Silver Linings Playbook

When making movies based on books, the producers usually change a lot of things. Sometimes it's for the better and sometimes for the worse. When Silver Linings Playbook was made into a movie, a lot of things changed.

One thing that changed in the movie is the main characters name. In the book his name is Pat Peoples but in the movie it is Pat Solitano. Why would you change the name? Pat Peoples even goes better than Pat Solitano so that is something that I just don't understand the reason in. So I looked it up. Mookology.com said that "People's is an unbelievable type of name, but at least replace it with something generic."

Another thing that I didn't like was the major plot change. I'm not going to give anything away but throughout the book you are trying to figure out what Pat did to end up in the mental hospital. You go through his journey and the book and find out why near the end and gives you closure. But in the movie, you find out almost right away. You watch Pat's first therapy sessions and the movie gives you a flashback showing you what Pat did.

Though a lot of things changed from the book to the movie, the book was great and the movie was great by itself too.

Abandoned Books

We all have our own reasons to abandon books. So why do authors keep on writing books like this? I don't know. I'm going to list some of the reasons I abandon books.

Slow beginnings. These kill me because of how impatient I am. When authors start off books with boring description of setting and things like that, you don't want to keep reading. I prefer beginnings with good opening lines and beginnings that are about the characters not setting.

Another reason I abandon books are because there is barely any dialogue. Books with only description and thought have no action or interaction between people. I like dialogue because you can get a feel for what the character is like. Sometimes there is too much dialogue and it is difficult to keep track of what is happening.

I also abandon books when it takes a long time to figure out what is happening. Sometimes I feel like books go on and on about random stuff and I sit there like "what is happening"? They get to confusing going into the specific details or sometimes change what they are talking about randomly.

Why else do you abandon books? Comment below.

The House of Hades: Amazing writing that will send you to the Gods itself.

The House of Hades. The Heroes of Olympus. Written by Rick Riordan. That is all there is to it. The House of Hades is part of the Heroes of Olympus series which is the sequel series to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. For more on Riordan's books, click here. The Heroes of Olympus books contain the same main characters (Percy, Annabeth, etc.) but it also introduces new characters like Jason, Piper, Hazel, and Frank.

Rick Riordan is a one of the best young adult authors' because he is great at keeping the story alive. This is to make sure that attention-deficit teenagers like us, won't put the book down. Riordan creates suspense at the ends of every chapter so that you don't put the book down. (I like your tricky thinking). A great example of the suspense he builds up is "She began to run faster, which would have meant her death if Percy hadn't stopped her." (417). You keep reading to the next chapter to find out what happen, and then you are left with another cliffhanger, which makes you read the next chapter, and the next chapter and so on and so on. The suspense is just so exciting!

The House of Hades also has great figurative language used. An example of description is "The shards of marble gathered into a miniature tornado, spiraling to the pedestal, and reassembled into a complete bust.."(Riordan 276). Wow. That must hurt. Riordan creates this line so that you can not only see it, but feel the words too. It creates a feeling that was never there before. Much better than saying "the marble bust." Boring.

Something I love even more about this book is how sarcastic and funny it is. A great line from the book is "He imagined the Fates up in Olympus, laughing at his wishful thinking: LOL NOOB!" (Riordan 359). You don't really see that kind of sentence in any other book. I mean, just imagine: "LOL, Montag is a noob that reads books!" That just wouldn't work. Another example of a sarcastic tone is "Like all the maggot monsters crawling all over the plains of Tartarus, they should head toward the dark horizon. Percy was just brimming with enthusiasm for that" (Riordan 99). You can really get the sarcastic tone from that line. Sarcastic authors equal sarcastic books which equal relatable readers. Readers are "brimming with enthusiasm" as they enter school. I just keep loving this book even more and more and can't wait for the next one to come out!

For more, listen to Riordan talk about The House of Hades:

 

Technology in the Classroom

The technological innovation made this year are getting better and cooler. But, how does that impact your academic life? Many people have varying opinions on whether or not schools should upgrade to being technology based classes, or stick with the classic workbook.

To all of the pros and cons of technology, Concordia University addresses some of them. Some pros they said were instant answers, access to more information, and access to educational videos. The University continued to say, "...when they want to know 'why do leaves change color,' they are only a 'search' away." This shows how technology will help kids learn the why's and not only the what's.

There are also cons involved with technology in the classroom. Concordia University lists some of those too; harmful effects, inappropriate material, and cyber bullying. They continue to say how "..students may find links that have gotten through the system." This is also a big problem in our school because kids can just turn off the WiFi and get to sites that the schools have blocked.

In my opinion, technology can be good or bad depending on the way teachers use it. If a teacher relies solely on textbooks, then technology will be a good thing. This will help kids get a broader perspective and give them the 'why's' that they need. Likewise, if a teacher only uses technology, it won't give the students  a good foundation that they need. I think a good combination of both will make a great school.

"Holiday Season Summons Memories of Good Deeds" by Tara Dixon Engel

Tara Engel wrote a great column about how unselfish deeds in life can make a big impact. Engel wanted you to feel sympathetic yet wanted to guilt you into donating to the charities she listed. The way she structured her column was very smart because she gave you this heart-felt story about strangers being nice. Then, BAM! She gives you a whole list of charities that you can donate to. It sort of makes you feel sad and she does a great job of persuading you to donate all the money from under your couch.

Back to the authors message, and example of unselfish deeds is, "The attendant walked to the car. He squeezed another $2 worth of gas into the tank." This is a personal anecdote the author uses to guilt you into donating. She goes on to say how she never forgot this simple deed thirty years later. The author did a great job of sending a great message. But I also think she was very smart in the way she organized her column.

Books vs Movies

Not too long ago, the first Divergent movie came out. Based on a book. Just like a lot of other movies now a days. So let's compare the good and bad things that happened in the Divergent movie compared to the book.

Good things:

• The history of the society was well explained
•  It gave a better visual of some of the things that were hard to visual with the book

Bad things:

• Some characters aren't seen/explained
• This makes us emotionless during their deaths
• Characters are missing/some have bigger roles than in the book
• Some of the plot changes
• Lots of minor changes that I don't want to spoil

So obviously I thought the book was better than the movie. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't see the movie. The movie was great itself. It had all the action, adventure, and romance that it needed. I just didn't like it compared to the book. Overall I thought it was a good movie and a great series to read!

Book Review

So I don’t have anything to read right now so I thought I should do a book review. I wanted to do my book review on a series called the Gallagher Girl books. This series contains six books. The storyline is about how Cammie Morgan and her friends go to a secret spy school for girls. Cammie and her best friends, Bex, Liz, and Macey, uncover secrets about the school and the people after them. This is a great series that has a lot of mystery and action in it so you won’t be able to put the book down.

                One of my favorite things about this series is the authors writing style. The author, Ally Carter, has such a unique way to write. She uses a lot of syntax because it helps you understand what the character is thinking. And for a mystery like this, you will need to know what Cammie is thinking. Carter writes as if she is writing a diary but at the same time she is trying to explain something to you. There is a lot of dialogue because the characters have a lot to discuss. But there is also a lot of description and Cammie thinking in her head. I think Carter does a great job of getting inside the characters’ head because that helps you understand the novel better.

                The plot is also fast-pace and intense.  Cammie and her friends have to use every spy skill they learn in school to find out the answers. They try to get inside secret spy circles. They have to watch out for double agents and traitor. They have to try not to get killed. They have to act like high school girls even though they can kill you 17 different ways with a paper clip. This series is a real page turner because you want to uncover all the secrets and find all the clues. It also teaches pretty great spy skills.

Post 3: Character

What do you think of when you read about Guy Montag? I think of the quiet guy in the class who has so many emotions, thought, and feelings but keeps them all up in his brain. This is how Montag is in the beginning of the book. For example, on page 8 Montag thinks, "'What?' asked Montag of that other self, the subconscious idiot that ran babbling at times, quite independent of will, habit, and conscience." I interpret this as Montag questioning things but he tells his mind to shut up because he shouldn't be thinking like that. I think this can also relate to our world because sometimes people will want to speak up but they are afraid of being shot down or being judged.

Later on in the book, Montag definitely starts to speak out. He shows Mildred his secret collection of books and they start to read them. I think this is a very big part in Montag's character because it really shows how unhappy he is. In the book it says that books were banned to keep people happy but Montag realized that he really wasn't happy. When he realizes this he starts to change. I feel like he becomes more secretive and snappy, and he also meets Faber.

I feel like Faber is very shy, nervous, and awkward. When Montag first started to talk to him, it was like he didn't know how to interact because he hasn't talked to an actual person in a long time. As he and Montag start talking he becomes more comfortable but at times he becomes protective and self-conscience of himself because he feels like someone will find out about their books. Faber seems like the kind of character who feels that there is someone always watching them. Montag and Faber have grown so much already.

Post 2: Fahrenheit 451

The book we are starting to read in English is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book was published in 1963. This is classified as a dystopian novel. It is about how books are banned and these men who are called "fireman" are supposed to burn the books. The main character, Guy Montag, starts to question why they do this and start to hide some of the books. I find this plot really interesting and can't wait to start reading it.

The author Ray Bradbury died in 2012 at the age of 91. He won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation. He "inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create." (raybradbury.com). He wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of Moby Dick and is nominated for an Academy Award. He is a very-looked up to author and I am really looking forward to reading this book more.

Post 1: Favorite Book

One of the best books I have ever read was The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. This incredible piece of writing is about a girl struck with cancer and how she faces life. Meet Hazel, an intelligent teenage girl. She meets Agustus at a cancer support group. They both fall in love and try beat cancer in the face. But don't expect this to be your cliche love story....because it isn't. Agustus wants to love Hazel but she knows that she will only hurt him more, but she doesn't know what is coming at her.

 

This book is written with a great plot, fully-developed characters that you can relate to, and amazing language. Even though you may not have cancer, you still relate to the characters in the book within the smallest details. The writing is so deep and you can't put the book down. You want to know what happens so bad becuase you get so attached to the characters. It gets so emotional that the book will be soaked in tears at the end. Everything in the book is a metaphor and relates to something in the real world. This just makes you relate to the book even more and I think that is really important.  Here is a Q&A with the author, John Green.Everything represents a symbol and you have to be creative and figure out what it means and how it relates to the storyline. This is one of the best books I have read and it made me emotional even though I never cry.

Post 12: Reading Wishlist

Here are just a few of the books/authors I hope I can read:

• Room - Emma Donahue
• Looking for Alaska - John Green
• Skinny - Ibi Kaslik
• Maximum Ride Series - James Patterson
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Foer
• The Host - Stephanie Meyer
• Jodi Picoult
• Uglies - Scott Westerfield
• Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

 

Post 11: Book Talk

Post 10: Book 3 Review

Allegiant by Veronica Roth and Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson are two completely different genres, dystopian/utopian and fantasy, but the characters and plot can connect in some ways. Allegiant is the third and final book in the Divergent series and Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is the first book in the Maximum Ride series. The Divergent series was Veronica Roth’s debut books and she has also written short stories that go with the series but in a different characters point of view. Roth wrote the first book, Divergent, in her senior year of college and her career boomed. James Patterson on the other hand has written so many books. Some of the popular ones are the Maximum Ride series, the Alex Cross series, and Confessions. These may be very different authors and genres but they also have a lot of similarities in the plot and characters.

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment is about a group of kids whose genes have been changed so now they are 98% human and 2% bird, which means they have wings and some other extraordinary powers. Now that they escaped, Max who is the oldest of the kids leads them away and they try to stay alive and hidden. Max is and odd leader of the book. Sometimes she can be very worried and sacrifice herself for the group, but other times she is very stern and has to make sure that everyone is listening to her. For example when Max was talking about how and when they were going to save Angel, she said, ‘“This is not a democracy.’ I said, understanding his fear but unable to do anything about it. ‘It’s a Maxocracy. You know we have to go after Angel. You can’t be thinking that we would just let them take her. The six of us look out for one and another – no matter what.’” She is very demanding but also understands everyone’s fears.

The Divergent series is a futuristic society where you have to choose a faction and follow their rules and lifestyle for the rest of your life. The characters take a test at age 16 to find out which faction you belong to but sometimes you have the characteristics of more than one. This is Divergent and the Divergent are different from normal people and the leaders don’t like that so they start to kill Divergent. Tris, who is Divergent, starts to rebel and has more secrets than she can keep. Tris doesn’t consider herself a leader but everyone around her does and they all look up to her. This is what makes her different because she can act like a leader if she wants to but sometimes she just doesn’t do it. Tris just says what she needs to say and gets it over with but she also incredibly smart in her choices.

Max and Tris are similar because they are both brave even when they don’t want to be. They are both selfless when they don’t want to be. Tris and Max have to put their friends in front of them and make sacrifices. When one of their friends is in trouble, they lose their inhibitions from the fear of losing that friend, and start acting before they think. Sometimes this can be a good thing and sometimes it’s not.

The authors have two, very different writing styles. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment has a very young writing style, like a 14-year old girl is actually writing the book and that is pretty cool. It’s almost as if you are there with the characters because they talk like how you would talk in person. For example on page 232 Max says, ‘“We’re headed for the Big Apple, guys. The city that never sleeps. I think we’re maybe six, seven hours away.’ Twenty minutes later, we were taking off, one by one. I was last, after Angel, and I ran bout twenty feet, then leaped into the air, beating my wings hard.” Imagine being there with them, as you wake up and take off to go to New York.

Allegiant on the other hand is written with a much serious tone. It is written as if everyone is on their tippy-toes and someone might die on the next page. (And someone might die). This just gives the book the edge it needs for people to keep reading it. Though you may not feel like you can be right next to the character, you can definitely relate to the characters.

The author’s purpose in Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment was to make it a page turner and keep kids reading. In an interview with Scholastic, the author James Patterson says, “The pages in the Maximum Ride books practically turn themselves. That is extremely important if you are trying to get kids excited about reading.” He continues to talk about his characters saying, “In my books, the characters are very, very involving. The combination of narrative power and character development are the key ingredients that make kids and adults want to keep reading. The author’s purpose in the Divergent series was to create a character like Tris and she wanted Tris’s voice to be heard. She came up with all her ideas as she was taking the class Psych 101.

To conclude, these books have many similarities and differences. I love how the characters can act the same or different depending on the situation they are in. The plot is also the same as the main characters are trying to overcome fear. They are also trying to fight for their respect and get the answers they deserve/need. In both books, these secrets could kill or save them. I would give both of these books four and a half stars.

Post 7: book trailer

Post 9: Heroes and Villains

In my book Divergent, I think the main character Tris, I an epic hero. She faces challenges and tries to fight and overcome them. While overcoming these challenges she makes friends and enemies who help and harm her. Tris tries to follow the rules but sometimes she has to break morals and promises to save the ones she loves. She has to keep secrets than can kill her so she has to keep these secrets from her friends and family.

 In the book, society is cast into five factions: Abnegation- the selfless, Euridite- the smart, Amity- the people of peace, Dauntless- the brave, and Candor- the honest. Every person is cast into one of these factions based on a test they take when they are sixteen. But Tris is special. Tris is Divergent, so she has the characteristics of more than one faction. She is smart, selfless, and brave. Being Divergent isn’t a superpower but she can still do stuff that others can’t. Tris doesn’t remind me of any other character because she isn’t really cliché. Sometimes she makes really stupid decisions that make you want to hate her, but she is also there to save her friends and her friends are there to save her. Sometimes she isn’t brave but she always tells herself, “I can do this.”

The villains in my book change throughout the series. I’m reading the third book right now and the bad person is Evelyn. She is wronged in some way because she was kicked out of her faction and is now factionless but is trying to rise up to power. She is obsessed with revenge and wants to destroy the factions and their leaders. She once said she would never do anything like the faction leaders but now she has power of all the factionless and is using it harshly. She detached from everyone that meant something to her.

Post 8: Memoirs

I think that books can be 95% true, but only if they explain what isn’t true in the beginning like Frey did late on. I think it’s important for writers to make sure that the readers know what is and isn’t true. This is really important because the readers have to connect to the books. In class we always talk about what connections you can make with a book. If a reader realizes that their connection was a lie, they will be devastated and won’t believe any other true story the writer writes. If the book is already labeled fiction, then that is a different story because readers make different connections. If it is a true story and readers make a connection they will feel like there is truly someone out there that they can relate too.

            I think it does matter whether or not something is labeled fiction or nonfiction. I think it’s wrong of David Shields to just go around and take other pieces of writing because it’s not his. It makes no sense to me. Even if he wanted to take away fiction and nonfiction, what would he label his book? We need to label things fiction and nonfiction because it is easier to find what you like. Plus, we have sub genres for a reason. To conclude, I agree with Frey and say that books can be 95% true but only if you explain in the beginning of the book what is true and what isn’t true.

Post 6: Readicide

I think that Readicide is a big problem at schools. Teachers teach out of fashion, old style books that nobody will use in their future. These books just bore kids and make them not want to read. You also don’t get to go at your own pace which is a big bother. They expect kids who can’t read fast to finish or kids that are quick readers to wait behind. Not only that, but you have to do homework and take tests on the books which makes it even worse to read. Students also don’t get a choice or say in what to read, they aren’t exposed to new literature. Nobody talks in Shakespearean language anymore. It’s the 21^st century!

I think we should add more genre fiction to the reading list because once again, nobody will use literary fiction in their life. Students should be exposed to 21^st century writing styles. If a student were to write a book, I bet that nobody would read it if the student wrote it like Shakespeare. They would read it if it were a mystery novel or realistic fiction or any genre fiction. If teachers teach book that kids like then they will be more involved in class, they will read the book, and do the homework. But if it is some old, boring book no student will want to read it. I also think the class will be for fun if the students are allowed to read 21^st century books. When the class is fun, students pay more attention, do the homework, and get more involved. Then they will get better grades.

I don’t think genre fiction is less worthy. In fact I don’t think any book is less worthy than any other book. Books are books. Certain people write them for a reason and certain people read them for a reason. I just think that literary fiction cannot be taught in school anymore because of its content. Genre fiction keeps the readers alive and in the present.  

Post 5: Book Adaptation

The book I am reading is Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. I think a character that would be hard to portray would be Pat. The mental part of him would be so hard to capture in the movie and you would have to have really good facial expressions.

The first that is essential to the movie would be when Pat and Tiffany meet. They met when Pat's high school friend, Ronnie and his wife Veronica, invited him to dinner. Veronica's sister was Tiffany and she was at the dinner. Pat learns that Tiffany's husband Tommy just passed away and she is depressed. This is a really important because it is the first time that Pat and Tiffany make a connection.

The second scene that I think is important is the dance recital. Pat and Tiffant have been practicing for a long time and they finally get to perform their dance to everyone. All of their friends and family come and this makes Pat really happy. They perfectly execute their performance and everyone claps for them. I think this is an important scene because it is one of the happies moments.

The third most important scene is when Pat finds out what happened with Nikki, why he was in the mental insititution, and when he went to go see Nikki. This is really important because it is like the conclusion. Pat finds out what happened in his past and that is what the entire book is about. He found out what happened with him and Nikki and that is important because Nikki is what kept him going. He also goes to see Nikki without talking to her and this brings him closure. This allows Pat to finally get over Nikki so it is really important.

Something I would cut out of the movie is the part when Pat works out. You can show it once or twice but you don't need to show it a lot. In the book it repeats over and over again and gets very boring. I don't that they need to show it that many times because it isn't as important as other scenes. Another scene I would cut out would be when Pat and Tiffany rehearse for the dance. The author writes the same thing over and over again. and I get very bored and end up skipping over it. In the movie they only have to show them practice like two times and then we will get the point.