Who ever doesn’t believe that opposites attract should read The Loud Silence of Francine Green written by Karen Cushman. The main character is Francine Green a quite, well behaved catholic school girl who become best friends with her complete opposite Sophie Bowman. Sophie is outspoken, rule breaking, war activist. The two best friends are completely different but they learn from each others personalities.
The Loud Silence of Francine Green takes place in the 1950’s when the United States when the United States was scared of communism and atomic bombs. Sophie has a strong opinion against the war and the government. Francine on the other hand never understood that she could have her own opinions and she is free to speak her mind. Sophie teaches Francine to speak up for what she feels and learns to develop her own ideas. With the help of Francine’s best friend, for the first time she decides she wants to be heard
This book takes you back to the 1950’s and shows the concerns and issues during that time. Through the perspective of a 13 year old girl the reader learns about this time period and the scariness of a war filled with atomic bombs, free speech, communists and blacklisting.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Rules by Cynthia Lord
“You can yell on a playground but not during dinner”
“A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts”
“If you want to get away from someone check your watch and say ‘sorry gotta go!’”
These are just a few of the rules Catherine giver her brother in the heartfelt book Rules by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a story about a young girl Catherine who has a brother named David with Autism. The book is from Catherine’s perspective on her life and the ups and downs of living with someone who is autistic.
Life isn’t easy for Catherine, a young girl trying to live a normal life with friends while also trying to cope with the difficulties of her brother’s disability. During the summer Catherine tries to become friends with the new next door neighbor but David makes it difficult for Catherine to find confidence in building a new friendship. Luckily Catherine ends up meeting a boy who can not speak or walk, a close friendship forms and she builds her confidence and learns not to be embarrassed of her brother or anyone for that matter.
Have you ever been embarrassed by someone else’s actions? Or do you know the difficulties of living with someone with a disability and need something to connect too?
If so this book is perfect to bring strength and confidence too many who feel uncomfortable near someone with a disability. The book Rules, gives readers courage in overlooking that feeling, learning to face our fears and follow our hearts.
“A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts”
“If you want to get away from someone check your watch and say ‘sorry gotta go!’”
These are just a few of the rules Catherine giver her brother in the heartfelt book Rules by Cynthia Lord. Rules is a story about a young girl Catherine who has a brother named David with Autism. The book is from Catherine’s perspective on her life and the ups and downs of living with someone who is autistic.
Life isn’t easy for Catherine, a young girl trying to live a normal life with friends while also trying to cope with the difficulties of her brother’s disability. During the summer Catherine tries to become friends with the new next door neighbor but David makes it difficult for Catherine to find confidence in building a new friendship. Luckily Catherine ends up meeting a boy who can not speak or walk, a close friendship forms and she builds her confidence and learns not to be embarrassed of her brother or anyone for that matter.
Have you ever been embarrassed by someone else’s actions? Or do you know the difficulties of living with someone with a disability and need something to connect too?
If so this book is perfect to bring strength and confidence too many who feel uncomfortable near someone with a disability. The book Rules, gives readers courage in overlooking that feeling, learning to face our fears and follow our hearts.
The BoyFriend List by E. Lockhart
“15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs and me, Ruby Oliver”
The Boyfriend List written by E. Lockhart is hilarious story about a girl and her debacles of going through her school years. Ruby Oliver is a fifteen year old girl who has been sent by her parents to see a therapist, after having several anxiety attacks. Ruby’s therapist assigns her to make a list of all her boyfriends, and during each session Ruby tells the story of each guy on her list. Through telling her therapist stories of each guy we learn all of Ruby’s school year drama. Ruby addresses issues of peer pressure, social statues, family life, friends and boyfriends. Going through school can be very hard for some and this book helps make light on the hard times teenagers go through. The way Ruby tells her stories is priceless it will surely put you in a good mood and searching for more.
“He ended up feeling my boob for the whole movie! He ate popcorn with his left hand and got lucky with his right. It started to feel kind of lopsided, for the right one to get literally an hour and a half’s worth of attention and the left one to be all on its lonesome. I barley knew what the movie was about, because I was thinking about my boob the whole time. My boob, being stroked by a near-complete stranger, a big meaty rugby player.”
This quote from Ruby is from one her stories about the 15th guy on her list. The way Ruby tells her experiences make them comic explorations of the wonderful and tragic times of living through those school years. Anyone who went through school or who is presently dealing with these times must read this hilarious tale by E. Lockhart! It is a great read that will surely make you laugh!
The Boyfriend List written by E. Lockhart is hilarious story about a girl and her debacles of going through her school years. Ruby Oliver is a fifteen year old girl who has been sent by her parents to see a therapist, after having several anxiety attacks. Ruby’s therapist assigns her to make a list of all her boyfriends, and during each session Ruby tells the story of each guy on her list. Through telling her therapist stories of each guy we learn all of Ruby’s school year drama. Ruby addresses issues of peer pressure, social statues, family life, friends and boyfriends. Going through school can be very hard for some and this book helps make light on the hard times teenagers go through. The way Ruby tells her stories is priceless it will surely put you in a good mood and searching for more.
“He ended up feeling my boob for the whole movie! He ate popcorn with his left hand and got lucky with his right. It started to feel kind of lopsided, for the right one to get literally an hour and a half’s worth of attention and the left one to be all on its lonesome. I barley knew what the movie was about, because I was thinking about my boob the whole time. My boob, being stroked by a near-complete stranger, a big meaty rugby player.”
This quote from Ruby is from one her stories about the 15th guy on her list. The way Ruby tells her experiences make them comic explorations of the wonderful and tragic times of living through those school years. Anyone who went through school or who is presently dealing with these times must read this hilarious tale by E. Lockhart! It is a great read that will surely make you laugh!
Monday, November 5, 2007
13
13 Adjectives about how I felt about the age 13 BEFORE reading 13 stories.
1. Confident
2. Normal
3. Similar to everything else
4. Privileged
5. Happy
6. Awkward
7. Popular
8. Modest
9. Outgoing
10. Friendly
11. Nervous
12. Worriless
13. Free
13 Adjectives about how I felt about the age 13 AFTER reading 13 stories.
Funny
Exciting
Sad
Happy
Shocked
Creative
Nervous
Awkward
Disappointing
Realistic
Thought provoking
Friendly
Lonely
The 13 ways I felt about being 13 before reading this book has changed in 13 new ways when I was done. The 13 year old kids who wrote this book, have 13 stories to share, with 13 different experiences, which may leave you with 13 new thoughts through your head, about what is it really like to be 13?
1. Confident
2. Normal
3. Similar to everything else
4. Privileged
5. Happy
6. Awkward
7. Popular
8. Modest
9. Outgoing
10. Friendly
11. Nervous
12. Worriless
13. Free
13 Adjectives about how I felt about the age 13 AFTER reading 13 stories.
Funny
Exciting
Sad
Happy
Shocked
Creative
Nervous
Awkward
Disappointing
Realistic
Thought provoking
Friendly
Lonely
The 13 ways I felt about being 13 before reading this book has changed in 13 new ways when I was done. The 13 year old kids who wrote this book, have 13 stories to share, with 13 different experiences, which may leave you with 13 new thoughts through your head, about what is it really like to be 13?
Saturday, November 3, 2007
"The Boyfriend List" by E. Lockhart
They say you have to kiss so many frogs before finding your prince. Ruby Oliver begins seeing a therapist after the emotional trauma of being dumped by her first serious boyfriend of eight months, who is truly more of a frog than a prince for the reason that he dumps her and begins dating her best friend.
As if fifteen year-old Ruby isn’t upset enough over losing her boyfriend and her best friend of ten years, a series of events cause Ruby’s social life to start spiraling downwards in a number of days as she:
1. [Does] something suspicious with a boy.
2. [Does] something advanced with a boy.
3. [Has] an argument with a boy.
4. [Drinks] her first beer (someone handed it to her).
5. [Gets] caught by her mom.
6. [Loses] a lacrosse game.
7. [Fails] a math test.
8. Hurt[s] Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends).
9. [Has] graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom.
10. [Loses] all her other friends (Nora and Cricket).
11. Become[s] a social outcast.
What would you do if you were fifteen, were dumped by your first serious boyfriend, lost all your friends, and fell out of favor in the eyes of all your peers at school? Ruby begins having panic attacks, which her parents find worthy of a series of visits with a therapist named Doctor Z. On account of her troubled love life, Doctor Z assigns Ruby the task of making a list of “all the boyfriends, kind-of boyfriends, almost-boyfriends, rumored boyfriends, and wished-he-were boyfriends” she has had. Ruby decides on fifteen guys for her “Boyfriend List”:
1. Adam (but he doesn’t count.)
2. Finn (but people just thought so.)
3. Hutch (but I’d rather not think about it.)
4. Gideon (but it was just from afar.)
5. Ben (but he didn’t know.)
6. Tommy (but it was impossible.)
7. Chase (but it was all in his mind.)
8. Sky (but he had someone else.)
9. Michael (but I so didn’t want to.)
10. Angelo (but it was just one date.)
11. Shiv (but it was just one kiss.)
12. Billy (but he didn’t call.)
13. Jackson (yes, okay, he was my boyfriend. Don’t ask me any more about it.)
14. Noel (but it was just a rumor.)
15. Cabbie (but I’m undecided.)
Reading about Ruby’s secret crushes, the boy who left gummy bears in her mail cubby in fourth grade, the boy she was teased about being in love with by all the other kids at school, the boy who pretended he wanted to be her boyfriend but was dating someone else, her first (bad) kiss, her first (good) kiss, and her first 24-hour boyfriend will undoubtedly spark fond memories for female readers.
As if fifteen year-old Ruby isn’t upset enough over losing her boyfriend and her best friend of ten years, a series of events cause Ruby’s social life to start spiraling downwards in a number of days as she:
1. [Does] something suspicious with a boy.
2. [Does] something advanced with a boy.
3. [Has] an argument with a boy.
4. [Drinks] her first beer (someone handed it to her).
5. [Gets] caught by her mom.
6. [Loses] a lacrosse game.
7. [Fails] a math test.
8. Hurt[s] Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends).
9. [Has] graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom.
10. [Loses] all her other friends (Nora and Cricket).
11. Become[s] a social outcast.
What would you do if you were fifteen, were dumped by your first serious boyfriend, lost all your friends, and fell out of favor in the eyes of all your peers at school? Ruby begins having panic attacks, which her parents find worthy of a series of visits with a therapist named Doctor Z. On account of her troubled love life, Doctor Z assigns Ruby the task of making a list of “all the boyfriends, kind-of boyfriends, almost-boyfriends, rumored boyfriends, and wished-he-were boyfriends” she has had. Ruby decides on fifteen guys for her “Boyfriend List”:
1. Adam (but he doesn’t count.)
2. Finn (but people just thought so.)
3. Hutch (but I’d rather not think about it.)
4. Gideon (but it was just from afar.)
5. Ben (but he didn’t know.)
6. Tommy (but it was impossible.)
7. Chase (but it was all in his mind.)
8. Sky (but he had someone else.)
9. Michael (but I so didn’t want to.)
10. Angelo (but it was just one date.)
11. Shiv (but it was just one kiss.)
12. Billy (but he didn’t call.)
13. Jackson (yes, okay, he was my boyfriend. Don’t ask me any more about it.)
14. Noel (but it was just a rumor.)
15. Cabbie (but I’m undecided.)
Reading about Ruby’s secret crushes, the boy who left gummy bears in her mail cubby in fourth grade, the boy she was teased about being in love with by all the other kids at school, the boy who pretended he wanted to be her boyfriend but was dating someone else, her first (bad) kiss, her first (good) kiss, and her first 24-hour boyfriend will undoubtedly spark fond memories for female readers.
"The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" by Carolyn Mackler
Virginia Shreves is average. She’s your average fifteen-year-old magazine-reading, physical activity-loathing, web-surfing, instant-messaging, junk food-scarfing adolescent. To top it all off, she has a crush on the computer genius and avid trombone player, Froggy Welsh the Fourth:
Froggy is medium height and slender. His ruffled blonde hair crests into a
cowlick. His dollop of a nose reminds me of a lamb’s snout. Especially
since it’s always pinkish, probably from so much tweaking. Whenever his
pubescent voice cracks, he sounds like a screeching chicken. Put his name
and his traits together and you’ve got a farm.
The two adolescents are nervously trying to make it to “second base”; however Virginia’s insecurities about her curvy figure cause her to keep holding Froggy back.
Although usually bright and optimistic, Virginia becomes insecure and self-loathing as her family and peers continuously show their disapproval towards her weight. Her family is definitely not average. Virginia describes herself as having “dishwater blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a roundish face, and a larger-than-average body,” compared to the rest of the thin, brunette, over-achieving Shreves. Her mom is an adolescent psychologist with a huge clientele, her dad is a “high-powered software executive,” and her brother and sister are successful college students who both look like Abercrombie & Fitch models.
Virginia’s mom eventually talks her doctor into putting her daughter on a diet. Her insensitive father is also excited about her anticipated weight loss, offering to take her shopping for new clothes, and telling her, “You’ve got a great face, Ginny. Think of how much prettier you could be if you lost twenty or thirty pounds.”
Virginia is not popular at her school, but she’s not a loser either. She’s determined that “If I had to chart it, I probably fall somewhere between regular and dorky.” However, she still has trouble finding acceptance among some of her peers because of her looks. For example, while sitting in the bathroom stall, she overhears Brie, the bulimic leader of the 10th grade Queen Bee Popular Girls, talk about how she would rather kill herself than be fat like Virginia.
Will Virginia be able to overcome the opinions of her family and peers and accept herself? Will she adhere to her new diet and turn into the ideal Shreve? Will she ever make it to “second base” with Froggy Welsh the Fourth? Virginia proves to be entertaining and strong-willed in her decisions that ultimately lead her to happiness.
Froggy is medium height and slender. His ruffled blonde hair crests into a
cowlick. His dollop of a nose reminds me of a lamb’s snout. Especially
since it’s always pinkish, probably from so much tweaking. Whenever his
pubescent voice cracks, he sounds like a screeching chicken. Put his name
and his traits together and you’ve got a farm.
The two adolescents are nervously trying to make it to “second base”; however Virginia’s insecurities about her curvy figure cause her to keep holding Froggy back.
Although usually bright and optimistic, Virginia becomes insecure and self-loathing as her family and peers continuously show their disapproval towards her weight. Her family is definitely not average. Virginia describes herself as having “dishwater blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a roundish face, and a larger-than-average body,” compared to the rest of the thin, brunette, over-achieving Shreves. Her mom is an adolescent psychologist with a huge clientele, her dad is a “high-powered software executive,” and her brother and sister are successful college students who both look like Abercrombie & Fitch models.
Virginia’s mom eventually talks her doctor into putting her daughter on a diet. Her insensitive father is also excited about her anticipated weight loss, offering to take her shopping for new clothes, and telling her, “You’ve got a great face, Ginny. Think of how much prettier you could be if you lost twenty or thirty pounds.”
Virginia is not popular at her school, but she’s not a loser either. She’s determined that “If I had to chart it, I probably fall somewhere between regular and dorky.” However, she still has trouble finding acceptance among some of her peers because of her looks. For example, while sitting in the bathroom stall, she overhears Brie, the bulimic leader of the 10th grade Queen Bee Popular Girls, talk about how she would rather kill herself than be fat like Virginia.
Will Virginia be able to overcome the opinions of her family and peers and accept herself? Will she adhere to her new diet and turn into the ideal Shreve? Will she ever make it to “second base” with Froggy Welsh the Fourth? Virginia proves to be entertaining and strong-willed in her decisions that ultimately lead her to happiness.
Friday, November 2, 2007
"Olive's Ocean" by Kevin Henkes
Martha Boyle had never personally known twelve-year-old Olive Barstow before she was hit by a car while riding her bicycle. In fact, the shy and mysterious Olive had only been in Martha’s class a few short months before her death. When Olive’s mother unexpectedly appears at Martha’s door and gives her a journal entry written by her daughter, Martha is shocked to discover that she had much in common with her late classmate.
“I hope I get to know Martha Boyle next year (or this summer). I hope that we can be friends. That is my biggest hope. She is the nicest person in my whole entire class,” Olive’s journal reads. Martha is haunted by the journal entry throughout the remainder of her summer vacation, wondering what she had done to spark Olive’s desire to be friends. Her family trip to visit her grandmother in Cape Cod does not ease her grief, as she realizes how the two of them share a love for the sea. Martha’s favorite place in the world is her grandmother’s house on the Cape, while Olive wrote that would love to visit and live by the ocean one day. Most of all, Martha feels badly that Olive will never be able to fulfill the hopes and dreams described in her journal entry.
How much of an impact would the death of a distant classmate have on your life? Olive’s unfulfilled aspirations of seeing the ocean and becoming a writer cause Martha to realize how valuable life is, and that it can easily be taken away in an instant. For these reasons, I believe that Martha symbolically becomes the living version of Olive. With similar dreams of becoming an author, the main character is motivated to live her life to the fullest and not be afraid to pursue her dreams. An example of this is her fear of telling her parents she wants to be a writer, thinking they will disapprove the idea. However, she feels better about her career decision after reading that Olive had the same aspirations, and is inspired to begin writing a novel about a girl named after Olive.
“I hope I get to know Martha Boyle next year (or this summer). I hope that we can be friends. That is my biggest hope. She is the nicest person in my whole entire class,” Olive’s journal reads. Martha is haunted by the journal entry throughout the remainder of her summer vacation, wondering what she had done to spark Olive’s desire to be friends. Her family trip to visit her grandmother in Cape Cod does not ease her grief, as she realizes how the two of them share a love for the sea. Martha’s favorite place in the world is her grandmother’s house on the Cape, while Olive wrote that would love to visit and live by the ocean one day. Most of all, Martha feels badly that Olive will never be able to fulfill the hopes and dreams described in her journal entry.
How much of an impact would the death of a distant classmate have on your life? Olive’s unfulfilled aspirations of seeing the ocean and becoming a writer cause Martha to realize how valuable life is, and that it can easily be taken away in an instant. For these reasons, I believe that Martha symbolically becomes the living version of Olive. With similar dreams of becoming an author, the main character is motivated to live her life to the fullest and not be afraid to pursue her dreams. An example of this is her fear of telling her parents she wants to be a writer, thinking they will disapprove the idea. However, she feels better about her career decision after reading that Olive had the same aspirations, and is inspired to begin writing a novel about a girl named after Olive.
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