TKAM Found Poetry 12.11.14

Jem

1. It ain't right

2. How could they do it?

3. Let's go.

4. I always thought

5. Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world.

6. Who in this town,

7. Just who,

8. Did something to help?

8. Nothing's happened,

9. We're scared for you

10. And 

11. I reckon it'd be ugly.

12. The Jury 

13. Made up it's mind in a hurry.

14. How could you know?

15. Doesn't make it right.

Character Compare and Contrast: TKAM 12.05.14

Aunt Alexandra and Atticus are similar to each other in a few different ways. For one, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are both sophisticated. They make sure that the kids are well spoken and taken care of. They don't want them to be nosey and rude kids. They are also strict. Atticus doesn't allow his children to do certain things and for most of those things Aunt Alexandra respects and agrees with Atticus. 

Although they have some similarities, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are different in many other ways. For one, Aunt Alexandra is more for the kids and wants to hangout with them. Atticus is always working and never wants to do things with them like play catch with a football or just hangout out. Atticus is just really busy. He is always working since he is a layer and never has anytime to do things with them. Another way that Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are different is that Aunt Alexandra is more understanding with certain things involving the children. Atticus is more strict than Aunt Alexandra but she is some what strict. The rules that Atticus has are pretty strict because he is a lawyer and he is just trying to make sure his children do good and stay out of trouble. Aunt Alexandra agrees but feels that they should have some freedom and have fun.

Atticus is Scout's dad. He is a lawyer and they live in Maycomb Alabama. Aunt Alexandra is the aunt of Scout, Atticus' sister. She doesn't live in Maycomb but she came to stay with Scout, Jem, and Atticus because they felt that the children needed someone. Aunt Alexandra wanted to also be there for Scout because she thinks Scout needs a "feminine influence". Atticus just thought that they needed someone to be with them when Atticus was gone at work and for during the summer.


Aunt Alexandra is supposed to be the "feminine influence" for Scout since she doesn't have a mom or any other girl role model. She is also there to watch Scout and hang out with her as the year goes on. Atticus is Scouts  father. He lives with her and Jem in Maycomb Alabama. Atticus is a lawyer and he never really spends time with Jem and Scout. Atticus is there to teach her the hit and the wrong on each topic. He teaches her respect and gives her respect. All though he is a tough dad, he does give her some freedoms and allows her to get away with some things. Because of Atticus, Scout is a polite young girl. Yes she does get unit trouble sometimes but for the most part she is a goof child.

TKAM- Setting Analysis

         In this picture I see what look to me like toy wagons. On the sidewalk there are wagons that have toy tricycles in them. I also see a very few people walking along the sidewalk. In the back there are some old fashioned looking cars that can indicate the time period. (The 1900's) This area has a lot of buildings and what looks like stores. I wonder if this area is a town square sort of area. There are clothing stores and others that I can read the names of. Out of the very few people are in the picture seem to be dressed nicely and are walking on the right side. There is one exceptions though. There are two men with a bike on the left side who are dressed a little less wealthy looking.
        I think that this picture is a pretty good example of Maycomb Alabama because in Maycomb they have a town square. We were first introduced to this area through the explaining of how Mr. Radley would always walk to the town square and then how he would sometimes come back with a bag that could have had groceries in it. The town square was downtown and had a lot of places to shop or eat, just like in this picture. The men and women that are walking around seem to be dressed nicely which isn't too normal for Maycomb but the people in general is normal.
       Some of the questions that I had when looking at this picture were if the items in the street were actually for sale or if they were for advertisement. I was also wondering if there were children because there were toys and other kid items there. The last thing i wondered was if the people in the neighborhood were rich because of there cars that I saw and because of what they were wearing.

Along for the Ride Week of 11.17.14

Prompt:Predict what you think will happen next.

Pages Read: 30-61

           This week I read about how Auden went to her Dad's house for the Summer. When she was there her new born half sister was very fussy. Auden's step-mom, Heidi, was trying her hardest to take car of the baby. Nothing was working. The baby's name is Thisbee, and she won't stop crying! Auden went to get food for everyone at a burger shop. On her way there a cute guy spotted her and told her to go to the bonfire on the beach. Auden went home and tried her best to stay quiet and not disturb the baby. She couldn't take the on and off loud screaming so she went for a walk. On that walk Auden happened to walk all the way to where the bonfire was at. She saw the guy and hangout at the party for a while. Before she new it, Auden was in a sticky situation and went home right away. 

         The next day Auden had to run down the block to Heidi's shop and give a checkbook to one of the works. When she was waiting for it back, Auden decided to look around at the bathing suits. Along came in two girls that told the lady working the desk that a girl, matching Auden's description, hooked up with the girl at the register's boyfriend. Was it Auden?

        I think that next all the girls are going to get into an argument. There will most likely be a lot of tension in the room and in the book. I also feel like eventually that guy will be irrelevant and basically "disappear" from the book. He starts out as a pretty major role but I think he is going to turn into a minor role soon. There was another guy that Auden kept running into and I think he will be important throughout the book.

Youtube Channel: Passion Project

         We have been doing Passion Project for about a month and a half now. I have been moving slower than I expected because of multiple road blocks while planning the channel. I have a partner for this project and that's Bela. Bela and I are creating two YouTube channels. One is for serious topics and the second one is for fun and laughs. So we had to create TWO YouTube channels. The channels we made so far are slowly being set up completely. But they are created.

         Lately I have been going out of town a LOT. This has affected us trying to get together to record our videos. Also, since I am now in cheerleading and it has started I haven't had as much time to record videos. What I have done though was start to pre-record my videos, set-up our channels, and figure out a schedule for the camera. Bela is borrowing a camera provided by Ms. Apericio who is in charge of camera's. I am using a camera provided by my dad. Another thing that we have done was create a schedule for which days we need to upload. We HOPE to upload our first video, together, soon. We just to find time to record the video and then post it.

"Along for the Ride" week of 11.12.14

Prompt: ***Blog for this week --> 
1- Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of a text.
2- Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence

Pages Read: 1-30

            So in this book the main character, Auden, started to talk about her family started to split up and now lives  a different life. For example, her mom and dad divorced each other and she is about to have a new step mom. As well as a new baby sibling. Auden's parents are both authors and have written at least one book so far. When all this is being explained the author uses great word choice to emphasize certain things. The author had Auden say words that show exclamation and show emphasis as well as the negativity on the topics. By having Auden use good word choice is allows her to look and act more sophisticated. When a character is sophisticated is make them come to life and allows them to be more available.

             Well since I just started the book there isn't really anything I can do with the second part of the prompt. All the information that we know right now is that Auden has a separated family and has a soon to be step mom and soon to be sibling. We also know that Auden's real parents are both authors and when find all this out through the amazing vocabulary of the main character. She is not over the top with her word choice but she does have well put sentences as well as well put together and complete sophistication. This makes Auden look good as a character and makes her a reliable character as well as a relatable one.

Random 11.06.14

I haven't found a book to read for this week so I decided to do something different. My blog post is going to be a few originals that I have thought of. For example a poem that I wrote about preforming.


Poem: The Bright Lights

I step onto the stage and look out into the crowd.
My mind is blank and I feel so nervous.
My stomach starts to tingle,
But with what?
Is this feeling of excitement,
Or maybe joy?
Is what I'm feeling normal?
The feeling lasts the whole performance.
As morning rose upon us,
I still felt the same.

The feelings were strong and powerful,
Every time I took the stage I could feel the warmness,
The completeness that was inside.
The feelings of Preforming!
The songs that play,
The movements I make,
Makes up the feelings of preforming.

The passion within,
Trying to show on the outside.
Not so easy all the time.
But the Bright lights, the motions, and the cheering from the audience,
Makes me feel special inside.

Ever since I was little I loved to preform. I am not the best performer and I get stage fright pretty easily but the feelings are so wonderful. I get this excitement in my heart and these butterflies in my stomach that make me so happy. It is like an escape for me. The preforming arts is something that will always be n my heart and those feelings will always be there as well.

Go Ask Alice Week of 10.30.14

Pages Read: Finished!
Prompt:  If you could choose a different title what would you choose and why?

            I would probably choose the title "Alice's Rocky Road". This title sounds a little cheesy but I think that it defiantly fits the story. Alice starts off as a really good kid, she does great in school and never gets into trouble there. She had a very hard time making friends and so she moved. When she moved Alice started to hangout with a new group of people but little did she know that they were bad. Alice went to a party and the host played a "game" where she put a drug called LSD in some of the drinks. Alice got one of those cups with the drug in it and she was hooked. She began to do different types of drugs with that group of people and her life changed.

            Alice got on this rocky path and started to do drugs which made her do not so good things. She was never one for sexual interaction of any kind but that quickly changed. Alice went from being such a nice and sweet girl, to a rebel who did drugs and inappropriate things for her age. Once Alice told herself that she couldn't live like this anymore she stopped doing the drugs and drinking. But when she screwed up with a guy who she didn't even want to be with she felt terrible. Alice liked another boy who she wanted to be with all the time and she felt like since she screwed up with someone else she couldn't have him. Her last resort was to go back to doing drugs.

           I really do think that the title I chose would be a pretty good second choice because "Alice's Rocky Road" shows that in the book a serious of events will occur that will change everything. Alice does go through a rocky time with her highs and her lows. The highs are when she is sober and doing really well. The lows are when she gets into doing drugs and starts falling behind in a lot of things such as her social life, school, etc. I enjoyed this book and I need a new one to read. Please give me some options.

CONFESSING THE UGLY TRUTH...

This is a mix sort of between 1 and 3. Montresor is confessing to the Police about what he did. When he first confesses an officer takes Montresor to an interrogation room in which he tells the whole story.

     One morning, 25 years after the killing of Fortunato, Montresor, the murder, confesses to the police.

     "I am Montresor and I confess to the murder of Fortunato!"
     
     "Come with me sir," said the Police Officer."
               
      The two man went into the interrogation room and the police officer starts to question Montresor. Montresor doesn't want to be questioned so he decided to just tell the whole story right away and not answer the questions he was asked. He started with what Fortunato had done to provoke the situation.
    
     "It all started with Fortunato and his "beastly" ways." Montresor stated. "He mocked my every move and was so full of himself. I couldn't take it anymore."
     
      The police officer asked, "Why didn't you just leave him alone and block him from your life?" 

     Montresor continued with him story and ignored what the police officer asked. "My family motto means 'No one shall hurt or provoke him with impunity.' 

     Montresor cleared his throughout and continued with his story.

     "Fortunato was a connoisseur about wine. I knew exactly how to trick him into coming with me so I could kill him."

     Montresor paused to clear his throat and the police officer was about to speak but what quickly interrupted by the words of Montresor once again.

     "Amontillado!" 

     "Amonti-what?", asked the police officer.

     "Amontillado!" exclaimed Montresor. "Amontillado is one of the finest wines know to man kind. I tricked Fortunato by saying we were going to get some wine from Luchesi and he fell for it."


     The police officer asked,"Who is Luchesi? What does he have to do with this story? How does he know Fortunato? Was he involved in the murder of Fortunato?" 

     "He is just a friend and no he didn't kill Fortunato. To be honest he did't even know what I was up to." Montresor said. " Now where were we, ah yes! I lured Fortunato to the catacombs on my land. We walked all the way to the very back and as deep as e could go. He was drunk because it was Carnival and I might of had something to do with how drunk he was. My "friendship" with him seemed real only because I faked it so he would come and-"


     "Wait!" Shouted the police officer. "Exactly where were you again?"

     "I was in the catacombs on my land now like I was saying-" said Montresor very aggravated.

     "Okay you may continue."

     "As we got deeper I gave him another drink to ensure that he was intoxicated and that all of it would be unclear to him. When we reached the spot where I had killed him there was to staples in the ground. One had a chain and the other, a padlock. I chained him by the waist against the wall four feet deep. Then I made mockery of him and started to filing in the wall by putting down the first tier." 

     The police's mouth dropped down in horror and in shock. Then he managed to stutter these words out, "Arrr-re yo-uh saying that you ww--aalllded a mannnn to death?!?"

     Montresor nodded his head and continued with his story. 

     "I plastered all the tiers in a left one small spot open when I heard Fortunato mocking me again and was in complete denial about everything that was going on. I tapped some of the burned up ashes from my torch and let it fall onto him. I was done and plastered the last brick when I couldn't hear Fortunato anymore."

     "Why did you kill him like that?" asked the officer.

     "Well because I have done it before and I wanted it to be out of sight and for no one to find out. He needed to suffer and this option worked perfectly."

     "Why are you confessing now Montresor?"

     Montresor said "Because, right before I plastered the last brick, there was a moment of hesitation. It wasn't a long moment but it was there. I felt ashamed but quickly got over it. Ever since then it has haunted me and I no longer can live like this."

     Both the police officer and Montresor stood up. Montresor put his hands behind his back and said "Go ahead". The officer grabbed his handcuffs and placed them on Montresor's hands.

"You are under arrest. You will have a trial and if you loose that trial you will be imprisoned for life."

"It's okay, I don't have much time as it is."


THE END

              

Passion Project

               Our Goal for Passion Project is to chose something we are passionate about and to pursue it. So I chose to make a Youtube channel with Bela. Youtube is something that I really like because I get to watch these people and go through their journeys with them. For example, there are people called Youtubers and they do vlogs about their day and post it on their channel. These are interesting to watch because you get to see what they do everyday and how their lives are. Some Youtubers I can relate to in a lot of ways and that is why I love watching them. Another thing that the Youtubers do are challenge videos or tags like the Sibling tag, the best friend tag, and the BF/GF tag. Those are also interesting to watch because you get to see how ell everyone knows each other. Youtube is very fun and I watch a lot of different types of videos.

               Why do I want to make a Youtube channel with Bela? I want to make two actually! One of them will be a goofy channel where we do challenges and tags as well as maybe a few vlogs. The second channel will be serious. That one will be mostly for school purposes such as how to prioritize and different tips to use for homework, studying, and managing stress. This serious channel I hope for the school to use as sort of like the Heritage News when we had one but this time it will be for the world and for anyone. I really want this to work even if we have 2 views at first. It will want us to keep going every time we get a view or a like. Youtube is something that I have always wanted to do and is really fun for me. I can't wait to get started!

Some Youtubers that I watch:

Joey Graceffa:

Tyler Oakley:

Troye Sivan:

Pointless Blog:

Zoella:

Tanya Burr:

Meghan Camarena:

Brittani Louise Taylor:

Colleen Ballinger/ Miranda Sings:

And many more!!

Blog: 10.22.14

Pages Read:100-115
Prompt: Pick three songs that could represent your Character. (I got this prompt from one of Bela's blogs.)


               If I had to choose three songs that Represent Alice I would have a tough time. I would have a tough time because she is all over the place with how she acts and her personalities. I also don't listen ti music that had to do with drugs or things like that. I know a few songs in mid and some of the others I had to look up on the internet. The first one I thought of was Try by Colbie Caillat. I chose this one because it talks about how you don't have to so hard for the attention and to just be you. I think that Alice doesn't realize that and that is the reason she had multiple personalities. I actually like this song for myself too because I struggle with always wanting to fit in and look as good as everyone else. I am not like Alice with the multiple personalities and the drugs, but this song helps with self consciousness and I think it would help her.


               The second song I would choose is Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machines. I chose this song because there is a specific verse that talks a little bit about washing if life down the drain and how this person is in a bad situation and just wants to hide all the time. This is just like Alice because she is always hiding from the truth and reality. It also talks about running from happiness because they are stuck in this negativity and are scared because they don't know how to get out. Alice is in a very troubled situation and kind find the right in t he wrong and the positive in the negative.

Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with her drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

               The third and final song I chose was Bad Situation and I have never heard this song but I have seen the lyrics before. The lyrics that I chose represent her very good because they talk about making a bad situation good and how you need to change the negative to positive. Alice needs to get her life back into the right order and to have better life goals. So I chose this song and this verse:

try to make the best of a bad situation
try to make the best of a bad situation
your taxes mow your lawns in your old age contagion
but I try to make the best of a bad situation

Time Travel Blog

Q: Where would you go?

A: If I went back in time I would go to my first Christmas Eve and Christmas day with both my sisters and our whole family. It was the Christmas of 2004. I was 3 years old and my little sister was just born a little over a month before Christmas Eve. I would go to this day because it was when our family was finally complete. It was my baby sister’s first Christmas and my third but only this time everyone was together and everything was perfect.

Q: To which year or period would you travel?

A: I would still be in the 21^st century but 10 years from today. (2014)

Q: Whom would you want to meet or what event would you want to witness?

A: I would just want to everyone opening presents and having a good time. I would also want to see us sitting by the fire and doing everything we do ever year as our tradition. I would like to meet myself and see what I was like as well as seeing how much I have changed over time.

Q: Where would you find this person or see this event?

I would find this event upstairs at my house and I would see myself on the floor opening presents with my family.

Q: Why would you want to meet this person or witness this event?

I would like to see this event because it was the first Christmas we spent as a full and complete family. I would want to meet myself to see how much I have changed.

Q: How might YOU change history?

I could change history because maybe our traditions could have been changed or I wouldn’t get the same childhood I had.

Blog on Character Development and Characteristic: Go Ask Alice week of 10.16.14

Pages Read: 55-100
Prompt: Find the Character Development and Characteristics of Alice.


               In this book I noticed that Alice is a very shy girl on the outside and a "party animal" on the inside. Alice doesn't have many friends and doesn't really socialize easily but she does act crazy when  on drugs. It all started when she was given a drink with LSD inside of it. She liked how it felt while on that drug and decided to do other types with her friends that gave it to her. You can see her true character when she talked about how she felt and why she wants to do more. Her character really changes throughout the book because she becomes more or a bad girl and a rebel. I think that as we go along we can see the True Alice and what she does in her life.


             The character development in this story is very sting because we get to see Alice transform. She goes from this sweet little shy girl to kind of an outgoing rebel. We go through this journey with Alice and now we not only go through her normal journey, but the journey of finding herself. When she "finds" herself it is in a bad why, through a bad way, and is bad for her. She isn't her true self but she thinks she is because "it was meant to be this way for a reason." Her morals are usually in a good spot but not for long. Alice's character is changing as the story goes on and in a bad way.

Reflection Blog 10.17.14

               Right now, including the books from August, I am about 3 books into by 40 book challenge. Over the sumer I read two books and I am currently on my third book. I read "The Fault in our Stars" and the Kind of Friends we used to be". I started reading "If I Stay" in the beginning of the year but then I didn't feel like reading it so now I am on "Go Ask Alice." I hope to either reach 40 books or come close to 40 books. So far I am doing better than last year and already have a few books done! I have improved with my reading a little as well because I have been reading more often, not a whole lot more but enough. I struggle with time management sometimes especially with reading. I either get too tired because I don't fit everything in at a decent time, or I am not in the mood. I personally like writing better then reading but that is my opinion. If you asked be last year what my thoughts were on reading I would say, "eh", "it's okay I guess." The year before, "not a huge fan but I mean maybe?.?" Then if you asked me now I would say, "I like to read, it isn't my favorite thing to do but if I have the right book I love it!" I am not always one to read but when I do it is pretty enjoyable and a good thing for me to do on a bad day or when I am having a tough time with something. Sometimes I even get the same feeling when I right, the feeling of escaping the area just for a moment and letting everything out and letting it all go.

               My blogs have been getting a little better recently. I have been adding more content and writing better content as well. I used to not like to write blogs but now I am starting to like them more but usually when I get to write about anything. Don't get me wrong I do like to write blogs but not always about my books. I like writing short stories and other little entries but I guess it is all just the same and I should write just as good. Also, my quality of the blogs over all, I think, are improving a lot more. One strategy that I learned when writing blogs was that it is easier for me to work on one paragraph at a time and make sure it is one of the best that it could be. I don't like to work on my blog all at once because then I feel rushed and I do rush it so the blog is not as good as it could be.

               Over this quarter I learned about ISIS, Ebola, and about things happening in other places around the world. It is really cool that we get to learn about all these different things happening in our world because if it has to do with the U.S. it is good to know. Even if it didn't have to do with the U.S. like Ebola when it first started. This was good to know because we didn't know that it was back or if it could spread over to the U.S. When we heard that Ebola came to the U.S we knew exactly what it was and how it was spread, etc. Many people didn't know and we were prepared to know everything.

               My research skills have gotten much better. I learned how to properly cite everything and the proper format as well. Instead of looking for a cite and just grabbing a quote and putting it in my own words, I now use textual evidence and quotes while putting my own words/ responses into the paragraph/s sentence. Did I improve? I think so, I think that I have been improving and have been doing much better than what I thought was my good effort, now I am doing my best work. I usually thought I was doing almost my best but not anymore.

Reflective Blog (MAKEUP ASSIGNMENT): Go Ask Alice Week of 10.06.14

                 In last weeks blog I made a few grammatical errors. This week we focused on run on sentences and sentence errors. So I took that knowledge and applied it to my blog. In the first paragraph I had a run-on sentence that really stood out. It said " Now, "Go Ask Alice" was written by an anonymous author, it's a real diary, so the writing techniques were pretty much the same throughout the pages that I have read." I find it a little embarrassing on how long that sentence was. Another thing I noticed was that I put extra information like "The author uses words that show her feelings for that day and it is frequently noticed. " I didn't need to put the last part of the sentence in there. I also was a little repetitive when it came to stating the writing techniques that I had found. I always said the same thing and added the same details.

               Looking at my blogs from last year I can see a huge difference in my writing techniques. For example, I used to write with a lot of grammatical errors and to write with a whole lot of repetition. I still use some repetition but I got better with it. Now I write better, longer, and more complete. I think that my content level has also exceed more because my blogs are a little longer and better.

Go Ask Alice Week of 9.29.14

Pages Read: 1-54
Prompt: How many different writing techniques can you find in your book?

                     When I was reading this book I noticed that there were a few writing techniques that the author followed. Now, "Go Ask Alice" was written by an anonymous author, it's a real diary, so the writing techniques were pretty much the same throughout the pages that I have read. Some of the writing techniques that I noticed were the tone and the style of the "entries". The style is shown throughout the book by the word choice. The author uses words that show her feelings for that day and it is frequently noticed. The words she uses goes with not only how she feels but how the setting is or how the other people she is with feel. The tone is showed through the story because there is a lot of times were she is feeling a loss of self worth or feeling depressed about a situation and this is how I can define the type of girl that Alice is. Not only can I define who she is but I can tell what the story will be like from here on out.

                     Since "Go Ask Alice" has a difference in the way that it was written, the writing techniques are always the same because it was her personal diary. This really helps me to believe the story is true and to sometimes relate to certain situations because of the way that she write since she sticks to a specific pattern. By sticking to a specific pattern it becomes easier for the reader to understand and read the book easier, at least for me. I would not mind reading more books like this one, journal entries, because I find that the story is more relatable because it is coming from a real person, or a realistic character, that has more realistic personality than someone from a book like "The Hunger Games".

                      "Go Ask Alice" is about a girl who goes to a friends party and at that party her friend had a few friends spike drinks with LSD, a drug. The drinks were mixed up and 10 out of the 14 cups had LSD in them. After that night she wants to get that feeling inside her again and she ends up doing different types of drugs. When she describes the feelings she has and the "cravings" that she has for it, she uses specific wording and phrasing to make herself seem like she isn't doing anything bad. She writes questions and writes in the diary as if she were speaking to a real person. This helps the reader understand what they are reading and helps them with connecting to the character.

Banned Books Vlog 9.26.14

"If I Stay" Week of 9.15.14

Pages: 51- 101
Prompt: What is the point of view in the story? How do you know? Was it hard to find the point of view, why or why not?  What is the theme of the story?

                In the book If I Stay, the story is told in first person point of view.  I know that it is told in first person point of view because the author uses words like "I", "me", and "my".  The story is told by Mia and she goes back and forth from when she is in a coma and before she was in a coma. First and Third point of views are most common in books. This book clearly uses first person point of view because Mia talks all about her feelings and what she sees throughout the book. First person point of view is told by the main character and they use the pronouns that describe them and the life around them.

              When looking for the point of view in If I Stay it was not hard. I didn't think it was hard because the word choice made it obvious. Like I said in the previous paragraph, the author uses words like "I", "me", "we", and "my".  It was also easy for me because the story is about the main character and how she is explaining what happened that day and all the days leading up to it. I immediately could infer that the story was told in first person point of view because of the storyline and how it is supposed to be told.

              The theme of this story is "just keep fighting no matter what." I chose this week's theme based on how I saw it. I think that this book shows that even if you wake up in a coma and you don't know what is going on or if you will have anyone left when you get out of it, you just have to try. You never know if someone is there waiting for that minute you get up. It is just like when life get's tuff, you have to push through the dark days to get to the sunny days. Even though I am not finished with the book I do believe that this will be the theme for the book. I am inferring that the theme will be very similar to my prediction.

"If I Stay" Week of 9.08.14

Pages Read: 1- 51
Author: Gayle Forman

              "If I Stay" uses a lot of imagery and figurative language throughout the book. Even though I just started reading this book, I noticed multiple examples of the different types of imagery. In this book Mia gets into a car accident with her family causing her to go into a coma. The author switches up the events for every "chapter". One chapter is about the state that she is in while in a come and then the next chapter is flashbacks of before the accident. This is an example of sight. They are using sight by describing what she was seeing in that period of time. Another way that they use sight is by describing what she sees at the accident seen. (She is in a state that she is "out of her body" while in a come) They also use the imagery device of sound. They use sound when describing the music she is playing on her cello. One other imagery device I noticed so far it of feeling. They use feeling when describing the clothes she was wearing or how it felt when hugging a family member, etc.

              My prompt for this week is: How would you feel if you were in your characters position? If I was in Mia's position I would feel scared and depressed. I would be scared because I don't know if I am dead or not, or if I even have a chance at living. Being in the state that she is, I would be wondering why this happened and if it was my fault. Knowing that your family was in the crash with you and you can't find them is really scary and depressing. If I were Mia I would just try again and again to wake up and concur the battle. I wouldn't want to e stuck there and give up because I know that everyone would want me to fight.

            Gayle Forman wrote this book in a really interesting way. Instead of having actual chapters she uses time. Every time section switches from at the hospital to a flashback of previous days and months. I like this because you know how long she is in a coma and how long she is going though surgery and or other medical problems. It also helps me follow what the plot of the story better than if she were to put chapters that switch up every time. This is an amazing book already and I only am 51 pages in!

             

10 Book List Challenge: Week of 9.02.14

1. "The Giving Tree" By: Shel Silverstein

          "The giving tree" is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I love to read this book because it teaches you very good life lessons. I also love this book because it was one of the first few books that my parents read to me when I was a little girl. The giving tree is about this little boy who loved the tree and would play with her. As he gee older and older, he wanted more and more. Finally when he needed something, the giving tree had no more to give. I think that this is a good lesson to teach children, you can't always get what you want because when you need something, you might not get it.

2. "The Lovely Bones" By: Alice Seabold

       "The Lovely Bones" is a book about a girl who gets kidnapped, rapped, and then killed. She talks about her journey to heaven and how she can't see why no one suspects the killer. This book has an impact on me because it made me realize that you have to be cautious and you can't always trust people tat you aren't that close with. This book was almost like a wake-up call to me. I also liked how this book was written and how the story line was told.

3.  "Where the Wild Things Are" By: Maurice Sendak

     "Where the Wild Things" are is my favorite children's book of all time! This book is so special to me because my mom would read it to be almost every night before I went to bed. Not only is it my favorite book but it is also my mom's favorite book. One of the lessons that I learned from this book was to always be yourself but obey your parents. I also learned that it is okay to be different. Something that really made me like this book was that I learned that even if you don't think any is listening or no one cares, they do and you don't have to be worried that you are forgotten.

4. "Walk two Moons" By: Sharon Creech

       "Walk two Moons" is a about a girl names Sal who lives with her dad. Her mom recently left them. Sal is telling the story of how everything has happened to her and when she tells it, she is at home with her dad and her grandfather in the summertime up at their ranch. So in the story that Sal tells, she is traveling across America with her grandma and grandpa. They are traveling to all the places that her mother has sent post cards from. This book means something to me because I can feel all the different emotions that Sal feels in this book. I am able to connect to them by the way that Sharon Creech has written it.

5. "The Fault in our Stars" By: John Green

             "The Fault in our Stars" is a very good book and it was written so beautifully. I chose this book for my list because there was a meaning to it. My mom went to the doctor one day and said that they found a type of cancer in her body and that they could remove it because it was an early citing. She is all good now and has no problems. Another one of my close family friends has cancer right now. We don't see her as often anymore but I keep her in my thoughts hoping she will be ok. Reading this book made me realize that we need to cherish what we have and who we have because sometimes it doesn't last forever. The little things still count. I read this book over the summer.

6. "If I Stay" By: Gayle Forman

       "If I Stay" has impacted my life is a good way. I can only imagine how hard it is to be in a coma and not knowing why you can't wake up. It also must be hard to wake up and not have anyone from your family alive. (Your intermediate family) This shows you that love and support can keep someone you love hanging on. It also shows you the serious effects of a car accident. I have been in a few car accidents myself but I was never injured. I can somewhat relate to the book though because I know what it's like to not know why something like this would happen to you. I am currently reading this book but it has already impacted my life.

7. The "Chicken Soup" Series (Chicken Soup for the Preteen and Teen Soul) By: (A group of authors)

          The "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series has taught me so many different lessons and made me think a lot about everyday life situations. The Chicken Soup for the soul series has multiple little story's inside the book. Every book talks about different topics. For example, The Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul can talk about things o bullying, growing up, people, and more. It taught me how to treat certain situations the right way and it made me a better person. I read The Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, and The Chicken Soup for the Kids Soul.

8. "The Kind of Friends we used to Be" By: Fances O'Roark Dowell

         "The Kind of Friends we used to Be" is about two girls who were the best of friends and then they got to 7th grade. They lost their connection when they found out that now they have different styles and a different group of friends. They lost interest with each other when they thought that they had nothing in common. Kate and Marilyn try to regain their friendship again but it just is not working out. I read this book in 6th grade and over this summer. I learned that even if you are polar opposites with someone, you can still be friends. My friends and I don't always have the same interests of tastes of music, clothes, etc. but, we always find something in common, each other ourselves. It's not always about being friends with someone who is exactly like you, it's about them as
a person.

9. "Rainbow Fish" By: Marcus Pfister

              "Rainbow Fish" is another one of my favorite kids books. I love this book so much because it is cute and it teaches so many good lessons. One of the lessons that I got from this book was that sharing is caring. (Cheesy, I know) The other lesson that I learned was that being different is ok but sharing your differentness is just as good. This book is very special to me because my mom read it to me when I was little and I was able to read it to my sister when she was little. Over the past few years I was also able to read this book multiple times to my moms 3 and 4 year old class. By reading this book to the children I knew that I wanted to become a teacher.

10. " The Wild Girls" By: Pat Murphy

          "The Wild Girls" is a great book to read. It's about how a girl named Joan moved to a new neighborhood and she went exploring in the woods behind her house. She met a girl in her "home", it was the circle of trees. They talked and became friends. Joan and "Fox", her friends nickname, were the best of friends. They would be themselves are each other and enjoyed the same hobbies. Fox and Joan, Newt, were very adventurous. It showed me that it is ok to be different when you are with other people. It also showed me to be myself when around new people and to take chances with new ideas and traditions. When you meet someone new and they are different you should take a chance on them. You may find that you have a lot in common and maybe you might become really close friends that hangout with each other every day.

Beautiful Creatures 5.14.14

Pages Read: 200-250

Prompt: • If the author were here, what would you say and ask him/her?

            The authors of "Beautiful Creatures" are Kami Garcia and Margret Stohl. If the authors were here I would ask them how they got the idea to start t write this book. I have always tried to write my own stories but I never can think of a really good topic. If they came and met me, I would make sure that I ask of tips. I would make sure to ask them a bunch of more questions like was this their original idea or if they had any other ones before "Beautiful Creatures". I where they wrote the book and when they first came up with the idea and writing the pages. How did they write it down? These are a few of the questions that I would ask them. I am always curious when it comes to writing because there are many different strategies and different topics. The world of writing is just amazing! 

           When I am reading a book, I always wonder how the author or author's come up with the ideas. It is really interesting to me because sometimes the ideas are crazy and exciting as well as sad and romantic, all wrapped into one! This just always makes me curious. One day I want to write a short book with a really cool idea. I want to have tips from authors themselves because they have experience. I love to write but I can never think of a good topic to write about and after a while I start to loose interest in the topic I first chose.

 More questions I would ask to the authors:

How did you come up with the tittle of your book?

Why did you choose the topic you did?

Did you ever plan on writing a book together or did you just suddenly think of the idea?

Did you both agree on the topic the first time?

Are the characters really important to the story?

Do you think that the mvie does a good job on portraying the story?