Prompt

Did you enjoy the ending of your book? Why or why not? Describe an alternate ending and why it would or wouldn't be as good a choice as the ending the author chose.

This post is due by Friday, 5/20, at 3:15 p.m.

Seniors: Book Trailer due 5/18
Juniors: Book Trailer due 5/25

NO LATE POSTS ARE ACCEPTED FOR CREDIT.

I strongly encourage you to respond to questions asked in comments to your initial posts. Use the blog as a venue for discussion.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Stonewall's Gold
By Robert J. Mrazek
pg. 50 to End

The theme of the book is about a boy that is in his teens and is on the edge of boyhood. He has to take on challenges that force him to confront the world for the first time. He finds a map that has directions to treasure. He shows it to a man and the people around him find out and they go after him and the man. Some people were killed and Jamie has to continue on his journey alone because the man stayed back to try to fend off the group. The group is trying to get the map and kill anyone that has seen it. They catch Jamie and he has to face some challenges that change his life from there on out. It is shown through action and adventure in the story. They have some gun fights and some deaths occur. It is set back during the civil war time so there were quite a few people that owned guns so there were a bunch of shootings and murders. The book is very intriguing and I would recommend it to anyone that was looking for a decent book.

By Amy Wright

Friday, December 10, 2010

Still Life of A Woodpecker
Tom Robbins

Its necessary for the world to have chaos. "Wood Pecker" carries dynamite around with him. The setting is a peaceful place that turns into chaos. The woodpecker is symbolic for destruction and the princess is symbolic for peace and when they clash it is intense.
O, Juliet
pg.312
Robin Maxwell
Olivia Ramsey
I think the main theme of this book is to follow your dreams. Romeo & Juliet is the classic story of a forbidden love. In this story however Romeo and Juliet work to make it acceptable for them to be together. They work to get their families to get along, they work to have their family businesses to get along all so they can be together. Romeo and Juliet are characterized by being smart hardworking people since they are both very book smart and are both also poets. This is one of the reasons they fall in love and it is also the reason that they are able to make their families friends. In the end, it doesn't work but they work hard for their dreams and eventually get to be together in the heavens. What they worked so hard for they finally got.

Sniper

I think the main theme in this book is never give up. Ben lives on a preserve for big cats, lions, tigers, etc. Someone broke in to the preserve and let some of the cats out. Ben goes out looking for the cats. He finds all of them, but two of them were dead, they were shot through the heart. Now Ben is determined to find the killer.

Quarter 2, Blog 5

Kyle Weber
Hoop Dreams
Ben Joravsky
Pgs. 100 - 137

I think the theme of this book is that no matter how bad things may be, just do what you love and everything will work itself out. Arthur Agee lives in the projects and his stepfather is a drug addict. He has to commute ten miles to school every morning and back home every night. But he plays basketball, and that seems to be his escape. He doesn't act like he has a troubled life while at school. He is classified as the class clown to disguise his inner hurt. Both of the athletes in this book, Arthur Agee and William Gates, have tough lives. But they play basketball, which is what keeps them going. No matter how bad things may be, they know that they will always have basketball.
Jake hensley

eagle blue

!77- end of book


The theme of this book would be to never give up. The Eagles basketball team wasn't the fastest or the best, but they had the biggest hearts. They had one of the smallest teams in the state. Through their hearts and determination they play hard all year long. Then at the end of the year they find themselves in the state tournament. They went on to get third place at the Alaska State Tournament. Third place was a high achievement and are an inspiration to work hard.

Fallout By Ellen Hopkins

I just started this book. But so far the theme is how to escape something your destined to do. Its hard to just not do what people expect you too. If your family isnt very good and they are into drugs and stuff its hard to get away from it. Especially when your around it all the time. Its just in your blood. But if you can get away from it and go to college and stuff thats awesome. You have to have self control and all that stuff. If your not willing then your not going to do it.
Ian Hopkins
No excuss
Kyle maynard
end
The main theme was never give up. Kyle was born with no legs or arms but he fought threw everything ton try to be the best he can. When kyle was little he use to get baby alot when he was a little kid. Kyle then sone realize that he coulddo all the work all by himself. So Kyle strongly encurage his family to let him be like a reagular little kid
Fallan Stark
singin' in the rain the making of an american masterpiece
Hess and Babholkar
pg 64

My book is non-fiction so it is hard to recognize the theme, however I think it may be something along the lines of team work and cooperation. They had to work together as a team to make the movie. Gene Kelly coreographs the dancing, and helps produce the film. Freed and Brown wrote the script. They had to work together over the phone to come up with the script, but also had to meet together to put the whole thing together. The cast all has to work together or else there would be no movie. The people behind the scenes all have to work together as well to create the film.
The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown
End of Book

The main theme in this book would be to read between the lines and try to understand the hidden meanings of things and that humans take things way out of proportion. This is shown in the plot when the characters expect where the next clues to the Masonic pyramid are hidden and the pyramid keeps disproving them. It is also shown in the end when they find the lost mysteries, which is supposed to be something that when revealed will bring great enlightenment to the world, but I cannot tell what the pyramid leads to. It does show that humans blow things way out of proportion and there can different meanings to life and religion. This theme is also revealed in the characterization of Robert Langdon. He doesn't ever believe anything and he always believes what he has been taught. He isn't open to new ideas, but throughout the book he is forced to realize things that he didn't previously understand the meaning of. This book wants people to wonder about their own lives and what they can do to find the true meaning of it.

Pop goes the Weasel

by JAmes Patterson
pg3-299

the theme is never give up even when people and things you love can get hurt or killed. alex cross never gives up hunting the killer the weasel. even though he is threatened his girlfriend is kiddnapped and possibly dead. when his family was threaten and being on the brink of losing his job as a deteective. and Geoffrey never gave up killing people when he was about to get caught. he didnt quit playing his fantesy game even when the other players didnt want him to and were beaking the rules.

Blog 12/10/10 Tyler Allison

Heat
Mike lupica
pg. 113

I am not far enough into my book to really get the theme yet. i plan on finishing my book this weekend and i will have it figured out then. If i were to choose a theme now though, it would probably be never give up. I think this because my main character Michael was thrown into this world with nothing. He doesnt have parents and he lives with his brother in the Bronx of New York. Him and his brother are illegal immegrants and they have to live a low life. Michael has a dream of becoming a proffesional baseball player and he wants to acheive that dream. I dont think that he will give up. This is why i think the theme is never give up. Overall i like this book and i wonder how it ends.?

-Tyler
Double Identity
by: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Finished book


The main theme of this book is to always be yourself. Don't try to be someone your not. This theme is shown by the main character Bethany. She is a clone of her sister Elizabeth, and throughout the book, Bethany tries to act the exactly opposite of her, because she doesn't want to be known as her sister's clone. By the end of the book she realizes that trying to not act like her sister, makes her not act like herself. Finally she accepts the fact that they are similar and decides to be just the way she is.
The Kindness of Strangers
Katrina Kittle
Finished Book

The main theme of my book is to not act like something doesn't exsist, simply because it is horrific. It's shown by using the story of Jordan, and how if people would have used their gut feeling that something was wrong, he could have been saved from all the trauma he now has. The teachers at his school new Jordan had a problem with adults touching him, and that he wouldn't change for PE, and that's a sign that something is wrong, but no one wanted to be the accuser, or face the fact that this little boy might actually be hurting and being abused.
Cold River
By William Judson
end

The theme of my book is to never give up even when it seems things cant get any better just keep going and it will all be fine. It reminds me of the song "If Your Going Through Hell" by Rodney Adkins because the message is the same. When Lizzy and Tim get stuck in the frozen winter and manage to survive because they never gave up and used what they learned from there dad to survive and see another day. Lizzy character of relentless determination is what saved Tim because alone he would of cracked under the pressure. The idea is to keep going through hard time and don't stop to look back.
Inexcusable
Chris Lynch
End of Book
I think the theme of this book would be is told by Keir which is, the worst thing there is is when the people you love let you down. This is shown in many different scence throughout the book, but is always told by Keir. There was a graduation party at one of his friends house's. All the guys were high on all different kinds of things and Keir decided to try it. The girl he had had a crush on, Gigi, was there too. She has a boyfriend though in the military and was supposed to be there with her. He couldn't make it, so Keir stepped in and was there for her while she was upset. They talked about how they hated when the people they love let them down. That same night the two of them decide to go visit Keir's sisters at college. When they arrived both sisters were out partying and on dates. Keir was furious and took it out on Gigi. He refused to stay the night there, because of what his sisters had done, so they walk to an empty storage shed and stay there. In the morning Keir finds Gigi in the middle of the floor weeping. He asked her what happened, and she said that he raped her. Keir was a good guy, and good guys don't do bad things. He doesn't believe her, because in his mind their two hearts beat as one. Like two people in love. Gigi had let him down, and he loved her.
Paranormalcy
Kiersten White
1-76

I just started reading this book about two days ago so i havent really gotten to a theme in the book yet. It is one of those books with vampires and werewolves and other weird stuff in there so i probably wont get to the theme until way farther into the book. Right now its still basically at the introduction part of the book.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

As I Fall
Lauren Oliver
End of Book

I think the main theme of this book is change. Sam was pretty much a mean girl. She thought she was the best because she was popular. After she died she had to live her last day 7 times. At first she's just the same as she was when she was alive. Then after a few days she starts talking to people she never talked to and learned things about her best friends that made her realize what a jerk she was. By the end of the book she even saves a girl who she used to make fun of from committing suicide.
Elizabyth Ladwig
Give a Boy a Gun
Todd Strasser
Done with book
I think the theme of my book is that you should never make fun of someone. My book is about a school shooting that happened in the 90's. The reason for the shooting was that 2 guys had gotten fed up with being tormented every day. So they decided they would take it into their hands and make their tormentors lives horrible. By killing them.
For One More Day
Mitch Albom
pg. 29

I just started this book a few days ago so it is difficult to decide what the theme is as of right now. I would say so far the theme is to never take the people you love for granted. Chick Benetto's father left his family and his mother dies. He said he was always a daddy's boy until the day he left; then he was a mommy's boy ever since then. He never realized how much he really loved his mother until she was actually gone. He attempted suicide several times in his life. He was drunk driving and was in a car accident which he survived. He jumped off a water tower and still survived. His daughter never talks to him and she didn't invite him to her wedding because of the things he has done. Bad things can happen to you when you don't treat the people who are important in your life right. Never take the ones you love for granted.
The Lucky One
By Nicholas Sparks
pg. 35

I had finished my book for my next project already so I started to read this new book. Since I just started this book there has been no theme developed yet. There have been a few small conflicts and I am starting to get to know the characters. One conflict was character versus self...Clayton versus himself when he looses the camera he "borrowed" from the police station where he works. He struggles to find the camera and is worried what his dad will think when the camera comes up missing (his dad works at the police station too). He also wasn't using the camera what it was supposed to be used for as well, and that just makes it worse. So when his dad happens to find the camera with bad pictures on it, what will he think? So I guess a predicted theme could be careful with what is not yours. The book is in 3rd person and each chapter is set aside for different characters; telling each of their stories. I am assuming they will all link together in the end of the book. I have only been told about the characters Clayton, Thibault and his dog Zeus, and Beth. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book and learning what the theme will be.

Garryson Ridgely

James Patterson
Where the Wind Blows
I think that the theme of this book is that even if you are struggling with problems, never give up. The night is the darkest just before dawn. There are kids in the book that are genetically altered to have wings and superhuman traits, and they escape from the school where they were being operated on. They are all changed for life, but they adapt to their new forms and don't give up hope even when they are being hunted by the ones who took them captive in the first place. The setting affects the characters mood, because a lot of where they are is damp and dark areas. This could give them more of a reason to give up, but instead they do not.
Speak
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
Finished book
12/9/2010

Tabitha Payne

I think now that my book is done the main theme of my book is the importance of speaking up. Through out the whole book she was scared to tell everyone what had happened and when "IT"(the guy who sexually assulted her) came and found her and did it again she had to speak up. When he started to do what he had done the first time to her he was like you going to speak up and scream like you didnt do last time and when he finished saying that she screamed and the girls lacrosse team came and found her and she was saved, but she hated that everyone knew. It is shown through the second assult she got, and when she told her art teacher what had happened. It shows that she is stronger than what she thought and she can tell anything.
Prozac Nation
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Finished book

One of the themes of my book was that do not let others depict your future and how you live your life. It was shown through Elizabeth's interactions with other people. Elizabeth her whole childhood let her father tear her down and make her feel like he really was not a father to her at all. Because of his actions, she was always trying to find the male figure in her life for support her which lead her to the wrong path with men. Also, she was always trying to fit the perfect child for her mother, and she never just took the time to think about herself and what she truly needed. Because of both of these interactions and many others with random men and friends, Elizabeth fell into a life of depression and struggled for many years with it. It was those relationships that made her feel less of a person.

A Walk To Remember By Nicholas Sparks

I think one of the main themes that it show a father what his little daughter thinks of him. I think it is shown they way Jamie always talks that her dad is always at work and she is always by herself. And her father is very strict so Jamie can never leave the house. Now the father is realizing now that Jamie is getting older and going to a homecoming dance with a Land on so Jamie's father is deciding to do his job at being a father . He is all worried about Landon taking his daughter Jamie to the homecoming dance. So now I believe that Jamie's father will be doing more of his job being a father instead of working all the time. I think this is one of the main themes of the book.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Other Side of the Dark
by Joan Lowery Nixon
end of book
The theme of this book is to charish what you have and be thankful for it. A 13 yr old, Stacy gets shot by a robber and her mother is killed. The wound put her in a coma for 4 years. She wakes up to find that everyone is 4 years older (herself included), she missed a large chunk of her life, her mother is dead, and the killer is after her. I think this book makes people realize their lives aren't that bad compared to Stacy's.Stacy misses her old life and would give anything to change what happened.

Quarter 2 blog

Playing for Pizza
John Grisham
p.66
At this point the theme in this book is probably you get what you give. The main character is given many NFL quarterback positions, just on the 3rd string. He does great in practice cause he has a great arm and because no one is allowed to hit him. Then, when he actually gets in a game he freaks out because there's a chance he may get hit. He doesn't put in a lot of hard work so at the end of his time with the Browns it shows because he messes up majorly. Now, he has a second chance to prove himself, this time in Italy. The change in setting and people around him may actually help him realize this lesson he needs to learn.

aloysius tekippe

Sold
Patricia McConic
page:done

The main theme in this book is to never give up hope and that you can trust people. The girl in this book is sold as a prostitute. She loses all trust in people, and she becomes angry with the world and everyone of the men that sees her but does nothing to help. She is angry at her mother and father for selling her to this place. She hates the girls that work with her. But in the end she is helped by an american man that rescues her from this place. This puts faith back in her and lets her open up to people. THe main theme in this book is to never give up hope even when the situation seems as bleak as it could get.
The Rescue by Nicholas sparks
Pages: 256 -326

In this book there is a possibablity of many different themes. One of the main themes is love, because this is a romance book, there is love in it. Taylor is in love with Denise, but taylor has a fear of comitment. everytime he seems to fall in love with a girl and its going great and eveything seems to be doing well, he breaks up with her. none of his friends knows why, or understands it. Him and Denise were doing better then ever, spending everyday with eachother. They would talk for long times, he would always come by, he would play with Kyle (denise's child) like he was his own, but yet after a nice dinner party over at his friends house, something changed. One of his friends kept asking about Denise and how they were doing, and if she was the one, and if he was going to marry her. His friend talked with Denise for a while and she told her all about Taylor's other girlfriends, and how he just unepectly broke up with them. After that night Taylor has been acting werid, not hanging with denise as much and seems to be more to himself and work. Denise is starting to get worried. Because of all these things that have happened i think i can predict the ending, and say that he over comes his fear and they marry. If that is it then i would say the theme would be something like never fear love and indure the path to happiness.

Keeping Faith By: Jodi Picoult Pages 115-140

I think the theme if my book is to be thankful for what you have and not to let go no matter what happens. In the book Faith's mom has to live with the fact that Faith her daughter thinks she is seeing god. It is hard for her to grasp the fact that it is really happening and the people are finding out the truth and blaming Faith's mom for everything because they think she was crazy and seeing things and she did but does not believe it is her fault for everything. She learns that she should have kept Faith closer to her no matter what but she didn't after the divorced and now she is doing all she can to keep her with her and not be given to the dad.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle
Madeleine Blais
Pg. 204

I would say the major theme is this book is to always have hope. This theme is shown through all of the girls on the Amherst basketball team. They want to win that state championship that every team in the whole state is going after. They have hope that they will win and also much desire and drive to make them win. Their coach has hope for them to win as well. Their coach ensures them that they will win the state championship and he has high hopes for them in the future. All the girls think about and they are excited to finally play in that championship game. They believe that without any hope they would not have gotten to this point if hope was not with them. Jamilia is a girl who does not have the best grades, but she believed that she could push through her obstacles and with a little bit of hope she was able to get her grades back up to where they should be. Hope is the main aspect throughout their whole basketball season, because if anyone does not have hope for their team they just set themselves up for a loosing season. Hope is very important to have, not just for sports but just for life in general, and that is what these girls learn while learning new things on and also off the court. The whole plot is around them winning the state championship, if these girls did not have any drive they would have not made it as far as they did. Hope is a muscle these girls have within them, that could potentially get them to win the state championship!

Friday, Decamber 10th, 2010

Rachel Crouch
Black
by Ted Dekker
pg.336

The theme in my book is one of good verse evil and they are constantly battleing back and forth. Since there are two worlds in my book there are two depictions of good and evil. In one world good an devil are very obvious, there is the colorful forest and the black forest which are seperated by a river the circles the entire globe. The only rule in this worold is to not drink the water of the black forest, or all the evil there in will be released. Evil is constant temptimg Thomas to drink the water but so far he has been able to resist. In the other world there is a man Russian man who is trying to invent a disease that could wipe out the entire world, and then there's Thomas Hunter who is trying to stop him. But good does not always prevail.
Ice Drift
Theodore Taylor
p.150

I think the main theme of this is to never give up and keep fighting. The two boys have to fight to survive the cold weather and find food and stay safewhile they are on the ice floe. They have to try their best to stay alive until help can arrive and they can be rescued. They have to try to find their own way to get off of the ice floe because they dont no if help will arrive.
Summer Ball
Mike Lupica
Pg. 160
Again I think the main theme of my book is to never give up. Danny, the main character, is at a basketball camp where he is being picked on and the coaches hate him. He tries to tell his friends, parents, and another couselor that he just wnats to go home, but they say no and to not give up. They tell him to just keep trying with it, and it will only get better. I also think Danny is home sick and that he wants to leave. The camp is in another state and its all summer. The only time he can call home is once a week. Danny has a few enemys there that make it bad to, kids from the travel team they beat at nationals.

Chad

The Game of My Life
Jason McElwain
Too page 122

I believe that the main theme is that you should never give up on your dream. This is shown when Jason scores 20 points in a game he was never supposed to play in. He did not talk till he was 5 and always hid himself. He always wanted to play basketball but could not play until senior night and he suited up and was brought in in the last 4 minutes of the game and scored 20 points. He doesnt score until he is in for 2 minutes but continues to shoot and eventually scores.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Quarter 2, Blog 4?

Kyle Weber
Hoop Dreams
Ben Joravsky
PGS. 1-37

I started a new book called Hoop Dreams. This book is the story of Arthur Agee and William Gates. This book is based on the movie of these two rising basketball stars. This book is a lot like Friday Nigtht Lights. Both of these books are based on true stories and follow a select group of people. Both have similar plot lines and similar characters. And both involve high school kids. But Friday Night Lights was more of a history of the town and not so much about individual's lives. Hoop Dreams follows the lives of two boys throughout high school and even into college.
The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown
pg. 620
Tyler Book

This book is a lot like Angels and Demons, which was also written by Dan Brown. The Lost Symbol is in the Same kind of series I guess is what you would call it. It has the same main character in Robert Langdon and it is the same genre-fiction. It incorporates little history lessons within the chapters and both books have a different group from history. In Angels and Demons it was the Illuminati and in the Lost Symbol it is the Freemasons. They are very similar in the way they are written and in the layout of the chapters. These books are very similar obviously because they are in the same series, yet they have subtle differences and have a completely different storyline.

Sniper

This book does not relate to any other book i've read. It is in a completely different genre and i don't read on my free time.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by. Mary E. Pearson

Nellie Wilson
Period 4
Mrs. Sheffield

This book is like one of Jodi Piccoult. In both books there are major accidents. In The Adoration of Jenna Fox she gets in a car accident, loses her two best friends, only has 10% that is all her, the rest is all scientific matter. She basically is a robot. And in Jodi's book, a guy risks for himself for a woman and daughter. The daughter needs a heart, later his. He died at the scene. The theme is the same in both books, like no matter how hard life may be, keep trying and pushing forward.
Eagle blue
pg. 112

The book I'm reading is called Eagle Blue. It's about a basketball team in Alaska who live in a small town and work real well together. All of their teamwork pays off. They start to be winners instead of losers. I would compare it to the book called Fab 5. Both books are about basketball and working together to reach greatness. Both books are really interesting and support the same theme, working together.
Olivia Ramsey
O, Juliet
pg. 306
This book is a lot different than most of the ones I read lately because it was kind of historical fiction and romance together. I liked it because it was a twist on the classic love story of Romeo & Juliet. Another book I've read that reminds me of this book is I, Coriander which was a historical fiction book. A difference between these two books was that I, Coriander was only told from one persons point of view while O, Juliet was told from both Romeo and Juliet's point of view. The topic of these books was also very different except for the setting because I, Coriander was kind of a Cinderella story in a magical world while Romeo & Juliet was the basic love story with a slightly different twist. What I've learned from the books I've read is I definitely love the genre of Historical Fiction.

Compare this book to a book you've read and enjoyed outside of school. Compare styles, topic, genre, etc.

Heat
Mike Lupica
Pg 50

Right now i just started Heat, by Mike Lupica. So far it is a book that starts out telling about the main characters. It tells stories about there lives and how they ended up to be who they are. I am comparing this to the book Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz. The beginning of this book gets into Alex riders life story right away too. It draws you in and lets you know your characters right off the bat. The styles of these books start the same but are totally different. One is an action type book and one is a "comeback" type of story. They are both fiction books. This lets the book be more creative i think. Overall Heat is a good book and it keeps me reading when i have time.

-Tyler

Garryson Ridgely

Where the wind blows
James Patterson
p. 130
This year i have been reading a lot of James Patterson's books, so the writing style in this book is the same as many of his other books. There is a lot of little problems inside one big problem and you dont figure out the ending until the ending of the book. The topic however is about genetic manipulation in children to give them bird-like traits. In most of the other books I have read from James, the story is based on a series of killings that is happening or major crimes. The genre in this book is sci fi, while his others are mainly realistic fiction. In his other novels there is a big plan that will eventually hatch, but I haven't gotten far enough to know what that plan is yet

Elizabeth Bower

The Rescue by nicholas sparks
pg 125-190

I really haven't read a book that is like this one. i have read all lot of books before but this is the first love/romance book i have read. i normally read action packed books. In somne way this book reminds me of different nicholas spark books. There is action in it, and enough mystery in it that you want to keep reading more and more. It has love and romance in it because that what kind of books he writes. It is a love story which i think Nicholas Sparks is very good at writing very written books. This book reminds me of the book "the notebook", which is another really good book. They both have similar themes, they both have some sort of tragety, they both have a unquie love in it, But they so different too. "The notebook" has a completely different twist on it then this book. although i haven't quit found out the twist in this book. it has hinted at it and i have a guess to what it is, but then again it could be anything. one thing i do know about Nicholas sparks's writing is it always has a twist, always. In the notebook, she was his wife, and they died together. In dear john she marries some other guy, and in this book, well i have to wait and see.
Inexcusable
By: Chris Lynch
Pg. 104
I'm going to compare my book to the relationships that I see today. My book is about Keir Sarafian, a senior and about how he basically forces the girl he likes into a relationship with him. Gigi, the girl, and Keir have been friends for most of their lives and Keir ruins their freidnship by pretty much raping her. He denies it because he's always been such a "good guy" and he would never do something that terrible, but Gigi knows what really happened. Many relationships today have this happening, physical and verbal abuse. This is a nonfiction book, so it easily compares with real life situations. Also in throughout the story, Keir plays in a football game and takes out his anger about the whole raping situation on his opponent. He had tackled him so hard that he paralyzed the kid. From then on, Keir was nick named, "Killer". I haven't even read a book about this before, besides my previous book. But that book wasn't so much about people being abusive, it was more of guys being controlling and how those kinds of relationships can ruin friendships and families.
Cold River
By William Judson
pg1-21

From what I've read this book is a lot like Hatchet by Gary Paulsen as it is about someone being stranded in the woods and have to learn to survive. The difference is in Hatchet its a plane crash and in cold river its a canoe trip that don't end good. The books have similar writing styles both go into good detail about setting and characters. That's all i can compare only 21 pages in but i think it will be as good as hatchet.
Stonewall's Gold
Robert J. Mrazek
pg. 1-31

Stonewall's Gold is a completely different book than Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong. The setting is during the civil war time and it is in Jamie Lockhart's perspective or point of view. The other book is written in Lance Armstrong's point of view and the setting is in France and at his home in the United States. I haven't gotten far enough to know the theme yet so I can not compare their themes. I would perfer Every Second Counts over this book because the words are more descriptive than some of the words used in Stonewall's Gold. I also think that the other book kept my interest more than Stonewall's Gold does. I do like both books though.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Fallan Stark
Singin' in the Rain: the making of an American Masterpiece
pg 52

This book is about how they made the movie Singin' in the Rain, so it is a bunch of biographies and recollections of how the movie was put together. I haven't really read a book similar, except for Danny Boy, which I have yet to complete. Danny Boy is a book on the history of how they wrote the song Danny Boy. It talks about how the song was probably written in the time of the Anglo Saxons, which ironically, I was reading the book about the same time as we covered that subject in class, which made it more enjoyable because I had a better understanding of it. From the little bit that I read, there were no biographies, however it is similar to this book because it is the history of the subject. Danny Boy is a song and Singin' in the Rain is a musical which has many songs. They are both nonfiction.

Keeping Faith By Jodi Picoult 1-115

Im reading Keeping Faith and comparing it to the book Mercy keep I read. They are both books that keep wondering what is going to happen next. They are both by the same author Jodi Picoult. Both books are very well worded both are very descriptive to the point when you are reading reading you can imagine it in your head, which I think these are the best kind of books. Both books have some weird twist to them and you can't put yout finger on what is going to happen next.
Before I Fall
Lauren Oliver
End of Book

This whole story is about a popular high school girl named Sam who dies in a car crash and relives the last day of her life 7 times. It doesn't remind me of any book I've ever read, but it reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. I've never actually seen it, but I know it's about a guy who gets stuck in a time loop living the same day over and over again, like Sam in the book. Both stories even take place in February. Eventually the main character of Groundhog Day (whose name is Phil, I think) starts to change his life and help people, which breaks the loop. The same thing happens to Sam. She starts to notice that other people exist and helps save a suicidal girl, which breaks her time loop and allows her to die. The only difference is that Groundhog day is comedy and the book is mostly serious, even though it has some funny parts.
Dark Flame
Alyson Noel
End of Book

I am going to compare my book, Dark Flame, to The Vampire Diaries. I have read the Vampire Diaries last summer in my free time. There are some similarities between these two books, but there are several differences as well. One thing that is similar between these books is that they are both fiction books; Dark Flame talking about how immortals are real, and the Vampire Diaries talking about vampires... In Dark Flame, they reference to how most people suspect the immortals to be vampires when they are really immortals, which are totally different according to Dark Flame. Dark Flame is written in 1st person, telling the story in Ever's point of view, while Vampire Diaries is told in 3rd person, but with diary entries from different people mostly Alena. This makes the style quite different because you hear one side of the story in Dark Flame while you hear several sides of the story in Vampire Diaries. Also there are diary entries in Vampire Diaries which will tell the specific thoughts of certain people, so you sort of get a 1st person aspect in the story. So looking at these things, there are many differences such as point of view and style, but they also have similarities like their genres.
Somewhere Between Life and Death
Lurlene McDaniel
pg. 145

Somewhere Between Life and Death reminds me a lot of the book Hit and Run. The styles are very similar. In Somewhere Between Life and Death Amy was on her way to the store to get something when she was involved in an accident. She was in a coma for several months and she died. In Hit and Run, Analise is on her way home when she is hit on her bike. She is also in a coma for several months and eventually dies as well. The families were torn and learing how to deal with not having a daughter any more. The genre of these books are the same and they are teen fiction. They have very similar settings, characters, and themes. They both take place at night, involve teenage girls and their battles with living a normal teenage life. The themes for these two books is learning how to move on and forgetting about past situations.These books are very similar in many ways.

aloysius

Sold
By. Patricia McCormick
page. done

This book is like nothing else i have ever read. It is a very sad story of a Family in Nepal that loses money and goes in to debt. The family then sells their 13 year to a woman that forces young girls into prostitution. This is an extreemly sad book and i do not usually read sad life changing books so it is hard to compare. I have read the Grapes of Wrath which made me sad to read it, that is as close as it gets to sadness. The author has also written other books so i may read those to see if they are the same as this one.
Speak
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
pg. 150
12/2/2010

Tabitha Payne

I have read a book similar to this one by the suspense and drama part of it. Speak is suspenseful but not all the way through the book cause she called the cops at a party and everyone is made at her for it and you dont find out till the end of the book what it was and so the suspense part is that. The drama part is how she goes through all these friends and situations she has to overcome. I say genre is the same to what i read outside of school. Styles of how the authors writes are different for one could start out right away and say what it is and do the suspense throughout the book as to what happened because of the situation. I think these are the books i enjoy most of all.

Brandon post

My book is compared to the book "Knight" beacause when Bob Knight was a lil guy he got picked on and he got called a loser several times and just made fun of beacuse he was a lil on the bigger side so yeah he had a rough school career. But then he went somewhere with his life and was a basketball coach at a huge school in Texas. Sho he is living high and mighty now.

Chads

The Game of My Life
Jason McElwain
pg 50

This book seems to be similar to the ever so popular Travel Team by Mike Lupica. I kid who is never expected to do anything good and then emerged as a good player. They are both about basketball and give great descriptions and is an inspiring story. The Game of My Life is non-fiction but Travel Team is fiction. The characters are similar in they both have something wrong with them but Jason McElwains is much more serious. The conflict is the same in they both want to get on the court. So these books both have similarities.
Prozac Nation
Elizabeth Wurtzel
pg. 1-234

I hardly ever read memoirs so this book is a little bit different of a genre compared to what I normally read, but I like it. Because it is a memoir, it is told in first person, and a lot more connections are easier to make with the author because she really expresses her thoughts and feelings. I have also never read a book about depression so it is a little morbid at points and makes you, as the reader, slightly depressed. On the other hand, it also makes me realize how truly thankful I really am as a person because of all the problems my author has. The style is not any different than any other writer besides the fact that Elizabeth uses a lot of cliches and modern slang in her writing.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Mercy
by Jodi Picoult
end of book
I thought this book was alot like another Jodi Picoult book I read. That one was about an autistic kid possibly committing murder. These books are alike because they talk about today's society issues, especially about special cases of murder. The style is also alot alike because the author shows what all the characters are thinking at different times. These books are probably so much alike because the same author wrote them. I think they are pretty much the same, but with different circumstances.

Dear John By Nicholas Sparks

I have only read on of Sparks books besides this one, and it is very similar. In the Notebook they were previous lovers and in this one they have never met each other. The Notebook i thin would have been better if I didn't see the movie before I read the book, and everyone told me to read this book first with this one so thats what I'm doing. The plot is also similar in both books. They both take place in the eastern part of the us. but Dear John takes place by the ocean and The Notebook took place farther in land. The notebook also took place in the 40s and Dear john takes place present day.

Gone by Lisa Mcmann

This book is sort of like the book Crank. It has some problems in it that this girl has to get over. But its mostly on her mom. She finds out that she is psychic and that she can fall into other peoples dreams, uncontrollably. So she just randomly passes out sometimes and goes into peoples dreams. Which is pretty cool. She is unique. This book and Crank both tell storys about drunken people and how to get away from it. They both have scenes where it impacts them and their fellow peers. They were both very good reads. I read a whole series in about 2 weeks.
Double Identity
by Margaret Peterson
pg. 190

The only book I've read that is kind've like Double Identity, is the Guardian. Both of these books are filled with suspense and drama. They both have a mysterious man who is chasing after the main character and the settings are in small towns. But other than that they have nothing else in common. The book i'm reading now is about this thirteen year old girl who just found out that she is a clone of her sister who died twenty years ago, whereas the Guardian is about a grown woman who has an abusive stalker.

Always and Forever By Lurene McDaniel

Melissa Austin is a typical sixteen year old girl who works hard to keep her grades up and has a lot of friends. Everything is going smoothly  until, a teacher discovers she has a bruise on her leg and gets the impression that Melissa's mother is beating her. Later on, she discovers that she is diagnosed with Leukemia. With her health hanging on by a thread, can Melissa take it day by day or will things fall apart??

I've read Where the Red Fern Grows as a young kid and it's a very melancholy book filled with death and hard decisions.  In my personal life, my great-grandpa was diagnosed with leukemia in 2003 and things got worse.  In fact, he died two days before Christmas! This book was one of the hardest ones to read due to the fact that it brought back memories of when my grandpa was still alive. It tears me apart just thinking about him being gone. Both Where the Red Fern Grows and Always and Forever deal with the sadness and loss of loved ones.
The Kindness of Strangers
Katrina Kittle
pg. 242

I can compare The Kindness of Strangers to the book Boy Toy. They both are about two boys, only two years apart, that are being sexually abused. The abuse in the two books are extremely different however. In The Kindness of Strangers it focuses more on how society tries to hide from the horror of children being sexually abused when it happens everyday. In Boy Toy the author tends to focus more on the fact that it can be anyone, including a teacher. They both mention how people don't see the signs of child abuse until after the case is out in the open. The styles of writing in the two books are also extremely different. The Kindness of Strangers has bigger vocabulary and is more of an adult book then what Boy Toy was. Boy Toy used smaller words and made it easier to understand. Boy Toy also used flashbacks every other chapter. Although these two books are very different, they are alike in the fact that they both make you think about how society tries to ignore the horrible things happening.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Nicholas Morrison
Elephant Run
pg. 150
This book is like a lot of the books that i have already read. It starts out with the protagonist have a perfect life and then something makes everything go horrably wrong and they spend the rest of the book trying to fix the main conflict. Its' setting fits right in with all the other random settings that the books have also, for example, this book takes place on a teak plantation in Burma and my last book was in a little town called Bordon Indiana. One of the similarities are the writting styles, haveing a first person or omnisient point of veiw. And like most of the books that I have read I am enjoying this book, it has kept me interested and wanting to see what will happen next.

Quarter 2 Blog 12/3

John Grisham
Playing For Pizza
page 13
This book is nothing like the books I usually read. Most of the time I will read books that look suspenseful or have plots with a lot of twists. Also, in many of the books I have recently read there is another story being told in random chapters throughout the book, that will eventually tie into the ending. This book however, is about a football player who can't seem to make it in the NFL. At this point it seems like it's going to be a simple story line focused on him and his career. The only thing the books may have in common is the setting. The football player can't make it in America's NFL so he eventually is going to play in Italy, where some parts of my last book took place.
Ice Drift
p.25

I would compare this to Boot Camp. I would say that this book is an easier read. and its a lot different. I dont think there is going to be a lot of action and I dont think I will like it very much compared to boot camp which was very good. It seems like its going to be how a kid survives on a piece of ice for a few months and I think it will be boring and drawm out.

The Art Of Racing In The Rain VS A Dog's Life

Paige Boston
The Art Of Racing In The Rain
by Garth Stein
pg 277

In both The Art Of Racing In The Rain and A Dog's Life by Ann Martin, the main characters are dogs who narrate the story. Both have close interactions with people, but in slightly different ways. Enzo, the narrator of The Art Of Racing In The Rain, lives with a family, while Squirrel from A Dog's Life, is a stray travelling from one home to the next. Both dogs are mixed breeds who understand people and their actions very well, and are sometimes skeptical of humans and their intentions. Enzo and Squirrel have both been hit by a car, which causes injuries that affect them for the rest of their lives. They both connect with one specific human whose personality and interests match theirs. For Enzo, this person is Denny, a semi-professional race car driver. Squirrel's person is Susan, an old woman who lives alone. Overall, I find these books very similar as the protagonists have unique ways of narrating them and it is interesting to see an animal's perspective.

Monday, November 29, 2010

In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle
Madeleine Blais
Pg. 38

I would compare this book to Friday Night Lights I read one summer. They both are related to sports which is what the whole book is focused on. They both are based on true stories. Even though Friday Night Lights is about a football team and In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle is about a basketball team, they have many things in common with each other. The setting for Friday Night Lights is on a football field for most of the time, and In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle, is based mostly on a basketball court so far. Both of these teams are very dedicated to what they do and they have a passion for the sport. Neither of the teams ever gave up and they always gave everything they had to play. Both teams had a strong bond between all of the players and they all get along for the most part. They are both going after a dream that they all have to have a winning season and go to state and potentially win it. Both stories are revolved around the team obviously and how they are trying to go after something they have wanted for a really long time. The styles are both written in 3rd person which is nice because then you get to see the perspective of each character and what they are thinking throughout whatever conflict they may be in. Both of these stories are based on real life events which I like because it is interesting to see what those people had to go through to get to the point where they finished the season at. I would say both books should be read by teenagers because they can read about real life events and they have good themes and morals to them as well. Overall, I think this new book I have started is very good and is very similar to Friday Night Lights in multiple ways!
Summer Ball
Mike Lupica
PG. 60
I would compare this book to Travel Team by Mike Lupica. They are the same author and, same characters. As I started reading I found out that this book is a sequel to Travel Team. It been a few years since I have read Travel Team, but from the most previous books I have read all the styles are pretty same. All the genres are realistic-fiction. All Mike's book are about sports. This one happens to be about basketball, as is Travel Team. They also share a conflict, Danny Walker is to short, so no one wants him on there basketball team.
Skeleton Key
Anthony Horowitz
pg 151

I am comparing Skeleton Key to Twilight, which I read this summer. Twilight is a romance. A violent romance, but a romance at that. The Alex Rider series has a little bit of romance in it but not much, since the main character is only 14 years old. I imagine if there were a book about his far future there would be quite a bit in it. He is a spy, and chicks dig the mysterious guy, right? Alex has a few similar qualities with Edward, like his secracy and his "good looks" (even though he's awful looking in the movie). The idea of wanting more knowledge about the past is present in both Bella and Alex. Bella wants to know about Edwards life and Alex wants to know about his family. Bella's dad is a police officer, which is somewhat comparable to a spy. The plots are completely different because, like I said, Twilight is a romance. Skeleton Key and all the Alex Rider books are action-adventure. They have many differances but some similarities also.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

soldier boy
end

Soldier boy is a good book out there. there was many good scenes in this book. This book was all around one character. It delt with some of his battles and how he delt with it. It was a kind of an action book I guess you could say. It was about this kid who was really good at bare knuckle fighting. He suspose to throw the fight but he didn't want to do it because he was undefeated. So Johnny ran away and stop at this cafe and was talk into joining the army. hen he trains for his battle between the army and the Sioux. Johnny just got in that battle and dies. Thats pretty much the book in a nut shell.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Quarter 2 blog

James Patterson
Roses are Red
finished book
The antagonist in the book doesn't really have any motivation. The "Mastermind", as he calls himself, is just a freak that likes to kill people in different scenarios. When he does kill someone like he wanted to it satisfies him, but no enough because he still has to go and kill more people. Its like an addiction for him and in the end it ends up being fatal to The Mastermind. The ends do not justify the means, because if he doesnt kill the victims how he planned it out he is not happy at all. He is a very creepy character that is really frightening to picture as a real person.
Somewhere Between Life and Death
Lurlene McDaniel
pg. 67

The antagonists in this book are Erin and Amy because they both cause eachother to have conflicts, but it is mostly Amy who causes the problems for Erin. Erin is sometimes jealous of her sister's go-getter attitude and how she lives her life on the day to day basis instead of planning ahead. She is jealous of her boyfriend and her humerous attitude towards everything. The main character (Erin) is kind of like her own worst enemy because she doesn't do anything to try to stop the jealousy, she just lets it eat her away. It is then justified because her sister is then involved in a car accident and Erin feels like it's her fault because she was the one who was supposed to be in the car. Her sister is now in a coma and Erin is trying everything to help her get out of it. She is spending tons of time at the hospital and talking to Amy. She is also curious the what the doctors are doing and trys to involve herself in helping Amy. If Amy comes out of the coma soon and is healthy then Erin will be satisfied. If Amy is still suffering when she wakes up or she doesn't wake up at all, Erin will be devestated.
No Right To Remain Silent
Lucinda Roy
Pg. 10

This book is about the Virginia Tech. Shootings. The antagonist, Cho, killed over 30 people. Cho had been diagnosed as mentally ill, but because of his suicide they were not able to find out what his motiviation was. I think that Cho was trying to cause chaos and get back at the world, like many shooters do. He caused chaos and many, many famalies turmoil.
Fallan Stark
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time
mark haddon
pg 158

~so i realized that i did the blog on the protagonist rather than the antagonist, so here's blog #2~

There really isn't an antagonist. If there were I would personify the colors yellow. Chris hates the color yellow. He refuses to eat anything yellow and brown. If he sees so many yellow cars in a row it determines the terribleness of the day. Yellow doesn't try to do anything to Chris, it's just that Chris really hates yellow. The only other antagonist there might be is Chris's dad. He didn't do anything wrong, but Chris is so scared that he might kill him that he goes and buys a train ticket to live with his mom. Chris's dad probably won't kill him though. His dad doesn't want to do anything to hurt his son so there's really nothing to justify. He also can't be satisfied if he doesn't want to do any harm.
Elizabyth Ladwig
Viola in Reel Life
by Adriana Trigiani
done with book
Viola is motivated by her desire to get out of boarding school. She realizes that if she just sits around moping, the time will go by very slowly. So she decides to enjoy herself a little. She makes friends with her roommates and even goes to a dance. When the year finally ends, she realizes that she will miss boarding school, since she had gotten used to life and the people there.
Illegal procedure
by: Franklin W. Dixon

The antagonist of my book would be "House" McClaren. He would be the antagonist because he is the reason his football team is losing. He is motivated by all the money he gets for "throwing" the football game away. He is the kind of person who doesn't care about his teammates or winning. As long as he's getting paid, he's happy. So in the end everything gets worked out because people are betting on them losing.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Paige Boston
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
by JK Rowling
pg 193

In Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, Harry is about to enter his 5th year of school at Hogwarts. He is struggling with the return of Lord Voledemort, a murderous wizard who killed his parents and many other people 15 years ago. Voldemort is motivated to kill all non pureblood wizards, and anyone else who stands in his way, in order to have power over the entire wizarding world. The deaths of others don't matter to him, and he often assigns his followers, also known as Death Eaters, to kill people for him. He manipulates innocent people or puts them under curses to obtain their services, and kills them off when they prove to be no longer useful. If he does reach his goal of being the most powerful person in the world, there will be few people left to appreciate his work, therefore not satisfying him.
Fallan Stark
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time
mark haddon
pg 158

Chris found out the truth about Wellington's death and the truth about his mother. He is scared of his father, because he think he might kill him, and decided that he would run away and live with his mother. He packed some food that hung out in his shed for awhile and figured out what to do. Then he wen't to the train and bought a ticket. He has not arrived at his mothers house or lived there yet, so whether he lives there is unable to be justified. However, his decision to move in with his mother might be silly because his father most likely will not kill him. But I understand if the kid is truly spooked; then thats a reason to act that way. He may feel safer if he moves in with his mom. It depends on how he feels about the situation, whether he'd be satisfied. I think he would because he wouldn't be scared anymore, unless his mothers house appears dangerous.
Angels & Demons
By Dan Brown
Pg. 624

The antagonist is Maximilian Kholer and he is drivin to destroy the Vatican because he is in the Illuminati, a group of scientists that is against the church, and he was crippled because when he was young he got sick and his parents wouldn't save him from being crippled. They wouldn't allow doctors to use medicine to heal him. Instead they relied on God to save him. He didn't agree with this and he thought he shouldn't be crippled. I don't think he is satisfied because in the end he gets killed and it ends all of what he was trying to do. I thought it was pointless for him to try to go to the church to kill the Camerelengo since he died for it, but he was also in the Illuminati, so for that reason it could have been justified because he was doing it for a larger reason which was to destroy religion. He is a multifaced character and he has several reasons to cause the problems he caused. In the end, all he wanted was money, and he ended up dying because of it so it didn't justify the means.

The Rescue By Nicholas Sparks, Page # 1-105

My book is about how a mom and her son got into a car crash. When Denise, the mother, awoke she found a guy, Taylor, that was there to help her out, but her son, kyle, was no where to be found. There was a terrible storm going on. The sky was dark other then the flashes of the lightning. All you could her was the sound of the rain pouring down and the thunder. I would say that the antagonist was the storm and the swamp, because those were the things that made it difficult for everyone to find kyle. Kyle had ran off after the crash. He was scared of the storm and was trying to get as far away from it. There was a lot of people that came by to come try to help find Kyle, who was lost in a dangerous swamp with a huge storm going on, and it was getting cold outside. All Denise wanted was for the people to find her little boy. She so badly wanted him to be alive and safe and back in her arms. She couldn't do anything about it because she had to go the hospital because she was badly hurt after the crash. After hours and hours of searching, Taylor the guy who found Denise, and the guy who was also one of the people that was searching for Kyle in the dangerous swamp, was also the guy who found Kyle hiding in a duck blind. Once Denise had her little boy back in her arms, all safe, and alive, she was very satisfied the outcome of the night.

Ismael
pg. 150
Daniel Quinn

The main guy goes to see Ishmael everyday. He only leaves his house if he is going to talk to Ismael. He only wants to learn from Ishmael so he enjoys visiting him. The main character is satisfied.

Dakota Dream

James Bennett
pgs 21-57

the antagonist is Floyd Rayfield. He is in foster care and he doesn't think he belongs to anything. So he runs away and goes on vision thing to see if he can become a Dakota indian. i think it doesn't doing justifies it because he stole his friends motorcycle. he rids in a car that is stolen. he leaves his freinds to worry. if he gets what he wants i think he will be satisfied because he belongs to something bigger than himself.
Hush, Hush
page 1-312

The antagonist is Patch. He is a fallen angel that is attempting to become human so he can live a free life without the agenda and rules of the other angels. To become a human he has to kill the leader of the Nephilim Chauncey. It is impossible to kill him unless you kill a female descendant of his who happens to be Nora, the protagonist. Patch cant kill her though because he is in love with her. He must choose between becoming a human and sacrificing his true love or live as a fallen angel and try to find a new way to become human. Either choice will not lead to his immediate happiness.
Boot Camp
Todd strasser
Finished

The antagonist is a group of three consisting of Pauly, Garrett, and Sarah. They break of the compound that they are held in causing major problems for the workers at the compound. I think that it was worth it for Pauly and Sarah because they escaped to Canada to have a better life, while Garrett got caught and sent back to the compound where he will be beaten extremely.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Worth a Thousand Words By Stacey Hawkins Adams English 3 Period 7

I believe Indigo is the antagonist. She loves photography and has a degree in it. Her boyfriend, asks her to marry her. And to give up everything. She will do anything to get her final degree. Even if that means killing him.
Mercy
By Jodi Picoult
pg. 41
I don't know if the antagonist in my book is a person. It could be Jamie Macdonald because he killed his wife, but he only did it because she was dying and she wanted him to do it. I don't think the ends justify the means, only because I don't believe in euthansia. Eventhough the wife wanted the husband to kill her, I don't think it is right. Jamie did what he was asked, but he still isn't happy. He didn't want his wife to die and he didn't want to be the one to kill her. I don't think he is satisfied, but he might be if he is convicted because then he would suffer the consequences of his actions.

Hunting Booger Bottom

In this book the main antagonist is Michael Waddell himself. I think this because he is always pushing himself to do and be the best he can and when things dont go exactly the way he wants he gets kind of upset and goes back and does it again until its right.

Quarter 2, Blog Number 4

Kyle Weber
Romo
Bill Romanowski
pg. 150-200

Bill romanowski has a compulsive need to be the best at whatever he does. He wants to be the hardest worker. He wants to be the smartest. He wants to be the fiercest. But above all, he wants to be the best football player there has ever been. And this leads me to believe that he is his own protagonist. What he does to ensure that he is the best, may or may not be outside of the rules. He was involved in a steroid scandal, but no one could prove his innocence/guilt. But the thought still lies in peoples' minds.The act of taking steroids may justify the means for a little while. But evebntually the steroids will break down the muscle that he so relentlessly worked for. His goal of being the best was his motivation for possibly taking steroids, and his ends could not justify the means.

Stormbreaker by:Anthony Horwitz

pg.177
The major conflict now in the book is that Herod Sayle has invented this computer and is going to give it to every school in England. And people think it's great, but what they don't know is that Sayle has put a vile of Small Pox in the computer so when they're turned on for the first time the vile of small pox breakes and every school age kid in England dies. The antagonist is obviously Sayle because he is the person that wants to kill all of the kids in England. The ends do justify the means because the only way he can kill all of the school age kids is by giving them computers and having them think that he is a good person. I think that if he does kill all of those kids it wont make him feel better because he wants to hurt the people that bullied him in school not the kids that are in school now.
Prozac Nation
Elizabeth Wurtzel
pg. 22

The antagonist in my book is my main character because she does drugs. While she uses the drugs, she is slowly tearing herself apart. She feels as if it is a coping method for her depression issues and that if she takes them that it will make her feel better, but in the long run, it is really just eating away at her body. This type of action is not justifying anything; she is hurting herself, and she does not even realize it. She says that it helps and that it satifies her, but it can't because every time she just wants more and more. It is all a pschylogical game.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. End of Book

The antagionst in my book I think is Shay becasue he is the problem in different ways because he killed June's husband but he want's to give her daugter Clarie his heart for heart surguy. So it's kind of like a I know I should take this for my daughter but it's the man that killed my husband why would I want his heart.
She know's she wants it and needs it it's just hard to accept who's heart is.
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
End of Book

I would say the main antagonist of the book is the Capitol and the government that runs Panem. The goal of the Capitol in creating the Hunger Games is to remind the people who live in the 12 districts that they have the power and can destroy them just like they did to District 13. They want to supress the people with fear. The end does justify the means to the Capitol, because they will stop at nothing to get what they want. They don't care that their people are starving, and they will kill people for entertainment. Keeping the districts in line does satisfy the Capitol.

Tyler Allison - 11/10/10

Snakehead
Anthony Horowitz
Pg. 175

The antagonist in my book is the mob Scorpia. They are an organization that can basically make anything bad happe. If you want someone killed, they can make it happen withen a few days. They recently were offered a job to kill a bunch of celebreties that will all be on an island together. The leader of the opperation is a bad guy that they have been trying to learn about and catch for a long time. This is Alex Riders mision. to find all about this man and this new Scorpia operation. This man didnt really have a reason to start this opperation. I think that he is just a general bad guy that hates his life. If he wanted to stop what he does right now, he couldnt do it without getting killed. He knows too much information and will have to do this work for the rest of his life. I dont think that the end justifies the means for this man and agency. There is no reasoning for cold crime. I think that sometimes Scorpia and Major Yu are pretty saticfied with their jobs. If they arent saticfied they cant really do anything about it anyway.

-Tyler
Denton Hopkins

One Missippi

Mark Childress

mission accomplished

I would say their are many antagonists throughout this book. I will choose Daniel's dad for this though ,because he is there throughout the whole book. I don't see how Daniel accepts his dad after the way he treats his family. A lot of the things that Daniel speaks of show that his dad has no reason to act the way he does. This could be true ,but also the book is told through the eyes and ears of Daniel. The whole truth might not be told or perhaps lies.
The Mephisto Club
Tess Gerritsen
p. 105

One of the Antagonists in the story is Joyce O'Donnell. She is a psychiatrist that basically only deals with murderers and others with twisted views of reality. In this case one murderer seems to be trying to directly contact Joyce as he is done killing. This motivates Joyce to be uncooperative with the investigations because she believes in confidentiality with her clients even though they are murderers. She will do anything to hear the details of a murder and why the person did the horrible things they did. She does not care how she gets the story, just as long as she gets it and she doesn't get hurt. Even if she hears many disturbing stories and the reasons why they were committed, she will not be satisfied. She is always looking for the next best thing.

aloysius tekippe

The things they carried
Tim O' Brian
pg. done

The main common enemy for the narrorator and all the other soldiers in the book is the effects of the war on their personalities and well being. The was is making evertone go nuts. They are all going crazy and most refuse to believe that the war is effecting them. Every time one of there own gets killed, they all refuse to beilieve that there dead and show them no compassion. Some of the soilders even committ suicide to end the madness that is Vietnam. Vietnam is like a never ending bad guy, al of the men feel like they are fighting it and also fighting for it.
Amber Logemann

Nights in Rodanthe
By: Nicholas Sparks
Finished book

The main conflict in this book, is when Paul Flannery is killed by a mud slide. He is trying to save his son when his car is hit by the mudslide and dies. Addriene, the protagonist, is in love with Paul and is heartbroken when this happens. She wishes that he was alive and with her, but she was happy that he got to be with his son for the last year of his life. She wouldn't of wanted it any other way even if it meant he would still be alive. Since Paul came to good terms with his son in the end she was justified with that, and the thought of Paul and his son happy together satisfied her.
Rachel Crouch
Cross by James Patterson
done

The Butcher is motivated by a never-ending hate for his father and greed. He is an assassin for hire so he gets paid to kill people he kills, which makes money on of his motives. Also every kill he completes is a way for him to kill his father again. In a way each kill is his way at getting back at his father for what he did to him as a child even though he already killed him. Which proves that no matter how many people he kills he will never be happy. What his father did to him will never be undone. The Butcher will do whatever it takes to get the kill even if it means loosing his life in the end.



Nicholas Morrison
Over and Under by Todd Tucker
end of the book
The antagonist are motavated to go on strike in a very violent manner. They did not get their .30 pay increase like they wanted so they went on strike. They have been on strike for a very long time and are getting upset that the company they work for will not meet their demands. They start bunring old cars outside the company gates and getting into fights with eachother. They have been a very productive group of workers and deserve and .30 increase, so some of their ends justify their means. They do, in the end, get their pay increase after a lot of violence.
19 Minutes
Jodi Picoult
Pg. 470

The antagonist in my book is Peter. He has not always been the most popular kid in school and he is always getting bullied by someone. He gets bullied by multiple people in his school which leads him to bring many guns to school and kill people and disable them as well. Most of them were lucky to make it out alive. Peter could not stand being bullied anymore and he had to stand up for himself. The ends do not justify the means of the situation. He ended up killing a lot of people and just felt regret and remorse. Killing the people made him not feel any better about himself because in return he has to spend his whole lifetime in jail.

Qtr 2, Blog 4

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
Deb Caletti
P. 159
The main antagonist is this book would be Travis Becker. He is the "bad boy" type of kid who is always trying to get the good girls. His family is very wealthy, because his father is a real estate agent. Traivs has a motorcycle, which makes Ruby like him even more. Some of the things she does with him are things that she would have never imagined herself doing. Some days Travis would show up at her work and ask her to leave, and she would, just to be with him. Other times she would lie to her mother or her friends about seeing him. He once made her go into his "friends" house to "take care of their pets" while they were "out of town". Ruby soon realized that Travis wasn't friends with those people; they had broken into their house and he had stolen their personal belongings. So basically, Travis Becker will do anything so he can be with Ruby. He is willing todo anything he can to get what he wants. He lies, steals, and cheats, but he doesn't care. Just as long as he gets what he wants, which is Ruby, he is a-ok.
Speak
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
pg. 104

Tabitha Payne

My antagonist is the main character Melinda Sordino. The major conflict in my book would be that she had called the cops at a party because something was wrong(hasn't come out and said yet) and now everyone hates her and she is an outsider because a lot of people got in trouble at her school because of her. That is where the conflict comes into play because she has the choice of telling everyone why she did it and what really happen to her or she can have it be a secret. The personal motive for this decision is if she wants all her friends back, if she wants everyone to know why she really did it, and or if she wants to feel relieved of this secret. I believe that her goal at some point will be to tell the truth and come clean, which means yes her ends would justify the means cause she would be reaching her goal by telling everyone and she might get all her friends back or she could be more of a loner. I think that no matter what she does she won't be satisfied because she will be mad she told everyone cause they could hate her more and if she doesn't say it will just her away.
Million-Dollar Throw
Mike Lupica
Pg. Done
So Nate and Abby are like best friends. Nate wins this contest to make a throm and win one million dollars, he also the starting qb of his football team. The problem is that he really wants Abby to see his games and be there when he makes the throm. Abby can see but she has some disease that wont allow her to see really far and this upsets Nate. He wants to help. Nate practices a bunch to make this throw, then on the big day, he makes it. Since he wants Abby's eye sight to get better he decides to spend the money on an expensive surgery that will really help her out. Nate is a friend and thats what friends do, help eachother.
Sniper
by Theodor Taylor
End

The antagonist named Thomas Hedgepeth in my book isn't told in detail that much. Back when Ben was born Ben's dad worked at a zoo with the lions. his daughter was mauled by a lion and Thomas sued but lost the case. Thomas then shot the defense attorney and was sent to jail. he is out of jail to get revenge for his daughter by killing Ben's dad. In his mind he thinks that by killing Ben's dad he will feel better but he only manages to kill a few of the big cats but never gets revenge. I don't think he could of lived with himself after he had gotten revenge but then again their isn't much detail about this character.
Soldier Boy
end

I would say that the Indians were antagonist. I say this because the Indians fought and killed people. Johnny and the army was order to take that land away from the Indians because the Indians were killing United States citizens because they would not let them on there land. The Indians were a rough set of people the killed people. In the end the Indians were kinda satisfy with there decision because they won the first battle then we came back and destroyed them. So they were a little satisfied. They represent a group of people who tries to get everything they want. Even if they have to take by force.The Indians are smartand sneakywhen they try totake things. Like when they try to keep there land they made a plan to stop the U.S.A from taking it away from them.

Brandon's Post

The personal conflict in my book is how the main character Deet is such a pot head and no one can tell him anything because he is so into just doing anything because his dad is jail and isnt getting out anytime soon. So he now he really dosent have anyone there for him so he just kinda goes to drugs as an outlet to the world he is really just hating life right now because of his dad being locked up. I think the only thing that could help Deet at this point is if his dad came home and he was happy with his son again.
Ben Siepel
Mrs. Sheffield
11/10/10
Crazy for the storm

In the book crazy for the storm the main antagonist is mother nature. Because when their plane crashes they are stuck on top of a peak in a blizzard. and they have to fight nature in order to get out alive. They have to face climbing down a mountain and having to fight bad weather. They will have a hard fight and the antagonist mother nature will not let them live so easily.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Special Prisoner
Jim Lehrer
Finished

The hyena has set up this camp to take in bomber pilots that have been captured. He takes them so he can interrogate them and get information out of them so he can tell higher up people about what the Americans plan on doing to the Japanese. It is kind of justified since it is really his job, but the way he is doing it is way out of line. I'm not quite sure if doing all this to the Americans satisfies him in any way, obviously it does somewhat since he as been doing all this to them without showing any sign of feeling bad.
Skeleton Key
Anthony Horowitz
pg 215

General Sarov basically wants to take over the world. There is nothing more to it. He is a retired General from Russia and saw the fall of the Soviet Union. He wants to restore the power, not just to Russia, but to himself. He was once great but now he has been under the radar, or so he thought. The CIA has been keeping tabs on him and Sarov has been linked to a man called The Salesman. The reader, but not the CIA know that this is because Sarov has bought uranium from him and is also responsible for The Salesman's death. So Sarov wants to rule the world. He plans on doing this with some sort of bomb. Would the ends justify the means? I believe he would be completely satisfied if he actually got to rule the world but he is a maniac for ever thinking that to be possible. I don't think he has a chance, but if he got what he wanted, he would be ecstatic.

Quarter 2, Blog 4

Dark Flame
Alyson Noel
pg. 165

The antagonist of my book is Roman, the immortal rouge. Roman seeks revenge of Ever, after she kills the woman he loves, Drina. This is a on going thing of seeking revenge. Since Roman cannot have his "lover" then he thinks neither can Ever. Roman makes an antidote that is supposed to make Damen (Ever's lover better) but it doesn't. The antidote makes it so Damen and Ever can never swap DNA, so basically no touching at all. In the this book, the 4th book, Roman says there is an antidote to the antidote and that Ever just has to 'pay the price' Roman just keeps Ever on her toes to get what he wants. Then Ever uses magic and binds herself to Roman which causes even more problems. Roman basically wants Ever and it seems like how the book is going, that what he is going to get. The ends would justify the means. If Roman gets what he wants, he will be happy. He will get his revenge on Ever and ultimately get Ever in the end. The way the book sounds, Roman will get what he wants, but so far, all of Alyson Noel's books events change and it is very unpredictable. I don't know if this is going to happen or not because of this.

Chad

Cover-Up
John Feinstein
pg. done


There isn't really a "bad" character. There are pretty much just two kids that are searching for an answer. How the are going about finding this answer is perfectly fine. They are doing nothing bad or anything that will offend anyone. The ending is perfect they find the answer they want and do it without harming anyone, except the people they accuse of doing something they shouldn't. The answer they find satisfies the both of them.

Whatever happened to Janie by Carolyn B. Cooney

When I started reading this book, I put myself into the character's perspective. A lot of the situations presented in the book connected with my personal life.  For example Janie and Jodie get into fights and have disagreements with each other.  My brother and I get into fights over the dumbest things!!! It's not even funny!!!  The main problem is that Janie doesn't live with her biological parents because she was kidnapped at such an early age. Janie views situations differently. Such as when she calls her biological parents on the phone because she can't take it anymore.  But she's strongly encouraged to stay with her "other" family.  In my personal life, I often get into arguments with my family over ridiculous things that I have very little control over. Facing the challenges of being faraway from her real family, it's hard to keep things under control. Family issues often occur when one or both parties have different perspectives of a situation. Some times I feel as if my family treats me unfairly because of the yelling that seems to occur more than usual.

Friday, November 5, 2010

The Mercy of Thin Air
Ronlyn Domingue
pg. 25

This story is told from the point of view of a ghost that is looking at the lives of people that remind her of herself. I think it makes the story better because you get to hear a story about the people and then a story kind of like it about her own life. It makes it more interesting because it gives a lot of clues, but doesn't tell everything since it's told in first person. I think it makes the story better.
Elizabyth Ladwig
Viola in Reel Life
Adriana Trigiani
Done with book
This book is told from 1st person point of view. It makes the story more personal and "in the moment", since you get told about things right when they happen. You also get to know how the teller of the story is feeling and what their thought process is like. It affects the plot in that you get their opinion of the events that are happening around them and what they think of the people they meet. I usually like stories told in first person, since it's easier to get into the story if someone is telling it from their point of view. But other times it gets really choppy and repetitive because they think in the same way, with the same words.
Illegal Procedure
by Franklin W Dixon
pg. 202(end of book)

The book was told from 1st view. It goes from Joe then to Frank. So it affects the tone in a good way because the reader gets two different characters point of views. The 1st point of view helps the plot because we know by the character's thoughts what might happen next. So in the end being told from the characters helps the reader get the tone being left by the characters.

Quarter 2, Blog Number 3

Kyle Weber
Romo
Bill Romanowski
Pgs. 100-125
The book is in first person, told through the point of view of Bill Romanowski. There isn't really a plot, so it doesn't contribute to that aspect. He goes back and tells of his experiences. It wouldn't be the same if it were told in a third person point of view, so it moves the story along. It makes it more interesting, making it fun to read, or at least as fun as a book can be, which isn't a whole lot. But nevertheless, this book is told in first person, is a decent book, and can contribute to the overall appeal to a reader.
The Special Prisoner
Jim Lehrer
Done with book (pg 217)

My book is told in first person point of view, by Watson. It makes it even more depressing about all the stuff that was done to him. It also describes his feelings about how he felt bad for all the bombs he had dropped upon Japan. The plot isn't much affected by the point of view. When it is in first person you can tell what he is feeling in every situation which makes you feel like you're more a part of the story.
Amber Logemann
Nights in Rodanthe
by Nicholas Sparks
pg.190

This book is told in 3rd person point of view. Having this point of view, the readers get the thoughts and feelings of more than just one character making it easier to connect to more characters. It affects the plot because you hear all sides of the story. Instead of just knowing about the main characters feelings, you get to know how the other characters are affected by the conflict as well. It makes the book more interesting because you get more details, but also confusing because you obtain so much information.

Sam's Letters To Jennifer

Paige Boston
Sam's Letters To Jennifer
by James Patterson
pg 65

This story is told from Jennifer's point of view. She is the main character who narrates the events of her life after she learns that her beloved grandmother, Sam is in a coma. She travels to Lske Geneva, the resort community where her Sam lives to see her, and relives memories of her childhood upon visiting her grandparent's house. While she is there, she finds letters that her Sam has written to her and begins to read them slowly. The letters are told from Sam's point of view, and they illustrate the events of Sam's life after she marries Jennifer's grandfather. I like the way that this story is told, especially when the viewpoint changes as Sam's letters are being read. Jennifer reads the letters in small groups, taking breaks after reading a few. This creates suspense, but also gives me time to see what is happening in Jennifer's life.
Hide and Seek
Jane McFann
finished book
Sydney Boyle

The book is told from the 16 year old's POV. She focuses on what she wants and cares more about what HER future holds rather than the others around her. This effects the plot because it describes school settings and places she would visit instead of the other characters. It also so effects the tone because it is told from a teen's POV. It focuses on the events occuring in a teen's life and it also puts you in a teen frame of mind by the way she speaks. Lastly, it's kind of a related read because she is a teen and I can somewhat relate to her in her daily life.

One For The Money

Pg 113 this book is told from Stephanie Plum's point of view. It affects the tone by of all the action and by of what her job contains how she is supposed to do it. It affects the plot because of the way she has to find Morelli and catch him and she is having difficulties and problems catching Morelli. It effects me because i like all the mysterious events that go on and all the excitement and adventure that is going on in the book . It that is how it is keeping me interested.
Ismael

Daniel Quinn
Pg. 117

Its told in the main characters point of view. It help you know what he is understanding in the book when he is learning. The plot is good because you know what is happening the whole time.
If it was someone else narrating it , it would probably be less interesting.
Nicholas Morrison
11-5-10
Over and Under
By Todd Tucker
end of book
This book is told from a first person point of veiw. When it is told this way we feel all of the characters fears, pain, saddness, and enjoyment. I don't think that the way this story is told affects the plot of the story, we just see his thoughts about it. Being in first-person does make this book very exciting, the character has a lot of adventures with his friend and get in a lot of tight situations.
Soldier boy
end

It was told in johny point o view. Johnny was the main character in this story som it was all around what happen to him adn how it changed him as a person. I this story i think it would be totally different if they would chand any part of this book. Everythimg wouldn't be the same. The title wou ld be different. If it was told from Johnnys best friend Frank point of view it would have some mystery in it. Cause threw out this story Frank had a deep secret that he was keeping away from everyone. Then all the suddden he came out and told johnny he lied about his name so he can join the army. So ya nothing would be the same

Tyler Allison Blog - 11/5/10

Snakehead
Anthony Horowitz
Pg. 113

Snakehead is told from a 3rd person point of view. In the book it never says I or me. It says him or he. This helps get the story across more clear i think. This helps the tone by telling a story instead of a first hand account like in first person. I think if gives the author freedom in what he wrights. You can know and read more that one event that is going on. In my book this happens a lot. There are multiple stories going on and it helps add detail to the story. I like this a lot. I think that 3rd person reading is a lot more interesting to read. I think that it ads to the book with detail and makes the story more understandble. it is nice to know what your character is thinking. you wouldnt be able to know a lot of inside detail without 3rd person point of view. overall i really like this book and it is keeping me attatched and interested.

Tyler

quater 2 blog Aly Tekippe

The Things they Carried

Tim O'Brian
page done

The book is told in first person. Tim is relating stories of his past and he is talking about them. He goes into great detial about the plat of the veitnam war. This point of view tells everything anyone would need to know about the story. He uses this point of view to scare readers with details about bodies and other things that would be. this story is very interesting and keeps you hooked with the point of veiw.

Dakota Dream

James Bennett
pgs 1-21


the book is written in first person point of view. it affects the tone because I know what he is thinking and how he feels about the people around him and what the conflict is. it affects the plot so you dont know what is going on behind the scenes and what is going on with the people he left back home. but it keeps the reader engaged with the book they want to know what is going on and what they are going through.

Quarter 2, Blog 3

Roses are Red

James Patterson

p. 290

The story is told in third person about many different characters. The author is all knowing about the characters, and there is nothing hidden from the reader, just from the other characters. This point of view allows the reader to visualize the characters better, because the author provides good descriptions when they are brought into the action. The point of view makes the tone of the author sound like he knows what is going on, but he doesn't want to share all of the information yet. If the point of view was in first person, you wouldn't see both sides of the plot like you do in third person. As a reader I like James Patterson's 3rd person view, because you get a sense of both sides of the story. This allows you to piece it all together, but not completely figure it out before the ending making for a great book.

quarter 2, blog 3

Rachel Crouch
Cross by James Patterson
pg.334
My book is writen to two different styles. Alex, the main character, tells the story in first person point of view. But then it switches over to the Butcher where it's told in third person point of view. It makes the Butcher a much more mysterious person since you aren't quite sure what he's thinking. Then there's Alex whose an open book (no pun intended) which makes him so easy to relate to. The writing style also let's you in on all the little secrets that Alex hasn't figured out yet leaving you a step ahead in figuring out who killed his wife. Overall the unique writing style gives the book a more exciting feel and helps to hook your interest.
Sniper
Theodore Taylor
End

My book is told from a third person limited focusing on the main character. This make the book more exciting as you only know what the character knows as you read so it like your right next to them. the plot seems to be more complex because you only know so much which can make it difficult to understand at some points. The best part of third person is you know whats going through the characters head all the time and you can sense the fear anger and any thing the character is feeling.
Speak
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
pg. 100
11/5/2010

Tabitha Payne

The point of veiw is told from the main character, Melinda Sordino. I think she effects the tone in how she describes things and when she is talking about some of the things in the book you can tell if she is being sad, happy, sarcastic, and mad. She says one part in the book "Traitor. She isn't going to stick up for my posters. The peanut butter in my mouth hardens." and ou can tell she is mad because of what she says and how she say it. Another passage is where she sounds scared and nervous, "Maybe he won't notice me if i stand still. That"s how rabbits survuve; they freeze in the presence of predators." You can tell she is scared because of the the context of the rabbit when they get scared they freeze on their tracks. Since she was scared she used that analogy. I think is doen't affect the plot at all because i think any person could the story and the plot could still be the same. Like if a guy told the story they could use the same plot just use a guy instead of a girl and switch some of the characters. I would enjoy the book either way whether it was told from a guy or girls p.o.v.
the chronicles of vladimir tod (eleventh grade burns)
pages 1-312

The story is told from third person omniscient which i personally like because it allows you to no what every character is thinking which makes the story way more enjoyable to me. It gives it more of a dark tone since you can tell what the people are actually thinking even when they are lying. i think it makes all books way way better.