Witness

The book Witness doesn't have one main character is has four. One farmer, two students, and one eighteen-year-old. Yes the characters change and grow through out the book. They learn that the KKK is bad and not right for their town. The internal conflict is everyone trying to get along and be happy. The external conflict is the KKK going around town threatening and hurting people.I haven't read any other book like this so I guess you could compare this book to any other book that takes place during this time. You could also compare this book to a book written about the civil rights movement.

Graceling

Graceling is book about a girl named Kasta and a boy named Po. Both characters are graced. Po is graced with mind reading and sensing other things and movements around him. Kasta is graced with fighting and survival. Kasta works for King Randa and his court to torture and kill enemies. One day she decides not to torture an innocent lord. When the king finds out he orders her to be put in the dungeon but she refuses to go to the dungeon and she runs away. While looking for the man who kidnapped Po’s grandfather, they figure out its King Leck. King Leck is also graced but he manipulates people. They find this out when King Leck kills his wife, and Po’s aunt, Aspen. They figure that out so they go rescue Bitterblue the princess and Po gets hurt so they have to leave him behind. They cross through a mountain range that only few have crossed but she does it with the princess and they go back to Po’s home land. When they get to his castle they find King Leck and she kills him. They go back, find Po, and live happily ever after.

Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino is in the 9th grade with zero friends. She called the police at a end of the year party after a senior boy tried to hurt her, and everyone hated her. She has become a outcast. She needs someone to talk to but she has become very depressed and can't talk. She hates school and begins to skip it. Melinda's parents get her a counselor, and it gets worse. She needs to speak!

Melinda went from: I might talk, to I will never talk! She changes quickly. She wanted to have the best high school years ever now she will have three more years of torture.

The book Speak is a unique book about a girl who needs to talk. It has some fast paced and some slow moving parts to the book.

Melinda has a lot of problems she needs to pick up her grades, and she needs to talk to someone who will help fix her problem of everyone hating her. Who will that person be?

The Hunger Games By: Suzanne Collins

The games have started, and many have died, but not Katniss Everdeen.  She is barely surviving on roots, raw fish and water.   Soon after becoming allies with a girl named Rue, a boy from district one comes and kills her.  Now she is all alone again until she finds Peeta the boy tribute from her district, he is hurt, sick and hiding in a cave. She cleans up his wounds and finds a huge gash on his leg it hasn’t gotten any better for days. The Gamemakers are changing the rules to: if both tributes from one district are still alive at the end, they win.  Of course Katniss wants to win with only five kids left. Will she win?

Katniss was horrified before the games had started and now she is a confident, brave girl who is willing to give everything to win. Including her hearing, she tried to steal food from the careers, and bombs went off which made her deaf in one ear.  She realizes this is her life and she isn’t going to die in the arena. She is going to win.

The Hunger Games is a very unique book. There is no magic, vampires or Greek Gods. But this book has the amount of action as The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. They are book two exciting cliffhanger books. You never know what will happen next!

Katniss as come across some internal conflicts like: Will she die today? Is Peeta going to survive? Do they have enough food? Are her sister and mom okay? Can she win?  She has little external conflict: Does Peeta really love her or is it an act? Should she play along with the lovebird story?


By Sarah Heffner

Graceling

Katsa Is a characters that changes a lot over the course of the book. She is a ruthless killer and she changes to someone who does not like to kill. Why she changes over the course is because of the conflicts out side and inside her head. what really convinces her to change is a poor lord who is kind to his people and family but did not pay up so the king has her torture him except she decides not to.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (end of part 2)

Right now there are 6 tributes left on the Hunger Games, the 18 others have died. Rue just died and it was very sad. So far there are only 2 career tributes left and they really want to kill Katniss. Katniss just blew up the career's food source and the careers are after her. All Katniss is trying to do is survive.

Katniss is the main character in the Hunger Games and she recently made an alliance with a tribute called Rue and two days later Rue died when they were blowing up the carers food. Katniss' life and strategy has changed drastically once Rue died. Rue, like all of the other tributes, had a big impact on the Hunger Games and Katniss.

I think it would be vary had to be in the Hunger Games because people would be trying to kill you every chance they get but also because you don't know who to trust and who not to trust. I think it is very hard for Katniss to trust people. That means that Rue must be very trustworthy for Katniss to trust her that much.

By: Landon Shelley

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

The other book I chose was Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. Airborn is a book about a boy named Matt Cruse he is a cabin boy on an airship named the Aurora. He is on this airship most of his life he sends all the money he gets to his mom and his two sisters. One night he was on night shift and he radios the captain. There was a big hot air balloon coming towards them. They tried to talk to the balloon but it wouldn't respond. They decided to land it on their ship. They had to get up there somehow. Matt decided to climb into the basket of the hot air balloon. When Matt reached the basket he found a old man, a very, very sick old man. A couple of days later Matt went to the Nurse where the old man was still very sick he asked Matt, "Did you see them?". Matt didn't know what he was talking about. But then later Matt meets a girl whose Grandfather was the Dying old man. They talk about the creatures he was asking about. Will Matt believe them or not like every one else?

By Ele McCarter

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Part 2)

In Part 2 of the Hunger Games Katniss is in the arena fighting to her death. There are 24 kids competing, two from each of the 12 districts. When the cannon goes off to start the Hunger Games, everyone rushes to the center to fight for food and supplies. Katniss grabs a backpack and takes off for the woods. That night she camps out in a tree and listens to the anthem play and see all of the tributes that have died that day. Every night the anthem plays and the pictures of any of the tributes that have died that day will appear on the ceiling. Days and days go on while each day kids between the ages of twelve and eighteen fight to their death.

Katniss Everdeen is the main character in the Hunger Games. Each day she forms new friends and new enemies. Through out the Hunger Games I think Katniss begins to trust herself more and more in how she is going to survive in the Hunger Games.

The Huger Games reminds me of the book Harry Potter because there is alot of action going on and fighting. Also they both take place is a made up place and have main characters who like to or have to explore the outdoors and hunt and fight.

By: Landon Shelley

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The book I read was the graveyard book by Neil Gaiman. This book has not many Characters but I think the main character Bod changed a lot throughout the book. He started out first not a very curious guy, then as the book goes on he really wonders about the outside world. Then he goes outside the graveyard. He also changed he used to not like the corner in the graveyard where all the crimminals were barried then he met Lisa. Lisa really changed his veiw on the corner. He found that she was nice and really helped him.

    The book I'd say related to the Graveyard book the most would probaly be the Giver. The Giver is just like the Graveyard because Bod is raised in a community inside of the rest of the world. In the Giver there community is inside of the world. The only diffrence is that in the Graveyard everyone knows that there is a world outside of the graveyard. In the Giver not eveyone knows that there is a world outside their community. That is the book that I think relates the most to The Graveyard book.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a book about a poor hunter girl named Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a modern version of the USA. Where there are 12 districts; every year the capital picks one boy and one girl, from the ages of 12-18 from each district. The kids who are chosen go to a large arena and they must fight to the death, until there is one left. Sixteen-year-old Katniss lives in district 12, her younger sister Prim is chosen to be the girl to fight fr district 12. Katniss knowing that her sister can not stand a chance in the games, she takes her sisters place.

Katniss is a brave girl. Every morning she goes into the woods to hunt down the food for her families day. She becomes very scared when she comes to time of the games. Her personality changes very quickly.

The Hunger Games is a very fast paced book it is very unique. It is similar to the book Harry Potter, they are both very fast paced.

Katniss is a girl with many things to think about and now she has to worry about getting murdered in the games!She is becoming very scared. She is also scared about how she will die and by who?


By Sarah Heffner

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Part 1)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a book that takes place in the ruins of a place once known as North America, in the nation of Panem, a Capitol surrounded by twelve districts. The Capitol is cruel and harsh and keeps the districts in line by making them send one boy and one girl from the ages between twelve and eighteen from every district to fight in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is a girl who lives in district 12 and hunts everyday to feeds her 12-year-old sister and mom. Everyday Katniss goes to hunt with her partner Gale. Gale and Katniss get along well and share their food that they caught with each other for their family's. Soon the annual reaping arrives and it is time for each district to pick their boy and girl for the Hunger Games. That night when it is time to announce the girl from district 12 Prim named is called. Prim is Katniss' younger sister. Katniss is stunned and immediately volunteers to take her spot in the Hunger Games. The crowd is in shock, nobody from district 12 ever volunteers for the Hunger Games, you are basically dead. Katniss and the boy tribute Peta go through all of this training and special interviews. The Hunger Games are about to start when Katniss is in her final training and get mad at the trainers and shots an arrow at one of the trainers and it hits the apple he is eating. Katniss realizes what she has done and quickly runs out of the arena. Katniss has been hunting her whole life and survival, for her, is second nature. If she wants to win she will have to making choices of life and death.

By: Landon Shelley

Witness

The book Witness takes place in a small town in Vermont. Everyone is happy in the town until the Ku Klux Klan shows up. People in the town turn against each other, some like the KKK, some don't. One twelve-year-old African-American girl, Leanora Sutter and one six-year-old Jewish girl, Esther Hirsh are not safe. There's action, violence, happiness and romance in this memior. This book tells a story from many differant points of view, including a farmer, a clergyman, a town constable, and three students.

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements is a book about a boy named Bobby, your average 15-year-old, until one day he wakes up and can't see his face in the mirror. Bobby is invisible but his clothes are not. He tells is parents and they are scared to death, even his father the physicist can't figure it out. For Bobby this means no school, no friends, no life. One day Bobby decides to go on an adventure outside of his house. He is walking down the streets completely naked and invisible. While he is walking alone he bumps into a girl named Alicia, Bobby does not know Alicia but is scared that Alicia is going to wonder who bumped into her and where that person is. Soon Bobby realizes that Alicia is blind and does not notice anything strange. After a few days being invisible and his dads own science experiment Bobby decides he has to tell someone about this besides his parents. He decides to tell Alicia but she does not believe him at first but then Bobby proves her wrong. Bobby and Alicia become very close while their fathers are busy in the lab trying to fix Bobby. Soon people start to wonder where Bobby is and if he is even still alive. He parents refuse to tell anyone about Bobby besides Alicia's family. Time is running out and government officials are knocking on Bobby's door and demanding a answer from Bobby's parents.

By: Landon Shelley

I Am Number Four

In this book the main character "Number Four" or "John Smith" grows a lot. He grows in power, such as learning how to use his powers wisely. He grows in maturity, such as recongizing that he can't stay in one place, or that he can't fall in love with a human. Then he does fall in love with a human, her name is Sarah. That is the internal conflict. He loves this girl and she loves him but soon he has to leave because of his safety. The external conflict is that he is running from the Mogadorians, the other aliens trying to kill him. Then he decides to stay and fight. There's this great fight sceen where him and his friend save his protector. It's realy cool and intense.

Unbroken by Laura Hildebrand

How did the main character change during the story?
Louis changed from being a winning Olympic track runner to an army pilot during World War II, then a tortured POW. When he was growing up in Torrence, CA he was very street smart, worked hard and had great confidence. This took him all the way to the Olympics in Germany.

He becomes a pilot during the war and is flying a plane called the Green Hornet which crashed in the ocean where many of his crew died except for Louis, Mac and Phil. They spent 47 days stranded on a raft without water, food or any supplies. Mac died on the raft. Louis was always confident that he wouldn’t die on the raft. I think his confidence kept him going and saved his life.

When he finally reaches land he is captured by the Japenese and taken to a secret prisoner camp. He was tortured, beaten and humiliated by the Japanese. He felt as if he was becoming a lesser man. He still always remained confident that he would get home. After years as a POW, he finally released and returns to Torrence.

He has a hard time getting back into life. While he was a POW, he saw things that were horrible for humans and began to feel bad about himself. At home, he became an alcoholic and smoker to escape the thoughts in his mind. There was one particular Japanese soldier called The Bird that was expecially cruel to Louis and other prisoners. The Bird haunted Louis through his dreams when he returned. Louis finally overcomes his fears from the war, when he goes to see Reverand Billy Graham. He didn’t consider himself a church person, but after seeing Billy Graham he said he would leave when everyone was quiet. On his way to the door he had his last flashback of being on the raft and he remembered something he had said on the raft. He said that “If God would save him, he would serve God forever”. Louis turned around and sat down. He gave up alcohol, smoking and straightened out his life. He learned that the only person that could help him was himself and God.


Are there other books with similar themes?

I haven’t read any other WWII books, but I’m sure there are others.

What would you change about the story?
Nothing, this was a great story.


How does the reader relate to the main character?

During the time they were on the raft Louis was always coming up with ways to use the few items on the boat to survive. He once put tied fish hooks on his fingers to grab schools of fish as the passed. I am always trying to use parts of things I’ve taken apart to come up with other uses.

What conflict did the main character experience and what would you
have done in that situation? Give specific examples.

He was stranded on a raft for 47 days after his plane crashed in the ocean. I would have grabbed as many things as I could if I had time. On the raft I would have try to save the emergency food for as long as I could. I would try to be very resourceful and not waste anything. This is what Louis and his boatmates did to survive.

During the time he was a Japanese captive, I would have been more angry then he was. I’d try to stay alive as long as I could. I’m not sure I would have been very nice to his college friend that ended up being a spy for Japan.

When Louis finally returned home I would have been so happy, but I would have celebrated that I lived and felt so fortunate. If I was having the flashbacks he had, it would have scared me. I’m not sure I would have wanted to be around anyone and would be cautious of the people I talked to. If I found myself myself smoking and drinking I would have gone to church sooner or tried to find help from a therapist.

By Hudson Brown

Graceling

Katsa changes a lot over the course of the story. Kasta used to be used and controlled by King Randa and his court. As the story goes on Kasta starts to decide that she doesn't want to be controlled by King Randa. That is one of her internal conflicts that alos effects her external dissions also. An example is when she is in trouble for not tourtering the lord that has not paid his money to the king. She gets in trouble for that so she physicly escapes the castle because of her mentle dissions

Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader at Merry Weather High School, is a
total outcast. She has no friends, the only one she can talk to a
crazy new girl: Heather. Melinda has no clan in High School, and now
her “friend” might go to a goody to shoes clan. Of course Melinda
doesn’t get invited in. At the end of 8th grade party Melinda called
the cops about something that happened and kids got arrested and all
the parents found out. And now the whole ninth grade loathes Melinda.
Including Rachel, the old best friend if Melinda, now she is Melinda’s
worst nightmare.



Melinda has gone from the girl who called the cops to the loser of the
whole ninth grade. She can’t talk about herself, because there is no
one there to listen. Her parents are always fighting and Heather is
too talkative to listen. That’s it, that is al the people she can try
to talk to. That’s all she has. So Melinda keeps it all locked up
inside.

Speak is a book about a girl who needs to talk, but has no one to talk
to. She needs to let everything out. This book is similar to The
Hunger Games. They both have a teenage girl who needs to talk to
someone but has no one to talk too. They are alone in there own worlds.

Melinda has a couple big internal conflicts, for example she has no
friends or aquatints. She is a total outcast with no one to be with.
Imagine having no one to be with having everyone hate you. Because
she has no friends, Melinda has a external problem: her grades are
failing. She can’t do the work. Just because she called the cops all
this happened.


By: Sarah Heffner

I Am Number Four

The book I Am Number Four is about an alien 15-year-old boy, who is from the planet Lorien. This boy is unlike other boys. He has powers, really cool powers such as lights on his hands, is immune to fire and he has something like the force from Star Wars that he uses. Henry, his protector, and this boy keep moving from place to place to keep themselves safe. Another alien race, the Mogadorians are hunting them. They kill them one by one and in order. There is nine of them, they've killed numbers one, two, and three. "I'm next... I am Number Four."

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a fictional book written by: Suzanne Collins. The story takes place in what used to be called the United States, but is now a country made up of thirteen districts and a capital. The main character is Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl who lives with her mother and sister. They live in district twelve, which is a poor coal mining district. Their district’s main job is to send all of their coal to the ultra rich capitol, called Panem.

Each year, the capitol forces one boy and one girl from each district to play in the Hunger Games. This is the way the capitol has keeps control over all of the districts. The games are a battle in which the kids fight to the death in an arena that the capitol designs. Katniss and a boy named Peeta are chosen from district twelve. They must fly to the capitol with their mentor and face the other challengers in the secret arena. The entire country is forced to watch the games on television that is broadcast every day, until there is only one survivor.

This is a book about friendship, survival and loyalty. The book also is about making choices, both good and bad. I thought this was one of the best books I have read. It keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Ava Devine

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Summary:

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a depressed girl named Melinda. Melinda has no friends in her first year of high school. The summer before her freshman year Melinda goes to a party, gets drunk, and is raped by a senior named Andy Evans. Melinda calls the police who come and arrest some kids for underage drinking. Melinda's friends get mad at her for calling the police, and she starts out high school with no friends. Melinda's only friend, Heather, leaves her to join a clique.

Her depression gets worse. She stops talking to her parents and starts skipping school. Melinda has bad grades in everything except art, which is taught by Mr. Freeman. Mr. Freeman understands her pain and wants her to express it in her art.

Melinda's old friend, Rachel, starts dating Andy. Melinda warns her. Rachel finally believes Melinda and dumps Andy. Andy knows Melinda told Rachel and tries raping Melinda for the second time. Hearing her screams, Melinda's old friend, Nicole and the lacrosse team come to her aid.

At the end of the year Melinda is considered a brave person. She tells her story and tries moving on with her life.

-Anna Low

1.Witness by Karen Hesse is historical fiction novel told by eleven characters. It has the structure of a play consisting of five acts. Each individual shares events that occur while the Klu Klux Klan comes to their small Vermont town in 1924. Some characters are more influential than others. Such as Lenora Sutter, a motherless, black girl. Esther Hirsh, age six, also motherless and a Jew. These children tend to reside under the roof of Sara Chickering, the farmer. Merlin Van Tornhout, eighteen, is a classic trouble maker who gets mixed up with the Klan. Jonny Reeves, the clergyman also gives some interesting perspective to the story.
The inhabitants of the community turn on each other and there is constant unrest while the Klan is in the town. Over the course of the book there is a suicide, a shooting, a branding and other horrors. Some of the people in the town loose their sense of what is right and wrong and their common sense.
One of the characters, Esther Hirsh, reminded me of Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. They both don't quite understand what's going on in traumatic situations because they are so young and innocent.

2.Shelf Life:Stories by the Book edited by Gary Paulson is a collection of ten short stories revolving around the idea of friendships and family relationships. Each story is set in a different time period, different environment and through the eyes of a child. There is no central character to analyze.
This book reminded me of the novel What's a Fish Got to do with Anything by Avi. It's structure is similar in that each story is told through the eyes of a child and the book explores the difficulties of family relationships.
Because there isn't a main character, the conflict is really more about the interactions within the family relationships and friendships. The conflicts seem to be resolved too quickly, and the relationships change because of small, insignificant events.

3.
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is a historical fiction novel set in 1776-1777. It's told through the eyes of Isabel, an orphan slave girl living in the North. She and her sister, Ruth, are forced to leave their Rhode Island home when their former owner passes away. Isabel is conflicted because by law they are free, but their former owner's descendant doesn't believe Isabel and will not further investigate the situation. In Boston the sisters are sold to a loyalist family, the Locktons, who are returning to their New York home. During her time in New York, Isabel attempts to juggle many problems such as her sister's secret, the part she plays in the war, and her constant fight for freedom.
Isabel internally struggles greatly in the book. She cannot decide what's more important: helping her friend Curzon, or escaping with her sister. Externally, Isabel receives harsh treatment verbally and physically from her cruel mistress.
Isabel reminded me a lot of the character Katniss, from The Hunger Games, because of their constant perseverance to protect their families.

Genna Holtz

The Hunger Games internal and character development and connections to other books

Throughout The Hunger Games, Katniss was always very stubborn. Then, once The Hunger Games began, she was less stubborn about opening up to people. She opened herself up to Peeta and knew it was being broadcatsed to all of Panem. She trusted certain people more and others even less. She became more sensitive and changed throughout her entire experience in that arena. She also became more aware of what was going on in different districts, which made her more grateful for her district, which she so often complained about. Peeta realized his true love in that arena and he will never let it go. He became stronger, but still the same sweet and sensitive person he was. He knew he would always care about Katniss, but in the arena and on tour, he fell in love with her even more.
The Hunger Games is such a unique book. The plot is different from a lot of other books. The only similarities i can think of is 1984 by George Orwell. Both books were set in the future (from the time they were written) and predicted what the government would be like. In both of these books the world is very segregated. In The Hunger Games, each distric is in some level of poverty except for district 1, where the government lives and the they were cruel to the other districts and made them work extra hard to produce products for them. In 1984, the government is very controlling and wealthier as well. While the people who work to supply for them go without, the people of the government have more than enough.

The Arrival

1. In the Arrival a man has to leave his family. His old town has monster inhabited in it so he goes to a foreign country so that eventually the rest of his family can move there too. The book is mostly about how confusing it is to immigrate to a foreign country. He struggles with getting used to the food, animals, and people there. Soon he meets others that are in the same situation as he is. They all have their tragic story to tell the man. These people help him a lot and soon he settles in. He also befriends an animal that is his pet. Soon his wife and daughter come and they are all happy.

2. The man in the arrival changes over the course of the story by becoming more aware of how hard it is to immigrate to another country. Also I think the reader becomes aware of that as well after reading it.

3. The arrival is similar to a book called Flotsam. Flotsam is about a camera that is washed away in the ocean. While it is there it take pictures of all types of ocean creatures and eventually a boy finds it and develops the film and he sees all of these cool animals. I think these books are the same because they both do not have words and they are both about travel.

4. The man in the Arrival faces in internal conflict because in a completely new place he has to make a lot of decisions. He faces external conflict because monsters scare him and people are annoyed that he does not know that much about the new country.

- Nora Duncan

Graceling

Graceling is a book about a girl, Kasta, and a boy, Po. Kasta is a graced fighter and has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight years old. Po is graced with mind reading and sensing the movements around him. Together they search out evil King Leck. On the mission they are trying to kill him. When I was reading Graceling Kasta always reminded me of Katniss of the Hunger Games. Both characters were forced by dictators to kill against their will.

The Arrival By Shaun Tan-Conflicts

In this book, the main character comes across many conflicts.

An example of an internal conflicts in this book would be: when he had to leave his family. He had to decide whether staying with them or leaving them would be better for everyone or not.

An example of an external conflict in this book would be: when he had trouble navigating his way around his new environment and having to adjust to things.

I really enjoyed this book, overall.

It was different than any other book out there and describes a more creative and, I guess, modern story of immigration using pictures instead of words.

Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader at Merry Weather High School, is a total outcast.  At the end of the 8th grade party last year,  Melinda called the cops about something that happened. Kids got arrested and all the parents found out. Now the whole ninth grade loathes Melinda.  Including Rachel, her old best friend, now she is Melinda’s worst nightmare.

She has no friends, the only one she can talk to a crazy new girl: Heather. Melinda has no clan in High School, and now her “friend” might go to a goody to shoes clan. Of course Melinda doesn’t get invited in. 

Melinda has gone from the girl who called the cops to the loser of the whole ninth grade. She can’t talk about herself, because there is no one there to listen. Her parents are always fighting and Heather is too talkative to listen. That’s it, that is all the people she can try to talk to. That’s all she has. So Melinda keeps it all locked up inside.

Speak is a book about a girl who needs to talk, but has no one to talk to. She needs to let everything out. This book is similar to The Hunger Games. They both have a teenage girl who needs to talk to someone but has no one to talk too.  They are alone in there own worlds.

Melinda has a couple big internal conflicts, for example she has no friends or aquatints.  She is a total outcast with no one to be with. Imagine having no one to be with, and having everyone hate you.  Because she has no friends, Melinda has a external problem: her grades are failing. She can’t do the work. Just because she called the cops all this happened.

One Crazy Summer

    One Crazy Summer was based back in California in the 1960's. Three girls fly to their long lost mother who abandoned them when they where very young. They get to Oakland, California to find their mother is a part of a clan alled the "Black Panthers". They go to the summer camp the Pathers have at a center near by. Delphine wants to stop going to the camp because of a rally, but when something happens to there mother they must go. In between all of this they go on smaller adventures around the city.
     Delphine is the oldest of the 3 girls. She is only 11 but she is a great leader for her younger sisters Vonetta and Fren. Delphine isn't afraid to stand up for what ahe believes in. She is storng yet loving and caring.
     I don't think this book is like anyother, because it has lots of unexpected twists. It was lso about a group of people no book that I have ever read even mentioned them.
    Two things i would change about this book are: 1. The begining is very slow. So I would change up the things they talked about in the begining. 2. Some parts of the book got confussing. You had to stop and think for a minute then you'd get it. Other then those two thing i wouldn't change anything else.
   I thought this was a great book and i recomend you read it.

GRACELING

When i think about GRACELING it reminds me a bit of HARRY POTTER 7. In GRACELING Katsa and Po go on an adventure looking for king Leck who has a grace like them. In HARRY POTTER 7 Harry, Ron, and Hermione go on an adventure looking for Voldemort who is a wizard like them. Now lots of people would disagree they would say the stories are nothing alike, but when you look at the detsils of the book you'll find similarities. Another similarity is that in both books normal people are scared of wizards or gracelings and in both stories guess who ends up saving the normal people let's see the wizards and gracelings. Here's another thing thats the same in both books at the end the main characters are finally appreciated by everyone. 

GRACELING

In GRACELING Katsa has a lot of problems inside her head and outside. For starters her king makes her go out to hurt or kill people and she knows its wrong but she is to scared to face the king. Another problem would be she doesn't know if she can trust Po the linied prince. Then Giddon one of Randas lords asks her to marry and she has to say no because she never wants to marry. Which is another problem because Randa always tries to get her to marry but she dosn'nt want to. Those are just a few of Katsa's many problems.

GRACELING

In GRACELING Katsa (the main character) doesn't trust anyone she is very angry and has a real "life hates me attitude" about herself. Until one day a linied prince Po comes to the castle and at first she really does not like or trust him. They do however become very close friends and Katsa realizes she can actually trust people. Then when she meets Bitterblue and Bitterblue becomes queen she realizes that not everyone is a jerk and she starts to become happy. Katsa starts to appreciate her grace and learns to be nice. Thats how Katsa changes throughout GRACELING 

GRACELING

In GRACELING Katsa who is the main character is very interesting for starters she has a grace. A grace for those of you who don't know is when someone has an ability super enhanced some examples of graces are mind reading, breathing under water, or Katsas which is killing or so they think it turns out to be survival. Katsa is under her kings control until she decides that what the king is telling her to do is wrong and she rebels. That brings her into a adventure with her new friend Po a linied prince who also has a grace   a very interesting grace, read the book if you want to find out what it is.   Katsa and Po go into a huge search do find out if king Leck is evil. They think he has a grace which he does and can make people think what he wants them to think. in the end they go through an elaborate plot to rescue the ten year old princess Bitterblue from king Leck who wishes to hurt her. They succeed and everyone lives happy lives even though Po is now blind. Before i go on i forgot an interesting fact about gracelings they have two different colored eyes. Anyways Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea  because when they killed Leck Bitterblue became queen of the place that Leck ruled which was monsea.

The Hunger Games: Part Three

           Katniss goes searching for Peeta.  When she finds him he is wounded and camouflaged in the muddy bank of the stream.  She takes care of him and gets him back healthy.  She looks after him and does the romance thing so that they can get gifts from sponsors.

           Eventually they have to go against the third person left witch in this case is Cato.  He is one of the strongest “tributes.”  When they begin, killing machines attack them.  Then Katniss shoots Cato into the pack.  They won right.  NO.  The announcer said that they changed the rules back to only one winner.

            Katniss and Peeta won’t kill each other.  So they make a show by taking poisonous berries and pretend to do a double suicide.  Then the announcer says they can both win.  They won the hunger games!  Or did they?

            Katniss and Peeta must keep the lovey dovey thing going so that they don’t get punished by the capitol for the berries trick.  Eventually Katniss finds out that Peeta is really in love with her.  But then he finds out that whole time she was never in love with him.  Oops!  Until the train for district 12 pulls up.  They put on a smile, hold hands and get on the platform.

I am number four

In "I am number four" there are a lot of internal and external conflicts. For example one of the internal conflicts is John isn't sure to dump his girlfriend because he doesn't want to be sad if he has to leave town all of the sudden. Another internal conflict is he's not sure if he has to leave town because Henri says he senses the Magodorians getting closer to him. An external conflict faces is having to fight the Magodorians. Those are the internal and external conflicts.

I am number four

"I am number four" is a lot like the book "Super human". The People from the planet Lorien have Powers, and so do the super humans. In the book "Super human" the bad guys try to take over the world, and in "I am number four" the Magodorians try to take over the world. Also the group is a little awkward, and they don't get a long that well. Both of the groups aren't only humans, aliens, or super humans. That is how the books are similar.

things not seen: chracter development and lesson of the story

In the book Things not seen the main character, Bobby, has changed through out the book. He used to be the cool-Bobby, he now is the shy, scared, and worried Bobby. After everything that happened to him you could tell that he was and changing. With all the lies that he, his friends and family had to say made all of them worried that one day they would be caught. The

invisbility tragedy changed his life forever. The lesson to me about the story was that no matter what you will have your friends and family there right beside you. His mom, dad, Alicia and her parents were all there to support him and help him no matter what.

gone: internal and external conflicts

In this book the main character, Sam, has to deal with a lot internal and external conflicts.

One of the internal conflict is when Caine or Drake picks up a fight with Sam and he has to decide to fight or not fight for the sake of the "FAYZ" and for the sake of his life and other peoples life.One external conflicts is how he has to stuggle with no food and struggle.

things not seen: internal and external conflicts

In things not seen the main character, Bobby, has to deal with a lot of internal and external conflicts.

One of the many external conflicts that happen is when Bobby has to go outside and meet Alicia; he either has to meet her naked-so no one knows his secret or fully dressed-to seem like there is someone in those clothes. A lot of the times Bobby has to dodge people walking down the streets or little boys riding their scooters. An example of an internal conflict is when Bobby should stay in his house since he is invisible or go outside even though his parents don't want him to. But, he usually does sneak out to meet with Alicia.

I didn't really like this book because it was kinda boring for me. I like reading books with action and most of the time the book got boring and cheesy.

gone:storyline and character development

Toddlers, kids, babbies, young teens in Perido Beach are soon to find themselves alone. No adults. Gone. Television, video games, internet, phones nothing everything is gone. Theres no help. In the book Gone all the kids in Perido Beach are soon to be surprised about the changes that are happening animals are mutating into dangerous creatures and worst of all, kids are getting dangerous powers, and food is running out. Its every man for themselves. Sam is the "leader" of the good guys and Caine his brother is the "leader" of the bad guys. Sides are being chosen and war is being built. They soon realize that there is a barrier around the "FAYS" ( which is what they call it) I think that Sam has changed the most because he was a nobody that was shy, lazy, now he is popular, everyone knows him.

-Oriana Cardarelli

Hunger games summary: Part two

“Let the games begin.”

            24 of them in the beginning and will get narrowed down to two.  Katniss and Peeta started out on their own.  Then she found out he was teamed with the careers.  (The strong, rich kids.) 

            In part two Katniss only kills two people. It all started with them trapping her in a tree. They slept there all night but Katniss woke up before them.  Her new friend Rue tells her that there is a tracer jacker nest in the tree. (killer wasp.)  She gets the idea to chop off the branch so the wasps will kill them before her.  Some end up escaping to the lake but two get killed.

            After Katniss teams up with her new friend Rue from district 11.  They know that they have to take down the careers.  So they think of burning the careers food.  So they split up to do the job.  She finds out that Peeta is now not with the careers.  Unfortunately, Katniss finds Rue died by one of the careers.

After Rue’s death the announcer wants more on the romance story.  He changes the rules to be if the last two left were from the same district that both could win.  Before Katniss could stop herself she yelled Peeta’s name.

The Hunger Games: Part One

         In the first third of the book we were introduced by the character Katniss Everdeen.  She is a teenager who hunts to put food on her families table. She lives with her mother and sister from district 12. Her father is dead. Her father was a really good hunter before he died and taught Katniss some tricks. Katniss hunts with another boy named Gale.

            Every year there is an event called The Hunger Games. Where two “tributes” a girl and a boy are drafted to an arena where they fight until there is one person left and they are the winner. At the reaping Katniss’ little sister got drafted in. So she offered to take her place so she wouldn’t get killed. Also drafted from district 12 is Peeta Mellark. Peeta Mellark is the baker’s son who might like Katniss. After the reaping (the selection process.) Katniss and Peeta have to go away to the Capitol to prepare for the games.

            During the opening ceremonies all of the “tributes” must show the judges their talent and get scored. Katniss showed the judges her archery skills and scored a high score of 11 out of 12. On the other hand her sister Peeta got a low score of 7. Now the games can begin.

I am number four

John in "I am number four" changes in ways that makes him more independent. He does what he wants to do, not what Henri wants him to do. He gets a girlfriend, and stands up to bullies in school, which is exactly what Henri doesn't want to happen. Henri wants him to be quiet so the Magodorians don't find him. in the end John pays for it, and he fights the magodorians. That is how his character changes.

I am number four

In "I am number four" John (the main character) is getting chased by these aliens called the Magodorians. These aliens destroyed his planet. He is one of the nine survivors. Three of them are dead, he is the next one they are after. He is on Earth,and so are the Magodorians. The Magodorians are also on Earth to make Earth their permanent home. John has to save Earth while saving himself. This book is filled with action, and has a bunch of unexpected turns. I loved this book.

FREAK THE MIGHTY by Rodman Philbrick (connection to other books and internal and external conflict)

Freak The Mighty is not like any book I've ever read. It's unique. This book has a lot of teamwork and so does A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Charles, Meg and Calvin work together just like Kevin and Max did. Charles was small, sure, but just like Kevin, he was super smart! They worked together and fought any wrong that came their way.
Max had so much conflict going on iside his head! He was forced to choose between two stories at one point in the book and went with the one he truely remembered. He didn't let anyone tell him otherwise. With Kevin around, Max was learning more than ever before! Max questioned if he really wasn't smart or if he was just lazy. At the end of the book Max had to find and question the true value of life. All these events and conflicts never left Max the same person. He became smarter and wiser, no one could change Max's opinion after he was sure it was correct or the best. Max will never be like what he was in the begining of the book.

FREAK THE MIGHTY by Rodman Philbrick (summary and character development)

Max was a lonely boy, with a lot of history involving his parents that he'd like to forget. Max has lived with his grandparents ever since that fateful day. He isn't the smartest but he sure is tall and strong. He meets up with his new neighbor and discovers he knew him in preschool and their parents were very close. Kevin (Max's new neighbor and friend) is short and crippled with braces on his body but he is a genius! Now kevin and Max band together to create Freak The Mighty. They slay dragons and fight gangs and go on quests. They are unstoppable. Max changed throughout this book. He used to be a quiet misunderstood boy who never realized the true value of life. He had no self esteem and felt like the lowest form of life. He was never smart so when he was little, he used to kick to communicate. Then Kevin came along and Max felt smarter and safer. He felt like as long as Kevin was around he was smart. Kevin was never strong and he always dreamed he would be able to run around especially if it was with a robot body. Max came along and Kevin had strength! He could run as much as he wanted to! As Freak The Mighty, they had everything they ever wanted.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan- Summary and Character Development

The Arrival by Shaun Tan is a graphic novel about a sort-of futuristic immigrant.

A man leaves his wife and daughter to find a better life for all of them. The man enters a world of shadows and wonder, filled with funny creatures and boats that sail in the sky. It is a very magical and whimsical land. For me, it represents how foreign a faraway place is to someone. Everything is different and new and a little weird.

But, life there is not all fun and games, life never is! The man begins to work at a huge factory (along with many other workers with the same intentions as him) in an assembly line, sorting things into piles. The man meets many people with stories on how they got there to that magical place, and it turns out, almost all of the people there are immigrants just like him.

The man would always send his daughter a letter, folded into a paper crane. It ended up that the man's wife and daughter sent him a letter saying they were coming there to join him, which they did. By the end of the story, his family has settled down and is living in a house in the magical land the man moved to.

Over the course of this story, the man changes a lot. He starts out as the "new guy" or the tourist. But gradually, he becomes a native almost and ends up directing other "new guys" or tourists where to go. The story could go on forever and ever, almost. An evolving cycle of life where immigrants or "tourists" move in, the natives show them how things work, and then leave everyone else to finish things up. Its just like life, only more futuristic and straightforward. Even though this story had no text, it said a lot.

Lucy Murrey

Things not Seen by Andrew Clements-Conflicts and Similar themes

In this book, Bobby comes across many internal and external conflicts.

An example of external conflicts is when Bobby finds himself having to get to the hospital or maybe the library, and must either be fully clothed- to look like there is a person under the clothes -or completely bare- so no one even knows of his existence. In many of these situations, Bobby comes across little boys on scooters or random people on the street that he must dodge.

A good example of internal conflicts in this book is when Bobby must decide if he is going to sit around and do nothing about the fact that he is invisible, or get up and do some "sleuthing". Bobby often secretly leaves the house to do some of his own research with Alicia, even though his father is already busy at the lab trying to find some-sort of hypothesis onto why this is happening to Bobby.

Obviously, all of these decisions and conflicts help Bobby to realize he can be more independent and make his own decisions, rather than his parents deciding for him. He realizes that this is his life and he should be making the crucial decisions that set the path for the rest of his life.

At the time, I can not think of another book I've read with the same theme or storyline, there's not much like it. Invisibility is not a theme I normally come across when thinking of a book to read. This book is witty and a little cheesy, but still a very practical and possible situation. It definitely leaves me thinking.

-Lucy Murrey

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements- Storyline and Character Development

This book (Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements) is about a boy -Bobby- who wakes up one morning realizing he is completely invisible. He also bonds and becomes friends with a blind girl named Alicia along the way.

The main character (Bobby) changes throughout the story because he finally becomes scared. Bobby starts to wonder about his condition and if it will ever be fixed. Also, Bobby must go in hiding ,which isn't hard, because people are wondering where he is and why he has been absent from school for almost a month. Suddenly, the police become involved and Bobby's family has to keep many secrets and tell more lies than they should have to. Things start getting crazier when Bobby's parents get in a car accident and Bobby is left home alone for a while. That is when I think this character changed because instead of being the super-cool Bobby, he has become the scared, shy, sort-of depressed Bobby. That is when I think his eyes were opened.

-Lucy Murrey

Dear middle school students,

One of the things we love most about summer is time.  Summer affords us a break from the busy pace of the school year and the opportunity to capitalize on increased time – time to play, relax, travel, explore, “just be” with friends and family. And, most importantly, time to read.  At Trinity, we read because that’s what readers do. And we believe that reading – for comprehension and for pleasure – is at the heart of one’s education. 

This summer, 6^th and 7^th graders are expected to select and read a minimum of two of the books on the list below.  Please consider your just right book level* as you make your choice and a way to capture your thinking about your reading as you go.  Sticky notes, text coding, written reflections, etc. are some options to get you started.

8th graders are expected to select and read a minimum of two texts from our list as well as SLOB by Ellen Potter. SLOB will serve as our first common text for the class of 2012. Winner of a Library Guild award, SLOB explores the themes trust, disappointment, and life as a middle school student.  As you read, pay particular attention to questions that pop into your mind as you read and notice how the author answers them – often in ways you may not expect.  Also notice how the main character uses humor in his descriptions – what purpose does this serve for him?

All middle school students should be prepared to share their thinking about summer reading on the first day of school and in faculty and staff led book groups – more to come on this in August.  

Once you complete a text, please visit http://stellarsurvey.com/s.aspx?u=1D6C7030-A2A5-451F-87FD-54A87466BC32&  to tell us about your reading.  Completing these responses will count as your first quiz grades and also allow us to form book groups in the fall. 

We trust that you will be reading well beyond this assignment – finding texts that capture your interests and heart. Our hope is that these texts will intrigue you, engage you, challenge you, and make you smile.

Happy summer, happy reading,

Mr. Dia and Mrs. Rietz

* Libraries at Trinity Episcopal School are “leveled” in accordance with the Fountas and Pinnell text gradient.  The gradient also guides reading level benchmarks for the TCRWP at Columbia University. A level is described by a cluster of characteristics; no text will have every characteristic listed for the level. In the gradient, the letter A indicates the easiest books to read and the letter Z identifies the most challenging books. Middle school students should be reading independently from levels T/U/V in sixth grade to level Z by the end of eighth grade.

** Text contains mature content for some readers

Middle School 2011 Summer Reading List

Please select at least two books from the list below and read them over the summer. 

Be prepared to discuss and reflect on your reading when school resumes in August!

REALISTIC FICTION

Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee, 2008 SC Young Adult Book Award **

 

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan,                       

2005 America’s Award (Level V)

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (Level W)

Guys Read: Funny Business edited by Jon Scieska (Level Z)

Heart of a Samurai written by Margi Preus, 2011

           Newbery Honor

Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes (Level V)

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, 2011

Newbery Honor and 2011 Coretta Scott King Award

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson ** (Level Z)

American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; Michael L. Printz Award - Honor; National Book Awards – Finalist

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Level X),

     2009 Newbery Winner

HISTORICAL FICTION

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (Level Z),

2008 National Book Nominee

Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse (Level S),

      ALA Best Book, 2009

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, 2011 Newbery Winner

FANTASY

Airborne by Kenneth Oppell, Printz Award Honor Book

Gone by Michael Grant

Graceling by Kristen Cashore, 2008 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, YALSA Award Winner

The Hound of Rowan by Henry Neff (Level X)

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore, Agatha Award Winner

Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements (Level V)

NONFICTION AND MEMOIR

Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival… by Laura Hillenbeard, National Book

Critics Circle

Award finalist

Lay-Ups and Long Shots by Joseph Bruchac (Level U/V), 2009 Booklist Top 10

Shelf Life: Stories by the Book, edited by Gary Paulsen (Level Y),

The Arrival by Shaun Tan, a New York Times Notable Children’s Book of 2007, ALA Notable and Top Ten Best Books 2008

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, 2011 ABA Young Adult Book of the Year

Witness by Karen Hesse ** (Level Z)