I started a book over the break that I read off and on for most of it called The Girl on The Train. I really tried to get into it and I really just couldn't. I asked my mom if she had any spare books lying around and I found this book called The Hiding Place� by Corrie Ten Boom. The cover of the book is what really hooked me. On the books top left there's a subtle swastika and so I knew right away this book was a period piece. I was expecting the book to be told from the point of view of a girl about my age kind of like the diary of Anne Frank, but I was surprised to find out the narrator was a middle aged woman whose not particularly pretty, not really the favorite child, and not really great at anything. It's nice to read stories about regular people doing extraordinary things. I've only just recently started the book so 'm getting into her background more than the actual plot. So far I know that she is a child of four and her farther and late mother are and were very loving individuals. In fact, on the father's birthday the whole entire town buys him flowers. I got to learn all about her fathers acts of generosity and efforts to better the children at risk in the community. Knowing about the families nurturing nature it only foreshadows the amazing acts of kindness yet to come. 
BLOG 13 GO ASK ALICE 

I started yet another new book. I found it while Mrs. Terry was making us read 3 minutes’ worth of a bunch of books. The book that caught my eye within the first 2 pages was a book called “Go Ask Alice,” by Anonymous. The book isn’t set up traditionally because it’s not really a book. The book is Alice’s Diary. Word for word Alice’s thoughts concerns worries and daily struggle. I’m extremely interested in the book because it’s not about a relatable character being an outsider, it’s about a real girl, these events actually happened to her. When characters are real, everything a character experiences starts to affect you more. I’ve been noticing a trend in my reading habits this year. I tend to pick books that have real life leading lady characters more often than not. I think I know why that trend has started though, I’m looking for a part of myself inside these characters. Maybe I’m looking for answers subconsciously. I picked up this book because I read within the first couple pages that this girl is 15 just like me. She begins to use drugs to self-medicate, I’m not going to get into it but I can relate to that as well. Luckily for me I didn’t spiral like how I’m predicting she is going to, I mean, she wouldn’t have a book made about her if something didn’t go terribly wrong. I really enjoy the diary format of the whole thing because the book doesn’t drag at all. It’s a summary of everything important going on in her life, a completely honest look on It too. I’m sure she had no intention of anyone ever reading her private thoughts. I wonder if her parents gave away the rights to her journal.  

I'm on the very last pages of my book, and I'm honestly let down. There wasn't a huge big twist. The book in its entirety is pretty good for a teen novel, but nothing really out of the usual formula. Turns out no one killed Simon, he killed himself for attention and revenge. I didn't even think any of the four kids did it anyway. Also there was literally no way anybody else besides someone in that room did it. I was trying to come up with a bunch of conspiracies on to how it would have been possible, they were all way too far fetched. One thing I didn't technically see coming was how involved Jake was in framing the four. He was always a little off, he had anger issues, and he was controlling, so of course he would take the chance to write the blogs after Simon died. Even though he's broken up with Addy now he has even more control over here than ever. In a weird way I guess I did want one of the four to do it. I was really rooting for all of them. So if the author would have gradually taken one of the main characters point of view out, I feel like most people wouldn't have noticed and they could have made that person the killer. If Brownyn would have done it I think it would have made the most since. She's the smartest one out of them all, her sister was severely bullied by something Simon wrote about her, and she had a major secret that would affect her future to hide. It would have been an interesting turn to have the protagonist be the antagonist all along. 

I know I said that I really didn’t connect with Addy and that I thought she was an airhead but, I’ve changed my mind. She’s a little more complex than I originally thought. Ever since her and her boyfriend broke up she’s really been making some big moves. In a way I’m kind of proud of her. She was so into this one boy that she put her whole identity in him. And when they broke up she cut her hair. She made a choice for herself to make a big change and move on. That’s very brave and honestly I didn’t think she would be capable of it. This girl is very into her looks so a blunt pixie cut is definitely a middle finger to her controlling ex-boyfriend who always was obsessed with her long silky locks. She still does some stuff I don’t like though. She’s really judgmental of Bronwyn and her friends which makes me kind of mad because Bronwyn was trying to be sweet to her and invite her to sit with her at lunch. She still has this everyone is out to get me mindset and it’s annoying. I went to church the other day and the preacher was talking about how can we judge anyone? In the bible it asks us how we can remove the speck from our neighbor’s eye when there is a log in our own. I think someone really needs to tell Addy about this scripture, she needs it. 

I AM IN SHOCK. Okay, I’m going to admit, I thought the book was getting a little bit too “teeny bopper” for me. I was getting kind of bored because the book was a little too predictable I wasn’t really interested in any off the characters. BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, Copper the all American boy with the baseball scholarships flying out the who-ha, goes to his BOYFRIENDS house and kisses him. COOPER IS GAY I REPEAT COOPER IS GAY. All this time I didn’t understand why he broke up with his beautiful supporting girlfriend, didn’t really care if people found out if he had taken steroids, and was a relatively background character, IT’S BECAUSE THE BOY HAS BIGGER FISH TO FRY THAN PEOPLE FINDING OUT HE USES STERIODS. It really threw me for a loop, and then all at once the dots connected in my head. In the beginning of the book cooper talked about how beautiful Browywn was and how he just noticed for the first time. Looking back at that part of the book, I realize, he wasn’t talking about her in a typical “boy” perverted way, he was simply just admiring her. I love how the author threw the reader off by sprinkling in little things along the way, very clever. I’m really motivated to keep reading. I’m actually close to finishing the book and not a whole lot has really gone down, so I’m assuming that the action is really going to ramp up.
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BLOG 5 POST
My heart is in pain for Cooper. He got outed for being gay because the police found his blog post that Simon was going to write that would expose him. I have a very special place in my heart for gay people and their privacy. My best friend of 9 years is gay and it was so incredibly hard for her to come out to her parents. There was a whole year where her parents wouldn’t even look at her, she was ostracized from her whole family. The police promised they would keep the blog confidential, but like everything else it got leaked to the press. My main question is, how is literally everything getting leaked? Is there a mole in the police department? Is someone on the police force or maybe a daughter/son of an officer the real person who killed Simon? I honestly do not believe any of the kids that were in the room when Simon died killed him, I really don’t. I understand that all of the kids had something they wanted to stop from getting out, but so did literally everyone else in the school. The police are honestly not fit to handle any type of case if they don’t even consider that the killer might not be one of the kids. 

“Browyn was the strongest willed, determined, little rascal I had ever met.” Pg 191 Adjectives 

“My mom sent me Addy and I to the store for eggs, milk, and bread.” Pg 82 Series 

“Even though it’s getting late, it’s hotter than the Mojave Desert.” Pg 220 Intro info 

“I try to keep my expression neutral, even though I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Pg 448 compound sentence

“Nate, who is the obvious scape goat for police, doesn’t have a fighting chance without a lawyer.” Pg 103 extra info 

 

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a gem. I really never read books that have a male protagonist narrating the story, I tend to stick with girls for some reason. This book interests me immensely because this boy couldn't be any further from me. He lives the polar opposite life. This little Indian boy, with a ton of health issues, money problems, and emotional obstacles to overcome and yet he does it all with a smile on his face. I came into this book a little bit ignorant. When I found out the books main character was very disabled I thought the story might be boring, nothing would be action packed or really fast pace, I was very wrong. This little Indian kid may not be the best at the physical movements, his brain works at a mile a minute. The book sort of jumps around and will add little tid bits of information about the characters train of thought, just so you can relate more and understand this kid better. In this little boy's town everyone is a drunk, everyone is hopeless and has given up. I wonder why that is? How can a tight nit town with people in relatively the same circumstances be so miserable? Everyone talks about how no one leaves the reservation but if everyone is so miserable, why don't they. It's not like they're chained up and will be punished if they leave. They choose to stay and live their miserable lives. I'm just shocked that this boy Junior is the only kid that has thought about bettering himself. 

BLOG POST 8
 I feel like very few teen books capture what it's really like to feel out of place. The constant tug of the world, pulling you every which way. Jr. aka Arnold is stuck between what his tribe wants, what he wants, what his parents want, and what he deserves. Isn't that everyone? Give or take a tribe or two. The whole book you're constantly trying to decide along with Jr. which life is better, where does Jr. belong. Just like life, the book makes you experience the heart break and the joy of both sides, one never outshining the other, ever confusing, a never ending coin toss. Nobody knows heartbreak like Jr. is dealing with life threatening problems and mustering up a smile and a good attitude whenever he can. Jr. doesn't have a lot to be thankful for by the world's standards, but I think the author gifted him with one of the most likable charismatic personalities I have ever read. One thing that is so refreshing about Jr. is his sympathy. Even though nobody on the rez has really deserves his compassion after the horrible bullying they have put him through, he still continues to root and be thankful for his tribe. I think it's because at the end of the day, they're all stuck in a bad situation together. No white kid will ever really know what it's like to be Arnold no matter how close of friends they might become with him. I think that's the base of all human interaction, the need to feel understood. 

I finished reading dreamland last week, and to be quite honest, I was kind of disappointed with the ending. I don't feel like there was a climax to the book at all, it sort of just ended. Also, the book is called dreamland and MAYBE I MISSED SOMETHING BIG BUT I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT DREAMLAND HAS TO DO WITH ANYTHING IMPORTANT. I thought it was going to be some cool other universe in Caitlin's brain where she could have conversations with her sister Cassie. Cassie could guide her through things with Rogerson through the dreamland because she couldn't do it in person because she had ran away, BUT NO. Cassie has a very small role in the book, which really is a shame she could have had so much potential. Â I started a new Book though, called Dumpling. I'm not very far into the book but I can already tell I'm going to like it. I get tired of reading characters that remind me of myself. The main character in this book is by her own definition overweight. I really have no clue what an overweight person feels like or has to battle. I have been skinny my whole life thanks to my mother's genes, imagine it would be very hard for a teenage girl though. Everyone everywhere is also telling you to slim down, almost like your worth depends on it. Sometimes she acts as if her fat doesn't bother her, she owns it because fat is nothing to be ashamed of. And then sometimes she acts incredibly ashamed and self-conscious about it. It's almost like she's trying to convince herself that her being fat doesn't bother her. By the end of the book I'm like 95% sure that her confident front that she can only hold for so long will become real.