Characters: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling  would be best described as a dynamic character considering the difference the reader sees in his personality over the course of the book.

• He and his closest friends Hermione and Ron are faced with the conflict of finding the missing Sorcerer's Stone which Harry has been framed of stealing. At first they are doubtful they can fix anything or help Harry, but when they realize just how strong they can be as wizards, they start to gain the courage to try and find the Sorcerer's stone. 
• At first Harry was a shy misfit who hated his life, but now since then, he has come a long way and we can see he has made friends and gained more of an outgoing personality in order to face the conflict presented upon him. 
• Harry is unlike any other character I have ever come across because of his change in human nature over the course of the book as it is completely unlike any other character. 
• I've always wondered why Harry always would get in trouble at school, because at the beginning of the book it seemed as if he was really nice and was not mischievous enough to get into any trouble, but this inference proved wrong as I read the book because his original personality changed as soon as he realized his capability being a wizard.
• Book Summary for clarity on plot of the story.

Book Recommendation: The Red Pyramid

Carter and Sadie on one
of their many adventures

               In my personal opinion, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan puts all other Mythology books to shame. However, I enjoyed The Lightning Thief more as I thought The Lightning Thief was more brief but also portrayed a great story. This story, however, comes a close second as it has a clear statement of theme we can all apply to our own lives and there is a mountain plot that seemingly never ends and there are several ups and downs that keep the reader glued to the story.
               In the book, we meet Carter who travels across the world with his dad. His sister, Sadie, lives in England and they only get to see one another for one day in an entire year. When Carter and his dad visit England to see Sadie, Dad has to leave after something crucial happens. Carter and Sadie stay in England with their grandparents when there Uncle Amos shows up to take the two with him to New York. In New York, Carter and Sadie learn that they have secret powers from Egyptian gods through the necklaces their dad gave them.. Anxious to find their dad, Carter and Sadie sneak off without Amos' consent to try and rescue their dad. Will they succeed? Read this book to find out whether or not they succeed and learn about the many adventures they have to face.

Book Recommendation: Kingdom Keepers

               Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson is a tremendous novel about 5 specially selected teenagers who get to watch over the Disney amusement parks at night. They were chosen to be holographic characters, or DHI's who watch over the park to make sure the villains do not take over the attitude of the park. Among the chosen is Finn, an ordinary teen who has lived in Orlando all of his life and he is willing to help protect the park with 5 close friends. He meets Wayne, an imagineer who is in charge of keeping the secrets of Walt Disney secret. When Wayne disappears, the DHI crew know they are in trouble because they do not want the secrets of Walt Disney to be released by the villains. As they venture to save the park, they find the main villain behind the madness, Maleficent. Maleficent's main goal is to leak the secrets of Walt Disney and become the face of Disney, knocking the iconic Mickey Mouse off of his throne. This book might sound like it is for a younger age group, but I think it is for all young adults and is great to read. If you like stories about adventure, you will probably enjoy this book because the crew of DHI's have to venture through the park to defeat Maleficent and restore happiness to the amusement park.

Reading Skills: The Hunger Games

Katniss is calming her sister, Prim.

               In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I found that I made several predictions over the course of the story since there is a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter. It is a suspenseful book because around every page there is action and you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. In the book, there is a small nation divided into 13 districts and a capital that rules over the rest of the districts. Every year, a boy and a girl from 12 of the districts are chosen to compete in a fight to the death event called "The Hunger Games." The main character, Katniss Everdeen, keeps the reader guessing what will happen and that is one of the main reasons I enjoyed reading this book.
               This book is a lot like the book The Lightning Thief because in both novels teamwork is a concept that is utilized in the theme. In The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson is forced to team up with two of his closest friends in order to succeed in a mission to return Zeus' missing lightning bolt. This is similar to The Hunger Games in that in order to succeed in the hunger games, you need to form a team with other foes in order to take out your enemy and win the games.
               This book can also be applied to my own life because when I find I am in a difficult situation, I always use my friends to help me out of the tough situation I am engaged in. This is similar to the Hunger Games because in the story Katniss is slightly frightened that her life could be ended during the games but she has friends to help her feel safer even when she is in an extremely difficult situation.
               This book can also be applied to real world activities because all over the world there are professional sports teams that are formed by groups of people who rely on each other. This is like the Hunger Games because Katniss relies on her friend Gale to protect her frail mother and her younger sister Prim who is scared that Katniss will be hurt.
               I found that I asked a lot of questions over the course of the story because Katniss seems to be on an emotional roller coaster in the arena. She is constantly worrying about her little sister, Prim, and it is haunting her ever since she left home. A question I asked was, "Why is Katniss so worried about her sister?" Katniss always worried about her sister and it gave a premonition to the reader that something might happen to Prim that will traumatize Katniss for her entire life.
               I also made several inferences while reading this book in that one of Katniss' allies was Rue. Rue was a small and emotionally unstable 12-year old that reminded Katniss a lot of her younger sister. Rue being so young put her at a disadvantage in the arena with much more mature and stronger young adults, so I predicted that she would be killed or injured at some point in the book. My prediction proved correct as Rue was killed halfway through the book, and it was a depressing moment because of the appeal to emotion the author uses.        
               Overall, this was a great book and I would recommend it to action seekers who love a good cliff-hanger. This is also a great book to make predictions since you are on the edge of your seat at the turn of each page.

Characters: The Lightning Thief

This is the alliance of three that prove that
friendship can accomplish any mission.
(From left to Right, Annabeth, Percy, and
Grover)

               In Rick Riordan's, The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson is a complex dynamic character that the reader may be able to connect with. The following paragraphs are my interpretation of why Percy Jackson is a dynamic character.
               In the beginning of the story, we learn that Percy is challenged with disorders such as dyslexia and ADHD. He is constantly changing schools due to his lack of focus, and he seems to always get himself into trouble. At first, he seems shy and lonely and the only person he cares genuinely about is his mom, and his best friend Grover. Percy does not know anything about his past when one day at school, something incredibly unusual occurs. Percy's teacher turns into a Greek monster and Percy is nearly a victim of her wrath. After he escapes the pandemonium, Grover takes Percy home and Percy's mother starts to drive somewhere Percy does not know about. In this phase of the book, Percy is really scared and doubts himself. He is also frustrated with himself because he feels like he screwed up at school again.

               During their drive, a large unknown monster appears and destroys their car. Percy and Grover run away and pass through a force field, leaving Percy's mom behind. Percy is petrified and angry because he did nothing to save his mother. He fears the worst and thinks his mother is dead. When Grover and Percy venture further into the woods, they come across Camp Half-Blood. A Greek camp of so-called demigods, or children of gods and mortals. Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon and his whole life changes. The power he feels in this moment makes him become courageous and he tries to set out and save his mother.

               At the camp, Grover and Percy meet Chiron, the camp counselor. They also meet Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth form an alliance to try and save Percy's mother and ask Chiron for permission. Chiron allows them to go on the mission as long as they agree to one other term. They must find Zeus' missing lightning bolt, and find the thief who stole it. Percy is disheartened and angry when he hears this, because all he wanted to do was save his mother, but now he must also take on a bigger task. This characterization of Percy advances the plot because it is leading to the climax of when they try to save Percy's mother.

               When the three set off on a mission, Grover reveals he is a satyr, and his sole purpose is to protect Percy. Annabeth wants to save Percy's mother, because she had experienced a similar moment in her life when she lost her father. This characterization of Annabeth in relation to Percy creates a theme in that friendship creates strong bonds between people that can help accomplish any mission no matter the difficulty of the situation at hand.

Book Recommendation: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

               If you have not yet read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I believe it is a must read. I would rate the book a perfect 10/10 as it is a great trilogy beginner and the level of detail in the book is outstanding. In the book, we meet a somewhat mistreated child named Harry. We are given background info that Harry's parents were killed by an evil doer in the beginning of the story. Now he is forced to live with the Dursley's, his aunt's family. The author, J.K. Rowling uses appeals to emotion to make us feel bad for Harry, and our sympathy is answered. When Harry receives an envelope to go to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, he gladly accepts and is psyched to find out he is a wizard. Along the way, he meets Ron Weasley and they immediately become friends. On the first day of class, the antagonist, Draco Malfoy is introduced and Ron and Harry meet an annoying know-it-all named Hermione Granger. As they adventure through Hogwarts, they befriend Hermione and go on an adventure to find the sorcerer stone, which had mysteriously disappeared. In my opinion, I thought this was a great book because it offered a lot of action and suspense and there was also a mystery to be solved. There is also a movie recreation of the book, which is a good remake as well. I hope you all take my recommendation into consideration, because this is a great book that leads into a magnificent series.
J.K. Rowling with her book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Reading Skills: Middle School Book 1

In the first book of the Middle School Trilogy by James Patterson I found myself making many connections to the text and making predictions because it is a suspenseful story but is also relatable as it has to do with school, a subject we are all familiar with.

I think this book is very similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid as both are first person accounts of a middle school story. Also, both of the main characters view themselves as outcasts and neither one thinks they are at the top of the social chain in middle school. The only difference I can clearly see in the two books is that Rafe, the main character of the middle school trilogy is a trouble-maker, whereas Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid is more of an introvert and is not always wreaking havoc. Also, the Middle School trilogy is pointed toward an older audience while Diary of a Wimpy Kid is for younger readers as it contains more cartoons and has a lot more pictures

A text to world connection I made is that I think a lot of teenagers in our world today can relate to Rafe since nobody really sees themselves as the coolest kid in school. Rafe knows he is not popular, but he feels desperate to be just like the other kids. Lots of teenagers can also relate to this because we all want to fit in and will do whatever it takes to fit in just like Rafe does.

A text to self connection I made with Rafe is that we both have similar viewpoints towards school. Like Rafe, I do not want to wake up early in the morning and go to school. However, when the time comes, we both know when it is time to have fun and when it is time to learn. I can also relate to Rafe because we are both nervous around new people and are not comfortable when something changes.

A prediction I made that turned out to be true in the story is that I predicted that Rafe's friend Leo was imaginary. I predicted this because we never actually met Leo in the book, he never said anything among the whole story, and finally, he would never be mentioned at school, but at home instead.

I asked several questions over the course of this book. One to be mentioned is: What happened to Rafe's dad? Rafe lives with his mom and his sister Georgia but in the story it is unclear what happened to his dad. We know he is gone, we just do not have the full picture of what happened as readers. Another question I had was: Why does Rafe have an imaginary friend? Usually there is a purpose for having an imaginary friend, and when I found out that Leo is imaginary, I wanted to know why Rafe wanted to have an imaginary friend. This question was answered though when it was revealed that Leo was based off of Rafe's younger brother, Leonardo, who died from illness at age 3.

Theme and Summary: The Red Pyramid

I think the theme of The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is that you should never doubt yourself because it is the only thing that can halt your perseverance. This is true in The Red Pyramid because Carter and Sadie Kane are siblings that never seem to get along. When there dad disappears and leaves them with their uncle Amos, they are scared and feel that they can't rely on each other. They have already lost their mother so they doubted they could do anything to save their father.

In the beginning when they realize that they have powers, they become stronger and realize that maybe if they put their minds together and help each other when the other is in doubt, they might be able to find their father. When they find out uncle Amos is going to be gone for a few days, they decide to begin their mission to find their dad. As soon as Amos leaves, they break into the library and find a shabti, an Egyptian figurine that was used to serve for the deceased. The shabti is tired of working for the deceased so he decides to help out Carter and Sadie instead. Together, they have no doubts and work together to find Mr. Kane. As the book progresses, Carter and Sadie are starting to gain hope and they start to have less doubts along the road despite all the bumps. At one point in the book, Sadie feels like giving up on the mission because she feels like the group is not making progress. Her perseverance halts and stops the group, but Carter helps get Sadie on the right track and all of a sudden their doubts are washed away and they go on a campaign to save Carter and Sadie's dad.

In the end, the theme is obvious because it shows the negativity of a bad situation and then provides the solution that helps the group move forward, which is the theme.

This is what a shabti would've looked like in ancient Egypt

Book Recommendation: The Graveyard Book

               Instead of recommending a book to everyone, I would not recommend The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman to people as I would give it a 4/10. In the book, Bod is a human child being raised by dead ghosts. His parents were murdered when he was just an infant, so he is taken in by Silas, a ghost who lives in a cemetery across the street from Bod's house. Jack, the murderer of Bod's parents, is set out to kill Bod as he feels it is his mission to finish the family name by killing the last of the family, which happens to be Bod. Bod is very curious and is always meeting new human friends, but he can't leave the graveyard on any occasion. In the climax of the book, Bod's curiosity gets the best of him and he goes into the outside world only to find Jack. If this book sounds interesting to you, you will have to find out for yourself. I did not like this book because it had a dull mood throughout the story and there was barely any action throughout the first half of the book. However, this book did win the Newbery Medal, so if you are looking for an award winning book, this is an option.

This is the cover for The Graveyard Book

Word of the day: Ominous

Our word of the day is the word ominous.  It is a adjective that is defined as pretending evil or harm. You could use this word when describing a character, most likely an antagonist. It has an evil connotation therefore it could be said most antagonists could be described as ominous.

Characters: Boy21

In Boy21 by Matthew Quick, the main character, Finley, could be classified as a dynamic character. Finley is a shy boy who lives and breathes basketball. At the beginning of the book, Finley is living life to the fullest until a star point guard from California comes to town. Finley makes friends with Russ, the point guard, and we see signs of him becoming less shy. At this point in the book however, Finley thinks basketball is more important than his new friend Russ and also his best friend Erin. Finley's character affects the climax of the book because we see a sudden change in his behavior. At the climax, Erin is hit by a car and Finley is devastated. Before, he did not like to interact with others, but when Erin was injured, he realized just how important family and friends were and started to interact more with them. This sudden change in Finley shows us his development and also introduces the theme in the novel. When his actions change, it shows the lesson learned is that we should all put what's most important first and chase after it. In the end, we can see a lot of change in Finley over the course of the story and also we notice how his actions affected the plot and the theme of the story.

Link that shows the importance of Friendship. This is what Finley finds most important to him.

Theme and Summary: The Lost Hero

The theme of The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan is that teamwork will get the job done no matter how difficult it is. At the beginning of The Lost Hero, Jason wakes up in a trance with his memory wiped. His friends, Piper and Leo try to find out what is wrong with him when the 3 find out they are all the offspring of Greek gods and mortals. When they first find out they are "demigods," they are psyched about their abilities. However, early in the text, Piper's dad is kidnapped and they decide to set out and rescue him to wash away Piper's worries. Jason and crew then face a harsh journey encountering cyclops and hydras along their route to save Piper's dad. In the climax of the novel, Piper sprains her ankle and Jason is seriously injured, and just when you think they are about to give up hope, Leo convinces them otherwise. He encourages the two to continue fighting so they learn to work more as a team rather than as individuals. Therefore, this portion of the text was a major turning point for both the theme and the plot, because it started the falling action and introduced the theme to the reader. Once the group starts relying on one another, they become practically invincible, and easily find where Piper's dad was. However, standing in their way of reaching Piper's dad was a giant who was brutally strong and hard to kill, but thanks to their teamwork, they rescue Piper's dad and the story ends with a clear statement of theme. The end of the story greatly affects the message of theme because at first teamwork was just a mere idea, but after their fierce encounter, it enforces the idea of teamwork and shows just what teamwork can accomplish. I think the author notices that in society today that many people are independent, which is a good thing. However, I think his purpose in writing is to spread the idea that two is better than one and teams can accomplish more than just one individual. Judging by this, I think the author did a great job at trying to convey the message he did through the theme.

A good example of teamwork, I thought this was neat.

Teamwork Article

http://www.success.com/articles/277-the-miracle-of-teamwork

Book Recommendation: Maze Runner Trilogy

I strongly recommend the Maze Runner Trilogy to anyone who has read or seen the Hunger Games. There are 4 books in the series including The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, and a prequel called The Kill Order. The books are about a boy named Thomas who wakes up in a trance and knows nothing of his background. He is forced to cope with the people around him who have had the same experience he has, and together they go on a quest to find out more about themselves. Personally, I like these books because there is a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter, making the book hard to put down. If you enjoy action like I do, you would like these books because there is lots of action throughout the stories and it is so intense the reader is always on the edge of their seat. The author of these books is James Dashner, and he uses a lot of imagery in his books. His writing is so advanced that I can picture every little detail of the setting and I literally feel like I am looking through the main character's eyes. If I had to rate the series on a scale of 10, I would give it a 9.9. The only bad part of the series is the characters use different language that is hard to decipher when you first begin reading. It is hard to tell what goes on at first, but once you become interested you will start to learn their language and everything will be clear. I hope you will enjoy the Maze Runner Trilogy as much as I did!

These are the 4 books in the Maze Runner Trilogy

We significantly changed the plot structure of The Interlopers by creating a new form of plot we call the U plot. This improves tension in the story because everything starts going downhill in the story fast and then at some point in the story things slowly start to look up. The plot would look like a U because everything goes really bad and then things start to turn around, which also affects the ending of The Interlopers. It also adds suspense because in the end Ulrich and Georg are at the point where they make friends but we do not know where they go from there. This plot once again is a significant change because it reverses the original plot of the story and things end up looking positive.

Scorch Trials: Reading Skills

               In Scorch Trials, there are many situations in the novel that allow the reader to connect to the main character and make inferences about the future. In the past 2 chapters I have read, Thomas and his friend Brenda are being tested by the government. Right now they are traveling underground through a dark tunnel to reach the rest of their group which they were separated from.

               Since they are in a dark tunnel, it is very suspenseful and I found myself wondering what was going to happen next. I can connect to how Thomas feels because he is frightened in the darkness and has no sense of where to go. I have felt this way once when me and my family got lost in the woods at night. I felt scared like Thomas and I had absolutely no idea where to go. I think in the next chapter Thomas and Brenda will encounter an obstacle that keeps them from traveling in the dark since the story is very suspenseful and the characters are becoming alert and insecure. One question I continue to ask myself is: Why is Thomas so insecure? Thomas has many insecurities in the story and they make him a strong introvert. I would like to see Thomas step outside the box and start expressing himself more.

               This book, Scorch Trials, is a lot like the real world since in the book they are lost in a vast area fighting for survival and this happens to many people when they get lost in an unknown area. In the real world people have to cope with their surroundings just like Thomas has to. Lots of people have attempted climbing Mt. Everest and have had to survive the wilderness like Thomas has to. This book is also a lot like the Hunger Games since like Katniss, Thomas is fighting for survival and has no escape because the government is testing him. Also like the Hunger Games, Thomas has allies to help him along the way.

Over the summer I read the book Boy21 by Matthew Quick. I would rate this book a 9 out of 10 since it was great writers craft but there were just a few components that could be improved. In Boy21, Finley is a good kid living in a poor town named Bellmont ridden by racial rivalries and drugs. To get away from all the violence on the streets, Finley plays basketball with his girlfriend, Erin. Russ Allen, or "Boy21," a point guard from California whose parents were recently murdered, comes to Bellmont and turns Finleys life upside down. Now, Finley is challenged with the task of handling a mentally unstable teenager named Boy21, and he has to find what is most important in his life, Basketball or Friends.