Book 1 Project: 13 Reasons Why

Do you love to play video games!? We are coming out with a new video game based on the theme of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Play this dark, mysterious game and find the reasons that the main character, Hannah Baker, killed herself. Ages 11+.

            This story is narrated by Clay Jensen. He found a set of tapes on his front porch one afternoon. Out of curiosity he opens them and listens to them. It turns out to be the voice of Hannah Baker. The Hannah Baker that killed herself a few weeks ago. Go on this interesting journey with Clay as he finds out all the reasons that Hannah killed herself. Just like the video game, Clay finds all these people and connects the dots. In the video game you can meet all the characters that are included in the tapes. You can chat with them or just continue listening to the tapes. An example of Hannah talking is, “Hello, boys and girls. Hannah Baker here. Live and in stereo.” Later she says, “I hope you’re ready because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.” Clay listens to all the tapes, fearful of when his name will pop up. The tapes come with a map. There is a red star everywhere important in Hannah’s life. In the video game you can go with Clay to each of these places and get the real experience in amazing detail. Page 42 says, “The first red star. Hannah’s old house. There it is. But I don’t believe it.” Follow Clay into the house and see how he connected the dots. The entire book is like a game of connect the dots which is why the video game is perfect for a re-creation of the book. This video game also allows you to see the flashbacks that Hannah describes. Another example of the book is, “The icy chill comes slicing back. I spin around, ready to hit someone and run. ‘Hold it! It’s me.’ Marcus Cooley, from school.” When Clay goes around town looking for the red start on the map, he also sees some people from school that are also on the list. The anger rages through him as he was about to punch Marcus but Marcus was telling Clay how there were three other people that showed up to this place as well.

            I think this idea will work because it is a very visual book. I think it would help people understand the book even better with the video game. It helps because you can get visuals of what the people look like and you can follow Clay and get visuals of the places he goes. It will be so much fun to help the main character solve the mystery and it would be great to get involved with the story. I think this game would be a great achievement. This game would greatly help fans stay connected to the book and author. I think if people hear from their friends about the game, they would be tempted to read the book before playing the game. This video game would be just like watching a movie but you could personally get in the actions and make your own choices. It may not be the most competitive game but I think the fans of this book would rather have a game like this that relates to the book, and not a game that is all about winning and doesn’t relate to the book. This video game will greatly expand the world of reading.

13 Reasons Why

The book I am reading for list one is 13 Reason Why. This book is really good and keeps me fl;ipping the pages. I love the format the book is in because it is told in a story of tapes that the narrarator listens to. I like how the author ties in every character in soem way and they all have piece in the story. I like how it all come together and you really want to continue reading because you wonder how a character fits in the plot line. It exceeds my expectations.

Post 2: What is a Book?

        What is a book? A book is a place you can go to escape your reality. A book is like a plane. It doesn’t matter what plane you are on but that you go somewhere else. For me it doesn’t matter what form a book comes in but it matters that I get taken out of my reality and into this book so I can get the full experience. It doesn’t matter to me if I read on a Kindle or a hard-cover book. The book just needs to take me to a different place and I think a Kindle can do that and a hard-cover book can do that. The most important part of reading a book is your imagination and you can use your imagination whenever and on whatever thing you want. The story that the book presents is more important than the physicality of the book itself.

            I agree with Joe Meno’s opinion about books. He said, “…What I’ve come to acknowledge or slowly accept is that the idea of the book is more important than the actual form it takes-….” I agree with Meno because the idea of the book and where it takes you is more important than what you read the book on. He also said, “The Kindle, the iPad, these are just variations of a need we have as a civilization, as a species, to use our imagination, and this need is as important in this time as any other.” I thing Meno is saying that the technology we have is just part of our civilization and we are trying to make the best of what technology we have. It would be sad if we have this amazing technology but we don’t use it to our full abilities. Meno compares books to a place where we can imagine things and it is really important to have this place. So if having this place means you have to read on a Kindle then do so, and if you need to read on a paper-back then do so. It is more important that you have this place to imagine.

            In conclusion, I think it is more important to get something or somewhere out of your reading and it doesn’t matter what you read on or how you read. It is more important to get other people to read rather than arguing how to read. No matter how you read, you should feel like you are getting on that plane and taking off into a different world.

Post 1: Why I Read

        Many people read for many different reasons. They read for pleasure, for adventure, or just because they have to read for a school assignment. Different people read different books for different reasons. One reason that I read is to clear my mind. Reading gets things off my mind and makes me less stressed. It opens up my mind to a new imagination, a new adventure. Each book I read is different and I love going on adventures with the characters, running into problems, and finding solutions. I love that each book carries you in a different way. Each book opens up your mind to a different possibility. And each book makes you feel different. I love to read because it makes you so much smarter. Instead of watching T.V, why not grab a book and learn some new things. Reading helps improve my vocabulary and makes me a better writer. Some books are even more intense that T.V shows. They take you on a thrill ride and you don’t have to wait a week for the next episode to come on because the next chapter of the book is in your hands. I read because I can put myself in a different world and not care what anybody thinks. I imagine myself with the characters, going on the journey that they are on. I experience the thrill of the chase and I can be myself. Everybody should love to read because books can make you so much happier.

 

Blog Reflection

        The quality of my writing has improved greatly over the trimester. Not only have I made my posts longer and more in depth, but I added specific details and quotes to explain concepts to the people reading my blog. I also think that some of my newer posts helped people understand a novel or short story that they were reading too. One way I made my posts better was by including textual evidence in my posts to support what I was thinking. Providing textual evidence would help people understand what was happening and image things in their head. In my old post I just stated that the character in my novel was sad and lonely but I didn’t provide any evidence for people to imagine things. In my new post I provided textual evidence to show examples of imagery in my short story. By providing this quote I helped give people a vivid image of what was happening. I also improved by showing what I think in my posts. In my old post I just wrote what the author said but in the new one I had a paragraph of what I thought and how I felt.

         One thing I struggled with was finding something to blog about. It was really hard to read enough to find something to blog about that was on my rubric. I overcame this by realizing that if I just read any article I could blog about it and that it didn’t have to be a book. Also, they changed the rules so that you didn’t have to blog about things on the rubric. This gave relief in a sense that I didn’t have to finish all of those by the end of the trimester. Knowing this, I just read whatever I could get my hands on and even if I didn’t finish the book, I would still blog about it. A strength that I had with blogging was getting down my ideas and making predictions. I would start a book and make some predictions. Then I would explain those predictions and some people would comment on whether or not they agree or disagree with my predictions. I set my reading goal to seven books and I didn’t meet it. I think this was because in the past years I didn’t keep track of how many books I read every trimester so I didn’t know what to set it to. I read four books this trimester but I think that seven was a good number and I will try for that next trimester. I didn’t really use goodreads.com that much but I did like how you would get recommended books for you. I think if we would’ve talked about it more I would’ve used it but I sort of forgot about it though it could be really useful. Over the course of the trimester I think I have become a better reader. When I read, I know go more in depth of the reading to understand the whole context of the text. Usually I just skip over the stuff I don’t understand but now I have learned that I need to read the entire thing. I think that becoming a better reader also made me a better writer this trimester.

Maximum Ride Update

I haven't gotten that far in Maximum Ride but so far I have figured out the Max and her friends all have wings and the power to fly, though certain people have other special abilities. For example, the youngest of the Angel, has the power to read minds. These kids got these powers in a place called School. The School is made up of scientists who changed the kids genetic material to create their powers and to make the Erasers. Before Max was in charge, the kids had a protector named Jeb. He helped them escape from the School but because he did that he disappeared but the kids think he died protecting them. Since then Max has been in charge.

 Also, Angel has been kidnapped by the Erasers who are the half-man half-wolf. Angel, who is the youngest and Gasman's little sister, just got kidnapped after Max and her friends had a big fight with the Erasers. Max and her group followed the Erasers but couldn't save her. While they were fighting the Erasers, Max recongnized one of the Erasers as her former friend, Ari.

Max was shocked as she figured out the Ari had been changed into an Eraser. Max knows Ari because he was Jeb's son. She figured out the Ari has been changed into an Eraser at age seven. Max figured out that the Erasers had taken Angel back to the School, maybe to do more experiments on her. She told her group that they needed to come up with a plan to get Angel back. Max's relationship with Angel is really strong as she treats Angel like a little sister and like her baby, she needs to get her back. That is as far as I got, they are coming up with a plan to save Angel!

Maximum Ride

I just started reading the book Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Many people have told me that this book is really good so I decided to give it a try. Judging by the front and back cover, this book seems to be a mystery and science fiction book. I read the first couple of pages and the story starts out with the main character, Max, having a nightmare. She has a dream that she is being chased by her enemies the half-man half-wolf people called the Erasers. She jumps off a cliff to escape and she grows wings and flies away. Then she jolts awake.

I was introduced to some other characters too. A boy Gasman, his younger six-year-old sister Angel, Fang who is only four months younger that Max, Iggy who is six months younger than Max, and eleven-year-old Nudge. These kids live together in a house in the middle of nowhere with no parents, no school, and no doctors. Only Gasman and Angel are related but they are all like brother and sister. Max, who is the oldest has to take on some responsibility and take care of them. I predict that these characters have all learned how to live by themselves but sometimes they just need that backbone, who is Max, to depend on and to lead them the right way.

From the ten pages I have read so far and the front cover, I predict that what happened in Max's nightmare will actually come true. I think her and her friends will be chased by the Erasers and will have to escape and survive some how. I also think each of them has some sort of special power because in Max's dream it said that she could fly. They might fight the Erasers with their special powers. I will have to read more and figure out what happens. If you read the book, comment if my predictions are right!

Romeo and Juliet Movies

We have been watching two different versions of the Romeo and Juliet moive. There is one old one and a new one. They both have the same characters and the same plot that follows the same scripts. There are some major differences through. For example, in act one scene five of the new version, Paris is shown dancing with Juliet even though in the old version he isn't dancing with Juliet and he is singing. There are many of the these small differences throughout the scenes but some of them are darastic changes. For example, in the new version, the characters have guns instead of swords. This may be becuase of the time difference but I still think they should have used swords.

Personally, I think the older one is better becuase I feel it is more realistic and doesn't change much. For what I image when reading the text, the older version looks more like it. They used actual swords and when the characters talk the Elizabethan language, it fits what they look like. In the new movie the characters also talk in Elizabethan language but it doesn't fit very well becuase the setting is new. The new setting has cars and guns but they talk old language and it just sort of bothers me. This is why I also thinks the older version helps me understand more things becuase the setting and dialogue fit together. The clothing and tone of the older one makes it better. Also the newer one seems a little more silly.

 

Romeo and Juliet

We starting reading Romeo and Juliet in class. I love Shakespeare's figurative language but the text itself is hard to understand. The language used back then is really different from language today, making Romeo and Juliet difficult to understand. Sometimes it takes more than context clues to understand what a certain passage means. You also have to make sure you understand everything because every detail is important. I like when we watch the movie after reading a scene because it helps give a visual for me. Having a visual also helps me understand the text better. (Also, Romeo totally looks like Zac Efron!)

The other day in class, we were introduced to the question of whether or not Romeo is Juliet's true love or whether "love at first sight" is true. After reading a passage in the book, it said that Romeo so quickly changed who he loved. It made me wonder if he could ever be committed to Juliet. I guess I will have to wait and read more!

Book Recommendations

One series that I would like to recommend to you is The Heroes of Olympus series. This is a sequel series to The Percy Jackson series. It includes the same plot of demi-gods fighting to save the world but this time it throws in a special twist. The first book called The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan, introduces some new characters and takes you through them discovering their powers and who their god parents are. But it also includes some of the old characters like Annabeth and Percy. This series has a plot twist in every chapter and you will never want to put the book down! The author can change his tone so easily and makes the book flow so well. One chapter I am laughing at what the characters say and the next I am sad.  For more information on this series and other books by Rick Riordan click here.

The Lorien Legacies

I have just started reading the fourth book in the Lorien Legacies series called The Fall of Five. This series surrounds kids who have come to Earth from a different planet. Now you may think they came to take over Earth but they actually came to escape from their own planet. The reason: other aliens have taken over their planet and will soon plan to take over Earth.

The main characters in the series are kids who have special powers called legacies. They use these powers to fight the aliens who have taken over their planet. These kids are the only things left of their planet called Lorien, and they plan to get their home back. While they are trying to save their home, the other aliens called Mogs are trying to kill these kids with amazing abilities. I don't want to reveal to much so read the books!

The Interlopers

A couple days ago, we read The Interlopers in class. This is a story about two men who hate each other for a passion. One, stormy night they met in the forest to fight to the death. After nature took out its rage on them and the forest, they became friends but ended being trapped and a pack of wolves came to hunt them down.

This short story has many examples of imagery used to describe the setting. These examples are placed everywhere throughout the story. One example is on the first page when the author says, "He strayed away by himself from the watchers whom he had placed in ambush on the crest of the hill, and wandered far down the steep slopes amid the wild tangle of undergrowth, peering through the tree trunks and listening through the whistling and skirling of the wind and the restless beating of the branches for sight and sound of the marauders." This creates a very descriptive image in your head of where the character is and what he is trying to do. I loved that the author gave examples like this because it created such a good image, made it easier to read, and gave me some ideas on how to make my writing better.

 

Another good example is on page two when the author says, " The two enemies stood glaring at one another for a long silent moment. Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his heart and murder uppermost in his mind. The chance had come to give full play to the passion of a lifetime." This quote uses many verbs to describe the scene. It expresses how both men stood glaring and you could sense the hate they felt towards each other.

 

When I read the story plainly for the first time, I thought it was awful. But after analyzing it and understanding what the author meant, I ended up liking it and thought it was a very good story. The only thing I didn't like was how they didn't describe the characters very well. Alos the ending was very quick and I thought it wasn't very good.

Theme and Summary

I took a break from my book The Truth About Forever because I was finishing the last book in the Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter. This series has six books and they are I'd Tell You I Love You but Then I'd Have to Kill You, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Only the Good Spy Young, Out of Sight Out of Time, and the newest one, United We Spy.  This series is about a girl and her friends who go to a school for spies. Not just normal spies but spies that are teenage girls. These girls are special because not every girl learns 32 ways to kill someone with their bare hands on their first day of high school.

The main characters name is Cammie. Her and her friends go to the Gallagher Academy for girls where Cammie's mom is the headmistress. The Gallagher Academy is pretty much a huge mansion. Cammie is known to everyone as the Chameleon mainly because she is so good at hiding and finding secret passageways to escape the mansion. Her friends, Bex, Liz, and Macey go through different adventures each book, fighting bad guys, saving the world, the usual for these girls. These books were so good that I one in a day. They keep you on your toes and you never want to put the book down.

I don't want to give anything away because I hope that you will read the series. One of my theme statements for this book would be that rules are made to be broken. I think that this would be perfect for this series because every book Cammie wants to go save someone or something. Even though all her teachers and mom tell her not to do it, she and her friends come up with a plan to do it anyways. Sometimes she knows that it is extremely dangerous but she trust her friends and knows that her teachers will always have her back in the end. Another one of my theme statements would be that your life can be gone in an instant so do what can while you can still do it. This fits the books because Cammie, being a spy, almost dies multiple times but she keeps pushing on and on.

The first book in the series is about how Cammie wants to be normal so she dates a normal boy. Her friends help her escape but soon things turn bad. You can read the rest... The second book is about how the girls meet a school for boy spies and Cammie meets a boy named Zach. The books go on like this where they go on missions and it's really fun and mysterious to read and you'll never be able to put the book down! To go to the authors website and find out more about the books click here.

Article About Dishonesty

My narrative is about dishonesty. More specifically, acedemic dishonesty. While doing the honors extension, I found an article that talks baout acedemic dishonesty andhow many students cheat. This article,written by Alan Reifman, talks about how many students cheat and how teachers try toprevent it. I thought it was pretty cool so chek it out here! You may find out things you never thought would happen!

Book Recommendations

One book that I have read is called Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple. I recommend this book to young adults who like mystery and/or drama. This book involves mystery as a teenage girl named, Bee, tries to find out where and why her mother disappeared. Come aboard and follow Bee as she tries to unscramble the mystery! For more information about the author and more of her books click here.

The Truth About Forever By Sarah Dessen

 

       This book by Sarah Dessen takes place in present time  and the place has not yet been said. Since the last time I have posted, there have been some new characters. Macy, the main character, and her mom were having a cocktail party to talk customers into buying houses that Macy's mom sells. They had a catering service and thats where Macy met the new people. Bert, one of the main character is about 15 years old. I made this inference because he stated, "Come on! I've had my permit for a year! I'm taking the test in a week!" From this quote, you can infer that Bert is around the age 15 or 16 because he is learning to drive. Bert and his family are the new characters.

         He has and older brother Wes that the author describes in great detail. Because the author described him, I infer that he will be important and it sounded like Macy took interest in him when the met and spoke only a few words. Macy also met their mom, Delia. She was incharge of the catering and seemed to have a messy family. She had the two boys help him, a daughter, Monica, who didn't seem interested in anything, an infant child whom Delia had to take care of because her babysitter was busy, and Delia was pregnant herself. Things were a mess in the kitchen so Macy was told to check in. After hearing about the mess, Macy decided to help and thats when the characters all met.

         Macy also has a boyfriend name Jason. The book describes Jason as being careful, smart, and safe. It says that he never wanted too much and he wanted everything to be perfect. Sometimes he wouldn't care about what Macy was saying because she was doing something wrong. One quote in the book says, "He didn't sound like my boyfriend as much as middle management. Clearly I was on my own." This describes Jason well because sometimes he is more concerned about being perfect than about the people he cares about. I predict that Macy will leave Jason for Wes becasue of the way they were described. I look forward to reading more!



The Truth About Forever

 

My book is called The Truth About a Flower by Sarah Dessen. I have only just started the book but the main character, Macy Queen, talks about her father dying, how it happened, and everyone's reactions. This character is very quiet and kept to herself when her dad died. Unlike her older sister who was crying her eyes out, or her mother that was obsessed with organizing things, Macy was quiet yet angry on the inside. Macy, the narrator in the story talks about how she hates the sad looks that everyone gives her at school. She expresses that she just wants everyone to forget and move on. Some predictions I have about this book is that Macy will learn more and more about her father through the things that her father buys. Macy's dad buys many things online and they are still being shipped after he dies. Macy keeps these items and i think she will find out a secret.

Characterization

One of the main characters in my book, Where'd You Go Bernadette, is Bernadette. She is a mom of one and has a husband that works for Microsoft. Bernadette and many issues with people, where she lives, and has a lot of secrets. She has changed dynamically for the good over the course of  this book. In the beginning of this book, Bernadette was very mean to people by telling them the hard truth and giving harsh comments. On page 84 of my book, Semple says, "Here's the thing about Mom: she's bad with annoyances, but great in a crisis. If a waiter doesn't refill her water after she's asked three times, or she forgets her dark glasses when the sun comes out, look out!" This was how Bernadette acted at the beginning of the book.

Towards the end of the book, Bernadette wrote a letter to her daughter that explained everything. On page 312, she said, "You know how we thought Audrey Griffin  was the devil? Turns out Audrey Griffin is an angel." Bernadette completely changed her opinion on someone. Bernadette thought that Audrey was a very mean and annoying but then throughout the book she learned the real Audrey. With that experience she changed how she felt about someone and didn't judge that person.

This article by The Guardian, gives a brief summary about my book. It also gives a history of the author, Maria Semple.