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.