This One Summer

        The book "This One Summer" by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki is about Rose's summer at Awago Beach. Rose along with her parents always take a trip to the Awago Beach every summer. In Awago she has a friend named Windy who she considered a sister. Rose is an only child, her mother hasn't been able to have another baby, even though she wishes she had another she can't seem to have one.  Summers are usually calm and relaxing at Awago, but this time it just isn't  the same. Her parents are always fighting and nothing about their trip seems calm or relaxing. Rose's mother is always sad for she isn't able to get pregnant and the beach just seems to get her even more sad. Ever since she lost a baby while swimming she stopped and has been depressed ever since. Rose's summer gets worse and worse as she gets caught up in the problems of other and hers. But the only thing that keeps her going is the support that Windy and her family provide her with.
         The main conflict in this book was that with her mother depression about not being able to have a child & the fights between Rose's parents, Rose's summer seems to really poor. To top that off she gets involve with some of the problems of the a store they frequently attend. Her mother tries to not get Rose involved in her problems but Rose seems to always find a way to be in their fights. With her parents always fighting she starts to feel as if she is valuable to her mom and becomes sad as well. But even through the toughest times Windy and her family are always there to cheer her up.

Reincarnation

     My book Reincarnation by Suzanne went from the years of being a caveman to the present time in New York. The main two characters always died for a green gem. Every life time that passed by, the two would fall in love and every time a green gem appeared in there life, that would end them. Every life time they would be  re-united and be broken apart once again. In one of the stories an old lady that has been there from the start told her "The jewel will come between the two of you eternally if your heart is not pure." In that story she didn't know what she meant and in the following she didn't either. That is until the present time in New York that they decide to leave the green gem alone and be together happily without the gem in there life. "The Earth and the vast, fathom - less universe- the mysterious green jewel sinning in the darkness- all there for them to share, as it had been from the start."  In conclusion they main characters had to learn to share the jewel without it getting in the way of there love to finally be able to be together and leave peacefully.
     The conflict in this story was that both main characters where separated from each other when a green gem would appear in each on of there lives. Every time that the gem separated them they were reincarnated again to try again. And every time they would be introduced to the green gem. It wasn't until they finally decided to leave it alone and just share it that they were left in peace to love one another.  In conclusion every time that the main character let the green gem get in between them there love would turn to pieces and one would die and leave the other with the greatest pain ( the loss of a companion).
     What I liked more about this book is that is was very vivid. You could picture everything that was happening around them. It also had strong words that would allow you the feel what the characters where feeling. But what really stuck with me the most is that with every life that passed the main characters would just fall more and more in love with one another.  You would think that you would get bored of loving the same person every life time but for them it was different. They just fell more in love with one another. I would recommend this book to people who love a good romance book and would like to travel alongside with the characters through their love journey.
 

Reincarnation

     So far in my book Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn in the section Egypt, 1280 B.C.E Tetisheri gets over her fear against the slave Taharaq. Taharaq voice was lost in a war when a derbies hit his throat later on in that section of the story he gets his voice back. Tetisheri feels a connection towards him and starts talking to him. Since at fist Taharaq was mute she felt as if a barrier was between them but once Tetisheri got his voice back they became more and more attracted to one another. When Ramose the enemy from the previous section returns from his voyage and sees how close they've become he gets jealous and mistreats Tetisheri. When Taharaq the slave sees this he acts on impulse and hits Ramose. He tries to run away but can't bear the fact to leave Tetisheri behind so he returns but in his return he dies. Tetisheri is sent to the dudgeon with a broken leg and is told by Ramose that she will be marrying him and since Taharaq was gone she had no choice. The next section of the book takes place in Athens,399 B.C.E the main charcter is now known as Haycinth a girl who can't dance or run for since birth her foot appears to be hurt but doctors can't find the source. Haycinth wakes up early every day to see a boy hunting which she calles wild boy in her head. And now she wants to go look for him in the woods but doesn't know if she is capable for she can't do much with her throbbing foot.
     The conflict in these shorts stories is that every time that the two main character meet they always get separated by something. In the first story they are separated when they both try to bring the green or be that would rank them higher in there troop. And when they do the girl ends up going to her death. In the second short story they are separated because an enemy that loved the main character comes back and kills the second main character to be with her. It seems so far as if in every story they are reunited and once again broken apart by either an enemy from the past that always falls for the main character but the main character never loves him back but loves the second main character instead.

Reincarnation

     So far in my book Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn my book takes place in different time periods. The book starts out in the late past when people still lived in caves and hunted their food manually. The main character is first presented as a young girl named May who is destined to be a mate of Lenar but doesn't want to, for he has no pity for anyone. Lenar, is the leader of the clan who brings the food and protects the tribe. He asks The Great Mother (sort of God to them back then) to have May as his mate, at first May is thrilled for Lenar is high ranked from the rest and she is not. By becoming Lenars mate her rank with rise, but she is not willing to marry someone for a rank but instead go out and find a way to be high ranked without having to be Lenars mate. On her journey she meets a boy from a different clan called "Ice Man" and feels a sort of attraction towards him but when they begin to fight for something that will rank only one of them higher in their clan, one of them dies. The story then changes to  a story of Egypt slavery a few years/decades after the cave mans, where the main character is then presented as Tetisheri a girl who is sold to a rich family to entertain the rich people. She has the grift of singing which enchants the people who hear her. In this life time she also meats a boy from a different world called Taharq's and yet again feel a sort of attraction.

      My predictions for this books is that it will change from decade to decade showing how no matter how many years pass the same two people (just different looks) keep meeting. I predict this because in the chapters I have read the first one starts with Prehistory & Egypt, 1280 B.C.C. My prediction is that the dates will keep changing and showing me how the same to people meet once again. In my opinion if the dates keep changing it would help me find the theme because I could see what was similar from the stories and pull main thing apart from the others.

Native Americans

         American Indians were marginalized and made to feel as if they didn't exist in 1879. They were marginalized when they took their land 1879, settlers and the U.S. Army had forced most tribes off their lands, and “white man” diseases had devastated the native population. America’s 250,000 remaining Native Americans were living on reservations, barely surviving on food and cast-off clothes provided by the U.S. government." This shows that the U.S. Army forced them to leave, making it hard for the natives to survive. They were made to feel as if they didn't exist when Henry Pratt stripped them of their culture in the school he made to make Native Americans become white people. "Pratt believed that the children needed to completely abandon their “Indian-ness” in order to succeed in America.“Kill the Indian, save the man,”was Pratt’s saying" This showed that Henry Pratt wanted to get rid of Native Americans and supposedly save the white man inside of them. The evidence above shows that American Indians were marginalized and made to feel as if they didn't exist by pushing them out of their land and stripping them out of their culture which made them feel as if they didn't exist.

     The purpose for written Shanice Britton's essay is to inform us that what is said of the lifestyle of Native Americans is not true for some of the natives. "When people find out I am Native American, they have all these ideas about what that means- that I live in a teepee and wear moccasins and headdress.But those are misconceptions." This shows that when people hear Shanice is Native they immediately presume she dresses and does what Natives to daily when in reality she is just like us. Shanice wants her readers to know that just  because they are native doesn't mean they can't be normal. "I am part of, Wailaki, Yuki, Pomo, Concow, and Nomalaki. We live in houses with electricity and running water. I take showers, watch Finding Carter on MTV, and wear jeans, just like any other teen." This shows that even though she is from a different culture she is just like us.

The Distance Between Us

     The Distance Between Us by Kasie West is a love story of two whole different people that end up falling in love. Caymen is a poor girl that lives with her mom above a doll store, Xander is a rich boy that takes care of the businesses of his father.  When the two meet they both feel attracted to one another and start hanging out with one another. Caymen feels something for Xander but resists on admitting, for her mother has always told her that rich people just use you for  fun and then leave you when things start to get serious. When Caymen finds out a secret about her moms background, her mom finally becomes open to the rich and Caymen and Xander find the guts to admit to one another their love. 

     The main character in my book(Caymen) can be described as a Science wiz & a sarcastic kind of person.  You can tell that she is a science wiz by the confidence that she has when she is talking about that subject. For example in the text it states " I can usually dissect a science equation easily" This piece of evidence shows the confidence that she has on the science subject. She can be described as sarcastic because in the text when Xander comes and tells her that he needs help picking out a doll from the dolls all around him in the store Caymen answers "Sorry, we are all out." This shows sarcasm because there are shelves and shelves around him filled with dolls and her answer is their are none left when in fact there are a lot. 

The Distance Between Us

     So far in the book "The Distance Between Us" by Kasie West Caymen a poor girl living above a porcelain doll store, meets a tall and handsome rich boy. Her mother always told her to stay away from them, for they are always looking for fun. When they've had their fun they end up leaving you, no matter who they hurt. Having experience with her own father who she never met, she stays away and has that in mind every time rich people stop by their store. But when Xander comes she finds herself leaving the warning behind and letting him break down her walls.

     In the book the mother (Susan) of Caymen tells some words of the wiser when Caymen tells her mother that feelings don't cost anything. Her mother disagrees "Feelings, my dear daughter, you will perhaps learn one day, can be the most costly thing in the universe." I think that Caymen's mother learned this when she fell in love with her father (who later left both).  This life lesson will probably affect her later on in the book because she will probably understand it when she is later in love.

Inkheart

     In the book Inkheart the second main character Mo father of Meggie can be considered a protective and  mysterious kind of  person.  Mo has always told everything to Meggie,  never once has he hid something from her, but he did hide a huge secret that she suspected from the start. Ever since Mo packed up their stuff and moved with her aunt, she knew he was hiding something. Especially the day she asked him why they were running his response left her speechless "Everyone has a few, Meggie" she knew then that whatever the reason was it was big enough to make him run. Mo is considered protective because he tries to keep his secret from Meggie to protect her from Capricorn. He tries not to get her involve knowing that if he did things would go terribly wrong. But the more he tries the more Meggie tries to get involve. 

            My prediction for this book is that Meggie will somehow get involved in the secret of her father and end up caught in the hands of Capricorn.  I know this because when her father is taken she is determined to find him "I'll explain explain everything to Capricorn, and give him the book, and then he'll let go of Mo."This shows that she is determined to find her father and save him from Capricorn.  I also believe that Elinor will finally leave her crazy obsession with books behind and help Meggie and Dustfinger find and rescue Meggie's father. The reason I think this is because according to Mo she has always been locked up in her house with her books, saying that books are the most precious thing in the world.  As for Dustfingers future I think that Mo will repay the damage he once did to him and Dustfinger will finally be at peace.   Another thing that might happen is that after the adventure that Elinor is having she might look at the world differently and maybe even books as well. My final prediction is that Mo will reveal his secret to Meggie and change her world for the better.

Tolerance

To me Tolerance means the act of being able to see, hear and understand someone else's opinion, behavior or religion without judging.  No one deserves to have that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when people judge you by who you are or what you believe in.  Everyone has lived through that feeling at least once in their life and if you could remember that feeling you felt once you should stop and not make that person feel what you felt once. This new understanding of tolerance will shape me and my actions for the future, because I will think twice before saying something that might hurt someone without me knowing. 

Inkheart

     So far in my book Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Meggie's father (Mo) has been taken away and taken to Capricorn castle by Capricorns men. Dustfinger leads Meggie and her aunt Elinor to were he is but feels guilty for her is betraying Mo since he was the reason why he was taken.  Capricorn and his men, pluss Dustfinger are all from a story Mo once read out loud called Inkheart. With out knowing he had a gift, he set the characters of his book out. Now Dustfinger wants  Mo to take him back to the book were his family awaits.  But Mo is afraid for when he brings characters out, someone goes in. Capricorn is after Mo for he can bring anything out of books that could help Capricorn become richer than he already is. 

     In the book the main character Meggie can be considered a book lover and a courageous young girl. She can be considered as a book lover because in the text it said that she had a whole collection of books in a treasure box her father made her when she was young. I also know this because in the beginning she describes her home filled with books in every corner. She can also be considered courageous because she tries to help her father escape despite her aunt trying to hold her back and despite seeing how tall and well formed men were holding her father. In the text it states "There are too many of them !" Elinor whispered as Meg.gie tried to bite her fingers. "About four or five,big strong men and they are armed." In spite of that the next day Meggie tries to escape and find them but is help back by her aunt Elinor and decides to go with Dustfinger and Elinor (her aunt).

The Mortal Instruments: City Of Ashes

     In the book City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare, Jace is sent to the Prison of the Silent City. The Inquisitor the one who acts like the police for the shadow hunters believes that a time in the prison of the Silent City would do Jace good, for she doesn't trust him for being Valentines son. Simon is getting real close to Clary and Clary has started to have a small affection towards him. The only problem being is that Clary knows that deep down she doesn't have a strong affection towards him but towards Jace.  In the Prison of the Silent City, Jace is visited by Valentine. Valentine is again up to no good and is expecting Jace to join him.
     In the story an again and again moment that happens a lot is that Jace is always criticized and not trusted for being Valentines son. This keeps showing up because everyone thinks that since Jace is Valentines son they think that he will follow his same steps and lead the shadow hunters to doom. "You sound so honest, Jonathan. You always have, even when you were a little boy trying to pin the blame for something you'd done wrong on Isabelle or Alec. I've only ever met one person who could sons as persuasive as you." Jace tasted copper in his mouth. "You mean my father." This proves that the mother who has been taking care of him since a kid is now not trusting him because of the simple fact that he is Valentines son. Not even the person who raised him believes him even though she was the the one who taught him to be the great man he is today.

City Of Ashes by ~ Cassandra Clare

     In the book City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare the main conflict now is that Jace wants to return back home. The only problem being is that no one trusts him, not even his family. Now that he had decided to stay he has to face the court. The Inquisitor will approve or disapprove if he is worthy to stay as a shadow hunter, or if he will just doom them just like Valentine once did.  Him being the son of Valentine doesn't help him one bit.
     In the book the second main character Jace is a very rebellious  and  easygoing person. Jace shows rebellion when his mother throws him out of her house he goes and picks a fight with werewolves. "I shut him up in Freaky Pete's office after he nearly killed half of my pack with his hands". Since no one could stop Jace they called Clary his sister to calm him down when he picked a fight with half a pack of wolves. Jace is considered an easygoing person because when he is insulted he is very tolerant when he is being insulted. He stays calm when they insult him for being Valentines son and stays quite to not say anything back.  This proves that even when they insult him for being like Valentine he stays calm and doesn't say a word or action that would prove them right.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes

     In the book I am reading The City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare Jace has been thinking of his father Valentine and of his newly found sister Clary.  Valentine is regaining his army and energy and plans a combat which would doom everyone and everything. So when Jace starts believing in him without knowing  his plan his adoptive mother ends up kicking him out for her safety. With no where to go he goes and picks a fight with the werewolves. Not responding to anyone or calming down they call Clary. When they see one another they look at each other with a mixed of emotions both wishing deep down that they were not related but something more. 

     The conflict in my book so far is that Jace is focusing too much on Valentine than the rest of his problems. He can't deal with his adoptive mother being offensive towards Valentine even if he had done terrible stuff in the past. The only things that matters to him is finally noticing why he hadn't seen the similarities between him and Valentine.  Another conflict that both Jace and Clary have are the mixed feelings they have for one another. They are supposed to feel like brother and sister but they just can't seem to wrap their heads around that and wish they were not related at all. 

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Continued..

     In my book The Perks Of Being A  Wallflower my main character Charlie yet again  has another Man Vs. Self conflict. With his birthday coming up all he could think about was the death of his favorite aunt Helen. The day of her death she had gone out to buy him a present for his special day. Charlie loved his aunt and he felt guilty because he thought he was responsible for her death. He can't get over the fact that he wasn't to blame for the day she died,  in had been snowing hard and had a really bad accident. He know has therapies in which he is know trying to get over this problem and many others he has in his family.

     So far in my book I think that the theme of this book would be "You shouldn't let your past hold you back let it go".  Maybe later on or at the end Charlie will finally let his past behind and focus on the special things ahead of him.  He will let the guilt that he has been holding since a child go and finally realize that he couldn't stop an accident. The reason I think this would be the theme is the fact that Charlie always feels guilty of the things that happen around him even if he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Perks of Being A Wallflower

     In The Perks of Being A Wallflower the main character Charlie is a very lonely guy at first. He had no friends after his last friend Michael killed himself because of problems at home.  When he meets Sam and Patrick he becomes part of the Wallflower group. He now has friends, goes out to parties, and has a crush on Sam.  Apart from that he gets good grades and feels better about himself, he is more secure with his actions and himself. At home his sister is slightly mad at him for not keeping her secret that her boyfriend hit her a secret. Charlie felt slightly guilt but his professor and parents told him that was the right thing to do. Charlie now has friends he can speak to if he is ever lonely or sad which is something he had wished for that finally came true.
     In the beginning of the book Charlie's English professor was his first friend. He talked to him about anything. If he ever had trouble at home or just needed to talk he would go to him. One day his professor asks him to stay behind since Charlie looked very distracted during class. He started asking him questions until he finally told him of what had happened at home. He told him about seeing his sisters boyfriend hit her. He felt as if he was betraying his sister but somehow felt good he had told someone. His professor at first had a very serious face but then told charlie a few words of the wiser "We accept the love we think we deserve".  This affected charlie because even though he didn't understand the whole meaning of the words, he knew it was something bad and that he had done the right thing even if his sister was mad at him.

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

      In the book The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky Charlie the main character would be considered as brave and lonely.   Brave because he doesn't just stand their when a bully is hurting he stands up for himself even though he is twice his size. In the book it states "he got mad and started hitting me, and i just did the things my brother taught me to do. My brother is a very good fighter."Go for the knees,throat, and eyes". This shows that the fight he finishes was only to protect himself not on purpose.  Lonely because he has no friends ever since his only friend killed himself. In the book it states "It would be nice to have a friend again." This shows his want for a new friend who will be their for him. 

     The main conflict for now in the is Man Vs. Self. It is man vs. self because Charlie can't find any friends. He is to shy to talk to anyone and mostly everyone ignores him. He meets a girl named Sam and a guy named Patrick. He wishes deep inside that those to would become his friends. After the death of his friend Michael he hasn't had another one since. And the people who do approach him like his bully is only to do him harm. The only think he wants more is a friend.

Next on Matched...

    Since the last time I wrote in the book Matched by Ally Condie Cassia has started to have stronger feelings towards Ky. She is confused for she doesn't only have feelings for him but for Xavier as well. She feels as if she has betrayed Xavier for he is her match. But she can't help but always think of Ky and what he has done for her. Ky has taught her how to write and read in their hiking trips. They have broken rules but she doesn't mind for Ky has awaken her inner bravery.  Things are starting to stir up both Ky and her feel something big coming. The officials seem on the edge and they seem more suspicious than usual. The only thing is that they both think it might affect them. Not only that but Cassia has found out that Ky might have been her true match for he was entered in the matching pool. He had also received a micro-card with her face on it and she was supposed to be his match. The same way he was supposed to be her match.
     The main character Cassia is caring and brave. She is caring because she doesn't keep her love for Ky a secret instead of hurting Xavier more than she would. She tells him instead the feelings she has for Ky so that if an official tells him it might not hurt him that much and won't think of it as betrayal. "He deserves to know about Ky, and he deserves to hear it from me. Not from an official in a green space,today or some other day." This proves that she cares enough to tell him she doesn't feel the same way than to let him find out from someone else and hurt him more. She is brave because when they tell her to sort people from better to worst she finds her self debating on putting Ky in the higher group so that he gets a better life. Even if that decision might cost her safety or be separated from him she thinks of his well being. " I sort Ky into the higher group and close the data pod as if the decision has cost me nothing at all".

Matched

     In the book, Matched by Ally Condie, Cassia Maria Reyes has turned seventeen. In this story every time a boy or girl turn seventeen they are invited to a banquet. In the banquet he or she is matched with another person who they will marry. Cassia is matched with her childhood friend Xander Thomas Carrow.  They are both given a micro-card filled with the background, picture and information about your match.

     When Cassia opens her micro-card she doesn't see Xander's picture but instead a whole different person. She is at first worried that she might have two matches but the officials tell her it was a mistake. Deep down she wonders if Xander really is her true match or was it the person she saw. In the society she lives in every person is to die at the age of eighty. So when her Grandfather turns eighty years old she feels disappointed and sad. The officials control the feelings, movements, dreams and everything in their life, they believe it is better to know when one will die instead of wondering "Will today be the end". They all live in a world where all they do is follow rules and are never themselves.

     Cassia Reyes main conflict in the book is man vs. self.  Her conflict is whether or not Xander is her true match or is it Ky Markham. She knows who Ky is but doesn't really interact with him. She feels intrigued and wants to find out more about him.  The thing is he doesn't let anyone read his emotions or tells a lot about himself to anyone. 

Welcome 2015!

     My academic goal on this new year is to get straight A's on the last two quarters of 8th grade, and hopefully keep them that way for freshman year. I would like to achieve this goal because it will be beneficial for me later on in life. I will achieve this goal by staying on task and asking questions when I need to. This might be a hard task but I will try my best and be more attentive in class. In conclusion this year I will try to finish strong and start strong in freshman year.
     My person goal this year is to improve my vocabulary. I would like to achieve this goal because it will help me sound more professional and mature. I will achieve this goal by reading more books and if I stumble around a word I don't know I will look it up. Another thing I could do is pay more attention to classes and picking up new words. In conclusion by the end of this year I would like to make my vocabulary stronger.