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I never thought I would be reading a book about vampires, but from all the attention this book as gotten, I thought I would give it a try. That is when I absolutely fell in love with Stephanie Meyers ’s books. New Moon is the second book of the series and is narrated in first person by Bella and has an obvious parallel with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Bella recognizes that she is in danger of playing out the history’s greatest romantic tragedy. Keeping Romeo and Juliet in the forefront of the readers mind actually helps the author build the tension for the climax of the story, because we can all see the tragedy that is waiting to happen.

Bella (Kristen Stewart) has been going out with her vampire boyfriend Edward (Robert Pattinson) for six months. The only thing that worries her is his steadfast refusal to even consider making her into a vampire like him. As the day of her eighteenth birthday rolls around she feels less than happy, because she is now older than Edward, who will never age past seventeen. To celebrate her birthday Edward takes Bella to a birthday party at his family’s home. But when a stupid accident that leaves Bella covered in blood and nearly triggers a feeding frenzy in Jasper, Edward’s brother, the party takes an interesting twist. That is when I started to really get into the book and it just got way more intense. Edward suddenly becomes more distant towards to Bella and finally he tells her that he and his family are leaving Forks, to never return, and he no longer wants to see her. The pain that Bella feels when Edward abandons her is extremely well written and is really what this story is about. Most of the things that happen to Bella in New Moon are as a result of the overwhelming loss that she is trying to bear. Her friendship with Jacob has a doomed quality to it not only because he obviously loves her while she is in love with Edward, but because he is a werewolf and he naturally hates all vampires.

Edward is Bella’s whole world and his abandonment was really harsh on her. Her whole world falls apart and as she becomes withdrawn from the world she soon loses most of her friends becoming even more isolated and lonely. Even though Edward was not in this book very much, the emotions left behind by his departure felt real and familiar to me. Knowing the feeling of a heartbroken teenager and having felt that many times in the past, my heart broke again for Bella as she struggled to live her life without Edward and hold on to him at the same time. And as time goes on, the war inside rages on as she struggles on whether or not she should move on and give what is left of her shattered heart to another or live with the whole that was left gapping in her chest. When she does something dangerous she starts hallucinating and thinks she can hear Edward telling her not to do anything stupid and to be more careful. This leads to a whole new range of interests for Bella including learning to ride a motorbike and cliff diving, because she feels that he is still with her at those times. Her old friend Jacob Black becomes her partner in crime, fixing up her motorbike for her and teaching her to ride it. Although the pain of Edward’s departure never leaves Bella, Jacob soon becomes her best friend and he helps to fill some of the voids in her life.

Jacob himself is no ordinary boy and soon Bella discovers that part of his Quileute heritage is to be cursed to be a werewolf. Certain members of the tribe turn into werewolves in their teenage years in response to the presence of vampires. Werewolves and vampires are natural enemies and the enmity runs deep on both sides. Alice, Edward’s sister, returns to Forks and although she brings no news of Edward with her, her extraordinary gift of being able to see the future soon tells her that Edward is heading on a path of self destruction that only Bella can advert. But will Bella be in time to stop the tragedy? That was the question that prevented me from putting that book down. There was always some kinds of twists and intense moments in the book that made me wonder what is going to happen next.

How does being the member of a particular group affect our identity and sense of self? There where two main groups in this book, the vampires and the werewolves. Edward belonged to the vampires and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) belonged to the werewolves. Belonging to such groups that hated each other, shaped both of the characters identities. It made Edward grow a sense of fear and anger. Belonging to that group made him scared of what might happen to Bella, because of what he was. A vampire. But on the other hand, Jacob had a total different affect. It shaped his identity and sense of self by making him happier and hopeful that he might be able to be the one that ends up with Bella, instead of his enemy, Edward. Those certain aspects of life that each character conveyed made them more unique and distinctive. Those identity and sense of self affects are not only found in fiction books, but also in our day-to-day lives.

”Jinx” is a book written by ”Meg Cabot”. Jean Honeychurch is so unlucky that even her family calls her Jinx. When Jean moves from Iowa to live with family in Manhattan, she hopes the bad luck that earned her the nickname Jinx doesnt follow. She moved to Iowa, to escape an unpleasant situation with a boy who refuses to let her end their relationship. Jinx moves from Iowa to Manhattan to live with her aunt and her family in their swanky Upper East Side townhouse. It takes an agonizingly long time in the book to find out why Jean has come from Iowa to live with her Aunt and Uncle’s family in New York, but eventually all the details are provided, though it is fairly easy to guess that Jean had cast a spell that backfired.

It’s no surprise that the klutzy, small-town 16-year-old doesn’t fit in with über-chic cousin Tory and her friends, and she definitely doesn’t share their fondness for drugs and alcohol. Tory, who has been practicing witchcraft for some time, soon realizes that Jinx also has the gift and invites her cousin to join her coven. Bad girl Tory wants the power to be hers, but when she realizes Jean has the power and does not want to join Tory’s play coven Tory is bent on destroying Jean. But Jinx knows the dangers of playing with magic and refuses. Tory sees Jinx’s snub as a threat and plots against her. Unfortunately, even if Jinx could move on, her sophisticated but malicious cousin Tory wont let her. Both girls have magical powers, but there can only be one witch in the family. Though she wants to leave magic behind, Jinx must learn to harness the mysterious powers that are her birthright before Tory does too much damage.

Meg Cabot creates believable conflict and avoids being too fantastical. Jinx is Meg Cabot’s best paranormal book yet. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is one of the best books for Meg Cabot I’ve read in a long time. This book relates to consequences. Jinx realizes that to get something you want, you have to work hard for it. And usually by working hard for your goal, you are going to face many ”consequences”. These consequences may be in your everyday life and people have to find ways to over come those challenges. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a mystery and intense stories. I would definitely read this book again.

”Uglies” is a book written by ”Scott Westernfeld”. A girl of fifteen is anxiously awaiting the transformation of a life time. Her name is Tally Youngblood. She is sick of being an ugly and can’t wait for the surgery that will transform her into a “new Pretty”. It is what all uglies dream of, the day they turn sixteen, the day they leave buck teeth and big noses and childhood scars behind. Tally lives in a dorm with two other girls and she attends Uglyville high school.She can’t wait to turn pretty, so she can be with Peris, her best friend. In Uglyville you turn pretty when you are sixteen. When you turn pretty you have an operation and you get new skin, a new face, and new hair. Pretty people can do anything they want to, they get new clothes and go to parties. While, Tally is waiting to turn pretty she meets Shay, a girl about her age and they become good friends. They both start going on new adventures and Shay shows Tally the Rusty Ruins. It is the civilization that existed before, the one that chopped trees and burned oil and laid down steel and concrete, and tinkered with the natural order of things until finally it outsmarted itself and became the civilization that exists now: Uglies and Pretties.

When the day of turning pretty comes, Shay tells Tally that she would rather live in the Rusty Ruins with a her friend David and never turn pretty. Shay is not sure she wants to be pretty and when she runs away. When Tally goes to turn pretty, the doctors wouldn’t let her do that, because she had to make a choice. Tally has to make a choice that will change her life. She had to choose between turning pretty or finding her missing friend, Shay, and stay ugly for life. Tally chooses to go find Shay and she used the coded letter Shay left her before she left to the Rusty Ruins. When Tally follows the letter to where Shay is, she finds herself in the Smoke. She sets a signal to Shay using her necklace. But the people who are trying to find Shay, see the signal and follow Tally. They find Shay and find her secret hiding place which is the Smoke. They invade the Smoke and destroy it. Only David and Tally escape. But something went wrong. Shay is Pretty. Tally and Shay go back to Uglyville and Tally goes to the doctors to turn pretty. That is how the book ended.

Overall, this book is a great read. It helps you learn about being selfish and how everyone makes mistakes. No matter how many clothes you have what is inside that counts. Believe in yourself, trust your instincts, and be honest. This book deals with things that can happen in our own lives and helps us realize what we can do better in situations. Although you may not think your pretty, smart or cool you are pretty inside. If your looking for a book of adventure, love and betrayal between friends, The Uglies pushes you deep into a story that is both heartfelt and packed with adventure. I definitely recommend this book for any anyone who wants to escape this world and journey through the mind of a very talented author.

The last book I read is ”Angels in Pink” by ”Lurlene McDaniels”. It is the first book in the series. It talks about three best friends Kathleen, Riana, and Holly who volunteer at a program at the hospital. But Kathleen isn’t too happy and is so reluctant to volunteer, because her father was killed in a car accident and her mom has ”multiple sclerosis”, and Kathleen thinks she’s seen far too many hospitals before. But when she meets Carson Keifer, another volunteer and the son of two doctors, at the hospital, she starts liking it more there. After Carson and Kathleen have been dating for 2 months, an old friend of Carson’s shows up in his life. Stephanie was trying to break up Kathleen’s and Carson’s relationship. Stephanie always found a way to torture Kathleen. Kathleen is very worried that her relationship with Carson will not work out, because Stephanie is sure that she will end up with Carson. But Kathleen will not let that happen. And that is exactly what she did.

But after Kathleen and Carson have been dating for 6 months, Kathleen’s mother gets sick and Carson’s parents had to come to the rescue. Since Carson’s parents are doctors, they treat Kathleen’s mom and help her get better. During her mother’s treatment, Carson stays with Kathleen and takes care of her. By doing that, he showed Kathleen that they are going to be together for a long time and that he also cared for her. Over the course of the summer, the three friends go through a lot – boyfriends, new friends, perks of their new job, and a possibly life-changing decision. And that’s how the book ended. I guess I will have to read the next book of the series to find out what happens in their realtionship.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely read it again. Angels in Pink is one of the few books by Lurlene McDaniels where a main character does not die. Even though it wasn’t a action novel that captivated me every second, it was a sweet story about a teenage girl and her everyday life and how she struggles to do it all with out letting her mother down, or actually breaking her heart. It is a story about her breaking free of boundaries and finding a guy to spend her endless time with. Kathleen is able to realize that helping others also allows you to help yourself. I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes reading sad and intense stories.

 The last book I’ve read is called ”The Secret Language of Girls ” by ”Frances O’Roark Dowell ”. The author portrays the changing dynamics of middle-school relationships. Neighbors Kate and Marylin, who have been best friends since nursery school, find themselves drifting apart at the beginning of sixth grade. Marylin suddenly focuses on her appearance, while Kate pays more attention to other issues, like the health of her father. Flannery, the new girl in town, moves into their neighborhood and is the cause to driving a wedge between the two friends as she uses her influence to manipulate Marylin to shut Kate out.

Marylin getting encouraged by Flannery to try out for the cheerleading squad, makes the cheerleading squad and becomes popular, but happiness always seems just beyond her grasp. Meanwhile, Kate feels abandoned by Marylin and strives to develop new friendships with other classmates at school. As the girls hover between childhood and womanhood, and between being buddies and just ”acquaintances”, their bond is tried again and again. Much of the plot matter is familiar — both girls fall in and out of love, sample different social circles and end up realizing that they miss each other. The friends periodically drift apart and then are pulled back together throughout The Secret Language of Girls. In this book, Kate and Marylin explore how far their true friendship can be stretched as they struggle through the unexpectedness of sixth grade.

Each chapter in this book is a perfect little story with the power to make the reader giggle or choke up. It is a satisfying read with tremendous heart. I wholeheartedly recommend The Secret Language of Girls to any female who has a best friend, had a best friend, or wants a best friend. After I finished reading the book, I found that it had excellent characterization with an accurate portrayal of the painful and often cruel machinations of preteens. I would definitely read The Secret Language of Girls again.

Everyone in today’s society is pushed to the limits. An example  has been portrayed in the novel. Marylin was forced by her best friend to join the cheerleader squad, which showed us that decisions in an individual’s life can be the cause of pressure from friends and family. We as humans have to make decisions everyday and those decisions have to be chosen wisely, because they can affect us in the long run. Some of the people who play an important role in our decision making process include peers, parents, and teachers. Parents usually force their children to  make wise career decisions that can get them far in life and teachers help students pick good choices in their education that can help them in the future. Even though some people get help when making their decisions, they might still go in the wrong direction. Not everyone makes the right choices and those people might get directed to the wrong path. When people  make bad decisions, they learn from their mistakes. When people experience the consequences of bad decisions, it keeps them from making the same choices again. That is how people learn from their mistakes.

The last book I’ve read is ”Here Today” by ”Ann M Martin”. This book talks about a girl named Ellie that lives with her mother Doris, her father George, her sister Marie, and her brother Albert. Just like most teens, Ellie doesn’t get along with her mother at all. Ellie lives in Spectacle on Witch Tree Lane with four other families- the Majors, the Lauchaires, the Levins, and the Simmons. The Witch Tree Lane has been given this name, because of all the people that live there. Since only five families live on the Witch Tree Lane, other people think that those families are the outsiders.

In 1964, after the Dingmans had fallen apart, Ellie thought she should be able to look back at 1963 and see when things has started to go wrong. The year 1963 was one of many trials and tribulations for Ellie. Also in 1963, Ellie’s mother, Doris Dingman was crowned the Bosetti Beauty at Mr. Bosetti’s supermarket. That was the same year that president ”John F. Kennedy” was assassinated. After he was assassinated, the Dingmans began to fall apart. Ellie was thinking that the day her mom got crowned the Bosetti’s Beauty, was the first thing that triggered the problems in her family. After Ellie’s mom got crowned, she knew that her mom’s dream was coming true. Doris has always wanted to be a model, and she thought that she would never have an opportunity to become a model in a small town like Spectacle. Doris also knew that if she had to leave town she won’t be able to take her family along, and would have to keep them in Spectacle. So Doris, still trying to reach her dream of becoming a model, decides that she should try to find a modeling job in Spectacle, to be with her family. Doris finds a job at Harwell’s which is a modeling agency in Spectacle. After seeing how good Doris is at modeling, Harwell’s sends her to New York City for a bigger modeling job that pays much better. But Doris doesn’t know is she wants to leave her family or stay back in Spectacle.

After a lot of thinking, Doris decides that there are more modeling opportunities in New York that she would never have in Spectacle. The main reason for more jobs in the city, is because of the assassination of president John F. Kenneddy. After the assassination, many of the businesses shut down in Spectacle. Even after her family tries to convince her not to go to the city, Doris leaves her family and moves to New York. At that time, Ellie’s father gets a good job and couldn’t take care of the family. Ellie gets fed up with having to take care of her younger siblings, so she decides to run away and find her mom in New York. When Ellie arrives in New York and finds her mother living in a small apartment, her relationship with Doris starts to change in a good way. For some reason, Doris starts opening up to her daughter about her secrets including her job. Doris tells Ellie that when she came to ”New York”, she didn’t work as a model, but instead as a cashier in a grocery store. Ellie gets mad, because Doris lied to her, so she calls her dad to come get her. Surprised, her dad comes to New York and takes Ellie back to Spectacle. After Ellie arrived in Spectacle, her mom calls the rest of the Dingmans and tells them that she is never come back home. Even though Doris apologized many times to her family, Ellie still felt like Doris should not be in her life anymore. This was the end of their relationship. After Doris abandoned her family, Ellie’s father takes better care of them. Ellie’s life now is much better since her mother is not around. This is how problems in Ellie’s family started. And the main reason they occurred, is because of her mother’s dream. Throughout this time span, Ellie learns how to hold her life together, even if it means letting some things go.

I liked reading this book, because it is very realistic and told a great story. Here Today is a perfect example of teaching children how to full fill their dreams. Ellie’s thoughts, struggles, and emotions are clearly portrayed and explained through the author’s words and analogies. Readers can relate to the sadness, anger, confusion, and fear that Ellie experiences throughout the book. Once again, Ann M. Martin captures her readers through sharing the heartrending and genuine story of Ellie Dingman. While reading this novel, I found myself riding along-side Ellie on the “emotional roller-coaster” she calls life. Ellie would seize readers’ hearts and inspire their souls. As a result, I highly recommend Here Today.

The last book I read is called ”Who is Bugs Potter”? written by Gordan Korman. Dave Potter “called Bugs by his friends” is a fifteen year-old drummer; a fantastic drummer. He is the world’s best drummer. In fact he is The Most. Bugs is in Toronto with his band members practicing to play at the North Western High Music Festival. But the music they play is boring, music that Bugs thinks no one should have to practice. Bugs meets his roommate Adam. They are staying with their band members at the Hotel Empress. He is in Toronto to play with Bug’s school band. Adam is a flute-dude to Bugs, but a flautist to everyone else. Adam is a very different guy than Bugs. Unlike Bugs, he likes to stay out of trouble. But being roommates, they decide that it would be best to get along.

With Mr.Darby being their music instructor, it is hard to stay out of trouble. Mr.Darby is the kind of person who wants everything to be perfect. He always criticizes the flautists, the drummers, and the guitarists. He told them that practice was at 9:00 am sharp every morning. Anyone who is late for practice is not allowed to participate in the night activity. Trying to adapt to the time change, the next morning Bugs and Adam were twenty minutes late for practice. Mr. Darby didn’t allow them to join the rest of the group at their trip to the Royal Toronto Museum. At 7:00 pm, the band members left to the museum. Bugs came up with the idea that him and Adam should sneak out and go to the club where his favorite band, Plankton, was playing. He wanted to disguise himself in a black mustache to get in the club. Adam remembered that Mr. Darby mentioned that all roommates are responsible for each other. Adam did not want to break the 9:00 pm curfew. But before Adam tried to stop Bugs from leaving, Bugs was already out the door. Adam decided that it was best to follow Bugs and bring him back to the hotel. But Adam couldn’t convince Bugs to come back.

When Adam and Bugs got to the club, Bugs told Adam that he was going to use the washroom. But instead, Bugs went backstage and asked Plankton if he could play with them. Although Plankton didn’t know Bugs, they still gave him a chance. Plankton introduced Bugs to the crowd. As soon as Bugs started drumming with the band, everyone was surprised. He was so good that even Plankton couldn’t keep up with him. Adam thought that if anyone knew who Bugs was, they would both be in trouble. So he decided that it would be best to get Bugs off stage this instant. Adam went on stage, grabbed Bugs, and they both left out the backstage exit. The crowd was going wild for Bugs. Even though they didn’t know is real identity, they still wanted more of his drumming talent. Bugs couldn’t believe he had fans. As soon as they left the club, they ran to the hotel and went up to their hotel room. They went to bed, because it was midnight and they didn’t want to be late for practice.

Even though Bugs and Adam went to bed early last night because of practice, they were still late. Because they were late, Mr. Darby didn’t allow them to go to the Toronto Music Garden with the rest of the group. Again, Bugs wanted to leave the Hotel Empress and go to the club where another one of his favorite bands, Endomorph, were playing. With Bugs being so stubborn, Adam couldn’t stop Bugs from going to the club. Bugs put on his black mustache, and made Adam put on his blonde mustache. They both left to the club at 7:00 pm. As soon as they got there, Bugs went backstage and asked Endomoprh, if he could play with them. Endomorph heard good things about Bugs Potter from the past night and thought that it would be good for him to play with them. Endomoprh introduced Bugs Potter to the audience. Bugs was doing very well on stage. The crowd was screaming “Bugs, Bugs, Bugs”, which made Bugs play even harder. Adam again thought that if Bugs doesn’t come off stage, his real identity would be shown. He went on stage, grabbed Bugs, and they both left the club from the backstage exit. They ran as fast as they could to the hotel. They went up to their rooms, hopping they’re not late for practice the next morning.

The next morning they were on time for practice. But they were so bad at playing their instruments, that Mr. Darby kept them all day long in their rooms practicing. When the group left for another night activity, Bugs and Adam left to the club where they played with The Rockers. Bugs was drumming with the band on stage, and Adam was in the crowd watching. After two hours of playing with the band, Adam and Bugs left the club and went back to their hotel room. But before Bugs left the stage, he announced that he is going to be playing at the North Western High Music Festival and he wanted everyone to be there. This is where Bugs’s and Adam’s school band where playing.

It was happening every night. They get banned from going to the trips and they sneak out to play with bands. Bugs has played with different bands including Plankton, Endomoprh, Midnight, and The Rockers. By now it was all over the newspapers. The headlines were ”Who Is Bugs Potter”? The next day it was the North Western High Music Festival. The band members got their instruments together and headed to the Festival which was held at Ontario Place. As soon as they got there, everyone was setting up for the festival. The place was packed with people waiting to see Bugs Potter. After Bugs’s and Adam’s band played, the host told the crowd that it was time for Bugs Potter’s performance. Bugs got on stage in front of his fans without the mustache, because he thought that everyone should know his true identity. When he started drumming, everyone was surprised including Mr. Darby. Everyone noticed that he is The Most, because of his drumming skills. Before he was done his solo, all the bands that Bugs has played with in clubs showed up on stage to play with him. Bugs couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When they were all done playing their music, they all thanked Bugs for his amazing talent. The band came back to the Hotel Empress to gather their things and belongings. Everyone was saying goodbye to their roommates. Adam and Bugs were saying goodbye as well. They promised each other that they are going to come to the next festival. Adam told Bugs that he is going to write him letters and Bugs is going to send him pictures. They both went their seperate ways, but they knew that they were going to meet again some day.

One of the posts that I read is Shelby Berg’s ”The uncertainty of the future”. In my opinion she wrote the post in a very descriptive way. She brought different perspectives into the topic. Shelby tied her topic about the uncertainty of the future with a creative story that she had experienced with her family the past summer. That is the same in my post as well. Since I am talking about a teenager who wants to show that world his talent by sneaking out every night, I have also experienced this event before. A few summers ago, I was camping at a camp where we played music. My friend, Elliot, would sneak out to play different kinds of music than the music we were taught at the camp. Me and Shelby both tied our stories together, making a connection between the two. By doing that, we help the reader understand the topic better. Shelby states her own opinion about the topic and clearly shows the reader her perspective about the future. I picked her post, because it had a unique outline and it was enjoyable to read.

I recommend this book, because it is full of humor and intensity. It talks about the life of a normal teenager, who wants to go out and show the world his talent. It may also inspire people by showing them that if you’re not brave enough to show other people your talents and skills, you are not going to go very far in life.