Predictions- Looking for Alaska

Earlier in the week I started reading Looking for Alaska by John Green. I decided to read this book because The Fault in Our Stars, also by John Green, is my favorite book. Since I liked that book so much, I wanted to see what his other writing is like. So far, I have really enjoyed this book. Green made the characters relatable and likeable, and the storyline is very interesting.

In the beginning of the book, you are introduced to the main character, Miles, and learn that he has decided to go to Culver Creek so he can find his "Great Perhaps" (5). Not long later, you are introduced to Alaska, a girl on campus who doesn't exactly fit in with the norm. As they become friends, you are able to learn a lot about her character through the little things she says. I predict that by spending time with Alaska, Miles will be able to discover what his Great Perhaps is. I think that by learning about her, he will learn things about her that helps him make realizations about himself.

Also, based off of the title "Looking for Alaska", I predict that something will happen to Alaska. Along with the title saying that someone is looking for her, the book is divided into two sections, "Before" and "After", which may mean before and after something happens to her. I'm not positive what will happen to her, but from some of the things she has said, it may have something to do with the things that have happened in the past. On page 80, she said "'I'm just scared of ghosts, Pudge. And home is full of them.'" These two quotes show that bad things have happened to her in the past, and that she is scared to go back to where they happened.

I'm excited to see what happens next!

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Summary

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl wouldn't be as good "if this was some normal fictional young-adult book..." (270).

This book is by Jesse Andrews and is told by the main character, Greg, as he takes you through the events of his senior year. Well, let's just say that the "events" aren't very extraordinary. All Greg wants is to not be noticed. In the beginning of the book, he was perfectly happy - he was acquaintances with everyone, so there was never any reason for anyone to pay attention to him. But then Rachel (or from the title, the dying girl) comes into the picture. She was a childhood friend who he hadn't seen until his mom forced him to spend time with her after she was diagnosed with leukemia. Throughout the book, they develop a strange friendship, if even that.

Well let me tell you, this was definitely not your average book. Greg narrates, which adds humor to the book. Greg eats, sleeps, drinks sarcasm. He also says pretty much everything that comes to his mind. You can tell that it was suppose to be written by a teenager, and Greg even said, "This book is a disgrace to the English language. To all languages" (291). The style of the writing is very casual, which for me could be a little annoying at times. When he is describing a conversation, it is sometimes written to look like a play script. The weirdest thing for me was that it was so different than anything I have ever read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was funny, and although there were some things that I didn't like about it, the good things overpowered the bad things. The book was relatable, and you really get to know Greg's character since he narrates. As he put it on page 170, "If after reading this book you come to my home and brutally murder me, I truly do not blame you." I would recommend this book to high schoolers who enjoy a laugh every once and a while.

The Best Thing about the Book- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I am reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. The best thing about this book so far is the voice the author gave to the main character, Greg. Through his voice, you can completely understand his character. He is sarcastic and very random, which makes him very funny. This also makes the book very interesting to read. Also, many high school students can relate to him because they either act like him or know someone who does.

On page 140, it says, "I had this badger imagine in my head for some reason! That badger was awesome!" Here it shows the kind of things that go through Greg's mind. This is very random, and it makes the reader laugh when things like this come out of the blue. Also, on page 119 Greg says, "And that statement immediately became piece #16087 of the Mom v. The Truth." His voice and the exaggeration shows annoyance, which is a common characteristic of him.

Greg's voice helps make the book relatable and fun to read. He is sarcastic, funny, and random, and he makes this book is very unique.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl - Setting

I just began the book Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. In this book, the main character is Greg. On page 5 he says, "I was a senior at Benson High School in lovely inner-city Pittsburg, Pennsylvania." Here, you can tell what his age is, and since he is in high school, it is relatable to other people in high school. Also, he talks about televisions, cell phones, and making movies, so we know that it is present day.

Another time Greg describes the setting is also on page 5. "So, Benson is on the border of Squirrel hill, an affluent neighborhood, and Homewood, a non-affluent neighborhood, and it draws about equal numbers of students to each." This helps us understand some of the characters, and also infer about some of the future conflicts that may occur. Since he mentions that there are people that go to the school from affluent and non-affluent neighborhoods, that may cause some disagreements and tension.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Krista Ramsey Column

Locking into the Magic of Legos is about children's love for Legos, and how parents are willing to pay a lot of money for them. Legos actually help children learn and be creative with the things they build, whether it's from instructions or something they make up by themselves.

My favorite line is, "The first time a kid constructs a new set, he'll sit on the floor, contents before him, and pore over the instruction booklet spread out before him." I like this quote because you can visualize kids concentrating on building a new creation. I also like the long sentences that pay attention to details and shows the long hours kid spend building with Legos. The casual diction shows how fun Legos are and how they are a great pastime for kids.

Ramsey's writing style is casual, making her columns fun and easy to read. The casual diction also shows her voice well though her writing. Also, she incorporates long sentences to give the reader lots of detailed information.

If I were to ask Krista Ramsey some questions, I would ask the following...

1. What is the best way to incorporate voice into writing?
2. How do you get ideas on what to write about?
3. What kind of stories are your favorites to write about?

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/15/krista-locking-into-the-magic-of-legos/5521245/

Before I Fall Summary

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is about a 17 year old girl named Sam. Up until high school, Sam was unpopular and made fun of. But when she became friends with Lindsay, one of the most popular girls at the school, her life was turned around. She spent every day with her group of best friends, consisting of Elody, Ally, and Lindsay, as well as her boyfriend, Rob. She had a crush on him since elementary school, but wasn't cool enough to date him. Because of all of this popularity, she became arrogant and self absorbed.

On Cupid Day, her life changed forever. Driving home from a part that night, the car crashed, killing Sam. After the accident, Sam wakes up, but things were strangely familiar. Throughout the book, Sam relives the day that she died over and over again. Each day, she slowly starts to realize the mistakes she had made. You'll have to read the book to see what happens afterward!

Overall, this was a very good book. Since she relived the same day multiple times, it could move slowly at times. But the majority of the book was interesting. Throughout the book, you begin to relate to some of the characters, love some of them, and hate some of them. You feel a lot of emotion as the events happen, especially when they do something that you know they shouldn't have done. I would recommend this book to mainly teenage girls, but anyone would enjoy it.

Letter to the Author

Dear Ms. Oliver,

I am almost finished with your book Before I Fall. I have really enjoyed the book so far, as well as the other books I have read by you. The main character, Sam, is very interesting, and I like seeing the story through her point of view. You can see how she has changed throughout the book, and even though I didn't like her in the beginning of the book, the way she changed made her more likeable and relatable.

My favorite part was when Sam started to see the whole world differently, but the thing that changed the most was the way she saw her classmates: her friends and enemies. I like the quote on page 370 that says, "I've been in high school with all these people forever, they look different, unfamiliar, and when they smile at me I just see teeth everywhere, like piranhas getting ready to eat." This is a nice indirect way of showing how she didn't pay attention to much before, but later not only was she paying attention, she saw the problems with people that she associated herself with. On page 371 Sam thinks, "I feel like a curtain has dropped away and I'm seeing people for who they really are, different and sharp and unknowable." She realized that she hadn't made the best choices in the past and that these people weren't exactly who she thought they were.

Another quote I really like is on page 394. "I remember a story I once heard about drowning: that when you fall into cold water it's not that you drown right away but that the cold disorients you and makes you think that down is up and up is down, so you may be swimming, swimming, swimming for your life in the wrong direction, all the way toward the bottom until you sink. That's how I feel, as though everything has been turned around." I really like the comparison of drowning to how Sam was feeling. I think that it help the reader understand how differently she sees the world, and how it can also be kind of confusing. Overall, I really like this book and think it is very interesting and it makes you think.

Sincerely,
Allison Miller

Author Lauren Oliver

How Sam has Changed Throughout the Novel

In the book Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, the main character, Sam Kingston, has changed since the beginning of  the book. In the beginning, she was very full of herself and arrogant. On page 17 it said, "The point is, we can do things like that. You know why? Because we're popular. And we're popular because we can get away with anything. So it's circular." In this quote, Sam is thinking about how her and her friends are popular and better than everyone else. She thought that because they were popular, people had to like them and they could get away with anything they wanted. She also seemed full of herself when she said, "'What can I say?' I make my voice as smooth and flirtatious as possible. 'The people love me'" (30). Here, she was taking to her teacher about all the roses she got on Cupid Day. She was very proud of how many roses she got.

Also, she was mean to others.  Sam said, "'Of what?' I say to irritate him. I know he's talking about the cartoon and the rose" (30). In this quote, Sam was talking to a boy named Kent, who use to be her friend until he became "too weird" in middle school. She was purposely trying to irritate him to make him upset so he would leave. Also, her and her friends made fun of a girl named Juliet. "We all turn around. Juliet Sykes, or Psycho, has just drifted into the senior section" (38). They called her Psycho and did things like sending her roses with hurtful messages on them. Lindsey, one of Sam's friends, didn't like her for a reason that was unknown to her friends, but the whole group of friends was mean to her because of it.

But towards the end of the book, Sam stated to care more about others and treat them nicely. "'My favorite,' I say, scooting in to steal a bite from Izzy's bagel. Izzy squeals and slaps at my hand. I plant a big, sloppy kiss on her forehead" (343). In the beginning of the book, Sam was annoyed by her family and didn't want to spend time with them. But later in the book, she realized that she only had a short amount of time to spend with them, and she needed to cherish it. She also realized that they weren't as bad as she thought, and that she just didn't have an open mind before. Sam also realized that people she thought were weird, like Kent, weren't that bad. On page 336 it said, "He reaches for my hand as he passes and I let him take it." Sam started to become friends with Kent, and she found out that he was very nice. She appreciated that he was nice to her even though she was mean to him in the past. And lastly, she wanted to help Juliet. "' I don't hate you. I don't know you. But I'd like to change that. Start over'" (323). She wanted to get to know her, and she wanted to be a friend, since Juliet didn't have any. Sam chased after Juliet in the snowstorm, because she knew that Juliet was about to make a bad decision and she wanted to help her. In the beginning of the book, Sam wouldn't have even talked to Juliet unless it was something mean, but towards the end she tried very hard to help her.

Overall, Sam changed from being full of herself and arrogant to being caring and nice.