Sheboygan Falls HS discussion

Regardless of where you are currently in your book, I would like you to (1) tell me about one of the main characters. In your description, please give me at least one direct quotation from the book that demonstrates characterization (whether direct or indirect) and tell me what that quotation tells you about the character's personality and (2) give me your personal reaction to the book so far. This will also require at least one direct quotation from the book. This should either demonstrate something that you like about the book or something that you do not like about the book. You should be able to justify your opinion.

I’m currently reading American Chillers: Wisconsin Werewolves. The main character in this book is Jeremy. “Okay then,” he said. “Wear dark clothes, and bring your cameras.”(66) This says that Jeremy is a technophobe and likes to work on technology or it just says that he likes to hunt things, in this case werewolves. My personal reaction to the book so far is why would the librarian be the werewolf? There could be other werewolves out there and they don’t even know about them yet. I wonder if Rand will tell me later on into the book. I hope to find the answer to my question very soon!

Well I am currently reading Jaws by Peter Benchley. The main character so far is Martian Brody the police officer. A quote that I think shows who Brody really is “By seven o’clock Brody had covered the whole beach along Old Mill and Scotch roads” (26). I think that this quote shows who he is because it shows that he is hard working and won’t give up on a job once he has heard that he needs to solve like in this case a shark had attacked a girl named Mrs. Cassidy and this doesn’t happen there too much but it’s a big tourist place, so it might become a problem. A quote from the book to show a part of it that I do like and don’t like is Mr. Cassidy said “ I think I’m going to be sick” (31). This part of the book makes me not like it because Mrs. Cassidy went for a swim never to return alive again, so it is a sad part. Then it also makes me like this part because it makes me want to read more to find out what is all going to happen. So it’s good and bad.

I am currently reading Things Left unsaid by Stephanie Hemphill. The main character is named Sarah. I think on quote so far from the book that shows her characteristics would be "Im not anyones straight-A robot.I can bomnb a test if i want to. I just didn't know it would hurt this bad"(56). I picked this quote because it shows that Sarah has changed. She used to be this straight A sudent and a perfect girl who her parents wanted her to be. This year she wanted to change and be a different person. She started not caring about anything in school, and this quote shows all of that. Personally, so far i think that this book kind of confuses me because the way she is acting seems like it is not who she really wants to be its kind of awkward for her character i think. I still think it is a good book though and that they are discribing how she really is feeling about everything that is going on .

I am currently reading Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead. The main character is Rose Hathaway, she is very outspoken, and knows exactly what she wants. She has her doubts about herself, just being that she's being haunted by one of her friends (Mason) that has passed on. "...What happened to all the trauma I've been through? I thought that was why I'm seeing Mason?" (213) This shows that Rose is very concerned about these strange happenings. That even though she tries to be tough and show that nothing bothers her, even though this is bothering her, she doesn't want many people knowing. I'm starting to really like this book, it's been quite easy to get into and when I start reading it, I don't want to stop. The parts that I especially like are the parts when Rose and Dimitri are together because it's a 'forbidden' relationship. This would have to be the main reason why I keep reading. A quote that shows this would be, "...people were clapping, but all I noticed was Dimitri. Our gazes were locked...He was so close, my whole body yearned for him, again thinking he was a piece of me I needed in order to be complete".(216) This definitely shows how much Rose has fallen for Dimitri. I enjoy how this gives another dimension to the story other than just the vampire aspect. I can't wait to see where this relationship will go!

I am currently reading "the ten best days of my life" by Adena Halpern. Alex is in her twenties when she dies. I can tell she loves her family by the way she talks about them. Alex is also content with the fact of dying. "they keep telling me that when my friends and family die, when they get here, they'll see that the whole mourning thing was pointless. Isn't that mean? They tell me that it has nothing to do with heaven. It has to do with the process of growing and learning on earth. Isn't that just awful? I know my parents are beside themselves right now. I really wish I could do something, scream out, "it's okay! I'm fine" truthfully I miss them already" I really like my book so far because it's catchy, and also I've always wondered how we'd feel after we died, and where we'd go. Over all I'd recommend this book.

I am currently reading "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" by James Patterson. One of the main characters is named Katie Wilkinson. Katie is a very beautiful girl, about six feet tall with long brown hair always in a braid. Even her friends said she was "close to breath taking, stunning in her strength."(5) Katie has acquired a great sense of self confidence issues. The man she once loved, Matt, had left her. At this point in her life, she is extremely confused and frustrated. A day after Matt left, he sent her a package with a diary hoping it would explain why he had to go away. I am very pleased with the book so far. Right off the bat, the author has Katie asking questions to herself like; "How could he?"(6) and "Who's Nicholas?"(12) that make me wonder as well. I am very fond of books that keep me wanting to read more, no one wants to read a book that leaves no satisfaction.

I am currently reading "Jarhead" by Anthony Swofford. Anthony, the main character in this book is an STA marine or Surveillance and Target Acquisition marine. He is tall and physically fit and has little hair. He has some personality issues and probably shouldn’t be in the marines because of them, for example he thinks about killing a fellow marine and alternates “my muzzle between his ear and his pulsing temple.”(104) This quote says that he is unstable and angered very easily because the fellow marine falling asleep caused him to threaten to kill him like that. I personally like this book a lot because it gives you an inside look at the life of a marine in boot camp, and in combat. It shows the mind state marines are in when they are in combat, from personal issues he is going through like “Kristina’s absurd insistence that we stay together in the midst of her infidelity”(69) all the way to what he doesn’t like about Sergeant Siek. This book has me wanting to read it and not stop because you just don’t know what Anthony will decide to do next.

I have finished my current IR book, "The Help" by American author Kathryn Stockett. But while I was reading it the voices of multiple main characters were projected along the way, each having their own voice in different chapters throughout the book. One of the main characters was Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan. In this book Eugenia, more oftenly referred to as Skeeter, is a white, young adult just out of college, living with her family in Jackson, Mississippi. She is tall and lanky, with curly, unmanigable hair. She has a mother that was "...first-runner-up as Miss South Carolina" and would do anything to make her daughter more desirable, yet there is always love deep within her words. In this novel Skeeter point blank refers to herself as "(not just) pretty, (but) painfully tall... Mother would rather I (suffer) from apoplectic diarrhea than stand up straight." (57). I really liked this book and got a good sense of what kind of respect the help of Jackson got, from how different the white people thought the black people were from them, "Everybody knows they carry different kinds of diseases that we do."(8), to the fear the help had of trying to stand up for themselevs, "Shhh, please... I do this with you, I might as well burn my OWN house down."(103). This book was very good and made me want to keep reading it, I would recommend this book to anyone.

I'm currently reading "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. The main character and protagonist in the book is Katniss Everdeen. She is a sixteen year old who is strong and resourceful. She is the most responsible person in her family as in getting food from the woods. The strongest trait so far has been responsible when she said "I volunteer!" I gasp. I volunteer as tribute!"(22). She volunteered as tribute to save her little sister Prim because she is sensitive and caring person that has a difficulty with any kind of suffering or violence. If she would have been in the Games, she would have died very quickly. My opinion of the book so far is that it is exciting because of the many odds that are stacked upon the non Career tributes. The Career tributes train for their whole life to be in the Hunger Games. Katniss describes them very well during the first day of training, "In District 12, we call them Career Tributes, or just the Careers. And like is not, the winner will be one of them."(94). I can't put the book down because you never know what is going to come next in the Hunger Games.

I am currently reading the novel Can True Love Survive High School? By Natalie Stanford. One of the main characters name is Madison Markowitz and her nickname is Mads. She is a Sophomore in high school and is rather popular. Her sisters name is Audrey and she calls her dad dark lord and her mom M.C. Her boyfriends name is Stephen Costello she describes him as brainy and rather serious. Mads personality is funny and stubborn. I know she is funny because when her and her boyfriend were sitting at the mall people watching and saying what they thought people were thinking she says “He’s thinking,’ if I don’t move my head, my hair will stay perfect’”(16). This shows she is funny because well that’s a funny and creative thing to say on the spot. She is stubborn because when she was having an argument with her mom and sister about trying out for a play her mom wrote, she kept refusing to simply try out. Mads argues “ I could if I wanted to,” Mads said. “I just don’t want to at this time” (21). She is stubborn because all she has to do to make her mother happy is try out and she says herself that she doesn’t have stage fright, she just simply doesn’t want to do it. I am really liking this book so far even though I’m only on page 69. I like this book because of how different all the characters are and the drama it creates. I also enjoy it because I like reading about other peoples love lives and how romantic it can be like one girl was explaining her night with a guy she just met. She says “ He took me back to the house. The little house by the ocean. He’d bought a flashlight and candles and we had a romantic dinner right there on the floor of the house” (44). I thought this was the cutest thing ever.

The novel that I am currently reading is, If I Stay by Gayle Forman. 18 year old Mia,is a shy dark-haired classical musician whose life revolves around the cello. Throughout the novel, Mia is slowly revealed to you through different tales about her childhood and teen years. One aspect about her personality that really stood out to me was her dedication/determination. "I'm pondering going back to bed," I say. "My cello's at school so I can't even practice."(8) Mia, would rather sleep than do anything but play her cello which expresses her passion. The word "pondering" also shows the reader a little bit of her quirky side. In my opinion, most people under the age of 30 do not say ponder too often. Overall, If I Stay is depressing, but still keeps the reader intrigued. "If they're gone now, but still here, like you believe, what if they want her to join them? What if she wants to join them?" These two questions are asked by Mia's grandpa to her grandma who replies,"It doesn't work like that."(87) So, we are left with the idea that Mia will have to make the final decision: if she should stay on Earth, or go with her family, whom have already perished.

I just finished reading the novel, “Matched” by Ally Condie. The main character, Cassia Reyes is 17 and has brown hair. She is smart, loves poetry, and curious about the things that they aren’t supposed to know about in her society. It is a dystopian novel, and the society that she lives in only allows people to know and learn certain things. Also they match people at the age of 17 with whom they will marry. Her match was her best friend Xander. Cassia throughout the novel tends to look deep into things, and question “what if”. An example is when she says, “My grandmother would want to know if I wondered if it wasn’t a mistake at all. If Ky were meant to be my match. For a moment I did.” In the novel, after Xander was picked to be her match, a boy named Ky’s information appeared too. So this quotation shows that even though the society told her it was a mistake, she wonders and believes that they could be lying. You can also tell that she thinks deeply if Cassia is thinking about how her grandmother would react even though she’s been dead for a long time. Overall, I liked the book because it had a good plot and made me wonder what really will happen in the future. Cassia says how “The Society only allows us to have 100 songs, poems, and paintings. They think this way we will enjoy the ones we have more. Every other song, poem, and painting not in the 100 has been destroyed and forgotten.” This part of the story makes me wonder how bad our lives would be with only a limited amount of art and literature to choose from. I like that the story gives me something to think about even after I’m done reading it.

The novel I am currently reading is "Ascend" by Amanda Hocking. "Ascend" is the third and final installment of the Trylle series. The main character is Wendy Everly and throughout the first two books, she discovers the reason she has always felt different in her normal high school. Finn, a mysterious boy tells her that she is actually a troll, and takes her to Trylle, where Wendy's mother, Elora, is queen. She discovers that she was switched at birth into the human world to protect her from her evil father, Oren,who is king of the Vittra trolls. I would say that Wendy is kind spirited and curious, unlike her seemingly cold-hearted mother. In "Ascend" Wendy is faced with many difficult choices. She must choose between loyalty to her kingdom and loyalty to her heart. Based on her actions to follow through on an arranged marriage to Tove, a powerful Trylle prince, rather than follow her heart and be with Loki, a Vittra prince, she has proven herself to be a great princess. This is demonstrated in the way she responds to Loki's requests for them to run away together. She says "I have so much I need to do here. I can't just leave it all behind" (34). As Elora grows increasingly ill, Wendy must prepare to be Queen sooner than she wants to. The Trylle series has grasped my attention and I can't wait to see how Wendy fairs as queen. "Ascend" is proving to be the best story of the three yet. Hocking's believeable characters balance out the fantasy storyline. I think everyone can relate a bit to Wendy. To add to the love triangle between Wendy, Tove, and Loki, there's still Finn, to whom Wendy felt intensely connected when she first met him. They could never be together because of their difference in social class; Finn is just a Tracker. The night before her wedding to Tove, Wendy lays down on her bed and "mourned a relationship she'd never even really been able to have" (55). I think we've all felt that way at some point in time, especially through high school. The romance and suspense work in harmony throughout the entire series and I love every page.

The novel i am currently reading is "The realm of possibility" by David Levithan. One of the main characters is Jed. He is the other main characters boyfriend. he is very strong, mischievous, and outgoing. He sometimes smokes cigarettes but not that often, only with his boyfriend. "but when Jed lights the match, it spreads to color, his skin in the camfire light, the spark of his eyes as he leans in to me"(4). Jed is not a smoker but he has smoked before. This book kinda related to me in the was a being in a relationship but its kinda hard to fully get everything because in the book the relationship is with two guys. i relaite with having hard times with people and having to move on and forget but it's hard to with some people. A part that relates to me is, "We are a strange pair and we love that"(4). Also another one is, "I have never had anybody talk to me like this"(5). I also like this book because it has poems in parts of the book and there is also a song in the middle and its about relationship and somethings going wrong.

The current book I’m reading is I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. I was influenced to read this book by Ms. Degenhardt and I am actually enjoying this book. I have never read a book by this author and there is a series so I will read the rest of the series and then I will watch the move which is called I Am Number Four. In the book I Am Number Four the main character is from the planet Lorien and has had many names because he and his partner are in hiding and every time they move he has to change his name and he is mainly called John and John has powers called legacies and where I am now in the book he has the powers of having his hands light up and telekinesis and he is courageous, bold, daring, brave, sometimes can be romantic, and he is nice and not really afraid of anything beside the Mogadorians and they are the reason why they are hiding so the Mogadorians don’t kill John and his partner. The main problem in the book is that they are noticing that people are finding out what they actually are and are checking in to see what happened because people had stopped talking about them for some odd reason. I predict in the end of my book that the will probably eventually be found by the Mogadorians and killed.

The current book I am reading is The Help by Stockett Kathryn. I was influenced to pick the book because I wanted to widen my broad on books I read. Plus it has a lot of good reviews and the book is not a book only for girls. I recommend this book even though I am only 55 pages in.

I am currently reading the book The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. The main character in my book is Percy Jackson. He is a twelve year old boy from long island New York. He is quite interesting, he is a half-blood which means his dad is a Greek God and his mom is a human. In the book he writes “Am I a troubled kid? Yeah, you could say that I could start at any point in my short life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May”.(1-2) This Quotation tells you that he knows he is troubled and doesn’t hide it. Percy has dyslexia and has been kicked out of many schools because of it. I like this book a lot it is very action packed and interesting. I like all of the fights that Percy gets in and how the author describes them to the reader like “I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted towards the river”.(211) This part is showing some of the intensity of the book. Overall this is a good book.

I am currently reading Coming back stronger by Drew Brees. The main character is Drew himself. He is an NFL quarterback and has faced many struggles in his life. "I know that football is a busness"(84). This quote shows that Drew knows that he may not be on a team. He had a bad injury that left him out for 1 year. He had to persever and come back even stronger.I like this book it shows how to never give up and keep fighting. "Childhood wasnt easy,then again neither is life"(1) This setes the stage for the story and how life is hard and you have to work for what you want.

I am currently reading the life and time of a Mongol by Ruben Cavazos aka Doc. So far in my story the main character is Ruben Cavazos the president of the notorious motorcycle club, the Mongols. A quote that shows who Ruben Cavazos is “ I was a hot headed kid (20)”. One quiet shows that when he was a little kid he got into a lot of trouble. But when he got older he became more responsible. Like he has a kid and he became the president of the outlaw Mongols. So he knows that if he is going to be the president, that means he has to keep all of his brothers in line so that nothing goes wrong.

I am currently reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Obviously the main character of the book is Harry Potter, a teenage wizard attending the Hogwarts, the school of witchcraft and wizardry. A quote that shows a lot about Harry is "I don't think we should be sneaking out of the school" (78). This shows that Harry is brave and bold because he actually does end up sneaking out of the school, many times. To this point I have really enjoyed this book because it is very different to anything else I have ever read, making it an adventure. An example of something strange that makes me want to keep reading more to find out what it is is "where-about in London?, Diagon Alley" (41). That is a very strange name for a place that makes me want to keep reading to find out what it is.

I am currently reading A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks, the main character of the book is Landon Carter, a high school student struggling to fit in when he is guilt tripped into filling in for the head role of the school play. Throughout the text, you can tell that Landon has never been a very well-mannered young man but deep down has a generous heart. I can identify this trait through the guilt he feels about the things he knows were hurtful to Jamie “The very fact that it was I who had started it up made me feel terrible, almost sick to my stomach” (76) I personally have enjoyed the book so far, I like the fact that there is much more detail included in the book as compared to the movie. The small details are the things that make the book more interesting to read such as scenes that may have been cut from the movie. “When we were younger, my friends and I would hide behind the trees and shout, “Hegbert is a fornicator! “When we saw him walking down the street and we’d giggle like idiots,” (4) I thought this was interesting because in the movie, they had never mentioned the past relationship between Landon and his pastor Hegbert, this could explain the uneasiness that arises when Landon asks Hegbert if he would allow him to take Jamie along to the dance with him.

The novel I am currently reading is “Along for the Ride” by Sarah Dessen. The main character in this book is an 18 year old girl named Auden. She just graduated from High School and is getting ready for college. She wants to have an exciting summer and get away from her home town. Her parents divorced two years ago leaving her and her brother, Hollis to live with their mom. Now, her father is remarried to Heidi; who recently just gave birth to a baby girl named Thisbe. Auden decides to spend her summer living with her dad in a charming beach house. Auden’s mother is very strict which is why she is an A student, she is caring, disciplined and does her chores, shy, polite, doesn’t have many friends and always willing to help out. One day Heidi was trying for hours to get the baby to get to bed and she lost track of time and didn’t make dinner. Her father had just gotten home, and he was hungry too. “I’m going to get burgers. Dad says there’s a good place right down the street. Do you want me to get you something?”(27). Auden said to Heidi. This quotation shows how caring Auden is for others that she is going to get dinner so her father and step-mother can stay with the baby. I personally really like this book because Auden’s life is the complete opposite from mine, which makes it interesting to read about. One of my favorite parts in the book so far is when Auden goes to the market and there’s guys sitting outside talking on a bench and when one sees Auden they make eye contact. He says “I just saw the hottest girl in Colby walking by.” His friend responded saying “Oh, Jesus. You’re pathetic”. This is my favorite part in the book so far because I can totally picture all of their conversations, as if they were sitting right next to me and it leads you questioning whether they’ll talk or see each other again.

The book I am reading currently is Insurgent by Veronica Roth. The main character in the book is Beatrice or Tris. Tris is part of a society that is divided into factions, based upon what your personality and beliefs are. Tris is Divergent which is feared in this type of society because you do not qualify or fit in just one faction, you fit in multiple. This has caused many problems for her throughout the book.

Tris is a character that is courageous, confident, and has a very strong opinion. She is not afraid to say what she thinks and is always trying her best to do what's right or the best solution in bad situations. Tris shows her personality in a lot that she says in the book. For example, "Tobias is right about you. You're nothing but an arrogant, lying piece of garbage." (45). Tris says this when she is trying to pry information out of someone. I feel that this quote reflects Tris' fearlessness and strong opinion which shows her strong personality.

So far I really like Insurgent. I feel it is well written and that I can connect with some of the characters in it. I really like that it is intense so you want to keep reading, but it also has a bit of a love story in it which makes it even better. One part of the book I find very frustrating is when Tris is leaving everyone she loves to turn herself into the villain of the book. "I slip out of his arms. I shrug on one of his sweatshirts so i can carry the smell with me. I slip my feet into my shoes. I don't take any weapons or keepsakes." (314). I dislike this part especially because Tris is finally back with all of her friends and the boy she loves but she is going to leave it all behind again.

I have started reading the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The main character in the book is Chris McCandless, however he goes by the alias Alex (with no last name). Chris is an adventerous character. He had run away from all of his family and embarked on a jouny all over the country. He also is not too fond of people, he just keeps to himself and carries on with his own business. Charlie, a man that Chris ran into on his journy described Chris as "a nice guy, a pretty nice guy. Didn't like to be around too many people, though. Temperamental. He meant good, but i think he had a lot of complexes" (42). I think Charlie described Chris just as I have in the text above, he's a really nice guy, he just doesn't like to interact with people very much. So far I find this book very entertaining! It is keeping me on the edge of my seat with Chris always on life threatening journies. I also think I can relate to Chris very well. We both like looking at scenery and adventuring into the backcountry. "I was out on the ocean in a canoe, and I almost drowned when a storm came up" (5). This is just one example where Chris was almost killed.

I'm reading "Lockdown" by Alex Gordon Smith. The main character is Alex Sawyer, a young thief who was framed for the murder of his best friend and sentenced to life in an evil underground super-prison called Furnace Penitentiary. He is determined to both survive and escape from the nightmarish prison, as during one night he thinks "Surely doing nothing was the worst kind of death imaginable- endless days rotting in the guts of the earth, dying piece by piece by piece. As sheep blotted Scott White's violent end from my mind, I resolved to find out what lay in Room Two, even if it cost me my life"(174). I honestly can't imagine how Alex can survive this prison physically, let alone mentally. Some of the things that he describes in the book, "the warden and his devil eyes, the blacksuits with their superhuman strength, the wheezers that looked like the tortured ghosts of Nazi storm troopers, and the way that poor Monty had been scoured of everything recognizable, forced to become a demon that thrashed and ripped and killed" (199-200).

For quarter one, I am currently reading the book Rose Bush by Michele Jaffe. At the very beginning we are introduced with a very hurt, confused character. Her name is Jane, and throughout the novel she is encountered with a mystery that will take over her life. She is popular, but one night something happened which she can’t recall and she can’t remember why she ended up in the hospital. This character thinks highly of herself, and others. During the book, she keeps saying things to convince herself that everyone likes her, worships her friends, and would never hurt her. “The flowers, bouquets and cards, those were real. Right?”(70) Someone had tried to kill her. Jane tries to tell the difference of what really happened that night and what other people want her to believe. While in the hospital, she has lots of time to rethink her past and question everything. She questions if she can’t recall something she regretted doing that would make someone try to kill her. Jane thought she knew everything about love, having the most popular and wanted guy in her school as her boyfriend. About friendship and loyalty too because, well she was in the most popular group of friends and everyone had to adore them. As she gets interviewed by the police, she asks; “Do you really think that someone had drugged me on purpose? To- to hurt me? That this was an accident but someone out to get me?”(71) Another quote from Jane states “I had yet to learn that there are scars no miracle cure can heal. Scars buried so deep you can’t see them or reach them from aching. Scars that can kill you”(100)She appears hopeful. But deep down, she is beyond scared for her future. She doesn’t know who did this to her and why she hears different sides of the story of what happened that night. This book makes my heart pound with suspense as I want to find out who did this to popular, pretty Jane.

I am currently reading the book “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. This quote early in the book describes what Connor was like when he was about to be unwound, “For Connor it’s not about stupidity, or even rebellion-it’s about feeling life. Sitting on this ledge, hidden behind an exit sign is where he feels most comfortable. Sure, one false step and he’s roadkill. Yet for Connor, life on the edge is home” (4). I think this best describes who he is because he certainly was living life on the edge throughout the whole book: a short tempered, dark blonde, 16 year old kid who didn't want to die yet, and would do anything to keep himself from getting unwound. He has the street smarts to run away from his home, but sometimes his dangerous impulses take him over. After making his parents feel guilty when he secretly found out he was going to be found out two weeks ago, it hasn't made him feel better. Now he’s become more aware, yet even nervous about what’s going to happen to him if he gets caught by the juvey-cops.

So far, I think that Unwind has the potential to be one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. It has the suspense, mystery, horror, disagreement, rebellion, and reality to make this book feel like it could actually happen in the future. “Risa holds back a smile. Suddenly she’s feeling strangely at ease with Connor. She marvels at how that could be. If their argument had been entirely real, she’d be on her guard against him. If it had been entirely a show she’d be on guard too, because if he could lie so convincingly, she’d never be able to rust him. But this was a mixture of both. It was real, it was pretend, and that combination made it all right- it made it safe, like performing death-defying acrobatic tricks above a safety net” (50). It demonstrates how people in a time of suffering can fill a need in and trust one another though they may even come from different backgrounds. This book makes you think that this is what it should be like in the real world today.

in the book borderline by Allan Stratton Sami and his Dad are not getting along. Sami has to attend a private school where he is being bullied because he is Muslim and his dad doesn't approve of his friends who attend the local public school. When he is put on detention because of an incident with the bullies, his father blames him and accuses him of lying. Could things get any worse? Yes. When his father is arrested and accused of being part of a terrorist plot Sami doesn't know what to think. Even with the bad feelings between them, Sami knows he has to help find out what his father has been keeping from he and his mother. A tightly woven story exploring the problems that Muslim-Americans face in a post 9/11 worl

Well I am currently reading the maze by Will Hobbs. The main character is Rick Walker, he is only fourteen years old and currently on the run, so he hitchhiked for while on the side of the road until someone picked him up, a guy did and drove him to a gas station where he snuck into the back of a truck camper, and he rode in the back of that for a while but he noticed the road was getting rougher, he was in the Grand Canyon, and the truck came to a stop so he had to make a brake for it before the guy saw him so he got out and slept behind a rock for the night. "Dead ends every direction he turned." —Chapter 7, page 39. I think Rick is a nice kid but he is sneaky, he really doesn't have much so he has to fend for himself. I really like the book so far, it is interesting witch makes me want to keep reading it to find out what happens to Rick. "It made him feel both happy and sad to be out of reach, out of everybody's reach." —Chapter 5, page 28

I am currently reading the book "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins. The main character is Katniss Everdeen, she is a female and has a sly and innocent sort of personality to her. You can tell this because on page 18 she says, "All I was doing was trying to keep Peeta and myself alive. Any act of rebellion was purely coincidental." You can see the sort of innocence in her through this quote. She is sly also because throughout the first book she was trying to discover a way to beat the capitol, even though she didn't admit it.

So far I love this book, in has engaged me and compelled to continue reading it. I love how easily it is to connect too and how it is about characters are roughly the same ages as me. Another reason why I enjoy it so much is there is always some sort of excitement happening at any point. An example of this is on page 28, when Katniss says, "…it would be one thing if I had planned to stir things up, but given the circumstances…how on earth did I cause so much trouble?" This shows you there is a constant strain on Katniss and it adds more excitement.

I am reading the book “Cupcake Queen” by Heather Helper. The main character is a girl named Penelope or “penny” for short. She moved from the big city of New York to a small run down town outside of NYC called Hogs Hollow when her parents separated. Since her dad is always touring for his singing career, she had no choice but to go with her mom. Penny only hears from her dad through letters and on the phone maybe once a month. She is a very quiet person, who likes to just go through life unnoticed and out of the way. She only has two friends at her new school, Tally and Blake. But she also has a major crush on a boy named Marcus. My personal reaction to this book so far is that I really like it. It always keeps me interested with a little bit of humor, drama and romance. I recommend this book to the girls, it’s defiantly a girl book.

I am currently reading Matched by Ally Condle. Cassia is the main character along with her best friends/lovers Xander and Ky. The quote from the book that I picked is “It’s been almost three months since my last error” (30) this tells you that Cassia is a very hard worker and she makes mistakes rarely. She likes to concentrate on her work so that she always does well at her job. My reaction to this book so far is I think that is book is very good and I really enjoy reading it. What I like the most about this book is that it is almost like my favorite book The Hunger games it takes place in the future. The part that I like in the book is in the begging when Cassia is at her match banquet and she gets matched with her best friend Xander; or when she is climbing the hill and the guy who she secretly loves Ky is showing her how to write cursive when they are not suppose to because it is illegal. The part of the book that I like more than the others is when Cassia Xander and Ky help out their friend Em when she starts to have a panic attack, “He puts his own green tablet in Em’s mouth.”(151) this shows that they all care for their friends and would risk their self’s for them.

I have finished the novel that I was reading and it was called “When It Happens” by: Susane Colasanti. The main character in book is Sara. Sara is strong, independent, and a little self conscious. She is not the most popular girl she is kind of a nerd but a lot of people still like her. A quote from this book that I think really describes Sara is on page 7 when she says “Here’s the thing: I want to reinvent myself this year. I’ve been a nerd since forever. My life for the past three years has been the same tired routine. Same honors classes with the same set of ten kids, same endless piles of homework, same waking up the next day to do it all over again. I’m tired of waiting for my life to begin. Something has to happen. Like an amazing boy. I know he’s out there. I just have to find him. And it would be awesome if that boy was Dave.” I think that this quote told me a lot about Sara because it tells her personality and what she is really like. I honestly loved the book that I was reading because I really like to read romance novels and this is a book that keeps you wanting to read more. Susane Colasanti is an amazing author and I have read two of her books so far and I loved them both. Another quote that I really liked in this book was when Sara was talking about Tobey and she says “Tobey goes over to my CD rack. I watch him inspect my CD’s. I always thought that if a guy really liked me, he’d at least make an effort to see what kind of music I was into. Dave would only pick out the ones he had and then play those. But Tobey’s really looking at all of them. I hope he likes what I like. Not that we have to like all the same things. I just love how we have so much in common.” I like that quote because it really tells a lot about the book and how Tobey really cares about Sara unlike Dave.

I am currently reading Rain by V.C. Andrews. The main character is a girl named Rain. My personal opinion of her is that she is a hard working, loving, and concerning person. I think that she is that way because they don’t live in a very safe place and all she does is to look out for her family. An example quote is, “Beni and I will look for work tomorrow, Mama.” This quote makes me think that she is a concerned person and only wants what’s best for her family. I think this is an amazing book so far because it gives me a visual of how it might be like to live in such a bad place like where she lives and how she gets a chance to have a life away from it with a new family and a new perspective. It’s so interesting and it always keeps me wondering what it going to happen next. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mysteries, this book will definitely keep you interested all the way till the end.

I've started reading the book "The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp" by Rick Yancey. In my eyes as the main character Alfred is the jolly big man. He may look huge and intimidating but he is full of sympathy on the inside. He is a kid with no mother witch died at age 12 and the father left when he was born. He now lives with his Uncle Farrell who is a security guard and plays football because his uncle made him play, in the form of a bribe. He also is going for his learners permit witch was Alfred's side to the bribe. Now making a deal with one of the bosses of his uncle to break in to a company of his partner Alfred says,"I mean, I'm not too quick on the uptake-I can't even memorize a football playbook-and this whole thing smells fishy to me."(26) The statement of his not to quick on the uptake is mentioned but not directly, as he takes an IQ teat and his parents would not tell him what he got so, he must be slow. It also on the other hand says that he has a curious teen mind which mostly know as we went through it. As the argument is going back and fourth with questions the meeting heats a fire in the uncle to feed his want for money as the boss will pay them when the deed is done. The book is great and the conflict, I can smell is about to start.

For quarter one, I am currently reading the book “Silence” by Becca Fitzpatrick. This is the third book in the “Hush, Hush” saga. I really enjoyed the first two books and am loving the third. The main character so far is Nora Grey. Nora is a teenage girl heading into her junior year. She was never the type of girl to fall head over heals for guys. That of coarse changed once she met Patch, the leading male role in the book. She is also very driven to do well in school. “Since school is in session, shouldn’t I be there?” (43) is a line Nora says which makes me believe she is dedicated to her school work. Even though she is a very smart girl she also has a risky side to her. In book one, “Hush, Hush”, she would leave her home in the middle of the night to sneak around with her friend, Vee, or to go and see Patch.
This book has been very good so far. There have been a couple of twists here and there that I did not expect. Something that I really enjoy is the fact that Nora can not remember Patch at all. Even though she does not remember him she remembers parts of when they were together. After she meets Patch/Jev for the second time there are little things that feel right when they are together. She can remember the intensity of his black eyes and that haunts her. “The flash of black bursting at the back of my mind was so intense, the color completely stained my vision for several seconds.” (123) is a line that Becca Fitzpatrick uses to express this. Throughout the scenes when they are together I am always wondering if now was the time that she would finally remember him. Sadly, she has not gained back all of her memories yet. I am hoping this happens very soon.

I am reading "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. The main character is Katniss. The quote i chose was "When I was younger, Iscared my mother to death, the things i would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country"(6). This quote shows you that Katniss isn't afraid to speak her mind, even against a very controlling government. My reaction to the book so far is that it is amazing. It is very interesting and when i start reading i don't want to put it down. There is always some type of action or something very interesting happening that makes you finish the part of the book you are at. I have already seen this movie, but so far in the book it is portrayed very differently then it was in the movie. This also explains some unanswered questions I had from watching the movie. Something that I like from the book is when Katniss does the riskiest thing in the world to save her little sister "I volunteer. I gasp. I volunteer as a tribute". This is my favorite part so far because it shows that Katniss loves her sister so much she is willing to volunteerly fight to the death so she doesn't have too.

I am currently reading the book "Hero" by Mike Lupica. The main character is Zach Harriman. He is a caring person and he has a determined personality. "Zach didn't quite know what his dad did on these trips, but he had a feeling his dad was saving the world one bad place at a time." This quote was from chapter two and it represents how much he worried and cared about his dad. He had no idea where his dad went and the only thing that he could do was hope his dad was fine.

This book is great so far. It has a good and clear story to it. This book really relates to me because Zach is also a 15 year old and he also goes to high school. This book has a lot of exciting and suspenseful parts. "Not one of them having a clue about how much trouble they were really in, how badly I had them outnumbered." This was on the first page in my book and it was Zach's dad talking about how he had defeated many bad guys before. This part made me wonder what was going to happen next and why his dad did what he does. Zach's dad has a whole side of him that zach doesn't even know about.

I am currently reading “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson. This book is about events that actually occurred during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but it is written like a fictional story. The main characters in the book are two men, one an architect, and one a murderer. The architect is named Daniel Burnham. He is the fair’s director of works and is described as “handsome, tall, and strong, with vivid blue eyes, all of which drew clients and friends to him the way a lens fathers light” (26). One of his employees says that “it was easy to see how he got commissions. His very bearing and looks were half the battle. He had only to assert the most commonplace thing and it sounded important and convincing.” (26). I can tell already that the author wants to paint Burnham in a very positive light; he will always be the good guy.

The murderer is Henry H. Holmes. He built a parody of the World’s Fair “White City” which he called the “World’s Fair Hotel”. This is where he brought his victims. Those who saw him described him as having “dark hair and striking blue eyes, once likened to the eyes of a mesmerist” (35). He was “five feet, eight inches (and) weighed only 155 pounds” (35). Women adored him because he “broke the prevailing rules of casual intimacy: He stood too close, stared too hard, and touched too much and too long” (36). The reader can tell by these descriptions that Holmes is somewhat of a shady character, even if they don’t come right out and say it.

So far I like this book a lot. It’s well written and interesting. One thing I’m finding a little frustrating, though, is how the author describes everything to absolute death. He took a full five pages just to explain why Chicago was chosen to host the World’s Fair. Sometimes it’s nice to just have things stated simply. I do like the way the author is already building suspense in regard to Holmes. I just finished a chapter where he comes in possession of a pharmacy. The woman who owned it was old and her husband was dying. He convinced her to let him manage the store and shortly after she disappeared. He claimed that she had gone to visit relatives in California. The last line of the chapter says that “Mrs. Holton, he explained, liked California so much that she had decided to settle there permanently” (47).

The novel I am currently reading is The Day They Came to Arrest the Book written by Nat Hentoff. One of the main characters in the story is Mike Moore. Mr. Mike Moore is the principal of George Mason High School. He is a man that cares more about his image than for the people he may be offending. In the first few pages of the book Mr. Moore's opinion of books is made clear when Nora Baines impersonated Mr. Moore saying, "My dear Mrs. Salters, with all the good literature available, surely we don't need the questionable books, the offensive books, on our shelves."(17) Mr. Moore again proves his main focus is on his image when a parent of an African American student goes to his office to complain about how The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is offense to his son and himself (26). On this matter he immediately called for the book to be removed from the whole school. With all his actions so far, Mr. Moore has revealed himself as an anti- book kind of person. Because of the type of character Mr. Moore is I think it will be interesting to see how the rest of the staff will rebel.

I currently reading the Witch and Wzard by James Patterson. One of the main characters is Whit Allgood. He is a 17 yerar old high school student who is and athlete. I while ago his girlfriend Ciclia disapeared and didn't know how to handle it. Whit also doesn't know his parents have been hiding a secret about him. One guote from him is "if their were no adults and children were in charge". The quote tell me that he is rebelliouse and that he doesn't want to be told what to do. My personal reaction to my book so far is that it keeps on edge and I want to keep reading it. Another quote is “They're afraid of change, and we must change. They're afraid of the young, and we are the young. They're afraid of music, and music is our life. They're afraid of books, and knowledge, and ideas. They're most afraid of our magic.” and agree with that because I bet some people are. One other thing I like about this book is that whit isn't afraid to speak his mind. They are just normal kids that say what they want or what they think.

I am currently reading Teen, Inc. by Stefan Petrucha. This book follows the main character, Jaiden Beale, and his life. Jaiden is 14 years old and has been raised by the company NECorp ever since his parents were killed in an accident by one of their products. Since the book is written from Jaiden's point of view, the reader get's to hear Jaiden's voice and understand his character thoroughly. For example on page 26 Jaiden shows his sense of sarcasm; "If I were a superhero, that'd be exactly the sort of thing that'd impress a girl. 'You see, Jenny, I secretly fight crime with the radioactive strength of a megaconglomerate.' But, no." This quote is just one of the many throughout the book that let Jaiden's sarcasm show through. So far I have been liking the book, even though it's mostly been about setting the stage for what is going to make this book exciting. I've been enjoying learning about the day to day life of Jaiden and how he has to handle a situation, like having someone over to do homework, completely different than a normal kid. I'm about halfway through this book and I think it's about to get interesting. On page 94 Jaiden is waiting for his breakfast from the company chef Ben when Ben starts to make Jaiden rethink his faith in the NECorp company; " 'That was stupid. You need to know who's on your side here, Jaiden, and you need to be good to them. Not everyone is, you know.' I shook my head. 'What's that supposed to mean?...Ben looked at me. The right side of his lips crinkled into a smile, but his brow was angry. When he went back to glaring at Bungrin, even the smiled vanished. I had to ask him twice to cook me some more eggs." This quote really makes me think Ben knows something he isn't telling Jaiden about NECorp; something that Jaiden will hopefully find out in the rest of the book.

I am currently reading the novel "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. In this novel Bastian Balthazar Bux, a young boy that in my opinion, wasn't raised correctly. Who is neglected by his father, his mother died, and now he is being bullied in school. Even though you think that he would be a shy, self conceded person he stands by his morals that he set for himself. An example of this would be, "Bastian. Why don't you do what you dream, Bastian?" "But I can't, I have to keep my feet on the ground! " This quote tells me that even though he wasn't raised around strong morals, he taught himself to be a strong individual.

As I read more and more into this book, the more I learn that it isn't for me. I am not intrested in a dated book that uses language that I can't understand. Another aspect that I don't enjoy about it is that it is very full of fantasy. I like to use my imangination but not to this point. " I wish for the most horrifying flying dragon in the history of Fantasia!' This is one of the quotes that I picked out trying to stress my point of extreme fantasy.

Sometimes extreme fantasy novels are for a lot of people, but I konw that they are not for me. I would not reccomend this book to anyone that likes non-fiction writing becasue "The Neverending Story" is far from it.

Hannah wrote: "I am reading the book “Cupcake Queen” by Heather Helper. The main character is a girl named Penelope or “penny” for short. She moved from the big city of New York to a small run down town outside o..."

Your book sounds like something that I would be intrested in reading. Let me know when your done so I can check it out! Thanks :)

I am currently reading the third book in the Hunger Games series Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The main character in the book is Katniss Everdeen; a 16 year old female who is very headstrong and a girl with very strong opinions. Collins shows Katniss’s characterization through dialogue. Katniss hates the corrupt government of the Capitol that controls her life every day, so when she gets a chance to express her opinion she seizes every moment of it. “If you think for one second the Capitol will treat us fairly…your deluding yourself…we must fight back!” (99). Obviously Katniss does not like the Capitol and wants people to fight back (most people don’t like the capitol, except for the people who live there). This quote tells the reader that Katniss has her own strong opinions and speaks for herself. So far the book has actually been very slow. But all the people I talk to that have read the book before said the second half is much better. One thing that makes me like the book is how Collins sets up the setting of a secret society that has been hidden underground until now. “I walk into a big room lined rock, with large marble pillars lined on each side. At the very end of the room is President Coin sitting at a large round table”. This is Katniss’s first impression of District 1. Collins goes on throughout the rest of the novel expertly describing certain areas of District 13 as Katniss wanders through them. And how Collins puts images of these scenes in my head is my favorite part of the book.

I am currently reading a book called While He Was Away by Karen Schreck. Penna is the main character of this story. She is a senior at Killdeer High School in Killdeer, Oklahoma. She is a beautiful 18 year old girl who just moved to Oklahoma last year; hence the fact her boyfriend describes her by saying,"Beauty is you, Penna" (5). Her personality is cautious and uncertain. She worries a lot about her mother (her only family left) and her boyfriend going off into the service. She always likes to know what is on other people's minds; she always asks them to say something in a dull moment or she feels like she did something wrong. "Say something! Something!" says Penna when she would like to get information out of someone (2). She will not give up on what other people are thinking about. So far I like the book because I can relate to Penna; I always need to know what is going on and know what other people are thinking. But, I also wonder how people will react to her personality throughout the book. Penna might get on people's nerves and cause something to happen. I am excited to find out what happens next because Penna just had to say goodbye to her boyfriend for the last time before he goes off into the service. The goodbye wasn't well, and she asked to see him one last time but he was good. "Wait! I shouted. I'll see you again before you go, right? I'll see you tomorrow? But David is already driving away and lost in the dark. And tomorrow is today" (21).

Nicole wrote: "I am currently reading the novel "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. In this novel Bastian Balthazar Bux, a young boy that in my opinion, wasn't raised correctly. Who is neglected by his fathe..."

Hi Nicole! We need to have a book chat. I am interested in your book. I was wondering what genre it is? Hopefully we can talk about this in class. Enjoy the reading and let me know how it is!! P.S., is the "never ending story" really never ending?

Krystal wrote: "The novel that I am currently reading is, If I Stay by Gayle Forman. 18 year old Mia,is a shy dark-haired classical musician whose life revolves around the cello. Throughout the novel, Mia is slowl..."

Hi Krystal! Your book sounds different, maybe something I wouldn't read. I do not like music. But don't get me wrong, I hope you enjoy this and let me know more about it! Don't let this discourage you. You had a good post. :)

I am currently reading “Shooter” by Walter Dean Myers. One of the main characters in this story is named Cameron Porter, your average seventeen year old teen. He is a decently intellectual and well dressed African- American high school student. Cameron Porter is voluntarily being interviewed by a psychologist working for the police. Cameron was apparently either involved or connected to a school threatening incident six months earlier. “I listen to them, but I’m not a real freak for them, and I’m not into any Fourth Reich number. That’s why I agreed to talk with you, to get things straight.”(14) This quote is sort of a stepping stone to his personality at the beginning which I believe is a trustworthy and honest kid who maybe cares too much about his reputation. With this comes a real mystery and problem solving aspect which is why I really enjoy this book. With the book set up as if the ending of this incident is told first and the beginning last, it really comes out with a lot of questions like how is Cameron connected, what was this school incident, and what is to come of “ If something is supposed to be good, it should be righteous.”(27) This whole network of questions just makes you want to read even more to completely figure out the characters what was the cause of all this commotion.