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.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Gentlemen
By: Micheal Northrop
pg. 145
1/29/2011

Tabitha Payne

If I had to ask my character three questions I would ask them What do you really think happened to Tommy because in the book they are searching to what really happened to him. The second question would be, Do you want to find a girlfriend because in the book he is always trying to talk to girls but they just run away or don't talk to him. And te third question would be do you really think that Mr. Habberman did the crime because he is who is being a little weird in the book about all of this.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Quater 3, blog3

Rachel Crouch
Pop Goes the Weasel
By James Patterson
I would probably ask the killer, who calls himself death, why his was trying to kill himself in the first chapter of the book, and why he was too big of a coward to go through with it. If he can so easily take the lives of so many people then why can't he take his own life?? I was really hoping that he would be the last killer that Cross was after, he would kill himself, and we'd get to meet the nest killer. I would also ask him why he started living his fantasy he was a big enough creep just thinking about he didn't need to be any creepier by living it. I'm also wondering why, if he hates his family so much, why hasn't he killed them or at least left them. I guess that would be to normal of a reaction.

Lost Symbol
Dan Brown

I would first ask robert langdon why he first got interested in symbology. I think this is crucial because basically every book involving langdon is based on symbols. I would next ask what happened to his wife from angels and demons because in this book she is just gone. Finally i would ask him if the masonic pyramid was even remotely close to what he expected because from his thoughts it appears he thought it wasnt even real so the fact that it actually exists must be mind blowing.
Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
Pg. 194

First of all, the main character in my book's name is Louis Zamperini. He is a pilot during WWII and he was also in the Olympics. If I met him in real life I would ask him how he survived the plane crash and nobody else did. He flys with a crew of men on a bomber plane and none of the other men survived. I want to know what he was thinking and what made him keep pushing forward for 28 days out on the ocean. You would think it would be impossible to survive that. Next, I would ask him what it was like when he ran in the Olympics. When he stepped on the track I want to know what he was thinking and what it felt like. I want to know who he met there and what friends he made. He talked about some of the people, but i'm sure he met more famous people at the Olympics. The last question I would ask him is what he did after the war. I know I haven't read much and the book will tell me later, but if I met him now, that is what I would ask. I want to know if he got a civilian job or just trained more for the Olympics. I would ask him if he had a family or had a girlfriend. Louis is an interesting character and there are many questions I could ask him since he did a lot of things with his life, but these are the three most important.
The Tenth Circle
Jodi Picoult
Finished book

I would ask Trixie Stone why she believes that hurting herself is the only way to escape her fear of facing people and being confident in herself. She cuts her wrists because she does not feel like she should even belong on this Earth all because her boyfriend broke up with her and refused to get back with her. Also, I would ask her why she did not just come clean in the beginning of the plot with the truth about what really happened that night at the party. If she would not have lied about what her ex-boyfriend did to her that night, she would not feel like she did not belong. She would not have to worry what other people would think about her and trying to impress them. This led to her suffering from self-inflicted pain. Lastly, I would ask her why she feels like she can not be close with her parents. Why does she feel like she has no one to lean on? Her mom is opening her heart to her, and her father is trying to lend his hands, but Trixie refuses the offers. Why does she have to be so stubborn. If she would have had someone to confide in, I really do not believe she would have hurt herself or others along the way.

Living Dead In Dallas

Paige Boston
Living Dead In Dallas
by Charlaine Harris
pg 107

I would ask the main character, Sookie Stackhouse, if she had ever used her telepathy to her advantage in school, where she could read the minds of teachers and students in class with her to find out answers. This is important, because Sookie did not often try to use mind reading to her advantage before meeting Bill, but it would be tempting to almost anyone in a challenging test. Next, I would ask her what specifically drew her to Bill, other than not being able to read his mind. Given the fact that she knows that she is visually appealing, and is aware that both normal human men and very sexually driven vampires are attracted to her, she has every reason to be afraid that she could be injured. In addition to this, she had heard nothing good about the character of vampires prior to meeting Bill, which would be enough to frighten anyone out of making friends with such mysterious individuals. Lastly, I would ask her if she sees her relationship with Bill leading to marriage. At this point in the book, they have been together for quite awhile, and have gotten very serious. This being Sookie's first relationship, it is hard to tell if she knows what the next step is in a situation like this.
Fallan Stark
Dirty Laundry
Daniel Ehrenhaft
pg 80
I would ask Carli Why did you agree to go undercover at Winchester? How do you think that you will find Darcy? and What will you do when you find Darcy? I also would like to know why Darcy ran away, what effects from being in Winchester have on her. I am interested in knowing why Darcy disappeared and what they plan to do about it. I would ask these questions because I want to know her line of thinking.

Catching fire

By Suzanne Collins
Pg 1-75

if i could ask three question to a charcter i would ask Katniss if she acually loves peeta or just acting to keep her and her family alive? because she acts like she is really in love with her and sometimes she acts like she can't stand him. i would also ask her why wouldn't you want to start a revolt? i mean you get bring the capitol done had have more freedoms. i would also like to ask her if she ha the chance would she kill the president? since he came out right and threatened her and her family and Gales life.

The rescue BY nicholas sparks

The Rescue
By Nicholas Sparks
Pg, 200-350
In this book there is the main character which is Denise, and she has a son, kyle, that can't talk well. he normal does not talk at all and when he does it is slow and simple words. He has a hard time understanding what other people say, and making friends. The first question i would ask him is if he ever feels lonely that he does not have that many friends? I would ask this because the only people he talks to is Denise and her boyfriend. those are his only friends, so i was wondering if he feels left out because of his disability. Another question i would ask him is if he knows that he can not speak like other kids or does he think that this is just a normal thing that everybody has to go through. He does not really know what a normal childhood is so i would ask this to see if he knows that he is different then everybody else. My next question would be why he left the car after the crash? i would want to know this because it was something that i questioned me. after the crash he left the crash and wondered away. It took them a long time to find him during the storm, but other then it being a good way to start off the book i did not understand what made him want to do that.

Don't Die, My Love. By Lurlene McDaniel. Mrs. Sheffield. Period 7. Nellie Wilson

In my book I would ask Luke who has a rare cancer that 1 in every 100 or so people have.
My first question would be: how did you being so active and healthy, take it that you were told you had a rare cancer.
My second question would be: How did you having cancer, put an impact on your relationship with Julie.
My third and final question would be: If you knew that you could be saved and there was a cure then why did you not go to chemotherapy, risk the surgery when you knew you had a donor and you were going to die either way. Why not wait and see if the donor could help you?

Blog 1/28/11 Tyler Allison

Mike Lupica
Miracle on 49th Street
pg. 125

The main character of my book is Molly. There are a lot of questions i would ask her but there are three main ones. The first one i would as is "how was it with your mom dying?" I think that would be really hard. That is something i would never want to experience and it would scare me. I would want to know what it was like. The second question i would ask is "how is it living with another family?" I would want to know this because i think it would be hard to live with another family. I think i would feel awkward and like i was taking away from the family. I hope this never happens to me or anyone but it does everyday and it would be hard. My last question is "how did you have the confidence to go to your dad and tell him who you were?" This is something that i dont think i could ever do. This could mess up someones life and scare them really bad. Also i think the relationship between her and her dad would be weird from then on. I would not have the confidence to do this, but she does and that is amazing.
Dewey
Vicki Myron with Bret Witter
Page 34

One. How do you think the kitten survived the harsh weathers? I would ask this because even though this is a true story it seems highly unlikely. A young kitten just eight weeks old, left in a library book deposit for days in the coldest winter, with books being dropped on it, seems like a very tough environment to live in.

Two. Do you think it was a coincidence that Dewey came to the library right when everyone needed cheering up? It seems like fate or destiny because such a little kitten was able to bring so much joy to so many people right when they needed it the most.

Three. Why do you think that woman was so against having a kitten in the library? Yes, allergies are a problem and it may seem a little wrong to have an animal in a formal place, but it seems like she made it a much bigger deal. It was especially odd since she had never actually been in to the library.
I would ask the narrator why he started learning about paradoxes. Who does he look up to that works with paradoxes. How many years of college did he go through? Paradox is a hard subject to understand so he must be intrigued by by the possibilities you can do with paradoxes. It would be nice to know where his opinions come from and who he agrees with. He wrote a 400 page book thats about a hard subject to understand so where did he get his knowledge from?

Charlie St. Cloud Pg.100-125

What does it feel like to lose a brother or sister? How hard was it letting go of seeing Sam everyday and how did you let him go? And I want to know how you feel when you see your brother every day and how much has your life changed since you let Sam go and completely moved on ? Because I think this will help me if I ever loose somebody so close to me. I do not know how I would really feel especially if it was my sister. I think my life and my world would totally change. And if I did loose somebody what would it feel like if you were able to see them everyday. And how much did your life change since they died and when you finally decided to let them go. I do not think I could ever let go of someone so special in my life especially my sisters. that is why I want to know what it feels like and to of what I would ask Charlie.

By Amy Wright

Coming Back Stronger
By Drew Brees
pg. 129 to 165

While you were unable to play, did you think about Baseball at least once a day? I was sad after I had surgery and all I thought about was playing softball. Do you look back on your past and think of it as a positive attribute or a negative attribute? I look back on surgery and everyday that I was unable to play softball made me regret having surgery. I hated every minute of it. What helped you ge through the pain? Did you ice and takes lots of ibprophen? I know I had to ice and take some anti inflammatories. It was very painful.

Brandon's post

1. Why did you make is so in the book the main character would do nothing but basketball? I mean seriously all the kid eats, thinks, dreams about is basketball its a little ridiculous.
2. Why did you make it so he was addicted to pain meds? I grab this book and started to read it because I thought it was going to be about basketball and his career within basketball, but no its about a kid that hurts his knee and then gets addicted to the pain meds his doctor prescribes him.
3. Last but not least, why did you make it so his dad coached him all the way thru his life? Did you know its a proven fact that if you have a random person coach you it teaches you better skills and tactics then you would be if a parent or guardian coached you.

CHAD!

Knights of the Hill Country
Tim Tharp
pg. 125

The first question I would ask him would be, If your dad showed up on your step and wanted to be a part of your life, what would you say? His dad left him when he was young and never had a father figure to help him, so I am not sure whether he would be happy with him or not. My second question would be, do you actually like football or is it a way to channel anger? His life is rough and he loves to hit people in football so I'm not sure if he likes it or just likes to get rid of his anger. My third question would be, do you feel more pressure on you to get another perfect season for your senior year or does it still feel the same. The already have 6 straight perfect seasons under their belt and the 7th would be an amazing defeat.
Running out of time
Margaret Peterson Haddix
pg. 200

If I could ask a character in my book three questions, I would talk to the main character Jessie. I would first ask her, how did you feel when you escaped Clifton? I would ask this, because I would be really scared, and since she is only thirteen I would expect her to be very scared as well. Some other questions I would ask are, what was it like not knowing what things are around you, and how did you get enough courage to do what you did? These questions crossed my mind a lot when reading this book. Coming from an outside world to present day and seeing unnatural objects would be hard to overcome. She went through a lot and I have know idea how she did it.

Quarter 3, Blog ?

Kyle Weber
The Assist
Neil Swidey
I would ask the Coach why he does what he does for his athletes. He goes to great lengths to make his athletes better people. I would ask him why he hasn't settled down and started a family. But he would probably say that his job takes up a lot of time. He does everything for his athletes and would have no time to spend with his kids or his wife. I would also ask him what made him want to be a coach. He had to have made his mind up early. I wonder where he went to college and what he majored in.
Nicholas Morrison
The Invisable Man
pg. 50
If i were to ask the main character in my book three questions, the first one i would ask him is if he is really invisable or not because it's getting really boring not knowing whats going on. The second question i would ask him is how he became invisable if he actually is. The man is a scientist so i think he might have had a horrible accident but i'm not sure yet. The last question i would ask him is who he is hiding/running from. In the beginning of the book he came flying into the inn and kept a constant watch at the window for several hours. He is always looking over his shoulder and keeping watch for an hour or two after he gets back to the inn.

Quarter 3 blog

Maximum Ride: The angel experiment
by James Patterson
I would ask Max the questions, because she is the main character and I have learned the most about her. The first question I would ask is what kind of feeling she gets when she flies? She is a teenager with wings and it must be an awesome feeling to pop up in the air and fly whenever you want, so I would want to know what that was like. The second question I would ask is how she can keep supporting all the "brothers and sister" that she has, because it would be very hard to when they have to eat so much. They have to eat so much because it takes a lot of energy to fly, and they can all fly. Also I would want to know the ways that she can provide for food and shelter when she can not have a job, and she doesn't have any money. The last question I would ask her is if she would ever get her wings taken off if she could. Having wings would make life a lot harder, because everyone would view you differently. There could be a lot of bad things, and a lot of good things that come with having wings and I would like to know Max's opinion on them.

Lord of the kill

I would talk to Ben because he is the main character in the book. I would ask him who do you think dropped the body into the jaguar cage your father has angered alot of people and tried to put them out of buisness with his protests who would go this far. The next question i would ask would be do you feel safe here at the preserve by yourself some one is oviously angry with your father what if they come after you. Then finally i would ask what its like to live on a big cat preserve you wake up every morning to sounds of lions and tigers it has to be pretty cool.
Walking up a Rainbow
By Theodore Taylor
pg 30

How are you going to be able to move on without your parents? Who are you going to live with now that your parents are gone? Did your parents leave you any money?

I asked these because it would give a better understanding of her situation and what she is going to have to do to continue her life. It would also help to understand how close she was to her parents.

Qtr. 3 Blog 3

The Properties of Water
By: Hannah McKinnon
pg.56
If I could pick a character I would choose Lace. She's the main character and she's teh one telling the story. The first question I would ask would be what really happened that summer. He mom and her sister, Marni, haven't came home in a long time now. It's just Lace and her dad at the house. The second question I would ask would be why don't you talk to your dad more and spend time with him. He's obviously struggling with the fact that his wife and daughter aren't coming home. He needs someone to talk to about it and spend time with to get his mind off of things. The final queston I would ask would be don't you think if you go back to the lake and face your fear of what happened that summer that you wouild be stronger and be able to move on? Maybe even join the swim team again? A lot of people want her to go back out, because she is a really talented swimmer. Getting over her fear of the lake might make things a little easier around the house and in her life.

Aloysius

Stand Tall
Joan Bauer
pg. 77-104

My main characters name is Tree. He is a very perplexing person. If i were to meet him i would ask him How he felt about his parents divorce. I have never had to dael with it but i would like to know what it would feel like to be going through the hardest time of your like in middle school and not have the support of your parents together. Fallowing that question i would ask him to discribe his relationship with this new girl. He talks to her and seems to like her but never shows her. I think he could use the support of one more person in his life right now. The final question would be why do you do things to make other people appy and not your self. He does sports for his dad and never has freee time to do what he enjoys. He gets made fun of for sucking at sports. I think it is a waste of time.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Kira-Kira
Cynthia Kadohata
End

I would talk to Katie, because she is the main character of the book. Are you going to go to college? I would ask her this because she's a straight C student, and she wasn't going to go to college, but promised her sister Lynn before she died that she would. Do you wish you could go back to Iowa? I would ask her this because that's where they lived before moving to Geogia. Will Lynn's death inspire you to do better in school? I would ask this because it was Lynn's last wish that Katie do better in school and go to college and I wonder if she will do it.
Night Star
Alyson Noel
pg. 57

If I chose to ask questions from a person in my book, I would talk to Haven. Haven is surrounded by mysteries. She is the one who Ever and Damen can't figure out. Three questions I would ask Haven are why don't you just get rid of Ever now, what are you planing on doing to the school's students, and what is your plan for revenge? I would ask why don't you just get rid of Ever now because in the book she could have easily killed Ever, but chose not to for some reason. She had Ever on the ground wounded, but still didn't kill her. So I was wondering what her plan was and why she didn't kill her? I would also ask her what she was planing on doing to the school's students because she is making everyone adore her using her own 'powers'. She made everyone follow her around at lunch, but it could have something to do with the fact that she changed a lot over the summer. She wanted to be the 'top dog' of the school and I was wondering what she was going to do to the students to get what she wants. The third and last question I would ask her would what is her plan for revenge? This is a very big mystery in this book. Ever and Damen are trying to figure it out, but it just isn't working for them. She keeps making unpredictable moves that no one expects. I would just like to know what her overall plan was.
For One More Day
Mitch Albom
pg. 115

I would speak with Charly since he is the main character of this book. First of all, I would ask how his mom is alive. I don't understand how his mother can be alive and then later in the book he says that she reappears. Is she a ghost or were you dreaming or something? I would also ask if he appreciates his mom or dad more. His dad left when he was little and he didn't understand. His parents also fought all the time which he did not like at all. His parents then seperated and his life started to get off track. The last question I would ask is why he tries to end his life so many times. I understand that he has rough times but he has tried commiting suicide many times and other peoples' lives are in affect as well. I wonder if he has realized yet that his own life is not worth taking.

Hush Hush Becca Fitzpatrick Page 188

If I had the chance to talk to one of the characters in my book, I would choose to talk to Patch. Why, you ask? Well he is totally mysterious. He has this deep dark side that Nora cant quite figure out, and I like trying to figure out why the author choose this type of person to put in her book. If I had three questions, to ask Patch, I would ask him, "How did you feel when you found out that the person you were trying to kill was the love of your life?". I would ask this question because I couldn't believe that of all the people, why Nora? What about her makes you want to kill her? Number two, "What were your thoughts on Elliot? Why didn't you kill him from the start?" I would ask this because I didn't like Elliot, I thought he was up to something bad, and when the author told us he was, I wanted to hurt Patch for not doing something about it in the first place. And finally, "Why didn't you like Dabria as much as she liked you?" I would ask this because Dabria was so into Damien, she risked loosing her wings to give him information. She loved him even though he didn't love her. I just don't understand what he didn't like about her.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I Am Number Four
Pittacus Lore
p.22

I would talk to John who is "number four" because there is a lot of mystery surrounding him and questions that I could ask. My first question is why he and the others (9 of them) have to be destroyed. I know that something is hunting his kind on earth, but it never gives a reason why. I want to know what he is and what is after him and why, because it would make the story much more enjoyable. My next question would be who the man is with him. Is it his dad or brother or simply a guardian while on earth? The man (older gentleman) doesn't seem to have a significance to the boy except that he acts as a father figure so the humans won't get suspicious. He is an important figure in the boy's life, but why aren't the things also hunting the man and not just the boy? My last question would be what exactly is the boy and why is he one of the nine? He is not human, but he can look like a human and it took him a year to get here to earth. He could be a number of things, but an explanation would make me pretty happy. Also why would there need to be nine of these things instead of 10 or 7? All these questions will probably be answered soon since I am not very far into the book. I chose them because they are very relevant questions that should be answered or the story will not make sense.
To Build a Fire
By Jack London
p. 150
I would ask the man that is unnamed. Thats what he is called, he has no name. I would ask him why he would decide to travel during -50 degree weather. You can get frostbite within minutes and it extremly dangerous. I wouldn;t say that it is worth it. Another question would be why did you bring your dog? I can understand that it might have some sense of direction but to put a dog through that miserable weather is just horrible and cruel. My last question is why walk on the river? it could be faster to travel on but there are many dangers like the ice being too thin and you breaking through it like your dog did.
Caught
Harlan Coben
pg. 113

If I could talk to one of the characters, I would talk to Haley McWaid's mom. Haley seemed like the perfect girl. She was good at just about everything and people loved her, then she went missing. Some think something bad happened, but others think she ran away. I would ask her mom, to keep an opened mind and ask if Haley was having any problems. Sometimes family members become blind and don't realize what is going on under their roof. I would also ask her why she seems to forget her other children. All she focuses on is finding Haley, even if it means avoiding her other children. She said the only way her children could get over this is if their sister is found. Earlier in the book she was talking to the principal about parents hosting a party for their high schools and providing a keg. Their philosophy is that they will do it anyway somewhere else, so why not keep it safe at their house. I would ask Haley's mom if she agrees with this. In the book she said she understood why the parents would do this, but she didn't give her opinion.

Handle with care By:Jodi Picoult 100-153

If I could ask one of the characters in my book a question I think I would choose to people. The two daughters. I would ask what's like to have a sister that breaks all the time. How she feels about her parents if she feels they care more about her sister than her becuase they have to. Then I would want to ask her little sister what's like to break all the time and if she ever feels bad for her sister because she may feel like she dosen't mean as much to her parents because they have to constly care for her.
Elizabyth Ladwig
Beastly
Alex Flinn
pg. 54
I would talk to the main character, Kyle. The first question I would ask him would be, "Why are you so mean to others?" His dad is a news anchor, so his family is rich, and Kyle is one of those popular kids who thinks all people should adore him. He's always pulling horrible pranks on others and seems to get a kick out of it. The 2nd question I would ask would be, "How did you find out about the chat group online?" He was turned into a beast by a witch that went to his school, because he invited her to go to the dance at school with him, but then he stood her up in front of everyone there. Then, to deal with his current problem, he joins a chat group created by a Mr. Anderson to help people who have been transformed into different things. The last question I would ask would be, "How do you think you're going to find a girl who can accept and love you for who you are?" The witch said the only way for him to break the curse was to have a girl fall in love with him (while in his beast form) and kiss him.
Scorpia
Anthony Horowitz
pg 32-56

If I could speak with Alex Rider, I'm sure I would find that he is an even more troubled child than he is portrayed as in the series about him. He has been through way too much for a 15 year old boy and through the way Anthony Horowitz describes his interactions with others concerning his past, the reader can tell the impact his experiences have had on him. One thing I would like to ask him at this point is "Do you know what you're getting yourself into???" because he is currently seeking out training from a terrorist organization called SCORPIA. His former employment with the British secret service introduced him to a man called Yassen, who, as sketchy as he was, convinced Alex that he needed to "go to Venice, find SCORPIA, find your destiny." What? Alex, are you really going to trust the man who you believe killed your father and betrayed your family? I am really wondering who he trusts at this moment. He has been manipulated by MI6 enough, you'd think he would just want to get away from it all. But, then again, we wouldn't have a story if he just wanted to sit at home doing schoolwork. The last question I would have to ask would be "Where do you think this is going to take you." Alex has a habit of jumping into things without thinking them through first. I just have a feeling this is going to take him places he normally wouldn't be willing to go. We'll see I guess...

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
Pg. 130

If I could speak to a character from my book, I would choose to speak to Jeannette. She is a little girl in my book who travels with her family in order to survive. One question I would ask her would be what she thinks of her dad drinking? A conflict that has came up in this book a lot is her dad and his drinking problems and how he takes his problems out on other people. I would like to hear from her if she thinks her dad should stop drinking or if she thinks he should keep doing it because he likes to do it. If I grew up with a father who took drinking way to out of control I do not think I would be able to tolerate it. I think she would answer this question as that she does not like her dad drinking and that she wishes he would stop and that he can find better things to do besides that. Another question I would ask her is if she supports her mom and her artwork? I would ask this because he mom loves to do art, but does not really make any money off of anything she does and she also does not have a job because she does art all the time. If I were Jeannette I would enjoy that my mother enjoys doing art, but I would want her to have a job as well because they are already running low on money and with her not having a job it is even worse. If she would get a job, I believe they would be better off because they would have more money to support their whole family. I believe Jeannette, being the nice girl she is would answer this question as she would want her mom to keep doing art and it does not matter how much money they have, as long as they are all happy. The last question I would ask her would be, if she wishes her family was rich and well off? I would ask her this because during her whole life they have not been rich what so ever, but she has experienced many events that have changed her life along the way. There are many pros and cons for being not a whealthy family. I believe Jeannette would answer this and say that she does not wish that her family was rich because during her whole life she has been happy and being wealthy is not everything. Love is the most important part of a family and not wealth, and they all love each other which is all that matters in the end. Money does not mean anything.
Mike Lupica
Safe at Home
Pg. 80
I would ask Nick the main character about his life. I would ask him if he ever knew his parents. Nick was put in an orphanage when he was young and has been trasnsfered around. I know that this would be terrible to not know your parents. Second, I would ask him if he thinks varsity practice will go better, and if he has the confidence. Nick was pulled from the JV team to Varsity, even though that is restricted. No one on the varsity team had confidenc in Nick, and he had a terrible practice. He says he can not do it to his friends, but I would ask him one on one to get an honest answer. Last, I would ask Nick what his home life is like. Nick, a big sports fanatic was adopted into a College Professor family. He has no brothers nor sisters. It is just him and his wise parents. They do not really know anything about baseball, just math and english, the classes they teach. The book has not gave a lot of detail about his home life, this is the reason I would ask.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Quarter 3 blog

James Patterson
Maximum Ride
I'd have to say the biggest external conflict in my book is Max Vs. the physical pain and suffering she has to go through when she is fighting. There are half human half dog monsters called erasers that are after her and they cut and hit and bite and kick and they don't stop. At the beginning of the book she is injured very badly from these monsters, and continuously has to deal with the physical pains that they cause her. These physical pains frustrate her, and help lead to some of the internal conflicts of the book.

Friday, January 21, 2011

mrs.sheffield

IAn hopkins
the terrorist
b.cooney
pg.1-12

Well I would say that this is an external conflict because Billy does not have an problem with society but with himself. Nothing is going right for him even how he tried. The only thing that is keeping him back was his life at his home. His home life is not as great as he wishes and he is the different one in siciety that no one likes very much because of his culture. He tries to ifnor it so his life will be better all around him but right now its not working for him.
Heat
Mike Lupica
Page 50

An external conflict in the book is that Mike obviously lives in a bad part of New York. Every day he struggles to keep his family together. His father was dead and his mom was back in Cuba. An internal conflict is that he has to keep his dads death a secret so he can stay in the United States. He loves to play baseball. He is very big for his age, and he is really good at playing. He settles things by working hard around his neighbors house where he lives. He takes care of his brother to help out. I agree with what he is doing. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Blog 1/21/11 Tyler Allison

Mike Lupica
Miracle on 49th Street
pg. 102

Right now in my book there are a couple main conflicts. They all wind together for form the main conflict of the book. Molly is the main character in my book. She did live with her mom, but she died from cancer. She has never known her dad but before her mom died, she told her who her father was. Her father is a famous basketball player and he has no idea she exists. This is a lot of internal conflict for molly because molly feels like she is an intruder to he family she lives with right now but she cant go live with her real dad. She struggles with this and it effects her mood. The external conflict in this book is molly tried to talk to her dad. She went 2 hours away from her home to talk to him and she got rejected. Her host mom got mad and she got in trouble. She struggles with getting along with her sister that she lives with and is very quiet. Overall this book is good so far and i think it will get better.
Nicholas Morrison
The Invisible Man
pg 30
The external conflict is that the "invisible man" is very unfriendly. He goes to stay at a local in and is very rude. The only reason he is allowed to stay is because he is very rich and pays the in-keeper a lot of money. And apparently he is black, which is just a big deal in his time. The internal conflict is that he can't turn himself back visible and it is driving him crazy. He is constantly having fits over his problems and breaks down emotionally all the time. I agree with his choices, i would be very angry too.

Thinking in Pictures By Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is an average everyday person except for one thing. She has Asperger Syndrome. In her  mind, she connect "dots" to form "pictures" For example, when she saw the gate open and close for cattle to go in and out of, she visualized in her mind a picture of how she could improve the construction of the gate.  Temple and I have many things in common.  We both have Asperger Syndrome. But unlike myself, Temple took her education to the next level by getting her PHD in animal science. Many of her class mates made fun of her because of the way she "wrote."  Eventually, she stood up for herself and got the respect she deserved. This is exactly how I felt when I first came to Earlham. Many students who didn't quite know me very well, made fun of me or didn't include me in their group discussions.  It tore me apart, and for a long time I felt invisible to everyone because of the way everyone was treating me. But, now a days,  I get included in group discussions and have a lot of friends who have my back. 
Life with Asperger Syndrome can be interesting. Everyday you are faced with many obstacles on whether you want to come to school based on if anyone made fun of you.  It's a chance definitely worth taking. The moral of this book is to stand up for yourself even in tough situations that many of us face in our day to day lives. 
Fallan Stark
Dirty Laundry
daniel ehrenhaft
pg 14

The external conflict is that there is this girl who is a senior, Darcy Novak, had disapperared. So far there is this other girl, Carli who doesn't go to the same school, but is now enrolled because she is an actress and is undercover at Darcy's school, Winchester, to better understand her role in a film. Carli and Fun, her assistant, work to find Darcy and save her. I do not know how they are going to go about this because I am not that far into the book. Fun is a senior boy who gets into a lot of trouble. He vandalizes property. My guess is that there is an internal conflict with him, if he is getting into a lot of trouble. He gets to work off his punishment (external conflict) by becoming Carli's assistant. (Carli gets an assistant because Winchester is a school of arts and she is an actress.) I agree with this because in a way it is community service.

The rescue by Nicholas sparks

The rescue
Nicholas sparks
Pg. 150- 222

One of the main conflicts in this book is Kyle and his inability to speak correctly. This makes things hard on Denise, because not only does she have to worry about her job and her house, but she also has to worry about kyle. She sits down with Kyle everyday, working with him, and helping him. She puts a lot of effort and time into teaching Kyle. her life is devoted to him, and making sure he gets better and tries to live a normal life, acting as a kid should act. while Denise is not worrying about Kyle she has her boyfriend that she has to. He is a nice guy, but lately she has felt that he has been trying to avoid her. she is scared that he is going to leave her, just like what she has heard he has done with other girls he has been in relationships with.
Elizabeth Bower
Pirate Lattitudes
By: Michael Crichton
pg. 300
The main external conflict in this book is Hunter trying to get away from the Spanish. He has to attempt this many times because it's kind of like a back and forth war. He comes up with plans like sneaking in over a cliff and staying docked and waiting for the other ship to leave. Yes, I think Hunter is facing this very well. Hunter patiently comes up with plans to keep the whole crew safe, and to get them home to Port Royal. However Hunter's main internal conflict would be to find a way to get home and make sure that their adventure doesn't sound like a pirates' trip. He does this by only attacking ships when they attack him, and really staying true to the good man he is. On his mission he saved people and braved the clutches of the scariest creature, the Kracken. Once again, I agree with Hunter he wasn't doing anything wrong; he got the mission done in a nice kind matter.

Quarter 3, Blog 2

Kyle Weber
The Assist
Neil Swidey
pgs. 67-90

An external conflict in my story is the fact that Jason White lives in the projects and has a tough time staying on the right track. His father was not in the picture for a while. That took a major toll on him. He started to get into trouble and not doing well on the court. Then his father came back and, while it took awhile, Jason fell back into a comfort zone because he knew he was lucky. Lucky to be one of the few guys on the team whose dad showed up to them games. An internal conflict is the conflict that the coach has with himself. He always questions if he will be able to make a difference in the lives of his players. His life is completely devoted to basketball, seeing how he doesn't have a family. He tries so hard to get his players to college. He will shuffle them to school after school, trying to break through their tough outer shell.

Quater 3, blog 2

Rachel Crouch
Pop Goes the Weasel
Jame Patterson
pg. 26-71

In Pop Goes the Weasel Alex Cross, a homicide detective, is working off the books on several unsolved murder cases in the Southeast DC area. He is trying to find the connection between over a hundred murder cases but is getting no help from the Washington precinct. He's started to but heads with the director which is causing a lot of external conflict. He also has a love interest that isn't willing to commit to marriage with the fear that he will be killed on the job. This causes him a lot of internal conflict and he has to decide whether to give up the job he loves or the woman he loves.

Handle with care By: Jodi Picoult 75-100

In my book I think the biggest conflict is with the oldest daughter because she wants to do what she knows she is able to do but because of her little sister she does not feel like she is able to. Like when they went ice skating she had to watch her sister I think she just wanted to do her thing without having to watch someone and make sure they are okay. I think she wants her parents to see how good she is but because she feels her sister gets all the attention because all she does is break. She hates her sister but at the same time loves her.

The hunger games

by Suzanne Collins
1-the end

Katniss the main charcter's external conflict is that she is in the middle of an areana and people are trying to kill her. She decides to run away rom them and sleep in trees at night. until she got a plan. i agree with her dessicion because if you don't have a plan you can't succeed at very much.
Her internal conflict is that she is in love but doesn't know with who a boy who went to the hunger games with her and helped keep her alive or her hunting partner back in district twelve. and i don't know what she attempts to do because it is in book 2.

Amy Wright

Coming Back Stronger
By Drew Brees
Pg. 52-87

Drew had to go through some hardships during his life. When he was in high school, he hurt his knee and he was unable to compete in some high school sports for a while because he was injured. He lost contact with some of his friends because they were always busy participating in a sport and they didn't really have any time to hang out with their injured friend. It made him sad and he had to fight against the negative thoughts that were filling his head about why his friends never hung out with him anymore. The only reason he overcame that battle is because one night he was thinking to himself and he thought about what he was going to do with the rest of his life. He thought he was going to be a failure or else he could do intensive rehab and have the determination and will power to over come the injury and come back stronger. He was attempting to solve the problem by choosing to follow the directions from the doctor and do intensive rehab so he could come back stronger than ever.
An external conflict was when the coach from the University of Kentucky contacted him to play football and so did the coach from Purdue. At that point in time in his life, he wanted to go to college and play baseball. He didn't think he was good enough in football, so he had his mind set on going to college for baseball. His thinking changed when his coach was contacted by the two coaches from those two universities. He overcame this problem when he was starting his senior year and played phenominal in the football games.
I agree with these choices because he has become someone who most people dream of being but never fully achieve their goals.

Walking up a Rainbow
by Theodore Taylor
pg 26

There really isn't a major external conflict at this point in the book. They just finished a trial over how Susan Carlisles parents got killed and where see was at the time. This has been finished now and she is fighting with herself to decide what to do without her parents. She has had several ideas that aren't very good like trying to take after her dad and become a doctor but that and a lot of her other ideas wont work because shes a girl. There hasn't been a option that i would choose yet because they just wont get her very far.

Den10's blog

Fall River Dreams
by: Bill Reynolds
pg: 97-156

An internal conflict is with the author of my book, Bill Reynolds. The book is told from his personal observations and through his point of view. He has to decide how to portray the players on the team. Bill decides to tell all about them and make them seem like the humans they really are. He shows their qualities and their flaws. I think this is a good idea ,because after all they are just high school kids, not gods.
An External conflict is between Coach Skip Karam and his star player. They have very similar persinalities. They are both very stubborn. They often butt heads on certain issues. Skip is not afraid to sit him if he crosses the line. I agree with what coach Skip does he can not put him above the rest of the team just because he is the most talented.
Still Life With Woodpecker
Tom Robbins
Pg. 154

Social activism would be the external conflict. Romantic Individualism would be the internal conflict. The main character (doesn't have a name) tries making people more knowledgeable about what chaos is happening in the world. He has to change himself in order to change peoples opinions. I agree with making people more knowledgeable, but I would not enjoy changing myself for someones opinion.

The Confession
John Grisham
10%

An external conflict is that another man is going to die even though he is innocent, and the guilty man refused to confess, and is willing to let him die. Now suddenly he feels guilty and wants to tell the police the other man is innocent. An internal conflict is whether or not he should say something about the other man being innocent. I am not far enough into the book to know how he is going to resolve his problems, but i think because it has been such along time since the trial that it won't make a difference. I think he should confess even if it does not make a difference, because it is the right thing to do.
Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
pg. 150

One internal conflict in this book is when Louie has to overcome adversity before the olympics. He was a troubled child and he was a thief. He changed his ways by taking up running. He looked up to his brother and he started to go toward the right path. He started running and training all of the time. I think this was the right thing for him to do. If he would have continued his ways then there is no way he could have made it to the olympics. One external conflict is when Louie is aboard the Green Hornet and it breaks down in the sky and they have to land in the ocean. Louie had to struggle to get out of the plane so he didn't drown and he also had to try to save his crew. He struggled to save his crew, and some of them even died. He had to start to do things for himself and try to survive on his own. I think this was the best he could do. If he would have kept trying to help everyone else then he would have died himself.

Brandon's post

An internal conflict in my story is when the main character Stu was playing in a game and he went up for a rebound and he hyperextended his knee, and now he is so upset and wont leave his room because basketball was his life and he dosent know what he is going to do with his life now. His dad and his coach are trying to get his active again and trying to get him to want to do more things.

An external conflict is now that he hurt his knee he is addicted to the pain meds that his doctor has prescribed to him, neither his dad nor his coach know about his addiction, but its starting to get a little over the top and he dosent know how to stop but he cant tell his dad or coach because it will upset them, so he dosent know what to do.
The Tenth Circle
Jodi Picoult
Finished book

The major external conflict in my book was between Trixie and her father, Daniel. Daniel Stone was constantly trying to keep his daughter safe from life and her own choices. After Trixie's ex-boyfriend was charged with rape against her, Daniel did everything in his power to keep people from harming Trixie. He did it so much that it led to Trixie running away from home, harming herself, and him losing his daughter more than he ever imagined. In the end, however, Daniel got his act together and continued to fight for his daughter. He followed her tracks to his hometown in Alaska that he dreaded his whole life. He thought he would never return, but he was there for his daughter and to help her because that is what a father does for his child. He puts his children's needs before his, and because of these actions, I was impressed with Daniel's actions.

Switch. Nellie Wilson. Mrs. Sheffield. Period 7

The internal conflicts are the twins and their stalker (don't give a name), the stalker and his obsession with the twins. External conflicts are the officer and the murder of one of the twins, and the sister Ally by her self. Ally is trying to find her sisters killer and make him pay for killing her. Yes, I agree with her. She should go find him or her and make them pay for what they did. Why did he/she kill Ashely. I think Ally should let the cops do their job and find he/she and then make a say to kill or life in prison. No matter what if he is mental or obsessed, whatever it is. It is wrong and he/she should, differently pay.

CHADS BLOG!

Kinghts of the Hill Country
Tim Tharp
p.25-68

So far in this book the external conflict is rather obvious. Hampton's father left him when he was young, and his mom is with someone new a lot so he doesn't have a father figure. This could also be tied into the internal conflict. When he has a problem he doesn't know how to solve his own problems so he usually does the wrong thing. He deals with all of this anger and all of his rough emotions on the football field. If he ever has a problem he will usually ask his coaches or his friends. This is a great way to deal with his anger and I think he is doing it correctly. He doesn't directly hurt people or himself. He needs to find a father figure to help him through things.

Living Dead In Dallas

Paige Boston
Living Dead In Dallas
by Charlaine Harris
pg 85

The main external conflict in this story is the dangerous maenad who attacked the primary character, Sookie, at the start of the story. Sookie, who has already been submerged into the supernatural world because of her relationships with vampires and a shapeshifter, unintentionally discovers that maenads exist when one scratches and injects poison into her back as a message to Eric, the vampire leader of the area. She is saved by a witch doctor, her boyfriend Bill, and Eric and his friends (all vampires). Since the no one knows why that maenad attacked her, everyone fears the worst and is constantly on the look out. Sookie is angry that no one has answers and resorts to yelling at everyone, which they tolerate since they view her as a weak, harmless human. There are many internal conflicts, which are usually expressed by the characters externally, mainly the large social stigma against vampires, who have recently been trying to "mainstream" into human society. Since Sookie is dating a vampire, and becomes involved in a vampire business deal using her telepathy, she is a seen as an outcast by many other humans, who already dislike her because she is telepathic. Since she has dealt with the negative options of others her entire life, Sookie simply ignores the people that are cruel to her, which I find admirable, since I know that people can be exceedingly judgmental of others based on their difference. I think that Sookie is brave, but at times a little oblivious to the world since she is used to tuning everything out so frequently.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

For One More Day
Mitch Albom
pg. 91

There are several conflicts in the book because there are many flashbacks that he reflects on. An example of an external conflict is that Charley has tried to commit suicide. He has tried jumping off things and getting drunk and driving his car to get in an accident in order to end his life. Although it did not work, other peoples' lives were in affect as well. An internal conflict is Charley deciding the decisions that he wants to make. Deciding to try to commit suicide and the things he thinks about his mother are all internal. He talks about the times he has and has not stood up for his mom, and the same about her. When he has problems he looks to alcohol and ending his life to solve the problems. I do not agree with the way he tries to solve his conflicts. I would rather get help from somebody and stay strong rather than turning to alcohol or trying to end my life over a situation.

Quarter 3 blog 2

I Am Number Four
Pittacus Lore
Page 1

I have not started this book, so instead I am going to inference what the conflicts are going to be and how they will be solved. From the excerpt on the back cover, the major external conflict is going to be the survival of "number four". He is being hunted by people that know that he is not human, but he lives among us as if he is a regular human. His life is the major priority, so to solve this he will probably flee to a remote area and stay in hiding until he is found again. I'm not sure i agree with the fact that he would go into hiding (even though it is my inference). It seems like he would always be in hiding and not really being able to live life. The major internal conflict would be connected to the external conflict. This "thing" would be battling its fear all the time. He would have to decide where to go and who to trust just to stay alive. The only way to solve this is to solve his problem of running for his life. All of his problems stem from him not being human, but living among us. It seems all his problems would go away if he left Earth. That seems to be the best solution.
Kira-Kira

Cynthia Kadohata

p. 119



Katie is a young Japanese girl who lives in America in the 1950s and 1960s with her parents, her older sister Lynn, and her baby brother Sam. They live in Iowa for a long time, but when Katie is little, they move to Georgia. This is one of the external conflicts, because they aren't accepted as well in the south as they were in the midwest, because they aren't white. Katie also has to start school and try to make friends. A conflict that is kind of both external and internal is that Katie is growing up. She has to take care of her baby brother and she has to deal with the fact that her sister Lynn starts to hang out with other kids instead of her. She doesn't do much to solve the conflict. There isn't much she really can do. She really just tries to make the situation work, which is I would do.
Lost Symbol
Dan Brown
1-217
Robert Langdon has to decide whether or not he will solve the masonic pyramid to save his friend. If he doesn't then his friend will most likely die a horrible and painful death. Robert would clearly have saved his friend if he didn't have specific directions from the same man that he was never to solve this puzzle under any circumstances. That is the internal conflict. The external is whether or not Robert Langdon is capable of solving the masonic pyramid. It is an extremely complex puzzle which has remained unsolved for centuries. If anyone is able to solve this then it will be Langdon. He has extensive knowledge in stuff like this since he is a symbology teacher at Harvard university.
Running out of Time
By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
pg.120

Jessie is the main character in this book, who is trying to find help for her sick sister. She is living in the secluded town of Clifton, which acts like the 1800's, while it is really 1996 in the real world. Jessie escaped Clifton to get help and find new medicine. She fights with herself, because she wants to go back but at the same time she wants to get help for her dying sister. She makes the right decision and keeps going with her search. If she didn't continue many people including her sister would die. While all of this is going on, the people of Clifton are looking for her and are going to kill her. Jessie makes the right choice hides from these men.
Build a Fire
p. 70
The internal conflict that is going on is that the man is struggling to survive out in the wild. He is having a hard time finding food and he is having trouble staying mentally focused on what he has to do to stay alive. The external conflict is that a bear came t his camp a few days ago and he had to fight it off since the first bullet didn't kill the bear. I believe that the man is doing the best thing that he can do by fighting the bear and he is getting better as the book goes on to stay mentally focused. I think he will get better at surviving and will make it to the end without any more serious threats.

Qtr. 3 Blog 2

The Properties of Water
By: Hannah Mckinnon
pg. 41
The main character in this book is Lace Martin. The major conflict with her is that her older sister, Marni, had an accident the previous summer down by the lake they always used to swim at. Lace and Marni were on a swim team and they were both very talented. The author hasn't told what really happened, she's just hinting that it was bad and that Lace has been having a rough time recovering. Also, the author says that Marni and her mom went to Portland a couple weeks ago, and that they will be returning. But it states that the accident took her mother and sister from her. I think they died or something, but I'm not sure how yet. Lace is left with only her dad, and she doesn't know how to recover and try to help him through it too. Her dad had hired a nanny, to help them around the house. She has a mysterious green bag with her all the time, and Lace thinks that she steals. Things have come up missing since she has arrived, that NEVER ever get lost. I agree with what her dad is trying to do; move on and get back to reality. Lace, however, she is still afraid to go swim or even go by the lake because of what happened last summer. I think she should face her fears, becoming stronger as a young woman. She needs to be strong not only for herself, but also for her father.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Blog 2
Hold Tight
Harlan Coben
pg. 135
An external conflict in this story is Mike and Tia's son is becoming evasive. He seems different and they think they are losing their son. Tia decides to install some software so she can monitor everything he does on the computer. Once their son goes missing Mike finds his location through the GPS on his phone. If I were his parents I would do the same thing. I think it would be in my child's best interest to keep them safe. An internal conflict would be Mike is trying to decide if his son just needs space. He always refers to him as a child and the things he's done. He solves this by debating it over, but usually tries to find out what his son is up to. I disagree with what Mike does. Yes, his son does need space, but that doesn't mean let him do whatever he wants. There has to be some discipline.

Aloysius

Stand Tall
Joan Bauer
pg. 56

Tree as his friends and fellow 7th graders would call him is a very tall kid, so tall he is considered a freak. He has to fight the internal conflict to not lash out at those that make fun of him. He does this through out the whole intire book. He is also fighting an internal conflict with him parents divorce. He doesnt know how to feel or what he should do so he does nothing. The divorce could also be considered an external conflict because tree is always yelling at his mother about the divorce. More external conflicts could be his problem with sports. He plays and he is not good. He has to hear it from his coaches and fellow players every single day.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Night Star
Alyson Noel
pg.23

I am just beginning a new book, so there is not much conflict established yet, but there is one major conflict that is a very big problem. This conflict could be considered internal or external. The conflict would be since Haven recently became immortal; it has been nothing but problems for Damen and Ever. Haven is seeking revenge on Ever because Ever killed the one Haven loved. Haven is obsessed with herself and will do anything to come out on top. And internal conflict out of that would be Ever coping with herself for being the one who turned Haven into an immortal. Things are getting out of hand so Ever has decided to try to defeat/get rid of Haven. I agree with this because it is pretty much the only option Haven and Damen have. And external conflict would be the problem Haven and Damen have of how to get rid of Haven. They cannot go noticed so have to defeat her skillfully. I agree with what they are doing of preparing for when Haven strikes because that is pretty much the only logical way of doing it.

Charlie St. Cloud Pg.98-125

Charlie St. Cloud is external. Charlie can see his little brother sam that has past away . The conflict is that Charlie has met this girl named Tess and who is falling in love with her but before he met Tess he had a girlfriend a long time ago and Charlie's girlfriend was getting in the way with Sam and he started fading away from Charlie life because he was having so much fun and then forgetting about Sam. So Charlie realized that it was so important to be in Sam's life so he quit dating. He has to fix the conflict by letting go of sam eventually cause he realizes that it is time and eventually it will have to stop. Yes I agree with his choices cause he cant be their everyday eventually and their is a certain time and point when you have to realize you have to let them go. But sam will always be with him in his heart. Charlie has to move on in his life and let sam go.
The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
Pg. 104

An internal conflict in my book is of the dad. He is struggling to get money for his family, and even though he can not get much money he seems happy on the outside, but on the inside he is very sad because he wants the best for his family and wants to provide for them as much as he can. An external conflict is between the main girl (they have not stated her name) and a boy named Billy. He really likes her, but she does not like him back. Once she told Billy that she did not like him, Billy got really upset and starting arguing with her. Another thing Billy did was he got his BB gun and began shooting at the girl and her siblings. She was freaking out and finally ran to get her dads shotgun to have Billy get away from them. She would no longer have to deal with Billy anymore, at least that is what she thinks. I agree with her choice of getting the gun because she was only protecting herself, and she knew she was not going to actually use it. I think the dad for his conflict should tell his family how he feels about the whole money situation in front of the family because I think if he expresses his feelings he would feel much better and then they can also confront to him how they do not care how much money they have and he is doing just fine.

Lord Of the Kill

The internal conflict in this book is between Ben and himself. He tries to do everything at the preserve by himself when his parents are gone. Then when something goes wrong he blames himself because he didnt try hard enough. The external conflict is between Ben and all these criminals before it was the sniper who kept killing the cats in the preserve and now its some murderers who tossed a body into one of the cages and made it look like the cats killed someone.
Scorpia
Anthony Horowitz
pg 17-40

With his last words, Alex's enemy had told him to "go to Venice, find your destiny." Alex is trying to decide if it is worthwhile or not. He is in Venice but having no luck finding SCORPIA, a word that doesn't really mean anything to him yet. He doesn't know if its supposed to be a place or a person, but soon enough, he finds himself chasing a lead. Alex saw a shimmer out of the corner of his eye and, to his surprise, a silver scorpion adorned the side of a boat. He follows the winding canals with some difficulty, but finally ends up at the Ca' Vedora, or house of the widow. It wasn't just a house though, it was a palace. This must be what he's looking for, right? I think Alex is very inventive with his ways of getting himself into sticky situations. He doesn't always think things through but it seems to get him where he's going to anyway. I believe he's doing the right thing looking for SCORPIA to find answers, but it may be more treacherous than he first thought, especially by the way the people react to him when he starts asking too many questions.

Hush, Hush By: Becca Fitzpatrick

One of the external conflicts that happened in the story, is Nora kept feeling like she was being stalked. She had this big plan made out and she was going to have her friend, Vee go out dressed as Nora and see if the stalker does anything. The plan went as it was supposed to, but only the stalker tried to kill Vee, thinking it was Nora. An internal conflict could be that Nora really likes Patch, but doesnt trust him enough yet. She thinks he is dangerous and could be bad news, but pieces of her loves him and cant get enough of him. She is in this constant battle with herself when it comes to being around him. I agree with her choices in the end. She figured everything out for herself, and she did all the things I wanted her to throughout the whole book. I enjoyed how suspenseful the book was. It made it really enjoyable to read.

Cat and Mouse By: James Patterson

The major internal conflict in my book is that Gary Sonji wants to kill everyone because he has no reason to live anymore. When he was sent to prison in Along Came a Spider he go infected with Aids. Now that he's dieing he decided to go on a killing rampage to get rid of all of the people that have hurt him. I don't think anyone in their right mind would side with Gary's reasoning for why he is killing all of these people.
The external conflict is Alex is dating the principal of his kid's school. She had just recently lost he husband who was a cop. They have gone on many dates but are afraid to get too close to each other and then one of them getting hurt and the other being left behind and having to deal with another lost love one. I understand why they don' t want to get too close but i think they should because they really really like each other and they make a cute couple.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Elizabyth Ladwig
Beautiful Dead:Jonas
Eden Maguire
Done with book
An external conflict is that Darina has saw her dead boyfriend, Phoenix, in a barn and didn't know what happened. Along with him, she also saw the 3 other kids that had died that year: Jonas, Summer, and Arizona. At first, she thought they were just figments of her imagination. But then, she started seeing Phoenix everywhere. She decided that she would go back to the abandoned house and barn where she saw the deceased students. When she got there, she saw phoenix again. And he hugged her. She found out that they were all real, and that Hunter, their "overlord", who was also dead, was supposed to help them in finding out the mysteries behind all their deaths. Hunter recruits Darina to help the 4 of them, since they seem to be getting nowhere. Jonas, who was the first to die, is her priority for now. She has to find out who killed him.
An internal conflict is that Darina loved Phoenix, and when he died, he took half of her heart with him. She was trying to figure out how to live without him when she found the Beautiful Dead in that abandoned barn. Then suddenly, she was saved and didn't have to think about it when they were together. But when Hunter forced her to leave after her short visits everyday, she would remember that Phoenix was dead. And once she got to him after helping Jonas, Summer, and Arizona, she would have to say goodbye. And it would be the hardest thing she's ever done.
1/17/2011
Gentlemen
By: Michael Northrop
pg. 97

Tabitha Payne

An external conflict that is in my book would be that Micheal, Mixer, and Bones are looking for their friend, Tommy, that has gone missing and they all think it is their teacher Mr. Habberman so when they are carrying out the barrell they really start thinking that is Mr. H that has done the crime, but the boys don't say anything to him. They haven't solved it yet but when they read this book Mr. H gives them they try to piece together if what he is saying in class is about the book or about their friend. So they are investigating it. An internal conflict would be Micheal and trying to figure out what happened to Tommy, what is true with Mr. H when it comes to the book or in reality, and trying to keep his cool around girls. He is solving the Tommy incident with investigating, the Mr. H thing by reading the book, and the girl issue by talking to them in person and on the internet. I agree with every choice they are making because if you go to far into the investigation then you could get people in trouble or accuse the wrong one, then you can lose friends or make people more mad.
Safe At Home
Mike Lupica
Pg. 55
An internal conflict would be that Nick argues with himself about playing varsity baseball. THe rules of the team are that you cannot play up, only down. Nick has been asked to play up, but he does not wish to make friends mad by playing up. Nick has not yet decided where he wants to play. I think he is doing the right thing so far and trying to be fair to everyone. The external conflict would be that, he is adopted. When Nick was smaller he met with a lot of families,trying to find somewhere to live. Finally, Nick was adopted into a college professor family. This family knows absolutely nothing about baseball, Nick is doing what he can, to involve them and baseball. Again, I think he is doing good because he really likes baseball, and he is good, but this family adopted him so he needs to be considerate of them.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Parker Frey
Build a Fire
p.30

I believe that a man will be in the woods in some declusive area. He will make camp somewhere and live off the land. Eventually he will get attacked by a bear. And he will be in trouble and will be on the run of his life.
Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand
Pg. 128

On the cover of my book, there is a picture of an open ocean with a search plane flying above it. with a setting sun. The plane shows how people were searching for Louie and his crew when they crashed in the ocean, but it also resembles how the crew flew their own plane over the ocean on their missions since they were in the Air Force. The water is one of the settings in the book. It shows where Louie had to fight to survive. The dark color resembles that the search lasted a long time and Louie was at sea trying to survive for almost a month.

Amy by Peg Sutherland. Nellie Wilson. Mrs. Sheffield. Period 7

Judging by my book cover I would assume that the setting would take place by water, or a beach. There are three girls, assuming they are all sisters? There is a huge, gray building behind them. A mall? The three girls/sisters all laughing, having a good time. Looks like mid-summer. Not too busy. There are lots of clouds in the sky. One of the girls looks like a business person. The one in the middle looks like the oldest, and really relaxed, having a good time in jeans and a t-shirt. The last girl looks like a mom, she also has a ring on her left hand? I imagine that these girls are together for the summer, looking for a relaxing fun break from reality.
The Tenth Circle
Jodi Picoult
p. 1-256

My book cover consists of two individuals wrapped in a bright red blanket standing in the snow, but you can only see from their wastes down. It sets stage for the setting of the book which is the winter months. Also, it makes you wonder who's behind the blanket on the cover. Is it a man and his wife? Is it a child of a man and him, a boyfriend and girlfriend? It doesn't give much with characterization, and it leaves a broad aspect of interpretation for your imagination to travel which I think is a good thing.
Running out of Time
By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
pg. 77

The title of this book Running out of time gives the impression that the book has suspense and a very intense conflict. The picture of the girl running shows you who the main character is that is dealing with this conflict/situation. The cover of the book looks a little old fashioned making the setting of the book seem like it will be in older times.
Room
Emma Donoghue
Finished.

The cover of my book is very simple. It is the word ROOM, in all capital letters, going Orange, Red, Green, then Purple. It tells you that this book is about a child, and the way the letters are written, you think that it will be a happy story, with a somewhat creepy or awkward side to it. The letters are very big, making you think the story isn't to serious, and doesn't have a deep and thoughtful message.
Tyler Sandquist
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown
1-54
You cant really tell whats up about the book by the cover. its got a interesting back drop with a lot of color and a type of key looking thing. They key has some symbol on it which id presume is the lost symbol but thats really all i got from the cover. Also it shows the capital building which is significant because thats where most of the story takes place at.
Pirate Lattitudes
Michael Crichton
pg. 102

The cover of my book is a picture of the ocean with the reflection of a pirates symbol on it. Then there are black leaves bordering the cover. This tells me that it is probably going to be a story that takes place on the ocean and has pirates in it. The way that most of the cover is only one color makes me think that there's going to be one very important mission that the story will build off of. Black leaves around the border of the cover tells me that some of the story may be dark. All in all it sounds like a very good book!
The terrorist
b. cooney

Well the cover doesnt give away that much about this book beside it look like a book with strings. Soit could be about this traveler that goes all around and writes or draw what he sees. The font make me think the will be someone dieing or something. It looks like a book that someone keeps like a journal. So the terrorist is probally this traveler and he doesnt no what is going to happen.
Denton Hopkins
Fall River Dreams
Bill Reynolds
60-97

Well the cover of my book has a picture of two young boys playing basketball. Hence, My book is about basketball. The quote at the bottom of the page says" A Team's quest for glory- A town's search for it's soul." The word "quest" tells me it's over a long period of time, like a season. "A town's search for it soul" relates too the picture ,because the picture is taken at an upward angle into the sky. ( Like the sky is a lost world of wonder).

Charlie St. Cloud pg.123

The cover of my book has a picture of two boys together somewhere on a dock. I think the story is about two brothers were incredibly close and something bad happened to the other one and i think that it is going to change the older brothers life since his little brother is gone. And maybe that some miracle is going to happen and change their lives.

Quarter 3, Blog 1

Kyle Weber
The Assist
pgs. 1-35

This book's cover is of a high school senior driving the lane and putting in a layup. This book cover is blurred except for the character. This shows that he is the main character and that he is moving very fast. The cover shows that this book is about basketball. It obviously shows that the player is a good basketball player and that he has a future. The cover also shows that the coach of this team is the coach of troubled youth in the suburbs of a racially dominated area. The font doesn't tell much.

Brandon's post

I think my book is going to be about someone who play's basketball all of their life, some one who is dedicated and will do anything for the sport. According to the back of the book this kid is all about sports basketball in particular and his dad has been his at home coach beside him coaching him 24/7 and he got what could be a possibly career ending injury to his knee. He is devastated and so hurt because basketball is his life. So now his father and his coach are trying to get thru to him and tell him that their is more to life then basketball. So we'll see what happens.
Scorpia
Anthony Horowitz
pg 1-32

The cover of Scorpia is simple and to the point. The cover is dark blue adorned with a silver scorpion, matching the orginization which I have been introduced to recently. They call themselves SCORPIA, a name that tells us their four main fields of activity. Sabotage, CORruPtion, Intelligence, and Assasination are their specialties. The word Scorpia is also plastered in large white letters on the cover, telling us the name of both the book and the terrorist orginization. Anthony Horowitz's name is below in yellow, below that a line telling us he is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Eagle Strike". There is a small line at the top with the name of the main character, Alex Rider, with a sillouete of a boy in crosshares, telling us he must be invloved in something dangerous and exciting.

quater 3, blog 1

Rachel Crouch
Pop Goes the Weasle
by James Patterson
pg. intro-26
My book cover doesn't really say much about my book except that the title is Pop Goes the Weasle. It states this in huge green letters and the only picture on there is a tiny house. It isn't even a special house, it's just an average. The only thing I can guess from the cover is that it might be a darker book because the background.

Aloysius

Stand Tall
by Joan Bauer
pg. 1-46

The cover of my book is of a child standing in a yard. There is one single treel behind him. His dog sits by the tree. It is painted in water color this makes it seem very sad. The aloneness of the situation makes it seem as though people dont like this child. He has his hands in his pockets, this shows that he is unsure or very shy about his life. This book is about a child that is alone in a world were everything is aginst him, this is clearly seen on the cover.
Walking up a Rainbow
Theodor Taylor
pg. 10
My book cover shows a dark hill with a sunset disappearing slowly. I think this shows that there is a dark time in this book but there is light at the end of the journey. The main character Susan is shown beside a cowboy and i think that Susan is going to be caught in a bad situation and the cowboy will save her. Its like a cave you enter it not knowing whats in side but when you find the end and see the light you know you made it.
The Invisible Man
by H.G. Wells
pg 7
On the cover of this book is the picture of an invisible man. He is wearing a brown trench coat, a smashed gray hat, and white bandages around his hands and face. His body is floating above the ground because aparrently he is not wearing pants or shoes. It also seems that he is walking down and old avenue in England while it is raining. This makes him appear mysteriously dangerous.

Quarter 3, blog 1

Maximum Ride, Angel Experiment
p1-50
The cover of the book is very dark with blues, blacks, and a little purple. This hints that the book will be dark and gloomy, and possibly a little scary. So far the book has had a lot of action, and I could see where some parts could be very scary. The main character that the book focuses on, Angel, is on the cover and this is the only person I would put on the cover. It is very fitting because so far, she is the person the book has really focused on. The title text is slanted and large, but is not in the way of the pictures. It helps to tie everything together instead of having the title and picture be separate pieces.

Cat and Mouse by James Patterson

pg. 1 to pg. 63
The cover of my book is very boring. The picture is a silver stair case and a shadowy man walking up them. The colors are black, white and gray. the font is big and bold. The cover doesn't reveal anything about the story. I would think the setting would be at like a airport, but instead its at a train station . The cover might start to go along with the book ,but right now they have nothing to do with each other

Tyler Allison Blog 1/7/11

Miracle on 49th Street
Mike Lupica
Pg 50

The cover of my book is very revealing in one way so far but not in others. It hase a basketball on the front of the book so i could tell that it was about basketball. I think that that is one of the main reasons i got the book. The font on the cover is big and clear. It makes me think that the book may be exciting for some reason? The colors on the cover are dark accept for the basketball and lettering. The backround is a blur so it is a little mysterious. I like my book so far and it has started out a lot different than i pictured. so far the cover is kind of a curveball to the book.

-Tyler

Fall River Dreams

Jake hensley
Fall River Dreams
by Bill Reynolds
pg 1 -27

If i were to just judge my book by its cover I woulkd cxonsider it to look exciting. I think this because it's clearly about basketball. Also on the cover there are the words, " A team's quest for glory- a town's search for its soul. So, by just glancing at the cover of the book i know its about basketball and how it will affect a town. It seems exciting.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Fallan Stark
Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel
Judith and Neil Morgan
pg 17

The book cover is yellow with the title at the top in red capital letters. Below to the right in smaller, black letter says A Biography, so I that I'm reading about the life of Dr. Seuss. Then under it has the authors names in red font. On the bottom left hand corner there is a black and white picture of a sitting man with glasses and slicked back hair. He has his hand in a fist with a pencil wedged between his index and middle finger. That hand is proping his head up, and his elbow rests upon his knee. In his other hand is a piece of paper with a sketch in black and white. His forearm rests on his other knee. There are his characters all around him in black and white. The cat in the hat is standing on his head, the grinch on his shoulder, the star bellied sneetches are on his knee, horton is hiding behind his arm, etc..I can tell that I'm going to learn about Seuss's life and about his characters.

AMY :)

Coming Back Stronger
By Drew Brees
pg. 1-29

The image on my book is of Drew Brees in his Steeler's fottball uniform. It states underneath the title, 'Unleashing the hidden power of adversity.' I can distinguish that the book will include football and how he had shoulder suergery. It will include his story about recovery and how he came back stronger than he left. It is a good book and I hope it inspires me to reach for my biggest dream in life. The book is filled with hardships and how life can be hard at times, but you can make it through it if you just make the best of what you have.

By Amy Wright

Chad

Knights of the Hill Country
Tim Tharp
1-45

My cover has a football player standing on a field and not revealing his face. He is standing in mist or fog. This might have to deal with his rough times that are going to face the main character. He is holding a football which means he is a big part of the team. His team will probably go through rough times as a team and will be tested.

Handle With Care By Jodi Picoult 1-70

My book cover is of a little girl out side durning the winter on a pound ice skating. By looking at the cover I get the idea that it is about a girl who enjoys ice skating who is young. The title I think gives me the idea that there is some reason she cannot ice skate when or how she pleases. After reading what I have I think the cover explains what the story is going to be very well.
The Lucky One
Nicholas Sparks
End of Boook

The book cover for this book is darker kindof representing nighttime in a way. The title of the book and the author are in big letters in the middle of it at the top. There is a bok around the words on the cover and the text is black. There is a picture of a farris wheel and an evergreen tree on it. In this book, the character Logan discovers a picture while he was in the military in Kuwait. This picture had a picture of a girl on it with a fairground setting in the background. There were 3 evergreen trees behind her. I think that is where the picture on the cover comes from. The picture symbolizes Logan's journy to find the woman in the picture. The book has a nighttime setting with a shooting star flying across it. I think this represents the title of the book and the journy that takes Logan to the woman in the picture. The book cover symbolizes a lot about the book.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Quarter 3 blog 1

The Bone Garden
Tess Gerritsen
Page 130

The cover is dominated by the colors black and red with the author and title in white large print. The large title "The Bone Garden" is plainly set out there so you know it's going to be a slightly disturbing. The colors make up the shape of what looks like a girl running into the distance either out of or into a wooded area. It also has leaves and twigs on the bottom. All these things plus the title give the impression that the book is going to be mysterious and involve a dark setting with a graveyard. The overall look of the cover drew me in because it looked intriguing, without giving a lot away.

Dead Until Dark

Paige Boston
Dead Until Dark
by Charlaine Harris
pg 206

The cover art of my book is relatively simple, but with some underlying complexities. The only colors used on the cover are shades of white, red, and black. The picture depicts a pale white person, but only their face, from nose to neck. The person is licking their lips as a small trickle of blood runs from the corner of their mouth. The tip of a fang is just barely visible next to otherwise normal looking teeth. From the picture, it is easy to tell that the book is about vampires, but upon reading further in the book, other meanings come to light. The person on the cover looks like a normal human wearing bright red lipstick at first, but upon closer inspection is revealed to be a vampire with blood smeared across their lips. This hints that the vampires in the book try to appear normal to human beings, in a practice referred to as "mainstreaming". Thought they attempt to blend in with humans, eventually their true nature comes out through their not so normal life styles.
Quarter 3 blog 1
Ghost Night
by Heather Graham
pg. 73
The cover of my book is different shades of blue, but it looks like it is nightfall. There is a bridge extending over water into the distance with lights on the bridge. From the title of the book I could guess that ghosts are involved or the beyond. Another reason I think it has to do with the supernatural is because the bridge seems to go on forever. The lights on the bridge give an eerie glow. I also think the setting will take place in the ocean because there is alot of water on the cover and and seems never ending. The author's name also gives alot away. I have read many of Heather Graham's books and I know this one will include a mystery.
For One More Day
Mitch Albom
pg. 64

If I were to judge this book by the cover I probably would not have chose it. The cover is pretty general and there is not much to it. The author's name is at the top along with another book that he has published. Because of that, I would think he is a good writer if they add his other book on the cover which is Tuesdays with Morrie. The title of the book is all in lower cased letters which is odd to me. I am not sure if it is like that for a reason. In the center, there is a drawing of a little house. I'm not to far in the book but I think it is his old house that he visits and finds his mom who he thinks is a ghost but he doesn't know yet. The cover isn't to appealing but it is simple and makes you think.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Elizabyth Ladwig
Fool Moon
Jim Butcher
pg. 274
The cover art on my book has Harry Dresden, the main character, standing on the ledge of a building looking down on the city of Chicago. He is wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, a black hat, and a long, black coat. He is also holding a long staff. On the building wall behind him, there are 2 bloody paw prints. This is the second book in a series, so I've already found out that Harry is a wizard, but if you hadn't read the 1st book, you could tell his was a wizard, since the staff is glowing. The paw prints and the title give away that the plot is going to be related to wolves or werewolves in some way.
Jacob Royster
Safe at Home
Pg 25
From the cover of my book I can tell it will be about baseball. There is a catcher in his gear throwing a ball. Im guessing near the end and from other Mike Lupica books I have read, the title, Safe at Home, will come in to play at the end with a championship game on the line. There is color but that doesn't tell me a whole lot. Once again from other Mike Lupica books I know i will enjoy this book unlike all other books that waste my time.

Quarter 3, Week 1

Gentlemen
By: Michael Northrop
pg. 35

Tabitha Payne

From the cover of my book I am guessing that a man will die and it will be one of the friends of the main character. I think that Mr. Haberman will be the one to commit the murder cause he is the only one who they really talk about in the book so far. I also think it is him because he says gentlemen all the time and that is the name of the book. When i got the book the cover was what grabbed my attention.