Lauren’s Comments (group member since Feb 14, 2012)

Lauren’s comments from the Mt. Mercy University 2012 group.

The Lovely Bones, we actually read it for my English class in high school and I just remember how interesting the point of view was and how hurt the family became. It was one of those texts that you will never forget. The movie came out within the next couple of years which means that it had to be good enough for a movie production :)

AHH Matilda, definitely agree! I checked out that book when I was younger so many times that is not a lie. Well another movie adaptation that I really enjoyed was The Freedom Writers. It could be that since I want to be a teacher I connected with this book so well, as I'm sure you all agree as well. Even though the book is based on the students' journal entries and the movie was made into a story I still enjoyed the background and context of the film. It is such a powerful movie generated by such powerful writings of teenagers.

I prefer reading young adult books that are geared towards the middle school age. Something about it is more funny and light-hearted, whereas when you get closer into the high school aged genre it begins touching on more serious topics. This is most likely due to middle schoolers not being able to grasp certain concepts yet and that high schoolers can.
It is just my preference to read the middle school novels because they make me laugh more. High school novels are fine don't get me wrong, they just make me analyze so much that it almost takes the fun out of it.

Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me! by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver because I have young siblings and they were born when I was in middle school and starting of high school. So I know now what it's like to go through that process of having siblings being born when you are so grown up yourself. I wish I read this book during that time to help me get over that weirdness of me being a big sister "again."

There was A LOT of material and contexts in that book! So I honestly cannot blame the producers on what was shown in the movie and what was not. I do feel a little upset about certain things being left out, like Peeta's questionable aquisation that he loves Katniss or how the districts are starving and little was shown about it. But then again, I don't know which is worst: a super and incredibly LONG movie capturing EVERYTHING from the book (which let's face it would be extremely long), or a 2 hour long movie with you as the reader connecting the dots for yourself. I will take what was shown in the theater because I read the book and can still experience the true Hunger Games. The movie just happened to complement on it.

I enjoyed Heaven is for Real very much! It was bone-chilling and brought me to tears about this little boy's discovery/journey. I read it in one sitting so it really could not be put down. I think I also loved this book because it was non-fiction and I have such a thing for stories that are real, same with movies. So knowing that this stuff can't be made up was inspiring.

I have forgotten how great the YA genre really is! Being in college makes me feel like I'm surrounded by more sophisicated literature, which is still good, but honestly it's the YA genre that keeps me interested overall. I feel like now that I'm an adult I have to read only adult literature and the prestiged classics, as if I can't go back to reading YA literature anymore. This class has shown me the true genres and texts that I will be teaching in my future classroom and what topics and discussions will engage the students in those readings.
While wanting to teach either middle schoolers or high schoolers, I can remember own my experiences and have since then devleoped a better sense of their thinking. At that age for them, they are immersed and broaden into many new experiences; they don't always like to admit it but these new experiences for them are scary and terrifying. Therefore, this YA genre helps them feel secure and give them a better understanding of what they are going through. It is crucial for them to feel accepted and understood.