspector's voice.

Fall of Giants: Week of 10/27/14

Pages Read: 225 - 300

     I have been reading this book for awhile now. There some parts that I really enjoy, then, there are some parts that I dread reading. It's sad to say, that I have grown bored of this book. I want to finish it, but I'm growing weary and tired of it.. I usually have to put the book down after a few pages. I want to find a book that I can read for hours at end, so I have to put this book down. I'm not sure what to write about in this blog, so I might ramble on about why I'm putting the book down.

     One reason that I don't want to read this book anymore is because the pace is just too slow. I enjoy books with detail, but Follett puts too much detail in this book. With all the characters there is tons of detail that tends to make me not want to read. At first, I enjoyed reading all the detail, but as more characters come into play it gets distracting. When I'm focusing on the plot, I want to focus on the plot. When new characters get introduced, I get sidetracked when I'm just about to exactly get the plot.

     I feel bad that I had to put this book down, but I also feel good in the inside. Knowing that I could just put the book down for now and come back later in my life to finish it, makes me feel not so bad. I'm thinking I'll pick it up again over winter break to have another go at it. Even if I don't read it this year, I have the rest of my life ahead of me. I plan on finishing this book some time in my life. Heck, I'll even put it on my bucket list!

The Next Victim

It has been about 50 years since Fortunato went missing, only one person knows what happened to him. That person is Montresor. He had been satisfied with his work for all these years, but as he grows old and weary, he starts to see the reality of things. He dreams about the night he killed Fortunato, waking up every night thinking different of the choice he has made. He doesn’t want to carry around the guilt anymore, so he decides to do the only thing he could think of, confess his sin to a priest.

Montresor started walking to the church, he had his doubts about confessing, but he had to. There was a thousand dollar reward for anyone who caught the person who supposedly “took” Fortunato. Montresor wasn’t sure if he could trust this priest, but he didn’t care anymore. He had thought about this for years now, but the dream he had had never disturbed him like the one he had last night. It was to vivid, to realistic, besides Montresor was getting old. He had very little time to live, so he wanted to die a guilt-free man.

He entered the church and slowly walked to the confession box. He entered hoping someone will soon enter the other side so he can get it over with. He waited for a short time and froze when the priest entered. “Hello? Anyone over there?” the priest asked. Montresor tried to speak, but couldn’t. He needed motivation, from anyone, from the priest, from God, anyone. Then the priest spoke up, it was as if he was reading Montresor’s mind, “It’s alright to be nervous, many people are, but God will accept your apology, no matter what.” With this Montresor was ready to confess.

“Thank you, I needed that. I’m here today to confess one of my sins, that I can’t surpass.”

“Then tell your story, I will not interrupt till the end. First, please state your name, age, and your sin before you start, then God will here you out.”

“Ulisse Montresor, 76, my crime, killing a man.”

“Start you story, we do not judge here.”

“Oh my, where do I begin? Umm... It all started when Fortunato and I were in fifth grade. He was the school bullying, everyone feared him, I especially. He always chose to pick on me when ever he could. The teachers never noticed and when I told, they didn't believe me. Fortunato would steal people's lunch money, but he never would touch them. Until, I said no to him, I stood up for me and the rest of the kids at school. In return, I became Fortunato's punching bag. Teachers saw this, but was scared of his father, so he got away with it. Can you believe that, just because he was rich, I got beat up?"

"It is awful, I know, but yes, sadly I do believe it. Teachers were always scared of rich parents, it just happened that way. Anyway, continue with your story."

"I started to get used to the whole beat up thing, but when we entered high school he started to insult me. I can take a good beaten by him, but when he insults my, he insults my family."

"Sorry to interrupt, but what was he saying?"

"He called me names, said that I would never be apart of my family. I couldn't take it anymore, I started to fight back, but he was stronger. We went our separate ways after high school, but the scars he left me, both emotionally and physically, still stayed. When I saw him at the carnival, it brought back memories. Memories that made me want to kill him in the first place, but didn't have the power to. When I saw him, I knew I was stronger than him, I knew I could destroy him on the spot, but I needed it to be stealthily."

"So you didn't want to get caught?"

"Of course not! I knew Fortunato liked wine, so I would just have to trick him to come into my cellar. This wasn't hard, just by the mention of Amontillado, he wanted to come. I kept telling him no, but he insisted, so I didn't push him away. We walked through the catacombs of my family, giving Fortunato many opportunities to drink and get drunk. I, of course, did not need to force him to that, he did it himself. We walked until we reached the spot I had prepared,"

"You said you met Fortunato early that day, no intention, so when did you prepare this place?"

"You see, I planned to kill Fortunato for many years, but I couldn't find him. I set a spot, all I needed was to find him and get him to come with me. When we got I chained him up, and built a brick wall around him. Ohhhh, did I enjoy him struggling, trying to get out of the chains like I trying to get out of his powerful grip back then. When my work was done, I simply carried on with my life.

"Until now."

"Until now, fifty years later."

"God thanks you for building up the courage to confess this dreadful sin."

"I hope so. What do I do now?"

"You may leave, your burden has need uplifted from your soul."

"Thank you Father." With that Montresor left, feeling better than ever.

Five years later, Montresor was on the verge of dying. He was sick and weak, but decided to go the carnival one last time. There he saw a boy picking on another boy, just like Fortunato did to him. This enraged him, he ran over told him to stop and come with him, he had what he wanted. Of course, Montresor had no idea what this boy wanted, but the boy thought he did. Once they got out of sight, Montresor knocked the boy out, and brought him back to his place.

The boy awoke tied up and facing a decaying body. Montresor sense the sudden moment and said, "You see him, he is what you will look like when I'm through with you." The boy started to scream, but realized there was no hope. He was chained to the wall and Montresor was building around him, just like Fortunato in front of him. There was a few more tiers when sudden Montresor stopped. He sat down and started to question himself.

"Why am I doing this? I did this once before and I felt guilt, I confessed wanting to die with go sins on my back. I need to end this now."

Montresor lifted a pistol and a knife from his cloak. The boy started to struggle as Montresor closed in on him. When unlocked the chains, the boy fell to the ground confused  He will always remember what the last thing Montresor said to him before he shot himself in the head, "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not. You are the only one who should be sorry. I want you to go to anyone you hurt, even if it's only the slightest cut, and apologize to them. Can you do that?"

The boy just nodded and ran away. Montresor will never know if that boy did what he told him to do, but the people who suffered from him will. Let's just say, for all those people who they hurt, many felt better after the boy was released.

Fall of Giants: Week of 10/21/14

Pages Read: 150 - 225
Prompt: Reflection on Book

"Fall of Giants" is leading up to be a great book. I've been reading it for roughly three weeks now and I'm almost halfway through it. This has to be one of the longest books I have read, and I can't wait for the end. I just want to keep on reading through the night. If I had time to read as much as I want to, this book would be done and half of the second. One reason I want to finish the book is because I want to discuss it with my mom. It would be like a little book club, in a way.

The first blog I did while reading this book, I said it was confusing. Now that I'm further in I'm starting to understand the book better. I'm not saying that it still isn't confusing. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say that some parts are still confusing. I finding that being confused a little is a good thing. I get more out of the book as I figure stuff out. I improve my skills by not realizing certain conflicts in the book, but then getting it all after I stop reading to think about it.

Going back to the little book club, I feel like my mom is going to forget some things about the first book. She started to read "Fall of Giants" over summer and finished it a few weeks within the school year. She then, got the second book two weeks after finishing the first. She had some free time and finished it in a few days. She is now reading the last book and is almost done with that. In total, she read all the books in about two months. I wish I had the time to read them all in that time. Sadly, I don't, but I could hopefully read them within four or five months.

Fall of Giants: Week of 10/13/14

Pages Read: 53 - 150
Prompt: Character Development

I'm really enjoying this book. Ken Follett does a great job describing things. All kinds of things, like the setting, character description, and character's actions. He describes things with such detail that I could imagine it in my head. I imagined the first character introduced, Billy, getting out bed in the morning, Follett states "It was the day after midsummer, and a bright early light came through the small window." I could imagine Billy's bedroom with a small window with the sun just barely shining through.

This book has many characters. In fact, the first couple pages is just a list of characters throughout the book. Not all of them have been introduced yet, but a few have. Out of the few I've been introduced tob, I could tell how they look and how they act within in a page or two of their arrival. Going back to the character, Billy, when he was talking to his sister, I could tell who she was. When Billy was talking to her. there was narration that said, "Her mahogany-colored hair was irrepressibly curly, and her dark eyes twinkled with mischief." It also said, "Ethel wore the plain black dress and white cotton cap of a housemaid, an outfit that flattered her." I could imagine a young adult with all of these qualities, as well as what she is wearing. Follett has many descriptions like this when a new character is introduced.

Another character, Billy's Dad, called Da, is also described, but not in the same way as Billy's sister. Da is described throughout his appearance in the book. One page has says some things, then another page will add on to it. For example, towards the beginning of the book it says, "Da was sitting at the table reading an old copy of the Daily Mail, a pair of spectacles perched on the bridge of his long, sharp nose." Here I can see see a man sitting at the table reading the newspaper, with glasses almost falling off his nose. Further on in the story, it states, "Da was stern and sarcastic," Here I can see a stick father, who wants the best for his son. The way Follett describes Da, it makes him seem like a normal, happy, father.

I'm Going Back in Time!!!

Format: Interview 

Q: Where would you go?

A: I would go back in time to where the first colonies were born in America.

Q: To which year or period would you travel? 

A: This would be around 1607 - 1610.

Q: Who would you want to meet or what event would you want to witness?

A: I would just like to watch and help our ancestors build their new home.

Q: Where would you find this person or see this event?

A: I would pretend like I was just a passenger on broad with them. They hopefully won't notice that no one knows me.

Q: Why would you want to meet this person or witness this event? 

A: I would want to watch our ancestors build their new homes because it would remind me how I got here. How I came to be.

Q: How might YOU change history?

A: Hopefully, I won't change history there, but if I do, it would probably be because I helped with the houses or helped the sick. I'm not sure if I help build the houses it would change history, I mean, I would make the process go faster so that might make history change. Maybe, I

Passion Project

For my passion project I would like to raise awareness about animal abuse. I think that I could make a blog or website and post information every day or at least twice a week. I could even maybe put an advertisement on an abused animal that needs to go to a new home. I could advertise the website by putting the web address on social media (facebook, twitter, youtube, etc.). I believe that this would take a couple of weeks to research some stuff and to make the web site or blog. Other than that, it would just be a weekly process.

I want to do this because I love all animals and I feel like it’s wrong to let the abuse they are getting be put aside. I want to help animals instead of people because animals don’t have a voice to speak up. I believe that they need someone to help them. I’m looking to achieve really only one thing, to help at least one animal. If I could raise awareness to at least a couple people, I’ve done my job.

First Quarter Reflection Blog

The first quarter was extraordinary. I never knew how school saves me from so much boredom. I found that this quarter flew by in a breeze. During that breeze, I learned and did many different things, like practicing time management, reading, and many more. I also feel like I'm going to enjoy the 40 book challenge a little more because I'm finding more books that interest me. I really hope every quarter is like this.

I feel that time management was one of the most important things I could of learned this year. I'm really glad that I learned it early on, for I could live this year slightly relaxed. Knowing that I have completed my assignments early or on time will allow me to feel good and secure. When I'm talking about time management, I'm talking about managing my time for everything, school, sports, and hobbies. I hope I could keep this up for the whole year, plus years later. I really enjoy not having to lug around extra stress.

My 40 book challenge is going pretty well so far. I have read a total of 5 books and I'm almost halfway done with my sixth (ninth if you include the 350 page thing). Which I am. My goal this year is to read at least 35 books. I feel like 40 is slightly to high for me, so I don't want to push it. I figure that I could read 35 books during the school year and then read five more by the end of July. I want to complete the 40 book challenge because I feel like it would be a great accomplishment. Like I said before, I hope every quarter is like this because if it is, I'm going to have a great year.

Man, I Was an Embarrassment: Reflection Blog

     At the beginning of last year I wasn’t sure how to write this type of blog. Eventually, I got into the mix and wrote some great blogs. Last year, I didn’t write like I do now. Nowadays, I write like I am a pen myself. I write whatever comes into my mind and then reread it. At the beginning of last year, I wrote what I thought was acceptable. I always counted my sentences within my paragraphs. I could tell that I wouldn’t really read them over, for there are many mistakes. For example, as I was rereading my blog from 9/30/13, I noticed a mistake, “The title doesn’t fit the story so far but could might change.” I realize that I meant to say, “that could change.” or “that might change.” I also forgot to add in a comma in when I said "but". Now that I reread my blogs, there a still a few mistakes, but not as much.

     I also notice that my blogs have gotten longer. I seem to have longer sentences and paragraphs. I feel as I got older I began processing the book more and enjoyed writing about it. When I was a beginning seventh grader, I mainly read because I had to, not for fun. As I was not reading for fun, I didn’t really want to write about them. I ended up writing short sentences to make the paragraph shorter. In the same blog as before, I end up writing, “Only a rich jerk lives there. He is barely in the story.” I feel like I could of made that one sentence and continued talking about this topic, but instead I end it. Plus, it was one of the worst endings ever, I’m even slightly embarrassed by it. It ends, “So that is why I don’t think the title fits the story.” I’m really about to cry, it’s like I wrote this in second grade.

Fall of Giants: Week of 9/29/14

Pages Read: 0-52

     So far "Fall of Giants" is an okay book. I starting reading this because my mom was talking about it. I remember her saying that the book is confusing if you put the book down and pick back up in a day or two. I have to be honest, and trust me I hope she doesn't read this and get an idea, but she was, for once, right. I put the book down for a day or two and forgot practically everything. I had to start over so I knew what was going on. This book is part of a trilogy, so I plan on reading the rest of them when I'm done.

     Ken Follett is a great author. He really knows how to be descriptive and tie the reader into the story. I started to notice more of the writing techniques as I got further into the book. For example, the style of his writing is spot on. The story takes place around 1914 and Follett has the characters sound like they are from the time period. He uses both dialogue and narration to tell the story. I believe that he uses exactly the right amount of each. This makes the story easier to follow and comprehend.

     Another writing technique I noticed while reading was the tone. The tone at the very beginning of the story was impatient, but in the best way possible. The main character, Billy, could not contain his excitement, while getting ready to go to his first day of work. Once he starts talking to his sister, the tone changes to respect. Billy loves his sister and looks up to her. Once Billy gets to his job, the tones changes to obsequious. Billy and his friend are taken to the boss, where both are extremely polite, trying to make a good first impression.

Vlog on Banned Books

If I Stay: Week of 9/15/14

Pages Read: 75 - 150

     The point of view of “If I Stay” is 1st person. I think that this fits the story because Mia is telling the story with flashbacks of her pasts and what she is seeing. I feel like if it was in a different point of view it would be weird to read. I enjoy how Mia explains what she sees, including what she thinks how other people are feeling. The story is also told in flashbacks, personally I’m not a huge fan of this, but it fits the story. Having Mia tell her life story while unconscious helps the reader decided what she should do, stay or go. It also builds up the tension between Mia making the decision herself.

     The vocabulary the author uses is great for the type of book. The words aren't hard to understand, but they aren't easy. Since the author writes from the point of view of a 16 year old girl, she uses teenage language. When I say teenage language, I mean she write the book, based on how a teenage girl would think. I enjoy the vocabulary in the book for many reasons. I'll be honest, I don't like books that use a bunch of "big" words that I don't know. A few is okay, but when there is one for every page or two I get annoyed. "If I Stay" is the type of book where there are only a few "big" words every 100 pages.

     "If I Stay" uses only some dialogue, which makes sense. The book only uses dialogue at the beginning of the book, before the crash, and in flashbacks. Occasionally there will be dialogue when Mia is explaining what is happening in the hospital. I think that the author put in the right amount of dialogue. The dialogue is taking away from the narration, which I found is the best part of the book. I don't really like books that have the dialogue tell the story. "If I Stay" would have to be a perfect book for me.

If I Stay: Week of 9/8/14

Pages Read: 0 - 75

     I never knew what “If I Stay” was until I saw the commercial for the movie. I thought to myself, “This seems like a great movie, I’ll watch it someday.” Then it said based on the novel, and I decided to actually read the book before I watch the movie. So far, it’s paying off. The book is such a good book, I like all of the characters and the plot great too. It is easy to follow and comprehend, it may be a slightly easier book than I should be reading, but I think it’s okay. 

     I'm not that far in the book yet, but I can tell you several examples of imagery, but it lacks figurative language. For instance, on the first page, it's snowing out and the author makes sure to describe what is happening detail by detail. I enjoy how the author writes the story uses tons of imagery. She leaves nothing out, even if it is the tiniest detail ever. The author doesn't really use figurative language, but when you read the book, it's better without them, at I think so. Explaining page on a newspaper took a half of page, using such detail. Sometimes people can explain it to much or too little, but the author's use of imagery is just right.

     I honestly am not sure if the movie is going to be as good as the book. In the book, there are detailed flash backs and I’m not sure how they’ll exactly portray that, they might leave it out though. The book is filled with imagery so the movie should be easy to make. I can wait to finish the book and imagining all of the imagery in my head, then watching the movie and see how my thoughts were different. I also can’t wait to finished watching the movie and complain about how my ideas were better.

Top 10 Reading List

1 - "The Fifth Wave" by Rick Yancey

This book opened me up to a new theme, aliens.  "The Fifth Wave" had many different genres that fit into the main one. The main one was sci-fi, but there was romance and action. After I read this book over the summer, I think that I'll start to read sic-fi books this year. While I was reading this book, I felt a tear in my heart when a character died.

2 - "Crank" Series by Ellen Hopkins

I read the first book into the series because I needed a new book to read. Once I started to read it, I got hooked onto the book. When I found out that there was a squeal, I knew I had to read it. I enjoyed the series so much I read more of Ellen Hopkin's books. All of her books that I read, were mainly about the same thing. I learned what not to do as I grow up.

3 - "Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech

This book was one of my favorites that made my cry. I enjoyed this book because it was telling a story through a conversation, in a way. I like how the author wrote it for a kid's point of view, wondering why he has to write what he is writing. Having a yellow lab myself, it was hard to read. If that happened to my dog, I'm not sure what I would have done. Some might say that, I love that dog.

4 - "Wild Life" by Cynthia CeFelice

This book taught me to do what I believe in, even if it doesn't make other people happy. I really liked this book because a boy finds a dog, instantly becoming friends. This connected to me because I connected to my dogs as fast. As the story progressed, I felt like it was more about the bond of the dog, than the adventure. I have read this multiply times and loved it more each time.

5 - "Duke" by Kirby Larson

This book takes place during World War 2. This kid love his dad and his dog, so he has to make a decision of a life time. My grandfather fought in this war and it made me think, would I sacrifice my dog for him, for my country. I'm not sure, I don't think I could chose between them. This book taught me about courage and how it pays off.

6 - "Tale Dark and Grimm" Series by Adam Gidwitz

I read the first book in sixth grade and I couldn't stop reading it. It had a scary, yet satisfying mood. I read the second and third book in seventh grade. They took a day to read each. The most awful thing was that I had to wait months to read each book. I learned that kids can do practically anything that they put their minds to.

7 - "Dark Souls" by Paula Morris

I read this book because it had a ghost on the cover, when I started to read it, it turned out there was way more to it. In the beginning of the book there was a character named Jenna. I was excited to read what happens to her, but she only lasted five pages, when she died in a car crash. I learned from this book to have some trust in people you met, but not to much.

8 - "White Fang" by Jack London

This book taught me to love my dog and to not think it doesn't understand. I learned for the point of view of White Fang that you have to stand up for yourself. White Fang stands up for himself against bullies that don't like him because he is different. I liked this book because it's about the bond of an owner and dog.

9 - "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

This book was an interesting read. At first, I found it boring, but halfway through the book I started to enjoy it. I think this book taught me to try different books and see what I think because I would of stopped reading it. I enjoyed this book because once Jonas found out the truth, he wanted to escape from the lies.

10 - "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

I learned a lot from this book. One was don't judge people on how they look, they could be a really sweet person. Another is don't let people judge you. August did at first, but then he made some friends and got over what people were saying about him. I liked this book because it was realistic. I would suggest that everyone should read this book.

"The Fifth Wave" Make-up Blog

I think that the title, "The Fifth Wave", fits the story. I first I didn't think this because there was no mention of a fifth wave. First there was a mention of the first, second, third, and fourth wave. I think out of the four waves the worst is the second wave. The second, wave was when the aliens killed a bunch of people by using the power of natural disasters like tornados and hurricanes. Since people are already have some caution over these things, it probably scared a bunch of people when everything hit them at once. Not to mention all the deaths.

The fifth wave is by far the worst wave though. Having humans turn against each other without knowing is dead wrong. I have to say, it was a good tactic on the aliens part. The one thing that the aliens forgot to corporate with their plan it the power of love and kindness. This is the one thing someone can't beat out of a person. Plus, it grows stronger and stronger as the aliens take away other loved ones and leave just the one.

My least favorite character is Evan. Evan is an alien hunting Cassie. He has been hunting Cassie since she has left Camp Ashpit. Of course, she doesn't know this. I don't like him because he betrayed   his own kind. Sure, that means one less killer alien on the planet, but I wouldn't trust him. My favorite character is Sammy, Cassie's little brother. He at the age where he starts to be slightly independent and the invasion is getting in the way of it. As soon as Ben leaves him, Sammy becomes way more independent than he needs to be.

"Glass" Make-up Blog **SPOILER ALERT**

I believe that the characters are realistic because it seems like someone really would do what Kristina would do. To me, a bunch of people make poor decisions like doing drugs and "falling in love". I honestly can't believe that Kristina made the same bad choices twice. Hopefully, she fixes some of her mistakes because having two children and doing drugs, won't work out. I feel that having the characters be realistic makes the story not only more believable, but more entertaining. I'm not sure if this is based off a true story, but I couldn't honestly see that it would be.

There are a few characters that you should get to know. First there is Kristina, she the main character in the book. She is the character that allows the story to go on. Then there is Bree. She's not really in this book, but still plays a major role. Bree is Kristina's dark side. She is the one who started all of the bad decisions. She is another reason why the story continues. With out her, the first book would have been ten pages long and there would have never been a second book. Once Kristina saw Adam, Bree came out of the closet.

There is also Kristina's deadbeat dad. He helped the story start to. Kristina wanted to see him, but he lives in California. Kristina went out there one summer and fell in love, while she was in love she did drugs. I somewhat blame her dad for this because he encouraged her to start them. There is also Kristina's mom. Her mom tried to make Kristina nothing like her father, but Kristina's curious got in the way. Her baby, Hunter, plays a little part in the story. I think that Hunter is the reason Kristina is having another baby. Not that he did anything wrong, but Kristina grew apart and wanted someone else to love.

40 Book Challenge

I think that I have read a lot this year. I maybe read about 10 books last year, but this year I doubled it. I read 20 books, not exactly 40, but I made a goal at the beginning of the year to get at least 20. At first I didn't actually think that I would reach this goal, so when I did I was very delighted. I thought that I would read about 10, maybe 15. I still can't believe that I got half way. I think that I went out of my comfort zone and read somewhat harder books. I'm talking about, Wuthering Heights, Crank, and others like that. Wuthering Heights was a good book. I didn't really think that I would like it, but it turned out I did. When I Crank I was pretty sure I was going to like because it had a bunch of drama in it, it turns out I did.

Next year, I'm not sure how many books I will read. I want to make a goal, but I don't want to make one I can't achieve. I want to finish the 40 Book Challenge, but I don't think I would finish. I think my goal would be to read 30 books. I believe that if I continue reading the way I'm reading then I should be able to read 30 books. All I have to do is read slightly more than what I read now. I have began to enjoy reading. I found authors that I enjoy, so I think that this goal is possible.

Smoke : Week of 5/12/14

Pages Read: 93 - 543 SPOILERS!!!

So far Smoke has been a great book. It is the sequel to Burned. Unlike Burned, Smoke is told in two different perspectives, one from the main character and the other from her sister. They both were abused by their father and care for all five of their sisters. They were not only family, but also friends. One day, their father was beating the main character's sister, Jackie. The main character, Pattyn, just had her father kill her boyfriend, so she had enough. She warned her father that she would shoot him, but he didn't believe her, he just laughed. So he kept hitting Jackie and Pattyn shot him died. Then she ran.

In the book, Jackie is trying to defend Pattyn, but their mother is trying to defend their father. I think that Pattyn had the right to shoot. Jackie was getting abused really badly and might have died that day if Pattyn didn't do anything. I also think that Pattyn shouldn't have ran away. I think that the cops would have understood that their father was getting abused and something had to be done.

While Pattyn was on the run, a stranger and her went into the bathroom and a guy came in. Pattyn saved the stranger's life, so the stranger let Pattyn stay at her house. The next day, the stranger's friend came over with her child, who had the measles. Pattyn volunteered to watch the baby so no one caught the measles. Eventually, the baby got better, but the mother caught the measles.

Burned: Week of 4/5/14

Pages Read: Finished

Over the past month, I became fond of the author Ellen Hopkins. I first just wanted to read her books to count as poetry, but once I started to read Crank, I got hooked. They aren't really "school appropriate", but I like them. They can teach you a lot about what will happen if you mess up your life. The books also talk about what you can do right in your life, but mainly the books are about a teenage girl changing and doing bad thing and overcoming them.

I chose to read this book because:

I read Crank and really liked it, so I thought about trying other books by the same author.

I like how the format is in different poems. It fits the story very well.

I like how even though there are different books, they have different characters, but the same kind of plot.

Someone should read this book because:

It tells a good story in a unique way. The format is really what I'm talking about. The format is like a bunch a poems, but they all come together
to form a story.

The title seems cool. The title Burned is, what I think, a cool title. Even if I didn't know what it was going to be about, I probably still would have read it.

It can be a true story. Burned is a book about an abusive father who drinks a lot and sends his daughter away because she was changing and getting into trouble.

Someone should not read this book because:

It can be to detailed at some parts. Some parts can be very detailed. Not gory details, but the other kind. I suggest of you can't stand health class, then you shouldn't read the book.

The story plot may upset you. Since the story plot is about abuse and changing into someone bad, it can upset someone. If you are that someone I suggest you don't read the book.

The format is weird. The format can a good and a bad thing. I personal like it, but some people might just want to read a normal book.

Even if you think that any of these things are bad, they are, but the story is still a great one.

Mindblind: Week of 4/28/14

Pages Read: 52 - 249

This book is pretty good. It is about a teenage boy who has a disorder. I think that the disorder is a good thing because it made him really smart, but there are some bad things about the disorder too. Like, he not all that social, the only reason he has friends is because he is good at a video game, and the only reason he is good at the video game is because he memorized all of the moves with his smartness. The disorder he has is asperger.

My favorite character so far is the main character, Nathaniel. Nathaniel is the one with asperger. He doesn't really think of it as a disorder, but more as an advantage. He doesn't really like people and the friends he has. His mother is very supportive, while on the other hand, his father can't be more disappointed. His father leaves the family and starts a normal one. Well, as normal as one family can get.

I think that Nathaniel and I wouldn't be best friends. One reason is that he doesn't like anyone. I think that if he actually liked to hang out with people than we could be friends. I say could because there is another reason I think we wouldn't be best friends. The other reason is because he complains a lot. He doesn't really take time for the fun things in life, with him everything is a puzzle. I just can't be best friends with someone like that.

Duke: Week of 4/22/14

Pages Read: Finished

This book was so great that I finished it in two days. Duke is about a boy who's father is in the war and he is doing everything he can to help with the war. He's running errands for his mom, taking his little sister to school, and he planted a victory garden. This war is World War 2. Everyone did there share, at home and in the war. This boy has a big decision to make, either give his dog up and help with the war, or keep him and be "selfish". The boy, Hobie, thinks that it would be selfish if he kept his dog so he doesn't know what to do.

The author is Kirby Larson and she does many things to make me want to keep reading. One thing that the she does is tell all of the character's thoughts. Even the one's of the not so important characters. She also tells the reader what the Dad and Duke are feeling far away from home. I chose this book to read for a couple reason. The first reason is because I saw a dog on the cover. As people know, I love dog books. The second reason I chose this book is because it takes place during World War 2, so I thought it would be entertaining. The last reason I chose to read this book it because it looked entertaining. The cover made the book pop out at me.

My favorite character in Duke is the main character Hobie. I like him because he does the right thing no matter what. He feels bad when he does bad things, but most importantly he helps his mom a lot. When she is sick he does everything he can to make her feel better. He makes tea for her, he watches his little sister, and he lets his little sister tag along with him to a friend's house. He also makes sure that his dad is proud of him. He does everything he can to help the army and his dad. He also doesn't take advantage of anything and keeps his temper with the bully.

Weird but True: Week of 4/14/14

“The U.S. President’s plane, Air Force One, has never landed more than 3 seconds off its scheduled arrival time.” I found this fact interesting because even though this is the President, you think that he would be late sometimes. I never expected that the President’s body guards are this serious about their job.

“Grass looks greener to girls than it does to boys.” When I read this fact I thought to myself, “Does this mean that girls can see colors better than boys or just grass?” This fact really interests me because I never really thought about this, about grass be brighter to some people.

“Squirrels sweat through their feet.” I really just love this fact. I love squirrels and I have to say, it is very interesting that they sweat through their feet. It sorta puts a new perspective on squirrels now.

“There are more vending machines in Japan than there are people in New Zealand.” This fact made me really interested so I looked up how many people are in New Zealand. I found out that there are 4.433 million people living in New Zealand as of 2012. I also found the population of Japan which is 127.6 million as of 2012. I realized two things. One Japanese people really love vending machines and New Zealand has a real small population.

“A cat named Tuxedo Stan ran for mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in Canada.” I laughed when I read this fact. I thought about if this was actually legal for a cat to run for mayor. I also thought that it was a cute cat and I loved the name.

“The most common password on the Internet is password.” I think most people take it as a joke when a website says set a password and the password can’t be password. I never actually thought people did this, but apparently most people do.

“The average adult tells about 11 lies in a week.” This fact makes me really think. It has made me wonder when adults are really telling me the true. 11 lies a week amount to 1.5 lies a day. That means kids get lied to everyday. To think the adults actually call kids liars.

Wuthering Heights: Week of 4/7/14

Pages Read: 170 - 356


I think that this book is amazing. When I first started reading it, I was slightly confused. I was sure what was happening, but now that I’ve got further in, I been able to follow the plot. Now, that I’ve been able to follow the plot the book has been great.  I think the title fits the story. I think this because Wuthering Heights is where the story mostly takes place.

One word that I didn’t know when I was reading was interspersed. I think it means mixed. I think this because when I used context clues mix is a good fit. The part of the story that uses this is talking about the kitchen. They were explaining what was near the fireplace. When they used interspersed, they said, “interspersed with silver jugs”. The real definition of interspersed is to scatter among or between other things, place here and there. In a way that is the same definition as mix, which is, to combine. So I was right.

Some questions I would ask the author are:

What inspired you to write Wuthering Heights?

Where did you come up with the title Wuthering Heights?

Where did the pictures from the book come from?

Wuthering Heights: Week of 3/31/14

Pages Read: 60-356

I have to say that the most interesting part in this book would have to be when the main character is spending the night at Wuthering Heights. He walked there in the morning when the sun was shining, but when he wants to leave there is a big storm. He is not able to walk back home without getting lost. The people at Wuthering Heights don't want to guide him because it is impossible to get anywhere in the storm, so he's forced to spend the night.

Everyone walked in the dining room, where the dogs were sleeping. As soon as everyone entered, the dogs jumped up and onto Mr.Lockwood. The other men just stood there laughing, but when the maid found out, she rushed to the rescue with a metal pan. The maid put Mr.Lockwood into a room that was forbidden by Heathcliff. I think that this was the most interesting part because the forbidden room had very interesting stuff and Mr. Lockwood dreamt of something interesting to.

Double Fudge: Week of 3/3/14

Pages Read: 74 - 213

This book is such a great one. I love it, I love how it is so realistic. Double Fudge is about a five-year-old kid who just got obsessed with money. He is obsessed with it that the counselor at his school calls his parents in to talk about problems going on at home. The only thing is that there are no problems going on at home, there is just a kid who really, really, likes money. His parents think that if they take him to see how money is made and how you get money then, he won't be so obsessed with it. Unfortunately, it was no help, I wonder if there is any hope for this kid.

This book is believable because just about everyone, has that one family member who always annoying you, embarrassing you, or just asking dumb questions. Sure, you might not go on a little adventure trying to explain what they are doing wrong, but it's practically the same. This book is also believable because it explains the older brother's thoughts. How he thinks of his brothers obsession. This makes the story very believable because what the older brother thinks is what I'm thinking as I read it.

Five Characters are:

Mom:
Strict
Impatience

Dad:
Impatience
Happy

Peter:
Nickname is Pete
7th Grade
Smart
Logical

Fudge:
Real Name is Farley
School-Smart
1st Grade
Obsessed With Money

Tootsie:
Baby
Learning Words

Poetry Essential Questions

Poetry does have a place and importance in my life. Poetry never really had a importance in my life, until the poetry unit. I found that poetry had be a way to express the way you feel about things. It helps me express my ideas, to tell people what I think. That’s why poetry has an importance in my life. I always think my about my family when I write poetry, mainly my two little cousins. They give me ideas when I can’t think of one. That would be the place that poetry fits in with my life.

Poets use their life and experiences to help them write their poem. The life of a poet could make the poem sad, if they had a bad childhood, or happy, if they had a fantastic childhood. It really depends on the childhood of they poet. Childhood is what people try to remember the most. The experiences that a poet has can also make the poem gloomy, or exciting. They could write about a fancy restaurant they been to, or a horrible restaurant they been to. It is pretty much the same as the life of the poet, but the experiences last a life time, while the childhood only really last a couple of years.

Poetry does belong to everyone, but everyone might not know it. Poetry tries to dig it’s way into everyone’s life, but some push it back. Even though you try so hard not to let it in, it gets in and it starts to effect your life. You become more aware about poetry and you get slightly more creative. It might take some people awhile to let poetry into their lives, but once it enters your life, the people who pushed it away will regret it more then, you. I know this because I let poetry enter my life. At first I hated it, but now I see why I need it. It helps me write, be more creative, and much more. I regretted it at first, but now I’m as happy as I can be. Poetry is great, I just wish everyone had the time to let poetry enter their life.

"Purpurdurgs In Prohit" - Nonsense Poem

The Grimm Conclusion: Week of 2/24/13

Pages Read: 65 - 354

I read the first two books last year and they the author, Adam Gidwitz, came to the school. It was entertaining and he said that the last book of the series would be coming out soon. I couldn't wait, now that I'm reading it, it is amazing. So far out of all three books, I enjoyed the first one the most and this one, the third one, the second most. That could change though. The one thing that makes this series unique it that it is all gory. It makes it more entertaining to read.

What surprises me the most is that the book is so amazing, gory, and impossible at the same time. I love all three, but it surprises me that they can all be put in a book and the book could still be good. I get that the book can be amazing and gory at the same time, but being impossible also is, well, impossible. I love impossible things and I love reading about them and watching movies about them, but I never read a book that has all three qualities and is still a great book. Before I read this book, I would of thought that it would be weird and just not a good book. I would of been wrong.

Somebody should read this book because it is just an amazing book. Someone should also read this book because it is gory. I mean, everyone loves gory. All the blood and disgusting things keep you on your toes, and what else would you want in a book. Somebody should not read this book if the puke at the sight of blood. If you are someone who has hemophobia, then you should definitely not read this book. You would be crying and puking at least three times every chapter. I'm pretty sure once you get in the book, you will not want to stop to clean up the puke.

Reflection on Blogging

Over the past six months, my blogging has improved. I have been using the words I learned throughout the year. I also have been writing better in my blogs. I improved my grammar and spelling. I used to spell words wrong and forget to add a word every now and then. It made my blog make less sense, but now that I spell words right and make sure my sentences make sense, it makes my blogs have much more sense. The one thing I still have to work in is the amount that I write. I used to write really long blogs, but as the time has placed they be came shorter and shorter. That is pretty much the only thing that I need to work on and that is easy to fix.

One of my favorite blogs have to be the one where I wrote in a different perspective. It was called My Name is Quill as in Wild Life: This is My Big Adventure. This blog was a pleasure to write. I was very happy with the outcome. I have to say that the one characteristic that made it the best blog would have to be all of the links to click on. It made it more entertaining to read. The survey that I put in helped make it entertaining as well. I also like that I got to write it in a dogs perspective.

Part of a Blog That I Like