Monday, May 18, 2015

Thirteen Reasons Why #2 - Jay Asher

From what I read after my first blog I have noticed that Hannah says the same thing over and over again and I think there is a reason for it too. In the book it states "some people may say she was over dramatic over the whole thing. It shouldn't be a reason to kill yourself." She explained it herself that she feels thats what people might think when they hear the reason why she did what she did. In almost every tape she explains that it wasn't just a small thing that got her all wound up and made her kill herself. She tires to explain that those events that happened all have a reason for why she did it. Hannah keeps saying that just because it may have seemed so small like a rumor about a kiss turning into something more was just a rumor. But like she said it wasn't. When the rumors kept going around people kept putting labels on Hannah. Thats what ruined her, she didn't want to be the "talk" of the school. She didn't want people to look at her like she was something else and that she did something stupid. Hannah knew what happened but everyone else believed something else. Thats why in her tapes she says don't think it was just a little thing that made her lose it, because it was something much bigger than what everyone thought. Since I kept reading her words over and over I do get the sense and feeling of why she did have a reasonable reason to do what she decided to do.

Later on in the book I infer that the word is probably going to get out. Theres just something about the different people that have received the tapes that makes it seem like one of them in the future that gets the tapes is not going to listen to them fully and is not going to pass the tapes along to the next person. In the book Thirteen Reasons Why it states "If you don't pass the tapes along be ready to receive payback because there were copies made." Hannah said that there was someone watching each and everyone of the people that have received the tapes and if they fail to send the tapes to the next person then the tapes were going to be put out to public for everyone to hear. I feel like the next person that is supposed to get the tapes will not pass the tapes along because they might just think its a joke. I feel like the tapes are going to be public sooner or later. I will finish the book to find out if the tapes end up getting out.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Thirteen Reasons Why by : Jay Asher

The book thirteen reasons Why is about a girl named Hannah Baker who committed suicide. The purpose of this book is to know why Hannah did what she did. Before she committed suicide she left behind 7 tapes and on both sides there were reasons why she did what she did. After she finished recording the tapes she sent it to the first person mentioned on them. The secret about the tapes is that on each set there is a person mentioned and Hannah tells her story about how that person effected her life and made her do what she did. In the beginning of the book it first starts off with a girl but it doesn't exactly explain who it is, the thing is she just starts off saying she's going to school, walks into her class and sees an empty desk. That empty desk used to be Hannah's and after that it goes into the person that got the tapes - Clay Jensen. The funny thing about him getting the tapes in the beginning of the story was that his name wasn't the first name on the first tape, or even the second. I find out it interesting how his name isn't in the first two tapes but he was like the first one to receive the tapes from the start of the story. In the book Thirteen Reasons Why it states "I shouldn't even be on this list, I didn't even do anything," that statement was said by Clay. When he first read the tapes he didn't understand why he even got them in the first place because he feels like he never really talked to Hannah the last time he remembers actually seeing and talking to her was a couple months ago at a party when they made out. I'm going to keep reading to find out exactly why Clay is really on those tapes.

From what I read so far I think that before Hannah left she did have many problems going on. However, I still don't understand how it got so bad that she had to kill herself. I read that this guy named Justin who was Hannah's first crush made up many lies about her. She was just the new girl in town so it was easy for people to make up lies about her and it let people believe them too. Justin was Hannah's first real kiss that happened in the park while they were alone. He was a sophomore and she was a freshmen so it was easier for him to lie about what happened that day. They went out for a month or so and the rummers were going around without Hannah knowing about it until the end. Justin ended up saying that more then a kiss happened that night and thats when things began to get ugly. At first only a few people knew about it but then those people told more people and it kept expanding until Hannah found it but it was too late to put an end to it. Then thats when people started talking more and more about her and I can understand why that would be one reason to committed suicide I guess you could say. But I really want to know the other reasons why she did it and thats why Im going to keep reading until I find out the truth.

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Positive : Jay Asher - Final

Since I have finished the book it has taught me many different lessons and explained many different sides of people. I learned that all it takes is one person to make a big difference for someone. In the book the main character Paige has HIV because she received it by the breast milk from her mother. In the beginning of the story it explained that Paige had a best friend named Yasmine since elementary school but things take a little bit of a twist once they get to 7th grade. Yasmine was complaining about a friend having a problem and then Paige brought up how everyone has some sort of "problem" with them. In the text it said "Everybody's got something," I told her. And then I told her that I had something too. I told her I had HIV." After that secret Paige told her "best friend" it changed everything about her 6th & 7th grade year. Yasmine ended up telling people about Paige's disease and then those people told other people which then everyone started saying that she had AIDS. After that the entire school found out about her having AIDS and no one wanted to talk to her so she basically spent the rest of the year alone with no one really to talk to but Amber a girl older than her. But, when 7th grade finally began there was a new student named Mariah. She was the only girl in school that actually new about Paige's disease but still didn't care because she saw Paige as a very nice girl and good friend. Mariah new about her HIV but she didn't mind because what mattered to her was the friendship and that meant everything to Paige. All it takes is one good person to make a big difference because after Mariah started talking to Paige and not caring what anyone else thought people started realizing they made a mistake about judging Paige.


Throughout the book I witness many different sides of Paige. I could tell she was kind, honest, friendly, warmhearted, smart and brave. But if I was given the chance to describe Paige's life in one word it would be strong. Throughout everything she went through with loosing her father and best friend she was still able to be cheerful on the cheerleading team. In the book it states "It is probably not every kid who can say this but I can ; there was at least one day at the start of seventh grade when I sat in algebra class, and was 100 percent fully and completely happy." When I read this I thought after everything she's been through in the summer and at the end of 6th grade she was still able to say that she was happy because of something. I found this to be very strong of her because even through everything she was strong enough to keep fighting through it. In my opinion I find Paige to be one of the strongest girls I've read about because in her life she has been through things that most people may not understand. I feel like if another person went through her same situation they might not have been as strong as Paige was. You should read "Positive by Jay Asher" to see how strong and brave Paige really was.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Positive By Jay Asher #2

Since the last time I wrote about the book Positive many new events happened with Paige and her life. In the book Positive it explained that when Paige was little about 6 years old she found a magazine that said there was a little girl pageant coming up. When Paige saw that she was so excited because she wanted to be the one to win in that pageant and she knew when she asked her mother to join that she would say yes. Paige is an only child so her mother is used to saying yes to pretty much anything Paige asked for. At first when she asked her mother to join the pageant but her mother wasn't too sure about it. She felt that the judges wouldn't want a little girl with HIV to participate in the pageant. Paige didn't know about her HIV quite yet because she was still too young to understand. But, she kept begging her mom to let her join and she promised her she would be the best to win. In the text it said that Paige meant many people while being the pageant, and she didn't let anyone or anything bring her down. This girl that was much older than Paige named Heather told her to always be herself. So she took her advice and gave it her best to win and she never let anything make her think she wasn't good enough. Paige ended up winning second place in the pageant along with another friend she made named Annie Edge. In the book it said that after Paige won second place she went back the next year and won in first place. It stated that after she won she said "But in those early pageant days, when the world seemed to be opening up all around me, all I understood was that confidence was everything. And I had that in spades. I could make anything happen. Anything at all." After that Paige kept going on with winning pageants but she as she grew up her way of seeing things changed. You have to read the book Positive to find out why she thoughts changed.


When I first read what Paige said in the story "But in those early pageant days, when the world seemed to be opening up all around me, all I understood was that confidence was everything. And I had that in spades. I could make anything happen. Anything at all." This made me think about everything that I went through when I was her age. Transferring schools, moving towns, losing touch with friends and all those type of things it made me think. My cousin that is a couple years older than me always told me to be myself no matter what and she would always tell me and still does, to always have confidence when doing anything. When I read that part in the story it made me think about how I was a little bit like Paige. She never let anything bring her down and she was always a happy child while being in the pageant. As a child myself I would always try to have a smile on my face even when I was a little upset about something. I always have tried to keep going even when some things get tough. As I am reading the book I keep feeling like I could relate to Paige in many ways. As the story goes a long I will keep reading to see if I have any other connections to her and her life.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Positive by Jay Asher

The new book I'm reading is called Positive and the main characters name is Page. The book is mostly about how Page grew up and got transferred with the disease of HIV. The way she ended up getting HIV is by drinking the breast milk from her mother when she was a baby. Page and her mother had no idea she had HIV until she was about to be 3 years old and before that she would get really sick. But the way they found out was that her mother had to take a blood sample because she was becoming sick. So when the doctors took the blood test they found out that Page's mother was HIV positive. They told her that Page - her daughter- also had the chance to be HIV positive. This scared her mother because the thought of her little having HIV at such a young age could be very dangerous. So then, what the doctors decided to do was get a blood test from Page. After the blood results came back they found out Page was also HIV positive and they told her mother that Page would have to take medication in order for the virus not to effect her as much. In the text it states that "had I been born just a few years earlier, I'd be dead by now." Paige wasn't exaggerating when she said this either because it was true the year her mother found out Paige had HIV the doctors invented a treatment for it. If this treatment was not available she could've died. This book is mostly about her telling the readers her experience with HIV. She explains to us how her friends react when they find out that she has HIV, they all react so differently to her disease. Some tell others and others are very shocked but you have to read to find out how telling people changes her life.


In the book Positive by Jay Asher I feel like not only I can relate to some of her problems but other people can too and of course maybe not with the biggest one with her having HIV but with the problems that she has with friends and family. In the book it talked about how her mother and father had a bad ending and how her father is no longer part of her life. I feel like this can maybe relate to some children out there. There are many occasions where a child doesn't have both their parents. Either their not together, they passed away, or they just left them. Paige talks about it in the beginning of the story of how it made her feel so I think that by what she said some people are able to connect to it. The places where I can relate to is where she talks about telling her friends about her HIV and they kind of turned their backs on her. Im pretty sure everyone can relate to time where their "friends" or someone turned their back on them and said something personal about them to other people. Read positive to find out what else happens to Paige throughout her life.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

The Experiences of Native Americans

Paragraph 1:
The way that American Indians were marginalized was by being forced to leave their families in order to become like "white people." In the text it states "it was not Pratt's plan to simply educate these children and teach them English. He also planned to "civilize" them-to strop them of their traditions and ways of life. This showed me that they were made as if they didn't exist because people were trying to get them to forget where they came from and they were making them forget who they were. The soldiers were making them someone else. The American Indians were pushed aside in society because it was as if they traditions and their way of life was just erased and taken from them. Then made them learn new traditions and a new way of living life.

The difference between Luther Standing Bear's and Shanice Britton's experiences in their time period is that Luther was forced to learn how to become a "white men" and he was actually forced to forget all his traditions and his old way of life. In the text it said "Kill the Indian, save the man" as if saying get ride of the Indian side of them and just leave the man in them. However, for Shanice, she was actually able to share her traditions with people and tell them about what she did as a kid and how Native Americans really are. In the text it said " I explain that each tribe has its own traditions." She got to explain to people the actual life of a Native American and answered questions that they had to her classmates that she told. The similarities between them is that both of them did get to live as a Native American through their life.

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Eggs Jerry Spinelli final

Since the last time I talked about Primrose and David's friendship many events happened. They got into conflicts and went on new adventures. It was around the middle of the book when a new character came along and his name was Josh, he's also kind of important in the story because David and Primrose would go to his house when they would leave David's house at night. They didn't really do much there but eat food and watch some TV. But then one day they all went to Primrose's house and David and her got into an argument. At first when Josh would see them argue a lot he didn't really seem to give much thought to it because they always fought and got into little fights over everything but they always hung around each other either way. David would tell Primrose himself "I don't like you." "Dito" she would say which means "same." Thats what I really didn't understand neither did Josh but somehow they seemed to be best friends no matter what. Until that day at her house where the two ended up getting into an argument because of what show they wanted to watch, except they difference in this fight was it was way more intense and way more hurtful things were said they day too. At first it started off with David wanting to watch something else and Primrose didn't want to watch anything so she turned off the TV and after that they start yelling at each other. In the book it said that Josh and David were talking bad about Primrose's father and since he's not really in the picture she got really upset. It states "The boy was crying. The girl was screaming. "My father is not a bum on the street! Don't ever mention my father again!" The boy screamed back, wet-faced and red: "I hate you and your stupid mother!" "At least my mother's alive!" This showed me that both of them said things that they obviously didn't mean but you could also tell from the tone the author put it in that everything that was said hurt on another. So in order to find out weather or not David and Primrose make up and finally end up admitting that they really are best friends then you have to read Eggs by Jerry Spinelli to find out!


The main conflict in this book is man vs. self because David is struggling since he just lost his mother a couple of years ago and he has to live with his grandmother that is "annoying" to him. Then another big problem he goes through is that his dad isn't really part of the picture because he travels a lot I guess you could say. But in the beginning of the book it says "I don't want to make friends." "Everyone needs friendships." "Not me." It kind of gave me the idea that David wants to be alone but then the more I read I understood that the reason David wants to be alone is because he's probably too scared to let anyone else in his life because he doesn't want to loose anymore people. i can understand how that feels. Sometimes its hard to let people in because the people that were in your life before, either left your life or disappointed you in some way. But the thing about David is that since he ends up meeting Primrose I think he is just going to end up having to except and let her into his life because she also kind of goes through the same problems he does. Primrose also doesn't have her dad in her life and her mother is a different story because she really doesn't pay attention to Primrose.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Eggs by Jerry Spinelli #2

Looks like my inference was wrong, it was not Davids mother that he was seeing. What had happened was that this girl named Primrose was acting like she was dead under the leaves. She was wearing this makeup that made her look like she actually was dead, but really she was only sleeping. This makes more sense than what I imagined what it was because after the day that David had saw Primrose in the park he thought that someone was going to find her in the park and that their was going to be a story about a body found in the park the next day but of course there wasn't. So what he did was he went around town on his bike looking for something that explained why and what he saw the day at the park. Somehow David ended up at a psychic "home" if you would call it that. But what she told him was that good things were going to come towards him and that he was going to live an exciting life. In the book "Eggs" it said "I see...pretty babies... children... grandchildren... a white fence..." then Primrose ended up being the psychic daughter, so she took David to her house. The funny thing was that her house had a white fence and it was kind of the same as Madam Dovue described it would be. So eventually David and Primrose ended up hanging out together but the thing was that they would only hang out at night because Primrose is much older than David and she would pick him up at this house passed 11:00. She makes fun of David a lot for his age but thats how their "Friendship works." I will continue reading to see what meeting Primrose will do to David. I want to find out if she will change the way he sees other people and I want to know if David will end up making more friends.


In my opinion I would say that Primrose is a very independent girl. The reason I say this is because in the book it shows that her mom isn't really there for her and it explains that she doesn't have her father there either. In the text it states "so thats why I moved out," she said." This tells me that one her mother didn't really seem to care if Primrose lived in the same roof as her and I know that she isn't old enough to live on her own but she left either way. To me this shows a lot of independence because she doesn't have a mother to keep watch of her and she lives on her own. Primrose is obviously still a teen from what I have read in the book so she still needs the assistance of her parents. The problem with that is that her mother is more into being psychic and trying to see the future than to actually pay attention to her daughter. Then the issue with her father is that he is not around and Primrose explained that in the book. From this information I can clearly see that Primrose is very independent for her age. I will keep reading to find out what other evidence proves to me that she is not only independent but strong.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Tolerance

Tolerance : The ability or willingness to allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does necessarily agree with. 


To me tolerance means being able to have patience towards others and their opinions on things that I might disagree with. It means to respect others who may or may not agree with something you have to say about a certain topic or idea. I think the way I can be able to live a more tolerance life is by respecting different types of peoples ideas like people that are L.G.B.T. But then again everyone has a different meaning for tolerance. Sometimes people say things that they may not mean in a bad way but it still hurts you. The thing is you may not be able to say anything about it to them because they didn't know. Thats what tolerance means to me, it means having to hold some words inside because of something thats bothering you. The best way to be tolerant is to be able to understand people and their stories about how they feel about certain things. 

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Eggs By : Jerry Spinelli

The book I'm reading is called Eggs by Jerry Spinelli and its about a boy named David and his life. David first started out as any normal kid, young, full of life and just looking for fun. Until one day the unexpected happen, his mother passed away. She fell down the stairs because she slipped on a wet floor and hit her head so hard so she passed away. When David's mother passed he was too young so he didn't really understand, he had no brothers or sisters and no father. So, David had to move in with his grandma. She tries to get him to talk to people and make friends but David says it himself, he doesn't want friends. In my opinion I don't see the problem with having at least some friends but David just doesn't want any. in the book "Eggs by Jerry Spinelli" it stays "Make friends. Make friends. Same old garbage. "I don't want to make friends." "Everybody needs friends." "Not me." When I read this I could clearly tell that David isn't much of a social person. I can clearly see that he keeps to himself because he doesn't want friends and he doesn't try to make any effort into making friends either. In the story it's easter so its time for adults to hide the eggs and make the kids find them. David went to this park where all the kids go for easter and find all the eggs. When he went there was a man that blew a whistle and once he did a bunch of kids went crazy and ran down the hill to go get the eggs. By the time David got to the bottom all the eggs were gone, but he did spot one egg, it was yellow and buried in leaves. When he picked up the egg something magical happened there was a body buried under the leaves. I have to keep reading in order to find out if its just David who see's his mom or if there is actually a body under the leaves.

In the book eggs I infer that David is going to end up seeing his mom. In the book "Eggs" it states "The mouth did not move. "Your dead, aren't you? The beautiful face was as still as the tree. He was not afraid." I can clearly infer here that David might see his mother in the leaves. In the book it also explains how David lost his mother at a young age and how he explains that the women doesn't scare him and how he left her in the leaves. The next day he went back and the body was gone. To me this showed proof that the body never really existed because since David went back the next day and nothing was there. From this information I feel like I can infer that David really never saw anything in the leaves I think he just saw his mother. The reason that I think it was his mother is because no one else has passed away in the book that the author has mentioned and it also explained that David doesn't have any friends. From that I can clearly see that David might just be missing his mother so maybe he illuminates that he sees her, when really, he doesn't. I'm going to keep reading in order to see what exactly David saw in the leaves. 

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Alex Rodriguez By Glen Macnow #2

Last week I talked about Rodriguez's childhood and how even when he was little he always played baseball but when he was smaller he didn't plan on a career as a baseball player. Things did eventually change in high school. He started taking his baseball games/career way more serious. Alex began playing for the baseball team and his coach could see that he had a lot of potential. In the text of Alex Rodriguez by Glen Macnow it states "By the time Alex was a sixteen-year-old high school junior, he basically had moved into the coach's cramped office." From reading this I could tell right away Alex had become much more clear and serious about what he wanted to do with his future. The reason I say this is because I know that when the book saying he "basically moved in the office" it is clear to tell that it meant Alex was practically there all the time. To me this shows a lot of effort towards his goals and you could tell that Alex really did want a future as a baseball player because he had dedication. After junior year and playing on his baseball team and playing on a team with 18 year olds in the summer Alex was beginning to be recognized in colleges and scouts for baseball. By the time his senior year came Alex was getting so many offers from many different baseball teams and colleges. "College and grades was always important in his family," so it said in the book. Alex had a accident with his throwing wrist during his senior year playing football, and after that he kept his life only to play baseball and get good grades. Finally, his time came to become a professional baseball player because "On August 30,1993, just hours before classes started at the University of Miami, Alex signed with the Mariners.  To know more about Alex and how his career came to be and how/what ended you have to read "Alex Rodriguez By Glen Macnow" have fun reading.


In the book "Alex Rodriguez" Alex had many conflicts before actually getting a career in playing baseball. Most of these conflicts were man vs. self because he had to chose whether or not he should continue to try to make it to the professional league or just stop and go after good colleges. In the text it said "In the second game, after he was tackled, he felt pain in his throwing wrist. X-rays showed that he had a hairline fracture. It was not a serious break, but he decided to drop football and basketball." To me this was a conflict because he not only had to stop playing two other sports he enjoyed playing but he then had to be extra careful on the field while playing baseball. Alex still managed to make his senior year okay with his wrist and he was still on the baseball team which was a good sign. However he did go through another conflict because in the text it said "A wild throw by the other team's second baseman sailed wide, straight into teams USA's dugout. Alex, who was not looking, took the ball directly below the right eye. His cheekbone shattered. He had to go to undergo surgery, ending of his summer of baseball. " This was a man vs. self conflict because he had to stop playing baseball which for him meant no more practice or getting ready to go pro. The good thing, however, was that even though Alex didn't play as much in the summer he was still ready to get back on field as soon as possible and signed with the Mariners on August 30th. If you have questions about how Alex was still able to play after both his injuries than read "Alex Rodriguez by Glen Macnow." 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Alex Rodriguez by Glen Macnow

Alex Rodriguez is a famous baseball player, but he's also known as a man with just the love for the game. When Alex was a young boy he had a best friend named Derek Jeter. The two boys grew up together, playing any kind of sport they wanted. At first Alex's dream wasn't to become a baseball player, he actually started playing basketball in his teenage years and was pretty good at it. In the text it said "Finally Rodriguez won it on reverse, one-handed jam. "Tonight you were better," Jeter said, gasping for breath." This is clearly saying that at one point in Alex's life he wanted to play basketball or he thought about it. However, even though he thought about playing basketball, since Alex was little he has been playing baseball. He started playing baseball at a young age actually, just throwing the ball around the house and bouncing it off walls. In the text it said "Actually, he got his first ball and baseball glove at the age of two."This is clearly stating that even as a child Alex played baseball. Even though it wasn't in his mind to be a professional baseball player it was still something he could have gone for.


From what I read I see Alex Rodriguez as not only for a man/boy that loved baseball but a man that is still able to remember where he came from and be proud of that. Many people who have become famous or wealthy sometimes forget who their family really is and where their homes are. Alex Rodriguez didn't seem to let any of the fame or money change him. People who have made it in the professional league, sometimes change the way they see people as if they are higher than everyone else, but not Alex. When he was just a boy his dad left him and his three brothers to go work in New York. Eventually that left him, his brothers and his mother to take care of them. In the text it said "All the love I had for my him I just gave it to my mother. She deserved it. I always wanted to be like my dad, but my mom was my role mode." I could tell from this text that Alex had a lot of respect for his mother and I think that since she had to raise him on his own he always knew he had and wanted to be a good person. So he was, anytime a fan would ask for an autograph he would take his time in signing them and even giving them a note or something unlike some other players that just signed things without even caring about neatness. In my opinion I see Alex as a good person who always remembered to be caring and kind towards others.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Girl Stolen by April Henry Final

From the last time I wrote about Girl Stolen I have finished the book and in my opinion I have got to say I did enjoy the ending. So many big events happened since I wrote about them last week. The first big event that happened was when Cheyenne told Roy, all her fathers numbers and he decided to give her father a call so he left Cheyenne alone in the room. She was smart enough to figure out where a glass of water was because she used the glass to escape by braking it and cutting the ropes around her wrists. It was during the night when everyone was sleeping that Cheyenne actually got up and out of the house without getting caught. What she didn't know was that they had a dog. In the beginning of the story they did mention the dog named Duke but they just described him as being a bad dog who hates everyone except for Roy and Griffin. Once Cheyenne got out of the house Duke started barking and Cheyenne got scared because she thought that the boys were going to hear and wake up. As soon as she felt herself getting closer to the dog she knew she had to do something. Cheyenne soon began talking to Duke to try to calm him down and she did surprisingly. Once she felt him calm down Cheyenne knew in her heart that Duke wasn't a bad dog he was just scared because of how Roy treated him, she knew that he just wanted to be free. So, she did the right thing and tried to untie him from his chain. But instead of just letting him go she did a very smart thing instead. In the text it said that "Cheyenne pulled it until it became a makeshift leash. As if she were holding Phantom, she found herself taking her normal stance, her left leg ahead of her right, with the dogs head next to her left thigh." From reading this I knew that since Cheyenne is blind she was using Duke as a guide dog to help her go the right way. After this, she kept telling Duke to go forward and he listened very carefully to her. The bad thing about this is that Duke suddenly heard a noise and got scared so her ran off, leaving Cheyenne alone in the dark. You have to read Girl Stolen to find out if Cheyenne gets to a safe place or gets caught by Roy and his sons.


In my opinion I would have to say that I really did enjoy reading this book, not only because of the genre but because I could reflect a lot on it. In the book it explains how Cheyenne is blind and get kidnaped but just because she's blind it doesn't mean she's not smart enough to get free. In the book it explains that Cheyenne uses a lot of her other senses to be able to get free. In the text it states "Every time someone spoke, her head swiveled in that direction." I know that from this text it is clearly showing Cheyenne using her sense of hearing because each time she heard something she knew the way the noise was coming from. I found this so interesting because if I was ever in Cheyenne's position I wouldn't know exactly where to look when I heard a noise. I have to say the Cheyenne was actually very strong and brave throughout the story and especially with her being blind and very sick. I think that other people that might have been in the same place she was wouldn't be able to escape the way she did. What I mean by this is that she used as many as her senses as she could to get outside and for her to use the dog as a guide dog was smart. I don't think many people would have thought of that because even Griffin was sometimes afraid to get close to Duke. I think that in the future I will read more books like Girl Stolen.



Thursday, February 12, 2015

Girl Stolen #2 By April Henry

Last week I wrote about Cheyenne getting kidnapped by Griffin and I inferred that when Griffins father finds out who Cheyenne really is he is going to want to keep her so he can get money or what ever else he wants from her. As I kept reading it turns out that my inference was correct because in the text it said "President Nike, huh?" Roy looked toward the house. We need to think about this a little more. This might change things." From this text I can clearly tell the Roy, Griffins father, is thinking more about whether he should let Cheyenne go or not. From experience, many people with similar situations as Griffin and his father, like kidnapping someone, usually do not let the kid go unless they get money out their parents so they can be set free. Since Cheyenne's father is the president it means he has a lot of money. I think that by the evidence in the text Roy is going to contact Cheyenne's father and ask for money in order to let her go. I will keep on reading and finding more pieces in the text that say Roy will either let Cheyenne go because she's blind, or use her fathers money and then let her go.

As I am reading this book I can see a lot of character traits, especially from the main character Cheyenne. In my opinion I would have to say that Cheyenne is actually really strong, brave and very smart for a sixteen year old girl who is blind. The reason I say this is because when she was kidnapped, she obviously couldn't see anything, so her plan was to use the rest of her senses to know where she is going. I found this really interesting and smart of her because if I was in the same situation, I would have just been freaking about going somewhere I didn't know. In the text it said "Cheyenne knew she had a twenty, two tens, and some ones. The twenty was folded the long way, the ten the story way, and the ones weren't folded at all." This clearly states that Cheyenne had to use her touch sense. I found this really interesting because its a smart trait being able to know where everything is just by touching the object. As the story continues she is still trying to use her senses in order to be free. The more I read the more I find pieces of evidence that show her intelligence.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Girl Stolen by April Henry

This book is about a girl named Cheyenne who is blind and she and her stepmother Danielle, went to the clinic to get her medication but something happens. Cheyenne stayed in the car while her mother went into the store and while she was in there someone else came back to the car. His name is Griffin and he decided to steal Daniela's car. The interesting thing about the book Girl Stolen is that it is written in both Cheyenne's perspective and Griffins. While I reading Griffins side of the story it explained that he had no intention to kidnap Cheyenne, as a matter of fact he didn't even know she was in the car when he got in himself. In the text it states that "Despite the blanket that covered her, Cheyenne was shivering." To me this was proof that it must have been hard for Griffin to actually see her because she was covered with her blanket. After he noticed that Cheyenne was in the car he wanted to stop and let her out but it was too late because he was in the middle of no where, so no one would be able to help her. Griffin told Cheyenne that if she didn't make a sound or move that he would find a way to let her free. However, before he did that he told her that he had to make a stop at his home so he could show his father what he got, which was the car. I am going to read more to find out what Griffin ends up doing to Cheyenne.

In the story Girl Stolen I infer that Griffin's father or someone that Griffin brings up in the book will end up keeping Cheyenne. The reason I infer this is because in the story it states that "Cheyenne is the daughter of the president of a powerful corporation." What this information tells me is that Cheyenne comes from a powerful family that probably has money. With this evidence I infer that once Griffin and his family or friends find out where Cheyenne comes from they will want to keep her for their own interests. By this I mean they will keep her captive so that they will be able to get something out of her. I infer that Cheyenne might end up saying something that will also make them keep her captive. I will keep reading to find out if my inference is correct or not.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

The Pregnancy Project - Final

Since the last time I read a lot of events has happened. I ended my last blog off with Gaby just beginning to start her project.  From then to now I have finished the book, and I can say that from what I read Gaby went through a lot and put so much effort into her project. Before she started her project she made sure that she had a doctor to tell her how many months/weeks she should be and the kind of side effects she should be having. Her doctor was very corporative and told her everything she needed to know about being pregnant. Then she got help from a women who works with teens moms and helps them out. Gaby volunteered to help other young teens get through their pregnancy because she wanted to relate to them and the way they felt during their pregnancy to make it feel more realistic. Once her everyone started finding she was "pregnant" everyone started to turn on her. The only friend Gaby told about her project to was her best friend, Saida because she needed someone to write down things that people would say behind her back. In the text it said that people said things about Gaby like "She isn't even taking her pregnancy seriously. She needs to take responsibility and grow up."
"She's so dumb. Doesn't she know she just ruined her life? "I think her boyfriend will bail, and then she'll see what a big mistake she made." From everything that people were saying about her she still managed to keep her head up and she had the support from her best friend, boyfriend, and mother. After everything Gaby heard that people said about her she used that as a purpose to keep going with her project and in the end it showed so many girls that no matter what people said about them it shouldn't have to change who they are. This book is an inspiration to many teens girls/mothers because it proves that just because people may see you different it does not mean you have to see yourself that way.

In the book The Pregnancy Project there was many conflicts that the main character, Gaby had to go through in order to get through her project successfully. The main conflict I would have to say she went through the most would be Man vs. Society, the main reason I would have to say this is because ever since Gaby was born her family had a history of getting pregnant or someone pregnant at a young age. Ever since she turned 14 years old she has been told she would be a teen mom because she was so close in age as her sister Jessica who was only 15 when she had her first child. All her siblings told her she would make the same mistake they did because they thought she wasn't strong enough to handle the pressure with a guy that is older than her, like her boyfriend is. Once they found out Gaby was "pregnant" they all said I told you so. Through out the book so many people talked about how they saw it coming, and how it wasn't a surprise considering her families past. Even though Gaby knew the rumors were all lies because she wasn't really pregnant it still hurt to know that even though she has gotten so far in school they still thought she would make the "mistake" and get pregnant. She fights through out this book vs. Society because she knows that in the end everyone will see how wrong they were about Gaby. So, if you enjoy reading about Man vs. Society then you should read the Pregnancy Project to find out how Gaby gets through all the rumors about her.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

The Pregnancy Project part 2

Since my last blog I have a lot more about Gaby and her story. Last week I ended off with reading all about her families passed and how her dad isn't really apart of her life. When I started reading I read about a few more memories one of them being about when Gaby turned 15 years old. Gaby is Mexican so her family is traditional, so when a young girl turns 15 in their culture it means their entering womanhood. To celebrate this, the family has a huge party for the girl, this is called a quince in spanish. Its kinda smilier to a sweet 16 but its when the girl turns 15. Anyway, when Gaby had her party she talked about how her dad said he was going to show up but ended up showing up at the party the latest. After her quince she ended up going out with this guy named Jorge, he was a senior when she was a freshmen. When Gaby became a freshmen, Jorge had to stay back a grade because he didn't get to graduate because of his grades, so him and Gaby began to date. Finally the point I am at now Gaby is a junior planning her senior project. She gets an idea about faking a pregnancy because of all her siblings pasts and since everyone is expecting her to get pregnant just like her sister Jessica, she thinks it will be a fun experiment. I will keep reading and find out what happens to Gaby and Jorge once the word starts spreading about the "pregnancy."

While reading the book the pregnancy project I found an again and again kind of writing. Gaby keeps mentioning her siblings pasts and she keeps telling herself that people expect her to get pregnant just like her older sister Jessica. I think that because Gaby has this in her head of the idea that everyone expects her to be pregnant, that she will be okay with what people are going to say once they find out she's pregnant. I feel like if I was in Gaby's position I would still be getting hurt by what people say about me, and especially if its behind my back. In my opinion I infer that later in the story the words will end up getting to her because no one likes to be talked about. However, I also infer that since Gaby has support from her true best friend, boyfriend, and mother, I do infer that she will be strong enough to handle whatever comes to her. By that I mean I think Gaby will be able to handle the rumors going around and she will show prove them wrong about stereotypes when she tells everyone that the pregnancy was a fake.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

The Pregnancy Project by : Gaby Rodriguez

Right now I am reading the book the pregnancy project and it starts off as a back ground summary to Gaby's life time. Gaby is in high right now and everyone in her life is saying that she is going to end up pregnant in high school. The reason people are saying this is because both her mother and siblings had children at a young age. Most of these pregnancies were during high school. Gaby and her family struggled a lot as they were all growing up. Neither Gaby of her siblings have their father with them at the time. She looks up to her mom a lot because she knows everything she has been through to take care of Gaby and all of her siblings. However, Gaby does struggle a lot on her own too because of everything people are saying about her. She goes want to finish high school and have a good future. Gaby doesn't want to have kids in high school because she's seen everything her and her family have through when they had their children. When Gaby was younger her sister just had a baby and was living with the father. But once the baby began to grow, Gaby's sister always left him with her until her mother told her that she could no longer leave the baby with Gaby. After that she saw her sister go through a lot and not one of Gaby's siblings made it through high school. As the book goes a long I wonder what Gaby is going to do about all the rumors going around.


In my opinion the way I see Gaby is that I honestly think of her as a very strong girl. The reason I say that Gaby is a strong and brave is because all her life she has been told that she will be become a teen mother. In the book there are many examples of how Gaby shows how strong and brave she really is. In the text it states that Gaby's father is no longer in her life and that now Gaby sees her mother as a mother and father. She doesn't get sad about the fact that her dad isn't with them anymore she knows that her mom has worked hard enough to get them where they are now. If I was in Gaby's position I don't think I would have been as strong as her and what I really enjoy about this story is that it can relate to many girls lives. I infer that as the book continues it is going to tell more about what people say about Gaby and how everything her family has been through in the past is also going to affect her. However, I also think that Gaby is going to be strong enough to fight back what people say about her.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Goals For 2015

Academic Goal :

One academic goal I want to achieve this year is to get higher grades in science. The reason I want to achieve this goal is because last year I got low test scores. They changed the way the teachers grade so the way the grading system works is by learning a task and then take a test to see what you need to improve on. Last year, I wouldn't really study the way I should've and the outcome of it was lower grades. I let people get in my way to get where I wanted to be. So the way I plan on achieving this goal is by taking more notes and giving it my best to pass and get a good grade. In the end I would like to have a good grade for the end of the quarter.

Personal Goal :

One personal goal I want to achieve this year to be on more sport teams. Last year I was only on two sport teams. The reason I want change it up this year is because I feel like since its my last year I want to get more involved with activities. So this year I plan to be involved with at least 4 more if I have a chance.