Rachel Hall

Rachel Hall

Block B

1/31/13

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Jenny Han

Realistic fiction

Just right

157

1. In my book the main character Belly, met a new guy that she really likes in Cousins. Cousins is where she goes every summer, ever since she can remember. The house belongs to her mom’s best friend, and her two sons, Conrad and  Jeremiah. Belly feels alone because the two guys like to hang out and do guy stuff with Belly’s older brother Steven. Until, Belly recently went to a bonfire and meets a boy named Cam. Belly learns to really like Cam and they’ve hung out a couple of times. But, Conrad and Jeremiah do not approve. They are so over protective of Belly because she is like a little sister to them, so they are trying to keep Cam far away from Belly. Cam invites Belly to a party at his friend Greg Kinsey’s house. Belly is having so much fun just being able to spend time with Cam, but then Conrad and Jeremiah show up and embarrass Belly and Cam. Conrad drinks too much and starts to get into a fight with another guy at the party, but then Belly steps in and saves Conrad. She and Conrad are sitting in the car waiting for Jeremiah to come out and drive them home. Belly has always had a little crush on Conrad. So, when he feels her hair and says “Belly..” like he’s about to tell her something, Jeremiah comes to the car. Which breaks a moment that they’ll never get back. Belly wonders for the next couple days what he would’ve said if Jeremiah didn’t walk in on them. Belly is now trying to figure out if she still has a bigger crush on Conrad, or if she has finally moved on and wants to be with Cam.
2. I really like this book, I like it because I feel like I can relate to it. This book is told from a girl’s perspective and it has a lot of things in it that really girls would understand more than boys. Some things like boys, drama and friends. Belly encounters many of these problems as she discovers feelings for more than one person. This book is so realistic, which is another reason that I love it. Girls in high school and even sometimes in middle school go through the same struggles that you see happening in this book. You never really know what Belly is going to do, which keeps you guessing. This is such a great thing to have be in a book, because that means its a page turner. The plot was very well built, I liked how it only talks about her life during the summertime. Normally all the books these days have similar topics but with people that they go to school with. This is what makes this book unique, is that its told from the summer. Which I think is much more fascinating than just a school year, because most people I know like summer over the school year.
3. I think the theme in this book is contradiction. Belly feels very contradicted with many things. An example of this is who she wants to be with. She has always liked Conrad, and she knows everything about him, since she’s known him her whole life. But then when the new guy Cam comes into her life, she has no clue anymore. Cam views her as an equal, maybe even a girlfriend? But Conrad, who just sees Belly as his little sister, a little girl. He doesn’t seem to think of Belly in a more than a friend way. This serves as a very conflicting or contradicting subject for Belly. Since she has always liked Conrad, but inside she knows that he will never like her back. But, she also really likes Cam, who likes her also. She doesn’t know what she wants anymore. 
4. My favorite character is Jeremiah. He is one of the boys that Belly spends the summer with in Cousins. Jeremiah is so sweet to Belly when she’s upset, and includes her when she feels like that she doesn’t belong. Conrad and Belly’s older brother Steven like to do guy things which doesn’t include Belly so Jeremiah is usually the one that makes her feel better. He is also very level headed is makes good decisions. When they followed Belly to Kinsey’s party, he knew that Conrad would be drinking. Jeremiah decided not to drink because then they wouldn’t be able to safely get home. When Conrad was very drunk, Jeremiah was glad that he made the decision to not drink, because now they were safe.
5. My least favorite character is Steven, Belly’s older brother. He is so mean to Belly, which every older brother is to their little sister, but it just bothers me so much. Steven makes sure to embarrass her about anything and everything, just to get a good laugh out of Conrad or Jeremiah. Steven also excludes her the most out of all of the boys when they are going to do things. Some things are like camping, parties, bon fires, fishing and more summer activities. When either of the boys try to stand up for Belly and tell Steven to stop teasing Belly, he just makes fun of them saying that they like her. But Belly and Steven also care for each other, and you saw this earlier on in the book. When Steven and Belly’s dad came to pick up Steven for touring colleges, they wouldn’t be seeing each other for a couple weeks. You see that Belly gets sad to see her brother leaving and that she won’t see him for a long while. 
6. I think that by the end of the book Belly will finally make her decision of which boy she will want to be with, Conrad or Cam. I think that she’ll come to realize that her and Cam weren’t really meant to be together, and figure out that Conrad is the one that she truly likes. I think that she and Conrad will end up together just by the way that she acts like around Cam and how she acts around Conrad and the difference between the two. She’s a little more shy around Cam then Conrad, and she has known Conrad for much longer so she’s closer and knows more about him than Cam.  The author is sort of starting to drop hints about that this prediction is true since the book is coming to a close. The most recent is when Cam takes Belly to a drive in and he doesn’t make a move or anything and it was almost like he didn’t even know that Belly was there. This made me think that he doesn’t care about her as much as she does about him.

Ally Pastore

Ally Pastore
Amazing Grace
Megan Shull
Realistic Fiction
87

1. I am currently reading Amazing Grace, by Megan Shull.  This book is about a teen tennis superstar named Grace Kincaid.  Grace has everything she ever wanted; millions of dollars, many fans, great looks and mad tennis skills.  But she soon realizes that she doesn't want it anymore.  She calls her mom the night before the U.S. Open and tells her three words that will change her life forever: I want out.  Right now, Grace has just had her makeover (or makeunder, as they call it).  She went to go live with her aunt in Medicine Hat, Alaska, population 813.  Everything is very different and it takes a while for her to get used to the rural town.  She realizes how much she likes this town after she almost got hit on a bike with a moose!

2.  So far, this book has been very good! I had a recommondation from Sadie Hyde and she was right.. this book is good!  I've never read a book like this and it keeps you interested.  I haven't read that much of the book but I like this book so far. I love reading Grace's perspective and her opinion in everything that is going on.  Megan Shull also has descriptive adjectives to describe things like Ava's cabin.  I am dying to know what will happen next!

3.  One theme so far in this book is romance. Grace has just met Teague, the super cute local boy who she met after falling off her bike.  I think that this will lead to something. When I was reading this book, it was obvious that she really liked him.  It also seems that he is also falling for Grace.  It was interesting when Megan Shull introduced this new character. I'm excited to find out where this will lead!

4.  My favorite character is Grace's aunt, Ava.  Grace has never met her but she adapts quickly.  When they first meet, Ava seems really nice and cool about Grace coming to stay with her. They meet for the first time when Grace is having her makeunder.  Ava was empathetic and focused on what needed to be done.  I'm really excited to learn more about her character. 

5.  I think my least favorite character is Grace's agent.  When she was first told that Grace was quitting, she tryed to talk her out of it.  I think that she should have been encouraging her to follow her dreams and do what she feels comfortable doing.  She is not a bad character I just think that Her decision to do that was a little immature.

6.  I think that Grace is going to go to a new school and it is going to be very different.  I think she will eventually make friends but it may take a while.  I want to know how she will act around her new friends and if she will change her personality too.  She might be nervous because she doesn't know if anyone would notice her. I would be! I am wondering if Megan Shull is going to put a twist in the story.  I also think that Grace and Teague are going to date.  Maybe Teague will introduce her to some of his friends.

Annie Green

Annie Green
Confessions of a Teen Nanny
Victoria Ashton
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
174

1. In the book Confessions of a Teen Nanny, Adrienne is a teenage girl who is going to a public school and her best friend goes to the preppy girl school One day Liv her best friend tells Adrienne that she thinks she can get her a babysitting job on the Upper East Side in the same building she does. When she successfully lands the job she learns the way of the Upper East Side. The little girl she watches named Emma is spoiled, demanding, and extremely smart. Emma’s older step sister Cameron  who goes to the same school that Liv does starts to befriend Adrienne and her friend Liz and invites them out a few times and even sets Liv up with a cute friend of hers. One night when they are all out drinking Liv notices Cameron flirting with Adrienne’s boyfriend Brian when Adrienne is too far gone to notice. When Emma’s mother asks Adrienne to come on a vacation to Florida with the family Adrienne is asked by Emma’s step sister to help set up a party the night she gets there. At the party things are going well until Adrianna see the party goes a little crazy….she sees her best friend’s new boyfriend with a different girl and she doesn’t know what to do so she leaves the party sad and scared for her BFF.

2. So far I enjoy this book. I recently watched a television series called Gossip Girl which takes place in New York on the Upper East Side dealing with the scandalest lives of rich preppy “Upper East Siders”. I loved that show and immediately fell in love with the storyline and characters. Now in the book Emma the girl that Adrienne Babysits lives on the Upper east side with her step sister Cameron and she is sort of and outsider and tries to make her way in with Cameron and her friends . I love the twists and turns of this book and I am becoming addicted to the Upper East Side madness and drama. I think that the life that Cameron and her family live seems amazing and fun but very preppy and crazy. I love the characters in this book I think that the author had a great idea as to what she was doing when she developed her characters because I am only halfway through the book and I feel like I know the characters really well. I have never read a book by this author before and I hope she writes other books like this one because I am really enjoying this book.

3. A theme I have noticed in this book so far is quest for power I find this theme when I think of the social lives of the characters in this book. I think that the reason Adrienne goes to such lengths to impress Cameron and her friends are to be with the cool kids. I think that Adrianna has always been cool and has had friends at the public school she goes to but I think she finds this wider range of social ladders and friends within the private schools very interesting and she wants to be part of it.

4. My favorite character so far is Adrienne because I think that she feels really self-absorbed and selfless at the same time. Well, what I mean by this is I think she cares about others and notices when something is wrong. When she ditches her boyfriend or leaves her best friend behind she always reflects and feels really bad. I think that she is an interesting character because she seems so self-absorbed and so non self-absorbed in one person. What I am meaning to say is she works really hard to make herself the best she can be in making sure she looks and feels good. When I say she is selfless I mean that when she cares for herself she is careful not to hurt others  in the process and if she thinks she does that she goes back and tries to make it right.

5. My least favorite character is Cameron because she is self-absorbed in every way possible. I think that she is fake in trying to become friends with Adrienne I think she is trying to take away her best friend and her boyfriend away but not for herself, for the destruction of Adrienne.  She wants Adrienne to fail and I think that her act with inviting her out, buying her clothes, being kind to her (even though she normally doesn’t go out of her way for anyone) is an act. I think she is too involved in staying at the top of the social ladder because that’s all she has ever done and I’m not sure if she will try and improve.

6. I predict that Cameron will set up Adrianna. I think that now she is warming Adrienne up to herself and the life she lives and being king to her, but think somehow she will turn Brian Adrienne’s boyfriend and Liv her befriend against her I think she wants to attack Adrianna for no other reason than for her own enjoyment. Not only may she ruin her social life but because Adrianna works for her step mom she could jeopardize Adrienne’s job too, maybe if Cameron’s step mom finds out about that parties that Adrianna is helping Cameron to throw Cameron could tell her that it was all Adrienne’s fault. I hope that Adrianna does not fall for Cameron’s tricks and does the right thing.

Ashley Hanlon

Ashley Hanlon
The Lying Game
Sara Shepard
Just Right
65

1.  So far in the book I had read about Emma's lifestyle and how Sutton takes place as a guide almost.  Sutton has come to the realization that she's dead and she keeps having these flashbacks of the night she was murdered.  But, the only problem is that most of the flashbacks aren't anything important and useful to find out who her killer is.  So, she tries to help Emma lead in the right direction towards some evidence and clues that might crack the case of Sutton's death.  Except no one knows that the famous Sutton Mercer of Arizona is dead because she has Emma take her place.  Emma is blown away when she steps into her long lost twin sister's life because she definitely got the better life.  Sutton lives in Arizona with this amazing family who really cares about her, she has a lot of friends, and she's the queen bee at school.  Not to mention, she has a little sister close to her own age and her boyfriend, Ethan, is this cool mysterious guy that all the girls are jealous of, Ethan is also the bad boy type but his brothers a cop so he never gets into too much trouble.  On the other hand though, Emma has been living from foster care home to foster care home.  She never really had a stable place to call her home.  The closest thing she did have to a home was when she was with Clarice, a foster care mom who works at a bar with an eighteen year old son of her own, Travis.  Clarice has always blamed Emma for everything because she believed that her own kid, Travis was the perfect child even though he was in and out of juvy all through his childhood.  But Travis did have a big crush on Emma.  He practically made it a habit of trying to see her naked.  But, now Emma ran away from her foster care home with Travis and Clarice and is living the good life as Sutton Mercer.

2.  I've always loved Sara Shepard's writing style, her unique perspective from the characters make the book even more fun to read about.  The only thing that bothers me about this book so far is that it does get very confusing.  The way how Sutton adds in her perspective on Emma playing the role of Sutton confuses me a little and I find myself having to re-read some parts of the book.  Other than that I enjoy reading Sara Shepard's writing.  The plot of the book also keeps me turning the page and its hard to put down the book.  How Emma is in search of her birth mother and Sutton's killer as well as keeping this big secret from everyone keeps me hooked on the story and I always want to know what happens next.

3.  The theme in this book is revenge.  Revenge is pretty much part of the plot in this book.  Its all about Sutton and Emma figuring out and avenging Sutton's killer.  In the very beginning of the book Sutton wakes up and sees what she thinks is herself but it really is Emma.  After she fits all the pieces together that she's dead and Emma is her twin and not her she gets very angry very quickly.  And all she can think of is how she is going to communicate with Emma to get back at her killer.  And once she figures out that Emma wants to escape her life and live happily she uses that to her advantage and has Emma take over her old life to find the person that killed her.  All throughout the book so far, Sara Shepard writes a lot about future plans about what Emma and Sutton plan to do to get revenge on Sutton's killer.  Emma is constantly stirring up plans to find whoever did this to the only sister she had and how she is going to take down the culprit behind this murder.

4.  My favorite character would have to be Emma.  Emma is a nice girl with good intentions but does bad things.  Until she moves to Arizona to take over Sutton's life and pretend to be her she was living the life of an unwanted foster care kid who always ended up in trouble for either shoplifting or trespassing.  But she does have a nice sense of humor so the book isn't too intense to read about.  Emma also is amazed at how different Sutton's life is compared to her old one back with Clarice and Travis.  She also is quick on her feet when covering up her secrets when somebody starts to get suspicious about Sutton (Emma) not being Sutton.  I also think she is amazing at acting like Sutton, especially when she's with all of Sutton's best friends.  Sutton's friends are the ones that know Sutton best, so Emma being able to pull off her act of being Sutton and fooling her friends is impressive.  Although, sometimes her friends do get suspicious but Emma seems to be able to cover up her secret every time.  Emma overall is just a fantastic character and I love her personality.  If Sara Shepard didn't write Emma into this book I definitely wouldn't I liked it as much and probably wouldn't have even bothered to read it.

5.  My least favorite character is Sutton.  She is just a mean girl who even though she is dead thinks she's still the queen bee.  I get very frustrated with her throughout the book because her character isn't very helpful in figuring out who her own killer is.  She only remembers the little unimportant details of her old life.  Nothing about the night she was killed.  Only on some occasions she will remember something she saw that happened that night, but it will be blurry and hard to make out what it is really.  Also, I think she needs to cut Emma some slack.  Emma didn't even know she had a twin sister until right before Sutton was killed, whereas Sutton knew for awhile but didn't think it was important to tell her twin.  And Sutton is constantly yelling at Emma, even though Emma can't hear her because Sutton's dead, but Sutton gets frustrated that Emma doesn't understand about Sutton's life.  The thing is Sutton doesn't realize that if she contacted Emma sooner than she did then maybe Emma could of gotten to know Sutton and maybe prevented her death.  Sutton also gets mad when she sees Emma hanging out with her friends and going out on dates with Sutton's boyfriend, Ethan.  But, Sutton doesn't realize that Emma was just playing the part of Sutton and trying to make it believable.  So Sutton doesn't really have the right to be mad at Emma because she could of informed Emma with more information about their birth mother and family so that they could of lived all together happily like a normal family, all reunited again.

6.  I think someone in Tucson will find out about Emma's little secret life as Sutton.  It won't be her family but her friends or maybe Ethan.  Once one of her friends finds out they will probably be a lot of help with looking for the real Sutton's killer.  Also, with Sutton and Emma's birth mother.  I think Mads will be the friend to find out first.  She already seemed pretty suspicious of Emma when she first arrived here so she will eventually put all the pieces together and be of assistance in Emma's search.  Mads also has the advantage of living in Tucson so she will be able to help show Emma around so if they need to go investigate somewhere Emma won't get lost in the middle of Arizona and then get herself killed by the same person who killed Sutton.  Then all hope will be gone for the twins of ever getting the justice they deserve.  I wonder what will happen if Emma's secret gets spilled out?  If one of Sutton's friends, like Mads, knows then maybe she will be able to help Emma cover up her big secret about Sutton.  I hope someone in Tucson does find out because I think Emma could really use the help of another person to help catch Sutton's killer, before Emma gets killed herself.

Blog Week #4!!!!!

It's Blog Week!  Be sure to review your past grades and this week you will be posting about your current IR book.  Please review your theme handout before your write your theme prompt.  You can review your IR Blogging Instruction sheet to follow directions.  Students may use blog passes this week - please follow the directions on the pass.  Your post is due by Saturday at midnight.  Happy Blogging!!!! :)  Ms. D

Elizabeth Gooch

Elizabeth Gooch
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical Fiction
Just Right
Just finished (107)

1. The end of the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck we come to the end of Lennie's adventures and struggles. Towards the end of the book Lennie accidentally kills Curley's Wife by breaking her neck while he was feeling her hair. He realized that this was a horrible thing he had done so he went to the bush by the river. He went there because he had remembered what George had said to him about how if he got into a lot of trouble he should go there and wait for George to come and find him. So, Lennie did go there and shortly after George found out about Curley's Wife and knew where Lennie would be. George, Curley and few other bunk mates then set out for the bush by the river and most had their mind set on killing Lennie, although George wasn't so sure that that was what needed  to be done. George then went ahead of the others and found Lennie by himself. He was talking to Lennie when he realized that it was time for him to go and he remembered what the man had said to Candy before killing his dog. He had told Candy that he'll shoot him right in the back of the head so that he won't feel any pain. So, George took out the gun and shot Lennie right in the back of his head. When the other men found him they were glad that Lennie was now gone and didn't understand why George looked sad. All except Slim who realized how much Lennie meant to George and offered George and drink. Then they walked off down the highway together.

2. Overall, I did really enjoy this book. Some things that helped me form my decision were the characters personalities. For example I liked how respected Slim was respected by everyone in the bunk even though he wasn't the oldest or toughest or even the boss's son like Curley is. I also did like that there was a character like Curley who started the issues between other characters. If Curley wasn't the way that he is there wouldn't have been much conflict throughout the book. I also liked this book because of all the foreshadowing that the author hinted at throughout the book. Even though I might not have understood it right away it was interesting to go back after I finished and realize how much the author really foreshadowed. For example, because Lennie did have trouble with a girl back in Weed I understood that that could show up again, but I didn't know where or with whom or how bad the situation would really be. I think the author is pulling me in as a reader with Lennie's disability and struggles. If Lennie wasn't like this the story would be completely different. This is a new author to me.

3.  One theme that has appeared throughout the novel is Family Blessing. This theme seems to appear in characters rather than plot. For example, George and Lennie were like family to one another which might not appear as a blessing at first although is it. If Lennie didn't have George he would probably be in jail and he would have anyone to keep him in line. He definitely wouldn't have been able to get a job either or many other things that he could with George guiding him. Also if George didn't have Lennie he would still be able to do things like get a job or save money to buy land, but his personality would be different. Perhaps he wouldn't be as caring to others as he is now, and not as responsible. Since he has been caring for Lennie for a long time now he has learned responsibility and how to care and teach others. This theme also appears with Candy and his dog. They had also been together for many years and he was Candy's companion. This is why Candy was so reluctant to give him up when the other bunk mates wanted him gone. Also, why he need persuading to finally let him die. This theme appears in those characters that are lucky in this book.

4. My favorite character in this book is Slim. I like Slim even though you don't know much about his backround but because he is so nice to everyone. He is the one who eventually goes off with George at the end and that could show that they eventually do become great friends. I also like that he is so respected my everyone and that he has so much authority. He has this authority because nobody would cross or question him. Although the author doesn't explain much about how he got this way I find it very interesting. Overall, I like Slim because of his personality and how kind he is to George, when nobody else may understand.

5. My least favorite character is Curley. Curley is the boss's son and he thinks he can control everyone because of it. I also don't like how bad tempered he is especially when he gets mad at Lennie right away because he is bigger and stronger than him. He is too judgmental and has little respect for others. I also don't like how much he picks on Lennie when Lennie wasn't even looking for trouble. He also is not nice to his wife. He doesn't seem to care about her much and just seems to use her as a "trophy wife". I never really liked Curley in the beginning and that didn't change throughout the book.

6. I definitely did not expect that George would kill Lennie at the end although I do understand why. If Lennie was to continue on his life would become even harder. He would have been placed in jail or eventually killed my Curley. He also would have continued to struggle over what had happened with Curley's Wife and would have felt horrible. I think the author hinted towards Lennie's death with Candy's dog's death. Lennie's death and Candy's dog's death were both quite similar at the end. They both were put out of there misery either it be mental or physical. I can understand why George did kill Lennie at the end and I think George knew that if he did it, it would be less painful than if Curley killed him. I think it took a lot of courage from George to do that because he knew it needed to happen.

Raffi Barsamian

 Raffi Barsamian

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

Historical fiction

Just right

Just finished





1.   The book ended when George shot Lennie in the brush. It all started when Curley’s wife entered the barn to find Lennie upset about what he had just done. Lennie was upset at the fact that he had just killed the dog Slim had given him. Also that George will be upset and won’t him take care of the rabbits. Curley’s wife asks why he cares about the rabbits so much and he replied, that he likes the way they feel. She then offers to let Lennie touch her hair because she thinks it will cheer him up. After a while if feeling her smooth hair along his fingers, Curleys wife had enough. She told Lennie to stop but he wouldn’t. She started to scream and wraith but Lennie still wouldn’t let go. She continued to pant and yell but then she fell limp. Lennie had killed her. He did not intend to do so but is strength was to over powering. George knew that Lennie would go to jail for this. He can’t imagine how Lennie would act or feel in prison so he results to death. He knows exactly where Lennie went after killing Curley’s wife. He was in the brush. This is where George told Lennie to go if anything bad happened. So he went beside him and told him to imagine happy thoughts, and then George pulls the trigger.

2. Throughout the book I felt mixed emotions. At first I was a bit confused about with Lennie’s character. He came off as a big strong mentally ill man who is obsessed with soft things. But towards the end you realized he is kind and alone, with George as the only one taking care of him. I also had mixed emotions about George. When I first read the scene when hi killed Lennie I was mad and upset. But when I thought about it George only did it out of love. He knew that Lennie would suffer in jail, that’s the only reason George killed him. Which made me not happy, but accepting of the fact that he killed his friend for the right reason.

3. The theme I choose for this book is desire. This came up many times throughout the book. Lennie and George are always in a constant desire to own their own land. Every thing they do is to be able to one day have a farm and own a parcel of land for them to share. A time when I saw this theme was when Curley’s wife always wanted attention. She just desired attention from every man she laid her eyes on. She would always try to seek attention to herself no matter where she was. Another time I saw this theme show is when the character Crooks was introduced. Crooks is a black man with no friends and no joy. He is a black man who lives in a barn. All he ever desired was to have a friend and to not live in a place where animals live. Every time someone comes near him he becomes very angry. He is upset all the time and is always unsatisfied.

4. My favorite character is George. His character is one like no other. His caring and compassion towards Lennie is so immense. George never had to take care of Lennie in the first place but since he has such a big heart he does it out of love. Also no matter how hard it gets George is always loyal. He could have easily let Lennie go somewhere else after he had that incident with the girl, but he didn’t. He felt like it was his obligation to stay faithful to Lennie no matter what. Although in the end he takes Lennie’s life he does it with the knowing that it is the better thing to do, and that Lennie will be happier.

5. My least favorite character is Curley’s wife. She is the most ungrateful, mean, most undeserving person in this book. Curley is a nice man with no harm in his intentions, but all his wife is, nasty nasty, nasty. She tries to arouse any man she can find and not even care about Curly. She doesn’t respect or care that Curley is her husband. All she cares about is herself.

6. When Lennie kills Curley’s wife I think that the author is trying to show Lennie’s character. Here I really saw that Lennie is a nice and kind character and everything he does wrong he feels bad for and he regrets. I think Lennie is hard on himself and he tries his very best to do what George tells him but sometimes he does the opposite. I feels like all throughout the book the author is trying to hint at Lennie's true character but in the end you really start to see it.

Charlie Wu

Charlie Wu
Of Mice and Men
John Stienbeck
Historical Fiction
Just Right
Just Finished


1. I have just finished Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck. It is about two men, Lennie and George. Lennie and George are trying to make money to buy a piece of land for themselves. Lennie has a mental disability. He is very big and is physically strong, but is very naive. He is fascinated by soft things. George on the other hand, is smart. He is very self controlled, and takes care of Lennie. George and Lennie go to work on a farm in California. Curley, the boss's son, dislikes Lennie because he is strong and big, while Curley is small and insecure. Lennie is also fascinated by Curley's wife because she is physically very soft. Eventually, Lennie kills Curley's wife on accident. Because of this, George is forced to kill Lennie. At the end of the book, George sets out once again, with another character, Slim.

2. I personally felt the book was not that great. I would give it a 7 out of 10. I did not like the book, but I felt the characters were great, and the foreshadowing was creative. I disliked how fast the book was going, and how some chapters felt pointless. Sometimes, I got bored and just skimmed the pages.

3. I felt an example of a theme was family. There were many different families in Of Mice and Men. The biggest example was Lennie and George. George took care of Lennie, and made sure he did not cause any trouble. Another example was the bunkhouse. Even though they were not a typical family, they took care of each other  Candy and his dog was another family. Candy cared for the dog very much, and was very sad when the dog had to be put down.

4. My favorite character in Of Mice and Men was George. I liked George because he was smart, and tried to stay out of trouble. He also took care of Lennie, even though he could have abandoned him at any time. He also is very mature, and tells Lennie to let him do all the talking. Lennie respects George, and usually listens to him.

5. My least favorite character was Curley. He always bullied Lennie because of his size, and was very insecure. I think he felt the need to bully people to make sure that he was "superior" to them, while on the inside he felt as if he was not. No one liked him, or his attitude. I also felt that he was stuck up, and arrogant. He was also the boss' son, and he may have felt like he was better then everyone else.

6. I would have never guessed the ending. The ending is George killing Lennie. At first, I thought the ending would be Lennie and George getting their piece of land. After Lennie killing Curley's wife, I would have thought they would head out again, and the book would repeat itself. The ending was very shocking. I think that Slim will replace Lennie and form a family with George.

Sadie Hyde
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical Fiction
Holiday
Finished (107)

1.) The ending of this book was so different than expected for myself. George has just killed Lennie by shooting him. He thought that because Lennie killed Curley's wife he was going to get tortured, so he was helping Lennie out and putting him out of his misery. Then Slim comes along and Slim and George are very similar, and they talk everything out. Slim completely understands why George killed Lennie, but Carlson does not. Carlson asks so many questions to try and figure everything out. He asked things like how did you do it and if Lennie had Carlson's gun an other things to unravel the murder. Then George and Slim decide to take the American Dream that George and Lennie had, and o find it for themselves. They know that together they will be able to find work easier and make money faster.

2.) I really enjoyed this book. I think that although it was not hard to read and there were not many chapters, there was a lot of detail and there also was a lot of morals throughout the story. I think that this book everyone should read at least once in their lifetime because it shows you how hard it is to get a nice lifestyle. How the "American Dream" is really just a dream. This book shows discrimination, non-tradition family and racism. People can read this book and get more than just what it reads. If they really take this book in and read between the lines there is so much more to unfold and discover. That is why I really thought this book was amazing.

3.) I think Will To Survive is most definitely a theme in this story. I think that it shows how everyone is trying to make a living and everyone has dreams of owning land, having freedom and making money. Also everyone has their own flaws and tries there best to hide them so they don't get discriminated against. Lennie has his mental disability, Curley and his wife are lonely, George feels held back by Lennie and Crooks is referred to as "the negro stable buck" (66). So everyone is fighting to eventually get their dream and to fit in with everyone else. Unfortunately for some like Lennie and Crooks it is not as easy as it seems.

4.) My favorite character is Candy. I really like Candy because I feel like we are somewhat similar. The way we both love our dogs, the way we both know how to care for someone or something and also how we deal with letting someone special go. I think that Candy tries to be strong when he lets his dog go, and this is a very hard thing to do. Candy is very unique and is so different from everyone else in the book. I think that I can relate to Candy the best, and as though I know him. This makes me feel more connected and in tune with Candy than any other character, which is why I think I like Candy the best.

5.) My least favorite character is Curley's wife. I think that she is an interrogator. I think that she brings on unnecessary actions and fights. When she goes in to the stable and talks to Lennie and how she tells him to touch her hair because it is so soft. Sometimes she may not realize how dangerous Lennie can be, but I think that her loneliness takes over and she throws herself out there in scary situations which is when she needs to be protected the most. This personality and lifestyle she lives is what made her end up getting killed, and I feel bad that she ended up dying but I think she brought it on herself. I think she is too flirtatious and it comes to her as a disadvantage. Curley's wife is in a way and airhead and for some reason through the book she makes decisions that I think are wrong and I don't really like that about her character.

6.) The ending for me was far from what I thought was going to happen. I thought Lennie and George were finally going to get their dream and escape from everything that has happened so far in their life. What actually happened was so different. George ended up killing Lennie and Slim and George became good friends. I guess I never really thought of Slim and George becoming good friends, but when it happened I realized that it was the perfect friend gout because they are so similar. I thought the ending of the book really tied everything together and made sense.

Mike Jeffries

Mike Jeffries
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Historical Fiction
Holiday
Just Finished (pg. 107)


1. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a very unique book that teaches many lessons about love, family, friendship, and life itself. The story takes place in the south around the early 1900s. The book is about two laborers named George and Lennie. Lennie is a very big and strong man, but extremely dumb. He doesn't understand anything the way normal people do. George is a small regular man that looks out for Lennie. In the book, they work on a ranch so they can earn enough money to live out the american dream. Which is to own land and a nice house, and to have freedom that no one can take away from you. In the end, they run into a little trouble. Lennie ends up accidentaly killing the the ranch owners son's wife. Lennie runs away and George and the rest of the workers try to find him. While they are looking for him, all of the workers except George talk about what will happen to Lennie for commiting murder. Some of the workers want to kill him, while others think he should spend the rest of his life in jail. George splits off from the group and finds Lennie in the brush by the river, where they spent the night before going to the ranch the next day. George knew that he would find Lennie here because in the beginning of the book when they were lying here in the brush, George told Lennie to come back here if anything goes wrong. George walks over to Lennie and sits down next to him. he starts telling Lennie that it wasn't Lennies fault. George hears the rest of the workers coming so he tells Lennnie to look out into the river. He tells him that he can see the house that they want to live in, and the land that they will own. George tells Lennie to look at it, and take it in. While Lennie is doing so, out of love, George shoots Lennie in the back of the head, because it is better than anything the workers would have done to Lennie.

2. To me, this is probably one of the only books that I have truely enjoyed reading and is one of the only books that has taught me important lessons about life, and how I am so lucky to have people around me that care for me, and put a roof over my head. This book really made me thankful for what I have. The authors style of writing is very interseting, espiecially the dialogue that he chose to use in this book. When the characters speak, it can be confusing at first because of the southern accent that the charcters have. Even though it was a little confusing, I really enjoyed it because it made me feel like the book was real and that I was right their with the characters. One of my favorite things about this book is that it keeps a very steady tempo, parts aren't too slow or too fast, and that aspect really made the book fun and easy to read, and is one of the biggest reasons of why I enjoyed his writing.

3. In my opinion, the theme that best soots this story is love. Why'll reading this story I never really thought that George loved Lennie, or that Lennie loved George, but after thinking about it when the book was finished, they both loved each other. All Lennie did was get George and himself in trouble, but George stock with Lennie until the end. In the end, George killed Lennie out of love. He thought that Lennie should die happy, and with his best friend, instead of dying old and alone in a jail sell, or being tortured by the other ranch workers that wanted him dead. That is why I think the theme of this book should be love.

4. My favorite character in this story would have to be George. George looks out for Lennie and in a way, is Lennie's "parent." He does to Lennie, what a parent would do to their child, which would be to look out for them, take care of them, be there for them, and most importantly, love them. George is my favorite character because he is the bravest character in the story. The bravery and courage that he shows when he kills Lennie is unbelievable. I don't think I would be able to kill my best friend, even if it was the right thing to do. George is my favorite character because he has inspired me to be more brave and show more courage in times that I should.

5. My least favorite character in the book is a man named Curley. Curley is the son of the owner of the ranch, or "the boss." Curley is an arrogant, small, little man. Who is very jealous of Lennie, and is very mean to him. He doesn't treat anybody with respect, not even his wife. When ever I was reading the book, and he came into the scene, I knew that he was either going to cause trouble, or bring a negative tone to the scene. There are characters like that in every book, and I like it when authors do that because it makes you feel many different emotions when you read the book. This was one of the first books that I really felt more than a few different emotions, and it is a big reason of why I really like the book.

6. I knew that the book was going to end with George and Lennie by the brush down by the river because there is a big piece of foreshadowing in the beginning of the book that tells you that they will come back to the brush. I did not think that George was going to kill Lennie until George hears the other workers talking about what will happen to Lennie when they find him. I am really happy with the way the book ended, even though it was very sad. It took a lot of people by surprise, and is the most important reason of why Of Mice and Men, is the classic story it is.