Sunday, September 29, 2013

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.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

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.


Wednesday, September 11, 2013

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.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

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.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

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.