Summer Reading Assignment part 4

          Out of all the books on the Printz Award’s I picked Looking for Alaska by John Green. I picked this book because many people who have read it before me has said only good things about this book. I was very interested and when I saw it was on the list as one of the books you could read I was very excited! I also read and saw the movie; The Fault in Our Stars by the same author and it was amazing!

          While reading Looking for Alaska, I didn’t find any connections personally with this book but I’m sure others who have read or is reading this book might find some connections. Looking for Alaska was mostly a love story but, I really truly did enjoy this book and at some points I couldn’t put it down.

          If I could recommend this book to anyone in the world, I would recommend it to all age groups. It is such a good book I think anyone would enjoy reading this book. If you have read The Fault in Our Stars which I’m pretty sure all teenage girls and, maybe even some boys, have read the book or seen the movie might enjoy reading Looking for Alaska. 

Summer Reading Assignment part 3

My book, Looking for Alaska by John Green is split into two parts; Before and After. In my option, the before section of the book is the most “hooking” part of this book.

All the chaotic events that happen in the first part of the book serve as a cliffhanger. You want to know what is going to happen next with the characters, or who is going to get in trouble next, or what drama is going to unfold within the next few pages etc.

The book starts with ‘one hundred thirty-six days before’ and with every few pages the days get closer to ‘After’ part in the book. Within the days leading up to ‘After’ many events happen such as pranks, building friendship, fighting, falling in love, and getting in trouble by the Eagle. Most pranks are either pulled on the Weekend Warriors or the Eagle. The Eagle is basically the principle of the boarding school and controls everything and is also very uptight. If you do end up getting caught by the Eagle for whatever reason that may be; you have to go to court and be sentenced with a punishment such as doing dishes after meals, cleaning chalk boards and clapping erasers etc.

In conclusion I personally think the beginning part of Looking for Alaska is the most “hooking” part of the book.

Summer Reading Assignment part 2

Almost all of the characters in Looking For Alaska are going to Culver Creek Boarding school for some reason, whatever that reason may be.  In the beginning of Looking for Alaska, Pudge is talking about finding the “Great Perhaps” and perhaps finding it somewhere at Culver Creek.

Throughout reading this book they have been some themes that I have come across. With every good thing that happens in this story, is followed by a bad thing. That happens in life pretty much all the time, right? Anyways, ever since Pudge has arrived at Culver Creek it has been a roller-coaster experience. Also, I’ve noticed everything in Pudge’s life was fine and didn’t involve much drama, until he met Alaska. While reading further into this book I think more drama will happen between Alaska and Pudge because he has recently discovered he has feelings for Alaska.

Also, the rivalry between Culver Creek and the Weekend Warriors I think will continue to play horrible pranks on each other, and trying to get the others in trouble. Recently the Weekend Warriors have actually broken into Alaska’s room, broke some water pipes and flooded her whole room.

In conclusion, I think as the more of the story unfolds, more drama will happen amongst all the characters and maybe a relationship will develop between Pudge and Alaska.

Summer Reading Assignment part 1

            For my Summer Reading Assignment I chose to read the book Looking for Alaska Bye John Green. If you have read The Fault In Our Stars also by John Green, you would most defiantly enjoy reading his other books.

            While reading this book I have come across many characters. The main characters of this book would mostly be Alaska, Pudge, and the Colonel. Pudge and Colonel are not their actual names but more of their nicknames. Pudge’s real name is Miles Cavalry and the Colonel’s real name is Chip Martin. Alaska, Pudge and the Colonel all met at a boarding school called Culver Creek in Alabama. Alaska and Colonel already knew each other because they have been at Culver Creek for a few years and this is Pudge’s first year. Colonel and Pudge met in a very awkward situation involving Pudge standing in a towel after his shower while his roommate (Colonel) unpacks.

          Pudge is the more quiet, shy, but very smart person who knows famous peoples last words before they pass away. While the Colonel, is also very smart he is the more social butterfly who likes to party. The Colonel introduces Pudge to Alaska while sneaking around the campus to have a smoke in the woods.

            So far, the conflict in Looking for Alaska is some guys from the Weekend Warriors (a group of rich kids who aren’t very smart) basically kidnaps Pudge in his sleep, duct tape his legs, arms and hands together and throw him in a river to basically drown.  Another conflict that happened would be Alaska, Pudge, the Colonel and some others of their friend group got caught smoking by the Eagle and had to be punished. Also, the last conflict I have read being not far along in my book, Pudge is falling for Alaska, but Alaska has a boyfriend.

            I predict when reading further into my book, Alaska and her boyfriend named Jake, will somehow break up and Alaska will end up falling in love with Pudge, like he fell in love with her.

The point Sarah Dessen is trying to get across

In the book Someone Like You, the book is mainly about a friend in need relying on her best friend for almost everything. Scarlett needs Halley pretty much 24/7 for emotional support. I think Sarah Dessen was trying to imply throughout the story that you will always have someone to rely on and lean on.
We all have that one friend that you tell everything to, I mean everything. You secrets, your crushes, what you think about that one person you see everyday in the halls but don't know their name. And since you tell that friend everything, you probably trust them. Since you trust them, you will rely on them whenever you need, and they will be there. I know you're thinking of that one friend right now because they are your best friend and is always there for you. :)
Basically, I think Sarah Dessen tried to imply throughout the video that you always have that one friend who will always be there for you no matter what.

Final Blogging Assessment in English 1B

In my book, Someone Like You the main conflict the struggle Scarlett and Halley go through with the sudden death of Scarlett's boyfriend, Michael. Not only did Scarlett lose her boyfriend but has just found out she is carrying his baby. Leaving Scarlett to face a big set of problems with trying to get help from her family and friends. Scarlett is trying to tell her older sister Marion that Scarlett is pregnant while waiting for Marion's date to arrive. "Scarlett wiped her eyes, started to say something, and then turned and ran out of the room, up the stairs. I heard her bedroom door slam, hard. Marion took a deep breath, composed herself, and went to the front door." Marion is having a trouble of trying to comfort Scarlett, who is carrying a dead mans baby, but also not trying to yell at Scarlett.
Scarlett finds out she is pregnant shortly after she starts her junior year of high school. Halley usally goes to Scarlett whenever she needs her but now the tables have turned. Scarlett is more quite and doesn't open up about her feelings or like to discuss about her feelings to anyone. Ever since the death of Michael, she has been acting different and now with the shocking news, what do you think will happen with Scarlett?
If you happen to be someone who doesn't like to read (like myself) you like to have a visual. Well, you're in luck! Here is a homemade movie trailer from YouTube :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdOrjYWDWlk

Character Changes throughout the book

Throughout my book, one character that I have noticed has changed. Not drastically but changed enough for me to notice. The character is Halley. In the beginning Halley was very quite and shy and well kept to herself (not very social) like her best friend Scarlett. Halley was always known as "Scarlett's Friend". Scarlett is the deffination of a social butterfly.

A new semester had started in their school so that means new classes, and with new classes comes new students. There is a boy in Halleys PE class named Macon. Their first time meeting each other was very awkward. Halley was yelling at him from a car window when Macon is basically a stranger to her.. awkward! But anyways, Macon and Halley start getting close to each other and talking almost everyday and soon enough they start to date. This is when Halley starts to slighly change. Halley starts to come out of her shell! She's starting to talk to boys (I'm not sure if she did talk to boys or not before but she does now!) And shes now known as "Scarlett's friend and Macon's girlfriend" Also, one day she skips school with Macon, not for any other reason than to pick her best friend up from the doctors. But the worst part is her mom found her outside of school ditching (dun dun duuun).

So far, Halley has changed the most in my book. Things are starting to get interesting in the book and not be so dry, but there are still some dry moments in the book.

The best and worst part Somone Like You

While reading my book Someone Like You, I have noticed there are some things that are good and bad my book. Some of the bad things about my book is that things aren't that exciting. There's nothing going on that is really exciting. I mean yeah, Halley finds a boy and falls in love but in the book it felt like that happened in 2 days, like Romeo and Juliet but they don't kill themselves. The book is also kind of boring and dry. Like I said before nothing is really that exciting. The only really exciting(not really something to be happy about but it still is something) is when Scarlett finds out she is pregnant with Michael's baby.
But now, onto some good things about that book. The author does a great job of making long explanations of anything. (Friendships, fights, drama, ext.) The author will explain something about what is going on, like the drama happening around school and that will take up an entire chapter. Yes, I know I said the book is boring and dry, but I think the author takes too long to get to the point. I was considering if I should stop reading this book or not but I keep telling myself 'things will get more interesting later in the book' and I sure hope it does.

Krista Ramsey Introduction Activity

Link to the column:   http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/03/27/krista-ramsey-dorothy-johnson/6984845/

In this article, it talks about a family in debt from a mothers death and isn't able to afford a proper funeral. Then some local business such as Spring Grove Cemetery, Grunn Funeral Home, JC Battle & Sons Funeral Home, the Walker Funeral Home, and Vine Street Cemetery offered a free and proper burial for the family.

  "Spring Grove Cemetery, Grunn Funeral Home and JC Battle & Sons Funeral Home offered their services and the Walker Funeral Home, along with Vine Street Cemetery, offered the family a free burial plot. The funeral home said it will also donate transportation for the family, flowers and other services." This quote has a positive impact on the reader because it shows some local businesses helping out. Throughout the passage, the diction was mostly casual.

Ramsey's writing style is very casual from all of the columns we have read so far. Ramsey uses casual diction and her articles aren't a hard read and some are very relatable, but in her articles it sounds like she is just simply having a conversation with you.

If I could ask Krista Ramsey any 3 questions I would ask her:

• What is the best part of your job?
• How do you come up with these ideas on what to write about?
• Do you enjoy your job?

How the main character deals with conflict

In my book, Someone Like You the main conflict the struggle Scarlett and Halley go through with the sudden death of Scarlett's boyfriend, Michael. Not only did Scarlett lose her boyfriend but has just found out she is carrying his baby.
Scarlett finds our shortly after she starts her junior year of high school. Halley usally goes to Scarlett whenever she needs her but now the tables have turned. Scarlett is more quite and doesn't open up about her feelings or like to discuss about her feelings to anyone. Ever since the death of Michael, she has been acting different and now with the shocking news, what do you think will happen with Scarlett?

Text-to-self connection in Someone Like You

In my book that I am currently reading, Someone Like You, a young boy named Michael Sherwood dies from a motorcycle accident. Scarlett and Haley are hit hard with the news and have to rely on each other for support.
On October 1, 2013, a close friend of mine died from serious injuries from a car accident. My friend, Jordan Hoak and I were close. Jordan was always smiling and was a very loving and kind person and super down to earth! When she passed from her injuries I couldn't believe it, and I honestly didn't believe for at least 10 minutes. Jordan and I went to the same youth group every Monday. When the news hit the youth group, it hit hard. I remember talking to my friends from youth group about her and all we could say were good words. I haven't really experienced a death of a close loved one before, so losing a friend was a bit of what I think that would be. I was so upset and sad for a few weeks. I think about Jordan almost everyday and how much I miss her. She will always be in my heart.
Back to some happy(ish) thoughts, In Someone Like You when the news of Michaels death was spreading around the town, everyone was upset and needing to rely on someone to either have a shoulder to cry on, or just have someone to talk to about how he was a great friend.

R.I.P Jordan Hoak.
10-1-13

Setting in Someone Like You

For my independent novel, I chose to read Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen. Someone Like you is about two best friends named Halley and Scarlett, who not only are best friends but are neighbors and have been for quite awhile. Scarlett on the other hand just lounged around poolside all summer. While Halley's mother sends her away to Sisterhood Camp. "At Sisterhood Camp, we were suppose to be Isolated from the Pressures of Society in order to Improve Ourselves as Women." (Dessen, 3)

The setting of Someone Like You takes place in present time Arizona. Halley and Scarlett both live in a neighborhood called Lakeview- A Neighborhood of Friends. Scarlett moved to Lakeview when Halley and Scarlett were just about eleven, and ever since then, they have been best friends. Even being a few chapters into this book, I recommend you read Someone Like You.

Blog Reflection

Througout most of my blog I have been telling what has been happening with the characters and their health conditions ext. I tried to make my blog posts as suspensful as the book also has been. To me, I think the link below is my best blog post. I think it is my best blog post because of its length, introducing the characters, and explaning their condition with their health and relation to Hazel Grace. I also included some detail about the setting of Cancer Support Group being in "the heart of Jesus". Also at the end I left some questions to try and connect with others who are reading my blog.

http://hollyreadingblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-fault-in-our-stars.html


My goals for next trimester would be to keep up on my reading because I tend to drift away from my book and get lazy and not read a certain amount that I am suppose to. Another goal for this upcoming trimester would be to make my blog better. To make my blog better, I would post more blog posts in more detail and length and try to connect with the readers and also adding links into the blog. I would like to improve my writing, and to do that I could work a little harder at whatever I am writing to improve it just a little more. I think I am capable of reaching these goals next trimester.

Character Development in The Fault In Our Stars

When I first started reading The Fault In Our Stars, Hazel Grace was not the same as she is now. In the beginning, Hazel was shy and quite and not wanting to go outside her room and meet new people. Thoughtout the story, Hazel opens up a bit. She decides to go to support group and while she is there, she becomes friends with Isaac, and Augustus. As she grows closer to Isaac she also growing close to Augustus.

As close as Hazel and Augustus are becoming, they soon end up per say dating. Spending lots of time together and sharing books and interests with each other. If you would like to see more character development in this book I suggest you read it but also watch it when it comes out in theaters!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Li8uojsfGc

Here is the link to the trailer of The Fault In Our Stars. It is defiantly worth seeing!

The Fault In Our Stars pt.5

As you know, in my last blog post, Augustus, Hazel and her mom all toke off and went on a vacation to Amsterdam. During their last full day in Amsterdam, they all went to a café to catch up on all that has happened while on this trip. Hazels mom decides to go for a walk and let Augustus and Hazel talk. Hazel had this weird feeling something was going to happen or that Augustus was just in a really bad mood. Augustus took Hazel back to the hotel to tell her some news in a more private area instead of out in the open. Augustus had a recurrence of cancer, but this time in the hip.

While Hazel had fallen ill a while back and was in the ICU, that is when Augustus found out. He decided to start treatments when he came back from Amsterdam. When Augustus does come home and starts treatment, what do you think will happen?

The Fault In Our Stars pt.4

When Hazel, her mom and Augustus finally land in Amsterdam, they decide to relax for while due to the time zone difference. Later that night, Augustus takes Hazel out on a date to a fancy but beatuiful resturant paid by Peter Van Houten's assistant. After Hazel and Augustust's date the next morning they are finally going to go see Peter Van Houten and get the answers they have been waiting for.
When they arrive at Peter's house, his assistance didn't tell Peter she had flown out the both of them and arragend a meeting for them. Awkwardly standing outside and listening to their conversation, thinking they wouldn't get the answers.

Finally, Peter allows them into his home to "answer" their questions. Peter had been drinking a bit before and was drinking as they were talking. Peter was avoiding all questions towards the book Hazel and Augustus were trying to finish. Soon, Peter starts throwing insults and rude comments around them two about their cancer. Peters assistant got so annoyed, she quit. Hazel got very upset and started screaming at Peter that he should have been answering the questions and not insulting them about their cancer. Augustus then drags Hazel out of the house before anything else happens. While walking away, Peters assistant comes running after them apologizing for Peters actions. To make things a little better his assistant bought them all tickets to go see the Anne Frank house. What do you think will happen after next?

The Fault In Our Stars pt.3

In the last few chapters in The Fault In Our Stars,  Augustus still has his cancer wish, and grants it to Hazel so they can fly to Amsterdam to meet Peter Van Houten, the author of Hazels favorite book. They wanted to meet Peter because he did not finish the book due to the character in the book getting too ill to finish. A few weeks before their trip to Amsterdam, Hazel gets sick and is in the hospital for about a week. Her doctors talked long and hard about letting her continue with the trip to Amsterdam, and agreed she was well enough to go. Hazel, her mom and Augustus packed their bags and enough oxygen tanks for Hazel to survive if anything goes wrong on their trip there.  With knowing this information, what do you think will happen while they are in Amsterdam?