Insurgent: Week of 4/28/14

Pages: 1-32

Prompt: What has happened in the story so far? How would you feel if you were the main character?

     I do this very often where I've only read a little bit of the book but write a lot, but this time I feel like I really have a lot that I want to say, so here we go! P. S. Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent if you didn't already know. 

     So, basically so far, at the end of Divergent, Erudite, one of the factions, attacked Abnegation, another faction, with the help of unconscious Dauntless members, people that are part of yet another faction. Both of Tris' parents (the main character) had just died and because she was Divergent, she wasn't unconscious like the rest of the people from the Dauntless Faction (except for Tobias) and was actually seeing things throughout the battle. Tris was fighting and making conscious decisions when Erudite attacked Abnegation. She was reunited with her brother, and after Abnegation was basically destroyed from the attack, everyone left for "Faction Headquarters" in Amity. As they arrive at the headquarters and Amity, they go to separate rooms, and soon are asleep. Their battle and journey to Amity was nothing but tiring and stressful. When Tris woke up the next day it was from nightmares that she had because she had killed one of her close friends Will, and was feeling guilt in dream form. Tris also had been shot in the shoulder, and as she tried to shower and dress herself, she found it hard to get things done because it was hard to use her right arm (the arm of the shoulder that had been shot.) An Amity member then came to help Tris with her hair and brought her something to eat. Tris felt a bit guilty accepting her help, but she couldn't help it, she really did need the help. Later she met up with Tobias and they talked about how they would have to make plans about their future, and how lots of things would need to be figured out so they could figure out what was really going on throughout the factions. 

      If I were the main character, I would be scared and sad. For one, she has just watched both of her parents get killed. I know I would feel so scared and depressed if that happened because I love my parents so much it's like unbelievable, and I don't know what I would do without them. They keep me grounded, and love me unconditionally, and I don't know if I could remain calm and just go on with everyday life, after basically a battle, where I lost both of my parents, and killed one of my best friends. That would be another thing that would make me sad; the fact that I killed one of my best friends. I know that Tris, in the story, didn't mean to kill her friend Will, but I would still feel bad, and scared, and upset if I killed one of my friends because I wouldn't have them in my life anymore, and I would always live with that guilt that I killed someone who I loved. Also if I were Tris, I would basically just want to burst into tears. At the beginning of the book, it talks about how when Tris, and Tobias, and Tris' brother Caleb, and a few others, we're going to Amity, Tris hears her brother quietly crying in the dark. I know that I always feel bad if my brothers are upset and or crying because I love them so much that I can almost feel their pain, and I think if I were Tris, I would definitely feel Caleb's pain, and I would just want to cry with him! 

     After losing both of my parents, moving into a new faction, after already switching factions, and watching my home faction be destroyed, and having a target on my back as Divergent, I think I would want to crawl into a ball, and just cry. This is Tris' situation, and it's so stressful. Usually when I see someone older than me break down, I usually know that there's something really wrong, because sometimes younger kids cry for no reason, and I think after watching my older brother cry, I would know something was really wrong. I also think I would come out of shock, and really realize what was going on. I say this because at first, I don't think Tris really realized what was going on. I mean, she obviously knew everything that happened, but she never really processed it. That's kind of how it was for me when I went to London. When I first got to London, it didn't exactly process it in my head that I was in London until I had been in London for a few days! Then I finally started to get the feeling of the amazing place I was at and what a cool opportunity it was to get to go there. I knew I was in London the whole time, but I dId t exactly and fully realize it at first. I think if I were Tris, it would be hard for me to process everything that happened also! I mean so many things happened to her in a short period of time that just seemed so unrealistic that it was hard to believe any of it ever happened. But it did, and that's why, ultimately, I would be scared if I were Tris. So, that's basically what has happened in the book so far, and how I would feel if I was the main character Tris!

                                       

Small as an Elephant: Week of 4/21/14

Pages: 54-End
Prompt: What's your opinion on the book?

      This is an excellent story! I really loved the plot line, and the story in general- I had a hard time putting down this book!

  The characters are life-like and believable.  Jack, while being a child, seems more mature than his mother.  He understands what is acceptable in society, and also realizes that when his mother gets a little "out of it", he has a chance of being separated from her by the authorities.  He understands the implications of bad actions; he strives to always be good, and to help his mother with her mental problems.  He can’t completely control his mother, however, and she does get a little loopy at times.  This is not the first time that she has left Jack anywhere, but he understands that it’s up to him to get back home and find his mother, before she says or does something stupid and gets them separated for good.  Jack has been separated from his mother before; the government found out about his mother taking him out of school for no reason at all, and other not-quite-normal things she’d done with him regarding school and care-taking.  When that happened, Jack was taken away from his mother and sent  to the only other family he had - his loving grandmother.  While Jack is eventually returned to his mother, it's clear that there's an awkward gap between his mother and grandmother. 

     It is because of all this that Jack is my favorite character - he understands that one must deal with what one is given. He is mature for his age, and he figures out very interesting ways of staying alive while he’s on his own.  His mother and grandmother, likewise, are very believable and life-like; their actions, while not always justified and good, were understandable and something I’d expect a real person to do.  I also really like the setting of the story.  The author makes the state of Maine (along with some other various states in the USA) come to life; having never visited there myself, after reading this story, I feel like I’ve been on vacation there for a week.  While descriptive, the author is not very wordy - he states what needs to be stated in a clear, clean, and concise way.

     Though Jack has been smart through out the story, he is a character that has really made me feel for him.  His mother abandoned him, and he had to stay strong, and decided not to ask for help along the way.  I wish he would've at some points just asked for help; i didn't want to see him get hurt.  I think that's why I really like this story so much! Because the characters were so real and believable, that I could really feel them.  Jack really made me feel something, which made the story even more amazing.  He made me feel sad and scared for him, while absolutely loving him at the same time.  He made me think, he made me smile, he made me nervous, but I thought he was amazing either way!  I would never be able so survive on my own for over a week, in a place I was completely unfamiliar with, at 11 years old.  Jack is so brave, and smart and I think he's an absolutely great kid who would never deserve to be abandoned by anyone.  I look at him like a real person because he seems so life like, and that's why my feelings about him were so real.  I took his character extremely literally and even though I know he is not real, I looked at Jack like a real person!

     Though I sometimes did not agree with the decisions Jack made, I still loved the book.  Obviously I wouldn't want Jack to make some of the decisions that got him into trouble, but then this story wouldn't be a story, and wouldn't be very  interesting if it could be one.  I wish Jacks mother hadn't abandoned him and he never got in trouble or had to live like he did, like any reader would think, but that's what made the story so interesting!  The details and the characters and the setting and the decisions wouldn't have brought the story together in any better way, and sometimes a little trouble doesn't hurt!  I mean I could go on and on telling you how much I honestly enjoyed this book but I'm starting to get redundant so I think I'm going to end here!

     Overall, this is a fun and heartfelt story and an emotional journey with a young boy who only wants to find his mother, but is afraid of letting anyone know he’s alone.  I think I could enjoy this story over and over again because I simply loved it so much.  So, that's my opinion on the story, and all of the different things I ioved about it!

My London Trip 2014- Week of: 4/7-14/14

My London trip was unbelievable, and I can't wait to share with you my experiences!

     

Friday-

My trip to London started off with an eight hour flight to England, in a packed plane. It was over night, and was extremely uncomfortable. I'd never been on a flight that long, so I didn't really know what to expect. But when I finally got off the plane, and looked out the window of the airport, I knew that the terrible flight was worth it, and even though I was really tired, I was wide awake with excitement! We drove from the airport to the apartments about 20 minutes outside of the city! They were wonderful, and I couldn't believe that our London trip had finally started. A few hours later, myself, and my whole dance team (the reason I went to London was to dance) went on a Double-Decker bus tour of the city. The sights were breathtaking, and the whole thing seemed pretty surreal! Though soon, it was time to call it a night, because the next day, was going to be long!

Saturday-

Saturday started off with me wanting to crawl back under the covers as my mom woke me up around 8:00 A.M. The Jet lag had kicked in. I had to be at a 9:00 dance class that I wasn't looking forward to. I got out of bed anyways, barely making it down to the lobby in time to walk with 5 other girls down the street to a practice space. We were going to practice solos. I was competing both in Solo dancing and in Team dancing in London at the World Championships, so myself and a couple other girls on the team, had to go to extra practices. We ran through our steps until about 10:30, when our teammates from our choreography team began to show up. We were about to start out second practice. With a lunch and dinner brake, our practice ran from 10:30 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. By the time I got back to the apartment we were staying at, I was out like a light.

Sunday-

Sunday's practice started a little bit later, about 10:45, so I got to sleep. But I was beginning to get nervous. The solo competition would be the next day, and I was getting scared. I'd never danced at a competition this big, and I didn't want anything to go wrong. At about 4:30, me and two other girls on my team left practice to go down to the competition venue for a final solo practice. The venue was packed, and the other people practicing looked very intimidating, but I had to focus, so I could make sure my dances were perfect.

Monday-

On Monday morning at 5:30 A.M. I got out of bed with butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous and excited, and didn't know what to do with myself. My mom did my hair, and I did my makeup, and we left at 6:45 for the venue to compete. We took the train there, and the whole time I was going through my dances in my head. When I got there, we ran through the dance we would be competing in first. We wear a tap shoe like shoe, called a hard shoe. Later I competed that dance. I wasn't overjoyed with myself afterwards, the nerves had definitely kicked in, but my dance teachers were happy, and about an hour later, I danced my second round in a soft shoe. I was much happier with this round, and afterwards, all I had to do was wait and see if I was recalled to dance one last times. At this certain competition, only the top 18 girls from each region in the united states and regions in other countries, qualify for the World Championships each year. It's the highest caliber of Irish Dancing there is, and they only call back 50 girls to do their last dance, and their were 187 girls in my competition. I din't recall, but I was still proud of  myself, and that I even got the chance to dance at the World Championships. I wasn't sad, or mad, I was simply, proud.

Tuesday-

On Tuesday I was competing in the team competition. I woke up around 6:30 to walk over to the practice area, where we would have a last minute team practice. After the practice, I would get my hair done. Now, for irish dancing, we wear wigs. Our whole team wore blonde wigs that had to be sown into our heads. Then we got our makeup done. The gold sparkles, thick eyeliner, and red lipstick, really brought a look or beauty and sophistication to the team. Our look was finished off with beautiful black dresses and gold detailing. We then took a bus to the venue, and warmed up, and talked through the dance one last time. There were going to be 16 girls on stage dancing. Team dancing is a little different then solo dancing. If you mess up in solos, you're only affecting yourself. If you mess up in team dancing, then you mess up the whole team. More nervous than ever, we walked on stage to dance. As I danced the adrenaline kicked in, and it was exciting and exhilarating! Though after we were finished dancing, I knew it hadn't been a good run. Spacing was off, catches were missed, there were bumps. The teachers and coaches were disappointed and so were some of the girls, including me. Soon after was awards, they showed the scores on a screen that each judge had given each team, and you would never believe it, but, WE WON!!!! It was the biggest accomplishment of my entire life! Everyone was screaming and crying, as we found out! Later, we had a party to celebrate our success!

Wednesday-

Wednesday was going to be our first day of sightseeing, but we got a late start. We had been out late the night before, so we didn't get out of bed until about 11:00, and didn't get out of our apartment until 2:00. It took us a while to get to the city, but we knew we wanted to see the Tower of London. Though by the time we got there, it was going to close in about an hour. So, we decided to wait until the next day to see it. By that time, it was time for dinner, so we went out, and later, went on Big Ben, to see the amazing city lit up at night time! It was magnificent. We ended the night with a trip to Piccadilly Circus, and stopped at the M&M store to get some desert.

Thursday-

On Thursday, we were determined to see as much as we could, so we got up and out by 9 A.M. We started at the Tower of London, and took a guided tour, and got to see the Crown Jewels. It was crazy unbelievable, and the weather was so nice! It was unbelievable. Next we went to Westminster Abbey. The church was fabulous. It was so amazing! The architecture, the stainless windows, the graves, the church itself was just mesmerizing! Finally, we went to see the Winston Churchill war rooms. The actual rooms where things were being planned for the war. There was also a museum, and it was incredible. The whole trip was like walking through a history book, and being part of something so surreal!

Friday-

Friday was our last day, so we packed up to head home. It was so sad to leave, but I was happy that I could come home. I missed my family, because I had only gone with my mom, and I just wanted to sleep in my own bed. London was an incredible experience, and I'm so appreciative that I got the opportunity to go there!

Small As An Elephant: Week of 3/31/14

Pages: 1-53
Prompt: Give a summary of the story so far. If you were in the same situation, how would you feel if you were Jack, the main character? How could you possibly relate to him?

     This week I started reading, "Small as an Elephant" and let me say, it's very intriguing! So far, I know that the main character is Jack, and his mother and himself were going on a camping trip for Memorial Day Weekend. Their plan was to have the best time of their life, and take everything in, but that didn't end up happening. After arriving at the campsite, Jack and his mother fall asleep in their tents, and when Jack woke up the next morning, his mother was gone; nowhere to be found. Unlike what most children would do, which would be finding an adult to get help, Jack decides to start to search for his mother. He had, had problems with his mother leaving him in the past, and he didn't want the same things to happen, with people taking him away, and asking him strange questions. Eventually he needed to eat so he went to the tiny camp supply store, but after he bought food and matches, he didn't have any money left, and he just kept keeping to himself until he met a nice family who he took a trip to the beach with. They had taken a bus that went around the whole campsite and all the beaches  around, and that's when Jack realized he could just ride the bus and check out all of the beaches everyday in search of his mother. There was just one problem, Jack and his mother only had the campsite rented out for four days, and Jack didn't know what he was going to do if his mother wasn't back by then because he couldn't pay to stay any longer. And that's basically where I left off. 

     If I were Jack, I would be extremely scared. I don't think I would be able to handle it if my mother abandoned me. I would go directly to an adult and tell them my situation. I wouldn't be able to go maybe more than 24 hours without some guidance from an adult, especially not at a camp site that is unfamiliar to me. I would be confused, and sad that my mother left, and probably just want to crawl up into a ball and cry, and cry, and cry. I wouldn't care about the questions, and the attention, or the adults talking to me and questioning me. If I had at least some sense of comfort because I wasn't going to be myself if I at least went to an adult, then I would be fine, but I definitely wouldn't have been able to stay by myself. I would also probably be upset by the fact that my mother just left me, without saying anything. I would think that she didn't care about me enough to stay, and stand by me, and take care of me, and I would feel very hurt. I wouldn't ever probably be able to trust my mom again if she abandoned me.

     Something else interesting is that the main character, Jack, is obsessed with elephants. Every chapter starts with a fact about elephants and he even has a tiny elephant that he carries around with him. I'm mentioning this because that little elephant was something that we could hold, or squeeze when he needed to feel reassurance or comfort. He could just feel it, and everything would be ok for him. That is something that I can relate to. When I'm at home and stressing about something or scared or sad about something, I can always hold my baby blanket. I know that sounds childish, but it helps me to feel comfort because it's an item that is special to me. When I'm in public, something I like to keep with me, especially at competitions, is a little pray stone. It helps me to concentrate, and rubbing it makes me feel reassurance, and it gives me a sense of good luck and confidence. I feel this is kind of how it is for Jack with his elephant. If he just feels it, he can have reassurance, and continue to be confident, and comfortable. I can definitely relate to Jack in this way, and this is something that if I were to be in the situation Jack was, I could turn to, to help me feel better. So, that's basically the story so far, and what I would do and how I could relate to Jack if I were to be in the same situation.