Archive for October, 2011

No Comments

Perfectly Spoiled


2011
10.11

Posted in Independent Reading, Spoiled | No Comments »

Dear Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan,      

I am currently reading your book Spoiled. I wanted you to know that I’m enjoying the book very much and I can’t wait to finish it! I like the way you brought both of your writing styles together – it makes the book much more interesting if you have two heads working together, in my opinion.

So far, my favorite character is Molly. When she is thrust into the new situation of living with her famous father, I can understand the way she is feeling. You do a very good job explaining her feelings through her actions and dialogue in the story. For example, when Molly is realizing that she does have Brick’s eyes, I can tell that she’s pleased.

Brick is my other favorite character. I think his characteristics give the book character. The way he is oblivious to the way Brooke is treating Molly when she’s not in front of him, makes me want to make Brick aware of Brooke’s actions. The word choices for his dialogue is also interesting. The way he relates almost everything to a movie possibility makes him seem obsessed with his job, yet kind and compassionate.

At the point in the story where I am right now, Brooke is annoying me to a point where I want to scream at her! I can almost hear her whiny voice when she sucks up to Brick, and see her stuck–up face. I think this is awesome character make-up. She gives the book some ‘spice’ and definitely has her own personality. The book title makes sense for sure. Spoiled is a perfect word to describe Brooke. I hope her views of Molly changes because I think she can be a great friend to Molly and help her get through this hard time.

The only thing I’m not liking about this book so far is that it’s getting a little predictable. I’m  not finished yet, but I predict that Molly and Brooke will become good friends after Brooke makes some mistakes and hurts Molly. I think Brick will be a big contributor to their companionship. The ending could still surprise me, I don’t know, but I just think it would be a typical ending for a story like this.

I am interested to see if I’m right, I can’t wait to finish your book! Thanks for writing a great book!

Sincerely,

Sarah

No Comments

What do I think about it?


2011
10.03

Posted in CyberEnglish | No Comments »

Keeping the Night Watch – Reader’s Response

            The excerpts we listened to from this book were written as poems, which I thought was a different way to write a novel. It was a nice change of pace for me, and I enjoyed it because it was creative. When C.J. is telling the story from his point of view, I can understand how he is feeling and the complexities of the situation he is in. It must be very hard for him to welcome his father back to the house, especially since he had taken over the responsibilities of being the man of the house. His brother, Byron, is responding to his dad’s promises and letting him back in. C.J. is having more difficulty with that because he doesn’t want the promises to be broken, which I completely understand. I think I wouldn’t be so forgiving at first either.

I was kept interested by the word choice that the author used, especially when C.J. talked about the foundation of his family, and an earthquake coming in. I thought this book was cleverly written, and I enjoyed reading it.

 

Bronx Masquerade – Reader’s Response 

            The thing that stood out to me the most about this book was definitely the characters. They all had different attitudes and outlooks on their life. Wesley Boone is the “Bad Boy,” Raul Ramirez is the aspiring confident artist, Diondra Jordan is also an artist, but isn’t appreciated because everyone thinks she should play sports, Gloria Martinez is the party girl who can party no more, Porscha Johnson is teased because of her name and definitely has a temper. The characters made it very enjoyable for me. The layout was also very neat. I like how the characters are displayed, each in their own chapter, but somehow relate to one another, and the poems, I love the poems! Each poem gives insight on the characters and what they are thinking, feeling, and doing.

No Comments

Reader’s Profile


2011
10.03

Posted in | No Comments »

Reader’s Profile 

            The first thing you should know about me as a reader is that I do love to read and it’s an activity that relaxes me. The hardest part of reading for me is taking my time when reading. If it’s a book that I’m really into, and loving it, I sometimes only skim to find out what happens next, but that only gets me confused and I find myself re-reading. The easiest part of reading for me is finding a good book to read. I know that there are so many great books and amazing authors. I determine what books to read by first looking at the cover and the title. If it looks interesting, I read the summary on the back or front flap of the book. I get lots of recommendations from friends because we usually enjoy the same types of books. I stopped reading a book called The Pale Assassin a while ago, just because it didn’t interest me and I was bored when I was reading it. I enjoy fiction novels and read more fiction than nonfiction. I love the creativity and imagination that you can find and get lost in.

           Reading is everywhere. There’s so much more to reading than just picking up a book. I read whenever I see an advertisement, log onto Facebook, text my friends, or look through magazines. Almost everywhere I look, there’s something I have to read. Reading is a skill that everyone needs every day, even outside of school.

            My favorite books definitely include the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard, Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and a novel called Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos. I love all of these books for different reasons. I feel connected to Harry Potter because I’ve been reading them for most of my life. I started reading them when I was in 1st grade and haven’t stopped. I love the characters and the pure imagination that makes those books so magical. The Pretty Little Liars series I found intriguing because I never knew what was going to happen next. I think a predictable book is never a good book. They kept me guessing the whole time! The Twilight series is on my favorites list because I think they are very well written and an interesting story. It’s different than the classic vampire stories and I like that. The novel called Skin is not as popular or well known. I just picked it off the shelf one day, and it was a “deeper” book than I had expected. You may notice that most of my favorite books are a series. I guess I just like it when I get to know the characters for more than one book!

            In my opinion, a book that is classified as “good” has complex characters, believable plots and events, and a good ending that gives the book closure. I don’t think any book is “bad,” I just might not be into the topic.

            I think the new technology for reading is great. The technology allows books and other reading material to be more accessible if you can’t carry a book around with you. I think it’s definitely still reading, but it’s a different experience. I think this way because there’s something about physically holding a book in your hands and turning the pages with anticipation.

A reading goal that I have for this semester is reading all new books that I haven’t read before. This is my goal because sometimes I reread books that I have read before and loved. This will help me expand my knowledge and reading skills.