40-Book Challenge Reflection

  When I look back at the beginning of 6th and 7th Grade I have improved both in reading challenging books and understanding the meaning behind each book. I can confess that last year I only read like 6 books but this year I enjoyed reading because I found the true adventure behind each book. I'm currently reading my 32nd book called Trapped and I was surprised that I made it this far. I could've finished earlier but I kind of stopped reading during Winter Break. For example in the early months of the school year it would take me like 3 weeks to read a 400+ book but now it only takes me like a week. I remembered when I read Darth Plagueis it took 4 weeks to finish but when I read Divergent I finished it in 6 days. I not only challenged myself by reading difficult books, but also increasing the number of minutes I read during the day. In Sept- Dec. I only read 20 minutes each night but now I read an hour every day. In the weekends I sometimes read 2 hours each day in order to process the ideas of each book.

      I would find it really great if we did this challenge in 8th Grade mostly because I want to beat the highest record of books read (47 books). I read 10 times more books of what I read last year because I found the world of great books. I just couldn't find what to read in 6th Grade so during the summer I found a list of the Most Popular Books for 7th Graders on goodreads.  The majority of the books in this list are from the GoodReads list. I usually never read classical books but I got into them during March when I started reading Frankenstein. I'm not going to lie but Frankenstein is not a really good book but it's probably better for adults instead of middle-schoolers. The caliber of the text I read was very difficult because of the classical books I read. The most boring book I read for the 40-Book Challenge was Pale Fire I didn't do a blog on that book because it was not very enjoyable.

Below is the list of the first 10 books I read but I'm on my 32nd book.

                              

1. The Secret of the Fortune Wookie.
This was the first book I read for the 40-Book Challenege and I believe I read it in Sept or earlier. The plot of this book is a group of middle schoolers who want to use the magic of this magical puppet. It talks like Chewbacca it sometimes brings good or bad fortune but the purpose is to save the students from something terrible. Their school has decided to ban all clubs, after school activities, and sports in order to have time for Funtime program which helps student reach the minimum average for the state test.
         

                   
2. Wonder
We had to read this book for STAR at the beginning of the year and I'm actually that I read this awesome book. It tells about the story of a young boy named August who is different from his classmates. It's hard to be the new kid in a different school but August feels that he will be left out because of how he looks like. The main goal of August is to show his classmate that he is the same as them despite his appearance. This book will take you in an adventure that will be both heart warming and entertaining.
                       

3. Fire Star
I always wanted to read this book because I read the first two books over the summer. This has so far been the longest book I've read (548 pages) but it just made you want to turn the page each time. The book is part of the Dragon Series which has to do with David Rain a student that goes to live with an extraordinary family called the Pennykettles. This book has a more serious tone than the other ones in which David has to battle dragons, polar bears, and the evil sibyl Gwilanna. I would recommend this book too any one who like dragons or polar bears.

                       

 4. It's Kind of a Funny Story
I was surprised that I got a lot of comments when I blogged about this book. In my opinion this isn't one of my favorite books but it was still interesting. It tells about the story of Craig that starts to have breakdowns for no reason. The majority of the book takes place in the hospital where Craig is being treated but there's nothing wrong with him. He makes friends along the way very extraordinary people that help Craig overcome this situation. I learned that this book is highly based on the experiences of the author.

                                                     

 5. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
I give this book 5 stars because of its amazing plot line and the how a friendship can be developed between siblings. It tells about the story of Steven a band drummer that has to see his brother suffer because of cancer. One day out of the ordinary Steven's brother falls from a charm but he suffers so much like he just got shot. He is taken immediately to the hospital only to discover he has cancer which changes Steven's life forever. Now he must make a decision between not going to his important concert or going to visit his brother in the hospital.
       
                                                       

 
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
I recently heard that this book was banned from many school libraries throughout the US. The title is telling us about a Native- American boy who decides to go to a school that doesn't have any colored kids. I forgot the main character's name but he had to go throughout multiple challenges poverty, racism, and friendship problems. The toys in the cover of the book are basically the only available toys that the main character has. A bunch of movie directors plan on making a movie about this book because it would teach the world about the realities of life.

                                                 

7. The Wednesday Wars

The book is mostly about the relationship between a simple English teacher and an ordinary middle-schooler. It takes place during the early years of the Vietnam War in which a young boy named Holling Hoodhood has to deal with a teacher that hates him. Since he is a different religion he has to stay behind with his "marvelous teacher". Throughout the book they develop a friendship through Shakespeare plays.    

                                                           

8. Life of Pi

I would highly recommend this to anybody who likes to learn about the Indian culture or surviving 2 years in the Pacific Ocean. It tells about the life of Pi Patel a man that has a great knowledge of life and mathematics. His family is moving to Canada on board a ship that will bring them closer to reality. The ship sinks his family dies and he is forced to survive in a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. 

                                                          

9. Marley and Me

It might seemed like this book is a Realistic Fiction but it's actually a biography of the author. He explains that instead of going through a boring write up of his life he decides to write his family through  the love of his dog. This dog is more than just a dog more like an angel who helps this couple adopt to parenthood. 

      

                                                        

10. Darth Plagueis

I highly recommend this book who want to learn more about the story behind the Star Wars movies. This book is more specifically based on the events preceded the events in the first Star Wars movie. It tells about the story of Darth Plagueis and his difficulty of becoming who he is right now. He holds the title of creating the most evil person in the world. 

Divergent 5/12-5/16

Pages: 487 out 487 (finished)       *Spoiler Alert*
Prompt Miscellaneous: Describe the major conflict which side are you on?

                Introduction to Divergent

      During the school year I never thought I would read this book mostly because utopian society in a book is not my type of book. I just decided to read it for fun and I would say that I would give this book a 5 out 5 stars. The book starts off with a family in a futuristic Chicago where everything is perfect because it is ruled by 5 factions. A faction in this book is a group of people that have the same purpose but have major differences with other factions. The book is told in the perspective of Beatrice an Abnegation member that is preparing herself for the Choosing Ceremony. First she has to take a test that shows here strength and her weaknesses. The test shows that she is very different from the other citizens. The test maker Tori can't decide which group she belongs in because the results show that Beatrice is a Divergent. Throughout the book Beatrice wants to find the meaning of being a Divergent and the dangers that come along with having divergence. Her next option is just to become a Dauntless a group of fierce warriors that only care about discipline.


             The Major Conflict in the Beginning

   In the beginning and middle of the book there is any major conflict except that Beatrice has to survive the ruthless training. There is three stages in which she has to fight for her life and also survive the beating of her fellow mates. Throughout her journey she makes friends but also foes that hate her to the death. Her minor foe is a Dauntless named Peter a person that only cares about becoming first in the class and getting revenge on those who succeed better than him. In one test Beatrice successfully has a better score than Peter which begins their rivalry a one that can lead to death. During one dark night Peter and his loyal companions cover Beatrice in a sheet to throw her over the chasm. Luckily her instructor Four saves her just to realize that the real criminal behind this plan was her friend Al. This conflict later gets resolved after Peter finally opens his eyes that he can't beat Beatrice. The conflict at the end of the book is more devastating. I would mostly likely be in Beatrice's side because of the evidence shown in this paragraph.

                 The Conflict that Changes Beatrice

     The book does get kind of violent towards the end and conflict arouses between the factions of Chicago. The weeks past by that newspaper show that the Erudite faction that blames Abnegation for all the problems in the city. The Erudite leader Jennie starts to use a machine that brain washes the soldiers of Dauntless to kill every single Abnegation leader and their families. The only person that doesn't get brainwashed is Beatrice because she is Divergent. Since Four is also her kind, they both go to stop Jennie. They find that their city is pretty much destroyed but Four will not stop until he destroys that simulation. Jennie is able to brainwash Four but Beatrice is saved by her mother. When I think of this situation I would mostly likely be in the Abnegation because the Erudite don't have any right to destroy political leader just because of their opinions.

This poster shows the symbol of the Abnegation faction which symbolizes peace and selfless. In my opinion I think that this faction is the most peaceful of them all but it's also the more boring faction. For example members of this faction are only supposed to do certain things or eat certain things. Since Beatrice was in this faction he never saw a hamburger because she was a Abnegation.

      This week I will comment on Julia, Jenna, and Jesus's Blogs. 


            

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 5/5-5/9

Pages: 326 out of 326 (finished)
Prompt Test Readiness: Explain what kind of reader would like this book the most


         Introduction to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 

   I learned over the weekend that this book won many awards and it was so good they made a movie out of the book. The book has to do with the tragic story of a young boy trying to overcome his grief over the death of his father. Oskar's dad worked at jewelry store even though he hated jewelry and he was always running off to important meetings. On a bright sunny day Oskar later learns that his dad just died in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. In my opinion I think that the book title is trying to tell us that the attacks were extremely loud and Oskar was incredibly close to his father. Oskar find no more meaning in his life so one early morning he decides to look through his father's stuff. He finds an envelope saying "Black" and inside there is a mysterious key. This is the beginning of Oskar's journey as he goes around the six boroughs of New York to meet every single person with the last name Black. He finds out that it will take him approximately 1 year and half to find the lock for that key.

             The Audience of this Book

  In my perspective I really liked this book because it shows me how the families of 9/11 felt when they lost their loved ones. I feel like this book would be very good for people that live in New York because of the 9/11 attack. The book basically has to do with Oskar trying to find the lock for his father's key which leads to a fantastic journey like no other. Since the book is very mysterious it can be good for readers that like a good mystery or that love suspense in a book. I think the typical reader for this great book would be a person that likes suspense but also sadness in a book. I enjoy this book because it connects strangers with more strangers. I really think that it is amazing how weird strangers and a 9-year old boy connect just like a herd of elephants. The middle of the book is very peaceful because during that time it seems that everybody in New York gets along with each other. The reader might want to enjoy a peaceful book by reading the middle of the book.

             The Genres in this Book connect People.

  When I started reading this book I thought that this book would only include one genre to spice up the book. I realized when I was towards the end of the book that there were dozens of genres in the spirit of the book. When I start to imagine the reader of this book I visualize a typical New Yorker that lost a loved one in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I imagine the reader crying while reading this book but also happy to enjoy that there is other people that can relate to the book.  Since I was the reader I liked this book a lot because I was able to put myself in Oskar's shoes. I can just imagine Oskar's face when he learned that his father died in the Twin Towers. The book can simply for people that have a hard time overcoming a death. For example I was still sad about a death of a loved one which gave me courage to read this book. The book is very inspiration because we learn about a boy that is still able to enjoy life even after the death of a loved one.

This is a picture of the hands of Thomas Schell Sr. the grandfather of Oskar Schell. Thomas is a big character in this book mostly because he abandoned Oskar's grandmother before he was born. His grandfather was known as the renter but later in the book Oskar discovers that he is his grandfather. These hands are the hand of Thomas he uses this to communicate with people because he is unable to talk.

This week I will comment on Marisa, Gianna, Nikolas's Blogs.