The Mysterious Benedict Society

Annelise E

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, is possibly one of the most fascinating books I've read. It's about a group of 4 children who are drawn into a so-called (as they named it) "society" from an peculiar ad in the paper. The ad said "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?" It explained that they were to come and take a series of tests, in order to get to these "special opportunities." Kate, Reynie, Sticky, and Constance were the only four children to pass every test. They then were admitted into a, kind of, secret service type thing. They meet Mr. Benedict, who is a man who found out that in a school called L.I.V.E (Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened) teachers are brainwashing students to be Messengers. The Messengers send messages (hence their title) through technology (TVs, radios, telephones etc.) but they are too faint to be heard and most people have no inclination that they're there at all. The idea is basically lie if someone whispered information that changed your views on things in your ear while you slept, and you unknowingly absorbed the information. It's all very weird. But, basically, the kids are sent to the school as secret agents to find out exactly what they're doing and to stop the Messages.
I LOVE the way Stewart writes. He is witty at some parts and writes like a child. Well, a very intelligent, British child. What I mean is the thought process throughout the book is a lot like a kid would think. It's really easy to read, and once you get interested in the story it's nearly impossible to put the book down. There are a lot of puzzles and riddles the kids have to solve, and I love the aspect of solving them with them!
You should DEFINITELY read this book. If anybody has read his other books, I'd love your feedback!!!!!

John Wooden

Hudson Dougan

Quarter two Post One

This reading check I read John Wooden’s biography. John Wooden was the UCLA coach when they won 88 games back to back in basketball. Coach Wooden is often referred to as the best basketball coach ever, on and off the court. John Wooden has a pyramid of success that involves all of the aspects of being a good man and a good basketball player. One of the many aspects that John considers great is hard work. Wooden talks about how his father had six principles that everyone should follow. They involved working hard and always being true to yourself. John Wooden’s story is a great one about good sportsmanship and hard work. John’s main goal in his lifetime was to be a teacher to all of people he came in contact with. This book explained that winning is important but you should let your fans prove that you won, the players faces shouldn’t be any different if they win or they lose. I really learned a lot and was able to connect with John’s story. I also think that his book is very appropriate for basketball players and non-basketball players I think that his pyramid of success can help anyone.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Recently I read the book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and I loved it. The book is told from the view of Charlie, a freshman in highschool who's always had social issues, has no friends, and generally just has a different way of viewing things than most people. Two seniors, Patrick and Sam, decide to take Charlie under there wing and introduce him to the world. The book is told through a series of letters to an unknown person, and we get to see Charlie develope through trial and error into less of a wallflower.

What I loved about the book is how real it feels. How every character has faults and good points, and how all there reactions are really specific to each character, yet they all make sense. Every character had a personality in this book, no matter how big or small of a roll they played. And I loved watching Charlie develope as a character through interactions with these other ones, like Susan who went out with Michael before he committed suicide that helped Charlie understand that people change. I also really loved his relationship with his English teacher, Bill seemed to be an out of house parent for Charlie and he cared about Charlie enough to consider himself a friend, of which Charlie never had very many.

The story telling in this book is also great, the letter format allows the reader to be skipped past days and weeks very smoothly, while still being able to spend a long time on possibly just a few small moments, like when Charlie, Patrick, and Sam felt infinate. It also really makes the story work, because you need to be able to understand Charlie's thought process which can so different from our own at times, and what better way to understand him than through his own writing? The entire book was what Charlie wanted to talk about, what Charlie wanted to tell us, not what an author was telling us about Charlie.

All in all a fantastic book, however I'd say it would be more for mature teens and older because there are many serious themes played out through the book, like sex, smoking, alchohol, and drugs.

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

I have recently started reading the Hunger Games. So far I am really interested in the book. It starts off describing where Catniss lives which is Panem, which consists of 12 districts and every year they have a raffle to see who gets to go into the famous games called " The Hunger Games." So far the characters are more developed than I expected. Suzanne Collins sucessfully introduced the main character(s) early on a right away in the story. Then she proceeded to highly develope the setting of District 12 and what was outside of it. So far I'm really liking the book and I'm looking forward to the raffle of the hunger games, and what happens.

The Member of the Wedding

I am in the midst of reading the book,The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers. Although am not very far into the book, I can sense that the story will get creepier and creepier as it goes on. The story is about a girl named Frankie who has an older brother that she loves. Frankie has not seen her brother in a long time because he met a girl in Alaska, that he would soon be calling his wife. Frankie thinks that they are the most beautiful couple in the world, and she is scared but excited to go to Alaska for the wedding along with her Father. At the beginning of the book it talked a lot about her being very anti social, and she spends most of her time with her cook, and her little cousin that is currently staying at her house. The book so far is not great, but I am guessing it will get a lot better once more conflicts start appearing. It's a quick read and I can't wait to finish reading it.

When You are engulfed in flames, by David Sedaris

pgs. 1-62/312
This book, by David Sedaris, is the work of one of the most acclaimed writers of this decade. This is only one of many of his works, including books such as Barrel Feaver, and Me Talk Pretty One Day. What his writing style is, is a series of short stories and essays about his experiences as a boy and a grown man. I have been a fan of his books since I was 10, but now I get more of the references. If you have never read his work I will give you a passage from the short story "Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?" a short story about him, clothing and anything to do with cloathing, "Hidden accessories can do the trick, but again they are mainly the province of woman. Garter belt and lingerie - yes. Sock garter and micro brief - no. It was my search for something discreet, masculine, and practical that lead me to the Stadium Pal . . . marketed to sports fans, truck drivers, and anyone else who's tired of searching for a bathroom. ... Was it masculine? Yes, and proudly so. Knowing that no sensible female would voluntarily pee in her pants, ...." that is the passage that usually brightens my day. If you are looking for your next book and are tired of reading fantasy, fiction or your text book, this is always a nice change in the dullness of everyday reading.

The Tiger Rising

The Tiger Rising is a short and sweet novel by the famous author who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kate DiCamillo. It's very similar to the book: The Bridge to Terribithia, where it is about an odd boy who is constantly bullied at school and on the bus, but then a new odd girl comes to town and happens to also ride the bus too. In both books, there is a secret that the boy and the girl share. In The Tiger Rising, the main character is a boy named Rob Horton. He lives in Florida in a motel with his father. He's in sixth grade and his mother died a couple of years ago. One day after being bullied at school, Rob goes for a walk in the woods behind the motel where he discovers a tiger that the motel-owner Beauchamp illegally and selfishly owns. On that same day, Sistine Bailey, a stubborn, smart blond appears on his bus. For some reason he feels the need to tell her. She wants to let it go, but it's all locked up. Beauchamp, a nasty man who pretends he is rich and owns everything, is too scared to feed the tiger on his own, so he secretly hires Rob to feed the Tiger for him. In doing so, he gives Rob the keys. Now Rob has a choice: he can trust his friend, Sistine, and let the Tiger go, or leave it alone all locked up. You'll have to read to find out! The Tiger Rising is a very well-written story that touches your heart and gives you a cute life-lesson.

Inheritance

I've been waiting for this book science about august so when it finally came out on tuesday the 8th i woke up at 6:00 to read some of it. it took me all of a week to read the 849 page book. Eragon is the main character but i'm not going to give you a synopsis of the first three book (read them). Eragon and his dragon Saphira are rampaging across Alesleigia with the Varden. As eragon fights the Empire he faces the impending challenge of facing Galbatorix, the evil dragon rider king of Alesleigia. anyways we'll skip over the boring stuff. eventually the leader of the Varden, Nasuada, is Kidnapped by Eragon's half bro Murtagh, whom Galbatorix has enslaved. Eragon then has to change from the Dragon rider savior to the Leader of the Varden. Eragon has to keep the many leaders of the Varden in line, especially King Orrin of Surda, but thats for you to read, anyways there is an obvious void without Nasuada there to lead the Varden, Eragon just isn't a leader. eventually eragon travels to an island called Vroengard there he has to learn his true name, who he actually is, many people go crazy upon learning it. Eragon struggles long and hard to understand himself and he finds his name, which Paolini conveniently doesn't tell us. with it they open the vault of souls, take abunch of dead dragons, Eldunari, and fly back to Uru'baen where the Varden begin their attack on Galbatorix. through out the series Eragon has to change from a farmboy to the hero Alesleigia, A Dragon Rider. Upon learning his true name Eragon says that the Boy who lived in palcanar valley(read the series) no longer exists.

Shadow Games

I am reading a book called Shadow Games by Glen Cook. It is a continuation of The Black Company series. It follows a band of mercenaries on there journey south to rediscover they're past. The main character in the story is Croaker, who is the Company's Captain. He is an amiable guy but can a lot of times become overly angry, which makes him easier to relate to. His counterpart is Lady, who's troubled past often makes it hard for her to live today. I really enjoy how Cook worked on creating more than just a couple solid characters or plots, but instead has hundreds of things going on at the same time, which makes the book confusing and therefore interesting to me. For me to find something fun I usually can't just figure out what's going to happen at the end but instead it's a mystery. I also enjoyed how Cook also gave the characters multiple facets into each characters persona. Like how Croaker has a soft side for Lady even though he can be a master military leader. I would suggest this series to anyone who doesn't just want all the info. spoon fed to you like in many other kids books. There is some language so if you don't mind that then it's a great read. :)

Sapphique

I recently started and finished the book Sapphique. This is the sequel to my previous read, Incarceron. I thought that it was a good book if one had read the prequel. The thing that kept it from being outstanding was the lack of character traits and development. The main character Finn has very few traits and his only characteristic seems to be misery and depression that he cannot be with this oath brother Keiro who is trapped in Incarceron. It seems like from his past that he should have different traits and be more grateful for his escape and more personified. The other main character Claudia has had better character development as she possesses traits of being a hothead and constantly mad. She is also sharp mentally. Another thing holding back the book was possibly the confusion in the story. There are many unclear things in the story, and it would have been nice had the author given more time to explanations instead of inferring lots of important details. Overall, the series was good, and worthy of reading, but not spectacular.

The Time Machine

Recently, I read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. It was a surprisingly short book at only 94 pages, but it did have a good plot to it. The book starts out when the time traveler finishes his large time machine that he can ride on (before the book starts, he creates a smaller version). He then tries to show how it works to other scientists. They don't completely believe him, so the time traveler travels to the future to see what life is going to be like. He travels to the year 800201. There, he has to overcome challenges to get his time machine back. During this time, he creates and shares with us some theories about the creatures he is meeting. This part is told as a story to the scientists, who still don't believe him, and this is also the bulk of the story. Finally, at the end, the time traveler travels again and is never seen again. I don't think that he will ever be seen again because he could just travel back in time to near when the meeting ended so as to not worry anyone. I think that he found a time period that he liked better and went to live there. Overall, the story is well written, and actually the only science fiction book that I've liked so far. I think that this is because there is a grain of truth to the story. Because of these things, I would recommend this book to others. If I could improve on the story, I would say that it should be longer, because it is well written and interesting, but it sort of seems like it has a quick end, because he just travels again and then is never seen.

Bringing Down the House

I am currently reading Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich. I have seen the movie about this book named 21 and enjoyed it a lot, so I decided to read the book. The book follows students at MIT and how they count cards at casinos. So far the book is just setting up the rest of the story by describing the characters, the system they use, and developing character relationships. So far I would suggest this book to others but I do not think I am not very far in the book so it is too early to say.

The Mysterious Benedict Society-Final Post

This is my last entry on the Book The Mysterious Benedict society. Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance are in the middle of stopping what could become a world crisis; a crisis that would be very dangerous to everyone. As I near the end, I am noticing some changes in the characters that occurred throughout the book. The character who changed the most was Constance. In the beginning of the book, Constance was a grumpy, mean character who wanted, most of the time, to do nothing with other people. She was fine by herself, and often got angry at others, or annoyed them often. Now, Constance realizes how important it is to work with other people. She understands that if you don't work with other people, you won't be as successful. While she still has moments when she is rude or grumpy or mean, most of the time it is in a toned-down scale, if not present at all. This brings me to my next point, the theme of the book. I believe that one of the book's main themes is portrayed in several ways, in a variety of characters, as well as events. I think Constance holds a key and important part in helping the reader identify a theme. I believe that theme to be that the only way to do a task efficiently and successfully is to use teamwork, because then there are more people with a variety of skills to bring to the table, as well as simply a higher number of people to achieve higher efficiency. A variety of skills and high efficiency sets almost anyone up for success. The author does a great job revealing theme by creating a conflict, then resolving it partially, which, in turn, gives the characters success in their mission. I feel like the book was written vary well by the author. It's hard to exactly describe it, but there is definitely a unique tone, sense, and feeling when you read this text. You could say that the author adds a lot of words to describe exactly why characters do things, even when it isn't necessary. In general, the author provides many "mini-descriptions" about a simplistic, and very small events; some only take up 1 sentence. This gives the book that unique tone and feeling when you read it. Overall, I would say that the book is well written and provides a great conflict in which lessons can be learned.

Hate List

I've just started reading the Hate List and it's very intense so far. The book opens with a scene about Nick, Valerie's boyfriend, shooting or wounding a bunch of innocent classmates at school, including Valerie (however, she was only wounded, not killed). Right after he killed them, he aimed the gun at himself. It was said that the people he was trying to kill were supposedly on the "Hate List", a spiraled red notebook Nick owned. Valerie looks back to when she Nick used to talk and remembered that he often very subtly mentioned suicidal thoughts, without really saying 'suicide'. He would always ask her, "Do you ever think about just leaving?"

I'm still in the beginning of the book, but I think it's really good. Every chapter keeps me interested and pulls me in to make me want to read the next. The author makes some bold decisions on plot (mostly about bullying) which adds to the intense vibe of the book. I've also noticed that the character's names are sort of ironic. For example Nick's name, Nick Levil. The last part says 'evil' and that's what he is! Or Principal Angerson - an angry guy. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and I think some parts can be relatable to students.

"Reality Check" by Peter Abrahams

I recently completed the book Reality Check by Peter Abrahams. Its genre is realistic fiction, and it has a very interesting plot. The story starts off with Cody, the main character, dating Clea, a smart, attractive girl at school, when she is sent to boarding school across the country in a town called North Dover. Cody breaks up with Clea after she leaves town. Then, Cody's has a terrible accident while playing a football game, and he is unable to play anymore. He was so frustrated by this, and by his failing grades, that he drops out of high school and works for the local lumber company. One day, Cody walks into a coffee shop and is shocked to see a newspaper talking about about Clea. The article says she disappeared while riding her horse in the woods. Apparently her horse was found, but not Clea. Cody is so distressed by this awful news that he drives out to North Dover, and tries to find CLea himself. He ends up working undercover for the local policeman that wants his help finding Clea. The policeman, Sergeant Orton, believes that it was a kidnapping, not that Clea got lost in the woods. Cody finds out that this small town is filled with big secrets.

I found the story interesting, and overall very entertaining. It is a great read for those who enjoy suspense novels, mysteries, and realistic fiction. The only thing that was disappointing was the ending. It seemed a bit boring, and did not leave me with a sense of closure. But, all things considered, I would recommend this book to all of you, because it builds suspense, and it is a mystery that the reader will be shocked to uncover.

The Power Of One

I am currently in the process of reading The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. Set in South Africa, it shows a world we are not familiar with. Although it took me some time to understand many of the customs and traditions they speak of, with time I became immersed. Centered on the life of Peekay, a young English boy, the story has some struggles, as he is so young. Many of the critical details are left out as in his age, he may not be observant enough to catch them. However, this flaw is overshadowed by Mr. Courtenay’s fabulous writing style. He manages to fit in an enormous amount of details with the vocabulary of a 6 year old. Not only that, but since it is portrayed from the perspective of a young child, observations are taken in, in a very different way. Rather than giving precise descriptions as an adult would make, he gives general overviews which not only give us a good feeling of his situation, but help to show us the emotions of everyone involved. This is what I love about this book. Although I am not too far into the book (100 pages), I would highly recommend it, it is truly amazing.

Father Mother God

I continued to read Father Mother God written by Lucia Ewing which is a memoir. I really do enjoy reading this book because I know some of the people that she talks about in the book because they're my relatives, but also because it's very fascinating because you get to learn about christian scientists and their way of life. Lucia realizes that her mother is sick, she's very worried about her mother. Lucia doesn't want to talk to any of her relatives about her mother because christian science says that if you talk about someone beingn sick they will become more sick. She's not sure she believes in christian scientist because she wants her mother to go to a doctor. Her mothers friends and relatives are kind of suspicious of what's going on because she keeps making excuses that she can't go places. Lucia feels like she's lying to her family when she speaks to them and doesn't mention that her mother is sick. Her mother is in a christian science home for sick people, and they think she's about to die when JoAnn her mother asks to go to the hospital and she starts to get a little bit better. Lucia's Grandmother Johnson now knows how sick JoAnn is and she calls Lucia to tell her to tell JoAnn how much she loves her and to tell Lucia's father that she will never ever forgive him. Late at night in the hospital JoAnn tells Lucia and her sister Olivia that her father kept her in the christian science home and she wanted to come to the hospital a long time ago.

L.A. Candy

Currently, I am reading L.A. Candy, by Lauren Conrad. I'm over half-way through the book, and although it's fun to read, I cannot find much structure in the novel. The story simply continues as-is, with Jane and Scarlet being filmed for the newest reality TV hit. There has yet to be a defining moment for either of the girls, although it is clear that Jane and Scar, who have always been inseparable, are facing some friendship issues that neither one of them could have imagined. Jane, whom I described in previous posts, is still carefully stepping through the world of reality TV. Scarlet, on the other hand, is romping right through, and as always, not caring what others think of her. It is obvious that Jane is trying her hardest to become close with the other cast members, Gabby and Madison, while Scarlet is not fooled. Scarlet knows that Jane and herself would never be friends with girls like Gabby and Madison, who have always had the money to spend on whatever they wish. Jane stands by her decision to jump on board to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity such as the show, while Scarlet becomes more and more wary of the show's true intentions. And anyone can see that the once unbreakable friendship between Jane and Scar is now crumbling at every weakness.

Inheritance

I recently read Christopher Paolini's Inheritance, the fourth and last book of the series that started with Eragon. In this book, Eragon and Saphira, dragon rider and dragon, set off towards Galbatorix, the evil, all-powerful king, and eventually reach and fight him. Mr. Paolini does a great job with the relationships between Eragon and his cousin, Roran, who fights and almost dies on numerous occasions, between Eragon and Murtagh, his half-brother, who sides with the king, and between Eragon and Glaedr, the elder dragon that gives them advise. I noticed a repeating theme in the book, and the series as a whole: sadness. There is always a friend or reletive dying, someone in pain, or someone leaving. In one chapter, three close friends die, Roran leaves to lead a battle somewhere else, and Eragon realizes he isn't really that good of a fighter. Also, this is especially true at the end of the book ***SPOILER ALERT*** when Eragon leaves everyone he has known throughout his life, leaving the place entirely, to fulfill his duty as a rider and train the dragon eggs that are about to hatch. All in all, a great book and series that I recommend to all.

Enna Burning

Enna Burning is a sequel to Goose Girl, in the Books of Bayern series. I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. First of all I really liked that it was a fairy tale for a higher reading level, I feel like alot of the time I wouldn't read fairy tales becuase they were for younger kids, and even though this isn't a classic fairy tale, it still had the some of the same ideas. Also I really liked how much the characters developed. All of her characters were so complex and had such real personalities. They also all grew over the course of the story and formed interesting relationships. There was one thing in praticular that I didn't like about this book though. One of the main plots in this story is about a girl learning how to speak with fire, and her friend (who is the main character of Goose Girl) is developing her speech with wind and birds, which started in the last book. However these elements are supposed to be so powerful that without balance they can begin to, in a sense, destroy the people speaking to them, and that was the problem. Since the book was narrated in first person, by Enna, it sometimes felt like the book was being narrated by someone on drugs. So well the concept was interesting, I sometimes had to go back and reread parts becuase her feelings and thoughts were so confusing, and that is one of the reasons the book was a little difficult to read. Overall though I thought the book was really good and Shannon Hale did alot with the characters and plot she choose.

Bone

Bone is a very creative graphic novel by jeff smith. it's a third person story where these three creatures called bone's find themselves in a completely new world that they are not used to. in this world that a beast called rat creatures, and dragons, and crazy stuff such as cow races. the rat creatures for some reason want one of the bones called phoney bone.the three bones names are smiley bone, phone bone, and phoney bone. i find that phoney bone and smiley bone are a lot like my two dogs izzy and zara. smiley bones the kind of guy who goes with the flow, doesn't let the down sides of life bring him down, and most of the time doesn't no what's going on. my German Shepperd zara shares all these characteristics with smiley bone. but smiley can get serious when it comes down to the safety of his loved ones, much like my dog zara. now phoney bone on the other hand is almost the exact opposite of smiley, just like my dogs izzy and zara. phoney bone is very negative, and always looking for someone to blame for his actions. most of the time he's always looking for a easy slip to get the big bucks, kinda like izzy and food. he unlike smiley will pout and pout about something, even if it cant be changed, unlike that happy go lucky kind of attitude with smiley. just like my two dogs complete opposites but get together really well. well i guess you could say that opposites attract.

The Scorch Trials

After finishing The Maze Runner I moved on to its sequel The Scorch Trials it starts out with the boys from the first book being separated from the girl (I do mean only one). Later during the middle of the night there's a bunch of screaming and people at the windows of the boy's bedroom scream things like "kill me, I’m a bloody crank". After some investigation the boys find out that there was another maze with another group that consisted of one boy and the rest were girls. What happened with Group B (the all girls group) was identical to what happened with Group A except that Thomas was supposed to be killed by Gally, but at the end of the first book Chuck jumped in the way and was killed instead. All of the boys then find out that there is more to do after the maze if they want to stop the flare, a dangerous disease caused by solar flares reaching earth. And thus the scorch trials begin. Kind-of connecting to the first book I want to say that I was really upset when Chuck was killed because James Dashner's writing made me feel a close bond to Chuck and when he was killed I was devastated, you could even say that I died a little. James Dashner's writing really has had me sitting on the edge of my seat wanting to find out what happens next. I have been really tempted to look-up spoilers, but I’ve resisted. I really love his writing. I would recommend this series to anyone who has just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. To end this post i would just like to say that this is a really good series and James Dashner is a really good author.

Catching Fire

I am reading Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, it is the sequel to The Hunger Games, the same characters are in the book, with a few new ones. Now that Katnis and Peeta have won the games they are back home. Panam the country they live in doesn't allow the Hunger Games to die off during the year, they keep reminding the districts of this "wonderful" event. Peeta and Katnis go on a winner's tour through out the country. President Snow, the president of Panam knows that Peeta and Katnis where faking their love for each other when they were in the arena so he has threatened Katnis that if she can't prove to him that she and Peeta are in love that Katnis's family and friends will all be in danger, especially Gill, Katnis's best friend. Now because of this Peeta has proposed to Katnis and they have to keep up the act or else they will be in danger of their lives.

David

For a while now, I have not found a specific historical fiction book that fills my need to read about history. Now, though, I have found one that explores not a specific time period, but a specific object instead. The book "David" was written by Mary Hoffman, and published recently (10/11/11). It explores the magnificent statue of David in Florence, Italy. The book is written from the point of view of a young man named Gabriele, who is new to the city, as he gets used to city life and becomes a model. Actually, he is narrating near the end of his life, recalling the events that took place when he was younger. He is what he calls Michelangelo's "milk brother". This is because Michelangelo's wet nurse also happened to be Gabriele's mother, so they grew up together for about 6 years. I really enjoyed how everything I knew about the statue of David fit in nicely with the story. The author really explored the life and character of the model, and it was a pleasant story to read. I also learned a lot by reading it. I learned about what was going on in the Florentine government. There were a few very different parties, for democracy, monarchy, and other forms of government. You could only trust people in your own party. If you were part of a party, you had to wear the parties color, all the time. There were many riots and hangings and shootings around arguments over government. In the end, Gabriele got into some trouble and had to be secretly snuck out of the city. The last few pages were pretty dry, pretty much a summary of the political events that had happened since then, but over all this book was exceptionally well written, and I could tell that the author did a very careful job getting all of the historical information correct. The best part though, was that this book was half written as fiction but the other half included real events and objects being made around that day.

Scrawl by Mark Shulman

I picked up a book this new quarter called Scrawl by Mark Shulman. It is about a teenager whom is a bully; he doesn’t like school or anybody else besides him. He plays cards at lunch and steals lunch money, how much more typical can you get for a bully character. But one of his tricks went too far, I mean too far, about juvenile prison too far. The problem is he doesn’t remember what he did and somehow skips jail for after school and in school detention. He has to write in his journal about his friends, what’s typical about them and what he sees. The book is written in his journal notes, so imagine a teenager writing about what he sees. Which seems very boring, and to tell you, it is very boring but occasionally funny from this boring book were sometimes he even counts bricks, how much more fun can you get. I honestly would not recommend it but there are some glimpses of potential funny possibly a good plotted book. Unless you want to read about what a possibly A.D.D. teenager can see in consolidated room go ahead. But from my view point it was slow, boring, and not recommended.

I just finished the book Holiday Inn by Kevin Kling. I found out about this book because my mom and Kevin were friends in college. They both majored in theater, so they did a lot of shows together. Kevin Kling is a story-teller and a very good actor. I love the way he writes, because it honestly sounds like someone who is just telling a story verbally. Also, he his hilarious. All his stories are about his childhood, and the crazy things that he did with his brother and sister. He was quite the problem child. My favorite story was probably when he explaining one time when he was in the grocery store with his brother and his mom, and he and his brother were holding onto the edges of the cart and standing on the little metal platform that is below it, and Kevin decides to jump off the side so the cart will fall on his little brother. Of course, gravity is on Kevin's side and the cart tips right on top of his brother! He starts to cry, so his mother tells him that he can carry around the Thanksgiving turkey that they just bought. His little brother asks "Is it my turkey now?" and his mother says yes. The next week, at Thanksgiving, nobody in the family can find the turkey. That's when Kevin's little brother explains that he's been keeping it under his bed so that nobody would steal "his turkey."
Another thing I love in this book is the way Kevin Kling quotes his dad. My favorite quote is probably when Kevin is going off to college and his dad stops him at the door and says, "Kevin, don't get killed just 'cause you know know how."
You should really read this book. It's laugh-out-loud funny at times, and it teaches a lot of lessons about the importance of family.

Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz

The book Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz is the second book in the Alex Rider series, the book is about a boy who is a spy going on a mission. I mainly really like this book except for the fact that the boy does some things that are very unrealistic. The book is just getting interesting, it's an action packed book which has a great plot which is much like the CHERUB series' books except that the writer of the CHERUB series is a lot better in my opinion. If you like action packed books I would suggest checking out the Alex Rider series, and if you don't like it I would suggest giving this type of book a second chance by trying out the CHERUB series starting with The Recruit by Robert Muchamore.

Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children

This book is about a boy named Jacob who's very odd grandpa had passed away in a very gruesome death that Jacob saw. His grandpa's last words were, "Find the bird. In the loop. On the other side of the old mans grave. September, third 1940." This led Jacob to many nightmares and consoling. for his birthday there was a present that his grandpa had left. I was a letter from Miss Peregrine, the bird. He needed to find out went his grandpas stories were about so him and his dad went to a distant island in the wales where the letter had said the home for peculiar children was. He found the home but couldn't figure out what the loop and the old mans grave was. After long time of searching he though he had heard voices coming from the house so he followed them to the bog. In the bog was were people a long time ago would make sacrifices by taking their lives, almost like a grave. When he came out from the bog everything was different and the date was 9/3/1940. Jacob meets Miss peregrine and she explains everything about his grandpa and the home. I would recommend this book if you like mysteries and adventure. It is kind of confusing so it may take some reading back. Overall it has been a great book so far and the story is amazing!

Wonder Struck

I have just finished reading the book Wonder Struck by Brain Selznic. This is a fantastic book using both pictures and words to describe the story. At the start of this book, I was very confused because in the pictures there was a story and in the pages with writing on them, there was a whole other story. The main Character of this story is Ben, who is deaf in one ear, doesn't know who his father is and his mother had just passed away at the start of the book. Later in the book, Ben gets struck by lightning and become deaf completely. After he is in the hospital and leaves to find his father in New York.  The pictures, however, tell a whole different story. This part of the story is about a girl who is also deaf, and her mom is a famous actor, who never see's her daughter. In the end, the two characters meet, in both pictures and words and the little girl turns out to be Ben's grandmother. Overall, I think that this book is a great read although it's difficulty is rather easy, this book is a great quick read and i strongly recommend it to others.

Crey Bankes

English IR quarter 2

I have chosen the book Outliers by Malcom Gladwell as one of my second quarter independent reading materials. The book was highly recommended by my Mom. The reason she wanted me to read it is she felt that the book helps to identify reasons that she believes explain my athletic ability. The book is based on what the author defines as outliers or stories to explain extrordinary success or talent.

The details in the book are fascinating. The statistics and data used to explain hockey players talent, where birthdates of talented players are predominately in the first four months of the year are irrefutable. As I look back on my opportunities due to my size and athletic ability in hockey, it makes sense. At an early age I was given better coaching, higher level competition and pushed harder. Although at age 8, I may have been slightly better than my friends, now with years of better opportunities, I stand out in my ability in hockey. This stands true with the talented players I get to compete with. As my Mom and I reviewed birthdates, the best players on my elite AAA hockey team are all born January through April 1998. I look forward to future chapters to see the statistics and trends that lead people towards successful outcomes.

Under a War-Torn Sky

Henry Forester is a nineteen year old pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. He is the co-pilot of a bomber plane named Out of the Blue. He comes from a farming family and his father was really tough on him, always criticizing him and making him feel bad. He lives on an air force base with other pilots. They fly on lots of missions together. One day they are assigned a really important, secret mission. The Americans are also part of the mission. They end up in a huge air battle with the German Luftwaffe. Their plane is hit and they are forced to bail out when the engines die. Henry and some of his crew parachute out. His parachute is shot at and he lands hard. When I left off, Henry had just landed somewhere in Europe. He thinks he may have landed in the Swiss Alps because of the deep snow. So far, this book is interesting and provides a lot descriptions of the different types of fighter planes and bombers flown by the different armies. I am interested in reading the rest of this book since it has been very good so far.

The Boyfriend List

Currently I am reading a book called The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. This book is really funny and a light read. I don't really love the book but then again I don't really hate it. The book is about a girl named Ruby who likes boys, a lot. She has anxiety attacks so her mother recommends that she see's a shrink. Doctor Z is her shrink and the first thing she tells her to do is to write down the names of every boy she has ever dated, wanted to date or liked in her entire life. She comes up with a list of 15 guys, throughout the story we find out how each boy made the list. Yet somehow Lockhart is able to tie in her visits to the shrink and how she is progressively getting better and better. So far I have about Adam to Jackson which means I have read twelve stories about her relationships. Each relationship with each guy is completely different some are sad and some are flat out hilarious. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this book to many people only if your looking for a quick read about a girl with many different man problems. I probably will finish this book tonight or tomorrow night.

Enemy At the Gates

I recently read Enemy at the Gates (I woudl have underlined, but I can't figure out how to do that), by William Craig. This book is a non-fiction compilation of various tales from the Battle of Stalingrad, in WWII. When I say compilation, I don't mean a bunch of different short stories, but different sections from the viewpoints of different individuals - from both German and Soviet Generals, down to footslogging infantry, to a female Russian sniper. I don't want to have a history lesson here, so I'll be brief with the historical background. The Germans and Soviets are fighting for control of a manufacturing city in Stalingrad, a brutal, close-quarters battleground that goes down in history as one of the bloodiest battles ever, as well as a turning point in WWII. I know that a major point in blogs is to talk about character development, but since there are more than half a dozen "main" characters, it is hard to mention all of them. In general, there are three stages to the character development, different for each side, as they go through the battle.

German
1.Excited, ready to win.
2.Getting more and more worried, wearied, and starving
3.Absolutely tired-to-the-bone, fatalist - in short, "screwed".

Russian
1. Worried, upset, scared (about the invasion - lots of gory stuff w/ civilians)
2. Determined, heroic, sort of "last-stand" attitude - (This is SPARTAA...I mean Soviet RUSSIA!)
3. Excited, victorious, happy

If you notice, they're kind of the opposite. I liked how Craig mentioned both sides of the story, and also showed the gruesomeness and darkness of that battle. However, sometimes, it was a little over the top, such as mentioning how the civilians are killed or even worse, the lice!!!

Quote: "and a seething mass of grey parasites swarmed into his arm, disappearing into his cast"

Ugh!!

Who's going to enjoy this book? History buffs, WWII fans/nerds, people interested in learning more about WWII, those who "crave action" (in the immortal words of C. Kelkar). However, if you're squeamish about gore and icky stuff, or don't fit into any of the above categories, you probably won't enjoy it.

1984 by George Orwell

I am in the middle of the book 1984 by George Orwell. It is a book written in the early 1900's, and because of that I've found it really hard to read. Orwell's writing style is very old-fashioned, and I sometimes think that he goes into too much detail. The protagonists, Julia and Winston, are both a part of the Party that takes England over. Winston slowly changes to discover that he actually is against the Party. They both slowly change to be more risky and they slowly become less cautious, until Julia tells Winston that she loves him. Together they find a group against the Party. I think Orwell was trying to portray what he thought England would be like in the 1980's. Orwell's writing style has also made it hard to keep going, because I have to read paragraphs 3 or 4 times until I understand the connection to the story. Overall though, the story is good, but there is a lot of between-the-line reading that I have to do to really understand the deeper meaning of some things he says.

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I'm currently reading the book A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It is a very interesting book about a British man who gets transported onto another planet. This book is sort of set in the future, because they have lots of spaceships all around the galaxy, but Earth doesn't know about the other planets. The protagonist is from Earth, while his friend is from another planet, researching Earth to update The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The friend, Ford, gets stuck on Earth for 10 light years. The 'bad' planet is going to destroy Earth to build a new transport system, and the protagonist and his friend escape by hitchhiking onto the planet's spaceship. This book has a lot of humor in it, like the bad planet's poetry is bad, and it makes you want to kill yourself and makes you go crazy. If I were in the main character's situation now, having just been dumped in space by the bad planet and the grabbed another ride on a spaceship, I would be very nervous. I just barely survived with a couple seconds of air left. I would be worried because I don't know who or what will be on this spaceship, and since I remember how bizarre the last spaceship was, I would have a negative view on other spaceships and planets. This book is very bizarre, but very intense! It is a long book but it moves very quickly. If you like fast moving science-fiction books, you will enjoy this one a lot!

Eclipse

I have just re-started Eclipse after abandoning it (30 pages in) two years ago, in 6th grade. I am only about 60 pages into the book right now but so far I once again feel like the story is dragging. I understand that Meyer has to set up the plot a bit at the beginning of the story, but it is the third book in the twilight saga and it has been a reoccurring "theme" throughout the series that the action is very slow until the climax (and then it slows back down again). I feel that Meyer should've considered this while writing this book because after two long books of slow plot development with little action the reader feels bored and overwhelmed with seemingly unnecessary and (sometimes)n irrelevant details. I hope that all of the small details I am suffering through will eventually play a significant part later on in the book! Summary: So far Bella receives a letter from Jacob, a wolf, pretty much saying they can't be friends because she is friends with Edward, a vampire. Soon after she is surprisingly set free from her "house arrest" that Charlie, her father, has put her on after having gone missing for three days; she was saving Edward from giving himself to the Volturi, a powerful vampire council, (unknown to Charlie's knowledge). Also, Bella has been accepted to the University of Alaska, and Edward has been accepted there too along with some Ivy League schools, which he forces Bella to apply to as well.

A Clash Of Kings Part 2

As I continue on reading my book many more conflicts have occurred. but before I get to those, I realized that I never really explained how the book is styled and the writing style of George R. R. Martin. The book is given from the P.O.V. of many different characters. It is mostly given from the main characters of the book. However in the second book I noticed that the author decided to add a lot of supporting characters who only get a chapter ever 50 pages or so. I really felt that this added to the intensity of the book. For me I really feel that it is the little things that bring the book together. When I first started reading this series I was very interested in the authors writing style. he uses words that were used in the probable time era. since no specific time era was given I had to guess that it is staged around the dark ages. But the writing style is mainly made up of the words he uses, if he had decided to just write it without any interesting words that were used in this era then the whole book would be very boring. One of the phrases that is often used is "break your fast". this types of phrase is often used in the book. Back to on of the new conflicts in the book is that one of the main characters, Tyrion, is appointed to be "The Hand Of The King" when one of his loyal disciples asks him what he plans to do he answer with one word which then ends the chapter. The word was very powerful in the story and it made me think what he meant by it. the word he gave was "Justice." I am still not sure weather or not he means to sabotage king Joffery and help Rob, the king of the north. or do the opposite. I am very excited to see what happens with these character as the book progresses.

The Son of Neptune

I recently read The Son of Neptune, written by Rick Riordan. So far in the book, Percy, Hazel, and Frank embark on a quest to Alaska, adhering to a prophecy communicated to them by Mars himself. Personally, I don't really like the book for several reasons. First, in the prequel to this book, The Lost Hero, the action scenes were long and vivid. I feel like in this book, the actions scenes zoom by in an instant. For example, when Hazel, Percy, and Frank were freeing Thanatos from his chains while simultaneously scuffling with Alcyoneus, the action went by extremely fast. When Frank freed Thanatos, the whole time they were blabbing to each other, but there was no action transpiring. When Hazel was brawling Alcyoneus, she basically fell once or twice, and was about to die, and then Frank swooped in, utilizing his power to transform into animals, and pummeled Alcyoneus. It whizzed by in a flash, and it dissatisfied me because Percy Jackson books usually brim over with action. Second, it felt like Rick Riordan's writing concentrated to much on each action that materialized during the fight. Like when Frank cut Thanatos's last chain, there was a whole paragraph to describe that, but he could have just said, "Frank cut the chain." Third, the book tormented you with secrets. In many chapters at the beginning, the characters would undergo flashbacks, and a dark secret would be dredged up, but the chapter would end before that secret would be specified. It was torture! And then several hundred pages later you would learn the secret. Overall, I think this book is good for patient people who like mystery and don't care about action. However, if you do care about action- if you crave action books- this probably isn't the right book for you.

The Power of One

I finished the book The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay recently. Wow. The Power of One was intense, violent, poetic, endearing and unforgettable. Set in South Africa, where beauty is overshadowed by the weight of racism, anti-Semitism, and the wounds of war are fresh, the story follows a small English boy named Peekay. Sent to boarding school, Peekay is welcomed by hate-driven humiliation at the hands of others but he survives and dreams fiercely of becoming the boxing welterweight champion of the world. Clinging onto this dream, Peekay stumbles upon the power of one, and the power of others. This book had the amazing ability to draw you into the story, make you feel for the characters, and hope for the best for them. The extraordinary quality of the characters, the elaborate plot, and the empathy for Peekay this book possessed was astonishing. However, the book did have parts, which I considered to be dry and rambling. The book truly begins with the self-proclaimed Judge, who brutalizes Peekay constantly and the book ends with Peekay finding revenge. One interesting aspect of the book was symbolism. The Judge is Peekay’s demon; he embodies the fear that caused Peekay to change who he was for survival. Several times throughout the book, he mentions the Judge in self-reflection as a painful but effective motivator for Peekay. At the end of the book, when Peekay defeats the Judge, it is a victory for Peekay both physically and emotionally, representing Peekay taking back the control of himself and his identity. I thought this book was amazing, not one to pass up and highly recommendable.