Over the summer, you were asked to read at least two novels of your choice.
1) Briefly tell me what you read, including the titles and authors.
2)
I want to know what you liked about the books, what you learned and,
more importantly, what matters to you about the books' content.
*Make
sure to adhere to proper conventions and proofread your response. If,
for some reason, you did not read two novels, tell me about two novels
you have read and answer the above. This blog post must be completed by
2:30p.m. on Friday, August 21st, 2015.
25 comments:
1) For my summer reading assignment, I read 50 Famous Americans by Orville Webster III and Holes by Louis Sachar.
2) My favorite part of 50 Famous Americans was probably to learn a little more about Orville and Wilbur Wright. Throughout the whole book I learned a lot about our Nation's History and all that many people have done to make our country what it is today. Thi compilation of stories from different Americans really showed how diverse our country is and made me want to help keep our country moving in a good direction. My favorite part of the book Holes was when Stanley had a famous baseball player's shoes dropped on his head because it was a testament to how much bad luck he had had in his life. What I learned most from this book is perseverance because even though Stanley was wrongly accused of a crime and had terrible luck, he never gave up and continued to work hard.
1) Over the summer I read 3 novels, I read Brisingr by Christopher Poilini, Inheritance by Christopher Poilini, and I read Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist.
2)I liked the Inheritance Cycle (Brisinger and Inheritance) because of the adventure in it. I liked the books because the characters were always doing something interesting, there was never a dull moment. The story had many characters that all were unique and interesting, it was always fun to try and predict what they would do next. (SPOILER ALERT) The story takes off after Eragon and his dragon Saphira just lost a great battle against Murtag. Eragon's goals are still the same, to kill the mad and unnaturally powerful King, and threw out the book Eragon and the rebellion are concurring cities all over the empire. There are also many plot twists and un-predictable event that happen in the story, which I enjoyed. The story continued on in Inheritance. In Magician: Apprentice, a young boy named pug is chosen to be the apprentice of Kulgan, a master magician, and they end up going on an adventure to inform the king of a new danger to the empire. I enjoyed this book because it kept you on your toes, there was little moment of peace, for there was always a new danger around every turn. For me a good novel always makes you ask the question, "What happens next?". Reading these books have expanded my vocabulary and change my prospective of good fantasy novels.
Over the summer I have read only one novel. The book that I have read is called, The Giver by Lois Lowry. What I liked about the book is that a 12 year old came up with enough courage and strength to find out how to save the people he thought he could call family and friends. What I learned from The Giver is that change is a good thing. And living in a Utopian world would just be dull. Imagine a world without feelings, without experiencing different weather, or never lying, a world even without any love. It would just pretty much suck. People have feelings and needs. And by being monitored every second of your life not being able to do the things that your gut tells you, you want to do seems miserable. What I have also learned from this book is to appreciate the little things, like colors. What matters to me most about the book's content is the part where everyone is so blind that they only see things in black and white. And one person after years of wasted life finally sees the world in different colors. The creativity that Lois Lowry put into this book impressed me.
Over the summer I read lots of books. But the ones that stood out were “Girl Online” by Zoe Sugg and “Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms” by Chris Golfer. What I really liked about the books were that they were all really unpredictable. They always had some kind of twist that took the story in a totally different direction than I was expecting. The lesson I learned from “Girl Online” was that you need to be careful about what you post online. If you post something personal, it can come back to hurt you. The lessons that I learned from “Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms” were that if you truly love someone, you would do anything for them and to fight for them with everything you’ve got. Another thing I learned was that you should never let your emotions get out of control over something because it could end up hurting yourself and others. Something that matters to me in the content of books is humor, suspense, and creativity. These features really impress me because anyone would write a dull story about someone’s day at school. It’s really good when authors include jokes so the reader can laugh. Suspense is also really good because it keeps the readers interested in the story. Creativity is probably the most important because it makes the story even more fascinating and it’s what makes a story stand out. Both Zoe Sugg and Chris Golfer did a really good job with adding in those features.
This summer I read Hit and Run by Lurlene McDaniel and Skin by Rick Jasper. Both of these books were easy to read and understand. Though the writing was simple, I didn’t really learn or take anything from them. Personally, I feel they didn’t make an impact on my life. Though they were entertaining, there were no real lessons. To me, the young adult selection of novels can be a little stereotypical (at least from my experience). I probably should have taken more time on looking for a book. My favorite part from these books were the dialogue and the thoughts they had. They were actually humorous. If you are looking for an entertaining shallow book, both of these would be good.
Over the summer I read two books,"Wild Blue" by Stephen E. Ambrose and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. In "Wild Blue" I liked how it was different person's perspective through out the book. I also like how descriptive and visual it was. I learned more about World War Two and the lifestyle the pilots lived during that time. I also learned the different ways the men joined the Air Force back then. I also learned some of the different types of planes during World War Two. What mattered to me about "Wild Blue" was learning more about the pilots in World War Two because my Great Grandpa was a pilot in World War Two. In "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" I liked how different the style of the book was. It was just cool to read all the different point of view on things and how the three main characters, Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent and Zaphod Beeblebrox had a different answer to the same question. This book changed the way I think of things, it also made me question things like in the book the president has like no power and we know the president has lots of power. The most important thing to me about the book was it was fun to read and had lots of humor. Overall "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" gave me a new look on life.
1) During summer the incoming freshman at Arapahoe had to read 2 novels. The two novels I chose was The Maze Runner, and The Scorch Trials (Book two of Maze Runner series).
2) When I finished the first book over the summer I had already seen the movie and I realized that they are very different in plots. The movie had some important parts that they left out. Other than the fact that they left out important pieces in the movie, the book was almost twice as better. I learned that not every movie and book will be the same, and could have totally different plots. the content in the two books I read was very visual. After I read the second book in the series, I ended up loving the content and the plot and the visuals to the story. The author has a great way of telling the reader about the story which I also enjoyed. I learned that many people will enjoy these stories. I didn’t think the first book would be very good but it got me hooked at the end that I had to read the next novel. Overall the stories I read over the summer were very interesting and everyone should read the series of the Maze Runner.
1.) I read quite a few novels over the summer, but the two I read for school were called "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman and "Illusions" by Aprilynne Pike.
2.) I liked "If I Stay" because it's a very poignant novel. Right from the beginning, Forman has her reader drawn into the plot. I also like that it's not all about spending time in a hospital, but the reader also gets to know all of the protagonist's past. The reader gets to know her family, her boyfriend, and her life before the car accident, but the reader also gets to know what her life is like now that she's in a hospital. I read the second book I love to read about creative things with so much imagination involved. Pike's book was whimsical and unforeseen, and I couldn't put it down. From the first novel I read, I learned that we don't know when we're gonna die. Some believe we go to heaven, some believe we just lay in the ground in darkness, and some don't know what they believe. Regardless of any of that, we only have a certain amount of time in life. In the second novel, I still haven't quite figured out the moral of the story. I guess I'll have to read the rest of the series and see what I take out of it. "If I Stay," mattered to me because it is a story so genuine. Any of us could be alive today and dead tomorrow. It's a story that, while being slightly crazy, was very, very real to me and it opened my eyes. In the second one, the things that mattered to me was how well the book was written. My biggest problem I run into with books is that I can’t read books with lots of imagination involved unless it’s well written and scripted out in perfect form.
This summer I chose to read the two novels The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I enjoyed reading The Notebook because the romance it had written in it. I do have to say at points the book got rather boring but when the author added more content it was amazing! The writer really know how to make you fall in love with characters. Nicholas Sparks is also really good at creating an image in the readers mind. Every moment of the book you read you felt you were the leading character. You could feel there emotions and imagine the scene. To me that aspect of imagination is very important in a book. I mean that is why we read in the first place. This book is important to me because it gives me hope for what romance could be and it also gives me insight into how life figures itself out. In the book Allie and Noah fall in love and even though Allie moves they find there way back to each other. The lesson I took from that was if it is meant to be it will always find a way to happen. The second book I read was Wintergirls. Wintergirls is about a teenage girl who struggles with anorexia. Then her best friend from middle school dies. Her friend Cassie was also bulimic. When Cassie's dies Lia feels haunted by the memory of her and tries to figure out Cassie's fate to help her move on. This book is definitely one of my favorites. I enjoyed this book so much because the topic of it just really drew me in. The way the author wrote about all of Lia's struggles just really made your heart sink. It helped me understand what people with eating disorders struggle with one a day to day basis. That is honestly why this book is so important to me. Both the authors of these books did an amazing job making you feel for the characters.
1.) Over the summer, I read "Sunrise Over Fallujah" by Walter Dean Myers, and "The Living" sequel by Matt De la Peña.
2.) I liked that the books were action packed and heart-stopping. "Sunrise Over Fallujah" was a different perspective on war. Birdy, who was deployed in the Iraq War, serves his country as a Civil Affairs operative. This position was meant to be non-violent and safe. However, they get some bad luck, and they are targeted by seemingly everyone attacking their unit. This gives me a new perspective on war and should be read by everyone. "The Living" started off normally, but soon turned into a high-speed action packed novel. In the book, Shy worked on a cruise ship. All was normal until the deadliest earthquake ever recorded hit California. This caused massive tsunamis that knocked the ship over. This novel kept me grip to the very end, and I love books like that. These authors both did an amazing job throwing in action at unexpected times, and I would recommend the books to everyone.
Over the whole summer, I have read two interesting novels such as ¨Looking For Alaska¨ by John Green and ¨But I Love Him¨ by Amanda Grace. What I liked about the novel ¨Looking For Alaska¨, was how the author wrote the book in the narrator’s point of view. The main character in the novel, ¨Looking For Alaska¨, is a teenage boy named Miles “Pudge” Halter. What I liked about this book was the fact that it was detailed and I wanted to read every word of it. This book taught me that there are consequences for your actions. In the text, Pudge is unaware of his actions and does not think of the consequences. An example of one of Pudge’s actions that ended up changing his whole life was when he met with his friend the Colonel and Alaska by the bridge. Alaska and the Colonel started to drink alcohol and eventually became drunk. Alaska then passed out. Later on, Alaska suddenly remembered something and she flipped out. She then asked Pudge and the Colonel to distract the dean of the school, the Eagle, so she can get off campus. They let her go not thinking that she was drunk. Early that morning, Pudge and the Colonel then found out that Alaska Young has died that night in a car accident about six miles away from school. In my view, Alaska died because of the irresponsible actions of her, Pudge and the Colonel. The most outrageous outcome was that Pudge and the Colonel did not take responsibility for their actions. The content in this book has taught me to take responsibility for my actions and to know that there will be consequences. The other novel that I have read this summer was ¨But I Love Him,” by Amanda Grace. In the novel, ¨But I Love Him,¨ I liked how the author started the book from the end of Connor and Ann’s relationship to when they first met. The main character Ann is a senior in high school, who gets straight A¨s and is a track star (this was before she met Connor). Connor on the other hand, is a young man that has been abused by his father since childhood. Ann and Connor first met when Ann was having trouble with starting her car. At the beginning of their relationship, Connor treated Ann with respect and barely talked about his family. But as their relationship grew longer, Connor began to be both mentally and physically abusive to Ann. Ann was no longer a happy senior with many friends and decided to quit track. Connor became more possessive and didn’t want her to talk to any other boys or any of her friends. Their relationship ended when Connor went way over the line and almost killed Ann. Based on the content in this book, I have learned that abusive relationships build and build as one person becomes possessive over the other, which could lead to a negative outcome on that person that is being abused. Also, a relationship like this is not normal because Connor does not trust Ann (meaning that he does not want Ann to talk to anybody but him) and he just wants Ann to be with him at all times. The book’s content shows how bad the result of an abusive relationship can become based on the actions of the abuser. Overall, these two novels that I have read over the summer have taught me life lessons that will help me in the long run.
Over the summer I read two books, “The Keeper the Unguarded Story of Tim Howard” by Ali Benjamin, and “Bottom of the 33rd” by Dan Barry.
In the book “The Keeper the Unguarded Story of tim Howard,” which was a biography, I really liked how the author really went in depth with everything in the book. Like how he described the small locker rooms of when he was playing in the English Premier League with Everton. Also how he described his feeling of being accepted onto Manchester United, or how he felt when he married his wife Laura. I learned to never give up on your dreams even if the seam like they aren’t accomplishable. The thing that mattered to me most was how hard Tim Howard fought to get to where he is now. In my second book, “Bottom of the 33rd,” which was a true story about a never ending baseball game, I liked how the author would take time to describe each of the players. He would mention a player and then take a few pages to describe that player.I learned that no matter how long something is, that you must continue to strive for your goals. The thing that mattered to me in this book was that a baseball game lasted for 33 innings, which took eight hours,and there was not a single player that left the game. There were all determined to finish this game and do their job.
Over the summer I read "Fairest" by Marissa Meyer. The book "Fairest" was a continuation of The Lunar Chronicles which followed the life of Levana and described how Levana gained the crown. I particularly like this book because it strayed from the other books in The Lunar Chronicles by making the antagonist the main character. This gave the reader a sense of sympathy for the ‘evil queen’. Marissa Meyer also did a very good job of deepening the plot line of the chronicles by hinting to Levana’s twisted past. Although this was a fictional book I learned to always have sympathy for others even if they seem to be the antagonist. This book's content helped to further the chronicles in a way I had not expected and I am glad to have read it.
Also over the summer I read the book "Paper Towns" by John Green. This book told the story of Quentin Jacobsen also know as Q and Margo Roth Spiegelman. I really enjoyed this book because it did not follow the path I had expected. The book begins with a crazy one night adventure between the two main characters. However, after this adventure the book truly becomes interesting. From this book I learned that no matter what the story tells the ending is not always the one you expected. John Green surprised me by giving me the realistic ending I truly wanted. I think that the content and lessons to be learned from this book are very valuable even though this book if fiction. "Paper Towns" is much more true to life then it seems.
1) Over the summer I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling and the entire series of Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans.
2)My favorite thing about the books Harry Potter and Michael Vey is that they both have so much action and suspense in them that I never want to stop reading. From Michael Vey, I learned to be loyal to my friends. Many times in the book, a few of the kids that were fighting would give up and decide that this wasn't there battle, but later realized that this was their battle and they should stay with their friends until it is over. Finally, what matters to me about this book is that they both involve friendship. Their are never parts in the books where they doubt each other. All of the characters stay loyal.
This summer, I read two books, and they could not be any more different. One was called Debunk It! by John Grant, while the other was Night Watch by Stephen King. Debunk It was about being logical and finding factual information in a world where information, true and false, are everywhere. I learned how to check a source and several logical fallacies people use to explain away their often incorrect beliefs. The one that stuck out the most to me was the idea that just because something comes from a person with a high status doesn't mean they are correct. Like a biologist isn't qualified to explain physics, although they are very smart. Night Watch, I learned different things. For one, cars can take over the world and that Stephen King really likes gore. It was a very enjoyable book, though not very informative. Also, if I ever need to describe something scary, I can skip it and say that it was beyond description.
1) Over the summer, I read two great books. I read book seven and eight of the "Demonata" series by Darren Shan.
2) I really liked these two books that I read because they were very interesting and entertaining. I really like science fiction and fantasy books, and the author does a very good job at combining the two. The books tell about a boy named Grubbs, but the perspectives of the characters switch between books. Number seven was in the perspective of a girl named Bec. The whole book is about after the recent apocalypse that had almost ended humanity. Halfway into the book, Darren's uncle Dervish that he lives with has a heart attack and almost dies. Right then demons surround his house and so they cannot escape the house, so they are stuck right after Dervish has the attack. I really like the way that Darren Shan writes, because he is very good at describing things, and helping the reader picture what is going on I have already read two of Darren Shan's series, and I am hoping to read more of them.
For my summer reading assignment, I read two books. I read Paper Towns by John Green and We Were Liars by E. Lockheart.
I really enjoyed reading We Were Liars by E. Lockheart because of it’s characters, plot and setting. But the message I got from the book was really interesting to me. By the end of the book we find out that you only see what you want to see, even if it’s not there. The content of the book really grabbed me because it tells the story of a wealthy family and their trip to their private island every summer. Sometimes when I’m reading a book the plot is slow and I can’t really get into it, but this book was fast paced and I liked that. The second book I read this summer was Paper Towns by John Green. I really like this book because of the never ending fun on every page. My favorite part of the book was when Margo and Q commit the ‘felonies.’ What I took away from this book is that mysteries aren’t always supposed to be solved. For example, in this book Margo goes missing and Q wants to find her because he loves her. But when he does she tells him that she didn’t really want to be found. The content in this book was great because there were multiple elements. These books had a fascinating plot and I recommend both.
Over the summer I read two books, Lord of The Flies by William Golding, and I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It by Charles Barkley. Lord of The Flies had an intriguing plot, which kept me on my toes the entire time. I May Be Wrong But I Doubt It made me think about major problems in the world from another perspective. Both of these reads have shown me a new angle of civilization as a whole. Lord of The Flies has also taught me that children are far from immune to corruption. I would love to read these books again in the future.
1) Over the summer, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
2) What I liked about The Book Thief was that it was told in a second person narrative, and the interesting plot line, that doesn't follow most plots that you would find in a book that is set in World War II. What I liked about The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry was how the author conveyed the protagonist's emotions, and how dynamic his character became as the plot progressed, as well as it tells the story of how small events can change your life forever.
1. Over the summer I read the two books the Sea of Monsters and the first of the Harry Potter books. The Sea of Monsters was written by Rick Riordan and Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone was written by J.K Rowling.
2. The thing I liked most about both books was that they both told about teenagers dealing with the pressure of having large responsibilities within their worlds. In the Sea of Monsters, the main character, Percy Jackson, is the supposed child of an ancient prophecy and throughout the story faces many tests and hardships. In the case of Harry Potter, Harry is also widely known to be the savior of the world but often faces many challenges. What mattered to me the most in both of these books was the fact that the main characters were always able to work through their problems which helps people learn to work through their problems and never give up.
Over the Summer I read two books Heart Over Height by Nate Robinson and Jon Finkel, and Barry Sanders Now you see him by Mark E. McCormick. Heart over height is about Nate Robinson and how he had to go over many obstacles to get where he is today. Many doubted Nate Robinson just like they doubted Barry Sanders one thing they had in common is their height they weren't very big but they didn't let that stop them from doing what they wanted. What I learned is that no matter what people say you have to keep pushing yourself to achieve great things and no matter what Nate Robinson and Barry Sanders never gave up.
Over the summer I read two books, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I also read Legend by Marie Lu. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a 14 year old boy named Junior with a pretty messed up life. He had a messed up mom and a 24/7 drunk dad. He attended an trouble school but then he moved to an rich all-white school. He learns how to deal with his problems and make his dreams come true. The reason I liked this book is because it interested me in so many different ways. This book is heartbreaking and funny for the most parts. The second book I read this summer was more of a fiction book. Legends by Marie Lu, is about how the western side of the United States was once a normal state until now its about of the Republic. The United States is all in war together. A 15 year old girl named June, was born into the Republic side. Day, on another side, was born into the slum side. Day is the Republics most wanted criminal. All was going good until the day, Junes brother got murdered. Of course, everyone thinks that Day did it and of course June wants to find Day and murder him. Little did they both know, that they will come across and find something that they will never forget. I liked this book because it has action and its simple to keep up with. What I learn is with these two books is too never give up on what you believe in and to stand up for whats right.
Two of the books I read over the summer included, "Paper Towns" by John Green, and "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. Paper Towns tells a story about two teenagers, Quentin Jacobsen also know as Q and Margo Roth Spiegelman, who go on an adventure one night, which leads to the disappearance of Margo. Q goes on a crazy adventure to find Margo, (who is also the love of his life), with clues that she has left him. I personally was disappointed with the ending, because it was not what Q deserved, but overall, John Green did an amazing job with creating the entire mystery. What I liked about this book was the affect of the mystery in Margo, and how Q always knew her for her true self, and was able to find her because of that. What I learned about the book was that things aren't always what they seem, and to really find who you are, you have to let yourself go. This taught me to find ways to escape my comfort zone, and discover myself. What mattered most to me about the content was all of the lessons, especially the one I just stated. All of John Green's books have great impacts, because of the influential way he writes.
The second book I read, "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding told a story of a group of boys who are stuck on an island together, and they have created their own civilization in order to survive. The main character, Ralph is on the side of civilization and safe, efficient survival while Jack, (the "antagonist") seeks to create savagery in the boys. Several characters sadly die, and show the insanity on the island, that has been created in the boys. What I liked about the book was the different perspectives created in the book by similar boys. They both wanted power, but had different motives. What I learned about the book was that the smarter way to go is to create civilization, instead of savagery, because you will go insane with the responsibility. Also, what matters about the book's content was the way it was written to show the interesting thoughts of such young boys, seeking survival. It was very interesting to see the content showing the different motives of survival, and how they affected each other.
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