Book Reviews

Being a super busy junior, I don't have very much time to set aside for reading. But, I try to read whenever I have a little bit of free time. This semester, the types of books I've read range from easy, entertaining reads to harder, more complex reads. Some that I have read are Willow, Change of Heart, Dreamland, and The Awakening.

• Willow, by Julia Hoban, is a simple yet emotional book that I couldn't put down until I was finished. This book is about a seventeen year old girl, Willow, who loses both of her parents in a terrible accident. Overwhelmed with guilt, Willow's only way to cope is cutting herself...until she meets Guy, who refuses to give up on her. Even through the extremely graphic cutting scenes, I was completely captivated by this book. I definitely recommend this book to everyone-teenagers, parents, teachers. It teaches many different important lessons about how people cope with problems differently and how you can help them to find a new way to deal with their emotions.

• Whenever I'm in serious need of a book, I just go searching for Jodi Picoult because she does an amazing job of telling stories. Recently, I finished her book Change of Heart and it's my favorite so far. One reason why I liked this book so much is because it is very similar to one of my favorite movies, The Green Mile. Also, it was told by three different characters which kept the book in constant motion. This story is about a carpenter, Shay Bourne, who killed June Nealon's police officer husband and young daughter. He is sentenced with the death penalty, and while on death row began to perform various miracles in prison. Soon after, Bourne became known as "the Death Row Messiah." Almost 10 years after the murders, June's daughter Claire is in serious need of a heart transplant, and Shay Bourne wants to do anything he can to give her his heart. Is Shay Bourne the next Messiah? And does he find a loophole through which he can donate is heart to the sister/daughter of the innocent people that he murdered 10 years earlier? (2 Books)

• Another book I read was The Awakening by Kate Chopin. It is a classic based on the struggle of a woman living in the 1800s who realizes that she isn't happy with her wife/mother only role in life. While it's usually hard for me to read classics, this one was very easy for me to read and understand. The It isn't a book I would recommend as a fun, entertaining read, but it is a book I recommend if you are trying to deepen your thinking skills.

• Dreamland by Sarah Dessen is about a girl named Caitlin who always lived in the footsteps of her older sister, Cass. Cass was perfect, two weeks away from going to college at Yale. Caitlin's sister had what seemed like everything...until one day when she ran away from home. Without Cass around, Caitlin began to find herself. She started dating a "perfect" guy, Rogerson, and slipped into a dreamland where nothing seemed real. I recommend this book to everyone, even though it is extremely depressing and very raw at times.

Sentence 12

His sentence: I cleaned up their tent and rolled up their hammocks-they all slept in hammocks.

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

The hyphen connects two independent clauses in which the second clause clarifies the first one.

My sentence: She quietly slid out her window and took off running, not stopping until she reached the hill-the friends always met at the top of the hill.

Sentence 11

His sentence: They were funny-looking people: long hair, strange clothes, weighed down with fancy earrings and bracelets.

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

In this sentence, a colon is used to start a list of adjectives that described the subject of the first clause.

My sentence: They were incredibly creepy: dark blue cloaks, hidden faces, never talked.

Sentence 10

His sentence: When we die, if we have lived good lives, our spirits float free of the earth, cross the stars and galaxies, and come at last to a world at the other side of the universe-Paradise.

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

This is a cumulative sentence, because it uses many parallel phrases, to build up to the ultimate end, Paradise. The dash before the word "Paradise" is used to make the word stand out.

My sentence: We got up early that morning, drove out of the town, continued for hours, and finally reached our beautiful destination-Florida.

Sentence 9

His sentence: They were terrified of me...Darren Shan...a monster.

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

The series of periods quickly and vividly describe the character. In this case, a monster.

My sentence: They envied him...John Tucker...the womanizer.

Sentence 8

His sentence: And before it snapped-had there been the slightest rustling sound, like something moving?

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

The sentence begins with a conjunction and a dash to add to the fearful and confused thoughts of the character. The character is questioning what he thinks he has heard.

My sentence: But right before the phone rang-had there been a "thump" sound outside, like someone had stumbled by the living room window?

Sentence 7

His sentence: I'd always rather the truth-however unpleasant it might be-than a lie.

From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

The thought within the set of dashes is used to emphasize the importance of the truth; rather than being told a lie just to avoid unpleasant feelings.

My sentence: Eric would never tell his friends-no matter the circumstances-what he had done.

Sentence 6

His sentence: If I'd run away, the misery could have lasted forever: they might have lived the rest of their lives hoping I'd come back, searching, believeing I would one day return.

From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

The use of a colon connects two independent clauses. In the second clause, parallel structure is used, "hoping...searching...believing." This creates some stability in the sentence and also proves the relevance of the first clause.

My sentence: If he hadn't left, they could have been happy together: they might have continued on like normal, talking, laughing, and loving together.

Sentence 5

His sentence: But ordinary humans...I could rip them apart in a second.

From The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

The series of periods is used to show the writer's pause in thought in order to put emphasis on the following clause.

My sentence: But my brother...I wanted to rip his head off.

Sentence 4

His sentence: The goat would die in the end, if we left it-there was no cure for Madam Octa's bite-but we shall finish it quickly.

From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

The set of dashes interrupts the thought to explain what is going on; why the goat would die.

My sentence: We thought we would never get out-the haunted house was a maze-but we finally found our way to the much-anticipated end.

Sentence 3

His sentence: Mr. Crepsley produced a shiny tin whistle-he called it a flute-from his pants a blew a few short notes.
From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

The use of dashes interrupts the writer's initial thought, further describing the "shiny tin whistle" to make it easier for the reader to understand the instrument.

My sentence: Taylor got out an elaborate necklace-it was made of diamonds and white gold-from her purse and fastened it around her neck.

Sentence 2

His Sentence: The ladies who had hypnotized the wolf-man came out with two carts full of food: cakes chips, hamburgers, packages of candy and heads of cabbage.
From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan.

The colon is used set off a list describing a noun from the independent clause before it.

My Sentence: The girls who had skipped school to shop finally left the mall carrying shopping bags full of new things: shirts, pants, skirts, shoes, and accessories.

Sentence 1

His Sentence: I don't blame them: he would have sqaushed them flat as a pancake if he fell.

From Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan.

The use of a colon in the sentence connects two independent clauses in which the second clause intensifies the first.

My Sentence: I didn't undersand: she always had the solution for everything.

DESiGN...

What exactly is design?

Design is something that everyone does every day. We may not always realize it, but design has become a huge part of business. As Daniel Pink says in A Whole New Mind, "decent quality and reasonable price have become merely table stakes in the business game."

While design might be a good thing, it can also be negative. We, as people, often care more about the way things look than what we are actually getting out of a product. In our society, we only pay attention to the outside, and simply ignore the rest.

After reading the chapter on design, I pay more attention to what a product is going to do for me than what the product looks like. Just because something appeals to the eye doesn't mean that it is more useful than another product that is less appealing.

MY SOPHOMORE YEAR...

Whoah, this year has flown by!



My first year of high school is over. It's hard to believe that in two years, I will be out of high school, and kicked out into the "real world."

Although this year has been very stressful, with all the crazy homework assignments, we made it. The best part of ending this year is that I'm done with the most horrible class ever. Yep, you guessed it......chemistry.

I'm also very excited because my sister just graduated. In August, she'll be moving out and going to college. I'm sure I'll miss her, maybe just a little bit. But it'll be great not having an extra mom in the house.

Well, that's pretty much all I have to say about this school year. Hope you have a great summer!(:

Of Mice and Men..

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a book about George and Lennie, two traveling farmers during the depression. George is small and very intelligent, and Lennie is very big, mentally handicapped, and doesn't know his own strength.

After Lennie gets in some trouble, they have to run away from their last job, and find a new job on another ranch. All the while, they are trying to save up their money to get what they've always dreamed of, a place of their own.

Although the theme of this book didn't seem clear to me at first, I figured out it is a story of true companionship. Lennie is very hard to take care of. He is always causing trouble without intending to, yet George still sticks with him.

Of Mice and Men is a very short, easy read with a great story behind it. I definitely recommend it to everyone!

The House on Mango Street..

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros was a very hard story for me to read. It confused me because there wasn't a story line. The story is told in vignettes, which are just snapshots of events. It wasn't a very easy story to follow.

The story is about a young girl named Esperanza living in the poor Latino part of Chicago. It tells of her many struggles, from her hair, to her family, to her developing responsibilities.

I have a hard time focusing when reading. This is why I don't like this book. It was so unconnected that I couldn't focus on what the story was really about. This book might be good for someone looking for a quick, easy read, but other than that, I do not recommend this book.

Thirteen Reasons Why

In Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, Clay Jensen returns home to find a shoebox of seven cassette tapes by his front door. Each side of a tape is the story of one person, a reason why Hannah Baker committed suicide. Clay is on the list, but doesn't know why.

With a map of the town and the seven tapes, Clay visits all the places that Hannah mentioned on the tapes. Althought Clay doesn't really want to hear what the tapes say, he can not stop playing them until he is finished. This is exactly how I felt while reading this book...I just couldn't put it down!

This book teaches a very important lesson....No matter how insignificant your actions may seem, they can still affect others in huge ways. After reading this book, I think before I say or do something. I recommend this book to absolutely everyone!

THE GiVER..

In The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas is raised in a "perfect" society. Where Jonas lives, there is no unhappiness, no love, no illness, no violence, and absolutely no freedom. When Jonas turns twelve, he is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories. The Receiver of Memories bears all the past memories for the community.

As Jonas is receiving memories, he learns of war, color, trees, and snow. Jonas begins to learn that the "perfect" society he is living in isn't all that perfect. The people have no freedom to make any choices for themselves. He must choose between his world of sameness and the real world.

I recommend this book to anyone, young or old. Lowry shows the significance of memory. To get rid of pain, the community first had to get rid of memory. Would you sacrifice your memory to keep yourself from experiencing pain?

ANiMAL FARM..

Before reading Animal Farm by George Orwell, I thought all books with animals as characters were pointless and goofy. Animal Farm definitely surprised me. It's usually hard for me to understand history. But, the way Orwell made the characters into animals made it easy for me to understand the Russian Revolution.

In this book, the animals have been overworked and underfed. They get tired of being mistreated and start a revolt against the people. Eventually, the animals take over the farm and begin to run it by themselves.

A conflict arises between the two main pigs, Napoleon and Snowball. One pig takes over and makes the rest of the farm miserable. He begins to give the best to himself and makes conditions much worse for all the other animals. In the end, the animals can't tell the difference between the pigs and the people, which is a very meaningful statement.

I learned a lot about communism from this book, and definitely recommend it.

MY FAVORiTE TECHiE TOOL.

My favorite techie tool is blogging. As technology is advancing, the methods of teaching are too. Why do I like blogging so much? Because it...

• allows students to access work from anywhere
• provides a way for students to communicate with teachers and other students
• is a great tool to keep up with assignments
• allows people to express their thoughts
• lets you view other people's opinions

So far, blogging is definitely my favorite techie tool, for these reasons and many more!

ANTHEM EXCERPT..

Equality must have lived a very hard life. With the way our present-day society is, I cannot imagine living without all the different emotions, thoughts, and even actions that Equality had to live without. Without hope, life would not have a purpose. Without a purpose, the people would have nothing to live for. Also, there was no “I.” These people had always been taught to care for everyone else, not themselves. They were always so busy trying to care for their brothers that they did not even have time to think about themselves. This is why the life expectancy was so short. The people did not have family and friends to help support them along their life journey either. They were deprived of so many different things that we take for granted. If these people had other people that truly cared about them, they might have lived longer, and accomplished more.

SPRiNG BREAK..

My spring break was pretty good. I realized, once again, how boring Batesville really is (especially when most people are gone somewhere else). It was still fun though. I got to go shopping with my two best friends and hung out with people I hadn't been around in a long time. Oh, and I went to my friend's quinceañera. I had definitely never seen anything like that before. The best part of spring break was being out of school. No more homework, no more stress, and most importantly, no more drama. The only bad thing is, now I'm wanting summer to hurry up and get here!

MY PERFECT WORLD...

Batesville High School.....The perfect place to be, right? Not at all. How does a small town filled with drama sound? ..not exactly my "cup of tea."

This small town school is filled with many selfish, rude, obnoxious people. There is absolutely nothing to do in Batesville, so girls often result to making up rumors about each other to stay entertained.

This school could use a lot of perfecting. To make school perfect there would have to be no selfish people. If everyone cared about everyone else, there would be less problems. No more rumors, no more fights, no more drama!

Teachers? Well, most of the teachers are great. But school gets very stressful when your teachers get mad at you for just asking a simple question. Some teachers expect you to already know everything, and if you don't, it doesn't affect them a bit. So, if the teachers were more understanding, that'd be great.

Last but not least, I would bring Taylor back. School just isn't the same without her.

I know that school will never be perfect, especially in Batesville. But with these ideas, i think BHS would be one step closer.

ANTHEM..

How would you like to live in a society where the word "I" is forbidden? In Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 is in this exact situation. There is absolutely no individuality, everything they do, they done as "we". The people were not allowed to choose anything for the future of their lives. They were forced into certain jobs, did not have families, and seemed completely miserable.

Equality 7-2521 was one of the very few people who dared to be different. He was smarter than the others, which is not allowed. He soon learned that he had to escape this chaotic world. He wanted to be able to be himself, and would not stop until he could.

I would recommend this book to others because Ayn Rand teaches a great lesson, how important it is to just be yourself.

iMPULSE..

"It's called Aspen Springs, and it's the place where you go when you've reached the end."

This is how Ellen Hopkins begins to tell the story of three teenagers who are stuck at Aspen Springs, in her book Impulse. This book teaches a great lesson about teen suicide and abuse. Depressing? Yes, it is. But, there are still many valuable lessons to be learned.

The story is told in three different point of views, Vanessa, Tony, and Conner. Each of the characters have experienced some type of abuse. Whether it be physical, emotional, or sexual, the abuse has caused each of the teenagers to attempt suicide. The teens are in a psychiatric facility, Aspen Springs, where they undergo therapy so that someday they might be able to live a normal life.

The split up point of views and Ellen Hopkins's unique free verse writing style make this seemingly long book a very easy read. The verse also lets the reader see into the minds of the teens and all the trauma each has been through.

Each stay at Aspen Springs ends at level four, a survival course. Read to find out if these damaged teenagers can make it through level four, get out of Aspen Springs, and get back to their normal lives. I loved this book, and I know you will too!

CALL OF THE WiLD

Jack London was the first of his kind. He was a famous writer when he was alive. His works of art we’re adored during his short lifetime of 40 years.

In The Call of the Wild, London uses Buck, a southern farm dog, to embody the struggle for freedom and the climax of life. Buck is a prideful animal that is removed from his luxurious home and taken to the Northland to serve as a sled dog.

Buck learns that to survive he must out think, out persevere, and he must be stronger than all the other dogs. The Call of the Wild shows Buck as a highly human-like animal. London’s details in the book are crystal clear.

I was constantly entwined in The Call of the Wild’s story. I suspect you will be as well.

ANTiGONE

Sophocles’ tale of family disputes and decisions has endured the test of time. Antigone’s essential characters are Antigone, Ismene, and King Creon.

Creon has punished Antigone’s brother, Polynices, to rot on the streets where he fell to his brother, Eurydice. The punishment for performing funeral rites for Polynices is death, as he was declared an enemy of the state.

Antigone must choose between death and respect for family. Ismene must choose between death and helping her sister.

This book isn't the kind of book I would usually choose to read. But, it was a lot better than I expected. This short, easy read has many valuable lessons for the reader to learn, such as taking a stand for what you know is right.

TAKiNG A STAND

Being a teenager, taking a stand is not always easy. A few weekends ago, I went to a party with one of my best friends. When we got there, everyone else had been drinking. Most of the people were so drunk they couldn't stand up straight. One phrase I heard over and over again that night was "Come on, nobody will know if ya'll drink." My friend and I just refused, and said we didn't want to.


I've always been taught not to drink, because it only leads to worse things. Eventually, my friend and I just called her grandma to come pick us up. We came home without touching a drop of alcohol. It was hard to just leave all our friends at the party, but we knew it was what we needed to do.


When you get in a tough situation that challenges what you believe in, do you simply give in, or take a stand for what you know is right?