Perks of Being a Wallflower

Maya Mrs. Huff Per.5 The novel The Perks of being a Wallflower is written by Stephen Chbosky in letter form. Back in 7th grade my sister would always tell me how fantastic this book was. I was never a big fan of reading but I decided to give the book a shot. Once I opened this book I could not put it down. When you read this book you really jump in and in many ways relate to the story. This book is happy yet very sad but, is overall an amazing story. Charlie is a teenage boy at high school who sends letter about his life to a person he has never met. Charlie discusses his hardship to this person which includes his two best friend's death; his Aunt and his only friend Michael. He is a lot different than everyone around him. His brother is super athletic and his sister has a big mouth. Charlie is embarrassingly shy about everything and finds it difficult to make friends. One day Charlie goes to the homecoming game where he would meet people who would forever change his the way he lived. Charlie meets a boy named Patrick who is loud; Patrick introduces Charlie to his step-sister Sam. Charlie gets introduced to drugs and finds out people like him for him. He mostly connects with his friends threw mix-tapes with his favorite songs on them. He then meets a girl named Mary Elizabeth who loves him but, he doesn't feel the same w ay. When Mary Elizabeth is told Charlie doesn't have the same feelings it brings conflict between him and all his friends. Charlie befriends one of his teachers who shares similar interests with him. Charlie one day over-doses on drugs and wakes up in the snow only to realize what he has become. Charlie realizes what he has done but tries to continue living his life. The ending will definitely bring tears to your eyes but warmness to your heart. One quote that stood out to me in this story was when he wrote in his letter, "It's kind of like when you look at yourself in the mirror and you say your name. And it gets to a point where none of it seems real. Well, sometimes, I can do that, but I don't need an hour in front of a mirror. It just happens very fast, and things start to slip away. And I just open my eyes, and I see nothing. And then I start to breathe really hard trying to see something, but I can't. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it scares me." This quote was very powerful because it defined how he really felt. This quote is very deep and it made me think very long and hard until I understood which is why I love it. Overall I give this book give this book a complete five out of five cassettes ( ) because it was a very easy read. I didn't feel like I was forced to read this novel I actually wanted to take in every sentence of it. I would strongly recommend this book to people who enjoy reading realistic- drama books. This book is something everyone can relate to in a different way. It is the perfect amount of happiness and sadness. And the best part about this is that it doesn't sugar coat anything it is like reality. If you are going to read this brace yourself for tears!

The Giver

Anthony

English, Period 2

September 15, 2009

 

 

The book that I chose to write a review on was The Giver.  The Giver is written by Lois Lowry, also the author of Gossamer. I read this book because it was a mandatory book to read in Ms. Bedrossian's class (my seventh grade English teacher). I didn't choose to read this book, but after I read it, I loved it. I loved it so much that I read most of Lowry's books.
            The Giver is about a young boy named Jonas who lives in a futuristic community where everything is very well organized and planned. There's a curfew that everyone needs to follow. If you have a "special dream", the elders give you a pill so that you're normal like everyone else. The parents are arranged together and their children come from donors at the hospital. When kids arrive at a certain age, they go through a ceremony to receive what jobs they will be perform for the rest of your life. If adults get to old, the elders tell everyone that they will be leaving the community (because it is surrounded by a gate) but in reality, the doctors are injecting them with a poison to rid of them. So  Jonas gets the job as a receiver, a person who goes to the Giver (an old, wise man that was a receiver, but now gives memories) to receive memories from the past ages. As Jonas receives more and more memories, he decides to leave the community because of some disturbing memories that show what truly happens in the community. He leaves with his little brother, Gabriel.

            "6. Except for illness or injury unrelated to your training, do not apply for any medication. (9.32)". This was a rule in the community. I chose this quote because it shows how strict the rules were. Even the most organized and safest community had its downfalls. The whole community and no feelings towards each other. You could be an elder and still get injected with poison to be "released". So if you were dying of some disease, no medication would be given to you because it doesn't have to do with your training as the job you're getting.

            If I was to rate this book I would give it    . I chose these icons (happy face mask covering a sad face, if you can't see the image) because in the book, everyone needed to act a certain way. If they didn't "go with the flow", pills were given to them to straighten their attitude. I thought that the citizens were secretly crestfallen at the fact that they needed to be treated for their own behavior. That's why I chose icons of a glad mask that was covering up the real identity of the people, depressed.

            In my opinion, this book was the most mind-blowing book I have ever read. I saw the world in a new perspective and I started to enjoy reading. If you read this book, I guarantee that you will be hooked on it and want to read more books in this genre. You should read The Giver because it's a book that will open your eyes to the joy of reading. Secondly, this book is very unique because it doesn't happen in the present, but in a possible future for us. Finally, this book is very interesting and detailed that you could get a picture in your mind about the scene that you're reading. I would recommend this book for seventh grade and up, but for the ones who want a challenge. This book makes you think. Lower grades won't comprehend the concepts being told and how to look at the point of views.

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From: Tony Arenas <tonyarenas@rocketmail.com>
To: blaircarroll.millikanreads@blogger.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 11:21:43 PM
Subject: Ms. Huff Blog Assignment

this is my blog project for ms. huff's class

The People of Sparks

The book I read is called The People of Sparks by Jeanne Durau. The reason I choose to readThe People of Sparks was because of the cover. It is really pretty and symbolic. I then found out it was the second book in a series of four. I then bought the first book to read, so I could start from the beginning of the series. 

My book is about two characters, Lina and Doon, who have just lead their people out of a closed off, underground city, and into the world. Upon entering the world, they nothing about, society has gone backwards to a more primitive time because of a war. Lina and Doon comes upon a village that agrees to help them but, soon after, conflict arises. Now Doon and Lina have to stop the threat of a war, between the people of Ember and the people of Sparks, lead by the influences of a boy named Tick.

"Fine" said Maddy......"If you ask me, making friends is a better defense then making enemies."I felt that this saying is significant because it's telling you that what is the point of making enemies when it's just going to hurt you in the end. The reason Maddy said this was because a man named Caspar stated that he believed in approaching a stranger like a enemy to protect himself. Maddy felt that making more enemies then friends, was a stupid way to carry out life.

Out of 17 seeds I give this book a rating of 15 seeds. The reason I give it a rating of 15 seeds is because I loved the story line, and thought the characters were realistic. Even so, I felt a little disappointed with one resolution dealing with treasure. I felt it could have been better and didn't live up to it's full potential. The reason I used seeds as my rating system is because on the cover, it is a picture of a sprout. I felt that the seed and sprout represented the starting of a civilization, which is exactly what this book is representing. 

Out of :

     ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 17 seeds

this book deserved:

     ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 15 seeds

I recommend this book for anti-war people. It deals with war (not the war specifically) but the effects

afterwards. I believe this book is recommend for people of all ages. Though, I believe that the older you

the more you'll get out of it. It is also people who like adventure for it has its owe share of it. Lastly I feel

that this is a book about civilizations and tolerance of other people. It shows you just how foolish a fight

over an egg might be, and how it all starts with a push and ends with a mess.

By,

Hopi

Dairy Queen

Emily

English Period 4

September 16, 2009

Dairy Queen

I chose to write a blog about Dairy Queen a book by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.  The reason I chose this book is because when I first began reading it I wasn't into it at all but as I started to read more I was hooked. I was given this book by mom, who picked it out for me as a Hanukkah present. She always seems to pick out the books with interesting covers and titles and so far that has worked out.  In this situation the book didn't sound appealing at first but you have to trust a mothers instinct.

The main characters in this book are fifteen-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, Brian Nelson Quarterback for Hawley High School and rivals of Red Bend, Amber who is best friends with D.J. and her little brother Curtis Schwenk.  The Schwenk family owns a dairy farm in Red Bend that D.J. does most of the work. One day the Hawley High School coach Jimmy Ott, long time friend of the Schwenks, asks if he could have his star quarterback Brian Nelson help out on the farm. Well, right away D.J and Brian get off to a bad start but as they find more in common such as football they find it easier to be around each other. As well as working on the farm D.J. helps Brian train for football season but discovers some things about Brian and herself along the way.  Maybe there is a reason why her little brother Curtis never talks and her older brothers never come home to visit, or why her only friend is Amber and why Brian Nelson might not seem so bad.

D.J Schwenk says the quote that I find most interesting, " When you don't talk there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said." D.J. doesn't like to talk about her feelings and that is the way her family is as well. She always says how the Schenks deal with things is by not saying anything and hoping it will blow over in a few days or weeks but sometimes it could take months. I feel this quote demonstrates how D.J. feels about her family and the life she lives where she has a lot to say but no one to say it to.

The rating system I developed is: One milk bottle represents that the book was okay but I wouldn't recommend it. Two milk bottles represents the book was good but I wouldn't read it again. Three milk bottles represents that the book overall was good but there were parts that were really boring. Four milk bottles represents that the book was good at the beginning but towards the end I couldn't put it down and I would recommend it. Five milk bottles represents that the book was amazing and I could never put it down and I would read it over again. I give my book four out of five milk bottles because I wasn't into the book at the beginning but as the book progressed I found it more interesting and I couldn't put it down. For my rating system I am using milk bottles because the Scwenk family owns a dairy farm, so I thought it would be a good idea to use this image. 

 

              Three reasons I would recommend this book are, it is very realistic and has a mix of athleticism and romance, the characters and the plot of the story are very interesting, and the book shows what it is like to balance so many things such as school, sports, boys, and work.  I would recommend this book to girls between the ages of eleven and fifteen. Warning there is some adult content and language. I would recommend this book to readers who like books about people's lives and their struggles and thoughts. There is no mystery, no action or adventure but there is a great story if you look behind the pages.

--
Emily

Sudden Death

Parker



  The book I read was Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt. I selected this book because it is a murder mystery and because it has to do with football and the NY Giants who are my favorite football team. I knew that this was a good book to read because the story sounded good and it had some things in it that interested me. I have read books by this author before and have liked them. I also heard that it was a good book and I like to read mysteries.
  This book was about a defense attorney named Andy Carpenter who is hired by Kenny Schilling, the star running back for the NY Giants, after he barricaded himself inside his house with the dead body of Troy Preston, a Jets football player. Kenny says he was set up and believes Andy Carpenter can help him dig himself out of the big hole he's in. Kenny has lost his job and image and the only person he has to help him is Andy who has some personal problems of his own but tries his best to figure out the case which is not easy. There were some suprising twist and turns but the end was a shocker. It was funny at times, suspenseful, interesting and sad. There was a lot of detail included about each event that happened in the book. It lives up to it's good reputation..
  "If my mother were alive she would say 'whatever happens, it's all for the best.' I never believed it when she used to say it, and I don't believe it now." I chose this because I agree with him and things don't always happen for the best. It depends on the choices you make and the situation your in. If you make a bad choice than it wasn't for the best and your future is not going to be the best. It is important in the story because he's always proving his mother wrong and the case he is investigating didn't happen for the best. In the end when the investigation is over, this saying comes in to hand as the best did not happen for Kenny and Andy, in fact the worse that could of happened happens.
    Since this book has to do with football, I made my rating icon a football. My rating scale is out 5 footballs, 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. I would give this book 4 out of 5 footballs. It was a good book, one of the best I've read but not the greatest ever.
                                          
I would recommend this book to a friend.. This book was a good read and had a very interesting detailed story. It was easy to relate to and very funny. It was realistic and suspenseful. There were a bunch of stories going on at once not just one, which made the book more interesting and not boring. I would recommend this to most guys the age of 12 to 30 because I think most guys would like this book and would be able to relate to it in some way.  Warning: There is some bad language, sexual thoughts and a descriptions of a dead body. All in all, this book was really good and a must read.  
              

Homeless Bird

Arman September 16, 2009 Arman September 14, 2009  Period 4

                                                                                                        

                                                        Homeless Bird                 

 

    Hello, my name is Arman Hairapetyan and I'm here  to tell you about a book I've read called "Homeless Bird", written by Gloria Whelam. You probably want to know why I chose to talk about this book, and the reason why is because Mrs. Mischkot, my 6^th grade english and history teacher, wanted the class to read a book for a project that we would soon have to do. I wanted something intrasting and I judged the books that I was viewing in the classroom shelves by its cover. I saw the book "Homeless Bird" on the shelf and it caught my intrest because of its covar of a lonely girl in a corner quilting a  shawl . I read a few pages of the book to see if I made the right choice for me, and I did. I love to learn about the cultures of the world and this book had a great promise , but thats not the only reason I read it and if I tell you what  its really about , it will ruin the story for you. The main theme of the story actually starts in the beginning of the story .

     The main character of the story is named Koly, a fourteen Hindu girl from a small village in India. Koly from my point of view, would be the only main character in the story. Through out the story, Koly has been living with many different people such as her parents, in-laws, and in a home somewhat similar to an orphanage. So you see, Koly has been switching homes for many reasons weither it was her being abandoned or givin away to through out the story, she is mainly involved with those who she lives with, rarely those who she does not.  I wont try to give away to much details about the story , but here's a brief summery about the story. Koly is a fourteen year old hindu girl who is forced to an enranged marriage with a boy who was much younger than her. It was soon revealed through out the story that Kolys in-laws actually used Koly to receive her dowry money for their son who is actually very ill. They wanted  to use the money so they can go to the Ghengis river in a different city in order to hopefully have him healed once he is placed in the rivers water. Soon enough, Koly's husband, who was the boy died and her mother in-law has abandoned her in the city with barley any money. The book tries to send a message to its readers that you are never alone, people care about you and that you can live life if you fight for it. Koly went through tough situations that she solved on her own, which soon lead her to something that she didn't expect, and if she can do it so can you.

  There is a quote in the story that says" even a homeless bird can find a home". What the quote is trying to say is that you are not always alone and never give up on finding a family, or a place where you can relax and call your home. The reason why I chose this quote is because at one point, Koly did become a homeless as a child and she gave up hope and thought that she would always be alone, but she was wrong. She proved herself wrong when her dreams became reality. The importance of the quote  in the story is that it became reality and brought joy, hope, and love to a girl who once had a broken heart.

    I rate the book 5 stars because it was well written, the story was very detailed and even taught a bit of the Indian language.  The story described the characters and setting in detail to a way where you can imagine what it looks like. The story also brings in emotions towards Koly once you discover her suffering through out the book. As you can see above on the first page, there is an image of a dove. I chose a dove as an icon for the story. The reason why is because a dove resembles freedom, love, hope, and joy, as well as to nurture . All this that the dove resembles comes true for Koly as we discovers these facts one by one though her rough journey as the homeless bird comes to anend

 Three reasons why I recommend this book. One, because it teaches a large portion of the Indian culture and life. Two, the book send a message to children that they are never alone and can accomplice hardship. Three, its very detailed and starts your mind to think what could possibly happen next and also see a glimpse of what many hardship people young and old face today. I recommend this book to an audience who love to learn about other cultures ,and to those who love to follow a journey that of a child and how he or she accomplish their hardships and end their journey with a happy ending. There are no warnings that need to be notified. 

Twilight

Nancy English, Period 6 September 12, 2009 Mrs. Huff                 I read the novel Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I came across this book when al my friends had finished the series. They told me the book was fantastic and that I should read it. I will never regret reading this book. I love this book so much. As soon as I started to read it, I couldn't it down. I was so addicted. I finished Twilight the night I got it and kept rereading it until I got the sequel which is New Moon. So when I was told to do a book review for my assignment, I knew this was the book to choose.             The main character is Bella Swan who moves to Forks, Washington from Phoenix, Arizona to live with her father Charlie, who is the chief of police. She hates forks and starts Forks High School, where she meets Edward Cullen, who is a vampire. They fell in love… a forbidden love. He doesn't eat or sleep, just like his family who consists of: Carlisle and Esme (his parents) and his siblings, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. Edward can read minds, Jasper can control emotions, and Alice can see into the future. Edward can read everybody's but, but he can't read Bella's, which seems to be the reason she always surprises Edward. One day, after Bella is introduced to Edward's family, they all go out to play baseball. While they are there, the come along a group of vampires. Their names are James (the leader), Laurent, and Victoria. They smelled Bella and were drawn to her scent. And the chase begins! James tried to attack Bella and the Cullen so Edward and Bella split up to try to confuse James. Bella is taken by Alice and Jasper to a hotel in Arizona. Everything is aright until Bella gets a call from James saying that he's got her mother and the only way to get her back unharmed is to meet him at the old ballet studio Bella went to years ago. She sneaks their but then realizes that's it was all a trick. James bites her but Edward gets there right after he bites her and tries to kill James. The Cullens come right in time to help kill James and Edward sucks the venom out of Bella. Once they get back to Forks and everything is as normal as it could be, Edward takes Bella to prom. Bella keeps trying to persuade Edward to turn her into a vampire but he remains firm on the idea of her staying human.             My favorite quote that I chose was, "" So what your saying is that I'm your brand of heroin?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled swiftly, seeming to appreciate my effort, "Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin."" That quote is so romantic. I just love that line. Their love is forbidden and it's a real love. Not just another love story that'll last for a couple days. It's real. This quote is like saying, I love you and I know that you are the only one for me. That is a big part of the story. It's a true love. They both of them can't be apart. It's as if they are addicted to each other, hence the quote.             My rating for Twilight would be 5 apples out of 5. I chose apples because this fruit symbolizes forbidden love and that's what Twilight is about. There is no way I can tell you how great this book is. It's magnificent, incredible, amazing and much, much more. I would never be able to say something about this book. I just love it.             There are so many reasons you should read Twilight. If you like romance, this book is definitely your calling. It's full of romance and it's a great love story. It's also full of imagination, so you could imagine all of it in your head. It would be so cool. I know a lot of you are saying it's a girls' book, right? Well it's not. Not only does it have romance, buts it's full of suspense and action. This book probably isn't good for anybody over 12. This book has kissing, minor gore, and violence.