Kyleigh Hairston
Thirteen Reasons Why
By Jay Asher
Today, Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 - 24 year olds. It is also something people don't address today. In Thirteen Reasons Why, they address this issue and show what a teens lifes is actually like during a time when they feel like their only way out is suicide.
If you got home from school one day, after finding out someone you knew had committed suicide, and found a box outside your door that you weren't expecting what would you do. If it were me I'd be extemely curious what the package is. The way this story starts is when Clay, the main character, picks up a box left outside his house addressed to him. He cuts the box open and finds 7 double sided tapes that are numbered. The tapes were left behind for 13 people, including Clay, telling the truth about what led to hannah's death and how they were all a part of it. If somebody you knew had committed suicide and left behind tapes for you, what would you do? Clay is curious and inserts the first tape into the cassette player, and after hearing the words, "Hello, boys and girls... I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're on of the reasons why"(24), becomes very confused and a little frightened.
This book spoke to me because it didn't censor many of the things that are censored in television today. It told the truth which many stories don't do and I was able to connect with the characters and understand them.
If you are captain of the basketball team, a rich boy with no problems, a very charismatic person, the class clown, cheerleader, writer or a photographer, you can relate to this book. I personally related to the overall theme of the book and a little to all of the characters. As a high schooler, it is hard. You never know who is real or not and there are many times where it seems like the world is against you and this book helps you relate to it. I recommend this book to every highschooler and parents and teachers because it helps understand.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Two People, One Story
If you're looking for financial advice, turn away now. Recently, I have been reading a book called The House Of Sand And Fog by Andre Dubus III. This book is very interesting. We are first introduced to a man named Behrani. Behrani is an ex-colonel from the Iranian Air Force who immigrated to America. He has a wife, Nadereh, and a son, Esmail. They live in an upscale apartment in San Francisco, California. Behrani works as a trash collector during the day and a cashier at a convenience store at night. One day, he decides he is tired of the way he is living his life. He decides to purchase a home for $45,000, all of his family's money. This brings me to the next protagonist, Kathy. She is a recovering drug addict, and her husband recently left her, She is living by herself in a home that has been in her family when she starts getting letters regarding unpaid taxes. She brushes this off as a mistake for several months, until one day the police come to her house. They inform her that they are seizing the property due to business taxes not being paid despite the fact that there is no business there. She is approached by one of the officers, Deputy Lester Burdon, who wants to help her get this issue resolved. Behrani, also, tends to have anger issues. One time he smashes his wife's cassette player, and another slaps her in the face with so much force that she falls off the chair and is left weeping on the ground.
One really interesting thing that occurs in this book is flashbacks. They happen to both characters, but I personally like Behrani's more. Behrani has flashbacks to his days as a colonel in the Iranian Air Force, and Kathy has flashbacks to her time spent with her ex-lover, Nicky. Not only do they add in background information, they do it in a way that is easy to understand, They don't make it very confusing by having it go in and out suddenly and they don't have it boring to the point where it just lists off facts. It add not only to the story but the whole reading experience.
So far, I have given only facts. Now, here are my predictions. I think that it is very obvious the house Behrani bought was Kathy's, but I could be wrong. I also think that, if things keep on going the way they are, Behrani and Nadereh will separate or even divorce, which will definitely put a fork in the road with Behrani's plan. Again, these are nothing but predictions, and mine at that.
One really interesting thing that occurs in this book is flashbacks. They happen to both characters, but I personally like Behrani's more. Behrani has flashbacks to his days as a colonel in the Iranian Air Force, and Kathy has flashbacks to her time spent with her ex-lover, Nicky. Not only do they add in background information, they do it in a way that is easy to understand, They don't make it very confusing by having it go in and out suddenly and they don't have it boring to the point where it just lists off facts. It add not only to the story but the whole reading experience.
So far, I have given only facts. Now, here are my predictions. I think that it is very obvious the house Behrani bought was Kathy's, but I could be wrong. I also think that, if things keep on going the way they are, Behrani and Nadereh will separate or even divorce, which will definitely put a fork in the road with Behrani's plan. Again, these are nothing but predictions, and mine at that.
Are You Ready?
Have you ever wondered what our society will be like in the near future? Well Ready Player One by Ernest Cline creates a pretty good picture of where we might be heading. In the novel public schools are now electronic and people have used these electronics to escape their horrible lives. The actual technology used is a three-dimensional paradise called the "OASIS" where you can do anything you want, be anything you want, and look like anything you want. The creator of the OASIS, James Halliday has died and hidden an Easter egg somewhere in it. The finder of this egg will get his fortune of about 240 billion dollars .In the journey to find the Easter Egg one must find three keys and the gates that match each one of them.For example the copper key and the copper gate, the gold key and the gold gate, and the crystal key and the crystal gate. In this twisted dystopian society where poverty and hunger has taken over, you can only imagine that everyone is looking for it. These people looking for it are called "gunters" and the main character, eighteen year old Wade Watts, is one of them. Wade has no parents and lives with his cruel aunt and whoever she is dating. As wade begins his search he finds the first key which causes a big enough eruption in the OASIS world that people are threatening to kill him and his family.
When I started this book I wasn't quite sure if I would like it because I'm not that interested in video games but I'm a little past halfway and I can't put it down. I can relate to the character on so many levels. At the beginning of the book when Wade is informing the reader about his hideout is when I started to relate to him. On page 25 He says "I knew right away that I'd found something of immeasurable value: privacy." It probably sounds small but being the youngest of five kids and living with an overall of nine people in one house you can only imagine how hard it is to find some privacy and I am still yet to find my "hideout". Not only can I relate to the character but the book is just great, the storyline always has you on the edge of your seat. If I had to recommend this book to a certain audience then I would probably recommend it to gamers, people who grew up in the 80's or anyone looking for a good read. Most of the novel takes place in the OASIS and Wade spends most of his time looking for clues from stuff in the 80s because that's where Halliday told hunters to look before he passed away. If you actually end reading this book which I strongly recommend doing then I just have one more thing to say. Enjoy.
-Cullen Millerick
Monday, May 1, 2017
Not My Type of Book
Eragon
By Christopher Paolini
BOOM! A pillar to the prison has fallen. Eragon on the back of Saphira screams to keep on going. Saphira shoots a fireball at the enemy urgals and they go flying. An urgal gets in swinging distance of Eragon and strikes with a quick jab of a dagger to Eragon's side. Eragon fires back with a blast of magic in the urgals direction killing it on impact. Eragon is wounded ,but determined and will not surrender. So, he keeps pushing deeper into the prison with each minute he's in there more people die. Eventually the whole prison is just a bloodbath and it'd seemed like this was all a pointless task. But, then a glimmer of hope appeared. In a cell in the far back of the hall seemed to be what Eragon was looking for. A small, delicate, unharmed,but frightened elf named Arya. Eragon grabs her by the waist and him and Saphira hightail it out of there. Hundreds dead all over an elf.
That was just my take on one of the more exciting scenes in the book titled Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Christopher does an excellent job of writing a great novel for all ages. In this novel there is a poor, skinny, pale,and dark eyed boy named Eragon. He is our protanginist and a very good one at that. Eragon is very young, "Eragon was fifteen, less than a year from manhood."(pg 6) He was born into a poor village in Algaëisa with his uncle and cousin. Eragons life was pretty bland and simple until he heard a loud explosion in the woods. Eragon being the curious boy he is went to investigate and he found a crystal blue shiny stone that glimmered in the moonlight in the middle of the explosion crater. Thinking he could sell the stone for money he takes it and puts in his room. After that, he learns that he won't get any money for that stone. However, shortly after that " Suddenly a crack appeared on the stone. Then another and another... Eragon recoiled in shock. Standing in front of him, licking off the membrane that encased it,was a dragon."(pg 37) That's right a dragon hatched from the stone. Eragon touches the dragon ,and a blast of lighting happens and Eragon is left with a white streak on his hand. Eragon eventually becomes close with the dragon as through touching it he gained the skill to telepathically talking to it. He names the dragon Saphira. Eragon and Saphira become great friends as Saphira realizes who Eragon is and understands his story. Soon after this, two sketchy men come into town looking for Eragon. Since he just got Saphira he assumed it had something to do with that. So Eragon flies away on Saphira's back. Eragon comes back the next day to find the whole village levels and everyone in the village is dead. He soon learns that the king did this to try and kill Eragon and Saphira because they are part of an exclusive group of people Called the dragon riders. The dragon riders are legends and known for being very powerful ,so the king is scared and wants to kill all of them. So, Eragon and Saphira have to go on adventures to try avoid and fight the evils that are trying to kill them. And that is pretty much the plot of the story.
So, now onto the actual review of the book. I'm going to say this now I hate this book. I only still have this book because I'm very lazy and I don't want to get up and go to the library. But, anyways the book takes so long to get going. I swear the first 100 pages are just about Eragon and his problems in his stupid town. Don't get me wrong Eragon is a great character and all ,but one character can't carry a whole book. In the first 100 pages I almost fell asleep reading it.All It talked about was farming and village life. I couldnt stand it. However, I have to recogonize that the character development in these pages were immense. In the book I saw Eragon go from a poor little farm boy who I had felt bad for him in pity to a strong intelligent man who it's impossible to root against. However, I honestly couldn't care less for character development. I'm more of an action kinda of guy than anything else ,and this section lacked that so that's why I didn't like it that much.
I've currently read roughly three quarters of the book ,and the action has defiently picked up ,but I'm still not a fan. The next section was nowhere as bad as the first ,but I think it's the overall idea of the book I don't like. I don't like the whole fantasy genre being completely honest. When I read these types of books I can't get any sense of realism from it,and that is just such a turnoff for me. I want to feel like I could be in the book ,but for Eragon I couldn't feel that and that's probably because of the dragons and magics stuff like those are just not real. However, Eragons and Saphiras characters are very indearing and perfectly played out. Eragon is just so likable and Saphira is just so wise it's impossible not to like. And the king is just a very hateable character ,so I want Eragon to win. The plot is also pretty good I have no complaints about that besides it started too slow. However, in the end the bad our ways the good ,so id give the book an overall thumbs down.
I feel a lot of people would like this book. I think people who love fantasy genre would love this because it has a a lot of the elements that makes fantasies what they are. Like mythical animals/people ,talking animals ,and magical stuff. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who like action over characters and plot like me, but if you're the opposite go for it. Lastly I'd recommend this book for everyone because it's different. I've never read a book like this before and that is good. It has had a great story so far and it's different than most books I've read ,so I would recommend it for everyone because it never hurts to try something new.
-Jake Gustafson
By Christopher Paolini
BOOM! A pillar to the prison has fallen. Eragon on the back of Saphira screams to keep on going. Saphira shoots a fireball at the enemy urgals and they go flying. An urgal gets in swinging distance of Eragon and strikes with a quick jab of a dagger to Eragon's side. Eragon fires back with a blast of magic in the urgals direction killing it on impact. Eragon is wounded ,but determined and will not surrender. So, he keeps pushing deeper into the prison with each minute he's in there more people die. Eventually the whole prison is just a bloodbath and it'd seemed like this was all a pointless task. But, then a glimmer of hope appeared. In a cell in the far back of the hall seemed to be what Eragon was looking for. A small, delicate, unharmed,but frightened elf named Arya. Eragon grabs her by the waist and him and Saphira hightail it out of there. Hundreds dead all over an elf.
That was just my take on one of the more exciting scenes in the book titled Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Christopher does an excellent job of writing a great novel for all ages. In this novel there is a poor, skinny, pale,and dark eyed boy named Eragon. He is our protanginist and a very good one at that. Eragon is very young, "Eragon was fifteen, less than a year from manhood."(pg 6) He was born into a poor village in Algaëisa with his uncle and cousin. Eragons life was pretty bland and simple until he heard a loud explosion in the woods. Eragon being the curious boy he is went to investigate and he found a crystal blue shiny stone that glimmered in the moonlight in the middle of the explosion crater. Thinking he could sell the stone for money he takes it and puts in his room. After that, he learns that he won't get any money for that stone. However, shortly after that " Suddenly a crack appeared on the stone. Then another and another... Eragon recoiled in shock. Standing in front of him, licking off the membrane that encased it,was a dragon."(pg 37) That's right a dragon hatched from the stone. Eragon touches the dragon ,and a blast of lighting happens and Eragon is left with a white streak on his hand. Eragon eventually becomes close with the dragon as through touching it he gained the skill to telepathically talking to it. He names the dragon Saphira. Eragon and Saphira become great friends as Saphira realizes who Eragon is and understands his story. Soon after this, two sketchy men come into town looking for Eragon. Since he just got Saphira he assumed it had something to do with that. So Eragon flies away on Saphira's back. Eragon comes back the next day to find the whole village levels and everyone in the village is dead. He soon learns that the king did this to try and kill Eragon and Saphira because they are part of an exclusive group of people Called the dragon riders. The dragon riders are legends and known for being very powerful ,so the king is scared and wants to kill all of them. So, Eragon and Saphira have to go on adventures to try avoid and fight the evils that are trying to kill them. And that is pretty much the plot of the story.
So, now onto the actual review of the book. I'm going to say this now I hate this book. I only still have this book because I'm very lazy and I don't want to get up and go to the library. But, anyways the book takes so long to get going. I swear the first 100 pages are just about Eragon and his problems in his stupid town. Don't get me wrong Eragon is a great character and all ,but one character can't carry a whole book. In the first 100 pages I almost fell asleep reading it.All It talked about was farming and village life. I couldnt stand it. However, I have to recogonize that the character development in these pages were immense. In the book I saw Eragon go from a poor little farm boy who I had felt bad for him in pity to a strong intelligent man who it's impossible to root against. However, I honestly couldn't care less for character development. I'm more of an action kinda of guy than anything else ,and this section lacked that so that's why I didn't like it that much.
I've currently read roughly three quarters of the book ,and the action has defiently picked up ,but I'm still not a fan. The next section was nowhere as bad as the first ,but I think it's the overall idea of the book I don't like. I don't like the whole fantasy genre being completely honest. When I read these types of books I can't get any sense of realism from it,and that is just such a turnoff for me. I want to feel like I could be in the book ,but for Eragon I couldn't feel that and that's probably because of the dragons and magics stuff like those are just not real. However, Eragons and Saphiras characters are very indearing and perfectly played out. Eragon is just so likable and Saphira is just so wise it's impossible not to like. And the king is just a very hateable character ,so I want Eragon to win. The plot is also pretty good I have no complaints about that besides it started too slow. However, in the end the bad our ways the good ,so id give the book an overall thumbs down.
I feel a lot of people would like this book. I think people who love fantasy genre would love this because it has a a lot of the elements that makes fantasies what they are. Like mythical animals/people ,talking animals ,and magical stuff. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who like action over characters and plot like me, but if you're the opposite go for it. Lastly I'd recommend this book for everyone because it's different. I've never read a book like this before and that is good. It has had a great story so far and it's different than most books I've read ,so I would recommend it for everyone because it never hurts to try something new.
-Jake Gustafson
Keeping Promises
Keeping Promises
Caroline Crowley
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Could you imagine telling someone your darkest secret? It would probably be a tough situation for anyone. For the smart and shy fourteen year old, Ivy June, she is put in a situation where she needs to tell someone her worst secret. The person that she needs to tell is another fourteen year old girl ,Catherine Clark,who is athletic and outgoing. Ivy is currently living with Catherine for the next couple of weeks because they both are in a student exchange program at their schools. The two girls were on their way to a school dance at Catherine's high school, and Catherine whispered to Ivy, "I am going to tell you something that nobody knows about. I am secretly dating that boy Cameron from our school" (211). Ivy was in shock because she was the only person who knew about Catherine's secret, and Cameron would be showing up at the dance that evening. She promised not to tell anyone. When Ivy arrived at the dance, she met up with some of Catherine's friends and they were discussing who they were going to slow dance with at the dance. Catherine's best friend,Kate, said, "I want to dance with Cameron. He seems like my type" (215). Catherine then joined the group, and Ivy mistakenly spilled the news to all of Catherine's friends about Catherine and Cameron dating. Her friends found it hilarious, but at the same time were annoyed with the fact that Catherine didn't tell them about the news. Later that night at Catherine's house, Catherine confronted Ivy about how embarassed she felt and how mad she was at Ivy for being untrustworthy. Catherine is out to get revenge on Ivy, and in return she is forcing Ivy to tell herself her most darkest secret so that Catherine can make Ivy feel just as bad as she herself feels. My opinion of the book is that it's very interesting and realistic. The book is realistic fiction, so many of the events that occur in the story can relate to real life situations that many teenagers face everyday. An example of this is when Catherine and Ivy have their ups and downs with each other, but at the end of the day, they are always friends. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a lot of dialogue full of drama. This is a great book especially for teen agers who are experiencing ups and downs with their relationships.
Caroline Crowley
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Could you imagine telling someone your darkest secret? It would probably be a tough situation for anyone. For the smart and shy fourteen year old, Ivy June, she is put in a situation where she needs to tell someone her worst secret. The person that she needs to tell is another fourteen year old girl ,Catherine Clark,who is athletic and outgoing. Ivy is currently living with Catherine for the next couple of weeks because they both are in a student exchange program at their schools. The two girls were on their way to a school dance at Catherine's high school, and Catherine whispered to Ivy, "I am going to tell you something that nobody knows about. I am secretly dating that boy Cameron from our school" (211). Ivy was in shock because she was the only person who knew about Catherine's secret, and Cameron would be showing up at the dance that evening. She promised not to tell anyone. When Ivy arrived at the dance, she met up with some of Catherine's friends and they were discussing who they were going to slow dance with at the dance. Catherine's best friend,Kate, said, "I want to dance with Cameron. He seems like my type" (215). Catherine then joined the group, and Ivy mistakenly spilled the news to all of Catherine's friends about Catherine and Cameron dating. Her friends found it hilarious, but at the same time were annoyed with the fact that Catherine didn't tell them about the news. Later that night at Catherine's house, Catherine confronted Ivy about how embarassed she felt and how mad she was at Ivy for being untrustworthy. Catherine is out to get revenge on Ivy, and in return she is forcing Ivy to tell herself her most darkest secret so that Catherine can make Ivy feel just as bad as she herself feels. My opinion of the book is that it's very interesting and realistic. The book is realistic fiction, so many of the events that occur in the story can relate to real life situations that many teenagers face everyday. An example of this is when Catherine and Ivy have their ups and downs with each other, but at the end of the day, they are always friends. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a lot of dialogue full of drama. This is a great book especially for teen agers who are experiencing ups and downs with their relationships.
Nobody gets to tell me how my story ends but me
Rachel Boudreau
Every Heart A Doorway
By Seanan McGuire
In every heart is a doorway and in every doorway a world. Imagine for a moment you are a child again. Imagination running wild and the only impact on your life is who you are playing with at recess tomorrow. Then it appears a doorway from nowhere but where it could go is endless in its possibilities.
This is what happened to Nancy. Whisked away to the underworld to dance with the Lord of the dead and finally when she finally felt at home they threw her out. Her Lord of the dead promising that she would return if she is truly sure she wants to stay. After returning to the real world Nancy is sent to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children where children like her are sent to "get better" and "grow out of their delusions". As Nancy arrives she is immediately thrust into a world of nonsense, logic, and magic. Only when she starts to get used to her surroundings does the craziness begin. How is Nancy supposed to return to her world when she is trying not killed by the terror stalking the halls. It's up to her and her newfound friends to get to the bottom of it before they end up hurt or worse dead.
“Together they walked across the property, a girl, a boy, and the dancing skeleton wrapped in rainbows” (McGuire,140)
I love this story! The story is so intriguing and I wonder why I didn't pick it up sooner. Its humor is infectious and while reading it I struggled to not burst out laughing public. While its humor is positively dark and silly, where it really shines is its deeper meaning and quotability. Many times I would read a paragraph and have to take a moment to contemplate what it may actually mean. A wonderful example of this is When Nancy thinks “all things she would have done among the living were gone now, rendered impossible when her heart stopped beating. Death was precious. That didn’t change the fact life was limited” (McGuire, 86). I also love it for the characters inclusiveness. There is both an asexual and transgender character, both are never treated any differently and both are accepted as they are. I would recommend this book to teenagers, fantasy lovers and fans of Grimm Fairy Tales. The story is filled with whimsical and wacky characters that are easy to fall in love with and relate to. By the end of this book, I was near tears. The story was beautiful and I didn’t want it to end but it did as all things do.
Every Heart A Doorway
By Seanan McGuire
In every heart is a doorway and in every doorway a world. Imagine for a moment you are a child again. Imagination running wild and the only impact on your life is who you are playing with at recess tomorrow. Then it appears a doorway from nowhere but where it could go is endless in its possibilities.
This is what happened to Nancy. Whisked away to the underworld to dance with the Lord of the dead and finally when she finally felt at home they threw her out. Her Lord of the dead promising that she would return if she is truly sure she wants to stay. After returning to the real world Nancy is sent to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children where children like her are sent to "get better" and "grow out of their delusions". As Nancy arrives she is immediately thrust into a world of nonsense, logic, and magic. Only when she starts to get used to her surroundings does the craziness begin. How is Nancy supposed to return to her world when she is trying not killed by the terror stalking the halls. It's up to her and her newfound friends to get to the bottom of it before they end up hurt or worse dead.
“Together they walked across the property, a girl, a boy, and the dancing skeleton wrapped in rainbows” (McGuire,140)
I love this story! The story is so intriguing and I wonder why I didn't pick it up sooner. Its humor is infectious and while reading it I struggled to not burst out laughing public. While its humor is positively dark and silly, where it really shines is its deeper meaning and quotability. Many times I would read a paragraph and have to take a moment to contemplate what it may actually mean. A wonderful example of this is When Nancy thinks “all things she would have done among the living were gone now, rendered impossible when her heart stopped beating. Death was precious. That didn’t change the fact life was limited” (McGuire, 86). I also love it for the characters inclusiveness. There is both an asexual and transgender character, both are never treated any differently and both are accepted as they are. I would recommend this book to teenagers, fantasy lovers and fans of Grimm Fairy Tales. The story is filled with whimsical and wacky characters that are easy to fall in love with and relate to. By the end of this book, I was near tears. The story was beautiful and I didn’t want it to end but it did as all things do.
Is There More Than One Purpose To One’s Life?
Is There More Than One Purpose To One’s Life?
Mariana Fry
A Dog’s Journey
by : W. Bruce Cameron
W. Bruce Cameron writes stories of many dogs’ lives. He writes about their challenges through life, and how they find their purposes using their challenges. However, he also includes the dog’s owners’ lives. The owners are included to demonstrate the dogs’ purposes. Without owners, would dogs even have a purpose? If they did, how did they walk through their journey without a person in charge?
Just like dogs die, humans do too. This can happen from natural causes, such as dying of old age or going to bed and never waking back up. It can also happen from illnesses such as cancer. At the end of W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose, Ethan, Buddy’s owner, tragically leaves the world from cancer. Continuing on from A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey begins 2 years after the first book ended. Buddy says “This was the second summer without Ethan.”(9) He still lives on the farm with Hannah, Ethan’s lover before he died, and their daily life is still the same. Every once in awhile, Ethan’s daughter in law and granddaughter will come and visit the farm. Clarity, Ethan’s granddaughter, enjoys spending time on the dock with her mother Gloria, and Buddy. However, Gloria does not like dogs. She’s always blaming problems on Buddy. One day, Clarity gets herself into a troubled situation, and Buddy saves her. Gloria takes this situation the wrong way and stops coming to the farm with her daughter. Shortly after, Buddy grows very old and unfortunately passes. He begins his next life saying “images were just starting to resolve themselves in my bleary eyes when I remembered everything. One moment and I was a newborn puppy with no direction or purpose…”(37). Now Buddy is called Molly, for she is a female. She has a brother named Rocky who she plays with everyday. Soon enough, Molly and Rocky are adopted by two best friends. Rocky goes home with a boy named Trent, who happens to be Clarity’s best friend. Molly is adopted by Clarity, Ethan’s granddaughter. The two best friends grow up together happily, along with Rocky and Molly. Molly discovers that her new purpose is to love and look after Clarity, who is also known as CJ. She has to protect her from scary boyfriends, and her awful mother Gloria. The majority of this book is written about Molly’s life, but CJ gets in a car accident to end Molly’s narrative. In the car, When Clarity bends over to grab her phone Molly says “something slammed me so hard I lost track of everything. I heard CJ scream and a shock of pain went through my body and I couldn’t see.”(190) This tragically ends Molly’s life, transforming her into a little boy pup again. His name is Max, and he believes his only job is to find Clarity again. Luckily, he does! She is all grown up and together they live great life. Trent is still a part of Clarity’s life, however Rocky has passed. Living on her own, Clarity constantly has money issues and health issues, for she has an eating disorder. Trent and CJ get married, and CJ continuously grows weaker. Soon enough Trent does too when he is diagnosed with cancer. Along with the couple, Max grows weak because of old age and passes. He enters his last life as a therapy dog named Toby. He spends his days in the hospital, sitting with dying patients, helping them let go. Toby is reunited with a familiar face. They spend the rest of their lives together. Read this book to discover the rest.
Overall, Cameron’s first book to this series focused on Ethan’s relationship with Bailey and Buddy. This book focused on CJ’s life with all of the dogs in this book. I think reading about each dog’s journey with Clarity was really touching because CJ had a special connection with each of them. Every dog entered CJ’s life at a different stage, causing them to help her through all different stages. For example, Molly was CJ’s dog when she was a teen, facing struggles with her related to things like school, whereas Max found CJ as an adult, facing struggles with her related to things like work and money. Therefore the bonds built were all touching, because it showed that a dog can always help their owner.
I’d recommend this book to dog lovers especially because after reading this, your relationship with your dog changes. You will look at them in a different way than you used to because you’ve most likely never thought about their perspective. I’d also recommend this book to anybody who has previously read A dog’s Purpose because it takes off right from where it ended and this book is also heartwarming, but not as much of a tearjerker. I personally found this book filled with more humor than words to cause tears. This being said, read the first book first because the second won’t make that much sense otherwise.
I would probably rate this book 9/10 stars, only because A Dog’s Purpose was so good that I was expecting more. All in all, READ THIS!You May be Alive, but are you Living?
Emily Butler
You May be Alive, but are you Living?
What is the meaning of life? This question has been pondered by the greatest human thinkers, yet no one can ever agree on an answer. Some might say that you can find this meaning - or a clue to it - in the low points in human morality -situations that leave a person with virtually nothing, yet they find themselves pushing on each day. The Holocaust began 84 years ago and tore apart Western Europe. In the eyes of Nazi Germany, the lives of prisoners had no meaning. Surely the prisoners felt some purpose, however? Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl answers this question and goes further by using his psychological studies to analyze human behavior during torturous days in Nazi concentration camps. He effortlessly combines this analyzation with accounts of his experiences, all in the form of Man’s Search for Meaning. As Frankl himself writes, “everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (66), showing that this book may be a step closer to answering the question we've all asked ourselves.
Frankl's words are sometimes blunt yet utterly heart-wrenching as he displays the truth of living in unbearable conditions, such as when he admitted that “The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed” (74). Viktor travels through several camps, including a very well-known one: Auschwitz. He is appointed as a doctor for other prisoners with typhus and observes the stages of prison life beginning with false hope and ending with a numbness of all emotion, as well as an animalistic defense of yourself and your loved ones. Through losing his wife, avoiding altercations with guards, and staring in the face of freedom, Frankl seems to come close to discovering why humans continue to live, no matter the situation.
It's hard to narrow down the great things about this book into a brief few. However, I can say that one outstanding attribute of Man’s Search for Meaning is the blend between Frankl’s personal experience in the camps and his psychological studies. The approach to the topic is extremely authentic and brings up aspects of camp life that most don't understand. Personal accounts bring emotion while psychological aspects provoke fascination in the reader. Dealing with such a serious topic while writing a book can go horribly wrong and end up sounding like a textbook or a horror movie. Frankl manages to keep a good balance of unpleasant details, however. There were plenty of aspects of camp life that were disheartening, and Frankl is sure to note that. He doesn't drag out descriptions that will just end up making the reader uncomfortable, though. The author also chooses all of the right situations he experienced to prove his point on the reactions of the human mind in such a scenario. His journey touches all of the complex emotions felt by a prisoner and the different classes that make up the camp hierarchy, such as the Capos: privileged prisoners that act more like guards. While this book focuses on the Holocaust, I feel like it brings up questions and observations that could be attributed to a wide range of situations in life. Frankl connects his terrible experiences to common things people experience, such as love - he claims that “Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality” (111). This book seems to be full of lessons worth learning for the reader.
While I find this book exceptional, every book has things that are worth criticizing. Frankl is always reemphasizing his main ideas throughout the book. While this is not a bad thing to an extent, the writing occasionally ends up sounding a bit repetitive. Also, there isn't a very obvious sequence of events. In other words, there's not really a prominent and no specific characters. This isn't a bad thing for everyone, but I know a good amount of people who wouldn't be able to focus on such a style of writing.
This book is one that I highly recommend for anyone who loves history and factual-based writing. With that in mind, those who tend to favor fictional books might not like this one as much. Also, this book is definitely for mature readers, and I wouldn't recommend it to any younger person due to that fact that it's a tough book to comprehend.
Overall, Man’s Search for Meaning is a factual yet emotionally driven work of art that magnificently questions the behaviors and possible meaning of humanity. The timeless work is a must-read for those wishing to question themselves and the world around them.
You May be Alive, but are you Living?
What is the meaning of life? This question has been pondered by the greatest human thinkers, yet no one can ever agree on an answer. Some might say that you can find this meaning - or a clue to it - in the low points in human morality -situations that leave a person with virtually nothing, yet they find themselves pushing on each day. The Holocaust began 84 years ago and tore apart Western Europe. In the eyes of Nazi Germany, the lives of prisoners had no meaning. Surely the prisoners felt some purpose, however? Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl answers this question and goes further by using his psychological studies to analyze human behavior during torturous days in Nazi concentration camps. He effortlessly combines this analyzation with accounts of his experiences, all in the form of Man’s Search for Meaning. As Frankl himself writes, “everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (66), showing that this book may be a step closer to answering the question we've all asked ourselves.
Frankl's words are sometimes blunt yet utterly heart-wrenching as he displays the truth of living in unbearable conditions, such as when he admitted that “The prisoner who had lost his faith in the future — his future — was doomed” (74). Viktor travels through several camps, including a very well-known one: Auschwitz. He is appointed as a doctor for other prisoners with typhus and observes the stages of prison life beginning with false hope and ending with a numbness of all emotion, as well as an animalistic defense of yourself and your loved ones. Through losing his wife, avoiding altercations with guards, and staring in the face of freedom, Frankl seems to come close to discovering why humans continue to live, no matter the situation.
It's hard to narrow down the great things about this book into a brief few. However, I can say that one outstanding attribute of Man’s Search for Meaning is the blend between Frankl’s personal experience in the camps and his psychological studies. The approach to the topic is extremely authentic and brings up aspects of camp life that most don't understand. Personal accounts bring emotion while psychological aspects provoke fascination in the reader. Dealing with such a serious topic while writing a book can go horribly wrong and end up sounding like a textbook or a horror movie. Frankl manages to keep a good balance of unpleasant details, however. There were plenty of aspects of camp life that were disheartening, and Frankl is sure to note that. He doesn't drag out descriptions that will just end up making the reader uncomfortable, though. The author also chooses all of the right situations he experienced to prove his point on the reactions of the human mind in such a scenario. His journey touches all of the complex emotions felt by a prisoner and the different classes that make up the camp hierarchy, such as the Capos: privileged prisoners that act more like guards. While this book focuses on the Holocaust, I feel like it brings up questions and observations that could be attributed to a wide range of situations in life. Frankl connects his terrible experiences to common things people experience, such as love - he claims that “Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality” (111). This book seems to be full of lessons worth learning for the reader.
While I find this book exceptional, every book has things that are worth criticizing. Frankl is always reemphasizing his main ideas throughout the book. While this is not a bad thing to an extent, the writing occasionally ends up sounding a bit repetitive. Also, there isn't a very obvious sequence of events. In other words, there's not really a prominent and no specific characters. This isn't a bad thing for everyone, but I know a good amount of people who wouldn't be able to focus on such a style of writing.
This book is one that I highly recommend for anyone who loves history and factual-based writing. With that in mind, those who tend to favor fictional books might not like this one as much. Also, this book is definitely for mature readers, and I wouldn't recommend it to any younger person due to that fact that it's a tough book to comprehend.
Overall, Man’s Search for Meaning is a factual yet emotionally driven work of art that magnificently questions the behaviors and possible meaning of humanity. The timeless work is a must-read for those wishing to question themselves and the world around them.
Brady's apprentice
When you hear everything you don't want to in your life and nothing is going your way, all you could ever hope for is some luck and a little miracle.
In Mike Lupica's Million Dollar Throw, eighth grader Nate Brodie, who is nicknamed "Brady" not only because Tom Brady is his biggest idol, but also because of his amazing talent behind center at quarterback for his schools football team. Football is really the only way to escape his crazy messed up life that he's living. Football is Nates passion and is what he wants to do for the rest of his life but the rate at which he's working in school he doesn't have too big of a chance to go to a division one college for football. It isn't that he doesn't try hard in school, he just never seems to understand what's going on in class but when he's on the field, he knows everything like it's the back of his hand, meaning he understands very well what's going on which is one of the biggest reasons why he is so talented. Despite his extreme talents and amazing throwing arm, his problems in life effect his playing season in the worst of ways. From going from seasons with the lowest amount of interceptions in the league, he's throwing picks every game. Eventually Nate overcomes these issues as well as possible and gets better than ever.
The issues in his life go from school, to his family, to his best friend. First off, his father gets laid off from his job and struggles to find a new one to support his family, which forces Nates mom to work two jobs which puts a huge amount of stress on her and the whole family. Once Nates Dad finds another job, he gets fired from that one too and he doesn't try to get another one even after that. One of the most emotional parts about this book is Nate has a best friend in which they have known each other their entire lives who's name is Abby. Nate and Abby have a super close bond and have done everything together since they were young. Abby was very passionate about art and was getting very good at it until she went to the doctors and received bad news. The news was that she was eventually going to lose eyesight in both her eyes turning her completely blind. After she shares that with Nate, they get the other news that once she goes blind she has to move away and go to a special school for blind people.
Luckily before all of the madness began, Nate had had his eyes on a signed football at a nearby Olympia sports by his favorite football player, Tom Brady. It costed 500 dollars and he had saved up his money for years to buy this ball when he and Abby finally went to go buy the ball, the person at the desk wouldn't allow them to buy it without a parent there. Both of them were very mad at the employee but he later then pointed out a lottery like raffle for the chance at 1,000,000 dollars. The raffle was if your name gets called out of the people that enter, you go to a Patriots versus Jets game and go on the field at half time to throw a football 50 yards into a target for the prize money. Nate luckily wins the chance to win and gets to the field at halftime surrounded by loud roaring of the fans. Nates idol Tom Brady then comes from the tunnel to give Nate a speech about how to be a hero and take advantage of every moment that you get in life. With the chance to turn his life around, Nate chucks the ball from 50 yards into the Olympia target and gets handed the check with the prize money. Nate comes to the decision to give the money to Abby to pay for a sight saving surgery so that she would never go blind.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about sports, emotional stories, and happy endings. The author, Mike Lupica also has a large expansion of sports books which are award winners which is another reason why you should read Million Dollar Throw.
In Mike Lupica's Million Dollar Throw, eighth grader Nate Brodie, who is nicknamed "Brady" not only because Tom Brady is his biggest idol, but also because of his amazing talent behind center at quarterback for his schools football team. Football is really the only way to escape his crazy messed up life that he's living. Football is Nates passion and is what he wants to do for the rest of his life but the rate at which he's working in school he doesn't have too big of a chance to go to a division one college for football. It isn't that he doesn't try hard in school, he just never seems to understand what's going on in class but when he's on the field, he knows everything like it's the back of his hand, meaning he understands very well what's going on which is one of the biggest reasons why he is so talented. Despite his extreme talents and amazing throwing arm, his problems in life effect his playing season in the worst of ways. From going from seasons with the lowest amount of interceptions in the league, he's throwing picks every game. Eventually Nate overcomes these issues as well as possible and gets better than ever.
The issues in his life go from school, to his family, to his best friend. First off, his father gets laid off from his job and struggles to find a new one to support his family, which forces Nates mom to work two jobs which puts a huge amount of stress on her and the whole family. Once Nates Dad finds another job, he gets fired from that one too and he doesn't try to get another one even after that. One of the most emotional parts about this book is Nate has a best friend in which they have known each other their entire lives who's name is Abby. Nate and Abby have a super close bond and have done everything together since they were young. Abby was very passionate about art and was getting very good at it until she went to the doctors and received bad news. The news was that she was eventually going to lose eyesight in both her eyes turning her completely blind. After she shares that with Nate, they get the other news that once she goes blind she has to move away and go to a special school for blind people.
Luckily before all of the madness began, Nate had had his eyes on a signed football at a nearby Olympia sports by his favorite football player, Tom Brady. It costed 500 dollars and he had saved up his money for years to buy this ball when he and Abby finally went to go buy the ball, the person at the desk wouldn't allow them to buy it without a parent there. Both of them were very mad at the employee but he later then pointed out a lottery like raffle for the chance at 1,000,000 dollars. The raffle was if your name gets called out of the people that enter, you go to a Patriots versus Jets game and go on the field at half time to throw a football 50 yards into a target for the prize money. Nate luckily wins the chance to win and gets to the field at halftime surrounded by loud roaring of the fans. Nates idol Tom Brady then comes from the tunnel to give Nate a speech about how to be a hero and take advantage of every moment that you get in life. With the chance to turn his life around, Nate chucks the ball from 50 yards into the Olympia target and gets handed the check with the prize money. Nate comes to the decision to give the money to Abby to pay for a sight saving surgery so that she would never go blind.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about sports, emotional stories, and happy endings. The author, Mike Lupica also has a large expansion of sports books which are award winners which is another reason why you should read Million Dollar Throw.
Derick Babayan- Will the world ever be safe?
Derick Babayan. The serpents shadow
By: Rick Riordan
The serpents shadow, a shadow that may encase the whole world... or will it?
Sadie and Carter Kane, two young magicians, that think that they can go against all the odds and save the world. These two kids are in over their heads, they think they can go up... against a god. But they know they can do it, they know that they have to do it. Apophis, an evil God, that was recently released from his prison and has threatened to attack and destroy the earth in only a few days time. Carter, Sadie, and their young students will have to collect all the artifacts that Apophis will be attempting to steal so that they can stop him from gaining the power he needs to destroy the world, but all the odds are against them and the fact that almost no one believes in them just makes it harder, " I have my best magicians surrounding it night and day. You think you can do better at Brooklyn house"(3). Carter and Sadie have to get through numerous obstacles to ensure the safety of the world, and they must make sure that Apophis cannot collect the artifacts that he needs to destroy the earth. These two teens are on a mission to recapture Apophis and restore peace to the world, and do it without having any more casualties, "In other attacks like this one... The serpents minions didn't leave any survivors "(5). Do you think that these two teens have what it takes to lead a group of young magicians and save the world?
Personally I think that this book is great. I think that this book is interesting to read, because of all the action, and the Egyptian mythology twist it has on everything. I find it very interesting and cool how the gods are incorporated in this books, because of the gods going up against Sadie, and Carter anything can happen, and things can change in an instant to make the book much more interesting and appealing to the readers. I also like how the main characters are a couple of teens that no one has faith in, "Are these children the best you could send against me"(20), almost everyone doubts these teens even though they have saved the world multiple times, and they underestimate what they can do so I like how it's a couple of teens that save everyone, and prove all the people who doubted them wrong. This book is just all around a really thrilling book with an amazing balance of action, and comedy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes action or Egyptian mythology. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson series I can almost guarantee you will like this series. I first started reading the Percy Jackson series, and then when the first book from this series was released I was a bit skeptical, but I tried it out and I really ended up enjoying it.
By: Rick Riordan
The serpents shadow, a shadow that may encase the whole world... or will it?
Sadie and Carter Kane, two young magicians, that think that they can go against all the odds and save the world. These two kids are in over their heads, they think they can go up... against a god. But they know they can do it, they know that they have to do it. Apophis, an evil God, that was recently released from his prison and has threatened to attack and destroy the earth in only a few days time. Carter, Sadie, and their young students will have to collect all the artifacts that Apophis will be attempting to steal so that they can stop him from gaining the power he needs to destroy the world, but all the odds are against them and the fact that almost no one believes in them just makes it harder, " I have my best magicians surrounding it night and day. You think you can do better at Brooklyn house"(3). Carter and Sadie have to get through numerous obstacles to ensure the safety of the world, and they must make sure that Apophis cannot collect the artifacts that he needs to destroy the earth. These two teens are on a mission to recapture Apophis and restore peace to the world, and do it without having any more casualties, "In other attacks like this one... The serpents minions didn't leave any survivors "(5). Do you think that these two teens have what it takes to lead a group of young magicians and save the world?
Personally I think that this book is great. I think that this book is interesting to read, because of all the action, and the Egyptian mythology twist it has on everything. I find it very interesting and cool how the gods are incorporated in this books, because of the gods going up against Sadie, and Carter anything can happen, and things can change in an instant to make the book much more interesting and appealing to the readers. I also like how the main characters are a couple of teens that no one has faith in, "Are these children the best you could send against me"(20), almost everyone doubts these teens even though they have saved the world multiple times, and they underestimate what they can do so I like how it's a couple of teens that save everyone, and prove all the people who doubted them wrong. This book is just all around a really thrilling book with an amazing balance of action, and comedy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes action or Egyptian mythology. If you are a fan of the Percy Jackson series I can almost guarantee you will like this series. I first started reading the Percy Jackson series, and then when the first book from this series was released I was a bit skeptical, but I tried it out and I really ended up enjoying it.
The Witch's Boy: a confusing maze of a book
The witches boy might need to be taken off the bookshelves. As of now I am halfway through this book and I've found it to have a plot that, in my opinion, is all over the place. First I will give you an overview of what I've read. It starts off with two brothers that made a raft to go out to sea but while in the water it crumbles and they are fighting for their life in the rough water. Their dada runs into the water but can only save one, the wrong boy, (he was called this because the other brother was much more skilled and like by everyone in the village) so their father brings him to shore while the other villagers get the body of the other boy. This is where it kind of starts to get confusing. The boys mother is like a shaman and is called sister witch by everyone. So what she does is uses her magic to tie the soul of the dead boy to the living one. I know what you're thinking "what the heck is happening" yea that was my reaction too. However this book is split between two characters this boy and another girl from a different village. Her story is that she used to live at sea with her parents but her mom died so she and her father moved to this place called the dark wood. This is where her father returns to his former profession: banditry. So while this is happening there is a group of nine stones in the dark wood that are neither dead nor alive who are waiting for the "wrong boy" to come to them and save the kingdom. So there now you're all caught up. So now I feel obligated to dissect my opinion towards the one person who is probably reading this (Sup Mrs. Black).
I feel as though this book doesn't stick to a good straight plot. The author will go off telling one part of the story and as soon as you get comfortable reading it she switches on you and changes the pace. When this I just find myself feeling jumbled and confused as I try to work my way through the text due to the switch of perspective. I just felt as though the plot is a little too confusing. Also personally I found myself lacking interest and I think this is in part because it's hard to relate to the characters. Like in this quote "as she pierced both soul and boy, as she stitched the two together"
(when sister witch combines the soul of the dead boy and the body of the one that survived). I just find it hard to relate to a boy that's half soul with a witch mother, personally, but who knows maybe
someone else has a witch mother who can sew a soul to them. But along with relating to the character I felt myself not able to relate to the setting as well. The village seems to be slightly medieval with wood cottages and a bazaar type of place in town with fisherman and farmers bartering with one another. I have never encountered such things so I felt I kept struggling to make a clear picture of the setting in this novel. My last discrepancy with this novel is the slow plot development. It explains the boys accident in "The vessel was not seaworthy. Very quickly the rushing currents pulled the raft apart and the boys were thrown into the water fighting for their lives." (2) It continues on from this to explain essentially the quote for two more pages. I feel that the slow plot definitely played a huge part in my sour opinion of this novel.
To wrap up I feel was the perfect storm of dislike for me. With all of the confusing things inside the novel such as the plot or constant direction switching style of the author I just wasn't able to push through this novel. I constantly found myself drifting off while reading due to my lack of focus and interest in this novel. Maybe if the novel was adapted to a more modern vibe I would give it another chance. During the short time I read this book I constantly found myself wanting to put the book down and pull up The Office on Netflix. This is probably the least engaged I've ever been in a book (besides Great Expectations). Lastly as I read this novel I couldn't help but think "Man, I wish I was with those boys drowning in the river right now". Well there you have it, that's what I think of the novel The Witch's Boy so if you ever find yourself having a hard time falling asleep just pick this book up and start reading...I'm sure you'll fall asleep in about three minutes.
I feel as though this book doesn't stick to a good straight plot. The author will go off telling one part of the story and as soon as you get comfortable reading it she switches on you and changes the pace. When this I just find myself feeling jumbled and confused as I try to work my way through the text due to the switch of perspective. I just felt as though the plot is a little too confusing. Also personally I found myself lacking interest and I think this is in part because it's hard to relate to the characters. Like in this quote "as she pierced both soul and boy, as she stitched the two together"
(when sister witch combines the soul of the dead boy and the body of the one that survived). I just find it hard to relate to a boy that's half soul with a witch mother, personally, but who knows maybe
someone else has a witch mother who can sew a soul to them. But along with relating to the character I felt myself not able to relate to the setting as well. The village seems to be slightly medieval with wood cottages and a bazaar type of place in town with fisherman and farmers bartering with one another. I have never encountered such things so I felt I kept struggling to make a clear picture of the setting in this novel. My last discrepancy with this novel is the slow plot development. It explains the boys accident in "The vessel was not seaworthy. Very quickly the rushing currents pulled the raft apart and the boys were thrown into the water fighting for their lives." (2) It continues on from this to explain essentially the quote for two more pages. I feel that the slow plot definitely played a huge part in my sour opinion of this novel.
To wrap up I feel was the perfect storm of dislike for me. With all of the confusing things inside the novel such as the plot or constant direction switching style of the author I just wasn't able to push through this novel. I constantly found myself drifting off while reading due to my lack of focus and interest in this novel. Maybe if the novel was adapted to a more modern vibe I would give it another chance. During the short time I read this book I constantly found myself wanting to put the book down and pull up The Office on Netflix. This is probably the least engaged I've ever been in a book (besides Great Expectations). Lastly as I read this novel I couldn't help but think "Man, I wish I was with those boys drowning in the river right now". Well there you have it, that's what I think of the novel The Witch's Boy so if you ever find yourself having a hard time falling asleep just pick this book up and start reading...I'm sure you'll fall asleep in about three minutes.
Fire with Fire Book Review: Kareena Mannan
Everybody in their life has had to deal with some hardships at least once in their lifetime if not more. And it can be hard to get through these dark times if you're dealing with them alone and without the support of a friend. But luckily for Mary, she has the support of her friends, Kat and Lillia. Fire with Fire written by authors Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian is a captivating novel which starts right from where the drama and action left off in the book Burn for Burn. I would not recommend reading Fire with Fire unless you have read Burn for Burn first, because you would have no clue what is going on since the book picks up exactly from where it left off as if the first book had never even ended. But if you're looking for a great read after reading the first book in the series, join me on this journey of friends and enemies, truths and lies, love and hate, and revenge and schemes. You'll be glad you did because Fire with Fire is a book that you won't be able to put down once you start reading it.
Friends Mary, Kat, and Lillia have been plotting together to get revenge on the people that have hurt them the most. Kat and Lillia have already gotten their revenge on Rennie in the book Burn for Burn, by snatching away her title of homecoming queen. Mary also got her revenge on Reeve too, in the last book by giving him punch loaded with ecstasy, which gave him a seizure and resulted in a broken fibula. Kat and Lillia are satisfied, but Mary still wants more revenge! She has an encounter with Reeve on Halloween night in a corn maze where she reminds him of everything he had done to her, from calling her harsh names to pushing her off of a ferry. Mary feels like Reeve will apologize to her because of all the things that's been happening to him, but instead he just tells Mary to "go fuck yourself" (127). Mary is left crushed and broken from within and has some suicidal thoughts, but her friends explain to her that killing yourself or crying over the issue won't make it any better. And that's when Mary gets an idea to pull her final move on Reeve, one that will leave him feeling like nothing. Mary secretly knows that Reeve likes Lillia and she wants Lillia to make Reeve fall for her even more, just to dump him and leave him feeling heartbroken in the end. For once, Mary will be the one doing cruel things to Reeve and playing with his heart, through Lillia, and Reeve will be on the other side, taking in all this drama and ultimately feeling ruined at the end. Will these three friends be able to pull off their revenge scheme and have Reeve apologize to Mary, or will they be caught and get in trouble and the situation ends up getting worse from where they started? To find out, go and read Fire with Fire, an amazing, heart-touching story of how three teenagers try to set things straight and get what they've wanted all along- revenge.
I personally enjoyed reading this book because it kept me wanting to keep on reading more every single time I picked up the book to read it. Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian do a great job of portraying the daily hardships and struggles of teenagers today and how they might be able to overcome these problems. This book is definitely for you if you love to read books that might be able to connect to your life in a way, whether it's a theme that was showed in the book or whether you went through something like the main character(s) went through.
Champion by Marie Lu
Melanie Wan
Champion by Marie Lu
Ever wondered what happened to Day and June after they broke up at the end of the second book, Prodigy? Did both of them regret it or just one of them? If you haven't read the previous books then read them first before going onto this book and to get a full understanding of it. After Day and June broke up they went their separate ways. Day continued to work for the Republic as an agent that goes undercover to complete certain missions. June takes the job as a Princeps-Elect and stays near Anden. As time goes by ever since June and Day separated, Day is on the other side of the Republic while Day doesn't know that June and Anden is getting closer to each other. While Day is on a mission, another agent contacts him through an earpiece saying that he's invited to another Republican party but he declines again, then June cuts in and asks him so Day accepts. Will Anden and June be together? Will Day forget about June and go on his own or will he take June back? Before reading this book I recommend reading the first two books of the series, but also I recommend this book 1000000% to anyone. If you have read the first two books it was interesting and you can't stop, BUT for this book you get closer and closer to the book and you can't keep your eyes off of the book even if there's food. The author literally grabs your mind mentally and won't let go of it until your done or have to go. There isn't only fierce romance but there is also a lot of jealousy in the love triangle of the two "Mr. Perfects" for the one "Mrs. Perfect." The author uses a lot of details in a small section. "Dark red hair, different enough from my usual white-blond, cut to just past my shoulders and pulled back into a tail. Green contacts that look natural when layered over by blue eyes. A crumbled half-tucked collar shirt, its tiny silver buttons shinning in the dark, a thin military jacket, black pants and steel-tossed boots, a thick gray scarf wrapped around my neck, chin, and mouth. A dark soldier cap is pulled low over my forehead, and a crimson, painted tattoo stretches all over the left half of my face, changing me into someone unfamiliar." Also while you are reading, she makes you visualize all the actions and places she is describing. "I sit in a balcony overlooking the courtroom's round stage, my hands restless in their white silk gloves, my body constantly shifting in my vest and black ruffled coat, my boots quietly tapping against the balcony pillars. My chair is made out of synthetic oak and cushioned with soft, scarlet velvet". I recommend this book to anyone who likes difficult romances and challenging world saving missions.
Champion by Marie Lu
Ever wondered what happened to Day and June after they broke up at the end of the second book, Prodigy? Did both of them regret it or just one of them? If you haven't read the previous books then read them first before going onto this book and to get a full understanding of it. After Day and June broke up they went their separate ways. Day continued to work for the Republic as an agent that goes undercover to complete certain missions. June takes the job as a Princeps-Elect and stays near Anden. As time goes by ever since June and Day separated, Day is on the other side of the Republic while Day doesn't know that June and Anden is getting closer to each other. While Day is on a mission, another agent contacts him through an earpiece saying that he's invited to another Republican party but he declines again, then June cuts in and asks him so Day accepts. Will Anden and June be together? Will Day forget about June and go on his own or will he take June back? Before reading this book I recommend reading the first two books of the series, but also I recommend this book 1000000% to anyone. If you have read the first two books it was interesting and you can't stop, BUT for this book you get closer and closer to the book and you can't keep your eyes off of the book even if there's food. The author literally grabs your mind mentally and won't let go of it until your done or have to go. There isn't only fierce romance but there is also a lot of jealousy in the love triangle of the two "Mr. Perfects" for the one "Mrs. Perfect." The author uses a lot of details in a small section. "Dark red hair, different enough from my usual white-blond, cut to just past my shoulders and pulled back into a tail. Green contacts that look natural when layered over by blue eyes. A crumbled half-tucked collar shirt, its tiny silver buttons shinning in the dark, a thin military jacket, black pants and steel-tossed boots, a thick gray scarf wrapped around my neck, chin, and mouth. A dark soldier cap is pulled low over my forehead, and a crimson, painted tattoo stretches all over the left half of my face, changing me into someone unfamiliar." Also while you are reading, she makes you visualize all the actions and places she is describing. "I sit in a balcony overlooking the courtroom's round stage, my hands restless in their white silk gloves, my body constantly shifting in my vest and black ruffled coat, my boots quietly tapping against the balcony pillars. My chair is made out of synthetic oak and cushioned with soft, scarlet velvet". I recommend this book to anyone who likes difficult romances and challenging world saving missions.
Unconditional Love: Is it a Healer?
Room
By Emma Donague
Danielle Pouliot
Have you ever loved someone so much that the rest of the world does not matter? No matter the circumstances, your love for this person will always pull you through tough times. This is the life of Room’s protagonist, Jack and his mother. Jack, a five year old boy, has spent his whole life trapped in a tiny room with his “Ma”. Jack has no reality of the outside and presumes everything he sees on tv is fake. The only taste of the outside world that Jack has is on Sunday Treat, where a man named Old Nick brings Ma and Jack “stuff we need that I ask him for” ( 37), if it does not provide Old Nick any trouble. Every night when Old Nick comes to sleep with Ma, Jack hides in the wardrobe, away from the monster. Jack is unaware of what Old Nick does/ has done to Ma. She hides her troubles from him so he does not have to feel the struggle that she is feeling.
I whole heartily recommend this book to any teenager or adult. There are some moments that are not meant for children, and children could not be able to comprehend some moments of the book. I espically recommend this book to teenagers so they can experience the unconditional love a parent has for their child, and the sacrifices they make. Room would also be great for parents, because they can relate to Ma and her character, someone who keeps her child safe from any harm.
Emma Donoghue should also be commended on her writing throughout the book. We can see what life is like through a small child like Jack, who makes a game or fun out of every moment. The light hearted moments that Jack gives us in his thoughts brings humor and a flashback of being a child again to the reader.
I believe that the simplicity of this book connected it to me the most. It's diction is not complicated and the plot it not confusing. But, the reader can translate Jack’s childish thoughts into more serious events. For example, when Old Nick comes to visit Ma at night, Jack, “always has to count till he makes that gaspy sound and stops” (37) Even though I have only read the first part of the book, I am confident that it will only get better.
By Emma Donague
Danielle Pouliot
Have you ever loved someone so much that the rest of the world does not matter? No matter the circumstances, your love for this person will always pull you through tough times. This is the life of Room’s protagonist, Jack and his mother. Jack, a five year old boy, has spent his whole life trapped in a tiny room with his “Ma”. Jack has no reality of the outside and presumes everything he sees on tv is fake. The only taste of the outside world that Jack has is on Sunday Treat, where a man named Old Nick brings Ma and Jack “stuff we need that I ask him for” ( 37), if it does not provide Old Nick any trouble. Every night when Old Nick comes to sleep with Ma, Jack hides in the wardrobe, away from the monster. Jack is unaware of what Old Nick does/ has done to Ma. She hides her troubles from him so he does not have to feel the struggle that she is feeling.
I whole heartily recommend this book to any teenager or adult. There are some moments that are not meant for children, and children could not be able to comprehend some moments of the book. I espically recommend this book to teenagers so they can experience the unconditional love a parent has for their child, and the sacrifices they make. Room would also be great for parents, because they can relate to Ma and her character, someone who keeps her child safe from any harm.
Emma Donoghue should also be commended on her writing throughout the book. We can see what life is like through a small child like Jack, who makes a game or fun out of every moment. The light hearted moments that Jack gives us in his thoughts brings humor and a flashback of being a child again to the reader.
I believe that the simplicity of this book connected it to me the most. It's diction is not complicated and the plot it not confusing. But, the reader can translate Jack’s childish thoughts into more serious events. For example, when Old Nick comes to visit Ma at night, Jack, “always has to count till he makes that gaspy sound and stops” (37) Even though I have only read the first part of the book, I am confident that it will only get better.
"An Abundance of Katherines"
By: John Green
Blog post by: Leah Jones
Do you think it's possible to date nineteen different girls, in between the time spand of eight years old through the end of all four high school years?. Better yet. Do you think it's possible to date nineteen different girls all with the same name "Katherine?!" Well stop what you're thinking because it is indeed possible for Colin Singleton. He had a weird preference when it came to his girlfriend's, "Colin Singleton's type was not physical but linguistic: he liked Katherines. And not Katies or Kats or Kitties or Cathys or Rynns or Trinas or Kays or Kates or, God forbid, Catherines. K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E. He had dated nineteen girls. All of them had been named Katherine. And all of them every single solitary one -- had dumped him." (15). Well let's not start here, lets start from the beginning.
Colin's parents were very smart and love to read. His parents had great jobs, "His mom taught French at the prestigious and expensive Kalman School downtown, and his dad was a sociology professor at Northwestern University, just north of the city." (17). When Colin was just Twenty-five-months-old he was reading the newspaper. After his parents realized how smart he was they sent him to a gifted preschool, and even he was told that he was too advanced for their school. Colin was considered a child prodigy back then.
For a kid to be this educated and skilled, you would think that making friends would be easy for him. But it was the complete opposite. He was convinced that he and his classmates just didn't like to participate in the same things. To the point where Colin got bullied physically and mentally everyday growing up. Eventually this all changed when Colin won "the heart of the prettiest eigth-year-old girl in all of Chicago." (20).
Now getting back to Colin's love life. His previous girlfriend Katherine XIX has just dumped him at the start of summer vacation going into college. His best friend Hassan sees how much Colin is hurting from this break up, and decides to go on a surprise road trip immediately. The goal is to distract Colin for a good amount of the summer!. What will happen on their trip? Where are they going? When will they be back? Who will they meet? Will Colin fall in love with a new girl that's not named Katherine? Or will he come back the same? READ "An abundance of Katherines" and find out!.
I can connect to some things in this book. Two summers ago I also went on a road trip with my best friend and I'm curious to see how Colin and Hassan's turns out. I believe that this book can connect to teens lives today because this is the age where teens start to get involved in relationships. I do recommend this book it has just enough sarcastic humor and real life situations.
I can connect to some things in this book. Two summers ago I also went on a road trip with my best friend and I'm curious to see how Colin and Hassan's turns out. I believe that this book can connect to teens lives today because this is the age where teens start to get involved in relationships. I do recommend this book it has just enough sarcastic humor and real life situations.
Dominique Edwards- Twilight Book Review
A love that could never last
Dominique Edwards
Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
Have you ever had a weird feeling about a person?
Bella is a teenage girl with divorced parents. She lives with her mom in Phoenix Arizona but has to move to Washington to live with her dad who is a policeman. Bella doesn't really have a quality relationship with her dad yet she moves there so that her mom can be happy with her new boyfriend. When she goes to the new school, she notices a kid Edward stares at her constantly and acts strange around her, keeping a distance from her and barely making conversation. Bella notices his strange behavior and seriously begins to question it. Over time Edward genuinely seems to care for her and the two become close almost to a point of romance which is evident as they say things such as "you are my life now" however Edwards strange behavior remains. After research on history of the town and Edwards family, Bella has a theory about Edward that later in the book she finds out to be true which was that "Edward was a Vampire"
I have enjoyed this book so far and I am recommending this book to people but its not for all audiences. Its definitely not a book all would enjoy but i think majority of people would enjoy it because its a connection to daily life of teenagers, romance, and fiction.
Reasons this book spoke to me were just about the same reasons i would recommend the book. One reason is because I myself am a teenager and i can relate to the things that happen to Bella in her daily high school life drama for example when things are said such as "you should really stay away from him" about boys someone might be interested in. As far as the romance in the novel goes, i am always intrigued by romance and find romance stories enjoyable so that aspect of the book definitely drew me in more. As far as the fiction aspect, i am usually not a huge fan of vampire stories but this was very well written and i actually enjoyed it more than other pieces of writing under the same genre.
I really connected with the main character of this book because she was the same gender, and is in the same position in life as I am. It was nice to see things from another persons perspective and to be in another persons shoes. I had never read about this type of fiction before and i had always found it to be not interesting but this book definitely changed my perspective on the genre.
I recommend this book for anyone who likes drama filled stories. This book has a lot of drama and thrilling things that happen and they keep you wanting to read more and more. For anyone who has seen the movie the book is just as good if not better and I 100% would recommend it. Also for anyone who likes vampires or enjoys stories involving them this would be a good book because the whole book shows the struggle of falling in love with a vampire and the drastic lifestyle they have.
Dominique Edwards
Twilight
By Stephenie Meyer
Have you ever had a weird feeling about a person?
Bella is a teenage girl with divorced parents. She lives with her mom in Phoenix Arizona but has to move to Washington to live with her dad who is a policeman. Bella doesn't really have a quality relationship with her dad yet she moves there so that her mom can be happy with her new boyfriend. When she goes to the new school, she notices a kid Edward stares at her constantly and acts strange around her, keeping a distance from her and barely making conversation. Bella notices his strange behavior and seriously begins to question it. Over time Edward genuinely seems to care for her and the two become close almost to a point of romance which is evident as they say things such as "you are my life now" however Edwards strange behavior remains. After research on history of the town and Edwards family, Bella has a theory about Edward that later in the book she finds out to be true which was that "Edward was a Vampire"
I have enjoyed this book so far and I am recommending this book to people but its not for all audiences. Its definitely not a book all would enjoy but i think majority of people would enjoy it because its a connection to daily life of teenagers, romance, and fiction.
Reasons this book spoke to me were just about the same reasons i would recommend the book. One reason is because I myself am a teenager and i can relate to the things that happen to Bella in her daily high school life drama for example when things are said such as "you should really stay away from him" about boys someone might be interested in. As far as the romance in the novel goes, i am always intrigued by romance and find romance stories enjoyable so that aspect of the book definitely drew me in more. As far as the fiction aspect, i am usually not a huge fan of vampire stories but this was very well written and i actually enjoyed it more than other pieces of writing under the same genre.
I really connected with the main character of this book because she was the same gender, and is in the same position in life as I am. It was nice to see things from another persons perspective and to be in another persons shoes. I had never read about this type of fiction before and i had always found it to be not interesting but this book definitely changed my perspective on the genre.
I recommend this book for anyone who likes drama filled stories. This book has a lot of drama and thrilling things that happen and they keep you wanting to read more and more. For anyone who has seen the movie the book is just as good if not better and I 100% would recommend it. Also for anyone who likes vampires or enjoys stories involving them this would be a good book because the whole book shows the struggle of falling in love with a vampire and the drastic lifestyle they have.
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