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Chop Wood Carry Water
by: Joshua Medcalf
Self-Help Book

BOOK:
Chop Wood Carry Water is about a young man John going to Japan to become a Samurai Archer. While he is there he meets his sensei, Akira who teaches him to live in the moment and not to chase dreams that are materialistic but to chase dreams that will help guide you in life. The book revolves around John being told to chop wood and carry water everyday with only have three hours of practice for his archery. John does not think this will do anything but in the end he understands why he was told to do this all day and overall benefit his archery skills in the long run.

HEAD:
I was surprised that John's morals completely changed over the years in Japan because it taught him not only to trust the process but to fall in love with the process of becoming great. This book confirmed my belief that I need to not take for granted the hard parts in life, and rather learn from them. I noticed that Sensei Akira was so incredibly patience with John and helped guide John during some his hardest times while in Japan.

HEART:
This book made me realize that in order to become successful you need to fall in lone with the process of becoming great and take the right steps for you to get there. This book also helped me realize the fundamental of life rather than just the "pretty" things in life.

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The Great Santini by Pat Conroy
Domestic Fiction

After coming back from being deployed overseas in the Marine Corps,  Colonel Bull Meechum comes home to his children and wife who he has not seen in a year. He keeps his disciplinarian energy on and off the base. His son Ben has to do deal with his dad's attitude and abusive behavior in everything he does. The book is told from a third person omniscient looking to the lifes of the Meechum family. The main theme of this book in my opinion so far is loyalty. Everyone in the Meechum household hates the stuff that Bull does and yet they still choose to devote their lifestyle to how the marines do it. What I think the author wants you to understand is that family should always be important in spite of everything that may be going on.

Head
What surprised me in "The Great Santini" was that you figure out Bull Meechum has a weak spot. When he goes to his superiors office to discuss his squadron in Ravenel he gets nervous in front of him and before that you hadn't really seen any type of behavior like that out of Bull. My thinking of military households was confirmed because the way Bull makes his family behave inside and outside the house is the same way I've seen military families act in real life. They are always well behaved and never out of line and the parent or parents who were in the military are always on a goal to put their kids into the military at any cost.

Heart
After reading this I feel like I will have a better understanding of everything because this book is considered a classic American novel. From what I have seen every classic novel helps you grow as a person in some type of way. This book has helped me understand the way some people live because Meechum is described as abusive in the book and abuse of all forms in our society today is frowned upon but in the 60's abuse was common and I feel bad for the people growing up in those times because that can change you a lot as a person. This text made feel lucky that I am in the community I am in. The older people in my life dealt with the stuff that Bull's kids go through and I am lucky enough that they didn't continue those patterns.

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The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
Young Adult fiction

Book
The book is about two young children who meet at a cancer support group. The story is told from the view of Hazel the main character who has been battling cancer her whole life. She ends up Meeting Agustus Waters who is starting to recover from cancer and they fall in love. He is able to break Hazel out of her shell. The Author is trying to get the reader to understand the true meaning behind love.

Head
I was surprised when at the end of the story Augustus cancer comes back. The author thought that the reader was expecting a happy ending. My thinking changed when Agustus reveals that his cat scan lit up like a Christmas tree when looking for cancer. I noticed that the book was probably not going to end in a happy way.

Heart
After reading this story I learned its so important to live in the moment. Hazel seemed to have been wasting her life away before she was forced into trying something new like the support group. She was able to enjoy a love story. This story made me feel happy and exited at the beginning and then very sad at the end. I learned that it is better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all.

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The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Fiction
Book
In "The Alchemyst," Nicholas Flamel, expert alchemyst, ends up losing the Book of Abraham to his nemesis Dr. John Dee, who plans to use it to destroy the world. When Dr. John Dee is stealing the book, Sophie and Josh Newman, the protagonists, manage to find themselves entangled in this new world of magic and must fight to save the world. The story is told from a 3rd person omniscient view. The theme is teamwork. This book makes me think of the Fablehaven series, which I still need to finish. Both of which are mostly about two kids discovering a magical world hidden within theirs.
Head
What surprised me was that even though I don't generally like the fantasy genre of books, this book still makes me want to continue reading. I did notice that most of the fantasy books I have read in my time have very similar story lines with a normal kid learning about a magical world hidden in their own.
Heart
This book made me feel better about who my friends are. There have been many times where I have doubted that my friends are really there for me but after this book I really know that they are my friends. This text has changed my thinking about the world. There really is a magical world hidden within our own. It's not witches and wizards like all the books and movies say. The magical world is all the nice people who are just going through their lives and being nice to everyone they meet. I hope I can one day be fully a part of that world.

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I read a wide selection of stories, my favorite being a piece called "The Angel In The Forest". It is the genre Fantasy

Book: The Book is about two animal based protagonists, each a different species, overcoming their difference and learning to overcome the "Predator & Prey" instinct inside of them in order to survive the never-ending winter. They eventually find and rescue two cubs, one of each protagonist's respectable species, and they had then been given a reason past survival to outrun and make it through the never ending season. The story is about their troubles and their journey to a shelter they can raise the two cubs in, and how they adapt to the new world around them. The narrator is one of the two protagonists, a grey mouse named Larry, who is on the run from a foreshadowed force. The book switches perspectives, often going to the second protagonist, Mortimer, the bat who saved and is working together with Larry. "The Angel In The Forest" reminds me of "To Kill A Mockingbird", As the main conflict in both is The difference. Larry and Mortimer are often seen by others as trouble, Due to Mortimer being a predator. And People in "To Kill A Mockingbird" often see those that are of a "colored" tone to be different, and bad.

Head: I was surprised when it was revealed that Larry distrusted Mortimer, But that they were able to understand one another past Predatory instinct. This allowed them to better navigate the problem at hand, as more of a team. The author has done well to make it clear that the world for the characters is one close to an apocalyptic wasteland. Prey has little to no chance unless well stocked and prepared, Or in Larry's case, When paired with a predator. The size ratio between Larry And Mortimer being little to no difference was surprising, As most of the species, which in real life would be different, were close to the same size ( size was usually around that of 2 - 3 inches ). I noticed the larger threats, such as wolves and foxes, were made to be bigger in size, close to the size of a normal human.

Heart: I learned i often root for the antagonists, if their actions are justified ( The hunters of Larry were only doing it to save their family ). I learned you can never judge one's actions until you know why they were enforced, and how it helps and hinders them. This help's me to be better, as both Mortimer and Larry were scared of one another, but they learned to cooperate and become attached to one another, despite their difference. I can be better by cooperating and understanding those different to myself, and listen to what they are past their differences. This text gave me very wholesome and very strong emotions that made me happy and understand how the characters felt on a better level. I don't think my thinking of the world has changed much, aside from seeing those who pick on others and lie as the wolves, and those they pick on as the foxes. ( The Foxes were taken prisoner by the wolves, and used for work ) I also learned that even something as "small" as a mouse or a bat can persuade and save those trapped by said "wolves". My actions to this day will be better planned and thought out, as i would like to avoid being someone that makes someone feel small and powerless against me.

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"The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
Genre: mystery, detective fiction, conspiracy fiction, thriller
Book

Louvre curator and a member of Priory of Sion - Sauniere was murdered in the Louvre museum. After he was shot he had some time to leave some clues in Da Vinci’s paintings, and some encrypted messages, that lead to the Holy Grail. In his death note he mentioned Professor Langdon because he was supposed to be the one to decrypt all of his messages, and find the answer to a religious mystery. But during the investigation Langdon becomes the main suspect, so he has to run away with the help of Sauniere’s granddaughter. And throughout the book they become closer and closer to solving the mystery, and learning more about themselves.

The story is told from the third point of view, so the author - Dan Brown is telling it. He talks about religious mysteries, and as the story goes many famous events appear to be different from what all of us were told. For example, the Holy Grail in the book didn’t turn out to be a cup, it is actually the place of the burial of Magdalene's bones. And it makes the reader think if everything we were told is true because all of these events and discoveries are so popular and well-known, but do we actually know the truth? And the book challenges your thinking because you never know what is going to appear as truth, who is going to appear as the murderer, where they are going to end up. And The Da Vinci Code’s plot is so thoughtfully put together, that it sounds like truth. The main characters would solve riddles, and they would decrypt messages and codes, and all of that relies on scientifically proven facts, or on discoveries that were made thousands of years ago. And maybe some parts of the book could actually be the truth.

Head

What surprised me is what all of the encrypted messages lead them to. When Neveu and Langdon are about to solve a cryptex, or find a code to the bank’s safe deposit box you never know what is going to happen, and you never know what the answer is going to be based on. All of the messages, and ciphers are so complicated and connected to so many things that the answers to them are kind of surprising.

I noticed that sometimes in the book the author would bring up the stereotypes that people have to face very often. For example, Neveu is a very young cryptographer still very successful for her age. Sometimes in the book I would just notice how she wouldn’t be trusted with what she would say. In the very beginning the police didn’t seem to be very trusting even though she had all of the evidence that proved what she was saying. Just because she was young she wasn’t trusted as anyone else older probably would be.

Heart

The Da Vinci Code kind of made me feel like I can’t trust everything I see or hear. The plot of the story is built using real life events, but the story is made up. But it could be true and we will never know. Maybe Da Vinci’s paintings actually have meanings, maybe they lead to something, and maybe someone knows the answer as the members of Priory of Sion knew. As the result of reading this text, maybe I will start thinking and learning more about the events that are happening around me, or the ones that lead to them and happened thousands of years ago.

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"The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan. This book is a fantasy fiction but is unique because it is almost its own genre, mythological fiction.
I have only just started reading this book during my free time in online school I have read the previous book in the series "The Lost Hero" but that was in 6th grade! I have also Read all of the original percy jackson series novels which I loved in 5th grade. This book is about Percy and the discover of a new half blood camp "Camp Jupiter". Percy starts the story off on the run and not sure how he got where is. In fact he wakes up knowing nothing but the name Annabeth. After proving himself at "Camp jupiter" He goes on a crazy quest to free the imprisoned roman god of war. The story is told in a 3rd person limited point of view and often switches from the three main characters perspectives. So far the author really wants us on the edge of our seats and keeps in the dark and many of the secrets I expect a huge payoff in the end. This book has really made me think of all the pervious books in the series and how Percy will do anything to find the truth.
HEAD:
What surprised me was the route Rick Riordan took in blanking everyones favorite characters memory. I think that there is no way he doesn't get his memory back in the book. I have noticed that the kids at "Camp Jupiter" seem to know more about Percy Jackson then they are letting on.
HEART:
Something that I felt reading this book was the stress and confusion going on in Percy's head the Author does a very good job of making you feel what he is feeling. My actions will change after reading this in a way that I will be more trusting. Percy knows when he can't do things on his own and he trust the people around him and I think that I a trait I haven't been doing good with.

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"The Song of Achilles" by Madeline Miller.
This book is a historical fiction novel.
This book is a retelling of the story of Achilles and the Trojan War. It focuses on the lives of Patroclus and Achilles and is told from Patroclus' perspective. The novel reimagines the legend of Achilles and focuses on the tragic romance between the two characters. "The Song of Achilles" does a beautiful job of portraying both beneficial and harmful character development as well as how people are affected by war, death, and prophecies.
One of the main themes the author intends for readers to understand is that the true heroes, the ones who are selfless and do not live for fame, are the ones who are taken for granted and overlooked in favor of the ones who seek glory.
This book reminded me of when we read "The Illiad" in class because after reading it, I realized that the people we idolize as heroes (Achilles and Odysseus) are not as honorable as we think them to be. Instead, the characters who are cast to the side and thought of as weak or unimportant (Patroclus and Penelope) are the ones who portray true heroism through their selfless acts and devotion to those they love.

Head: This book challenged my thoughts about how you can still love somebody from the bottom of your heart even though they can change and become corrupt by fame and glory. Originally, I thought that when somebody becomes a bad person, you can just leave and stop loving them. However, in this book, Achilles is corrupted by the desire for fame and the horrible grandeur of war. Patroclus, though he realizes Achilles isn't the same person he fell in love with, still loves him and stays by his side, eventually  sacrificing himself to save others whos lives were put in danger because of Achilles' ego.
The author assumes that I already know the legend of Achilles, which I did, so it made it all the more riveting to read the book with a vague idea of how the story would end.

Heart:
I learned a lot about the world through this novel. I learned about the resilience of a soulmate-type love, and how people can change throughout a relationship. What really stuck with me, though, was the pain Patroclus felt while watching Achilles turn into a monster and still providing a loving environment for him. Patroclus' actions made me think a lot about internal conflict.
This book made me feel so much! After I finished it I started sobbing and I talked about it to my friend for a few hours. The beauty of Patroclus' character and the way the author delves into character development and the desires that plague mankind really struck me in my core. I can honestly say that out of all the books I've ever read, this is by far my favorite one.

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The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Dystopian Young Adult Fiction

Book: This book is narrated by the main character Todd Hewitt, a twelve-year-old boy who is soon to be thirteen. Todd Hewitt lives in a small town called Prentisstown that is located on a planet that they refer to as “the new world”.Everyone in town is a man, which happens when they turn thirteen, Todd Hewitt is the youngest of the town and is shortly about to turn thirteen in a month. Prentisstown is occupied by 146 men and no women due to a germ released by an alien race known as the “Shackle”, called the “Noise Germ” which killed all the women, and half of the men in the town. The Noise germ gave all the humans and animals the ability to hear everyone’s thoughts and mentally communicate with one another. The author wants the reader to know about the significance of the loss of innocence when childhood ends, and when adulthood begins. The author signifies in this book that with adulthood and the loss of innocence comes decision making and in this story, committing brutal acts. This book reminded me of the  “ A Separate Peace” by John Knowles because of the recurring theme of the loss of innocence.

Head: I was surprised by how well Todd adapted to the different environments that he was in. What also surprised, and what I noticed was that in the story when Todd left the town he started to realize that most of the things that he was told while living in Prentisstown told had been false.

Heart: This book made me realize that not everything said is true, and a person should not believe everything one is told. In this story, Todd goes through a part in his life in which he is uncertain about himself and what is around him, which is something that everybody goes through as they grow up, or anytime in their life. Which is was helps people grow and become better people, and grow into one’s own person.

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I reas "Music by the Numbers" by Eli Maor. The genre is Non-fiction.

Book:
The book is about how sounds, chords and music all can correspond to mathematics. The story is tolled through history and scientific discoveries. This book wants people to understand that there is math behind all the music that you listen to and it goes way back to Pythagorus. when reading this book it made me think all the classical music that i've herd and this has explained a lot about how the composers created those pieces.

Head:  The surprising thing to me was how all the intervals of notes can be quantified and how there ratios create minors and majors. The book confirmed my thinking because I always knew that somehow music could be concentrated to math but I never really knew how.

Heart: This book made me realize how much I find informative and scientific text interesting. Before this book I had alway thought that they where really boring but after I like to read them and I'm starting to read more. Now when I'm listening to music I start to realize how subconsciously these composers wright these pieces.

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I Hate Myselfie By Shane Dawson

It is Memoir

Book: It is a collection of stories that shows from how his life used to be from not being a famous youtube star to where he is today being one of the many  icons of today's society.Shane himself is narrating the story.I feel the author wanted to show how life will get better even when it seems dark.Truly I have never read any other book like this other than half of this books sequel.

Head: What I noticed in this book is that some of the experiences in his book have actually happened to me once.What challenged my thinking was how different he is now compared to the stories of his childhood it truly shows how he has grown and changed.

Heart: What I have learned about myself after reading this book made me realize that I have a few things in common with a youtuber and it made me feel sort’ve confused because I used to think the only people I would have stuff in common with would be with family and friends.

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I read "The Fault in Our Stars" By John Green. It is a Young Adult Fiction.

Book: this book is narrated by hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16 year old girl who has thyroid cancer. Her parents make her attend a group support meeting, where she meets Augustus. Augustus also has cancer and is a amputee. They start to get to know each other and they love to talk about different books and music especially this one book "An Imperial Affliction." Augustus  decided to track down the author and Hazel, Augustus  and her mom go to Amsterdam. Augustus and Hazel Grace fall in love but during the end of the story Augustus dies because his cancer had spread throughout his body again. This book is a heart wrenching love story between two innocent teenagers, who just both happen to have different types of cancer.

Head: I was surprised to how well Hazel took the news that her first love Augustus was gonna die before her. Hazel and Augustus' best friend wrote Augustus eulogies to read to him before he died. It was a sweet moment. This book confirmed my thinking that love is difficult, but worth it in the end.

Heart: This book has made me look at life differently. It makes me want to appreciate the little things and live life like its my last day. This book has also made me realize what type of books i enjoy reading.

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I read “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer. It is a fantasy fiction book.

Book: The book begins when Bella Swan is leaving her mother and moving to live with her Dad in the town of Forks. She had been dreading moving and was most certainly not excited to meet her Dad and all the kids in the town of Forks. Her mood shifted when she saw him, Edward and the rest of her family. They looked almost not real to her. She was very suspicious of them and she found something out that changed her world. Bella Swan is a fearless character the reader will like throughout the book. Bella tells the story from her perspective. She goes on many adventures and even life-threatening ones that will make one want to keep reading. The novel really reminds me of the show Vampire Diaries because the adventures and conflicts they go through are very similar.

Head: I was surprised how well Bella handled the information she found out about  Edward and the rest of her family. She remained calm and kept it a secret for the sake of Edward. I also was surprised how the book was “balanced”. It was a romance novel but it was not too corny. There was a balance between romance and everything going on around them. Besides the love story of two totally opposites, there were adventures and conflicts.

Heart: Even though this book was fantasy it made me learn many things. This book changed my thinking about the real meaning of love. No matter how deeply your feelings are for someone or if you believe they are the right person does not always mean it is safe. Sometimes it is best to let  go for the sake of each other. It is important to feel trusted and feel safe when you are with someone and if you don't then that should be a red flag. The character Bella also inspired me to never judge someone for what they are. You need to get to know someone before making assumptions from what you have heard or know.

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Looking for Alaska by John Green

Young Adult Fiction                                         Book
This book is about a teenager who dies in a car crash and the 136 days leading up to her death and how the main characters spend it.
Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter is telling the story.
The author wants me to know that the only way to live a life of freedom and happiness is to forgive and understand that we can’t control everything.

This book makes me think of little fires everywhere by Celeste Ng.
Head
I was surprised to find out that to make the labyrinth of suffering bearable is to forgive. I still  believe there that there will never be an answer to the question. But it can guide you through your life and he experiences you will encounter.

I noticed that the author had little reliefs of joy and jokes in what was a serious topic that the author surrounded the book by.

Heart
After reading the book I had mixed emotions. I was really miserable about Alaska’s death and finding out her headspace leading up to the last seconds of her life (I felt like I knew her, it really hit different). Though I was excited that we learned how to bear the labyrinth of suffering.      I learned that I’m okay with life being unpredictable and how I want to learn how to be able to appreciate everything and forgive without having regrets.

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I read Kelly: More Than My Share of It All by Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson and Maggie Smith it is an autobiography.

BOOK

The book is Kelly Johnson's autobiography Kelly Johnson was an engineer that worked at Lockheed Martin company in the 20th century. The book is about Kelly's Johnson's life from June 1995 when you wrote the book. The book not only tells the story of Aviation, but it also tells the story of a person. The reader feels like they are right alongside him during the story. When talking about his life Kelly not only makes you think of what it is to live and what it is to be happy, but he also makes you feel about what sacrifices people have to go through and the amount of effort it takes to succeed at your dreams.

HEAD

Before the book, the author expects you to know who Kelly Johnson is. The book, however, puts a whole new Twist on who he is whenever you hear from you always hear of him as a successful person who has achieved many accomplishments in aviation. The book makes the reader rethink who he is. He's not just someone who accomplished many things in aviation; he is also someone who achieved his dream. One thing that I noticed throughout the book it's how much The Reader can relate the book.

HEART
The book makes the reader think about many different things from Life dreams to what people do for fun. The book asks you to think about Stress and Anxiety but also what it means to be a leader and have fun. This book challenges the way we do things, whether it be on a local a global scale. These things are not visible, but the more you think about it, the more, the more critical lessons from Kelly Johnson's life become.

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I read "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. Its genre is memoir.

Book:
This book is about Jeannette and her sibling's life growing up. They dealt with poverty, abusive parents, and being forced to gain independence at a very young age. They have always lived different, but the parents believe their way is what's best. Her dad suffers from alcoholism, which puts a major strain on their whole family and way of life. Jeannette dreams big and ends up makes a self-made life for herself.

Head:
What surprised me in this book was how well Jeanette handled everything. She let it change and affect her for the better. Instead of letting her parents choices define her and decide to follow in their footsteps, it inspired her. Overall reading and realizing this just confirmed my thinking that you can never control the way other people act, you can only control your reaction.

Heart:
I'm proud of myself for reading this book, because it has changed so much for me. It shows how self-made Jeanette is, and with everything she had to go through, she still made it to where she wanted in life. She is so inspiring and such a great role model to have.

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I read "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut its a science fiction-infused anti-war novel.

Book:
It's about Billy pilgrim and his war experiences in WWII as well as how he was captive on an  alien planet and the book constantly jumps through time as Billy calls it he is unstuck in time. He explores the horrors of war by sharing his experience and what others saw from him

Head:
What surprised me as having a family that almost everyone served in the army is that war can be traumatizing for some and other can make the feel like they're living

Heart:
Im proud of myself for reading this book and the others I have read because they are all higher level readings and have different opinions on challenging topics which have opened my mind to new ideas and point of view.

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I read "The Notebook," by Nicholas Sparks. It is an inspiring yet sophisticated romantic roller coaster.

Book:
The novel begins with an elderly man reading to a woman in a nursing home. He tells her the story of a poor working teenager, Noah, failing in love with a high class highschool student, Allie, right before World War Two. After much pleading from Noah, they both end up spending an incredible romantic summer together, with memories that will last throughout their lives. However, Allies parents disapprove of Noah being around her, and they announce that she will be moving to a different school and state for college. She and Noah sadly end the relationship and depressingly move on with their lives. Noah tries to write to Allie for a year, but Allie's mother secretly hides Noah's mail. Noah eventually gets drafted into the war, and all hope appears lost. However, this novel has some shocking moments that will change your perspective on love and leave you speechless..

Head:
What surprised me in the novel is how love was so different back then. Instead of an easy text or call, people had to make precious time out of their day to find love, which impresses me to say the least. Furthermore, the twists and suspense in this love story is like no other. You notice the author uses dialect and symbolism all throughout the novel, and it makes the award-winning book that much better!

Mind:
In the novel, the author makes me feel intrigued and eager to find out the next cliff hanger. This novel has given me a new perspective on how love should be! Overall 10/10 would recommend.

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And Paper Towns by John Green
YA
Book:
This story is told from the perspective of a teenager at the end of senior year named Quentin. He has been friends with his neighbor Margo since childhood, but since then they have slowly drifted apart, but he had a major crush on her. He was obsessed with her. But one night she tells him to get his car and they go on an adventure through town that night. But after that she disappeared.  But she usually leaves all the time, so she leaves little clues around, but she always comes back. But this time it was different and the clues were a little more confusing. Quentin and his friends go on this adventure to find Margo Roth Spiegelman
Mind:
Something that surprised me was that Margo had returned his feelings towards him. I did not expect that. Something that the author thinks we already know is that Q is absolutely in love with Margo. Something that challenged my thinking was the clues, because I was also trying to solve them on my own alongside the book. I noticed that all the paper towns were actually kind of real, in a sense.

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How will my actions or feelings change as a result of reading this text?

I read The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, and the genre is Science Fiction.

Book: This book is about a man named the time traveler who supposedly travels through time. This book focuses on one of his main adventures when the time traveler goes to the year 802,701 AD and gets his time machine took by a species of underground creatures called the Morlock and has to get help from one of the native species called the Eloi to get it back. The person who is telling the story is the time travelers friends that actually believes that he can really travel time. The whole story is actually told by him, even the retelling of the time travels whole adventure is told by his friend. One thing I think the author wants you to know is that the story is being told in the late 1900's the early 2000's. This book made me really think about Doctor Who, because of the time travel and the weird creatures and just the whole plot in my opinion the plat really represents a lot of things from doctor who.

Head: One thing that really surprised me was how the whole story was told, because you think just by reading it that it's told by the time traveler and his friend, but its just his friend. Something that the author thinks i know is how the story is being told because once you finish the book, then you understand how its really being told.

Heart: This reading has changed my thinking about the world because it makes you think, is time travel actually possible, and if you did go back would you find something slimier to the book.  My actions will change after reading this by giving hope to someones story that you think is fake and that you should give them a chance and maybe believe them.

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I reread the book "A Night Divided" by Jennifer A. Nielsen. It is a little flash to the past as it is Historical Fiction. They put it in an adventurous mode. We are put into the point of view of the little girl in a family divided. Her name is Greta.

Book: The book surrounds the historical even of the rise of the Berlin wall that divided the east and west as well as her family.  Her, her mother, and her older brother named Fitz live on the Eastern side controlled by the Soviets as her Father and middle brother are trapped and living in the west.  Throughout the story you can see as Greta goes to the store and sees the shelves empty. The Eastern side is poor. As Greta is walking to the school she knows she isn't allowed to look over at the other side but she cant help it she looks and glances and what she thinks is her father wait no it is her father. As she continues to walk over to the gate as solider stops her and places a gun on her shoulder. She then goes home but the day after she receives and letter from her Father and she then realizes that he wants her to dig. She goes to the location her father sent her to dig and throughout the process she continues to dig to her way to freedom. As her digging process she is forced to go through many challengers and later in her process she gets her brother who is supposed to become a shoulder involved and the goal is to finish before his birthday so they can be reunited as a family again

Head:
This book made me think of the challenges and that everything is not impossible even when faced with the worst situation it allowed me to relate to the worst case and realize that there is a way out.

Heart:
This book is by far my favorite. Throughout reading this book it made me feel so much as i cried and laughed along with the characters. This book was very upsetting and can be very sad to some people. But this book also made me feel joy but hit me with a wave of sadness and changed my thinking. I 10?10 recommend this book.

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OverWhat I read the book "Dry" by Neal Shusterman. Its genre is science fiction.

Book:
The book is about a drought in southern California that a group of kids have to survive. It is told through the perspectives of the characters Alyssa, Kelton, Garrett, Jaqui, and Henry. "Dry" demonstrates how you need to stay strong and keep on pushing yourself even in the hardest of times. This book makes me think of "Divergent" because in both books, a small group of people have to fight against a large and powerful force.

Head:
What surprised me in "Dry" is how smart the characters were, it isn't very easy to get out of a drought. I think the author knew that readers know what it's like to leave a loved one or a friend behind, which is why Alyssa trying to save Kelton and Garrett is so relatable. Overall, this reading challenged my thinking because I never knew what was going to happen. This is because I noticed the kids were new to the situation and didn't always know the right thing to do.

Heart:
Through this book I learned to always have strength during the toughest times and to be there for others. And, that others care about you too. All in all, this book will make me a better person and be prepared for the unexpected. "Dry" made me feel anxious part of the time, and happy during other times when the characters survived. The book changed my thinking about the world as well because a small things such as shutting down river access can lead to major issues. My own actions will change due to reading "Dry" by being more cautious of what's going on around the world and trying to help.

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in my I read the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell. It was really good!

Book:
In summary, the book is about a group of farm animals that rebel against their farmer hoping to make it a democracy. the story is narrated through the eyes of the animals. one of the major themes in the book is violence. this book makes me think of Stalin and his dictatorship over the soviet union.

Head:
in my head I was very surprised at the violence and killing that happened in the book, which directly relates to Stalin. I believe that George Orwell would assume the reader had a baseline knowledge of the USSR and the dictatorship in order to understand the book.  the sheer violence in the rebel against the farmer confirmed my suspicions on what happened in the USSR.

In My Heart:
in my heart I feel proud of myself for reading a novel of high class like this. but going back to the book I feel that I have better learned from others that not everyone is going to be happy with a system therefore changes must be made.

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, I reread the science fiction novel "The Last Book in the Universe" by Rodman Philbrick.

Book:
The story is about a boy named Spaz, who suffers from epilepsy, that goes on an adventure with an old man he met named Ryder who claims to have the last book in existence due to an apocalypse. The reader in is the 1st person POV of the main character of Spaz. The theme of the story is friendship because of the friendship Ryter and Spaz have despite being so different. A book this reminds me of is a childrens book I used to read called "Whatever After" by Sarah Mlynowski because they both don't take place in modern society.

Head:
I think the author wants the reader to already know how the modern life works because throughout reading this I was constantly comparing the setting in this book to the setting in my current life. This book challenged me to think about how I would survive if I lived in the Urb and how I would survive if I lived in Eden.

Heart:
This book made me feel very excited throughout reading it because there was always something going on, but it also made me feel sorry for the characters because their lives were so messed up. This text changed my thinking of the world because now I more feel for people who lives in 2nd and 3rd world countries because the characters in this book struggled for life necessities.

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I read AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN by Tony Robbins . It's a motivational.

book:
Awaken the Giant Within is one of those life-changing books that the more you read the more you learn from it. As Tony Robbins explains in this book, you can change your life if you can control your perception of life. he says that Linking pleasure to anything that causes you pain but produces positive results is a very powerful action to take.  The book is the psychological blueprint you can follow to wake up and start taking control of your life, starting in your mind, spreading through your body and then all the way through your relationships, work and finances until you're the giant you were always meant to be. This book shows me that you Can push the limit of what you can do, and you have to if you want to win in life. I can connect this book Mamba Mentality.

Head:
I think that the author thinks that you (the reader) already knows that you have normal goals. I noticed that there where steps to sucsess. And the steps weren't easy.

Heart:
the learned that I have to put yourself in a state of mind of absolute faith and total expectation that you can create anything you want then specify inspiring goals in 4 areas of life. This will help me sucseed in what i want to do.

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I read "Every Day" by David Levithan. It is almost a mix of fantasy or science fiction based in a realistic environment.

Book:
This book is told in the point of view of the protagonist "A". A wakes up in a different body every day, always the same age and never the same person twice. One day, A meets someone named Rhiannon and falls in love with her and ends up telling her what happens to them. It shows the struggles of never being able to be your own person and being everyone else at the same time. The author's point is to show the hardship of being disconnected from society and never having your own people. A's social area strangely reminds me of Melinda from speak. They both feel disconnected from society and that they might never get to be themselves. But the difference in the books is very major because A is very humble about being in their position.

Head:
I was surprised when I heard that Rhiannon was the only person A has told. I can't imagine living life alone in such isolation when you can reach out even with the fear of not being understood. I think the author knew that I, and lots of other people need to see past just our physical image, because A always said that Rhiannon needed to look farther and deeper to see them and not to only see what was on the outside. What changed my thinking was that everyone is so much more than we see on the surface but you have to be willing to look past that. I noticed myself starting to actually look into A's personality rather than just who they were for the day.

Heart:
I learned to start looking past myself and others and it can unfold so many different personalities that nobody can see on the surface. I feel like the writing changed my point of view because there were so many to learn from. I now think the whole world has so many specific details about it that I should start to notice and observe to see deeper.

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I   TI read "Make Your Bed" by Admiral William H. McRaven. A self help book on little actions that can change the your life maybe the world.

Book:
Based of Admiral McRaven's 37 years worth of experience in the US Navy Seals during the late 1970s post Vietnam war era to the fight of terrorism in the middle east following the fall of the twin towers. The book consist of ten lessons that stuck with him throughout his training and career. He wants to let you know that there is a outcome to everything and that everything in the world doesn't get don't flawlessly.  I had similar thoughts about this book compared to "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradly, they don't have much in common but I thought of one thing that stood out and that was unity. Both have taught me discipline, self respect and courage.

Head:
I was surprised to get so much out of these 10 lessons. I felt like the constant hardships and pain that he endured during seal training made him and overall better being to this society. This allowed his voice to be better represented and convey the message in a more powerful since. The author already knew that life isn't easy, he knows people think the military is a hard program. He knows that everyone reading are looking to better themselves within the book. He challenged on my perspective of the world. At times it feels like your in a endless cycle of failure and trouble but this book helped remind me that you need to get through them to come out stronger. I noticed that I was really into the ideas and lessons he was teaching throughout the book.

Heart:
I learned that others also experienced the same things as I. Obviously in different forms but more or less they boil down to the same issue. You have to learn from them and better yourself to contribute more to the planet as a individual. I feel more or less better about who I am after this reading. I know I have the tools to achieve it. I will be more likely to go after things I previously thought I couldn't achieve. I will take charge in changing my behavior for the better. I have the courage to do it...

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I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The Help is an amazing historical fiction book.

Book:
The Help shows what it is like to be a colored maid in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960's. The maids aren't happy with the segregation between races and how horribly black people are treated. With the help of a young white writer, named Skeeter, they hope to make a change. In secret, Skeeter works with the maids to write a book to tell the world the truth about being a black maid working in the white homes of the South. The book is told from three lady's points of view. Two maids, Aibileen and Minny, and one white lady, Skeeter. Each chapter switches between who is narrating. The author wants me to know the segregation between races that was still going on in the South in the 1960's. She also wants me to know how hard it was for colored people and how cruel white people were. A white person killed a black man just because he used a bathroom that was for white people only (even though there was no sign saying so). This book reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird because of the similar theme that colored people should not be treated so awfully, and we are all humans. The Tom Robinson trial showed that colored people are blamed for things they didn't even do and in The Help people are blamed and punished for things they didn't do either.

Head:
It surprised how different things were in the 1960's. Colored people were treated awful, maids raised white children because white mothers were to busy to, and colored people couldn't even get AC because they did not have enough money, even though it was 105 in the summers. I also did not know white people has special bathrooms in their backyards just for their maids to use. This book changed my thinking on the past. I had no idea white people thought colored people had diseases that white people did not want to get. What was wrong with white people back then? Why were they so mean?

Heart:
This book made me feel so bad for the colored people. I also felt anger towards the white people for how rude they treated their maids. this changed my thinking about the world. I learned that people were so cruel and unfair to colored people only 60 years ago. They did not treat people equally.

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Educated, Tara Westover

Memoir, non-fiction

book

Educated is about a family that lives a way different life than everybody else. The parents don’t believe in medicine or going to school. Tara is the person telling the story which is one of the daughters. It is all based on how Tara tries to get out of her life of living with her parents. This book is related to 5 feet apart in some ways because they are both wanting to escape an area that feels unsafe. In 5 feet apart it was her illness and in Educated it is the situation she is in. They both escape and 5 feet apart they pass away and in education she physically did by leaving and starting her life over again.

Head

The thing that changed my thinking in this book was just the struggle for Tara to get an education. In my mind that came easy because everyone got one and I was grown up by my parents that it is normal to get one. On the other hand Tara is eager to get on and is running away to do so. She changed my thinking by how grateful I should be because getting on to me the process is way simpler and I have support to do it. It also surprised me because I never really thought about people with different lives than myself and how someone’s beliefs could affect and damage multiple people.

Heart

I learned about myself by how lucky I am to be in the life I have. I am able to go to school and in the future college too. Also for me to have parents that would pay for me and support me throughout my education. I noticed now that not many people in this world are that fortunate. This book made me feel blessed and appreciated that I can live this type of life.

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I read the book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand. This book is a biography over the life of Louis Zamperini.

Book:
This book is about the inspiring life of Louie Zamperini. He goes from being an Olympic runner, to being stranded at sea for over a month, then being captured as a prisoner of war by the Japanese. Throughout all of the difficult times he went through, he never gave up hope. The story is told from a third person point of view where the narrator is Laura Hillenbrand. The author wants the reader to understand that no matter what struggles people go through, the most important thing is to never give up. This book reminds me of "Night" by Elie Wiesel. Both of these books are about people who went through extremely tough situations, but never gave up and survived.

Head:
I noticed that Louis never lost his determination to push through. What surprised me was how cruel he was treated at the prison camp.

Heart:
I learned a lot about myself from "Unbroken". One thing I took away was that no matter what I may have to go through in my life, I always need to push through. Reading this book made me feel like I need to be more grateful for what I have, and realize how great my life is.

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I read the auto-biography "The Mamba Mentality; How I play" by Kobe Bryant.

Book:
This is book is told by Kobe Bryant himself, it talks about his mental preparation and his love for the game. Throughout the book we see images of Kobe playing at different stages in his career. Kobe breaks down what was going through his mind in the images and explains what he did mentally to give himself the best chance to succeed. Kobe displays many theme's or life lessons throughout his book but the one that stood out to was how you must train your mind just as hard as your body. This book really made me think about why Kobe was so successful. You see he knew if he was physically ahead of his peers he could be great but if he was physically and mentally ahead of his peers he could would be Elite.

Head:
What surprised me was how mature Kobe was at such a young age. He was mastering things mentally and Physically that grown men weren't mastering.  I had always know that Kobe was way ahead of his time and this reading confirmed my thinking.

Heart:
The book made me realize how your if you prepare your mind properly, you can do anything. This text really inspired me, and I highly recommend it.

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I read World War Z by Max Brooks, a horror/ historical fiction piece

Book:
This book is as the subtitle proclaims, "An Oral History of the Zombie War", and due to the whole, "Collapse of society" and what not very little records exist from this event, so our nameless interviewer and compiler of these accounts is sent by the United Nations to get eye-witness accounts from survivors, and is ultimately rejected for being "too personal", and it isn't a coherent story, like the event itself, and the author leaves you the reader to connect the dots to get the full story history, like the unnamed political tensions between Pakistan and Iran, which leads to a nuclear exchange, or the never explicitly laid out civil war which befells china, this book reminds me of actual historical sources like the survivors of the titanic.

Head:
The author is really good at putting you in the shoes of the person, putting you in the moment, in the shoes of these individuals seeing governments and individuals alike, panicking, but in the end as the book shows, level heads prevail (Oh, and as usual the USA saves everyone). The author very clearly expects you to have a knowledge of geopolitical events, and if it gets too complex the book lets on and the interviewer asks about it, making it all the more interesting.

Heart:
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and as a fan of the zombie genre having read zombie books, seen the movie of the book (it was garbage compared to the book, but had some interesting stuff), and even played the game of WWZ (its a lot more faithful to the book, but very clearly in the movie universe), I see this book as a bit of a gold standard in the zombie genre, or even in the Oral history, "Found footage" genre. This book has re-affirmed my thinking that level heads prevail, and panicking gets you nowhere, that analyzing a problem does a heck of a lot more than running from it or denying it *Cough Cough* the current geopolitical situation at home and abroad *Cough Cough*

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I read the science fiction novel Rot And Ruin By Jonathan Maberry.

Book:

It reminds me of the book Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman because they both have themes about honor, and honoring the dead. The book is told by Benny Imura, and his adventure with his older brother Tom in the zombie apocalypse. To find out where an illegal zombie fighting arena is, Benny and Tom have to track down the two most feared zombie hunters known as Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer.

Head:

I was surprised me was the way that Maberry displays people’s different adaptations to the apocalypse from becoming a monk, to a mercenary.

It also changed the way I viewed a few morals, since the book breaks down how ethnically it’s wrong to kill zombies. In a simplified version, the book compares zombie killing to desecrating dead bodies, tombs, and coffins.

Heart:

The book gave me a different view of the world because it explained the difference between disturbing the peace around you to stay alive, and disturbing the peace for fun or for you’re benifit beyond survival.

My actions will change as a result of the book by having a better understanding of what honor really means. This means that my reputation has become more important to me than before, and disturbing the peace for something more than survival isn’t considered by me anymore.

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A choice book that I am currently reading is "Scythe" by  Neal Shusterman. Some of its Genres are Novel, Science fiction and Fantasy fiction.

Book:
This book is about two kids and their mentor scythe faraday who is training them to become a future scythe. The story rotated between the two kids Citra and Rowans points of view about what is happening. A scythe is someone who is in charge of regulating the population by gleaning (killing) others. The theme of the story is how valuable life is and to not take it for granted. This story makes me think of the movie Hunger Games because they both similar with people who control or are the head of everything. In the Hunger Games they have a Totalitarianism government who runs everything and the Scythes are like the head of society.

Head:
Something that surprised me is how the scythes pick random people to glean. Once they choose someone they go to glean them and they have no way out of it. If they resist and fight back then the scythe has to kill his or her family as well. Something I noticed so far is how some scythes like Scythe Faraday take life seriously and are considerate of people when other scythes are the opposite and glean people in a very terrible way because they don't care.

Heart:
So far this story has made me feel empathy for the people in the story. It makes me feel sad that people have to be gleaned but at the same time I am also happy that some scythes are kind and considerate about it. This text has changed my thinking of the world by showing me that bad things happen. Bad things happen in our world everyday, maybe not as intense as gleaning but still similar. That even though all these bad things happen you have to accept it as a part of life and value the time that you have.

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th The book I am currently reading is "Do Every Thing Wrong! by Jarett Kobek XXXTENTACION against the world." The genre is Biography

Book
This book is about the life of the late rapper xxxtentacion who unfortunately lost his life in a robbery on June 18th, 2018. The book gathers over 27,000 of his tweets from twitter from before he became famous and when he did become famous. The author uses all of them to tell X's story, from the beginning to the grimy end. This book doesn't make me think of any other book because it's a very unique story. I am a very big fan so it was a a very interesting getting to know the come up of one of my favorite artists.

Head
What surprised me was the fact that although X had been through so many things, had severe depression which was visible in what he took place in and what he did. No one tried to help him. Then the people he thought would help him, didn't help him but ended up stabbing him in the back. Making his mental state worsen. The author already knew he had very bad mental health and also was involved in several in counters with the police. I knew that X was a misunderstood good person, who growing up went through a lot of things that made him not a good person. But he changed himself for the better. All of that was confirmed in the book. I noticed that Mental Health is something that a lot of people don't understand.

Heart
After reading I felt enlightened and informed. I understood why he was the type of person he was and how it affected his music.
The story also made me think about how ignorant the world is. Not many people care. That's something that can be very hurtful to people. It can affect them negatively.

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A book that I just recently finished was "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton. The genre is Science Fiction.

Book
This book is about a group of scientists in Costa Rica who discover different Dinosaur fossils and use their DNA in a lab to make clones of Dinosaurs. They use these dinosaurs as theme park attractions to educate visitors. This park was known as Jurassic Park. As a group of people, John Hammond, Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler and other children travel on a helicopter to go study these dinosaurs, they encounter many discoveries and dinosaurs that attempt to cause them harm throughout the story.

Head
What surprised me was in the beginning of the book when the little girl (Tina) on the beach was intrigued with the "lizards" and she got attacked by them and got rabies. I was not expecting that to happen and I thought it was a great start to the book and how it got scientists like Dr. Henry Wu to start discovering what kind of species Tina was attacked by and where they were coming from. This confirmed my thinking because it made me think deeper about how dangerous things can be in the real world and so many discoveries to be unlocked in the story.

Heart
What I have learned is that this book has made me feel more curious and intrigued into science fiction and mysterious things because this book was very interesting for me to read and made me learn many things about myself. I've discovered many interests in genres and books that I've read over the past few years, but this book made me have a better feeling for science fiction more than any book in that genre.

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A book that i just finished was  "Fault in our stars" by John Green. The genre is adult fiction.

Book
This book is about a boy and a girl who both attend a cancer patients support group. the person telling the story is the girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster. Personally, I think the theme of this book is about how awesome love can be but how it can also be taken away from you so quickly. This book makes me think about the book Looking For Alaska because one person in each book  has someone they love taken away from them.
HEAD
I think that the author already thinks that i know cancer doesn't end well in most cases. What suprised me was augustus dying because that was a shot at the heart.
HEART
What I learned from this book is that life doesn't always work out the way you want it to, it's not always a happy ending. This made me feel sad because I wish that everyone in the world could find someone they love and hold on to it forever and to just grow old with the person they love.

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A book that pulls on your heart strings is The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande. This book is a Memoir.

Book
This book is about a little girl (the author, Reyna) and her siblings Mago and Carlos. They live in a poverty-struck town called Iguala, Mexico. Their father (Papi) has left for America to start a better life for his family. As much as Reyna misses Papi ; her mother (Mami) leaves as she receives a letter from him. Saying that he needs her over in America to help him. So she drops them off at Abuela Evila's house to take care of her children. But Abuela Evila doesn't like these three children as they are from her daughter in law. So she treats them with no love or respect. These children hunger for love by someone. They become hungry and infested with worms in their guts. But not Elida; Their cousin. She is from Abuela Evila's own daughter. But her mother has not returned. So she lives with Abuela Evil and enjoys the luxuries the she accommodates as iff she was her own. The three children become numb in love and feel neglected by lack of affection. But one day, Mami comes back to her children. But to reveal that there father has cheated on her for another woman in America. So she came back and tries to earn money for themselves. They have to make the dangerous trek of a journey to El Otro Lado (the other side) in America. The theme of the book is the struggle to make it in this world. To over come the hard ships and to not give up in love. This book reminds me off the book Hachiko Waits because both the dog and Reyna wait for someone to return.

Head
What surprised me in this book was the return of her mother after almost 3 years. How after waiting, she never gave up dreaming of the day she would see her mother again. The author thought we knew that the three children would never get to see their parents again due to the time it took her to return. What challenged my thinking was understanding why she would all of a sudden drop everything in her past life of Mexico to pursue a new one in America. Also why she didn't consider her children back home ofhtw they would be treated. I noticed how both Carlos and Mago's thinking of there parents turn bitter as they think they won't return. But Reynas stays constant as she doesn't loose hope.

Heart
What I learned about myself is how fortunate I am to live in America and how my parents love me so much. What I learned about others is that they have bigger struggles than me and that I am blessed to be where I am now. This will help me to recognize that I can do things for others and help those in need that are struggling. This made me feel blessed to receive the amount of love that I have from my parents. It has changed my thinking of the world by recognizing that other countries think of America as the land of the free and that we have "the American dream" that other countries strive for. My actions will change by changing my audited and outlook of life. That I should be happy everyday because I don't have to struggle to survive. that I have parents and family that love me.

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A book that I just finished was. "Alex Rider: Ark Angel" by Anthony Horowitz. The genre is adventure and spy fiction.

Book
Alex Rider is a fourteen year old  spy for MI6, the British agency. He's in a hospital. after being shot, when he realizes men are coming after a boy there. He saves the boy's life, and the boy is the son of billionaire, Nikolei Drevin. Drevin then offers for Alex to come to his Caribbean island for a vacation, but he is. informed Drevin is one of the world's most wanted criminals. Alex discovers the man's plan to but put a bomb on the space station, Ark Angel. The bomb would then hurl into the U.S. Pentagon destroying all evidence that Drevin is a criminal. Alex then goes in a rocket, moves. the. bomb, and the space. station blows up in orbit. The story is told in 3rd person omniscent by Alex Rider. I think the author wants you to know to not trust everyone, even if they seem nice. This reminds me of almost all of the other Alex Rider book, because there is always someone attempting to deceive Alex.

Head
One thing that actually surprised me was that I caught myself reading for long periods of time, because of the   excitement in the book. One thing I noticed is how well this book. moves from idea to idea. For example, Alex starts in a hospital and ends up in a space station orbiting Earth.

Heart
This book made me better by making me try to do more adventurous and fun things instead of sitting  at home all day. In addition this. book made me feel like I was right there with the characters, and I could imagine almost everything that was happening very vividly in my head.

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A book I am currently reading is "Hunger Games Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
The genre is adventure and science fiction.

Book
This book is a sequel to the first book "The Hunger Games." It is about the aftermath of winning the Hunger Games. The second half is about how she returns to the Hunger Games and starts a revolution against the Capitol. Katniss is the main character and she is telling the story. The authors main theme/big idea is survival and independence. Katniss has to survive the Hunger Games again because the capitol set her up. This book makes me think of the "Maze Runner." They are very similar in plot and theme. The "bad guys" are the rich people keeping everything for themselves. The main characters are leading people to take over. They are both fighting for their survival. They both take place in the future when the world is at crisis.

Head
I was surprised that some of the districts were trying to fight the Capitol. The Capitol is where all of the rich people live. I noticed that the Capitol was trying to kill Katniss because she was the heart of the revolution. If she was dead, there would be no spark to start a revolution. They try to kill her by making her go back to the Hunger Games.

Heart
This text made me appreciate the world I live in. In The the book everyone is fighting for their next meal. People work 15 hours in a dangerous mine for little pay. This book is made my feelings change. This book made me learn that I like to read books if they are interesting. I usually don't read the books. (I watch the movies). I learned that the book tells you a lot more than a movie can. You can hear their thoughts.

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A book that I have recently finished was
"Mark of the Thief" by Jennifer Nielsen.
Genre: Historical and Fantasy fiction

Book
This book is about a boy named Nicolas Calva who got abandoned with his sister to work in the mines as slaves  near Rome. As he is their he gets told by a Roman General to go down into a cave and retrieve something that he ends up taking and leaving. All of Rome is looking for someone with the Mark. Along the way Nicolas makes friends but he has to watch out, although he does not know it yet, he is public enemy number one. People will stop at nothing to get what he has. In the book their is a lot of action and adventure. The book is told in 1st person through Nicolas Calva who is the main character. The author wants the reader to know how important his sister and finding is mother is to Nicolas. As well as figuring out what gave him his mark. This makes me think of "The False Prince" in the way  that both the main characters have to hide who they really are but want to know what is going on. But Sage ends up being a King and Nicolas ends up being the grandson of a Roman General.

Head
One thing that surprised me the most about this book was the fact that Jennifer Nielsen used a nobody in Nicolas Calva to become a somebody because of his ability to use magic with his bulla. One thing that I noticed was Nicolas made some friends that he shouldn't have when he was told that nobody can be trusted because of the mark on his shoulder.

Heart
This book was one of those books that made me want to keep reading and that is saying something because I do not like reading. I never wanted to put the book down. I guess I figured out what genre I like. Also while reading this book it made my emotions feel like a rollercoaster. One minute I was feeling bad for this one person then the next minute something comes up about that person and my emotions just changed.

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One of the books that I've recently finished reading was "The Couple Next Door" by Shari Lapena. Genre: Thriller.

Book
This story is told in a third person omniscient view. It is about a couple, Anne and Marco, that you would imagine had it all. A happy relationship, a good home and a new baby, Cora. One night their neighbors invited them to an adult only party. Since the babysitter cancelled last minute, they arguingly they decided to leave Cora home. They checked on her every thirty minutes and had a baby monitor just in case. As Anne was trying to convince Marco to leave she missed her thirty minute marking. When Marco finally agreed they walked back home. Only to come back and find the door open, and eventually, their baby missing. The author wants the reader to know that little by little everyone has secrets and it all get revealed. This book reminded me of Speak because in some parts when Anne and Marco try to tell the detectives something, the detectives do not believe them. Just like in Speak when Miranda tried to tell her story, and Rachel did not believe her.

Head
One of the things that really surprised me is how addicting this book is. You could almost read it in one sitting. I think the author thinks I already know that something is off about Marco. A part that challenged my thinking was trying to decide and see who was guilty and who it could've been.  One thing I did notice is, if you do not read carefully you won't understand what's going on.

Heart
This book was very interesting to me on many different levels. It made me realize that not all people can be trusted. This book made me feel as if I was there, observing everyone and everything that was happening.

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One of the choice books I read in April is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Genre: realistic fiction.

Book
This novel is about a girl named Kya who  is essentially abandoned as a child and who grows up on her own in the marsh of North Carolina, eventually learning how to read and write with the help of a kind and thoughtful boy named Tate. A couple years later, a man named Chase is murdered, and everyone suspects Kya. The story is told in 3rd person omniscient point of view that oscillates between past and present and Kya's perspective and the police's perspective, and the author wants me to know that we are leading up to finding out what happened a little bit at a time. The author also wants the reader to know how important nature is to Kya as well as to the setting and entire being of this book. This makes me think of the book Oryx and Crake which is a dystopian/sci-fi novel that revolves around the distortion of nature. It's a completely different type of book, but the nature imagery in WtCS reminds me of it.

Head
One of the things that surprised me about this book is how resonant it was considering how popular and mainstream it is right now. The point of view and solitary life of Kya creates this peace and stillness that meshes so well with the natural landscape the author develops. In other words, the setting, the characterization of Kya, and the style itself are all in sync. What I also noticed is that it took me a while to get into this book - I started reading it months ago and only picked it back up again in April - but once I began really dedicating time to reading it, it was an engrossing and enveloping read.

Heart
This book is one of those few special books that made me completely forget about the world around me and read hundreds of pages at a time. I was reminded of the power of a book, especially during a time like this. I was isolated from my friends and family, yet the book gave me something to look forward to. I wanted to know what happened to Kya, who killed Chase, and how the book would end, and even when the writing wasn't driving the plot forward, it was beautiful. I was also amazed by the fact that the author is a scientist who has published several books in the past but had never written a novel before. This book made me feel in awe of the natural world and the people who study it (Kya and the author herself)