Literature Circles First Book Review
A few of you have finished your first novel, for this post I’d like for you to give a review of the first novel you read in lit. circles. If you have finished it, please no spoilers. Not sure how to review it…say what you liked, comment on the plot, characters, genre (type of book), and/or what kind of person would like this book. You may also mention books that are similar to (or in some cases totally different from) your lit. circle novel. You may mention if you liked/or didn’t and your opinion was different from your lit. circle members. If you want you can rate it, using the Shuja 6 star rating system…. (6 stars: awesome, you couldn’t put it down and was amazing in every way; 5 stars: excellent, some minor flaws, plot, character development, but excellent read; 4 stars: better than a “school book,” but not something you couldn’t put down; 3 stars: I read it, but didn’t love it, flaws in plot, characters, just OKAY!, a little boring/mediocre, rather predictable; 2 stars: it was gross to read, rather boring, lame characters, lame plot, forced myself to finish; 1 star: YUCK! never read this book, I wasted (insert time..six hours?) of my life reading this vapid and inane novel). Of course, feel free to elaborate on your rating.
Remember, no spoilers! You may post multiple times if you want to respond to a review you concur with or have a dissenting opinion and feel it must be heard. Please post even if you haven’t finished the novel. Please respond by Friday, November 20, 2009 by 10:30 p.m. This may bear repeating…use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation always. Be concise and practice good writing techniques!
My literature circle just completed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Alexie, Sherman). It first came off to me as a very simple, book, which even includes illustrations. This wouldn’t have been a book that I myself would have picked up. I began to read it and learned that it wasn’t a child’s book, but rather contained mature subjects, such as racism, bullying, and death. The illustrations were cartoons by the main character, Arnold. He drew cartoons to express himself and to vent emotions. I found this interesting because it really shows who Arnold is. The cartoons represent the side of him he does not publicly show. They were also interesting because I wasn’t familiar with cartooning as a hobbie. Also in this book I learned about Native American culture. Arnold lives on a reservation, and I was exposed to the realities and differences between American life and Reservation life.
Overall, I would rate The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian a 5 on the Shuja 6-Star Rating System. I rated it a 5 because it was fast-paced and very interesting, but certain parts seemed like they could use work. It is one of those books that you start reading, then lose track of time with. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who just wants a good read.
-Eric Millward
My group just finished the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian (Alexie,Sherman). This book would not have been a book I would have picked for myself to read because it seemed like a simple book for kids. The book had illustrations and as we all know the books we read never have illustrations in them, and sometimes we get laughed at or frowned upon for reading books with pictures. The book started out completely different than how I thought it would. A kid named Arnie started talking about himself and how he had been born with to much water in his brain and how he had all these deformities and seizures. He wasn’t even supposed to survive the surgery the doctors had to perform when he was a newborn baby. Throughout the book subjects like racism, bullying, death, and how different peoples lives affect how they act were talked about. A younger kid would never have made connections or understood what was going on. This book is definitely for higher level kids if you want them to comprehend and evaluate the book fully.
In the end, I would give the book a 5 on the Shuja 6-Star Rating System. I gave it a 5 because I really liked the book and thought there were some great points and it was pretty much like real life, but there were parts I think could have had more detail. I also think that the ending could have been better. It could’ve went deeper into what happened and how it affected the rest of their future and lives.
Brandon A. Foley
Our literature cirlce just finished reading “The Reformed Vampire Support Group”. It is a fictional autobiograpgy of the adventures a group of vampires endured. I liked the original plot line becouse it made the story very predictable and I could pay more attention to the details. The book was opposite of most vampire stories and challenged conventional ideals of the undead and mythical. The characters were very individual and each had thier own specific quirks and problems. I liked getting to know each character’s personality. The way the main character, Nina, expressed her feelings and her thought process added a good tone to the story. I liked Sanford the most because he was always grouchy and bitter, but always knew what to do. His character made me laugh because he reminded me of my dad.
I would rate this book a 4 on the scale because it was a very easy read. It was a liesure read that was easy to get into, but also hard to get lost in. I liked the book overall and would recomend it to a person with time on thier hands and a lot of curiosity. I liked the way the book ended. It fit the realistic setting of the novel and answered all questions.
I just finished The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. I started this book not knowing what to expect, but I was very satisfied with what I found. The book is about Jenna Fox, a girl who was in a coma and woke up with no memories of her life. She watches home videos of herself to remember who she was, but there are more secrets in her family than she was first led to believe.
At the beginning of the book, I disliked Jenna’s grandma, Lily, but by the end, she was one of my favorite characters, along with Jenna, Ethan, Kara and Locke. I think this book deserves a 5 on the Shuja 6-Star Rating System, because it was a very good read, but it had moments of very confusing parts and some characters you just don’t get. But all together, it was an excellent read. I think it presented a good question: What makes a human? This book lets you form your own opinions and gives you all sides of the argument.
Emily Knue
I finished reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really enjoyed this book. It seems like it would be a children’s book but it deals with mature topics. The main character,Junior, has to overcome death,racism,poverty,and bullying among other things. Junior uses cartoons as an outlet. This book gives a different view of life that most of us have never experienced. Some would view that because the book has illustrations that it is a simple kid’s book. The illustrations add to Junior’s personality. Kids would read this book and not understand the deeper message.
I would rate it a 5 on the Shuja 6 star rating system. It was a good read but some parts of the story could have been left out or explained more. I really liked because at points i felt like i could relate to Junior’s life. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of those books that once you start reading it, it is hard to put it down.
I finished reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really enjoyed this book. It seems like it would be a children’s book but it deals with mature topics. The main character, Junior, has to overcome death, racism, poverty,and bullying among other things. Junior uses cartoons as an outlet. This book gives a different view of life that most of us have never experienced. Some would view that because the book has illustrations that it is a simple kid’s book. The illustrations add to Junior’s personality. Kids would read this book and not understand the deeper message.
I would rate it a 5 on the Shuja 6 star rating system. It was a good read but some parts of the story could have been left out or explained more. I really liked it because at points I felt like I could relate to Junior’s life. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of those books that once you start reading it, it is hard to put it down.
My group finished reading Inexcusable by Chris Lynch. At first, we were all intrigued by the base plot, a typical he said, she said kind of story. The original intrigue, however, wore off. In its place was a need to find the purpose to several selections in the novel. It was that need to find a hook in the story that would reel me in that kept me reading through the book. We are now through the novel, and I am still mystified as to what was supposed to keep me attached to this book.
The novel did have some redeeming qualities, enough to have me give it a rating of 2 stars on Ms. Shuja’s scale. Keir’s sisters both had a God Teacher-like quality, adding a dimension to an otherwise flat story, in my opinion. It also dealt with some issues like teen drinking, drug abuse, and unrequited love. Is what you see and hear always what it seems? The novel asks that question and let’s the reader try to determine what really happened between Keir Sarafian and Gigi Boudakian.
I’m reading The Lovely Bones and I love it. If I were to rate it on the Shuja Star Scale I’d give it 6 stars! The only reason I’m not done is my incredibly hectic drama schedule.
I’d recommend this book to anyone, really. But because of some heavy topics and a few graphic pages I think young adults would be a good age group. Also, it’ through the eyes of a teenager, so young adults could probably relate, in a way.
I love all the characters, besides the murderer. I don’t care for him. But it’s very interesting to see how everyone deals with Suzie’s death, even Suzie. I love how it’s told through her eyes. It gives the reader such a unique perspective on death and how people can deal with it and how it can affect them.
The plot is so original and it really grasps your interest. It really makes you think about death and what it’d be like for you and those around you.
The Lovely Bones reminds me of a book I just red=ad called Thirteen Reasons Why. Both books deal with death and how it affects people. But they are different in that Thirteen Reasons is about suicide and is told from the perspactive of a guy listening to Hannah’s suicide taps, while The Lovely Bones is told from Suzie’s perspective and she was the one murdered. Both books show you what someone’s death can really do to others.
My group’s first lit circle book was Inexcuseable. The summary made it sound like an incrdible book, and so we couldn’t wait to start it. As I read, I started to become disappointed. It didn’t grip me and draw me in. I kept reading, though, just waiting for it to get good, and mainly to find out what really happened. After reading the foggy r.a.p.e scene, I was let down. It did not have a definite right or wrong answer, and left me feeling icky. When I was done reading, I thought that I would definitely never reccomend it. But then came our lit circle discussion. That is what made the book worth reading. On my own, it wasn’t very exciting, but in my group, I found it very interesting to hear how everyone interpreted the book. For being best friends, we had some very opposite opinions. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is a book group. This is the perfect read because it provides much discussion and controversy.
My lit circle group just finished reading the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but it turned out to be a really good book.
The book emphasized the racism on Indian reservations that I never knew existed, so I learned a lot about what life on a reservation was like. I also learned about how the main character, Junior(Arnold), was picked on because he was “born with water on the brain”. Arnold’s positive personality and funny cartoons was one of my favorite parts of the book. He overcame many obstcles by his thinking and determination, which I found very inspiring.
I would give this book 6 stars because it was overall a really good book and very relatable.
My group finished reading “The Reformed Vampire Support Group.” This book basically opposes every other take on vampires. Instead of portraying vampires as seductive and powerful, vampires are shown as being weak, disgusting, and always sick. The story is written by a depressed vampire who hates all other vampires but is forced to go to a support group every tuesday. One vampire is found dead one day however and so the other vampires need to shape up and find the killer.
I really liked the book because it was very unorthidox and funny. On the Shuja star scale i would rate it a 5 because the beginning is boring but the middle and end are exciting.
My literature group’s book was The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. The book, told through the eyes of the once comatose Jenna, was not bad. Jenna awoke knowing only historic facts and mathmatical figures,but no memories of her life at all. There was little to the characters, though given the situation, it is difficult for many of the characters to have a definate personality. I did like the ending. There is such mystery throughout the novel that I was eager to finish it to find out everything.
I would recommend the book to anyone who would be intereted in the future of medicine. Science plays a large roll in the explanitions of Jenna’s accident/existance, though this is not why i enjoyed reading it. The relationships and communication between Jenna Fox and others were very interesting to me. Some were awkward, some were natural, but all were different than her relationships pre-coma.
I rate The Adoration Of Jenna Fox a 5 on Shuja Star Scale, simply because i liked it. I was not sure at all about it until the end, but after reading that last chapter (much like Jenna viewing the last disc of her past) it all came together for me.
My literature circles book was The Reformed Vampire Support Group. This book’s main character was Nina a depressed teenage looking vampire. This book is not like an average vampire story. It puts down all mythical beliefs about vampires. The vampires in the book all have to go to a support group to talk about their feelings. Well one of the vampires ends up dead and the rest of the story is about trying to find out who did it and trying to stop them from doing it again.
This book was funny and interesting. It expressed a different point of view about how vampires really act. If i was going to rate this on the Shuja Star Scale I would give it a 5 because it kept you going and made you want to read more. I would recomended this for anyone that likes books that dont follow the norm.
My lit. circle is reading The Lovely Bones. I think it is a great book so far. I would recommend this book to anyone in the high school. i wouldn’t recommend it to anyone in junior high or below because it gets pretty detailed at times which can be hard to read. I, myself, even had trouble reading a part because it was a bit graphic.
My gropu is in the middle of reading Sunrise Over Fallujah. We are over half way and we have read majority of the book. So far i’ve really enjoyed the book. It’s actually a book I can enjoy and follow, and it doesn’t make me fall asleep reading like most other books. I think that most of anyone who enjoys history and war novels would really like this book. The plot is pretty easy to follow but you have to keep a character list because there are so many characters introduced throught the novel. If you enjoy this book another book you may like is the prequel to this one called Fallen Angels also by Walter Dean Myers. I would give this book a 5 star on the Shuja Star Scale beacause it was really enticing and made me enjoy reading.
One thing I like about our book is that it is told through Susie in Heaven. However, I think it would be very painful to watch your family go on through life without you. I think one reason Susie watches her family, aside from missing them, is that she still wants to be a part of them. She desires them to be with her in Heaven.
The murderer frustrates me so much because he acts as if he has done nothing to hurt anyone. He isn’t at all concerned with the Salmons getting supspicious with him or police catching him.
So far, I would rate this book a 6 on the Shuja Star Scale because it is a very interesting book and keeps you on your seat and wondering what is going to happen next. I am very excited to get more into the book and finally fnish it next week.
My literature circle is reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I haven’t finished the book yet but what I have read has been extremely intriguing. The book has had my attention from the very beginning.
The book is about a girl named Jenna who had just woken up from a coma. She has no recollection of her past and feels lost and lonely. This book takes place in the future which you figure out in the beginning. Most of the story is her trying to figure out her past, her grandmother and her parents.
I would rate this book a 5 because it always had my attention and I like reading books where I can’t figure out what’s going to happen next. I can’t wait to finish the book!
My literature circle is in the middle of reading Sunrise over Fallujah. So far it is a pretty good book. I don’t read many war novels so it’s out of my comfort zone. The plot is easy to follow, but keeping track of all the characters and their rolls in the novel has proven to be a little bit difficult. Unlike everyone else in my literature circle i don’t read many war novels so i’m not familiar with the many different war terms that are used in the book. Other than those small things the book has been pretty enjoyable to read. I like that there is a variety of characters with different personalities. My favorite thing about this book is that your constantly on your toes because you don’t know what is going to happen next. This book has given me a different point of view on the war in Iraq and made me think about my opinion on it significantly. I would rate Sunrise over Fallujah a 4 on the Shuja Star Scale because it has been a great read so far but not as enticing as i had expected. I am excited to finish this novel and hopefully by the end of the book i will be able to change my rating to at least a 5.
My group is reading Inexcusable by Chris Lynch. At first, the book seemed very interesting, with the main character, Keir, attempting to persuade us that he did not r.a.p.e. his best friend and secret love, Gigi. The book got rather boring after that, telling us random stories about his life that had nothing to do with the main plot.
Keir’s family was a bit crazy, with a dead mother, an alcoholic father, and two sisters that live out of the house. This may be why I didn’t connect with any of them, and there were no other characters that had enough substance to them that I could connect with. This may explain my distaste for the book. I would give this book a 2 on the Shuja rating system, because it was extremely dull and tedious, and it was very hard for me to get into it. The best part about reading this book was taking part in my group’s arguement about the vague ending.
My literature circle’s first book was the Adoration of Jenna Fox. This book was about a teenage girl named Jenna who was in a coma. After awaking she notices that something is different about herself and throughout the novel she fights to piece back together the life she once had. I have not yet quite finished this novel, but I have loved every page of what I have read.
I enjoyed reading this book because it kept me wanting to read more and it intrigued me with every page and obstacle Jenna had to overcome. I also liked this book because it made me really think about how I view life. Without giving away all the details of the book, it made me ask myself what I would do in one of the toughest situations I think any individual can face. The whole concept of having morals and values plays a huge part in this book.
Wow! You guys are true book critics. I’m impressed with your critiques and your evaluative powers (on the tippy top of the thinking scale, by the way!). Maci mentioned 13 Reasons Why….I have heard this is a really good book. Let me know if any of you are interested in reading a different novel after reading your peers’ book reviews!
Oh, don’t forget the importance of grammar/usage on your posts…if you make a mistake after you submit comment. Just click on the “edit this” highlighted phrase after your avatar/name and EDIT your post….yes, grammar, punctuation, spelling, all that counts, always!
Our literature circle group just finished the “Reformed Vampire Support Group.” This is a book about what vampires are really like, they can’t turn into bats or do even simple everyday things because they are very sensitive. I thought that this book was very good because it was kind of funny in a way while it also had some action and sci-fi in it. The book starts out with the vampires going to a meeting for their group but they can’t start because they can’t find casimir, a bad vampire. They find him dead in his apartment and they know that it is a vampire slayer that has killed him. They know that they must find the slayer before he kills again. In the rest of the book they go out searching for the slayer and do they eventually find him? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
I would rate this book a 5 star book on the shuja 6 star rating system because the book really wasn’t my favorite book but it was funny and there were some sweet action scenes involving werewolves. I am not a huge fan of stories about vampires though and that is why I didn’t rate it a 6. Overall, I would reccommend that most people read this book.
My group has finished reading the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Alexie Sherman. When I first saw the cover of the book, I thought it was going to be an awful, boring, child’s book. As it turns out, the book did have some childish qualities, but it also had a very realistic, mature plot. I believe the book was childish in the aspect of it having cartoons and some of the grammar was incorrect. Throughout the novel, I kept having to remind myself that the book was from the perspective a fourteen-year-old boy, hence the pictures and imperfect literature. The plot dealt with the discrimination of minorities. Arnold Spirit Junior,the main character, he is battling the difficulties of being a Spokane Indian with disabilities going to an all-white school. At the end of the story, Arnold has realized that the world isn’t perfect, but he can make his better by leaving the reservation and moving on with his life elsewhere.
I can’t figure out how to edit!
In my post above I meant to type:
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian”
and
Arnold Spirit Junior, the main character,is battling the difficulties of being a Spokane Indian with disabilities attending an all-white school.
I can’t figure out how to edit either! I meant to say “incredible” in the first few lines.
I ran out of time earlier, but I would just like to add that I would probably give the book around a 4 or 5 on the Shujah Scale. I agree with Ashley Huber; the stories about Keir’s life were unrelatable and seemed pointless until the discussion. I again found that when discussing the drunken vandalism and bullying, there was a definite difference of opinion.
I did not sympathize with Keir at all. I thought, and still think, he is a truly awful person who committed one of the most heinous and lurid crimes– r.a.p.i.n.g. one of his best friends. The worst part is, he would not admit it; he thought he did nothing wrong. I cannot understand how it is ok to keep going after Gigi said stop, even if she did lead him on and “tease” him.
But in the end, I wouldn’t suggest or reccomend this book unless you were reading it with a partner or group. It proves to make an interesting and most likely heated discussion.
I read the book Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. This book isn’t like most books where you have to wait a few chapters before you really interested. Instead you are captivated from the very beginning.
Susie is murdered and has to watch her family and friends live on without her. She is stuck in a perfect heaven that she can’t get out and longs to be on Earth. I fell in love with many of the characters in it. Some, however, I hated with a passion. This is only because, when you read it, you feel like you are there. You can feel the characters emotions. This is probably why this book is heartbreaking. However it is also satisfying. It follows archetypes that leave the reader with a good feeling.
I would definitely give this book a 6 out of 6. It is one of the best books I have read. If you are ready for a heartbreaking good book, be sure to grab this one off the shelf.
My lit.circle is reading the Lovely Bones. The book is so disturbing but its so good. I totally rate it a 6 on the Shuja scale. Its so interesting you can’t put it down. Your like “OMG! What’s gonna happen now!?” then your like,” No way!’
I would totally recommend reading this book. At first you look at the cover and you think,”Great another romance novel I don’t think I can stomach it.” It is proof of the old saying,” You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Although if you do then maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Okay, so my “lit line” have read to books so far so I’d like to comment on both of them. The first being Generation Deadwhich was the first and the better of the two:
Generation Dead is about an epidemic that is sweeping the U.S. It’s not just any epidemic, its unexplainable and bizarre. American teens are dying and some of them don’t stay dead. They become “zombies” but have no desire for brains, they are “worm food” but are not decomposing, and they have no heart beat but they are moving. Over all the book was a 4 1/2. Not quite a five because I didn’t find it challenging enough but the characters were relatable and interesting. I think if you like bizarre/magical/creepy books you might like this. It’s kind of romantic but very cool because there is a wicked karate fight scene kind of thing. Also, there’s some mild cussing so it’s a little on the wild side 🙂 The ending sucked, for lack of better words. It left you with a horrble cliff hanger so I’m renting the next book from the library.
Second book was “Tenderness” by Robert Cormier. Yes Cormier. WHAT WAS I THINKING READING ANOTHER ONE OF THAT PSYCHO’S BOOKS!? Big mistake. I hated “We All Fall Down” so likewise I hated “Tenderness”. The plot was about a 15 year old serial killer, named Eric, who got caught murdering his parents. They couldn’t stick him with the other murders and he faked a child abuse case so he was charged as a minor. Lori is a troubled child who gets “fixated” on people. This time she chose Eric. They both want to feel tenderness again. Although Eric can’t feel it without killing someone. So there lies the dilema. Lori doesn’t know he’s killed others and Eric plans to kill Lori. It’s violent, vulgar, depressing, and twisted… but I couldn’t put it down. It sucks you in and then when your at rock bottom the book ends. I rate it a 2 because it was not archetypal. Sorry, maybe I’m one of those people who lives in a perfect little world but when a book makes me feel that crummy…? I know one thing FOR SURE. I won’t read that book again. If I wasn’t basing it off of emotions then I suppose it would be a 5. It was well written, unique and the setting, characters, and images were vivid and colorful. If you have a twisted mind then this book is for you.
-Jacque Hammons
I’m reading Generation Dead next. Can you tell me why you didn’t like it, without spoiling it please?
My lit. circle group is reading The Lovely Bones and we are at the end of the book. I think this book is a good read for a high school student. I like that the book is written in the view of Susie looking down at her family from heaven. During the book I thought that if I was in Susie’s shoes that I would try not to watch my family but it would be too hard.
Also I think that this book describes things really well. Even though sometimes things are described so well that it is hard to read. Another thing that I like is that in this book there are many real life situations that people can relate to. I would give this book a 5.
My lit. book is reading The Lovely Bones. I must say at first glance I believed this was going to be extremely “girly” book by the cover with the charm bracelet. Then on the very first page the main character Susie Salmon talks about her own murder and I practically flipped; immediantly I was intruged and the book only got better from there.
I will not spoil it but being a book fanatic a very picky at that, this has to be one of the best books I have ever read. It reminds me much of a CSI episode where you know the killer from the beginning and like Susie we are just waiting in anticipation as the people on the world that Susie looks down from her heaven at try to figure out her murder. I would adivse any person who has a facination with mystery/murder or any type of thriller book to read this novel as it is well worth your time. I would rate it a 5 as it has so many twist and turns and a very vivid image is placed in your mind as you have this sensation of being a specter as you watch both sides of the story unravel come entangle like vines.
Overall; Amazing story and well worth reading if you enjoy suspenseful thrillers. Beware readers: If you read even the first sentence from this book you may suffer from uncontrollable urges to continue reading.
-Natalie Puening
My book has been reading the book “Monster”. It is about Steve Harmon, a young black teen who is accused of taking part in a robbery resulting in a murder. This book is very different from any others that I’ve read. It is written as a screenplay and has entries from Steve’s diary in it. Even though the book is “told as a movie”, it is much more realistic than a motion picture. The reader really gets a unique look into the mind of someone in jail. It makes you wonder, what if I were accused of murder? My group actually isn’t done with this book yet, but we’re at the climax of the courtroom action. Steve is coming to the end of his court case and we are about to learn the verdict.
As of right now, I’d give the book a five out of six. This is probably my favorite book I’ve read for school. It really gives the guys in my group a look at a world we’ve never really gotten a taste of. Steve’s diaries show us the thoughts and emotions of a prison inmate, which none of us really know about. I also like “Monster” because the reader never really knows for sure if Steve is guilty. It really CAJOLES the reader into continuing to read. Dependding on the what the ending is, the book could be a 6. I can’t wait to see if Steve is convicted and what happens to him.
Johnny out.
My lit. circle group just finished reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. When I first saw the book I thought it might be a little boring but I decided to give it a try anyway. It actually turned out to be a really good book. The plot was a lot deeper than I expected it to be. Arnold Spirit lives on an indian reservation and was born with water on the brain. The book talks about his struggles in life.
I would give the book a five because I couldn’t stop reading it. It kept me interested the entire time. I can handle some gloominess in a book but I think the author could’ve toned it down just a little bit. I think the cartoons lightened the mood up a little bit. I also think they let the reader inside Arnold’s mind. The way he stayed positive through hard times inspired me. It was a very good book and I think everybody should read it because it might help you stay positive through hard times you have.
I would rate the Adoration of Jenna Fox a five for many reasons. One, the more I read the more I am able to relate to Jenna. At the beginning of the novel, during our first literature circle, I had said that it was almost impossible to relate to her which made it fairly difficult for me to sympathize with her, but now my opinion is very different. Even though she is experiencing something that none of us have ever gone through, I believe that we all can relate to how she feels inside. At one time or another I’m sure that all of us have gone through a segment of time when we felt lonely or when we didn’t really know what to think of ourselves and that is exactly how Jenna feels in the novel.
Another reason I would rate this book a five is because I really like the plot. The book is about something that has never happened before, but then again if we think about how technology and science are developing, it is easy to think that this may be something that we could see in our future, which is when the book is set. I think that the fact that the book is about something new and unfamiliar,yet in a way somewhat believable, just makes the book all the more interesting and unique. I enjoyed reading this book because it is a book that sticks out among all the books I have read due to the fact that it isn’t necessarily your typical story.
Yet another reason I enjoyed this book is because it is in first person. As the reader, you are able to get inside Jenna’s head way more than you would’ve been able to otherwise, which I think is essential to this book. Being in first person however does not, by any stretch of the imagination, take away from the other characters. All of the characters in this novel are distinguished and have very set personalities and characteristics. I can not wait to finish this book over the weekend!
Alrighty. Jacque and I read Generation Dead first. This book was about dead teenagers coming back to life. There’s a mini-love triangle between three of the main characters. The main conflict in the novel is acceptance and desegregation of the “differently biotic”. There’s a really good twist at the end (even though Jacque spoiled it for me. spoiler, Jacque 😛 ). Then, my “Lit Line” read Tenderness by Robert Cormier. The book sounded amazing and intriguing, and it was. Until the end. I started this book and couldn’t put it down. It was about a fifteen year old girl, who Jacque and I agreed was just like me, named Lori. Lori craves tenderness after all the devastation she’s been through. Eric Poole starts his life of crime at fifteen. A string of murders ending with his mother and step-father put him in a juvenile detention facility. When he’s eighteen, he is set back out into the world. He and Lori meet, in a rather bizarre way. Their story after this point involves many twists and turns, but take my advice. PUT THE BOOK DOWN. Cormier is an evil man!! The way he ended this story is devastating. I’d rate this book an eight for the beginning, but a three–at most–for the end. Now, Jacque and I are starting “Life As We Knew It” by Susan Beth Pfeffer. We’ll see… Wish me luck.
*ATCHEYY<3KINGJULIAN*
My literature group recently finished the story, Monster, by Walter Dean Myers. The story was fairly simple and the plot line was very exciting. I found myself reading far beyond the schedule we had set up in class. Monster is a story that takes the reader through the life of a teenager, Steve Harmon, who is accused of assisting two other criminals in a robbery and murder. Most of the book places you in Steve’s court appearances and in other sections voice overs for specific characters or flashbacks of Steve’s encounters with pivotal characters in the plot line. Monster provides any reader with the reality that one wrong decision or being at the wrong place at the wrong time can ultimately change the course of somebody’s future. Overall i would rate Monster a 4 out of 6 stars on the Shuja 6 star rating system. The story and plot line are gripping and otherwise phenomenal. However, the book does have outstanding grammatical errors and is a very simple/short read. I believe it is a book recommended for 4th graders. Still, Monster has satisfied me as do all of Walter Dean Myer’s books and i hope that my classmates will be able to read the book as well.:)
My lit circle is reading Monster, but we haven’t finished the book yet, we are close though. The book is not written like a normal novel, it is written as a screenplay with voice-overs and other things used in screenplays. The book is written very well and I could probably make a movie that would make millions if I used the books plot, setting, characters, etc. although that would be plagorizam. At first it is kind of difficult to understand with all the voice-overs and constant switching between dialogue. After understanding that it is an extremely easy read.
The book is about a boy named Steve who is said to be the lookout for a grocery store hold-up where a homicide occured. Steve claims to not have done it, and I believe him, but it is not what I think the jury has to decide if he will be sentenced or not. The prosecutor is a vicious lady who constantly changes things to look like Steve is a “Bad guy”, In Ms. Shuja’s imitation of her nephew. If Steve does get convicted he can get 25 to life in jail or he can walk away a free man. If he does or doesn’t you will have to find out for yourself and read Monster by Walter Dean Myers.
This is a book at about a 6th grade reading level if you can understand the voice-overs. It is a good book and would recommended it to anyone of my friends!
My book was The Lovely Bones. I absolutely loved it. I don’t usually read murder stories, but it immediately drew me in when Susie talks about how Mr. Harvey killed her. I wasn’t expecting that and I love how the story is from Susie’s point of view in Heaven. It wasn’t at all what I expected but I really enjoyed it.
I would give this book a 6 on the rating scale. It was really compelling and I wanted to know what was going to happen next throughout the entire book. I loved how it was written and the ending of the book. For those of you who have read it, you know what I mean.
For my lit circle our group is reading Inexcusable by Chris Lynch. I thought that this book was going to be really good and interesting, but in my opinion it was not at all. I was pulled in by the introduction but after that it was extremely boring. I continued to read waiting for it to get good but it never did. I felt like some of the anecdotes told by Keir were completely irrelevant to the overall story. However, this book was much better than most class books. It was somewhat relatable because the main characters in the book were teenagers. The best part of our book, was how open ended it was. It was really aggarvating as I was reading it, but it also made for some intense lit circle discussions because we all had very different on opinions on what really happened. I would probably rate this book a 3 on the Shuja scale because it wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t as good as I had expected.
Brady and Borgie:
You guys said Monster is a 4th/6th grade reading level. Gramatically maybe you’re right, the book has simple vovabulary. But the plot isn’t something a fourth grader would understand. This is closer to an adult book and has a very mature peek into the prison system and courts.
Johnny…your avatar is hilarious!
Ms. Shuja out.