Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Shark Girl Week of 12-24/12-28

Pages: 0-288 (end)
Prompt Miscellaneous: Does the title fit the story

                       Introduction to Shark Girl 
   
       The book I read this week was about a teenager that had to have her arm amputated in order to survive. One sunny day Jane Arrowood and her family go to the breezy beach of California where a terrible accident occurs. Jane goes swimming when suddenly a shark attacks her but luckily her brother Michael was able to save her life. Her arm is mortally injured and it needs to be amputated in order for Jane to survive. She spends more than a month in the hospital where people from around the country pound her with letters and flowers. On the news they show a horrible video of Jane which makes her go into a great depression. She has physical therapy with her therapist Mel and there she meets a boy named Justin. Jane is inspired by Justin because he doesn't really care if people ask him if he is okay or if they bother him about he legs. Throughout the book Jane seems to grow angry with her friends and family but she eventually finds the good side of the shark girl.


           Is Shark Girl a good title?

    In my opinion I think that the title does fit the title because it talks about a girl who has enough courage to survive her encounter with a shark. When I first read this book I though the title had to do with a nickname that people called Jane in order to make fun of her. When I walked around with this book many people that this book had to with a girl who becomes a shark. For example when we think of Spider-Man we immediately think about a superhero and the title Shark Girl could have confused people with a superhero. The title is a good title because it gives curiosity to the reader by providing information on why this book is called Shark Girl. Throughout the book Jane gives clues in her poems by calling herself a shark girl because she mentions that she is not perfect and nobody can do anything to change her. For example in the book Jane's friends Angie wants to change her but she doesn't let her guard down and she defends herself.
             
              What does Shark Girl really mean?

   In this book the term "Shark Girl" represents the personality and traits of Jane Arrowood. Jane grows anger and hatred in the book because of the name shark girl but she realizes that the name suits her fine. The only thing that Jane wants to do is show the world who she really is because in her opinion she is not inspiring. One day Good Morning America invites Jane to be in the show in order to share some of her inspiring words but she is furious because the show doesn't want to show Jane's true personality. For example even her family and friends want her to be someone that she's not, the only person that understands her is Justin. Jane realizes that Justin is the only one who saved her from her depression because he truly understood her situation. In the book they mention that Justin lost his two legs in an accident and he really does care what people say. Overall I think that the title does fit the story.

This might be obvious why I put a picture of a shark but later in the book the shark symbolizes more than just a dangerous beast. Jane feels that she grew stronger when she was attacked by the shark even though she can't do her favorite things anymore. The shark attack woke up Jane to reality because she finally realizes that she is not perfect.
                           

This week I will comment on Gianna, Carlos, and Jenna's Blogs. 

Monday, February 24, 2014

Reflection Blog

                                                          The Books of the Year
           
                   My first blog was about "My Favorite Book of All Time" and I feel liked I improved my writing in my other blog posts. In my first blog I wrote about my opinions on the book Wonder and ever since that blog I started to write more on my blogs. I've been providing more information in my paragraphs, and I learned more about the features on Blogger.  I use to write very little paragraphs and now I've been writing huge paragraphs. I used to write my comments in my blog and then in my fourth blog I learned that I needed to write my comments in another place. I think I've been less descriptive in my newest blogs because I used to provide a bunch of specific details in my second blog post. I also improved in my book choice because now I'm starting to read books that are more challenging and I get books that have good vocabulary. I even challenged myself in counting one book as a book even if it has more than 350 pages.

                           
           


        I noticed from my first five blogs that I've started to read faster and my vocabulary skills have improved. I used to write three blogs about a book that had more than 400 pages and now sometimes I only write one blog for one book. I remember that I wrote three blogs on the book Fire Star but recently I only did one blog on the book Life of Pi and that book was 401 pages. I have been picking better pictures that describe the book's characteristics because I intend to put a picture of the book's symbol instead of the book's cover. In 3rd and 4th Quarter I want to be persuasive because lately I've noticed that my blogs are too dull. In future blogs I intend to use more of Blogger's special features, for example videos or links to websites that relate to the book. My final goal is to use new/challenging vocabulary, not only to make the blog interesting but also to improve my use of the English language.


      My favorite blog was the second blog for the book Darth Plagueis. I felt like I used a bunch of figurative language and I used a lot of new vocabulary. This blog is my favorite because I feel like this is the only blog that actually stands out because of its specific details and literary elements. For example I perfectly describe the sequence of events and I put a picture that bring the book's potential to its fullest. I remembered that I put a picture of a master and a apprentice because it symbolized the relationship between Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious. When I went back to read this blog I noticed that I had two important question. The first question was; is this part of a series? My answer to you is no this book is just a prequel to the first Star Wars movie. The last question was; why did you choose to read this book? I choose to read this book because I am a Star Wars fan and this book reveals secrets that were never answered in the movies.

A Journey through the Land of My Past Books for the 40-Book Challenge
Movie Trailers and Interesting Websites
How To Make a Fortune Wookie  - The Secret of the Fortunate Wookie
Scroll down for the trailer of Wonder - Wonder
Information about the book Fire Star  - Fire Star
Learn about It's Kind of a Funny Story Movie
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Trailer for the Grimm Conclusion

                               

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Watsons Go To Birmingham 2/17-2/21

Pages: 0-210 (end)
Prompt Test Readiness: Evaluate whether the main character would be worthy of your friendship

                     Introduction/Ending of The Watsons Go To Birmingham

     The book tells about an African-American middle class family and their struggles during the darkest times of America. In this book everybody knows them as the "Weird Watsons" and the book basically has to do with the adventures/misadventures of this weird and loving family. The parents of this family Daniel and Wilona Watson have been fed up with the repulsive behavior of their oldest son Byron Watson. The other two kids are like angels from the middle child Kenny Watson and the youngest child Joetta Watson.  Mr. and Mrs. Watson decide that Byron should be sent to Birmingham to live with Wilona's mom Grandma Sands. They want to teach Byron that life will never be easy to you especially during 1963 and they think living in the south might help him grow. The Weird Watsons take a road trip to Alabama and they luckily get there safety. In Birmingham it seems to be calm until Sunday school when a tragic event takes place.


     In the book  The Watsons Go To Birmingham most of the main characters are the children of Daniel and Wilona. My favorite character and a character that would be worthy of my friendship would be Kenny Watson the middle child of the Watson Family. Kenny is the only half teenager that actually has a childish behavior and activities. For example Kenny is able to make friends with new people very fast and he seems to enjoy learning about history. In my opinion I do make new friends fast but it's very rare that I have new student become friends with me in one day. Kenny is able to do this when a new student called Rufus suddenly like magic becomes a magnetic field to Kenny. Another reason I think Kenny would be worthy of my friendship is because Kenny is the only person in that book that is kind adventurous , and caring. I think that Byron and Joetta should be happy to have a kind brother like Kenny in their family.

   The last reason why I would like Kenny Watson as my friend is because he likes to explore and be adventurous. The book tells about Kenny discovering facts about World War I and World War II by playing with his dinosaurs. He has two sets of dinosaurs one is the Americans and the other pile is the Nazis, he does this in order to discover how life was like for soldiers in these wars. Instead of making a reenactment of a war, I look up interesting facts on the internet mostly historical people or historical events. Another thing that makes Kenny similar to me is that he actually believes what other people say. In the book Kenny's brother Byron tells him that the evil twin of Winnie the Pooh lives in the dark waters of a swimming pool in Birmingham. Kenny believes this and he merely drowns in the water but luckily he was saved. I once listened to my sister about an old legend and at the end I was the one who got scared.

I put a picture of the Birmingham Church Bombing because that was the big event that happened at the end of the book. Joetta Watson went to her Sunday school when suddenly a loud boom shook Birmingham which made Kenny run to the church. He couldn't find his sisters but he learned that four little girls were killed in the accident. In the end Kenny finds out that Joetta survived the bomb and luckily she was unharmed.

     This week I will comment on Julia, Steven, and Isabella's Blogs.          

"The Weird Mint" - Found Poem

       


This might be a bad picture of a mint but the poem seems to symbolize more than just a simple mint. 
He climbed and walked
skittish nearness a stranger.
Looking aware of 
the warm over the coolness beneath the scent of mint
Protected in semidarkness sucking a spearmint
nipping her lips.  
                                                                                              
The poem symbolizes the new friendship of a couple of strangers. A man is walking alone but witnesses a female stranger and he decides to give her the gift a mint. This means that they have created a brand new friendship. The theme of the poem is kindness because the man in this poem greatly gives a stranger the gift of a mint. It seems that the whole poem is about kindness because the man is willing to share food with a complete stranger. The message of this poem is that people shouldn't be afraid to make new friends they must know how to socialize. Another message is that people should be more social because with the tech increasing the anti-social people are also increasing. The main point of this poem is to teach about being more social and making sure that "sharing is caring". A person must reconcile with every single person and to never change the personality of another human. 
     

"The Books of Stephen King" : Spine Poem



 It might be blurry but the books are Salem's Lot, The Dead of Night, The Shining, IT, Haunting

The theme of this spine poem is horror because almost all of these books are best-selling horror books. These books in my opinion have to do with the new generation of horror books because nowadays most horror novels are bloodier/thrilling. The old generation of horror books had to do more with advancement of technology or real based events. For example novels like Frankenstein or Dracula have to do with modern technology. The message of this poem is to teach other people about best-selling books and the adventures that are revealed in these books. I personally picked IT because that it is the longest book I've ever read (1,090 pages). My challenge is to read a book that is even more longer (War and Peace). The main point of my poem was to open up the eyes of people and describe how the genre of horror has changed over the past 100 years.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The Watsons Go To Birmingham Poem

             
        Daniel Watson                                                           Mrs. Watson (Daniel's Wife)

  It's so beautiful to...                                                                to have lived in Birmingham Alabama

Of Course not that races old city                        who cares about the "colored only sign" it's just a sign                                    

For you it is just a sign but I feel like a dirty old rag       Oh sweetheart cheer up at least we're not slaves

I bet you have preferred to have married Hambonette  For the last time Daniel Watson his name is                                                                                  
(Mrs. Watson)Moses

I don't know what the problem is living in Michigan       Hello! It is like living in an igloo but colder

Imagine how wonderful the state is            I can just imagine the life in my hometown Birmingham

The wonder people that live in this state   Hambonette I mean Moses warned me about a lot of Chinese.

Despite the cold we Watsons can win this war       Mmmmm but I still prefer the warm breeze of AL.

I love my three beautiful children Kenny, Joey, Byron       If they were born in AL they would behave.

My beautiful Plymouth car still running like new     I've never driven that car but Moses has a better car.            

The clumsy child Byron always so funny           In my opinion I think he is a juvenile delinquent.

The cranky sister-in-law Cydeny                      My wonderful sister with her beautiful warm furnace

Ugh that backstabbing Hambonette almost ruined my marriage  I still remember when he asked me out

Ha Hambonette still has his bumps in the head  That sweet round head it kind of reminds me of a block

Why do they treat us like we're aliens The government isn't great but everyone has their ups and downs

That silly Byron he tries to act cool   Ugh that Byron child he always gets his tongue stuck in the mirror

I should have never turned on the T.V.   The T.V. helped me get my revenge on old Daniel Watson.

That noisy weather man always telling what we don't want to know   I kind of want to move to AL.

I'm amazed how Kenny can make such good friends  That kid is always stealing everything a.k.a house

What a wonderful state and family               I wish I could live in AL. and adapt a kid to replace Byron.


This week I will comment on Jesus, Nikolas, and Athziry's Blogs. 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

The Grimm Conclusion 2/3-2/7

Pages: 0-165
Prompt Miscellaneous: Describe the setting's time and place. Create a new setting that you think would be better for the story.

                       Introduction to The Grimm Conclusion
    
        I think many of you have read the book A Tale Dark and Grimm and the second book which is In a Glass Grimmly. The Grimm Conclusion is the final book in the series and it is a true shocker when you read this book. The book contains the stories of the Juniper Tree, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Malchizedek's Mansion. It all starts with a woman wishing that she had child as red as blood and as white as snow. The next day the wish came true she had twins named Joringel and Jorinda but her husband was so happy that he died. She spent the next 15 years in her library studying and the children managed to raise themselves without her help. She decided to remarry so the next day her new husband with his two daughters move into the house. The man was cruel, evil, and treacherous to the young teenager Joringel. One day he tricks the boy by giving him an apple from the pot that was in the stove and slams the cover in his head. The man realizes that he cut Joringel's head off so he sews his head back in and blames Jorinda for it. The good thing is that the mother thinks that Joringel ran off to stay with his uncle.

                   The Mystical and Fantasy Setting of The Grimm Conclusion 

     In this book the setting changes a lot but most of the book takes place in the Kingdom of Grimm where the Grimm's version of Cinderella takes place. The first part of the book takes place in the small cottage of Joringel and Jorinda. After the incident of cutting off Joringel's head they bury his bones under the Juniper Tree and they hide his flesh in a freezer behind the kitchen. The setting after that event changes and it takes place in the little town inside the Kingdom of Grimm. The evil father of Jorinda decides to make a stew with the flesh of Joringel and for the first time Jorinda's mom come out of her study hall. In the next few chapters the setting takes place in a wonderful kingdom filled with elegance, gold, and low taxes. The time of this book seems to be set in the Medieval Era mostly because there are a bunch castles and the king collects the taxes. I think it is the Medieval Era because of how Jorinda and Joringel describe their close.

                    What does Cinderella mean? The Final Setting of the Grimm Conclusion 
 
   The author in this book mentions that back then in the Grimm fairy tales they used to call a lady Ashputtle instead of Cinderella. The name of Cinderella comes from a word in the German dictionary and Cinderella basically means Toilet Cleaner. The setting takes place in a fancy ball in the grand dining room of the Castle of Grimm. The prince is looking for a princess to marry and one day Jorinda is invited to the dance. In order to find out who will be the next princess , a lady's feet must fit in the silver shoe. The evil father tells his daughters to cut off the toe and their heel. A magical bird appears and tells the prince that that woman is not the rightful princess. In my opinion I think the setting should be in Luxembourg because in the Medieval era most of the famous castles used in fairy tales were in that location. In Luxembourg famous castles from the 1400's were built there and the description of the castle in the book matches to the 1400's castle.


I put a picture of a golden bird because it seems to be a symbol in many of the stories in this book. This bird appears to Jorinda multiple times in the book mostly trying to warn her about something. In the book this bird sings "My Father he killed me", "My Mother she ate," "My sister Jorinda, buried my bones", 'Neath the juniper tree. "Kewitt!, Kewitt!", "What a beautiful bird I am". Try to guess who the bird is.
                         

This week I will comment on Citalli, Emily, and Nadrian's Blogs.