Island of the Blue Dolphins: Another Perspective

          Karana is the main character. She's 12 and she has a little brother named Ramo who is 6. They were leaving on a big ship to head to another island that would be safer. Ramo forgot his fish spear so he went back to the village to get it. By the time the ship was leaving, Karana couldn't find her little brother. Then she saw him on the shore with his hands in the air with his fish spear. They wouldn't turn back to the shore because a storm will be coming soon. They said they'll come back for him another time. Karana is not comforted by that so she jumped off the boat to swim to her brother.

          Ramo's Perspective: He had to get his fish spear back. It was important to him. That fish spear was his most treasured possession. He had made that fish spear all by himself. As he was returning to the group, they were no where to be found. He ran as fast as he can to the shore. He saw the boat leaving. He tried screaming, waving his hands, getting their attention. The boat kept on moving. It's not coming back for him. He knelt on the ground thinking how foolish he was. He risked his life for the spear and now he's going to be alone on this island and try to survive all on his own. He was so young, he has not learned many things yet. He sat down with his face buried into his knees. He was crying because he knew they wouldn't come back for him. Then he heard someone walking along the water. He pulls his head up and arms fling onto him. It was his sister Karana. She hugged him so tightly. He felt happiness even though they are stuck on the island with no one else. At least he is not alone. At least someone came back for him. He felt so much joy, yet so guilty for his sister to stay behind for him.

Looking for Alaska: Dynamic Character

          The main character in this book is named Miles. He was nicknamed as Pudge by his new friends at his new school, Culver Creek High.

          Miles was a shy kid who was pretty quiet. He was a studious kid who gets good grades and didn't have much friends. He never found any of his "friends" interesting. On his leaving party, only 2 "friends" came to his "party". He didn't care for those 2 "friends" and there was so less people there other than family.

          By the end or middle of the story, Miles, known as Pudge, was not as shy anymore. Pudge had valuable friends now. He smoked and drank alcohol. He was more aggressive and cared for friends. He put his friends before school and didn't study so well. He did pranks with his friends and other rebellious actions.

          Miles is dynamic because in the beginning, he was like any other quiet, studious, A student. But in the end, he was almost the complete opposite.

Respond to Reading: Black Duck

          I read the back of the book and the first few words I read, "When Ruben and Jeddy find a dead body..., got me interested. It starts out as an interview. A freshman boy who wants to be a reporter needed a fascinating story to be hired, so he went to an old man's house to get details about an old story. So far, I'm guessing that the book is what the old man is saying, his story.

          So far I've read up to Ruben and Jeddy finds a dead body on the shore as they were looking for some lobsters to catch for dinner. Jeddy's father is a police and he's been searching for some rumrunners, a boat called Black Duck. Back in these old days, alcohol was illegal, and there were many people smuggling them in. The body that Ruben and Jeddy is looking at, they think its a rumrunner. He was shot in the neck and died instantly. Jeddy checked the dead man's front pockets and Ruben checked the back. There was only tobacco pipes. They needed to tell someone about this. They decided to tell Jeddy's dad.
          My prediction is: I think Jeddy's dad will know who the man is or will get some identification for the man. The man is probably a rumrunner. Maybe it's a step closer to finding Black Duck. Maybe some one will think that Ruben, Jeddy, and Jeddy's dad might of killed the man. There might be trouble with other gangs or rumrunners or there'll be a closer reach of finding Black Duck.

Looking for Alaska: Book Format

Looking for Alaska is a wonderful book. What makes it even better is the formatting. The formatting of the book doesn't necessarily have chapters. The book has a count down of days til this event happens. I suppose the only real chapters are called Before and After. Other than those, there is bold words saying the number of days til the event happens. When you first read the book, it's like, "What's the days for? What's going to happen?" Some people tend to get curious over what's the whole big main event everything is surrounding. The key of not ruining the book is to not overcome that curiosity and skip to the event. It's a never expecting story. I never thought that the event would of happened, especially of a book by John Green. John Green always have the books about finding something/someone. When you first read the title Looking for Alaska, the first word of the title makes you think, "Okay someone's going to find the state Alaska?" As you read on, you find that the Alaska is not a state, then you realize, "Okay, he's going to find Alaska (not the state)." I think this book is the best book from John Green is about my favorite book along side with Poison. I recommend that anyone of any taste of books can read this amazing book. :)

Respond to Reading: Looking for Alaska

What do you like about your book so far? What do you dislike (if anything)? Why?
I like the book, Looking for Alaska, a lot. I like their trouble of the pranking war and the funny things they do, like play games and stuff. I would say I don't like how they're  so bad, like drugs and alcohol, but then without those interests of the characters, there would be no interest of the book. I like how they really made the highschool real as in bad kids, and teachers. But I keep thinking it's a college because of the dorming and huge campus area. I like the small crushes they get and the horrible, bur clever, pranks they come up with. These kids are good and bad  at the same time which shows all bad kids are/can be good too. I don't think I dislike anything from the book. It's awesome and interesting. It has suspension and makes me want to keep reading it. That's also why or how I finished the book so fast. It's not only "drama" and/or funny, there's a mystery too. The beginnig to middle has funny things and "drama". The middle to end has a mystery which makes it have suspension. 

Book Talk Presentation

I think that my presentation was very short. Compared with my 2 peers who presented before me, mines seemed much much shorter. I think I stuttered a lot because that's a habit when I have to present something in front of a class or a crowd. I didn't have much detail like the others and I didn't have much hesitation. I felt like I just kind of winged that presentation. I didn't really practice, I decided that things will just come out of my mouth. I did have a presentation wrote out but what happened was I didn't say exactly what was on it. While presenting, I didn't even look at it. I didn't need a flashcard at all but I thought I might mess up or forget something; I might feel more comfortable with it, but what happened was it didn't really have much affection. My points were probably reduced because there was this one question that got me stuck. I think the other 2 presenters done theirs perfectly. :)

Dynamic Character

The book I'm reading is called Undercurrents. The main character is named Nicole, Nikki for short. 

"...,and for a moment we stood there, smiling at each other"

 

          Nikki's mom passed away and she can't get over it. A month or so later, her dad gets remarried to a girl that's just a bit older than her older sister, Bonnie. Nikki feels as if she'll never get along with Crystal, the stepmom. Nikki thinks Crystal is strange and weird. Crystal wouldn't let Nikki go to a job she got, so Nikki got furious with Crystal. They wouldn't talk to each other for the whole day.

          A day later after they weren't talking to each other, Crystal dyed her beautiful blonde-silver hair to muddy brown. Sam and Nikki saw it and were super shocked. Crystal ran upstairs crying and Nikki went after her. When Nikki was trying to cope Crystal, Crystal told her a story for why she's done these strange things. When she was little, she was the only survivor of her family's attack. Crystal hides away her hair and face because she doesn't want to be noticed. She doesn't want to drive Nikki to work because she doesn't want to go out often, she doesn't want people to see her and recognize that little girl whose family all died. She died her hair so that people wouldn't see that familiar hair of hers from long ago. That night, a fire came up at the Gyasi's home. Crystal and Nikki rushed to their home and saved them.

           Now, Nikki doesn't think strangely about Crystal. Crystal and Nikki talks normally now, as if they were mother and daughter.

Review Reading

          The book is named May Bird Among the Stars. It is a sequence book where there are different books that continue the story. Among the Stars is Book Two. I've seen this book before but I didn't think it looked that interesting. I was done with my 3rd independent book, so I had to get another book to read for the time being. I couldn't find a nice book and I had to get one quick. So I took the last book I grabbed, which was May Bird. 

          The book is about a girl, and she's been sent to a different realm from Book One.There's this cat with her, it can't talk, but in a way, she understands him. His name is Somber Kitty, Kitty for short. She is in a realm of ghosts and spirits. She has 3 ghosts with her; Beatrice Heathcliff Longfellow---  known as Beatrice--- (Bea for short), Captain Fabbio--- known as Fabbio---, and Pumpkin. They've been in a train for a few days and that train was heading to Lady of North Farm, known as just Lady. Lady will grant May one wish, what ever she desires. In May's mind, she already knew what she wanted, she wanted to go home. As the train moved along, there was a bump, the one who caused it was named The Bogey. He's been chasing them, and now he might of got them. But when the trained stopped, they were at a town. The town was to be procalimed as Everville, T.E.A. and it was an empty town.

          That's where I stopped, I finished page 18 and read only a bit of page 19 where they plan to explore the town because the train wouldn't budge. I think this book is okay. It's not great but it isn't horrible either. I would plan on reading more but the reason why I wouldn't is beacuse it is a sequence book. I wouldn't want to read it unless I read Book One. Than it wouldn't be fun for me because I wouldn't be satisfied until I've finished all the books, which I don't want to do. I like one book, one story, the end. :)

A Bag of Drugs is Everything

I found this picture on Google when I searched up "bag of cocaine". I only wanted a picture with a small bag of it, and this was the one I chose.

          Anyways this picture of a bag of cocaine, or I'm going to just use the picture to resemble "drugs". This picture, it resembles everything about the book Street Pharm. So that's already a heads up that this book is about drugs, with the title "Street Pharm", you would figure that it has to do with selling/dealing drugs. So it is true.

         In the novel, the story deals with this. If it wasn't for drugs, there'd be no story. Ty's father, Orlando, was the King of Streets until he got caught. After his father was put behind bars, Ty took over this family business. His partner was Sonny. Not only was Sonny his partner, but it was his best friend and the closest person to becoming his brother. Sonny was family to Ty. Ty had to get back in school after he got kicked out of his old one. He met a girl and fell in love but one of his rules was to not fall in love because that might cause him trouble if they were to break up. While Ty was now the King of Streets, another drug dealer named Kevin but they called him Darkman wanted to take over. With that problem, there were many troubles. Ty was shot, lucky he wasn't dead, because that was what Darkman was aiming for when he sent a drive by. He had to break up with Alyse, the reason of how he did it was tell her the truth. He knew she'd be mad. Some of Kevin's workers were setting him up, and Ty found out. They worked together and got Kevin out. Soon after Kevin left, Sonny was killed. Ty realized this whole drug dealing business was ruining his life. It always takes someone he cared for away from him. He knew he had to quit.

           That small summary of the book deals with the picture, drugs. Even though I basically said nothing about drugs in the summary, you should follow that the reason how those all happened was because of drugs.

          Ty was kicked out of his old school because he was too busy running the business, he missed a lot of school days. Alyse and Ty broke up because he was a hustler, a drug dealer. His father got locked up because he was a drug dealer. Kevin is a drug dealer, he wants to take Ty's territory. Ty was almost killed because of Darkman, because he was the "King of Streets" and someone wanted his title. Sonny was killed because he was making a trade with some buyers but they scammed him.

          In my reason of why the picture resembled the novel, the paragraph above, there was so much of the word drug dealer. They sold the drugs to get rich. It was their profit, it was their way to make a living, to get money. Ty thought about it and he got smart. He quit so no one else he cared for would get hurt, and he wouldn't get hurt either.

Prediction of the Future

          In the novel I read, Street Pharm, there was a good ending, it seems to be a suspense. As in the book got to a great ending, but you know there could be more. So since the book gave me that ending, I will make a prediction of Tyrone Johnson's future.
          At the end, Alyse forgave Ty. She gave him another chance since he's starting to improve and there's real proof of him trying to improve.
        
          I think that Ty is going to pass his Adult School classes with all A's. He's going to get back to school in the fall semester with Alyse there by his side. There'll be no more trouble for him on the streets. He won't have much stress and worries as much as he did when he was a hustler. The only one who could cause him much trouble, is his father. But his father is locked up in jail. And by the time he comes out, he probably would of forgiven Ty. Ty and Alyse are going to stay together. They'll pass high school together and even college. They'll get married and have a child. They'll be and have a family just as Ty wanted.

Diary/Journal Entry

The book I'm reading, well I've actually finished it quicker than I thought, is Street Pharm. It's a very good book. One of my favorites now. It's about a high school boy whose the son of the King of Streets, which is a drug dealer. The boy took over his father's business. Things get rough, something goes bad, things get worse, then everything falls apart. A piece of his diary/journal:


1/10/07
          Man things are getting real tight. This business is ruining everything. I blew Alyse TWICE and I lied to her that I was a hustler. Sonny, my best man; best friend; closest person to being a brother to me, he's gone. He's really gone. He's dead. It's all my fault. I shoulda did something, convince him not to, at least go with him and back him up. But I was selfish and I only thought of myself. He called me nine times, why didn't I pick up!? I need to stop. I need to fix this. I need to find myself. I'm so confused. I bet Alyse will never forgive me. The school didn't accept me for the spring semester. I gotta do something to catch up. I needa prove to Alyse that I'm good.
          I've been thinking and I got it! Imma quit the hustling business. Throw everything bad away, clean my profile up. Imma go to school. Adult school, whatever, get some catching up on grades and stuff. I'll come back in fall semester. I'll show Alyse my A report card, I'll show up in fall. I'll tell her I quited the business. I won't be a hustler no more. I won't be my dad. I am NOT my father. And then I'll hope everything goes well... Hope that Alyse will forgive me.

Connections with Stories and Life

          I've read only a few books this year...Speak, Poison, Skellig, and I am now reading Whittington. None of these stories seem to have a connection with my life, but I guess the 
closest would be Speak. Speak is about a girl whose in 9th grade and it seems like hell to her.

Similarities... Melinda is in 9th grade, so am I. Melinda doesn't talk to her old friends anymore, or they just don't talk to her. I have that in common with her, I don't talk to most of my last year friends or old friends. Many went to other schools and some, i guess i'm just not close to them anymore. No one seems to notice Melinda. Maybe some people do but no one knows, they don't speak up. I don't think people notice me either, but I don't care. Melinda's right about parents. Parents don't know about their children much, unless their children tells them everything. I think that too. Melinda's parents are always too busy doing their work or something. I think my parents are like that, too. My parents are really busy most of the time. But I guess I don't mind. It's not really their fault.

Differences... Melinda thinks high school or 9th grade is hell, but I don't. I can make new friends, I am Melinda seems to have trouble making friends because she never speaks up. She keeps holding onto the past and holding onto her old friends. To her, it seems that she can't forget about them. But i'm not like her, if they forget about me, I can just forget about them as well. quiet in some of my classes, but in others, i'm pretty loud. Making new friends is a part of growing up, and to me, so is letting go of some friends. Sometimes, you'll just have to forget about the past and just to move on. Some of the past aren't important.

          Some stories, people can relate to. I read mostly fantasy and adventure, which i'd never get the chance to relate to unless I really did have an awesome adventure.