Blog for Week of Dec. 15

Prompt: Do any of the character's feelings change as you've read? Explain why or why not?

       The character's feelings in the book A Child Call "It" do change. The mother of David changes her feelings a lot. Before, she was the perfect mother. She would clean the house till it was spotless, make good food for her family and spent a lot of time as a family. Her feelings all of a sudden changed. She changed from a loving, caring mother to a mother who pushes their kid's face to a mirror and forces him to say "I'm a bad boy!" over and over again. She didn't just change her feelings for David, she also changed them for her husband. Before they would always go out on picnics and now the husband is always cautious for little things like talking to David, because if the mother were to see them talking to each other, they would both be in trouble.

       David's feelings also change. He use to love his mom before any of the abuse. He loved her because they would go on picnics together and she would surprise the family with gifts. He also loved his brothers and father. He then had hatred towards his mother because she would abuse him to the point where he would be scared to even look her in the eye. He started hating his brothers because they never got abused by his mother, they would tell lies about things he did just so they can watch him get hit. Before he loved his dad and his dad loved him. The dad would always protect him from the mom abusing him. Then that changed to the point where he doesn't even care if we just got punched by his mother.

       I picked a yin yang as my picture for this blog. I did this because the white part stands for yin, which is more of a negative thing. Yang is more of a positive thing. Then there is the opposite color dot in both of the other sides. So it shows that there is good in evil and evil in good. This reminded me of this book because all of them have a little good and a little evil in them. At some points each character shows either their good side or their bad sides, depending on whats going on in the story or depending on what part the story is being read.

Blog for Week Dec. 8

Prompt: Which character do you like least? Why?

       In the book A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer, the mother of David abusing him so much and that's why I like her least. She slaps, punches and pushes him. David goes to school with cuts and bruises everyday. For David, school is the highlight of his day. He doesn't have to be with his mother and be hurt from her. Even if he didn't do anything bad, she would make up a lie and punish him for it. When he is asked why he has so many bruises, he would have made excuses that the mother told him to say.

       David's mother doesn't just hit him, she also makes him go to school wearing the same smelly, worn out, dirty clothes to school. She always wants to embarrass him. What makes it worse is that she is so nice to the other kids, but to David it is the complete opposite. Some kids even say they wish that she could be their mother. 

       Another reason why I least like her is that she barely feeds him. For breakfast, he is lucky if he gets the leftover cereal from his bothers. For dinner she would "forget" to feed him. At night, all he thinks about is food because he is so hungry. When he does get food he has to eat it fast before she changes her mind and takes it away. She sometimes throws it away right in front of him.

Blog for Week Dec. 1 2014

Prompt: Quote a passage & respond to it. How did it make you feel?
Pages Read: 0-63

       "Again he smiles, and gently squeezes my shoulder, 'No, David. You have nothing to worry about, honest. Your mother is never going to hurt you again.'
       I lean back against the seat. A reflection from the sun bits my eye. I turn away from the rays as a single tear runs down my cheek.
       'I'm free?' "

       This passage from A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer made me feel very sad. The fact that he is says, "I'm free?" as a question is so sad. This is sad because he is so used to be beaten by his mother and when the police officer says he is never going to be beat again, it is very emotional for both the readers and David. I also thinks its sad because he is being taken away from his mother and will be in custody. This must be very overwhelming for him.

       This passage is also made me feel blissful. It makes me so happy that he is finally free after his mother has been beating him for so long. Also because the police officer says that he has nothing to worry about anymore. I think David feels like he can finally relax without thinking of him ever being beat again. He probably doesn't know what to think.

       " 'NO!' I command. 'Send me back to school. Don't you get it? She mustn't find out I told!' "

       This part made me feel so terrible for David. David knows that if his mother finds out he told, he would be in so much trouble. Even if he doesn't like the beatings he still doesn't want to tell. I feel like no kid should ever have to feel this way. Kids should tell people know what is happening at home so the problem could be fixed and not get worse, just like David's.

     

Blog for week November 17

Prompts:
1) Background knowledge of book
2) Create a 'WANTED' poster for the antagonist
3) Create a 'MISSING' poster for the victim.

       Cheyenne Wilder gets kidnapped on accident. Griffin didn't kidnap her on purpose. He just wanted to steal her stepmom's car. Little did he know Cheyenne was sleeping in the backseat. It was too late to turn around and leave her behind because he thought she had seen him already. What he also didn't know was that she is blind and has pneumonia and needed her medicine.
     
       16 year old Cheyenne Wilder gets kidnapped. Her stepmother left her in the car with the keys in the ignition. Someone took the car with Cheyenne in it and drove away. Nobody knows who this person is. Cheyenne's dad said people can call him at any time. If you know anything about this kidnapper, please contact 1-888-555-1212 ASAP!!!

       16 year old Cheyenne Wilder goes missing. She is tall, with black hair, has wide brown eyes, she is blind and sick with pneumonia. Last seen in a parking lot just out side a pharmacy. Police said that the kidnapping of Cheyenne was for ransom because her dad is the Nike President. If you have seen or know anything that can help, please contact this special hotline that has been set up, 1-888-555-1212.

Blog for week Nov. 11

Prompt 1: Analyze the impact word choice has on the meaning or tone of a text. 
Prompt 2: Analyze how dialogue or specific incidents reveal information about characters. Make sure to include textual evidence. 

       In the book, Girl, Stolen, there are many different impacts the word choice has on the meaning of the text. In the text it states, "My life is over. I'm never going to drive a car, I'm never going to go on a date, and I'll be lucky if I get a job in some shelter for the handicap." This quote has a negative connotation because of how she is obviously sad and is not happy with her life. 

       The dialogue tells a lot about the character. In Girl, Stolen it states, "I will do anything that's necessary to get my precious daughter back." "The camera zoomed in on his face, wet with tears." This shows that her father is very desperate to his daughter back. It also shows that he is very emotional and will do anything to get her back.

       In the text it also says, "Secretly, Cheyenne always hoped people still took her for a sighted person. In restaurants or movie theaters, she would try to tuck her cane out f sight." This shows that Cheyenne would be so embarrassed that she would hide her cane in public. It also shows that she didn't want people to think of her as a blind person and wanted people to think of her just as a normal person.

Introduction video

Edgar Allan Poe

       Edgar Allan Poe was a writer who is very well known. He was born in 1809, and died on October 7, 1849. He wrote many short stories and poems. His famous writings are "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven" He had a very interesting writing style, but wasn't well known back then. Now he is known from people all over the place.

       Poe had a very depressing life. When he was just a kid, both of his parents died. Not just his parents died, his siblings, friends, and lovers had died too. He had foster parents after his parents died. At one time of his life, he was poor and had to burn all of his furniture for warmth. Even when he was poor (still) one of his cousins had robbed him.

       I think Poe's life might have affected his writing. Since most of his life was dark and depressing, he could of put that darkness into his stories. The books Poe wrote are dark and so was his life. He maybe wanted people to know that there are people who have tragic an depressing lives. Also maybe he might have heard about things that were similar to the stories he wrote, and then wrote these stories, just
in a different way.

Blog for week Nov. 3

Prompt: Who is the author? What do you know about the author? What do you imagine the author to be like?

       The author of the book Girl, Stolen is April Henry. She is 55 years old. Born in Portland, Oregon on April 14, 1959. April is an American New York Times bestselling author of mysteries, thrillers, and young adult novels. She (so far) wrote 12 books. 

       April Henry wrote the books Circles of Confusion, Square in the Face:    A Claire Montrose Mystery, Heart-Shaped Box, Learning to Fly, Buried Diamonds, Shock Point, Torched, Girl, Stolen, The Night She Disappeared, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, and The Body in the Woods. Her top 5 most popular books are Girl, Stolen, The Night She Disappeared, Shock Point, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die, and The Body in the Woods. It seems like she likes to write about mystery and thrillers because most of her books are about people going missing or like it seems, killings. When she was just 12 she wrote a story. Ronald Dahl read it, had a meeting with an editor, then the editor asked to publish it. 

       I imagine April Henry to be very interesting to talk to. Her story that Ronald Dahl read was about a tall frog, who liked peanut butter. It seems like she is just so creative. I wonder what she was thinking of when she wrote all these books. Also to me it looks like all of her books are about girls. So I wonder if these books connect to her life.

Blog for week of October 27

Prompt: Use pictures/graphic organizer/web to represent your reading (so far) in the

story.

Pages read: 44-80

       Girl, Stolen is about a girl who is blind named Cheyenne Wilder who gets kidnapped. She was kidnapped on accident. She was alone in the car while her stepmother was at the pharmacy, and the stepmother happens to leave her keys in the car. So this guy named Griffin decides to steal the car, not knowing Cheyenne was in the back seat laying down with a blanket over her. 

So far the book

       

       Griffin then discovers Cheyenne is there. It’s to late to leave her somewhere because he still thought she could see. When he figures out she is blind, he ties her ankles and covers her with a blanket so she cant escape and so no one can see her. When the father of Griffin gets introduced in the story, he is extremely mad. How can someone not know there was a girl in the backseat? They get to a place that is far from where she came from and gets tied to the bed.

      

       

After a while, on the news they hear that the daughter of the president of a powerful company has been kidnapped. The girl’s name is Cheyenne Wilder. Now that they know who she is they have a reason to keep her. They didn’t just learn that she is the daughter of someone who is famous. But also that she is very sick with pneumonia and needs medicine.

Blog for week October 20

Prompt: What you are reading is going to be made into a movie. Make a list of at least 2

characters, what famous actor will play each character and what about the

character makes that actor the best choice for the part.

Pages Read: 1-44

       Chloë Grace Martez would play Cheyenne Wilder. Chloë has played so many different characters and I think she is such a great actor. She has been acting since the age of 7 and (in my opinion) could play any role. Cheyenne is blind and Chloë is not, but I think she could pull off playing a blind person. Cheyenne is 16 and Chloë is 17, so they are about the same age too.

       Griffin is the man who stole Cheyenne’s Dad’s car without know she was in it. I think Zachary Levi would play that role. He was the voice of Flynn Rider in Tangled. In the movie he didn’t think his plan through and in the book he didn’t really either. Also they are both thieves. So if he already played the role of a thief he can play this role also.

"The Lady Or The Tiger?" ending (King's Daughter's POV)

       Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it. I didn't want the love of my life to die, but I also didn't want him to marry a women I didn't like. The look on his face looked like he knew it was the lady behind the door. I couldn't let him marry her.

       His hand shaking reaching to open the door, with a little smirk on his face. It seemed like forever till he opened the door. Without him fully opening the door he was smiling like he was confident that there was a lady just waiting for him. Until a ferocious tiger sprinted toward him and started to eat him! I could hear him scream and cry, I couldn't look. He was dead in less than a minute.

       Around noon, when everyone was asleep, I went to the arena where the vicious tiger slept. I reached for the door on the right, and opened it. The tiger awakened and jumped at me. My father was warned by some villagers who were waken from my loud screams and wails that I was in trouble. A few seconds later my screams stopped. I was dead now too. Now I can be with the love of my life forever.

Blog for week October 13 (1st quarter reflection)

       The first quarter of 7th grade was very interesting. We did so many things that we obviously didn't do last year in 6th grade. There are new rules, a new grading system, and the most obvious, new teachers. At first I didn't know a lot of people in my homeroom, but now it's like we've know each other since last year. I got to meet a lot more new people because I didn't get to see all of them last year.

       First quarter I continued band and joined cross country. This year we have a new band teacher, it's different now because now I play with the eighth graders. Cross Country is lots of fun. So far we have had two meets, and we will have one more until the cross country season ends. The practices are very fun too, we do all sorts of different activities to become a better runner. I have been able to meet a lot of new people joining band and cross country.

Blog for Week October 13

Prompt: Do any of the characters feelings change as you’ve read? Explain why or why not

Pages Read: Finished

       Hazel Grace is a 16 year old who has cancer. In the beginning of the book she starts out feeling hopeless and doesn't see the point in having a social life and making new friends. She spends most of her time watching her favorite show and reading books (most of the time it's the same book.) Hazel just wants to be a normal teenager. A teen that doesn't get stared at and questioned by.

       When a guy at her support group (Augustus Waters) comes into Hazel's life, he changes her life. He shows her that there is a life worth living with cancer. Augustus shows her that she has to try to have a life outside the house. That Hazel can't let cancer beat her down. Augustus teaches her to have fun and leave the cancer behind.

Blog for week September 29

Prompt: Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How

does it make you pause and think?

Pages Read: 3-131

       “Pain demands to be felt” is a quote I like from the book The Fault In Our Stars. This quote made me pause and think because it made me realize that pain makes us stronger and makes us into the people we are. In the book Hazel cannot get rid of her pain because she has lung problems. Her parents feel the pain too, but they all stay strong.

       I picked this quote because pain is part of a teenagers life. We just have to deal with it sometimes. At some point in life we will be hurt. We should just keep it in the past and stay strong. We will always live through pain and thats the whole point of pain. It makes us stronger.

Banned Book Week 2014

Top Ten Books

1. Wonder by: R.J Palacio
This book affected my life because in the book, everyone thinks Auggie (the main character) is the weird kid just because his face is deformed, but he is actually a really friendly kid. I learned from this book that you shouldn't judge someone just by their looks. It made me realize that even if you think you are saying something just to be funny, someone can be hurt from what you said.






2. The Boy on the Wooden Box by: Leon Leyson                            
This book is about a jewish kid -Leon Leyson- who lives in the time period of World War 2. This book impact my life because I learned a different perspective of how we should treat others the way we want to be treated. Leon Leyson's family treats everyone nice, but a lot of people don't treat them nicely.








3. Divergent by: Veronica Roth
This book taught me that it it's okay to be different. Everyone always wants to fit with everyone else, but they should just be themselves and act the way they would usually would.









4. Sisters by: Raina Telgimeier
I can relate to this book because I also have a sister and we argue a lot, but usually we will get along at the end. I learned that even if you don't get along with your siblings, you will always love them at the end.











5. Loser by: Jerry Spinelli
This book encouraged me to never put your head down. The main character -Donald Zinkoff- always gets told by people that he is just a little kid, and some kids say that they are better than him, but Donald never gets upset. He just thinks of all the positive things and keeps his head up.









6. Smile by: Raina Telgimeier
This book made an impact on my life because it made me realize that everything will always get better. The main character- Raina- trips and falls, injuring her two front teeth. She had a frustrating life from middle school to high school. At the end she is happy with who she is, and everything gets so much better for her.







7. Shark Girl by: Kelly Bingham
This book changed my life because it made me realize that if you are struggling with your homework, or frustrated with your siblings, a lot of people are probably going through tougher times than you. It helped me to be more grateful for what I have. Also to think of all the positive things in life, not the negative.






8. The Cay by: Theodore Taylor
This book impacted my life because in the book the main character-Philip- gets lost on an island with a man he never knew-Timothy-. Philip trusts Timothy, and Timothy helps Philip a lot. I learned from this book that sometimes you just have to trust someone.








9. Island of the Blue Dolphins by: Scott O'Dell
This book inspired me to stay strong. The main character -Karana- goes through very tough, lonely, emotional, and frustrating times throughout the book. She just stays strong and keeps on going on with her life. Even if she cant forget the horrifying times she has been through, she still keeps her head up.






10. Wringer by: Jerry Spinelli
This book is about a boy named Palmer who at the age of 11 has to shoot, then wring a pigeon. Except, Palmer doesn't want to do this, he thinks it is wrong. I think this book is mostly about peer pressure. It is a tradition to shoot and wring a pigeon at that age and if he doesn't do it he will break that tradition. I learned from this book that it's okay to be different and you shouldn't be pressured to do something you don't want to do.

All About Me

Hello my name is Diana and I'm in 7th grade. Some of my favorite school subjects are science, math and language arts. I love writing because you can express yourself and write about anything you want people to know about. Insurgent, Allegiant, and The Fault of Our Stars are some books I would like to read this year. Im looking forward to reading those books.

My favorite sports are volleyball and cross country. I am currently in cross country, and will join volleyball later in the year. I love drawing or sketching in Art class. It's great because you can just pick up a pencil and paper and start drawing. In my free time i enjoy just hanging out with a few friends at the park.