Five Feet Apart, Blog #3

This blog focuses on pages 209-276

After what Will had done to Stella, touching her with no barrier between them, he realizes that his feelings have gone too far and has put Stella under too much risk. He decides to leave the hospital and transfer away from Stella. Stella, still heartbroken over Poe, finds out and decides to go out with Will one last time. They meet outside and Stella explains to Will that she wants to visit the city of lights she always saw from her hospital room window. The two set out in the freezing cold, walking hand in hand, yet still 5 feet apart. Back at the hospital, the nurses get a call saying that a pair of lungs have been made available for Stella to finally get a transplant. When they try and find Stella, they realize that she isn't there and neither is Will. They try and get ahold of her. While on their walk to the city, they stop at a frozen lake and Stella decides to try and slide around on the ice. She realizes that somebody is calling and texting her phone repeatedly and knows that she can get new lungs but chooses to ignore the calls. At this moment, Will and Stella both confess their love for each other and they both realize they can never have what they want from each other. Will grabs Stella's phone and finds out about the lungs. He urges her to go back to the hospital but she keeps refusing because she knows that the new lungs will keep her away from Will. Stella breaks through the ice and falls through into the cold, water. Her lungs can't keep up and suddenly she sees her dead sister Abby telling her she has to live. Will pulls her out and gives her mouth to mouth, risking everything. He calls for 911 and the hospital sets out to find them. Will, who is trying so hard to get Stella to start breathing again, realizes that his own lungs are giving out. He stops and just lays there, gasping for air. They both wake up in the hospital, Stella fighting against the doctors because she doesn't want the lungs to keep her away from Will. Will forces her to take the lungs and she goes under for surgery. While Stella was under, Will sets up a way to tell Stella that he is leaving him, and that he can't risk her new life with his Cystic Fibrosis. When Stella wakes up, she finds Will outside a window. Will explains that he loves Stella too much to try and risk her life to be together. Will kisses the window (Stella) goodbye. 8 months later, Stella and Will find each other at the same airport, they stand from each other, 5 feet apart.

The ending of this book truly was one of the hardest things to read. To see Will, who loves Stella so much, having to let her go to save herself was amazing to read. Given Will was this cocky, and sarcastic sick boy at the beginning of the book but now he was a soft and open boy who loves Stella so much. The character development overall was the icing on the cake for this book. It made the story better and worth the read. 

The poet x- pages 315-357

For my last blog, I read pages 315-357. At the beginning of page 315 X runs out of the house and tells Twin to meet her because she wants to talk. She gets on the train and gets off at 168th street. She smells Amans collonge as he reaches for her hand and leads her back to his place. They kiss again and she falls asleep at his house. The next day, X goes to school and apologies to Ms. Galiano for wearing the same clothes again. Ms. Galiano explains that she called X's parents and they seem concerned because they do not know where she is. X says that she did not call her mom because she hates her. After meeting with Twin and Caridad, she introduces Aman, and goes to pick up Father Sean, who meets with the family once a week to talk to them about their problems. Towards the end of the book, everyone goes and supports X at her poetry event. After the event, everyone celebrates at X's house and she dances with her dad.

I chose to blog this book because its a nice story.

The Arrival

Lucas Shaughnessy

The Maze Runner

By: James Dashner

             The book that I’m reading is The Maze Runner by James Dashner. This book starts off in a small metal box with nothing in it beside a boy who’s maybe 15 or 16. As the boy woke up confused not knowing where he is. He panicked, scrambling around looking for a way out then all the sudden there was a loud clicking noise and he started to rise higher and higher no idea what’s going on and no idea where he came from, he could barely remember his name. As this boxed carried him higher and higher it eventually reached a point where it made a nasty sound a and clicked one last time than all the sudden a loud piercing alarm went off. He started to hear chattering from outside the box so he started to scream “let me out, get me out of here”. Then out of no where the door were pulled outwards and he saw nothing but a bright light piercing through the sky he could see anything, then as it all cleared up he started to see about 20 kids looking down in this metal box all staring at him only to say something like “welcome to your new home, greenie”.

     

The Lost Causes of Bleak Creak pages 214-324

In the final portion of the book a lot of turns took place.
Rex and Lief met Donna and Janine at the funeral and over heard them talking about Whitewood School.  It was then suggested that all of them should go back to the Creak and try to make the lake go crazy again and the could film it for the new documentary Janine is working on.
When they arrive to the Creak Rex went in to swim to see if he could see anything under the water. It was too dark so they cut his and with a key to make it light up again. This time, Lief decided he wanted to go in, for Alicia. At this point Donna is having a panic attack due to the PTSD of the school. So Lief takes the camera and goes under. The camera is then snatched out of his hand and tried to grab him under as well. Leif's screams made loud notices that echoed all the way to the school. In no time at  all they saw a bright light running roads then through the field. It was Mr.Whitewood. They all realized what was happening an they knew they had to get out of there. Janine's camera shot back out of the water and she went to get it slowing them down a little. As they were all going under the fence to leave, Leif's shirt gets stuck and Mr.Whitewood got him. He would now be attending Whitewood School.
All of the kids want home in shock. The next day Rex's mom came in and told the news about Leif. He was a complete mess. His mom let him stay home from school that day. Ben and Janine come over and they reviewed the footage. They saw what looked like a rock, but it was Alicia's head. Then her eyes opened.
They then go to give more history to Mr.Whitewood. His wife killed herself due to the depression that had kept in due to his daughter having leukemia. Mr.Whitewood heard in a rumor that  the Bleak Creak could heal her. Desperate, he took her there. While they were wading in she stepped in a rock cutting her foot open, activating the water. Before they knew it she was yanked under water. He went under to save her but in attempt to get her out he "drowned'. He realized his body was alive but his soul wasn't. He was then told by the "keeper" if he brought his 7 strong children in 10 years he would give his daughter back, fully healed.He only had given 4 childern in 9 years and 11 months.
Leif in the school decided to rebel along with 2 other kids. J, who had been friends with Alicia and 1 other kid we never get introduced to. They end up throwing Leif in. He went with Alicia.
Rex and his group went on a mission to save them. He was too late to save Lief from being thrown in. They get captured and Whitewood throw's Rex in. And then Ben. They Manage to get Leif and Alicia's bodies out making them come instantly back to life.
In attempt to escape, J and Ben sacrifice themselves so they can escape. Donna shot Mr.Whitewood and pushed his almost dead body into the creak. The Whitewood school would soon be exposed from everything they've done and shut down.

This book overall was amazing. Very suspenseful and has great details. My only complaint is that it comes be a little hard to follow due to all the plots and characters.

blog 2 the poet x pages 63 to 112

X sits next to this new guy in lab and notices him secretly looking at her all the time, they slowly become friends over the next couple days and eventually go on a "Date". The boys name is Aman. X is not allowed to have a boyfriend so she just wants to be his friend at first but eventually grows attached to him and spends every day with him. They talk about music and Aman listens to her poetry. X does not want her mom to find out what she does after school because she knows shw will get in trouble. Twin has somehow caught on to what is going on between x an Aman but doesn't say anything because it seems like he has his own secret too.

The Art of Racing in the Rain p. 201-end (Blog 3)

Because of the criminal charges against Denny, the Twins (Eve's parents) had been granted a temporary restraining order which meant that Denny wouldn't be able to see Zoe for several months. In addition, because of the fact that he had two legal things to deal with, the cost for Mark Fein was draining his pockets. But one day, Denny came home with Zoe, saying he had won every other weekend and every Wednesday with her. Soon after, Mark Fein was appointed to be a circuit judge, a non-refusable, lifetime appointment, so Denny had to find a new lawyer. Mr. Lawrence was his name, and he was slow, costing Denny more money. He eventually had to move into a very small apartment. One day, while Denny was teaching at his racing school, a Ferrari F430 pulled up, and his boss introduced him to the man inside: Luca Pantoni, who works for Ferrari. They had met before, at a dinner party hosted by Denny and Eve, and now Luca wanted Denny to show him the track. So Denny got in the quarter of a million dollar car with Luca and took him around the track, each lap getting faster and faster, until the car was a blur down the straight. After several laps, they stopped and Luca offered Denny a job at Ferrari, in Italy, testing the cars around their track with an apartment and a car. Denny would love to accept, but he can't because of the charges against him. Luca says he will keep the position open until those issues are resolved. He will not tell Denny why, saying he will only at dinner at his house in Italy. An unstated amount of time later, Denny sees Annika at a cafe while walking Enzo. He walks up and talks to her about what her allegations mean for him. How he can't leave the state, how he might have to register as a sex offender, or see he daughter. She doesn't say much, but she is crying. The day of the trial came, and basically everyone who was at the cabin testified against Denny. Then there was an unscheduled recess and after, Annika recanted and they dropped the charges. Denny was free and granted full custody of his daughter. But, the day he made the call to Luca to tell him, Enzo collapsed in the kitchen. He was very old, heart beat slow. Before he dies, he remembers how he watch documentaries on TV that said once a dog dies and his sole is ready, he will be reincarnated as man. There is an epilogue that is set many years later, with Denny being an F1 driver when two Italian fans come up to him, a father and a boy. The boy's name is Enzo, which startles Denny. The boy is a kart racer. Denny signes their program and writes his phone number on it, saying he will make sure Enzo gets proper driving instruction and opportunity. Enzo even repeats his motto that he told his dog so many times: The car goes where the eyes go.

       Denny's whole situation that he was in is really depressing. First, your wife dies, then, her parents sue for custody of your daughter, next, the person who tried to take advantage of you is accusing you of rape which destroys your chance at full custody of your daughter, and now, the expense for lawyers is driving you into poverty. Denny was extremely strong through all this, never even hinting at giving up. I think most people would have given up and some people would consider suicide. But thankfully, Denny didn't and some happiness came into his life through the job offering which morally helped him through the trial. The last scene where Enzo is a human is very powerful. Ever since the beginning of his life, he knew he would become a human after he died and was waiting his whole life for it.

Blog #3: To All the Boys I've Loved Before Chapters 49-72

     In the last portion of the book, you will finally get to know whether the two characters live happily ever after or if things turn out to be a dud. We last left off with Lara Jean and Peter getting into a big fight. Lara Jean had distanced herself from him over break Josh but because he is not standing up to everyone about the rumors. Kitty invites Peter over, even though Lara Jean did not want him to be there with her family. Josh gets into a big fight with Peter over how he has been treating Lara Jean. Josh has been telling her since the beginning that Peter is bad for her but she has not listened. Margot, her older sister, is back from college in Scotland. While Josh and Peter are fighting, it comes out that Josh tried to kiss Lara Jean. Margot had no idea, she was in complete shock of the situation and what she had heard. Margot runs to her room while Lara Jean is trying to apologize to her but she does not want to hear it. Lara Jean talks to her dad about what happened and Margot is standing in the doorway as she is explaining to her dad what had happened. Margot overheard what she was saying and forgave her because she knew Lara Jean would not do anything to intentionally hurt Margot. All three sisters are in the room now and Lara Jean says that she still misses Peter instead of Josh, despite everything that had happened. Kitty then admits that she is the one who sent out the letters. She was mad at Lara Jean so she sent the letters out to get back at her. After talking to Kitty she realized that she has to face her fears of saying goodbye to Peter. Even though she will be sad, it is the right thing to do. She then starts to write him a letter, fro real this time, to tell him how she really feels.

#3 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | Pages 160-230

The final pages of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian leaves the reader in total shock after a series of unfortunate events. Throughout pages 160-230, Junior discusses the deaths of three of his most loved family and friends. Like most grandparents it’s expected for them to die of old age, illness, stroke, heart attack etc., but least expected to die from drunk people. More specifically, Junior’s grandmother was killed by a drunk driver who ran over her while she was walking home from a powwow event nearby. She was brought to a hospital and her last few words were, “please forgive him”, in which she was talking about the drunk driver who killed her. The next few weeks, a wake and a burial was planned to mourn the death of a wonderful a forgiving and kind person. However this isn’t the end, weeks later Eugene, one of Junior’s very close family friends get shot by one Eugene’s close friends due to the irresponsible act of drinking too much to handle. Another burial is held to mourn another death within a short span of just a few months. Finally, just when the reader thought that it couldn’t get any worse, Junior gets pulled out of class one day by his school counselors. His school counselor has to deliver the heartbreaking news that his sister just died without giving any reason on how. Soon when Junior gets picked up by his dad, he explains that she was hosting a party at her house and drank way too much that her and her husband were passed out. Someone at the party was making soup and forgot to turn off the stove which a fire, but because she was so drunk and passed out, she didn’t even wake up to the fire, killing both her and her husband. 

One of the other main issues discussed during pages 160-230 actually relates to the title of the novel. Ever since Junior has changed schools to Reardan, while still living in Wellpinit, made his life feel like a part time job. Half of his day with white people and the other half with Indians. There’s always been a tension between Indians and other races, especially white folk. Junior explains how Indians have this assumption that any association outside of the Indian reservation community was bad, this meant white people. In other words, Junior’s decision with changing from his school in Wellpinit to a white school in Reardan made him a traitor to his community. This shows through Junior’s basketball games where Reardan is playing against Wellpinit. The crowd is filled with families and friends coming from both areas, seeing Junior as a former resident in Wellpinit playing for a white school, the crowd boos at him.

The last few chapters of this book had left me in total shock. At first when I had read that Junior’s grandmother has died in a car accident, I literally had that entire page again because of how much disbelief I was in. Then on top of that, the death count just kept going and the mood of the book kept getting more depressing. Yet, the author made it seem like Junior was handling these circumstances pretty well, if not the best that he could. Some moments made me think about what it would’ve been like if I was in the same situation, which is obviously more heartbreaking to think about. In other words, there are several relatable moments in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian which. Whether the situations are humorous or sentimental, I found it very easy to sympathize thought process of the main character.

Hunger games Blog #3

 Rachael pillay 

English 11 

Mr rispole 

• For my very last blog of the hunger games, I left off at the part where Katniss kills off a district member to save rue but unfortunately it's too late. In chapter 19, Katniss recalls Peetas infatuation for her and uses it to her own will through the games. Katniss is in need of supplies and then goes to find peeta injured. She decides to spend the night with him and help take care of him, this is where the romance starts to happen.This provides entertainment for the districts to watch because haymitch sends in a broth for both of them hoping to play up the romance.She continues to care for peeta, the next day peeta's leg is still worse, Peeta asks Katniss to tell him a story, she decides to tell him the story about getting prim a goat for her birthday. All of a sudden the announcer there will be a feast and whoever comes will receive a backpack full of supplies. At first Katniss is hesitant because she knows it may be a trap but Peeta was in desperate need of supplies that could help him that also could possibly be in the bag.She gives Peeta a sleepy syrup and heads to the feast. Katniss comes in an encounter with clove, another district tribute and they have an aggressive encounter.The next few days katniss and peeta spend together.they don't have much supplies and everything is very scarce and the weather conditions are very bad.these chapters also show infatuation between both of the characters.Katniss is then attacked by cato and then defeats him and peeta and her are the two last remaining people. Katniss refuses to let peeta die so she tries to take poisonous berries but at the last minute the capitol calls and declares them both winners.
•  Personally, I really liked the first book it was extremely interesting and I want to read the other books that follow out of this. I liked how they turned it into a little science fiction with the dead tributes brought back to life. If I were to rate this book i would give it a 9/10 it is  very suspenseful and it is written very well.

Blog #3: Witch and Wizard Pages 175-314

This part of the book starts off with Wisty and Whit getting out of the Shadowland and into Freeland. While in Freeland Whit and Wisty meet a group of kids who are hiding from the New Order. These kids tell Whit and Wisty that there was a prophecy that said Whit and Wisty would come and help rescue people from the New Order. At first Whit and Wisty tell the group that they want to find their parents before they rescue people from the New Order. After a while Wisty and Whit finally decide to help the group because the group told Whit and Wisty that the New order had taken their parents. later on in the book you find out that Whit and Wisty were lied to and that their parents weren't actually being held captive by the New Order. in the end Wisty ends up freeing the people being held captive by the New Order by setting off the fire alarms. Wisty did this by setting herself on fire. After this incident Wisty and Whit encounter the One Who is the One. During this encounter the One Who is the One says a lot of important things. For example, the One Who is the One tells Wisty and Whit that there is another longer prophecy. The book ends with the same scene from the beginning of the book. This means that the book ends with Wisty, Whit, and their parents standing on an execution platform waiting to be hung for being witches and wizards.

This part of the book is important because you get to see how Wisty and Whit's powers have grown. This part is also important because it shows how the Overworld has changed. The Overworld has changed because the New Order has almost completely taken over the Overworld. In the end, I thought this book was amazing. This is because it was never  boring, not even when I first started reading it. Another thing I liked about this book is that the book has short chapters. This is good because it helps the book move faster. Finally, I liked this book because it was always moving. This is because there was always something new happening in the book. Therefore, the book Witch and Wizard by James Patterson was a fantastic book.

American Predator the Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century pages 160-end

     Towards the ending of the book as the case about Samantha's disappearance is starting to wrap-up Keyes makes a shocking confession that Samantha was only one of his smaller crimes and pretty unlikely of a target. Keyes then goes into detail about some of the other crimes he has committed only giving them the information he believes they will eventually find out. The first thing he mentions is another couple that he had taken during his time in Indiana whereas he liked to call it "taking" a couple Bill and Lorraine Currier. He had first broken into Lorraine's car where documents in the vehicle showed the couple lived there alone. He then broke the glass on the front door let himself in and was in the Curriers room waking them up at gunpoint within 6 seconds of opening the door a blitz attack he liked to brag about. He took the couple to an abandoned house where he tortured and killed both of them before disposing of the bodies, guns and the couple's cars in 3 separate states. Next Keyes talks about his visit to Texas that the FBI had learned a little bit about because of the interviews with Keyes mother Heidi. Keyes had originally gone to Texas to visit his mother and other family members but soon got the urge to take someone. He had set up by a hiking trail at the Dinosaur Valley State Park and had just spotted a woman walking with her dog. Keyes got ready hiding in a local bush he ran through the plan in his head shoot the dog take the woman but ultimately decided not to because he feared of other hiker catching him. Instead, Keyes searched for an abandoned house on the outskirts of Aledo, Texas. He set fire to the house then hid nearby with his police scanner on his plan had worked better than he predicted more police were dispatched to the fire than he believed would be. This was all working out in Keyes favor as he drove back into town and robbed a bank getting away with ten thousand dollars. Keyes had constantly denied that he took anyone in Texas although the lead detective bell thought otherwise and eventually asks Keyes about it where he reveals little details the things Keyes believed they would find eventually anyways. in loved to give his victims a false sense of hope often times trying to convince them this crime was only for ransom when in all actuality he never planned on even contacting anyone. Keyes was not limited to only kidnapping often times he incorporated many into one for example he would rob the houses of the people he kidnapped and often times he would rape and torture his victims as well. Keyes had also been linked to the disappearance of two young girls when he was very young around only 14 years old. The first girl he took was disabled and the second one was his first case of arson. He burned down the girl's trailer killing the mother inside and leaving the girl not too far out in the woods. Keyes also talks about how he was obsessed with studying and memorizing books on infamous criminals and using their traits as his own oftentimes using many at a time. Keyes later goes on to tell the FBI his life story and what it was like for him growing up. He describes how he has always been a hard atheist and even mentioned that he considered torturing people in churches to "show them there is no god" Keyes then goes on to confess the location where he buried the bodies of Lorraine and Bill Currier. The FBI pooled all of the supplies they had into finding the couple only to find out the house had been destroyed before meaning the bodies were most likely in a landfill somewhere. After this Keyes got the opportunity he had been hoping for the guards of his cell often times slacked off and didn't listen to their boss. Keyes was given an electric razor to use only under the direct supervision of a guard and ends up committing suicide in his cell. To this day many of the murders he committed remain unsolved or not even linked to him because all the information they were getting about them was from Keyes. As soon as Keyes realized they didn't know anything about these he went silent and committed suicide.

     I found the ending of this book horrifying the plot twist at the end where Keyes tells the FBI that he has committed many murders and that Samantha is only one of them really took me by surprise. In the book, Keyes has no criminal record what so ever not even a speeding ticket, yet he most likely killed around 40 people as his computer searches matched around 40 missing people in the FBI database. Keyes was well prepared and very experienced he had kill kits buried all around the US. These kits contained weapons and other resources so that when he traveled he could kill freely and easily get rid of the body. I would recommend this book to others who enjoy murder mysteries or horror books but I will warn you that it can be very graphic at some points in the book.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card ch 11-15

As this book approaches to the final stages, Ender showed heavy mood throughout the section. Since his talent was approved, he has been fighting and fighting over and over. In his mind, he doesn’t want to kill any lives, but his violence wouldn’t stop coming out when he is in the battle. He gets more and more depressed. Same day, same violent battles tired him physically and mentally. He was finally ordered to fight in the battle with the buggers. Of course he defeated the queen again with his inner tendency to battle violently. Then, he immediately felt bad for them because he was the only one that cared about the enemies’ lives in the middle of a battle. He felt lonely that no one else felt the same way. Tired of killing other lives without intentional purposes, he decided to go to the bugger world and learn their cultures in return of their queen’s death. While interacting with them in their culture, Ender decided to start their new civilization after the battle destroyed it. The author ends the story here. 

After closing this book, Ender pops out in my mind as a representative figure of a victim of the society. The society sets your life a certain way even if that’s not what you really wanted, just like Ender. Then, people gradually or forcefully blend into that set life formed by the society and stress over the issues regarding their uncertain future. At the end, Ender jumps to what he really wanted to do after having to fight with individual lives that he doesn’t want to harm at all. Although his next journey will be in commander school, he didn’t seem to lose faith in him.

I Know You Did Last Summer | Chapters 13-18

    The story keeps on progressing, unveiled the secret that has been hidden. Ray came into the hospital to see if Barry is doing well or not, and ask him about the shot. Barry told Ray that it was a robbery, and there was this girl he has been seeing for a long time, and he didn't want to hurt Helen by having her find out about it. But the real phone call was with a person with a low-pitched and muffled voice, who threatened Barry with a picture that was taken during that night. Barry didn't want to tell the truth to Ray because he was busy getting angry and worried about being crippled, and he also knows that he's going to put them in danger. Later, Collie was with Helen down in the pool saying that he may soon have a more important place in her life than she thinks right now. When she went up to her apartment, she saw Collie sitting in a purple armchair then he pulled his chair so that it blocked the doorway. Collie told Helen that he's going to kill his date tonight. He began to tell Helen how he found out about her, Barry, Ray, and Julie, how he went back from war found out about his half-brother's death made his whole family wrecked. He didn't want to report about the accident because he doesn't have proof, the law is easy on minors, and it wouldn't have been enough. The main reason for Collie to move into Four Seasons is to kill Helen. Helen ran into the bathroom and she locked herself in. Collie didn't forcefully try to break the door open, instead, he takes off the hinges because forcefully open the door will make too much noise and people will be running up to see what was happening. Frantically, she used a glass bottle of perfume and smashed the bathroom window and she jumped out of the window. Meanwhile, Julie was getting for her date with Bud, but her mom is telling her not to go because her mom has a premonition. Julie realized her love for Ray and she doesn't feel like going on that date with Bud anymore. Then Bud wanted Julie to walk him to his car and he has something important to tell her. When they're at his car, he started to talk about the flowers that Julie sent to the funerals, the yellow roses. He strangled her. At that moment, Julie thought about how she has so many things she wanted to do, she doesn't want to die, she doesn't want to leave her mom, she can never tell Ray that she loves him again, and Ray will never know that she still loves him. Just before she passed out, Ray clobbered Collie with a flashlight from behind and try to wake Julie up. Julie found out that Barry called Ray a few minutes before Ray came to help, Barry said that he was releasing Helen, Ray, and Julie from the pact and all of them were in danger. Julie wondered why Bud never tried to do anything to Ray and Ray said that because Bud knew that the worst punishment for him would be to stay alive in a world without Julie. The police came to the scene because Helen told them to go to Julie's house after she woke up from the fell. So Ray and Julie decided to tell the police what happened last summer.

    I really enjoyed reading chapters 17 and 18 because they have lots of actions and suspense. When Collie was about to get into the bathroom and Helen jumped out of the window, it was an intense moment and I want to know what happened to Helen right away. When Julie was being strangled to death, I can feel the intensity of that moment when I'm reading and I thought she died but she didn't. Chapter 18 ends with a little bit romantic between Ray and Julie which smooths out the intensity and kinda creates a happy ending. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, it gives me a little bit of horror, thriller, and suspense always gets my interest the most because it always makes me wondered about what's going to happen next.

Blog #3: One of Us is Lying pg. 217-348(end)

          The final part of the book the investigation of Simon's murder was finally solved, but with many bumps in the road that the students went through. Nate's mother that he said was dead had come to his house. She was a coke addict and went to Oregon leaving Nate with his dad for all those years, finally coming back to see Nate and his father after being in rehab and drug free for 3 months. All the years while Nate's mother was gone he told everyone she had died. Bronwyn and Nate end up getting closer with each other, giving a try to having a relationship. Bronwyn sneaks Nate into her house in the middle of the night so they can see each other, and watch a movie together. Cooper is having hard time telling his parents that he's seeing a guy, especially telling his dad. Nate ends going to the Diner with his mom to catch up with her, but ends up leaving her alone by herself. As he leaves, outside there are news cameras there asking him about Simon's investigation. As the investigation keeps happening, all four students become closer and closer to each other, in which they'd never expect. One day in gym when Addy gets tripped by another girl for cheating on her boyfriend Janae who is in Addy's gym class and was friends with Simon helps Addy get bandaids of her scrapped knees in the locker room. As they were in the locker room Janae asked Addy to hangout after school. As they were hanging out Addy went to get Janae a drink and as she comes back with the drink Janae is ready to leave and go home, and leaves. Cooper gets called down to the police station to talk to Detective Chang. When Cooper was there the detective showed him the replaced file that Simon never posted about the guy Cooper was seeing. After Cooper was shown this, he had told his dad about being gay. The next day at school, everyone somehow found out about Cooper being gay, and everyone was making fun of him, saying things to him. While people were saying things to him, Nate walks in defending Cooper, and everyone stopped saying things to Cooper, and left him alone. The four students plus Maeve have started to have hangouts more and more discussing how Simon died and who had done it, trying to get more and more clues for his death. Later on TV Bronwyn suddenly sees Nate being placed in handcuffs being accused of Simon's murder.
        Once Bronwyn sees Nate on TV she called Eli Kleinfelter to ask if he could help Nate out of jail, and be his lawyer. Later that day Bronwyn also goes to tell Nates mom about Eli and how he will help with Nate. Bronwyn ends up finding out that Simon's water bottle and EpiPen were in Nate's locker and the computer where all the Tumblr posts were coming from in Nate's closet. After Nate's been arrested, the meetings that the others have become more and more frequent discussing how Nate didn't kill Simon and who could've done it. One day Bronwyn goes to Eastland High School to try and find the car that got in the accident outside the classroom the day Simon died, because the accident was on purpose. As Bronwyn talked to the one kid who was apart of the accident he said that  Simon had paid him to have an accident in the school parking lot to distract everyone in the classroom. One day when the four students were out together, Coopers boyfriend had also went, and ended up figuring out who killed Simon. **SPOILER**Figuring out that Simon had killed himself, and set the four students up blaming them for murder instead of himself. The next day Addy had went to Janae's house to ask about Simon and Janae ended up telling Addy that Simon had left a sheet of paper with "Simon's manifesto" on it explaining his whole plan. Simon had set up the four students to make it seem like one of them did it while in the classroom. Also, they found out Jake (Addy's ex boyfriend) had helped Simon out with it by helping put the cellphones in each of their book bags. After Simon had died Jake took over the Tumblr page, and was the one who kept posting. Jake helped Simon, because he wanted to get back at Addy and in the end blame her for the whole thing, putting the stuff that they put in Nate's locker in Addy's locker. Janae was supposed to put all the evidence in Addy's locker but instead put it in Nate's. While Addy was there with Janae at her house Jake ends up coming. While he was there Addy taped the whole thing, but suddenly her phone started ringing and Jake heard it. Addy ran out of the house and Jake started chasing her, eventually catching up to her chocking her and hitting her head on a rock. After that Cooper comes to help and Addy is sent to the hospital, and Jake is sent to jail for what he has done.
     Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it to other readers. Throughout the book there were always new plot twists that you wouldn't expect to happen, making you want to keep reading. The whole book was a fast read, because you wanted to know who the killer was, and you wanted to know more of what'll happen to each character. I also liked how the book was told by the perspective of each character, and not just the same character the whole time.

Christine Post #3 Pages 319-644

        Now that Arnie has Christine restored back to normal he and Leigh are able to go Christmas shopping. Once they had finished shopping they were going to go to a nice dinner but were running late and decided to go to McDonald's instead. On their way to McDonald's Leigh makes Arnie pick up a hitchhiker, he just needed a ride home from college. Arnie and Leigh get food at McDonald's and Leigh is eating her cheeseburger in the car. They get to where the hitchhiker is getting dropped off. As he is getting out Leigh starts to choke on her burger. She has it lodged in her throat and is choking to death. Arnie is sitting next to her unable to do anything despite knowing the Heimlich maneuver. The hitchhiker sees what is happening and saves her. Right before he does though, while Leigh is doubled over she sees two eyes staring at her from the dashboard. When Arnie gets to Leigh's house she tells Arnie what happened and says that he has to sell the car or she will stop going out with him. This infuriates Arnie and he drives away leaving Leigh in the road crying. Later that week Christine kills three more people, they were all in the same car that Buddy was driving. However this time was different because Christine was being driven by Lebay. Lebay and Christine's next victim is Darnell. He was in his house but that did not stop Christine from going straight through his wall and running him over. Now Leigh and Dennis have been dating behind Arnie's back. When he sees them together one night he goes berserk and tries to hit Dennis with his car but misses and drives home. Now Dennis and Leigh are targets for Christine. They devise a plan to kill Christine. The next day before school Dennis walks up to Arnie in the parking lot and starts to get under his skin. This gets Lebay to take over Arnie and almost beat Dennis up. Lebay is a part of Arnie and has a very short temper. Dennis tells him to meet him and Leigh at Darnell's garage that night. However for Lebay to to drive Christine and kill Dennis and Leigh he needs Arnie to have an alibi. This is so that Christine can not be linked to any of the murders. That night Arnie and his mother take their station wagon to tour Penn State. Dennis tells Arnie's father, Michael, to get himself Dennis's and Leigh's family's into one house so that Lebay and Christine will have to go after Dennis and Leigh. Dennis rents a big water truck so that when Lebay comes he can smash Christine with it and destroy the car. He does just that except that Christine had already killed Michael. That night Arnie and his mother had died while driving. Also that night Dennis had hurt the leg he broke more and Leigh had almost been killed by Christine. The police had put Christine into a crusher and made it into a block of metal.
        During this book it showed to progression of Arnie being taken over by Christine and Lebay. In the years after this event Dennis and Leigh broke up after a couple of years. Leigh got married and moved to New Mexico. Arnie stayed in Pennsylvania and became a history teacher. However one day he saw in the paper that a man in the paper by the name of Sander Galton who had a nickname of Sandy in high school. He had helped Buddy in destroying Christine. He was run over by a car in California that had gone straight through a wall and hit him while he was working in a movie theater. He remembered that the cop that had seen Christine the 57 Plymouth Fury crushed had said that one of the people working the machine had been cut. They said that it had bit him. Then he thought of Lebay's brother in Ohio, his sister in Colorado, and Leigh in New Mexico. He thought what if that car was moving east toward him finishing the job it started. Lebay's unending fury.
   

Shift, Jennifer Bradbury (pt. 3)

After many hours of questioning and many days of Win’s parents panicking as well as Chris’s parents concerned for him, Chris makes a decision that changes everything entirely; Chris goes back to Montana and to Seattle to to find his long lost best friend, where he last saw him. In the middle of the ride, Chris totally out of curiosity goes into a barn they saw earlier in their journey, which Chris proceeds to enter and to his surprise, he finds Win. Win is upset because Win seems very ecstatic on where he is, but after a long conversation, Chris convinces Win to come home with him. On their way back, near Concrete, Washington, they start getting chased by a coyote which to them it seemed like the Coyote was chasing them when it reality it wasn’t, but this still drives them away and in the middle of this, Chris’s tire pops leaving him unable to move any further but Win continues to run away, leaving Chris stranded all by himself. Chris, once again frustrated, stops by at a near station to get his bike tire replaced, but he soon learns that Win went to that same place right before he did, but he is unable to acquire any more information. After a long trip home, Chris returns to the same FBI agent, but instead of the usual questions, the FBI agent instead tele him that the Win case is dismissed, even though he is still in Montana all by himself, and that’s where the story ends.

This story is sadly, left at a cliffhanger because Jennifer Bradbury planned on releasing a sequel to Shift, but it sadly never happened, leaving a lot of potential for another great book like this one to be made behind.

The Giver pgs.125-180

     

          The really most important part of these last few chapters is Jonas attempting to escape with Gabriel. He felt that he was being forced to leave and that he had no other choice. He felt no fear and knew that this is what had to be done. Gabriel was sent to be released in the morning but Jonas knew that wasn't right. Jonas had broken so many rules that he knew that he can’t turn back now. Even though Jonas is terrified, he had to get him and Gabriel safely out of the community. After a long and hard journey, Jonas and Gabriel safely reached a house filled with people singing and you could tell that they were finally safe. 

I chose this part of the ending because it's the most important and symbolic part. It shows Jonas doing what he thinks is best for him and Gabriel. He strives and gets them both out of there safely. This by far my favorite part of the book I just feel like it’s so not expected.

Fantasy League 191-end

In this part of the story Charlie and Anna get into a big fight. The reason they got into the fight was because of Charlie not telling her that he told Mr. Warren that it was his idea to sign jack Sutton. This got Anna very mad because she thought that Charlie didn't trust him. Eventually during their argument Anna had started to say that Carlie had changed since he had started to get popular. I thought that this wasn't completely true, I thought that because of Charlie not telling Anna about signing Jack Sutton she felt that they were getting farther apart and that he was kind of keeping stuff from her. This ended up getting Charlie mad because he didn't think that he was changing. They ended up arguing a little more but at the end of the argument Charlie ended up regretting what he had said because he didn't mean most if it and that it had hurt their friendship.
        Towards the end of the story Mr. Warren had told Charlie that he had gotten cancer. This is something that really affected Charlie because he had gotten very close with him and he was very sad after this. I thought that this put a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs to make the playoffs because they had never made the playoffs and also Mr. Warren was getting sick. Eventually Mr. Warren had to go to the hospital because he was having lung problems. This happened right before the Bulldogs were playing there final game of the regular season. If they won they would make the playoffs and if they didn't they wouldn't make the playoffs. Charlie ended up staying in the hospital for the game and they ended up winning and making the playoffs for the first time ever.

The Book Four (A Divergent Series) Blog #3 p.188-285

                

            The Book Four (A Divergent Series) Part 3 

          After the night Four sees his mother, he couldn't sleep. He decides to get a tattoo. He wants all of the factions logos on his back. He wanted to be all the factions instead of being just one faction. He wanted to be brave, kind, intelligent, selfless, and honest. Tori is the person who does his tattoo and she agrees to do all of them. She tells him not to show them to anybody because people might think he's a Divergent. He says "wait, what's Divergent". He pretends in front of her that he doesn't know that he's a Divergent. She explains to him that they are the people who can control simulations. He then leaves from their. 

        Now that the 2 years have passed Four was waiting for the first initiate to jump. The first jumper was a girl. He gets shocked that he was expecting a guy to jump because he thinks that how he was the last person to jump into the pit. Four asks her name and she tells him that her name is Tris. He was impressed by her that she jumped first. Then he welcomes her to Dauntless. He gathers all of them  tells them that he is the leader of Dauntless and he will train them. He realizes that he knows her as Andrew Prior's daughter. Then as the time goes on they are getting connected to each other and he trains her well. Then after a while she tells Four that she's a Divergent. He tests her to see if she can handle the simulations, but her results came abnormal. He tells her that she's a Divergent and she needs to find a way to hide that in simulations. The next night, he hears a scream from the pit. He sees that people are attacking Tris and trying to throw her over the pit. He saves her and brings her back to her room. He sees that her face is also swollen and take cares of her. The next morning, they hear that one of them killed himself by jumping into the pit. Tris was upset about the guy who dies so Four tries to comfort her by talking to her. Tris said that "This would have never happened in the Abnegation" but Four tells her not to talk about things like that and make sure to act like a Dauntless because there are people watching her. He also tells her that they don't like people who act different and to make sure to act just like a Dauntless. Later on Four and Tris talk to each other and get to know each other a little more where they talk about Four's aptitude test. Like how his aptitude test Abnegation, but he chose Dauntless anyway. Then, he kisses her on the cheek and tells Tris that he like the way she looks and she's really beautiful. 

        Overall I really liked this book because it shows that how circumstances in a persons life changes them from really weak to a really strong person. Four was the person who couldn't even stand in front of his dad and now he's so strong that he is a leader of a faction and he trains people how to become stronger and stronger. Sometimes it's all about that you have to take a stand for yourself and then just keep trying and never lose hope.  

Blog #3 - The boy in the Stripped pyjama p94-133

Weeks after weeks, Schmuel and Bruno spend more and more time together and become best friends, Bruno would walk everyday along the fence with some food to go see his friend. However, his older sister, Gretel becomes suspicious and he lies to her saying he is walking outside to go play with his imaginary friend. this lie works and Gretel makes fun of him for not being mature, which does not bother Bruno who knows the truth. Sometimes, when Bruno comes to see Schmuel, he would notice black eyes and bruises on his face, which made him think Schmuel was getting bullied. 

One day, when everyone in the house was running everywhere to prepare bruno's father's birthday, Bruno got the order to go in the kitchen to not disturb the conversation between mother and lieutenant Kotler. It's with a big surprise that Bruno saw Schmuel in his kitchen when he walked in. Schmuel explained that lieutenant Kotler told him to come here to polish the glasses. Bruno decided to take care of his new guest and offered him some chicken, Schmuel hesitated but ended up taking the chicken. Unfortunately, its at this moment that lieutenant walked in the kitchen and saw Schmuel eating this piece of chicken. He yelled at him, and Schmuel promised he didn't steal, and that it was from his friend Bruno. Bruno, scared of lieutenant , denied everything  and said he didn't know Schmuel. 

After many days of going to the fence and not seeing anyone, Schmuel finally came back to visit Bruno. Bruno saw all the bruises on the kid's face and apologized for everything. Schmuel put his hand under the fence, where Bruno usually passes the food, and for the first time in one year, the two boys touched each other. After that Bruno decides to go see his sister and ask her why they aren't allowed to play with the people from the other side of the fence, she explains to him that they are Jewish and that they can not be mixed with them because everyone hates them. Bruno does not really understand, but he doesn't insist. Later, Bruno has to shave his head because he got lice, which make him look like "a fatter version of Schmuel". 

Finally, Bruno is really worried because his family told him he was moving back to Berlin with Gretel and mother, but he wants to say goodbye to Schmuel. However, Schmuel haven't showed up in many days at the fence. when he finally shows up, he seems even sadder than usual, he explains that he has been looking for his dad for days and cant find him. Bruno decides, since he has a shaved head just like Schmuel, to come back tomorrow, for his last day before moving back, to go on an exploration with Schmuel

the next day, Bruno arrives at the fence, Schmuel gives him a pair of stripped pajamas he took from the camp, and Bruno goes under the fence. they are now standing next to each other. They start walking through the camp, full of mud, to search for Schmuel's dad, when suddenly, some soldiers start screaming and telling everyone to walk together. Bruno and Schmuel are both scared, they have to walk in big rooms with hundred of mans. It is crowded and they want to get out. Finally, everything becomes silent, people are calming down. Lastly, the showers goes on, gas is being delivered. Bruno and Schmuel will die together in the camp of Auschwitz. 

This book is very difficult to red because the reader gets attached to the kids and to their friendship. Throughout the book, we discover the camp through Bruno's eyes. The part where Bruno does not defend Schmuel in front of the officer is very interesting because it gives the reader different emotions: At first there is this feeling of betray and the reader does not understand Bruno, but then, the author describes with details the face of the lieutenant, his expression, his anger, and those descriptions help fro the understating of Bruno's choice to not defend Schmuel. Overall, this book is a lesson, a life-lesson. this friendship, so pure, so human, in such a cruel period of history, restores faith in humanity. the important conclusion of this book is that no one is born racist, xenophobic, .. nobody is born knowing the notion of discrimination, one is not born naughty, one becomes it. this conclusion is illustrated by the main character Bruno, who even while being raised in a Nazi family, becomes friends with a Jewish child, without discriminating or judging him.

pages 50-150

in this part of the book the tributes all went on a train an meet with there  trainers and then they made it to the capital when they went  out on stage and every body loved them because the dress they had on was on fire. they went back the capital and went to show off the skills in front of the game makers. and my favorite part was when katnists shot the apple through the pig and between all the people.

The Book thief 350 to the end

The last section of the book focuses mostly on the impacts that WWII is having on Liesel, the people in her town and Max. One day Nazi officials come to inspect Liesel's house to see if it would be a bomb shelter and that is the start of a troublesome journey for Max. When Liesel's father gives bread to a jew during a Jewish parade, which is highly illegal, he is whipped but more importantly everyone sees him as a Jew lover. Liesel's father now lives in constant fear that the Nazis will come inspect their house and find Max. This leads Max to eventually leaving saying that the Hubermann family has helped him enough. This is also when Liesel's father gets sent to the most undesirable branch of the army. Eventually their is an air raid which is what kills everyone but Liesel and possibly Max.

I chose to write these things because they do a good job of summing up the end of the book but also because they seemed significant and important.

Challenger Deep Blog 3

Challenger Deep

Zachary Mein

    Challenger Deep blog pages 200-End. At the end of this book Caden realizes that his mental illness is incurable, and yet this will affect him later in life he realizes he lost a year of his life due to his illness. Knowing this, he tries to put his illness behind him for good. He does this as the boat finally reaches the Mariana Trench. The mariana trench becomes very symbolic due to it is the deepest part of the world, and Caden is in a dark part of his life. But Caden overcomes this and breaks through all his problem with his illness and surfaces. He realizes how important life is and how important it is to develop and fight through certain issues. 

    Caden soon is back home and released from the boat to his mother, father, and sister. He rejoins school and his friends in everyday adventures and everyday normal activities. All while forgetting about his mental illness and living his life. The what seemed stupid boring trip to Caden became a life changing experience with many helpful people, such as Carlyle.

    My personal opinion of this book was that it was very interesting, but confusing. As soon as I thought I realized the theme or message of the book many scenes popped up that made me think differently. Overall after getting past the troubles of finding the theme or message it is a very good book with a great purpose. I still highly disliked how the pages were set up with chapters so close to each other with the constant switching between home life and ship life.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time #3//completed book

      I am now finished with the story: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The ending tied up all of the conflict in the novel. In my last entry Christopher ran away to find his mother who turns out to be alive, even when his father told him otherwise. He eventually reaches his mother and informs her that he thought for so long that she was dead. She was horrified by this so she insists that he lives with her. Christopher however is scared of her new love, Mr.Shears, who she now lives with so he doesn't think he wants to live with her. Christopher's father eventually finds him and tells him he has to come home, but his mother argues that he has to stay with her. So in order to convince Christopher to go back to his father's, the dad tries to regain his trust by buying him a puppy. A compromise was made that his mother would move back to Christophers home town and he would get to live amongst both parents.
    I think the new puppy portrayed a meaning tied to the dead dog in the beginning of the book. It almost seems it is representing a new, fresh start just like how the dog is fresh and newborn. Christopher can start over and build a connection with his mother that he missed out from for all those years. The dead dog is like his past filled with lies, over and dead.
    I would certainly put this book as one of my top ten books. I loved the plot and all the characters. I understood everything thoroughly and there wasn't any plot holes. I like how all the problems were resolved and I wasn't left hanging on any details.

paper towns(blog 3)

In the last part of the book, many things happen and it is very action packed. After Margo and Q complete their revenge plan, Margo ends up disappearing. When she disappears, Q is very worried about her, because he is in love with her. Q is left very confused and worried because she left without saying anything. Margo leaves Q clues in order to figure out where she went, and with the help of Q’s friends they go on a hunt for her. Although, these clues were no help and were not accurate. This makes Q very frustrated because he just wants to find her. Because he can’t find her, he is extremely confused and has started to think that she might has actually disappeared and killed herself. Q later finds out on his friend Radar’s website that she had left him the place where she is. After he finds this out, him and his friends decide to go to Algoe, where she is, to catch her before she leaves. They only have about 24 hours to get to her, so they have to be quick. Because they need to get to her fast, they are forced to miss their graduation. This trip ends up being a very long road trip and Q gives updates along the way. When the friends all finally get to Algoe after many hours, they find Margo. She is found in a barn. Q, being as angry as he is for her leaving starts fighting with margo for leaving everyone. But once the rest of the group leaves, the have a deep discussion. Margo and Q talk for a while and discuss everything about their relationship and their futures. Margo and Q come to the conclusion that they are just living in a paper town and have a false relationship, but both of them confess their love to each other. Margo and Q share a kiss and tell each other about their feelings for the other. Although they both love each other, they have to come to the decision that they need to go their separate ways. They must “separate” because they both want different lifestyles and relationships. Q wants a real and emotional words with strings and real people with feelings, while Margo wants a “paper town” with “paper boy and girls” in New York City. The book ends with Q staring at her as she walks away.

261-End Genius The Game

The ending of the book Genius The Game is truly wonderful, it wraps up the conflict so wonderfully yet it also leave it on a cliffhanger to lead to the next book in the series. In the end Rex runs his final program to find his missing brother step. But he is tricked into working for a secret organization that used his program to steal top secret information from every nation in the world. He is then forced to go on the run and become one of the worlds most wanted criminals after his two friends Tunde and Painted Wolf help him escape from custody just to be snitched on the very man who is framing Rex for the crime. This book has most definitely entranced me into wanting to read much deeper and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

109-261 Middle Portion of Genius The Game

The next part of the book Genius The Game is all about the trials that the three friends Rex, Tunde, and Painted Wolf face. The have to go through a trial where they must hack into a computer generated image on a projector. I love this part of the book because of the excellent characterization that Leopoldo Gout expresses here. He really conveys such a powerful image of true friendship and teamwork through friends. This part of the book sets up the ending of the book so well that it is a true work of art. A favorite section of mine from this part is when the three friends work together in perfect harmony even when this is the first time they have met in person since they had lived in different countries across the world from each other up this point in the book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: ch 11-17 [END]

J. K. Rowling starts off the end of the book with what I believe is a really sentimental scene. Harry Potter meets with a big mirror, 5 times the size of him. This is no ordinary mirror. When Harry looked at the mirror he saw himself in the middle of both his parents. Being so delighted and excited he ran to show Ron the mirror. When he brought Ron back, Ron looked at the mirror only not to see Harry’s parents but himself holding the House cup for winning the Quidditch match. Later on at the end of the book this mirrors is the key for Harry to win against Voldemort. 

The book, as I write, may not seem as pleasant and interesting. This reason is because J. K. Rowling coordinated the book to be as smooth but rough at the same time. The plot of the story roughness the book but the sense of love and care smoothes it out at the same time. It is a very interesting way of writing which I believe is the cause of her great success. Any book can have a sad beginning and a happy ending, but J. K. Rowling captures her readers into the book as if they are in another world. That’s why I chose to re-read this amazing series.

The Nickel Boys 100- 210

     In the last part of the story, the focus jumps back and forth between Elwood living after Nickel and his life in Nickel. At one point, it is revealed that Elwood had escaped and lived, while his friend Turner had died in their attempted escape. This is revealed when Elwood sees an old "classmate" of his from Nickel. However, the story then jumps back to when Elwood was planning his escape from Nickel. The book then reveals how when Turner and Elwood are attempting to escape, Elwood is shot and Turner continues running, this makes no sense because it is revealed that Turner is the one who dies and Elwood escapes and lives a life afterward.
     The end of the book confused me a lot. The book ends when Elwood is shot while trying to escape, but the reader knows that he does not die. While at the end, Turner continues to run away after Elwood is shot, making the reader think that he is going to survive, however, he is the one who ends up dead. In the epilogue, it is revealed that after Turner escapes, he always tells people that his name is, "Elwood Curtis", showing how Elwood truly was the one who died, but Turner continues to live, in a way as a tribute to Elwood.

Other Voices, Other Rooms- Chapters 9-12

In the start of Chapter 9, we learn that Jesus Fever is sick. Zoo then tells Joel that after Jesus dies, she will be leaving. She says that she will need to leave in case Keg, whom we do not know, ever gets out of prison and comes after her. Jesus then starts talking about the bible, fire, and water. He dies a week later. When going to his burial, Zoo, Amy, and Joel are the only ones there. The casket falls and Jesus is buried face down. Joel has nightmares the night after his burial that keep him awake. After seeing Zoo before she leaves, Joel is gives Jesus’ sword. The next day, Joel and Randolph discuss Zoo’s departure, while making a bird out of cardboard and blue jay feathers. Joel then goes and reads a story to his father; but then abandons him because he hears Idabel outside. He finds her hurt physically after a fight with her sister over their dog Henry. Idabel and Joel then make the bold move to run away together. They head for Cloud Motel, where Little Sunshine lives, and they cross a river. As he is crossing the river, he sees a snake, knocks it in the river, and decides not to cross it. At dinner, Amy states that it is her birthday, but no one remembered. Randolph tells her that it is not her birthday and Amy answers back with that she feels like it is. She receives wine, and is allowed to play a song on the pianola. As we find out that Joel is back inside Skully’s Landing, he is sent out to go get wine. He does not go, says goodbye to his father, and once again runs away with Idabel. They eventually end up In Noon City. Everyone recognizes Idabel, but only Miss Roberta notices Joel. Miss Roberta refuses to serve Idabel, resulting in Joel and her leaving. They head to the fair that is in town, and as it started raining, Joel notices Randolph, runs and hides in an old house, but without Idabel. A girl, Miss Wisteria follows him in, calling him “Little Boy” while she is falling in love with him, which she seems to do often. In the last chapter of the book, we find Joel back in the house in Skully’s Lansing. He is having fever dreams, and wakes up to the sound of a rocking chair. Joe takes medicine, and one day snaps out of it. Randolph is sitting on Joel’s bed, and tells him to go lie back down, after Joel asks if Randolph hates him for running away. Idabel sends him a postcard, asking why he hid and that she lives in Alabama. Joel never answered her. Randolph mentions that Little Sunshine wants to see them, and also mentioned that Zoo came back. Zoo tells Joel that she was gang-raped, and that she was tortured by a group of white men. Randolph and Joel head to the Cloud Hotel, and hike through the woods. It becomes cold and uncomfortable. Once they get there, Little Sunshine and Randolph start drinking. They hear a noise coming up the stairs and realize that it is the mule. It gets scared, goes over the stair railing, and it hangs itself by the beams and its reins in the lobby. Randolph seems in a weird mood, Joel is then on the job of finding their way home. Joel and Randolph arrive home, they see Zoo being told to lift the slave bell by Amy. Amy tells Randolph to not speak a word to her or else she will go to the sherif. Joel asks if anyone was there while he was gone, and Zoo said that there was a women and a deaf child, this must’ve been Joel’s aunt and cousin. He looks at the window and sees the lady, beckoning him to come. He walks in, turns and looks back, without regret.

I like this section, especially chapters 11 and 12 because it shows Joel’s independence that he gains towards the end of the book. Especially in chapter 11, when he runs away with Idabel. This shows that he feels that things are starting to be weird at the Landing. The next thing that is interesting to me is the gap between the end of chapter 11 and the start of 12. The end of chapter 11 is describing Miss Wisteria following Joel into the house, and falling in love with him. But then the start of chapter 12 begins with Joel having fever dreams, and being ill. I find this interesting because it makes me wonder what occurred between the two chapters. In conclusion, I loved this book because of how odd and unpredictable it was with each page.

Hunger games post 3

In chapters 7-9 katniss and Peeta continue their training together and spend the three days or workshops with each other. The other tributes all are bigger then katniss. The tributes from the wealthier districts are all very healthy and strong and have prepared for the games their whole lives. Katniss and Peeta are told to wait to show their strengths until the private show with the game creators. There they can be judged and ranked. The highest rank is 12, and Katniss scores an 11 due to her personality and skills. Peeta receives a 7. After being ranked Peeta and katniss begin being trained separated due to Peetas request. This angers katniss and causes her to stay in her room. Next katniss and peeta prepare for their interviews. Katniss goes first and is loved by the people. She acts girly and charming. Peeta goes next and admits that the girl he wants is in the games with him and winning won’t make her want him because there can only be one winner. Katniss remembers gale and the bond then had. She misses him a lot and remember how they met, both their dads died in a mining accident.


In these chapters I learned that katniss is very strong and independent. She shows everyone how she is a survivor and is determined not to let the games change her. She is annoyed with peeta due to him wanting to train separate and saying how he wants her on the interview. Katniss misses her home and gale and is determined to survive and get back to them.

Reality Check #3 pgs 195-307

  Cody woke up the next morning in the hotel hungry. So he went to the little diner down the street to
have breakfast. After he finished, he didn't really know what to do so he decided to give it one last
shot to try and find Clea. He went back to Dover Academy and went right into the woods all by himself
for attempt number two. After about an hour into his search he found a little warming hut in the woods
and checked it but he found nothing. Then he checked his phone to see the time when he realized he
had service. He decided to give call Clea to see if she would somehow pick up even though the few
times he called her right after she went missing it went straight to voicemail. And when he called her
he heard a very familiar ringing sound and followed the sound to a pile of branches and underneath
was Cleas phone. He turned it on and still having her password memorized, he unlocked it to see a
whole bunch of messages. One of which was a message from her dad saying that he sent her extra
cash so she could get a ride home. Cody was confused why would she want to go home, he scrolled up
in the conversation to see Clea talking about how she hated it here and how she wanted to go back home.
Cody was shocked and was wondering if she was already home. And he just couldn't take it anymore
so he made his way out of the woods and got into his car and headed home. Once he finally made it he
went straight to Cleas house knocked on the door and there was Clea.

     After finishing this story I was very disappointed. I feel that the author could have done so much
more with this ending. It was so good in the beginning and it felt like he just gave up at the end giving
off a boring ending to this story.

    

It Blog #3

               Following the defeat of It by the Losers, a violent storm comes after Berry as a result of the death of IT. Bill Denbrough is the one who kills It by using a magical ritual, and it serves as a form of payback for what IT did to Georgia Denbourough, his little brother, many years ago in the 1960s. The Losers were busy fighting IT while the storm is occurring, so after they defeat him they realize the storm has destroyed most of Berry. Following this the Losers return to their lives, better than before. They all once again begin to forget their memories of Berry and their battles with the evil monster, meaning that IT might really be dead.

             I enjoyed this book a lot, and found the story and format very interesting. I like how Steven King was able to write it in a way that told the story of two different time periods side by side, so it was as if the reader was following along and see each iteration of the characters grow with each other. After the story was over, I felt that King ended it in a perfect way by having Bill finish off It, as a form of payback from when his little brother was killed. The storm that wiped out Berry was also a nice touch because it showed how Berry is finally in ruin, and hopefully never allows for the return of IT. The part where King says the Losers forget all their memories about IT shows that they have moved on to a different point in their lives, and It is no longer a  part of their lives that they must deal with.

No slam dunk 185-229

In this part of the book Wes's team is starting to do good,  they are on a winning strict and they are in the playoffs.  Wes and Dinero are starting to click and are staring to become closer on and off the basketball court.  Dinero is starting to be a team player and instead of caring how much points he has each game is is worrying about winning the game.  Which is improving his teams play.  They have won the last couple games they played and they are going into the play offs feeling good.  At home Wes and his father are staring to talk more again, and his dad is starting to not drink as much and control his drinking problem.  Wes's father had started going to his games more and cheering him on, and Wes started playing better because of it.  Wes's team ended up winning there teams championship  and wes and dinero ended up becoming close friends.  

The Handmaid´s Tale Blog #3

Geena Motto 

This blog post will cover chapters 28-46 in ¨The Handmaid´s Tale¨ by Margaret Atwood. As readers know, Handmaids jobs are to conceive children for the Commanders and their wives. Although Serena has never been kind to Offred, one day she pulls her aside in private and tells her she believes her husband is unable to have children and that they should arrange for her to try to get pregnant in secret with someone else to avoid punishment. Serena arranges to have Nick and Offred try to conceive. As this happens, Nick and Offred begin an affair with eachother and see eachother secretly everyday. This is important because unlike her relationship with the commander, she actually has feelings for Nick and often times thinks she´s being unloyal to Luke when she is with Nick. As was begun in previous chapters, the ¨secret relationship¨ between the Commander and Offred intesifys. The Commander continues to invite Offred to his room at night, and one evening even snuck her out to a night club which was now illegal. There Offred sees her old friend Moira, who now worked as a dancer there as punishment for her attempted escape; she says she only has two or three more years to live. That night, Offred has to pretend to have feelings for the Commander to please him even though she feels he is forcing himself onto her. Later on, Serena finds out that Offred has snuck out with her husband and automatically gains back resentment. At this point in the book, Offred also hints that she may be pregnant although it is never confirmed. This is never confirmed because quickly after this Nick escorts Offred to ¨The Eyes¨ van, which is who is always watching. This is typically who escorts Handmaids when they´re being caught in a crime, but Nick whispers to Offred that these people are apart of Mayday (the mission to escape) and are going to rescue her. After this the narrator switches to a male professor who discovered the tapes in Maine and tries translating them hundreds of years later. The story ends.

   As someone who is a fan of the show that was created many years after the book was written, I enjoyed the novel and am glad it ended the way it did. I think the book goes into much better detail than the show does about the kind of society Gilead is and what really goes through Offreds mind. I also think the ending the author created was a smart one because it leaves the readers wondering many things like if Offred is in fact pregnant with Nick´s child or if the van that took her away was really going to help her escape or if Nick was an Eye this whole time and tricked her into getting punished. Overall I think this was a very good novel and believe it is very relevant to today´s society as womens rights and social status is still a problem today. I would highly recommend this book.

Blog #3 chapters 18-26

At the beginning of these chapters, Lisa and Maverick take the kids about 45 minutes away from Garden Heights to a different neighborhood. The kids walk into the house and then Maverick and Lisa tell them that this will be their new house. Starr has mixed emotions about this. She is happy because Garden heights are not safe and this neighborhood is. She is worried because she wants to help Garden Heights become better and become a safer neighborhood so there will be fewer events such as Khalils. The family then eats a lunch of burgers and fries on the kitchen floor together. When the family heads back to garden heights, they watch TV when they are interrupted by people shooting through the front of the house and throwing bricks through the front window. Starr realizes that this violence is directed towards her. Then comes the day of the Trial. Starr is nervous but knows that she has people to support her. Starr has been testifying for 3 hours when finally the testimony is over. It takes the court more than 3 weeks to decide on a conclusion. The conclusion is that officer 115 will not be arrested. In the rest of these chapters, Starr and Hailey are no longer friends after Hailey is offensive to Starr. There are Riots near where Khalil was murdered. In these riots, Maverick’s store and Mr. Lewis’s barbershop is destroyed. Mr.Lewis offers to give his store to Maverick to add on to his store as long as he places a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. next to a picture of Huey Newton. 
Throughout the book, Starr shows more and more perseverance to show what she believes in. This is so important because it shows how much she is willing to fight for Khalil. On Example of this is during the riots, the police threw tear gas at Starr and her friends but She picks it right back up and throws it back at them. Starr knew what she was doing and that she was fighting so hard to stop this abuse. This event illustrates how much power Starr knows that she had at that very moment.