05.08 Free Choice Blog

                          This week I read a book called "Speak" by Lauren Halse Anderson. Speak is the story about a girl named Melinda Sordino. Melinda isn't like most girls, she has trouble adjusting to high school when her friends stop talking to her and she becomes the outcast of school. But her life didn't suddenly change from one day to the next. One summer night Melinda was at the wrong place very drunk and ended up getting raped. Being scared of the consequences this would bring her and the boy; she never told anyone her story. Her freshmen year was miserable, until the last grading period when she couldn't hold it in anymore and finally told one of her teachers what had happened.
                           I absolutely loved this book. I think what made this book so good was that it was written by someone that's had this experience. So when you read the book it felt real, it didnt seem like just another story. You felt what Melinda felt, you were frightened when she was scared to death, you cried when she cried. I also gained a lot of respect for the author because remembering those times and being able to share it with the whole world takes a lot of guts. The author used chronological order, writing the book from the first marking period to the last. Along the way she would include flashbacks of the night when Melinda got raped. When the author wrote this story I believe she wrote it to not only entertain but to raise awareness. She wanted to make sure people knew that these types of things could happen to anyone at any time, and it’s not something to take lightly.

04.08 Free Choice Blog

                     This week I took a quick break from the book "An Abundance of Katherines" to read a school mandatory book called "To Kill A Mockingbird". This is my second time reading TKAM so it wasnt as mysterious as it was the first time; but I do have to say I didnt love it any less. This book takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama. It tells the story of the two main characters: Jem and Scout. These kids go on adventures to discover the secrets of their unseen neighbor, Boo Radley. Along the way they meet a kid named Dill, who soon becomes their best friend and partner in crime. Dill is also the one who comes up with all the crazy ideas on how to get Boo Radley out of his house. The children finally unravel the mystery that is Boo Radley, after Jem and Scout were attacked one night and Boo had saved them. The great thing about this book, is that the author doesn't only focus on the entertainment part, but she also tries to give the reader something to leave with after they read the book. The author focuses a lot on the racism that was taking place in the 1930's. That's where the character Tom Robinson comes in. Tom was a black man that was accused of rape and was taken to court. Being that he was black the judge and the jury didn't even take into consideration his side of the story and he was found guilty. Adding this case into the story shows the reader how unjust America was at one point in history. The author mainly used chronological order, and she used a lot of foreshadowing throughout the chapters. Harper Lee was telling this story to entertain and inform people of how bad the discrimination in this country was. I recommend everyone to take some time and read this book, it is truly spectacular.

03.07 Free Choice Blog

03.07 Free Choice Blog

Hello there,

                 

                This week I continued reading John Green's book "An Abundance of Katherines". So far the main character (Colin) is still grieving over his break up with Katherine number 19. But what hurts Colin the most is that he is always the "dumpee" in the situation, and he can't quite understand why this keeps happening to him. When his best friend finds him all depressed he tries to help him get over the break-up by taking a road trip. But instead of helping him forget, all he's doing is remembering how he became so caught up in the name "Katherine" and how much he had loved Katherine number 19. 

                As I read this book I find myself falling in love with it more and more. John Green always finds a way of combining humor and romance, and he never makes it cheesy or like a Disney movie. Another thing I love about his writing is that he makes you think of your own life situations. For some reason, even if you're not going through the same problems his characters are, you can always relate to them one way or another. And that's one of the main reasons I always find myself coming back to his books. His intent in "An Abundance of Katherines" is just to entertain. The book probably has a deeper meaning to it, but since I'm only in the middle of the book I haven't had the chance to understand what he's trying to get across. So far, I can tell that the author is using chronological order. He's telling the story from when he met Katherine number 1 all the way to Katherine number 2.

02.07 Free Choice Blog

Hello there!
          As you know from my last blog post, one of my favorite authors is John Green. This week I started reading "An Abundance of Katherines". An Abundance of Katherines basically talks about a boy's struggle with dating girls named Katherine. Even though he's already been dumped by 19 of them, he's hoping that one day he'll find a Katherine that would be worth it and won't get tired of him.
          I'm only in the third chapter of the book, but by the first page I was already in love with it. Even though it talks about heart-break, I found it quite comical. I mean who would only go out with girls named Katherine? Another reason why I fell in love with the book so quickly was because of the way the author describes the pain he feels when his latest Katherine broke up with him. "But the feeling Colin had was some horrible opposite of crying. It was you, minus something. He kept thinking about one word-forever- and felt the burning ache just beneath his rib cage. It makes you realize how just one word someone important says can affect you so deeply, and it's so detailed that you can't help but feel the ache yourself. If I were to write notes about this book, I would most likely use a list. I would use a list because it would be the easiest way to keep track of important details. For example, like how the main character would only date Katherines, and how his parents only ever talk to him when they think something is wrong with him.

01.03 Materials and Free Choice

 

Hello there!

               Today while I was doing my Reading for College Success course in Florida Virtual School, I got the chance to take a really cool quiz. It was called "What Kind Of Reader Are You ?", basically it asks you a bunch of questions about what you like to read and what things you look for in a book. When I got my results, it concluded that I was the type of person who liked fantasy books. You know the types of books that have wizards, and werewolves in them! It also said that I should read dramatic books. Books that make you cry and keep you at the edge of your seat. I couldn't believe my results, they were extremely accurate! I love being able to cry over a characters death, and wonder what it's like to eat blood like vampires. 

              Recently I read a book called "A Fault in Our Stars" by the author John Greene. Saying this book is good wouldn't do it justice.  When I finished reading this book, I felt like a part of me was missing, like I had lost myself entirely and was only able to recover the necessary elements needed to go on. I think that when you find a book that can make you feel like this you never actually want to stop and go back to your reality, you just want to stay with the character and help it through its problems and be there to see it grow.