How to Ditch Your Fairy; All About the Author

The author for the book I am reading, Justine Larbalestier , I have never quite heard of before. So I decided to do some research about the author in hopes of letting people get to know this author and explore some of the other books she has written. 

Justine Larbalestier was born in Australia and she is best known for writing young adult fiction. She has won many awards for her books, including the Andre Norton award and the Carl Brandon Kindred Award, both of which are science fiction awards. She is also famously known for her novel Liar, published in 2009. You can learn more about her at her own website http://justinelarbalestier.com/ , where she has information on news about her, a biography telling a little bit more about herself, all of her books and their summaries, her own blog, appearances she will be making, FAQ, and how to contact her.

 On her website she tells a story about how she created the book I am reading, How to Ditch Your Fairy. The story behind her creating this novel was she was hanging out with her friends, driving along a coast when there was a huge crowd, and they couldn't get a parking spot. When they found a parking spot in midst of the traffic, her friends had declared one of the friends in the car had a ,"parking fairy". That day, she had already written 4,000 words creating the book I am reading now. The link below is provided for you if you would like to see and hear about the author talking about how she created one of her other novels, Razorhurst.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4XJDxLabK8

How to Ditch Your Fairy; Starting a new book

Since I have recently finished the Fault in our Stars, it was time I needed a new book. I do not have much time in my day to go to the library, so I simply just borrowed a book from my sister. It is called How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier. So far, I haven't started the book, but I have read the summary and what I conclude is that there is this girl named Charlie, who talks about everyone having their 'personal fairy', and how her's is a parking fairy. Now at first, this didn't make so much sense to me but i have came to a realization that each person's 'fairy' is their own special talent. And apparently, hers is having the ability to find the best parking spot.

Now my predictions for this book is that the main character, Charlie, will try to ditch her 'fairy', hence how to 'ditch' your fairy, and maybe it won't go as well as she thought it would. She seems characterized as the type of person who is always down on their luck and gets stuck with no umbrella on a rainy day, or who's car broke down on the day of an important meeting. My goal is to read ten chapters into this book or more, and hopefully I can gain a stronger sense of what this book's topic is really about.

Have you all ever had really bad luck?

Comment your experiences!

The Fault in our Stars; Bests and Worsts

As I finished the book The Fault in our Stars by John Green, I wanted to make one more post about this book; the bests and the worsts. (Warning: if you haven't read the book but are planning to don't read this)

The 'bests' of this book for one is the setting. It is a modern setting, meaning it is not set into the future or 20 years in the past. I like this about this book because it gives reader's more to relate to, so they are not left wondering if something mentioned in the book is the same now as it was then, for example phones or cars. This then gives readers clear imagery. Another one of the best things about this book are the characters. They aren't perfect people who you read about and you wish you could be them; they themselves are normal people in everyday life and they even might be the people you never talk to either. This is because the two main characters have suffered both with cancer; the girl Hazel has thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs and Augustus, the boy, had  osteosarcoma in which he had to amputate his leg.  Both of these reasons, having setting be present time and the characters both having struggles in their lives, make The Fault in our Stars one of the best books for people to read because it has an open audience, so anyone can enjoy this book.

I loved this book, but I can think of some 'worsts'. One thing that I didn't like about this book is that one of the main characters, Augustus Waters, dies because cancer spreads throughout his body. This leaves Hazel feeling depressed all of the time. But that wasn't the ending. When Augustus dies, there are still a few chapters left in the book. So I thought," Hmm, something good must have to happened if there are that many pages left," but I was not satisfied. Another bad thing about this book is it didn't tell much of a background story about the characters, like when they were first diagnosed with cancer or childhood stories about them. Honestly, I think it would have been really cool for them to have been diagnosed with cancer at the same time because then they would have a really close connection to each other.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and I highly suggest it for anyone who needs something to read next. And if you read it soon enough, you can catch the movie on June 6th this summer! And also, please leave recommendations of books I should read next.

Krista Ramsey Column

In this column written by Krista Ramsey, newlyweds have decided to take care of the groom's twin sisters, and putting their big life plans on hold. Since the twin's unfortunate death of their mother and their dad being held in jail, the only option for them was to go into foster care, until Ryan Craig and Megan Annis decided to take them under their wings.

Newlyweds raise groom's twin sisters

The line in Krista Ramsey's column that I think is the best written is,"On April 22, 2012, life looked like nothing more than a long, smooth path to happiness for Ryan Craig and Megan Annis." The reason I think this line is the best written is because it has an impact on all people who have been married for at least a couple years because they know, that marriage will almost never be a smooth, long path to happiness. It can also relate to people who are planning to get married because, like everyone else, they too expect nothing but peace and happiness. Obviously for Ryan and Megan, their expectations were a little too high at first, but now since they have helped others, they have gotten their reward back. They are now happy to be apart of the twin's life. The low/informal diction that really stuck out for me in this sentence is when Krista writes," life looked nothing more than...". This really emphasizes the fact that they really expected a perfect life once they were married. Instead of saying ,"life looked," Krista could've written ,"they had high expectations for their life...," but instead, Krista uses the simple term of ,"life looked...," to show that they simply thought that a perfect life was easy to achieve. This also shows irony, because even the people who haven't had a chance at a relationship that no matter what happens, nothing ever turns out perfectly. Like they always say," You can't have a sense of joy without experiencing pain.".

After reading a couple of Krista Ramsey's columns, I would like to ask her a couple questions about her writing. The first question I would ask her would be simple; how did she know she had a passion for writing columns? The next question I would ask her if I could would be in her pieces, does she prefer to look on the better side of things, more like glass half full, or to emphasize the bad things that she is writing about so people become more aware of the situation? The last question I would ask her is out of all the stories she probably gets about certain things, which ones would she more prefer to write about; people doing goods things and making the right choices, or a story that is more of a shocker to people?

The Fault in our Stars; Character Symbols

Since I am about a few chapters away from the end of The Fault in our Stars, I think an acceptable prompt for one of my blogs is to talk about the two main characters in this book and what symbols would correspond along with them.

The two main characters in my book, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus (Gus) Waters, have a exceptional relationship with each other throughout the book. Now prior to meeting  one another, both of them were robust, individualistic,impassioned people who have either dealt with or are dealing with cancer. Hazel especially cherished independence because she felt like she was always being held behind when her lungs wouldn't perform accurately. A quote that I like that shows the reason why she is very independent is, "I'm a grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties, okay?"(Page 63). The reason this quote shows why Hazel is usually quiet and independent is because she thinks she is like a grenade; any relationship she has with anyone will be destroyed when she 'blows up'. I conclude an extravagant object to symbolize Hazel would be a pineapple, or a kiwi. Now I know this is a little cheesy but take this into consideration. The reason for me delegating Hazel the symbol of these two fruits is because they both do not look attractive on the outside; a pineapple is very spiky and has hard edges and a kiwi--well no one would choose a kiwi if they didn't know how it tastes because it is covered in fur on the outside. But on the inside, both are delicious fruits that are sweet and people have discovered them to be quite tasteful too. This is like Hazel. On the outside, Hazel feels insecure. Since she has to wear tubes that go into her nose, around her ear, and attach to a cart of oxygen that she is always wheeling around, she feels like the word ,"CANCER," is written right on her forehead that makes people keep their distance from her because they think that she could be 'weird' or 'contagious', even though you can't 'catch' cancer like you can a cold. But on the inside, Hazel Grace Lancaster is a very caring, kind, and elaborate person. She can't keep anything simple; she always has to ponder on things and unnecessarily complicate things, and frankly that is what I love about her character in this book. She likes knowing people for who they are on the inside and not for what they look like on the outside. Which brings me to Augustus Waters.

Above; Hazel on the right and Gus on the left. They sense that they are left out from the world because of their disabilities.

Augustus Waters is not as independent as Hazel, the only reason for me saying so is he is so easily loved that he always is surrounded by his friends and his family, so he enjoys having the company. This I think this has taught him to be a caring and compassionate person, so the perfect symbol for Augustus is a house. A house that has the perfect landscaping and a perfect family living in it and the whole house is painted a bright, cheery color. But you never really know what is going on on the inside. The parent's might be having an argument or the kids are now being bullied by someone at school. The point is, Augustus seems like he is always putting on a happy face for everyone, because without Augustus, people wouldn't have something to cheer them up everyday. But when the doctors find more cancer in his body, it affects Augustus majorly. He can't walk or get up, and most of the time he has to stay in bed or on the couch all day having his parents do everything for him because he is too weak to get up. This is a really depressing time in his life for Augustus, but whenever Hazel comes over to visit, he pretends to be fine, or rather happy.

Overall, both Hazel and Augustus are both two way different people on the inside than on the inside, but I love them both as character's in The Fault in our Stars and I will keep you updated on what happens to them both when I finish the book.

The Fault in our Stars; Most Important Quote

The most important quote from the book The Fault in our Stars would have to be in chapter 10 on page 153 where Augustus admits to Hazel that he is in love with her. " 'I'm in love with you,' he said quietly. 'Augustus,' I said. 'I am,' he said...'I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will shallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I'm in love with you.' "

For me, this quote is important because Hazel feels insecure all of the time, wearing tubes that help her lungs to get needed oxygen while also having to roll around an oxygen tank. So by Augustus admitting to her that he loves her, exactly 4 times, means that despite her struggles and issues that she feels insecure with, he will take her for who she is, because he simply loves her that way.And then at the very end of the quote, after his whole speech, he says, " and I'm in love with you." This is very important because he doesn't say," but I'm in love with you." When he says ,"and" , for me it shows that he will love her with all of their struggles, not despite their struggles. As I read further into this book, this is very important to the plot because Augustus's doctor's just detected more cancer in his body and Hazel still has remaining cancer that cannot be removed, so if Augustus truly loves her, hopefully he will still support and love her through his own struggles now.

The Fault in our Stars; beginning of the book

For a while now, I have heard of the book The Fault in our Stars by John Green, and I had an interest in reading it. All of my other friends have read this book and recommended for me to read it. I was planning to, but I never really got around to buying the book. Finally, I went to the movies recently with my family and one of the movie previews really caught my attention. My sister then pointed out that she had read the book, and it was called the Fault in our Stars. So that is when I eventually got the book and I started reading it.

As I began to read further into the book, I start to understand the story and lifestyle of Hazel Grace Lancaster. Now I haven't gotten past even six chapters yet, but it's spring break and I am on more of a relaxed schedule:) But Hazel is a sixteen year old girl who was faced with an awful obstacle in her life; cancer. It started in her thyroid and then moved to her lungs. Because of the cancer that spread to her lungs, Hazel has to roll around an oxygen tank. Every week, Hazel attends a support group that her doctor thought would be helpful with dealing with her cancer, and Hazel does not like going. But Hazel is one of the fortunate ones, because the doctors were convinced the cancer was going to kill her until they tried a medicine that would shrink her tumor. And it worked. Still faced with the depression of the thought of dying, this is why she goes to this support group. One week however, someone from the support group brings a friend a long who has had his share of cancer. Hazel meets him and finds that his name is Augustus Waters. So far, I haven't read any further, but I think I can predict that Hazel will form a relationship with Augustus and I hope he supports her through her struggles with cancer. Can't wait to read more!!



The picture above I wanted to add because I wanted people to elaborate on this thought; In the support group that Hazel attends, they ask her how she is doing, and she always responds with ,' I'm okay." Bu do you really think that she is? For the people who have read this book, do you think that having Augustus in her life will actually make her feel okay, or is he just a distraction from her cancer issues.

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Theme & Summary III

Some of the real life issues that are reflected in the text of Along for the Ride  are topics such as judgments and divorce. In the book, Auden's parents are divorced and this causes most of the conflicts in the book because Auden currently lives with her mom who still hold a grudge on her former husband, Auden's dad. And he makes it even worse because he has a new wife that he is married to that Auden and Auden's mom doesn't like. . . at all. They think that Auden's dad's new wife is too annoying with her bubbly personality. The problem in the book is that Heidi, Auden's dad's new wife, wants Auden to visit them and their new baby and stay with them for a little while. While Auden wants to stay with them to get in touch with her dad, she wants to avoid Heidi to every extent. But when Auden finally starts staying with them, she realizes over time that Heidi was doing all the work around the house, and that her dad was doing nothing to help, which was exactly why Auden's mom got a divorce with them anyway. So now that Auden doesn't have any judgments or grudges, her mom still unfortunately does. When Auden's mom comes to visit, it was a rainy day and she doesn't know that Auden was working at Heidi's store, the most pink, girly store in the whole town. Before Auden left the house, she borrowed one of Heidi's, of course, pink rain jacket and she started to head down to the store. Little did she know that her mom was going to see her and be very disappointed. When Auden's mom walked into the store, Auden immediately recognized her mom's voice and ,"her displeasure more than evident. Auden said," When she finally got to me, she didn't look any happier." This connects the topic of divorce and conflict because it is like cause and effect; the cause is Auden's parent's getting the divorce, the effect is now Auden's mom judges every single decision that Auden's dad makes, like marrying Heidi. The theme continues from the beginning of the book; don't make judgments based on a decision made in the past in which perspectives differed.

 

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Characters Il

There are some very interesting characters with personalities that I can recognize from other books. But one character in particular I have been blogging about ever since I started this book, and that was Heidi. Heidi is the main character's stepmom. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Auden, and her mom were judging Heidi for her maybe too bubbly personality. And they made me think that Heidi was just an annoying woman from the start. Throughout the book, I have started to realize that is wasn't true, and Auden was starting to realize that too. But then her Auden's mom came into town, and she was still totally against Heidi's store, her clothes, and even her workers! Auden  took some personal offense to the things her mom had said about Heidi becuase she realized that her mom din't know anything about Heidi from the start,like how hard she worked to get where she is now, so why does she still judge Heidi? What I would be interested in doing would be to have a conversation with Heidi. The questions I would like to ask her would probably be asking her ,"Where were you born?", or ,"What kind of lifestyle did you live in?" becuase getting this information form Heidi might explain why her personality is this way becuase it may have been just the people she grew up around like her family or the town's personality that she lived in all together. Then if the reader had some more background on Heidi, we would feel more sympathetic towards Heidi and not towards Auden's mom. But then again, if the reader's knew the background of Auden's mom, then maybe that could explain to why she is so judgmental and she thinks she is right all the time and why won't she acknowledge others opinions.

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Analysis II

In the beginning of my book, Auden had a closer relationship with her mom then with her father. But Auden wanted a closer relationship with her father too, without having to get to know  his new wife, Heidi. Auden and her mom both despise her, but they haven't gotten a good reason why, besides her annoying peppy self. Throughout this whole book, there have been conflicts invloving Heidi where Auden seems to not want anything to do with her. But at other times Auden realizes how caring of a mother Heidi is, and how her father is the total opposite. He doesn't help with their new baby becuase he is always busy writing his next book. And Auden is secretly aggravated  knowing that her own father thinks his stupid book is more important that their new child. But then Auden's mom surprises her by coming into town, and of course, Auden is working at Heidi's little boutique all decorated in pink with Auden wearing Heidi's pink jacket too because of the rainy weather that day. The imagery in the color pink has a lot to do with the conflict that is about to arise between Auden and her mom.

"She replaced the botttle, then took a long look around the store, her displeasure more than evident. When she finally got to me, she didn't look any happier. 'Well. There you are.' 'Hi,' I said. She was studying me with such seriousness that I was instantly nervous, then even more so when I remebered the pink jacket I had on."

Obviously Auden is sort of ashamed that she was working in Heidi's store and wearing her pink jacket. She sees the disapproval on her mom's face. When Auden takes her mom out to lunch, things get ugly. Auden's mom starts throwing out all these insults that is deeply offending her daughter. The weird thing is Auden is loosing a close relationship she already had, and gaining one that she doesn't want with her stepmom, and never getting the relationship she wanted with her dad. Here are some insults from the book the Auden is receiving from her mom.

"I knew any business Heidi owned would probably not be to my sensibilities. But Booty Berry? And what about those Lolita-esque swimming bottoms? Are we packaging women to look like little girls now? Or little girls to look even more so, in order to exploit their innocence? How can she be a woman, not to mention a mother, and condone this sort of thing?"

"It's just so bothersome because it's the most shallow, base depiction of the female experience. Sugar and spice and everything nice, peddling packaging, not substance."

"I doubt your father picked Heidi for her fortitude. Quite the opposite in fact. I. Think all he really wanted was someone fluffy and insubstantial, so that he could be absolutely sure she'd always follow his lead."

"The sky was not streaked with pink. 'Well look at that,' my mother said, taking it in. 'Its your favorite color."

Now that we see all these insults to Heidi and Auden, will Auden choose not to move back with her mom and stay with Heidi?

Independent Reading; Along for the Ride; Reading Skills II

In this book, I'm wondering if Heidi and Auden's dad will work things out within their marriage. And I'm also wondering, will Auden develop a closer bond with Heidi, or will she still stick with her dad even though his choices aren't the best for his relationship with Heidi. Here is a passage from the book showing the conflict between Heidi and Auden's dad about their baby's name;

"Middle name,' he repeated. 'And only because her mother insisted. I wanted to name her Thisbee Andromeda.' Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Heidi wince. 'Really?' I said. 'Its powerful!' he replied, pounding his chest for emphasis. 'Memorable. And it can't be shortened or cutified, which is how a name should be. If you were an Ashley or a Lisa, and not an Auden, do you think you'd be so special?' I wasn't sure how I was supposed to answer to this. Did he actually expect me to agree that it was his choice of name, and not all my hard work, that had gotten me where I was? Luckily, it seemed to be a rhetorical question, as he was already en route to the fridge, where he pulled out a beer."

Now if I was Auden in this situation, I would feel totally surprised by her dad's actions because he doesn't even have the respect to stay in the conversation, but instead he just starts walking to the fridge signaling that he is right and his word is the final word. That is the problem in their relationship, and I don't know if they will figure it out. About 40-50%  of couples in the US get divorced. That's almost half! I don't have high hopes for them.

Marriage & divorce

Marriage and divorce are both common experiences. In Western cultures, more than 90 percent of people marry by age 50. Healthy marriages are good for couples’ mental and physical health. They are also good for children; growing up in a happy home protects children from mental, physical, educational and social problems. However, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce. The divorce rate for subsequent marriages is even higher.

Adapted from the Encyclopedia of Psychology

http://apa.org/topics/divorce/

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Theme and Summary II

An update of what is happening in my independant reading book called Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen is Auden was walking in the kitchen to get her coffee for the morning when she hears Heidi keep saying the name "Caroline West". As Auden confronts her asking," I thought her name was Thisbee?", Heidi freaks out. Here is a passage of the conflict that will soon arise.

"I thought her name was Thisbee,' I said. Heidi jumped, startled, then looked up at me. 'Auden,' she stammered.' I. . . I didn't hear you come in.' I looked at her, then at the baby, then at her again.' I was actually just passing throough,' I told her, and turned to go. I thought I was afe, but then, just as i reached the stiars, she spoke. 'I dont like the name!' When I turned back, she looked up at the ceiling, her face flushed, like someone else had said this. Then she sighed, sitting back on her heels. 'I don't,' she said slowly, more quietly. 'I wanted to name her Isabel. It's the name of one of my best friends here in Colby, and I'd always loved it. . . . 'So,' I said to Heidi, walking back over to her, ' why didn't you?' She but her lip, smoothing her hand over the baby's back. 'You're father wanted  to have a literary name,' she said. 'He said Isabel was too pedestrian, common, that with it, she'd never have a chance at greatness.'

This passage from the book clearly shows that Heidi isn't really getting to have her opinion be heard by Auden's dad, and she has always been frustrated with that but she has always kept it in.  Now, she is finally realizing that her opinion should be heard, that she doesn't just have to go along with what Auden's father states. So she starts calling their baby 'Caroline West' instead of 'Thisbee'. I put in italics the important part that Heidi says that shows that only Auden's fathers opinion is heard. But Auden's father's point about having a literary name isn't really a good one in my opinion. You don't have to have a fancy name to "achieve greatness". You have to work for that. 

Independent Reading; Along for the Ride; Book Recommendations II

In the book I'm reading called Along for the Ride, the theme is don't make judgments based on a decision made in the past in which people's perspectives could have differed. Another book recommendation that contains the same general theme is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. This book is about two people, Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson, who lived in North Carolina and met one summer. After they met, they started going in dates and they started a summer romance. But that one summer romance led to an even closer relationship than they had thought. But Allie had just gotten the bad new from her parents that the didn't want her dating him anymore and that they were going to move. But they both promised each other that they weren't going to forget them and the love they shared. After Allie moved though, she started to fall in love with a wealthy lawyer, and things drastically changed. This emphasizes the theme because Allie made a promise before she knew that everything was going to change. This book has a slightly different ending though because they both find each other in the end.

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Analysis

The theme of this book is don't make judgments based on a decision made in the past in which people's perspectives could have differed. This theme relates to the book because before Auden visited her dad, she was so excited about seeing her dad and she didn't care much for her step mom, Heidi. She thought her personality was"fake" and that she was too cheery all of the time. Here is an example of a passage from the book showing Auden's opinion of Heidi;

"The e-mails always began the same way. 'Hi Auden!!' It was the extra exclamation point that got me. My mother would call it extraneous, overblown, exuberant. To me it was simply annoying, just like everything else about  my stepmother, Heidi."(pg.1) "All the things she'd been to me, and more, since she had got involved, pregnant, and married in the last year."(pg.2) "Heidi had the baby,' I said. 'They named her Thisbee.'...'I just hope she 's not expecting your father to be of much help," ( said her mom) (pg.12-13)

Once Auden had arrived at her dad's house, she still had negative feelings towards Heidi. Even though Auden was really looking forward to seeing her dad and spending some time with him, she started to notice that her mom was right; Auden's dad wasn't helping out with the baby. Here is an example of a passage from the book showing how Auden's dad wasn't helpful;

"Dad?' My father, sitting in front of his laptop at a desk facing the wall, didn't move as he said,'Hmmm?' I looked back down the hallway to the pink room, then at him again. He wasn't typing, just studying the screen, a yellow legal pad with some scribblings on the desk beside him. I wondered if he'd been there the whole time I'd been sleeping, over seven hours. 'Should I,' I said, 'um, start dinner, or something?' 'Isn't Heidi doing that?' he asked, still facing the screen. 'I think she's with the baby,' I said. 'Oh.' (pg.29)

The theme is intertwined into these 2 passages because it shows Auden's judgement of Heidi in the first passage and it shows how it changed because she saw her dad not helping out with Heidi or with the baby. It shows that people can't make judgments until they have experienced, or seen, the situation.

Independant Reading; Along for the Ride; Theme & Summary

In my independent reading book, Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, there is a girl named Auden who lives with her mom because her parents are divorced. The summer before college starts, she decides she wants to spent the summer with her dad, her stepmom , and her new baby sister. Before she arrives, she expecteed her dad to pay a lot of attention to her and get caught up on her life right now. But Auden didn't want to get invovled in her stepmom Heidi. It wasn't like she was mean or anything, but in Auden's mind she was too perky.. But over the course of her stay, her opinions change about her stepmom as she soon notices that her dad is not even talking to Auden that much or helping out with the baby. All he is doing is working on his new book, while Heidi has to do all of the work. So over the course of her stay, Auden gains respect for her stepmom, and she also starts helping out with her baby sister too. I think the theme of this book is don't make judgements based on a decision made in the past in which perspectives differed.

 

Independent Reading; Along for the Ride; Book Recommendations

In the book I'm reading called Along for the Ride, the theme is don't make judgments based on a decision made in the past in which people's perspectives could have differed. This is because before Auden went to go visit with her dad, she was most excited to see just her dad, not her step mom Heidi. But throughout her stay, Heidi is the one she's sees the most. All her dad does is work on his next story. And he doesn't help with the baby. It's just Heidi who does all the work. And Auden is starting to notice that and she starts gaining appreciation for Heidi. She is starting to regret her judgments that she made, and now feels guilty for doing them.

A book that I would recommend that has the same theme has this book is my summer reading book by Hannah Harrington, called Speechless. In Speechless, a girl named Chelsea Knot has trouble with judging people without getting to know them first. But once she became unpopular, she started to meet these people that she had once thought of as being "lower than her" just because they were less popular, but they turned out to be really nice people, supporting her through low times in her life, and they soon become best friends. And Chelsea relates to Auden because she regrets these judgments that she made about these really nice people.

 

Theme for The Swimming Contest

'Friendship can exist even through hard times.'

Independent Reading; Along for the Ride; Characters

In the book I am reading called Along for the Ride, the main character Auden changes a lot when she goes to live with her stepmom and her dad for the summer. First of all, Auden automatically thinks that her stepmom Heidi is weird, and she wants to avoid her at all times. Auden came to live with her dad and her stepmom so she could spend more time with her dad, like going out to dinner or hanging out during the day. But what really happens is Auden's dad is completely ignoring her because he wants to finish his book, and Auden ends up spending time with Heidi and helping her our with her new little sister.

Independent Reading; Along for the Ride; Reading Skills

In my book, Auden doesn't like her stepmom just becuase of  her personality; being too perky and cheery all the time. Even though it seems really rude, sometimes I do not like people too just becuase of the way they act. I am pretty sure everyone judges a book by it's cover every once in a while. But the good thing about Auden's experience with her stepmom is that when she stays with her dad and Heidi, her opinion doesn't stay. She soon notices that her dad, the one she thought was a perfect role model, doesn't help out around the house or with his new daughter. Heidi does all of the work, but in general she doesn't complain about it. So I predict that throughout the rest of the book, Auden and Heidi will grow a closer relationship than what Auden expected, and I think that Auden will think of Heidi being less of a stepmom, and more of a friend. But what I am wondering is what will happen to the relationship and Auden and her dad? Will he change for his new wife and his daughter?

The Interlopers; Investigation Activity

The significant change we made to the story, The Interlopers, is making a new plot structure. Our new plot structure consisted of making the story start with the climax, and then we started the introduction after the climax of the story. This way it provides more mystery to the story, and makes the reader want to engage into the story more. Plus, this plot structure has a better ending in my opinion than the original story. In our story's ending, it ended with the two men, Ulrich von Gradwitz and George Znaeym, becoming friends and putting their feud aside. And then the explanation of their new friendship leads to where the author describes Ulrich von Gradwitz seeing someone coming towards them, and George asks who, and that leads to the beginning of the story....wolves.