Divergent by Veronica Roth

The most important line from chapter four is, "It has been this way since the beginning of the great peace, when the factions were formed. I think the system persists because we're afraid of what might happen if it didn't: war." (Roth 33) I think this is the most important line from this chapter because it really sums up the reason behind the faction system. The factions were formed in the beginning of a peaceful period, which I think must have happened after a long war. The sentence also demonstrates how important and rooted the faction system is to this society. I think that it is ironic that she used the word 'afraid' because she is considering Dauntless which is the faction that values bravery the most, which is the opposite of fear.

The best thing about my book is that it is not predictable. I really don't know which faction she is going to choose, which makes me want to keep reading. I don't like to read books that are too predictable because they get boring easily and I don't want to keep reading them. At this point I am curious which faction she is going to choose and how this choice is going to affect her and the plot in general. However I suspect that whatever her choice may be, I suspect that it will be the beginning of a chain reaction that unravels her society.

Divergent by Veronica Roth Setting

I have just started reading Divergent and from what I can gather it takes place in Chicago in the future. A line from the book that supports this is, "The gaps between the buildings narrow and the roads are smoother as we near the heart of the city. The building that was once called the Sears Tower-we call it the Hub-emerges from the fog, a black pillar in the skyline." (Roth 3-4) In this quote it talks about the Sears Tower which is in Chicago, thats how I knew the setting was in Chicago. I know that the story takes place in the future because they have some technology that is more advanced than what we have today.

Within this future world all the people have been divided into five factions, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, Amity and Abnegation.  Each of these factions embody an attribute as suggested by the name of the faction.  When each person turns sixteen, he or she has to take an aptitude test to determine which faction he or she belongs in.  However, the main character, Beatrice Prior, is a divergent because she can fit into more than one faction which is not the norm.  Being divergent is not desirable, in fact it is dangerous, as the test administrator explained to Beatrice in this quote, "'This is different.  I don't mean you should not share them now; I mean you should never share them with anyone, ever, no matter what happens.  Divergence is extremely dangerous.  Do you understand?'"(Roth 22-23)

But which faction will she choose, Abnegation, Dauntless or Erudite?

My Book List

I plan to read Divergent by Veronica Roth next.  My friend recommended this book to me because she knows that I like to read "coming of age" books.  I looked up the book and read the synopsis and I liked what I read.  I am looking forward to reading this book and watching the movie that is based on the book.  The movie is supposed to come out on March 21, 2014.  Here is a link to the movie website, www.divergentthemovie.org.  

After I read Divergent, I will read Sun Catcher by Sheila Rance.  The book was recommended to me by www.goodreads.com.  The book seems interesting and intriguing.  It is about a girl in a far away land who is trying to find her true calling.  I think I will enjoy this book because I enjoy reading books that are filled with adventure and the fact that the main character is a female is an added bonus, because I can relate to the character.

Post #14 Heidi by Johanna Spyri Chapter 11 Summary

Chapter 11 begins by talking about how Heidi had given up praying because her problems were not being fixed, but Klara's grandmother convinces Heidi to try again. Then Heidi was reading a story out of the book that Klara's grandmother had given her and she burst into tears because the story was about a grandmother dying. Heidi thought that the grandmother in the story was Peter's grandmother and that this was actually happening, eventually Klara explained to Heidi that the grandmother in the story was not real and that Peter's grandmother wasn't actually dying, but this just made Heidi cry more because she started thinking about her grandfather or Peter's grandmother dying while she was away and then being all alone. Fräulein Rottenmeier yells at Heidi when she hears her crying over the story in the book and she says that if she does it again she will take the book away, this makes Heidi stop crying because the book is one of her dearest possessions. Heidi's homesickness gets worse and she gets paler and loses her appetite because of it despite Sebastian's attempts to make her feel better.

The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme is supported by the fact that Heidi faces many obstacles such as Fräulein Rottenmeier's cruelty and her difficulties in learning her ABC's and how to read, but is able to overcome them with the help of her friends. When Heidi overcomes these obstacles it leads to new adventures such as having fun living in Frankfurt and learning to love reading. The theme is also supported by Heidi going to live with her grandfather which seems like a bad situation at first, but she is able to improve her grandfather's life and enjoy living with him in the Alps. These are just some of the examples of how this theme applies to Heidi. 

Post #13 Heidi by Johanna Spyri Chapter 10 Summary

In chapter ten Klara's grandmother comes to visit. When Klara's grandmother first meets Heidi she takes a liking to her, Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to get Klara's grandmother to not like Heidi and to think of her as she does, but she is unsuccessful and Klara's grandmother continues to like Heidi and grow close to her. Klara's grandmother is very kind to Heidi, unlike Fräulein Rottenmeier and she helps her learn to read. Heidi feels very homesick and it is starting to take a toll on her health, Klara's grandmother notices this and tries to see what is wrong, but Heidi doesn't want to tell her because she thinks that if she does Klara's grandmother will think she is ungrateful and will not be nice to her, so she tells Heidi that if she has something that is bothering her, but she can't tell other people she can just pray and this makes Heidi feel a lot better. The chapter ends when Klara's grandmother decides to go home.

The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be a  doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme applies to Heidi because even though she faces many obstacles she is able to overcome them and make new friends, be happy, and enjoy life. One of the obstacles that Heidi faces is having trouble learning her ABC's and how to read, but she is able to overcome this obstacle with the help of Klara's grandmother which opens a doorway into reading which Heidi ends up loving. This is how this theme applies to Heidi.

Post #12 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter nine starts off with Herr Sesemann coming home and greeting Klara and Heidi. As Herr Sesemann sits down to have lunch Fräulein Rottenmeier tells him that she had been decieved, that Heidi is a frightful child, and that Heidi is "out of her mind". Then Herr Kandidat, the teacher comes to tell Herr Sesemann about Heidi, but he takes to long to get to the point, so Herr Sesemann just asks Klara instead. Klara tells her father how much she likes Heidi and wants her to stay and he decides to let Heidi stay. Herr Sesemann tells Fräulein Rottenmeier that Heidi is in her right mind, Klara enjoys her company, she is going to stay, Heidi must be treated kindly, and that Klara's grandmother is coming to stay.

The theme of Heidi is that adversity can lead to wondrous adventures. Fräulein Rottenmeier's cruel and unkind attitude towards Heidi is an adversity that Heidi overcomes. Heidi overcomes this adversity because she never lets Fräulein Rottenmeier's attitude towards her get to her and is still able to enjoy life and have fun despite this adversity. This is an example of how this theme applies to the book Heidi.

Post #11 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter eight starts with Sebastian the butler answering the doorbell thinking that it is Herr Sesemann, Klara's father. When he opens the door he sees a young boy with a hand organ who asks to see Klara because he says she owes him forty pfennings. Sebastian starts to get irritated because he doesn't know who this boy is or why he is saying Klara owes him money, but he eventually figures out that when Heidi went out the day before she had the boy show her the way to the church and back to the house and told him that Klara would pay him forty pfennings. Sebastian then lets the boy in so that he can see Klara, but he tells him that he must play some music for Klara, after the boy starts playing Fräulein Rottenmeier hears the music then goes to the library to see what is going on, once she sees the boy she gets angry and tells Sebastian to make him leave. Sebastian leads the boy out and gives him the money that he is owed.

Soon after, the door rang again and a basket was dropped off for Klara, then the kittens that were inside the basket jump out and start running around, which makes Fräulein Rottenmeier extremely mad because she hates cats. Eventually, Sebastian takes the kittens away and puts them with the rest, Fräulein Rottenmeier eventually figures out that Heidi was the one responsible for the chaos that happened earlier in the day, and decides that Heidi's punishment should be to stay in the dark cellar for a while, but Klara talks her out of it. A few days later Heidi decides that she wants to go home because she misses living with her grandfather, but on her way out the door she runs into Fräulein Rottenmeier who doesn't let her go and gets mad at her for trying to leave, which makes Heidi feel sad. The next day Fräulein Rottenmeier finds the rolls that Heidi had been keeping for Peter's grandmother while she is going through Heidi's closet deciding what clothes to get rid of. Fräulein Rottenmeier decides to throw away Heidi's crumpled straw hat and the rolls she had collected, which makes Heidi cry because then she can't give Peter's grandmother any bread, but Klara consoles her by telling her that when she leaves she will give her more fresh rolls to give to the grandmother and Sebastian saves Heidi's hat from being thrown away and hides it for her. The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to many wondrous adventures. This is supported by Fräulein Rottenmeier always being mean to Heidi yet Heidi always overcomes this and is able to enjoy being in Frankfurt.

Post #10 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapter 7 Summary

Heidi has only been in Frankfurt for a day and she is already starting to miss living with her grandfather in the Alps. Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to get Herr Kandidat, the teacher, to declare that he won't be able to teach Heidi and Klara together because Heidi is too far behind, which would give Fräulein Rottenmeier a reason to send Heidi home, but he thinks teaching Heidi and Klara together will be fine.  Heidi misses the trees and scenery of the alps and when she hears a coach on the cobblestone streets outside she thinks its the sound of the wind in the fir trees like on the alps, but when she runs out of the room she accidentally pulls the table cloth with her and makes everything fall on the floor and makes a big mess. This causes Klara to laugh but, it makes Fräulein Rottenmeier mad. All that Heidi can see from the windows in the house are other buildings and she longs to see some greenery so she goes to a church with a tall tower so that she will be able to see some greenery, but she doesn't see any. However while she is at the tower she notices some kittens and the man at the tower says she can have them. When she brings the kittens home it makes Fräulein Rottenmeier who is already mad at her for making a mess and leaving the house without permission even more mad and she orders her to get rid of the kittens. Instead of getting rid of the kittens Heidi and Klara give them to Sebastian, the butler, to hide from Fräulein Rottenmeier. That is the end of chapter 7.

The theme of Heidi is that adversity can be the doorway to wondrous adventures. This theme is supported by the plot and progression of the story. When Heidi's parents die and she is sent to live with her grandfather who is known to be a recluse her situation seemed bleak. However, once she meets her grandfather they make each other's lives better because they discovered they needed each other. Heidi goes on many adventures and rediscovers happiness after she is sent to live with her grandfather.  

Post #9 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Characters

The main character in the book is Adelheid or Heidi, as she likes to be called. Heidi is an orphan who had been living with her aunt Dete up until the beginning of the book when her aunt brought her to live with her grandfather. At the beginning of the book when Heidi comes to live with her grandfather she isn't sure how much she will enjoy living there, but she soon grows to love it there and sad when she has to leave to go to Frankfurt. Heidi is a very kind girl who always wants to help other people and animals and is very loyal to her friends and cares a lot about them. This is shown in this passage,

When Peter had the goat in safety once more, he raised his rod to beat him soundly as a punishment, and Distelfinck timidly drew back, for he saw what was going to happen. But Heidi cried:—

"No Peter! no, you must not beat him! See how frightened he is!" 

"He deserves it," snarled Peter and was going to strike the goat. But Heidi seized his arm and cried indignantly: — 

"You shall not do it; it will hurt him! Let him alone!" 

Peter looked in astonishment at the commanding Heidi, whose black eyes snapped at him. He reluctantly dropped his rod. 

"He can go if you will give me some of your cheese again tomorrow," said Peter, yielding; for he wanted some compensation for his fright. 

"You may have it all—the whole piece—tomorrow and every day; I do not want it," said Heidi with ready assent; "and I will give you a good part of my bread, too, as I did today. But then you must never, never beat Distelfinck, nor Schneehöpli, nor any of the goats."

This passage shows how much Heidi cares about her friends, in this case the goats. Heidi is willing to give up some of her food just so that Peter will never beat the goats which shows that she is very protective and cares a lot about her friends.

Dete is Heidi's aunt who brings her to live with her grandfather. She is a static and minor character who's only purpose is to move the plot along. She moves the plot along when she brings Heidi to live with her grandfather and when she takes her to live in Frankfurt with Klara. Dete is a character who undergoes very little change and we, the readers, don't know very much about her other than that she is Heidi's aunt. These are just two of the many characters in the book Heidi.

Post #8 Heidi By Johanna Spyri: Chapter 6 Summary

In chapter 6 the reader is introduced to Klara Sesemann, the twelve year old sickly daughter of Dete's employers' relative, Herr Sesemann. The reader is also introduced to Fräulein Rottenmeier, who was in charge of the Sesemann household after Klara's mother died. Heidi and her aunt Dete arrive late at Klara's house and Fräulein Rottenmeier tries to learn about Heidi to see if she will be a good playmate for Klara. Fräulein Rottenmeier is dissatisfied with Heidi for a number of reasons, such as her being four years younger than Klara and not being very well educated because she hasn't gone to school yet. However, Klara unlike Fräulein Rottenmeier takes a liking to Heidi and begins to talk to her to get to know her.

All of the people who work at Klara's house look down on Heidi and don't think that she is a good playmate for Klara. Heidi thinks that she will be leaving Frankfurt in the morning and going back to Dörfli to give some bread to Peter's grandmother because that is what her aunt told her when they were leaving for Frankfurt to convince her to leave. Heidi doesn't know that she will be staying there for a long time, to keep Klara company. During supper Heidi takes a bread roll to bring to Peter's grandmother because she still thinks that she is going back to her in the morning. Heidi's lack of table manners become clear to Fräulein Rottenmeier and she goes on to explain all of the rules of the house to Heidi, while she is doing this Heidi falls asleep, which amuses Klara. That is what happened in chapter 6.

Post #7 Heidi By Johanna Spyri: Chapter 5 Summary

In chapter 5 the reader learns that a few years have passed since Heidi first came to live with her grandfather and now she is eight years old. Heidi hasn't gone to school yet and the teacher and the pastor try to convince her grandfather to send her, but he refuses to do so because he thinks that it is too dangerous for her to travel up and down the mountain in the winter to go to school. This shows that Heidi's grandfather cares a lot about her and he doesn't want anything bad to happen to her. When the pastor goes to Heidi's grandfather to convince to send Heidi to school and he refuses, then the pastor tries to convince him to move down into the village to Dörfli so that Heidi won't have to go all the way down the mountain in the winter to go to school. Heidi's grandfather also refuses the pastor's suggestion  of moving down to Dörfli because the people there don't like him and he doesn't like them.

 I want to know some of the reasons why the people of Dörfli and Heidi's grandfather don't like each other. After all of this, Dete, Heidi's aunt and the woman who brought her to live with her grandfather comes to visit Heidi and says that Heidi should come back with her to Frankfurt where she is a housekeeper, to become the playmate of the sickly daughter of her employers' relatives. Heidi's grandfather does not like this idea and gets angry at Heidi's aunt and tells her, "'Take her [Heidi] and be gone! Never bring her into my sight again. I never want to see her with feathers in her hat and words in her mouth such as you have spoken today!'".  Heidi is mad at her aunt at first for making her grandfather mad and doesn't want to go with her at first, but eventually convinces her to come. When Peter sees Heidi leaving with her aunt he tells his grandmother and they are both very sad that she is leaving. After Heidi leaves her grandfather is even more unfriendly when he goes into town. That is the end of chapter 5.

Post #6 Book Recommendation: The Fault in our Stars by John Green

I would recommend the book The Fault in our Stars by John Green. It is about a girl named Hazel Grace who was diagnosed with stage four thyroid cancer. She is resigned to her limited non-typical teenage life, until she meets Augustus.  Their chance meeting changes both of their lives.  Hazel is also obsessed with a book that has no ending.  Her journey with Augustus to find the ending of the book turns out to be one that she will always remember.

I liked this book because the characters were very relatable.  Hazel Grace and Augustus' relationship is sympathetic and keeps the reader rooting for them.  The side story of the book without ending is very interesting and nicely intertwined with the main storyline of Hazel and Augustus.  The development of the characters is well written and convincing.  Overall it was a really good read and I would recommend it.

Post #5 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapters 3-4 Summary

In chapter three Heidi goes with Peter, the goatherd and the goats to the pasture. In this chapter the reader can tell that Heidi and Peter are beginning to become friends. The reader can tell this because Peter enjoys Heidi's company and she is very nice to him, such as giving him some of her food because he doesn't have very much to eat. A quote from the book that demonstrates this is, "'You may have that. I have enough.' Peter looked at Heidi in speechless amazement, for never in his life had he been able to say such a thing or anything away. He hesitated a little, for he could not really believe that Heidi was in earnest. She persisted in offering the bread and cheese, and when he did not take it, she laid it down on his knee. Then he saw that she meant it for him, seized the prize, nodded his thanks, and then made the most dinner of his goatherd life.". This quote shows how much what Heidi did for Peter meant to him and how thankful when she gave him her food. In this chapter Heidi also gets to know the different goats that Peter takes to graze and gets to explore and learn about the mountain and pasture. Something else that becomes evident in this chapter is that Heidi is a very caring girl, this is demonstrated when one of the goats was misbehaving and Heidi stops Peter from beating him by telling Peter that she will give him some of her food everyday as long as he does not beat the goats. This is what happened in chapter three.

In chapter four Heidi has to stay at home and not go with Peter and the goats to the pasture because it was now autumn so it was windy and it could be dangerous for her to go up the mountain with the wind, so she has to find something to do at home. Peter misses Heidi when she doesn't come with him because he gets bored without her and the goats don't behave as well without Heidi because they like miss her company too. Then it becomes winter and Peter doesn't take the goats to the pasture and has to go to school, so he doesn't see Heidi as much, but when he visits one day he tells Heidi that she should visit his grandmother and she decides that she really wants to. She then visits Peter's house one day, she sees how shabby it is compared to her house. Peter's mother and grandmother don't believe that Heidi's grandfather brought her down to their house and wrapped her up at first because he is thought to be a mean person, but she proves them wrong. Heidi learns that Peter's grandmother is blind and they grow to like each other and Heidi has her grandfather fix up Peter's house so that his grandmother won't worry about it collapsing anymore. That was the end of chapter four.

Post #4 Heidi by Johanna Spyri: Chapters 1-2 Summary

In the first chapter the reader is introduced to Heidi, a little girl who has been living in the Alps with her Aunt after she became an orphan. In the first chapter Heidi's aunt is taking her to live with her Grandfather because she wants to move to Frankfurt. Heidi's grandfather is a reclusive old man who lives away from the rest of the people on the mountain. Also, in this chapter the reader is introduced to Peter a young goatherd who befriends Heidi. When Heidi's aunt first brings her to her grandfather he is not very enthusiastic about taking care of the young child, but Heidi's aunt quickly leaves before he can tell her to keep Heidi with her. That is the summary of chapter one.

The second chapter begins with Heidi exploring the area around her grandfather's house. After Heidi is done exploring the area she goes inside the house and starts getting acquainted with what is inside. Heidi finds a place to sleep and has some food with her grandfather. At this point the reader can tell that  Heidi's grandfather is starting to like having her there. Heidi gets to meet and play with the goats that her grandfather owns. This is the end of chapter two.

Post #3 Book Recommendation: The Hunger Games

I recommend reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It is a great book with adventure, drama, and a social message. The book is about a post-apocolyptic world where there is a vast gap between the rich and poor. In the nation of Panem, where the book takes place Roman like gladiator games are televised and the contestants for the games are chosen from different parts of this nation.  Katniss is the main character and she valiantly takes her little sister's place in the games to protect her younger sister from harm.  Katniss's adventures in this book keep the reader on the edge of their seat wondering if she will make it.

I liked this book because it was full of action and adventure.  It also had a strong social message about poverty and war. Another reason why I liked this book was because it wasn't the type of book where it gets boring at certain parts, it was always interesting. These are just a few of the reasons why I liked this book, I would definently recommend this book to anyone who likes dystopian fiction and even those who don't. For more information about the series visit this link.

Post #2 Book Recommendation: Matched

I would recommend the book Matched by Allie Condie. It is about a girl named Cassia who lives in a society where everything is decided for her from what she will eat to who she will marry. I really liked this book it was interesting and there was never a dull moment. I thought that the book was well written and the plot was intriguing. The main characters in the book were dynamic and multi-dimensional rather than being boring and one-sided which I liked because you got to get to know them. Overall, I thought that Matched was an excellent book and I would recommend it.

Post #1 The Fault in our Stars By John Green: Characters

In the book, The Fault in our Stars, the main character, Hazel is introduced to the reader as a teenager with terminal cancer who had resigned herself to her fate with little hope of anything that remotely resembles a teenage life. Once she is introduced to the second main character Augustus Waters she is transformed into a more hopeful person who genuinely wishes to have a normal teenage life. Hazel is conflicted between her desire to have a normal relationship with Augustus and her fear of scarring him with her death which she perceives to be eminent. In the end she succumbs to her feelings for him only to have fate rip them apart when Augutus's illness returns. In the end Hazel's experience confirms that it is better to have loved and been hurt than to not have loved at all as Hazel recognizes that the precious time that they had had together was worth the hurt and the scars.

Summer Reading

I would rate my summer reading book, A Long Way Gone a 9 out of 10.

The book is about a boy named Ismael. The story takes place in Sierra Leone during its civil war. In the book Ishamel is tyring to escape from the war and is eventually forced to become a child soldier. The theme of the book was there is always hope.