This page contains important information for Bridge Academy students about two major projects: Portfolio & Independent Reading.
1. Bridge Academy – Portfolio Project
Portfolio Project Overview: Throughout the semester each student will be required to compose a series of written responses to a selection of writing prompts that are intended to develop students’ writing skills, while also developing students’ abilities to think creatively and analytically about a variety of subjects.
As students progress through the five stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) they will not only be able to develop and sharpen their writing and language skills, but also demonstrate and reflect on the fruits of their labors during mid-year and end-of-year portfolio presentations to faculty.
Full Project Details: SHS – Bridge Academy – Portfolio Project Details – 2011
Portfolio Project Rubric: SHS – Bridge Academy – Portfolio Project – Rubric – 2011
Portfolio Prompts Available for Download:
First Semester
Second Semester
2. Bridge Academy – Independent Reading Project
Independent Reading Project Prompt Selections: The following components are required to be completed as part of students’ end-of-year projects.
- Complete Book Selection
- Independent Reading Project [Book Choice]
- Independent Reading Project [They Say / I Say]
- Independent Reading Project [Annotated Bibliography]
- Independent Reading Project [Book Response]
- Independent Reading Project [Book Review Online Posting]
Independent Reading Project Overview: Each quarter students will be required to select and read a literary work of their choice, in an effort to prepare them to develop a literary criticism of their chosen work. In doing so, students will not only explore the merits of their selected work, but ultimately position themselves to provide both critical and analytical analysis of their chosen novel against the criticisms and reviews of experts in the field.
Full Project Details: Independent Reading – Project Details – 2011
Project Rubric: The Independent Reading Project will be assessed as part of students’ Portfolio Project, and will utilize the Portfolio Project rubric found here [click for rubric].
My independent reading book “Tears OF A Tiger” is about teenage boys that are on a basketball team. The main character Andrew Jackson also known as Andy and his friends Robbie Washington, B.J Carson, and Tyrone Mills decide one night to get a six-pack and have a boy’s night. Andy was under the influence and had too much to drink. Andy is the driver and Robbie was in the passenger seat with his feet on the dashboard. Andy and his friend’s head out to the highway where later they hit a wall and helplessly watch Robbie burn to death in the car. This novels about Andy moan the loss of his best friend Robbie. This novel takes place at a Hazelwood High School. Where the main character Andy struggles with himself and blames himself for the loss of his close friend Robbie.
. The customer says that this novel is a book that’s worth reading. This person says that the book was a difficult book to follow in the beginning but at the end it seemed to get better and better and if u ever come across this book to be sure to read it.
After reading this book I agree with this customer. I agree with this person because it’s a really good book. At first when I started reading this book I was lost and as soon as I kept reading the book the more I became curious and eager to read more.
A review written by a customer on Amazon.com talks about how she was on the search for a good book to read and had came across this one. This reader says she enjoyed the book a lot but after finishing that the book had left her hungry for the answers to your questions.
Reading this readers review I also agree somewhat with this person. I do believe that this is a great book to read but the way the book ends leaves you with questions that you want answers to and wondering why things happened the way it did.
This novel I would recommend to any readers that are interested. This novel doesn’t compare to any book that I have read so far because this book is so real. It doesn’t hide the true feelings and story of each character. I recommend this book to any reader because it made me realize how getting into a car with someone that’s under the influence is putting the driver and myself in danger. I realized I should always be careful.
Jonae Texeira
Mr. Smith
Project Response
17, May 2012
Project Response
The title of my independent reading book is First Part Last, written by Angela Johnson. I had chosen to read this book because in seventh grade, I told my librarian I wanted to read a book for teenagers. Mainly a book choice to do with babies, and teenagers being pregnant etc. I then had not yet had the chance to read the book since, so I found it in SHS library and took advantage onto reading this novel.
Various lessons to be learned into your future are exampled in this novel. So far, this book was mainly about a teenage couple at about age 17, they had been together for their high school years; and senior year Nia becomes pregnant. Soon after her birth, Nia and her boyfriend break up. Then, Nia just disappears for a short amount of time, and doesn’t want anything to do with her daughter or her baby daddy. Later Nia comes back into their lives’ and then wants to help her baby daddy out with Feather. Therefore, the father (Nia’s ex-boyfriend) and his family take in Feather (the daughter) for the most part. The protagonist in First Part Last is the father. This is because he took in his daughter when his girlfriend left him for a while. The protagonist doesn’t really have problems with anybody besides his baby momma in the beginning of her pregnancy. The antagonist doesn’t really play a role in this story besides getting pregnant her senior year. In this novel, there is a small issue with the protagonist and antagonist, which would be the couple not getting along in the beginning of Nias pregnancy. The action of sequence of events occurred to cause the conflict when Nia ended up pregnant her senior year. The result is the couple end up back together when Feather is about a year old. I really enjoyed this book, and yes I would definitely refer this to someone my age.
I would definitely recommend this book to some else because, it points out some life like situations. Also, various lessons to be learned into your future are exampled in this novel. So far, this book was mainly about a teenage couple at about age 17, they had been together for their high school years; and senior year Nia becomes pregnant. Soon after her birth, Nia and her boyfriend break up. Then, Nia just disappears for a short amount of time, and doesn’t want anything to do with her daughter or her baby daddy. Later Nia comes back into their lives’ and then wants to help her baby daddy out with Feather.
The major themes in First Part Last are choices, and consequences. These themes are revealed by Angela Johnson talking about teen pregnancy is not always a good thing at such a young age. Choices, and consequences are also developed by teens thinking teen pregnancy is such a “fun” thing to experience. Soon after, they realize that it was harder than they thought, and reality finally hit them hard.
Jenny Gjinaj
Mr. Smith
Project response
21 May 2012
The title of my independent book is Holes written by Louis Sachar. My book is about a boy named Stanley Yalnats, who is under a curse. This curse started out with his great-great grandfather and somehow caught up with him. Stanley somehow always seems to get blamed for things he never did. Something always goes wrong with him.
Zero is a homeless child and doesn’t really have much. Stanley on the other side is a well-brought up kid with a nice family. Zero steals a pair of famous shoes and gets caught. While zero is running away from the cops he throws out the shoes and they somehow happen to end up on Stanley’s head while he’s walking. Stanley gets caught and the cops bring him to court.
Stanley was then found guilty and has a choice of Camp Green Lake or jail. He chooses Camp Green Lake and the first couple of weeks are very hard for Stanley. At camp green lake the kids are required to dig holes five feet by five feet wide all day long in the extreme hot weather. Stanley meets zero there and they somehow connect really quick while they are there. They help each other out a lot and try to back each other up with anything possible. At the end Stanley and Zero escape and get the police involved because they’re being held they’re in very bad conditions. By the end Stanly and Zero are like family and there families even get close.
I choose this book as my independent reading book because a friend of mine had recommended it to me. I really loved the book. When I first started reading it, it wasn’t really a type of book that I would ever read but it ended up being an amazing book. I would recommend this book to anyone else that would be interested in reading. It’s an amazing book. It shows a lot of forgiveness and friendships how everyone works together. I had a very surprised reaction because I wasn’t expecting Stanley getting found guilty for something he never did. The end was very touching, it started out with zero not having a family or anyone close to him to having basically a family at the end.
The major theme of my book is forgiveness. When Stanley got in trouble for zero’s decision, Stanley forgave him and helped zero out with everything he needed. The theme is traditional and familiar because I’ve read other book with the same theme. My reaction when I finished the book was surprising. I really liked the book. It was a little different from other books that I have read but it was still a good book.
Stacy Hernandez
Mr.Smith
Independent Reading Project Response
22 May 2012
Independent Reading Project Response
The title of my independent reading book is SOLD. The author of my independent book is Patricia McCormick. This book is about a thirteen year old girl who has a stepfather that sold her into being a sex slave but she thought that she was going to be a maid in the city. Her owners name is Mumtaz and she tells the girls that she has a debt to pay off but Mumtaz just uses them until they get really sick. Lakshmi which is the thirteen year old girl , met a white American who said that he was going to save her and bring her to a good place. At the end she runs up to him and say my name is lakshmi , I am from Nepal and I am fourteen years old. You could either think that she really is rescued or she got sold into being a sex slave again.
The main character in this 13 year old girl named Lakshmi. The antagonist is Mumtaz. The problem with Mumtaz and Lakshmi is that Mumtaz is making her have sex for money. The result is that Lakshmi sold her self to someone thinking that she was going to be free.
I chose this book because of the cover , it had a picture of a little girl so it seemed interesting and because my cousin read this book and said she loved it and said that i should read it. One theme this book has is love because Lakshmi and her mother have such a strong bond. There like bestfriends. The other theme is betrayal because Lakshmi was betrayed by her step father and her “aunt” .
My initial reaction to the text was that i was surprised and i really liked it. I was surprised because i did not think that half of the stuff that happen in the book was going to happen and i really liked it because i got to learn what really happens in some countries. This book was by far the best book i have ever reed in my life because i actually enjoyed it and it was really interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to someone else because they would love it just like i did.
The title of my Independent Reading book is MAUS I- My Father Bleeds History (A Survivor’s Tale). The author of my Independent Reading book is Art Spiegelman. Generally, the book is about a cartoonist named Artie who was writing a book about his dad Vladek’s stories; who was a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust to come to terms with his father’s story and history itself. The main character (protagonist) is Artie. Artie has issues with his dad Vladek (antagonist).
Vladek’s role in the story is the person who is telling Artie his stories about his history in the Holocaust for Artie’s book he’s writing. The rising action was between Artie and Vladek, because Vladek is old and gives him a hard time a lot because he doesn’t always want to tell him his stories, and blames it on his heart attacks. The big conflict is at the end when Vladek tells Artie he can’t get his old wife Anja’s side of the story because when he was in a bad mood he set all her old diaries and belongings on fire. The resolution was Artie being really mad at Vladek.
I chose this book because it seemed easier than a reading a normal book because it was a comic book. I think the major theme to this book is to always keep old things for memories so you can tell stories. I think this is revealed in the book when Artie was making a book about Vladek and couldn’t finish it because he wanted his old wife Anja’s side of the story, but Vladek lit all her old diaries and belongings on fire when he was in a bad mood. I think the theme is traditional and familiar because I feel like most people save at least one thing from when they were younger. The theme is purpose or intent because some people purposely save things from when they were younger for memories.
My initial reaction to the text was that it seemed like a decent book I wouldn’t have a problem finishing. I felt that way because it was a graphic novel about rats instead of a normal book about people. This book is different from other books I have read because it is in comic book form and has pictures on every page. I would recommend this text to somebody else if they have a hard time reading normal books.
Stharlin Nova
Mr. Smith
Idenependent Reading #5
May 9, 2012
The Title of my independent reading book is The Beast The author of my independent reading book is Walter Dean Myers The reason is choose this book was because I saw the cover and it interested me a lot and the summary made me want to read the book because just what he had to go thru made me want it more.
My initial reaction to the text was good I like how well written the book was and how the author had made the settings and the texture of it. I was also surprised because I thought it was going to be a harder way to be written.
The reason why I feel this way is because the plot of the book I thought it was going to be written a wrong way. This book compares to the others that I have read because this book speaks about stuff that happens in the daily basis not like most of the ones ive written. The reason I choose this book was because I like the way it was written and the summary about the book
The theme of the text is well written major theme of the book takes place in Harlem, New York. They are reveled really by what chapter you are on and depending on what the scene is. The theme to me is new because not many writers would describe the theme like Walter Dean Myers did. The theme is socially motivated the reason why is because what they went thru people go thru on a daily basis. My initial reaction to the text is I like it because the way of tone the story was written intrigues the reader and helps them understand better. Specifically feel this way because it helped me understand the book a lot better and kept me interested in a lot more
This book compares to no other book that ive written because I can honestly say that is probably the best book ive read. Yes I would recommend this book to someone else because it is a well-written text and a lot of readers would be very intrigued in reading it and a lot of people could relate to it also
Virginia Euwer Wolff calls one of the books that I have read this semester Make Lemonade. This book is mainly about a 14-year-old girl named La Vaughn who takes a babysitting job in order to save money for college. Throughout the book you begin to see the love that evolves with La Vaughn and the children she babysits. The relationship with the children’s mother also begins to grow.
The protagonist in this story is La Vaughn she is a 14-year-old girl who lives with her mother. Her life is very typical for someone whose family isn’t wealthy and works very hard to make a living. La Vaughn dreams of going to college and becoming very successful, but we all know that college comes with many expenses. Expenses that La Vaughn and her mother cant really afford. She eventually takes it upon herself to get a job and begin to save money so that her dream will come true. She begins to babysit for a girl named Jolly a 17-year-old mother with no one to turn to. Jolly lives in a very filthy environment, which shows La Vaughn how tough it’s going to be to work and not drop her grades in school. She has two children Jeremy and Jilly who automatically captivate La Vaughn; this is how there relationship all began.
The book overall was great it really showed how you can make it in America and how dreams really do come true. This book also shows how friendship grows and how you can help one another in many ways and benefit out of it. Another thing this bookshows is the problems of having a child before marriage and being a single parent. It shows the struggles of finding a job and trying to maintain it even though you have to be on call 24/7 with another job of your own. Last but not least it shows the dangers of being abused. Jolly was mistreated and abused by her boyfriend.
I recommend this book to young girls who feel like their dreams wont come true and who feel like they’re scared to take risks. I also recommend this book because it shows how hard life is but if there is just one person that believes in you and is backing you up no matter what the circumstance.
I’ve read a few reviews on this book and this is what they say, “I think this was a great book because it lets us know the feelings and ways of a single teen mother. It touched me so much! Even though I couldn’t relate as much I really think this is what they go through in their everyday lives.” Go on read this book it’ll make you think!
Joel Ballestero
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading Project
May 20, 2012
The title of my book is called “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl”. My book is about a young girl who was in hiding with her family as well as others because they were Jewish and the Jewish people were being discriminated by the Germans during World War II. Throughout this book Anne Frank shares her experience being in hiding and having to cope with all the people she were in hiding with including her family. “Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.”
The main character of my book is Anne Frank. She’s an average teenage girl who goes through the same type of things that any other ordinary teenage girl goes through. In her diary she writes about many things including her friendships with other girls, her crushes on boys, and her academic performance at school. She and her sister Margot didn’t receive the same education that an average German student would receive because they were Jewish. Both her and her sister went to a totally different school from everyone else. I guess I would have to say that the antagonist of this story would have to be the Germans because they were the ones who caused the Franks to live the way they were living as well as other families too like the Van Daans. The Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940 which is what forced the Franks to move out and move into a small secret annex above Otto Frank’s office where they had packed many foods and supplies to survive. Anne often wrote about her feelings of isolation and her loneliness, and she also mentions how she really don’t get along with anyone from her family but her father. Her father means everything in the world to her, they have a type of connection that she doesn’t have with anyone else. Anne doesn’t get along with her mother at all and her mother hates the fact that they never see eye to eye. “Anne thinks that her sister, Margot, is smart, pretty, and agreeable, but she does not feel close to her and does not write much about her. Anne eventually develops a close friendship with Peter van Daan, the teenage boy in the annex. Mr. Frank does not approve, however, and the intensity of Anne’s infatuation begins to lessen. During the two years recorded in her diary, Anne deals with confinement and deprivation, as well as the complicated and difficult issues of growing up in the brutal circumstances of the Holocaust. Anne’s diary, the observations of an imaginative, friendly, sometimes petty, and rather normal teenage girl, comes to an abrupt and silent end.”
“Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has since become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annex” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.”
I agree with the critics review towards this book, because it basically introduce and explains everything that happens in the story. However I must admit that if I was to do an independent reading project again I think I would have chosen a different book. I didn’t really enjoy the book because I feel like i didn’t really get what I wanted to get out of this book. It mostly talked about her and her feelings but I was expecting the book to be about her talking about how her and her family were being mistreated and how the Germans were mistreating all of the Jewish people during World War II. Sure she mentions what she have seen a few times and what the Germans were doing to the Jewish people but she didn’t get into too much details like I’ve read in my past readings of books about the Holocaust. Don’t get me wrong the book was good but I just expected something different from it. When I read books about the holocaust I like reading books that explains in details how much pain and suffering that they had to go through so that I can feel what the author feels. Although I don’t think that many people (maybe a few) will be able to connect with her and how she felt throughout the book.
If you was to ask me if I recommend this book to future readers I would say “Yes I do recommend readers to read this book.” However I wouldn’t recommend it to all readers, I would probably recommend teenage girls specifically to read this book because they are the most people who would be able to connect with this book. I mean it is about a teenage girl and her experience during the holocaust and her feelings towards many things. I didn’t get what I thought I was going to get out of this book but I did get something out of this book. This isn’t the only book about Anne Frank, there are many others so maybe if I read other books about her in the future, maybe just maybe I will find what I have been looking for.
References: 1. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/annefrank/summary.html
2. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48855.The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl
Zeneida Guerrero
IRB
Mr. Smith
May 17, 2012
Independent Reading Project Response
The title of my independent reading book is, Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper. The main character of this book is Andrew Jackson. The protagonist is guilt. Andrew Jackson got into a car accident with three of his friends one of them; Robert Washington got killed in the accident. The four friends were drinking and celebrating their win on a basketball game. Because Andrew was the driver and already had a couple of beers he felt guilty of Robert’s death. He couldn’t handle the guilt and his life change completely. Everything he did reminded him of Robert. He used to get depressed and sad at anytime of the day. The guilt just didn’t destroy him. It ended up killing him. Many people say that the ending of the book ruins the story. Even though this is true, I recommend this book to others.
I chose this book because of the summary on the back of the book. My initial reaction to this text was surprised, sad and disappointed. I felt this way about this book for many reasons. I didn’t expect Andrew to take away his life because the guilt was killing him. Of course anyone would feel guilty if one of their best friend died in a car accident, which they were the driver. I was almost surprised about all he went through. He was hurt inside but tried to hide it. The theme of the book is about how your action affects others. I do recommend this book to others because it’s a great book and it can teach the readers lessons about life. The book Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper was one of the best books I have read in my four years of high school.
Christian Castillo
May 17, 2012
Mr. Smith
I.R.P Response
Tunes For Bears To Dance To
The title of my independent reading book is Tunes For Bears To Dance To, by Robert Cormier. The book is about a young teenager who supports his mother by working. He gets into a situation that makes him have to choose between his friendship and his job.
The main character is Henry a young teenager recovering from a broken knee observing a “crazy home” across from his house. Henry works at a grocery store to support his mom and becomes friends with an old man who happens to be a Holocaust survivor and part of the “crazy home” that Henry’s observing. The protagonist in this book would have to be Henry’s boss Mr. Hairston that is rude and twofaced. He tells Henry to break a portrait his friend makes in order for Henry to keep his job. Now Henry has to make a decision that will affect his life forever. The theme of the book is about developing friendships. Henry develops a good friendship with an old man who is his neighbor. It’s a traditional theme and I really enjoyed reading it after a few pages.
The reason I chose this book was because I read the summary on the back of the novel and it had mentioned the Holocaust, which is the main focus of this project. I also chose this book because it was about 100 pages long. And also the text was easy to read so I thought it would be the best book in my favor. In the bingeing of the book I didn’t find it interesting but after I kept reading, I found the book to be a little better than I thought. It was a really interesting book to read and I would recommend this book to everyone. It was a short-paged book and it was easy to read and it also peaked my interest so I think it would do the same for others.
Adelin Cueto
Mr. Smith
Book Review
May 14, 2012
Book Review
The title of my independent reading is of my book is Reaction, and the author of my independent reading book are Zach and Ashley. This book is about a girl that got pregnant from her boyfriend, Zach. She is very scared about what’s going to happen. Zach and Ashley don’t know what to do. They both struggling, Zach is 17 and Ashley is 17. Ashley dad call Zach dad, but Zach was the one who answer the phone. Zach told him that he wants to be with Ashley and the he is going to take care of her and the baby.
The main characters of my independent reading book (Reaction) are Zach and Ashley. The antagonists of my independent reading book are Ashley parents. They don’t want Zach to be with Ashley because what happened and their too young. They Ashley parents thinks that Zach is going to leave her alone. The role of the antagonist is that Ashley parents don’t want Zach near them. The problem between that protagonist and the antagonist is that Zach and Ashley parents don’t like each other. What cause the problem was Zach getting Ashley pregnant. The result of the book was the Ashley and Zach stay together.
The theme of the book is facing the consequences of choices that people make, and affect other people, like family or friends.
I chose this book because it was something that really happens. The summary on the back of the book it tells you what is the book about, the Zach and Ashley been going out for a while and she got pregnant. What got me more interest it to they book was that they are teenagers. My initial reaction to this book, I like it, because they way they when through a lot of things, for example: emotion, and parents. One of the reason I compare this book to other is because this is the first book I read, and it’s a really good book I recommend this book to the teenagers because it talks about what are the consequences if you have a kid.
Alex Moreta
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading book
May 10, 2012
Book Response
The title of my independent reading book is The Beast by Walter Dean Myers. My book is generally about how everything could change and people turn to drugs. The main character in my book Anthony Witherspoon but everyone calls him “Spoon”. In the book he goes away to school and when he comes back home he finds out that everything has changed. The girl he loves is now using drugs and Anthony does everything he can to try to help her because he hates the fact she is doing drugs. The main problem is that Gabi, the girl he loves, uses drugs and didn’t tell him anything he found out himself. The outcome that he found out about it is that he was able to help her quit using them.
There are different reasons why I chose this book but the main reason has to be because it was he shortest book there. Reading is one of my weaknesses so I don’t like reading big books. The theme of this book is about drugs and is telling you how anyone can quit and be free of it you just need a little bit of help to do so.
At first I didn’t really want to read is but when I started reading I noticed I actually understood it. I sometimes got confused and had to reread a few things but I understood it and I could understand the little bit of Spanish that is mixed in to this story, which was good for me. This book doesn’t compare to any book I have read because all the ones I have read are usually about sport or if it wasn’t about sports I just didn’t understand them. I would recommend this book to anyone especially if you can read a little bit of Spanish. It is not a challenging book and anyone could understand it.
Stharlin Nova
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading #4
May 8, 2012
Annotated Bibliography
The Beast by Walter Dean Myers, This book speaks about the protagonist leaves his high school to attend a prep school and leaves his girlfriend behind to then find when he comes back she is a cocaine addict.
The setting of the story takes place in New York. So at the start, “spoon likes in Harlem and is fine with the way things were. He was in love with his girlfriend. Then when he goes to prep school, everything is different, people are nicer and he makes some friends.
The Author of the 1st review about the book Kirkus Review and the website were I found her reviews was http://www.goodreads.com.The_Beast. Some of the major points that she makes about my independent reading book are that Anthony Witherspoon who decides to move away from Harlem and go to a prep school. This persons review is a little different from a point of view that I have because he moved for a better reason and better education.
On the website the author “A Kid” in the Amazon review, the respond is very accurate review something to what I would of written and I recommend this to any young adult that wants to read a great book. Walter Dean Myers’s The Beast is story that some of the children in the united states go thru on a daily basis so by him writing this story explains and shows a lot
The final thoughts that I have about my book is that I really recommend it anyone, the book is very well written and shows examples in life that people should really use. I would definitely recommend this book to other people is a wonderful book and shows life aspects and how to deal with adversity.
Adelin Cueto
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading
April 23, 2012
Independent Reading Project (Reaction)
The title of my independent reading is of my book is Reaction, and the author of my independent reading book are Zach and Ashley. I choose this book because it was something that really happens. The summary on the back of the book it tells you what is the book about, the Zach and Ashley been going out for a while and she got pregnant. What got me more interest it to they book was that they are teenagers. My initial reaction to this book, I like it, because they way they when through a lot of things, for example: emotion, and parents. One of the reason I compare this book to other is because this is the first book I read, and it’s a really good book I recommend this book to the teenagers because it talks about what are the consequences if you have a kid.
This book is about a girl that got pregnant from her boyfriend, Zach. She is very scared about what’s going to happen. Zach and Ashley don’t know what to do. They both struggling, Zach is 17 and Ashley is 17. Ashley dad call Zach dad, but Zach was the one who answer the phone. Zach told him that he wants to be with Ashley and the he is going to take care of her and the baby.
The main characters of my independent reading book (Reaction) are Zach and Ashley. The antagonists of my independent reading book are Ashley parents. They don’t want Zach to be with Ashley because what happened and their too young. They Ashley parents thinks that Zach is going to leave her alone. The role of the antagonist is that Ashley parents don’t want Zach near them. The problem between that protagonist and the antagonist is that Zach and Ashley parents don’t like each other. What cause the problem was Zach getting Ashley pregnant. The result of the book was the Ashley and Zach stay together.
Lenny Baez
English ¾
24 April 2012
The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien is about a soldier named Jimmy Cross and the burdens of being a soldier in a war. Jimmy is in love with a girl named Martha. Jimmy carries a picture of Martha, along with a love letter he wrote to her, but never sent, in his helmet. While in battle, Jimmy’s best friend in war, was shot and killed. When his friend was killed, Jimmy was distracted and was reading the letter and looking at Martha’s picture. Since that happened, Jimmy has a lot of guilt about his friend’s death. Jimmy still fights in the war, and then gets shot and paralyzed, and then he is in a wheelchair for life.
Tim O’Brien’s descriptions of war and the soldiers, makes for good reading. The written details of the guns, the rifles, and the equipment they had to carry keeps the attention of the reader, and opens the readers minds to the soldier’s way of life. The details such as how much the equipment weighed and their uniforms they had to wear were enough to keep me reading. I tend to like books with a bit of violence and this book is the same. When I read a book with some violence, it holds my attention. This book was easier for me to read than other books because I liked reading about war.
I would recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in reading and learning about war. Also, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about Viet Nam. It was a realistic and enjoyable read.
Brian Aybar
Mr. Smith
I.P.R
May 7, 2012
I.P.R Response
The book I chose for my Independent reading project was Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan. This book is about a group of teenagers that live in New Mexico, Susan, Mark, David, Jeff, and Betsy, and they all have one thing in common, they don’t like their English teacher Mr. Griffin. They only planned to scare him but ended up killing him so now the police is investigating what happen to the English teacher. The protagonist in this book is Susan, and the antagonist is Mark.
The protagonist Susan has an issue with the antagonist Mark because mark is the one that thought of the plan to “scare” Mr. Griffin and he was the one that convinced everyone to join in on the plan. The conflict is that after Mr. Griffin dies they agree not to say anything t anyone and to act like they had nothing to do with is and Mark was scared that since Susan was the one that actually had a good relationship with Mr. Griffin that she might say something and that’s where things get crazy. What caused this conflict was the plan that mark came up with to scare Mr. Griffin to give them all a passing grade and ended up dying. That’s what started the conflict.
The reason why I chose this book is because I’ve heard a few people talking about it and I looked at the cover and I read the back of the book and what it said interested me. The theme of the book is Suspense and don’t let people influence you to do something crazy or something you don’t feel comfortable with because it can ruin you life. This is a really familiar theme; I’ve seen it in books, short stories, and movies. This is a really good book I like it a lot because it fits my interest it satisfies me at the end of the book. This book is good just like the other books I have read. I definitely recommend this book to people that like suspense.
Jeremy Dominguez
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading
May 6, 2012
The title of my independent reading book is called “ The Old Man And The Sea”. The person who wrote this book is named Ernest Hemingway. The main character is Santiago who is an old man who has a long run of bad luck because he is not able to catch a fish. I’m not sure if the marlin can be the protagonist but the marlin struggles with Santiago because of the marlins size they are fighting with each other. The issue between Santiago and the marlin is that the old man is trying to catch some luck and catch the huge marlin but the marlin is going to put up a fight. The rising action that caused this problem is he hasn’t catch a fish in 84 days and goes far out into the ocean and fights the marlin for 3 days. The resolution is he catching the fish and then letting it goes. I really didn’t choose the book but I got a recommendation from my English teacher Mr. Smith. I would say it was an ok book because it had a lot of imagery and descriptive language that made me pictures the book in my head. I feel this way about my book because at first it was boring but towards the end it got more interesting. I would recommend this story to people who like unique writing.
The Old Man and the Sea is the story of an epic battle between an old, fisherman and a large marlin. His name is Santiago who has been trying to catch a fish for 84 days and has considered bad luck. He fishes with a little boy everyday trying to catch a marlin. At the end he catches the marlin and lets it go and the marlin dies by sharks. A group of fishermen gather the next day around the boat where the fish’s skeleton is still attached. One of the fishermen measures it to be 18 feet. The boy brings him newspapers and coffee everyday when the old man wakes up they promise each other to fish together once again.
The theme in this story is to never give up and keep fighting until u gets what you want. In the first paragraph the story talks about Santiago struggling to catch a fish for 84 days. But he refuses to give up and keeps up trying to catch a fish. After a brutal three-day fight, and he continues to ward off sharks from stealing his prey, even though he knows the battle is useless. The theme is kind of original because I’ve seen lot of books when people never give up but the style is different. Some people find this religious but I think it’s a good story overall.
This book is really short but it still has really good creative writing. I like the style he has that shows good imagery and descriptive language. I like this book because Ernest Hemingway used good symbolism and its great way of showing how man vs. nature and man vs. himself. I would recommend this book to other people because it has its own style of writing and it’s a classic.
Jaylin Colon
Mr. Smith
IRP Response
May 7, 2012
Independent Project Review
My independent reading book is Escaping Into The Night by D. Dina Friedman. Escaping into the Night is about a character named Halina who is on the run from the Germans soldiers after her mom was killed. Halina starts to live underground alongside her friends Batya and Reuven. The Germans soldiers were trying to capture the Jews to kill them or make struggles everyday in life. Halina is a Jew and the Germans soldiers are trying to find her to kill her for escaping from her neighborhood.
There were many events that happened in this story. For examples Jews bombed the Germans soldiers, Halina and Batya go raped, and Reuven risk his life to save his friends every single time. The result of all of this was the Germans soldiers ended up resigning and leaving the Jews alone. Halina and her friends lived at the end and were able to escape to a better life.
The major theme of my book is survival. The main character survived her struggles while running away from the German soldiers. The theme was familiar because I have read other book where characters survive their struggles. The theme is psychological because she was put through a lot of struggles but was able to stay strong and be optimistic. The reason why I chose this book was because of the cover and summary on the inside cover. I really enjoyed reading the book because it kept me on my feet and sometimes painted a picture in my head. Some of the parts in the book hit me by surprised and that’s what I liked about it. When I thought one of the characters was going to die they ended up living. The author was so descriptive with the scenes that almost made you feel like you were there. I have to say that this is one of my favorite books of all time. This is one of those books that you will never get tired of reading. I read the book many times and every time I read it I discovered things that I missed last time I read it. I most likely recommend this text to someone else because it is such a great story. I think most people would enjoy the story line of the text and will be filled with many different emotions.
Cassie Thompson
Mr. Smith
Holocaust
27 April 2012
Independent Reading Project: Prompt 13 – Book Response
The title of my independent reading book is The Diary Of Anne Frank and the author is Anne Frank but her dad, Otto Frank, published her book right after she passed away when the war was liberated.
Generally the novel that I chose is about the start of a diary of a young teenage girl named, Anne who describes fairly typical girlhood experiences, writing about her friendships with other girls, her crushes on boys, and her academic performance at school, because anti-Semitic laws forced Jews into separate schools, Anne and her older sister, Margot, attended the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam. The Franks had moved to the Netherlands in the years leading up to World War II to escape persecution in Germany. After the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, the Franks were forced into hiding. With another family, the van Daans, and an acquaintance, Mr. Dussel, they moved into a small secret annex above Otto Frank’s office where they had stocked up with food and supplies. The employees from Otto’s firm helped hide the Franks and kept them supplied with food, medicine, and information about the outside world. Otto Frank is the family’s sole survivor, and he recovers Anne’s diary from Miep. He decides to fulfill Anne’s wishes by publishing the diary.
The main character of the diary that I read is Anne Frank and she was the protagonist who had problems with few of her fellow classmates, but most importantly the antagonist of the story was the Gestapo aka Secret Service of the Germans. The sequence of events that lead up to the conflict of the story is based on hiding in an annex from the Gestapo, stocking up on foods, clothes, water, and the things they need in order for them to survive.
I chose this book because I have a passion for history and I fell in love with The Diary Of Anne Frank ever since I first read it so it wasn’t my first time reading it.
My initial reaction towards The Diary Of Anne Frank caught my attention to the point where I was often thinking about it even dreaming about it, in which case, I was extremely fascinated about what happened during the holocaust era. I feel this way because ever since I read The Diary Of Anne Frank I loved history and every little aspect about it. The Diary Of Anne Frank is the best book that I have ever read in my life and its not compared to any other books, its different and unique.
Yes, I would recommend this book to other people to read because it will make people realize that there really is such thing as an innocent girl who believed in the world, but ends up getting dragged with her family to the concentration camps for force labor work and then exterminated. Anne Frank and Rachel Joy Scott had something in common, and Rachel’s challenge caught a lot of individual’s attention by what happened to her, well that’s how I feel about Anne Frank.
Kayla M. Lugo
Mr. Smith
25 April 2012
Prompt 13
Project Response
The title of my independent reading is Number The Stars. The author of my independent reading book is Lois Lowry. This book is historical/realistic fiction. This novel explains the role of a brave ten-year old girl trying to save her Best friend Ellen and her family from the soldiers. She is pressured by the commotions caused from World War 2 and struggles to keep a low profile while things continue to get worse.
The main character in the book is Annemarie Johnhansen. The antagonist is the Nazi’s because they are working against Annemarie and her city. The Nazi’s are on a mission to arrest all Danish Jews and take them away. Annemarie and Ellen are constantly stopped therefore the Nazi’s are well aware of who they are. The World War 2 caused Denmark a depression so in revenge the Danish people began to sabotage the Nazi’s. The solution of this conflict is the war ending two years later, which makes Annemarie twelve. There is a major celebration throughout all of Copenhagen and Annemarie can now wear Ellen’s star of David necklace without fear of the war. Annemarie continues to take on adult responsibility and understands she has to portray a serious role as a big sister for Kristi.
I chose this novel because it describes the stages of ten-year-old Annemarie and her best friend Ellen experiencing harsh acts persecuted by the Nazi’s. the main theme would be the difficulties of growing up as a teen and having to go through major transformations without having a choice. They are revealed when Annemarie tells her little sister Kristi the fairytales of the king and Annemarie applies them to the King of Denmark. The reality of the war is so terrible so Annemarie tells Kristi the bedtime stories so she can easily forget about what is going on. I loved reading this book personally because it’s a great way for younger readers to understand the role of a young adult figure whether they have siblings or not.
The theme would be intent because there are many times throughout the story when Annemarie is forced to lie to her littler sister about the reality of matters during that time versus what Kristi knows. Annemarie knows it’s okay to lie for Kristi’s protection. The text in the book is very understanding to read. It is clear to see the main point. This book doesn’t compare to any other due to the fact it is based on the World War 2 and the rivalry of the Germans and Nazi’s versus Jews. I would recommend this book to younger readers because there are major life lessons shown and is also educational.
Yesenia Toro
Mr. Smith
Independent Reading
May 2, 2012
Reading Response
The title of my independent reading is of my book is Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. My book is about the relationship between five best friends and how does four of the girl’s coup with the death of a friend. Once the friend’s death has happen they began to get text messages from someone names A.
In the book Pretty Little Liars there are five main characters Aria, Hanna, Spencer, Emily and their dead best friend Allison. Ever since Allison’s death, the four friends have been getting obnoxious texts. A signs all the texts, but no one knows who A is. A plays the truth teller. A is the hidden mysterious person; he/she knows all and sees all being done and said. Whoever A is, they take the truth from all the girls and blackmail them with it over text. None of the girls know why A does this to them and its been happening ever since Allison’s death, maybe even before. There has been no resolution. There has been theory’s like if Jenna, or Officer Garret is A, maybe all. The truth was said that there is more than one A, and one of them was Mona, Hanna’s best friend. Hanna never got to know why Mona did what she did. Before Mona was questioned she left.
I choose this book because it seemed mysterious and interesting. A friend, who thought I might like it, recommended this book to me. When I first started to read it, I became easily interested in what is going to happen next. I was surprised I was on the edge of my seat. I feel this way because I never knew what would happen next, or what choices would be made. Pretty Little Liars cannot be compared to other books that I have read because most of the books I choose are about the history of a place or a regular girl book, were they involve different fashion styles and make-up and boys. I definitely recommend this book to any girl who loves the overall chick flick, mysterious, romantic book.
The theme is basically the message that the author gives you. So I would say the theme of Pretty Little Liars is secrets are bad ’cause one day they’re going to come back and bite you in the ass. The theme is revealed through the whole book. Everything think that happens to them has to do with the theme. All the taunting text is a way to show the theme of the story text. I believe the theme is more of a socially motivated theme rather than religion because its benefits more for any person rather than a specific religion.
I was really surprised with some parts of the book and for the most part I loved it. I loved it because the books kept me on the edge all the time. You never know who would be the new A helper. Pretty Little Liars cannot be compared to other books that I have read because most of the books I choose are about the history of a place or a regular girl book, were they involve different fashion styles and make-up and boys. I definitely recommend this book to any girl who loves the overall chick flick, mysterious, romantic book.
wow pretty intresting book lol
Yea i know you should get into it to
lol !
Kellie Lord
Mr. Buchanan
30 April 2012
Book choice Dead Even
The title of my independent reading book is Dead Even, written by C.C Risenhoover. Generally my book is about a mystery murder. The main character is this book is a newspaper reporter/journalist Matt McCall. The antagonist of the story is David Darden. David Daren’s role in this book is one of the four murderers, also known as the boss/master mind of the group.
There is no issue between the two until one of Darden’s accomplices kills McCall’s girlfriend Cele. His girlfriend was killed because McCall did some investigating and was coming to the conclusion of who Darden was. Darden felt threatened by this because he was close to being caught, so Darden tried to kill McCall but failed. Instead he killed Cele and his partner Ramirez by mistake. The result of this is McCall captured Darden and the other three and held them hostage until they admitted to the murders and a tape recorder and on a written document. When McCall left to the police station Darden killed the other three & he himself escaped & remains on the run.
I chose this book because it happens to be a mystery book, and mystery is my favorite genre. The major themes of this book are all the murders that have been committed. They are reveled each in different ways. Some of the murders have already happened & the bodies were found. Also some of the murders were sudden and just happened within the moment. The Mystery murder theme is traditional but at the same time original. In my opinion the theme is phsycological, the person in charge of all the murders must be seriously disturbed.
My initial reaction to the text was pleased. Although, towards the end of the book I became disappointed do to it being very predictable which defeats the purpose of it being a mystery book. This is because this is a murder mystery, but very quickly you catch on to who the murderer is. I would really recommend this book to another reader. This is because most people don’t like to read, but this book doesn’t feel like your reading it, feels like you are in a movie.
I am doing why we should be able to wear our hats all over the school
Kayla M. Lugo
Mr. Smith
January 13,2012
Prompt#13
Independent Reading
Kayla M. Lugo
Mr. Smith
January 13,2012
Prompt#13
Independent Reading
The title of my second independent reading book is My friend Leonard by James Frey. It is they same author as he first book I chose to read. This is followed after A Million Little Pieces. My book is about a young man that recently got out of jail after leaving a recovery facility. In the beginning of this novel, James the main character describes his unstoppable driven love for his girlfriend Lilly. She was also as patient at James’ facility. He is passionatley smitten to get out of jail and meet with Lilly on the “outside” that she is all he thinks about in the last days he resides there. However, Lilly’s grandmother is the only resource of family she has left and she happens to die while James is in Jail. Lully cannot put up with all the sorrow and grief so she decides to commit suicide because she feels so alone. Once James is released from prison he immediatley takes the risk of driving down the facility where Lilly is staying. Once he arrives he is told they found her body in her room. James then begins a journey of trying to deal with his new sober life and face all the obstacles he is faced with.
The protagonist in this novel is named James Frey. He is also the author of the book. So right off the back you can assume he based this book on himself. He is also the narrator in this story. He is 23-year old man with a serious drug and alcoholic problem. The antagonist in the novel is Roy. Roy has a multi-personality disorder and he immediately holds a grudge against James once he is entered in the program. James and Roy get in to multiple conflicts. They get into fights all the time until Roy is released from the program. Roy is released due to his multi-personalities and trying to hurt the other patients staying in the facility.
I chose this book as my independetn reading book because I had to start reading the second book that follows this one. When I started reading novels written by James Frey I automatically knew I would love all his books. His writing style is very unique and unlike any other authors format. It is almost as if he is speaking directly towards me and I really love that. His stories are real and based on expirience and you can tell by his storyline. My teacher had recommended that I gave the book a try, a few others also recommended the book so I gave it a try. The summary on the back of the book seemed genuine and true so I felt like I could relate to it in a way.
The major theme in this novel is conquering your fears and going above the beyond than what you can do. At first james struggles with his denial with drugs and alcohol but towards the end he gives in and starts to realize the is much more to life than just the bad demons trying to takeover you. It is slowly revealed throughtout the stages James goes through. The theme would fall into physiological. I really enjoyed reading this book. However there are some chapters I am bit disappointed in since he takes a while describing what exactly he is going through for a long period of time. This book does not compare to any others I have read. This is by far the best book I have read in a while and I’m glad I gave it a try.
Joel Ballestero
Mr. Smith
Portfolio #13
January 23, 2012
No Way Out: Overview
The Book that I’m reading is called, “No Way Out” written by Peggy Kern. This book is about a
teenage boy named Harold who is trying to handle responsibilites now that he has to take care of
his grandmother. Bills for his sick grandmother are piling up so he decides to get a pat-time job and
and continues to go to school. His grandmother isn’t fond to the idea of Harol walking because she
feels that it will interfere with his school work . However, Harold feels that if he don’t work his
grandmother will be in serious trouble financially. It seems that even though he is working, he is still
not able to come up with the money to help his grandmother pay her bills, and mind you he is
part-time. So he starts doing favors for this Londell James who was once a drug dealer and was just
one of those people who did bad things in the neighborhood. He tells Harold that he changed his
ways and now he’s doing postive things for himself. To Harold he sounds believable so he decides
quit his part-time job at the supermarket and start working for Londell. His decisions eventually leads
him into a world of dangerous streets where no one is safe. You need to be careful with the people
you choose to trust.
Joel Ballestero
Mr. Smith
Portfolio #2
January 23, 2012
Goals
Everyone in life has a goal that they’re trying to reach, and if you don’t well good luck in your future. However even though everyone has a goal that they’re trying reach doesn’t mean that everyone reaches that goal. It takes hard work, dedication, and committment to reach your goals.
My goal this year is to get what ever I need to get done in school by the end of May. So that way I’ll be able to walk the stage with my class and get my diploma. This isn’t easy though, and I’ve already started out in a bad note. I barely go to any of my classes and when I do go I’ll be to lazy to even do any work in class. I need to get a reality check and turn my life around if I’m looking forward to graduating this year. But it’s easier said then done. If I expect to get that diploma this coming June I need to start changing my ways now before it gets too late. I need to stop procrastinating when there’s work that needs to be done, I need to stop spending so much time on the internent when I should be doing my work, and instead of trying to pass my classes I should just do it! Plus in the end of this accomplishment I’ll feel good about myself because I’ll be able to say, “I’ve accomplished my goal.” As long as I can get my head out of the gutters and stay
committed to my goal, this can be done.
If I don’t get my diploma this year, I should think of the consequences I would have to face. Not only I would be disappointed but my family would be disappointed as well. I’m pretty much the only one out of my family who have the opportunity to finish high school and head on to college. I guess that’s why the pressure is on me, and I always carry that on my shoulders. I don’t want to have that feeling of disappointment from my family, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be good feeling. Although there will be no need for any disappointments if I just accomplish my goal like I plan to do.
Jeremy Dominguez
English ¾
Mr. Smith
January 18, 2012
SLAM!
The independent reading book that I have just finish reading is called SLAM. The author of this book is called Walter Dean. The story is about this young kid named Gregory Harris who is a very talented basketball player who has obstacles to fight through to become the great basketball player he is .The obstacles he has to overcome is his family, his girlfriend, his teachers and his family. He just knows it’s going to be hard and keep fighting to chase his dream.
The antagonist who helps Gregory is his coach. His role in the story is helping Greg with life and basketball. The only problem Greg has with his coach had was trying to keep Greg out of trouble with his friends and fighting.
The reason why I chose this book was I thought Slam could relate to me because I love basketball and I know its tuff to play a sport you love with a lot of distractions. The cover really caught my eye because there was a kid on a gate with a basketball on his hand, which I thought meant he needs help to achieve his goal. Also the summary in the back. The summary explained the book was about and how the different kind of struggles he has to overcome.
The major themes are family’s friends and enemies race, love, sex and for the love of the game which is basketball. These themes are familiar to because all of the themes can relate to me. I think that the themes are socially – motivating because it motivates people to who has a dream to never give up .I was actually surprise with the text because the story relates to me in many ways. I would recommend this book for kids who love basketball because it’s hard to become a good basketball player especially with different problems.
Joamer Canela
Mr. Smith
Portfolio #13
13 January 2012
Jackie and Me
The independent book I’ve chosen is Jackie and Me, By Dan Gutman. Jackie and Me is an adventure book of a young boy Joe Stoshack, the protagonist who has the ability to use baseball cards to time travel. Joe Stoshack has the ability to time travel but the only issue is that he needs a baseball with the year in which he wants to travel to. Joe has a report to do on Jackie Robinson, an African American. In school Joe got a assignment of a report during black history month. Joe time travels to meet the famous African American Jackie Robinson, who is the first black man to play out of the Negro League.
Joe Stoshack a young baseball player, during black history month was assigned a report to do on a African American who made an impact in American history. Joe chose Jackie Robinson, the first colored man to play professional baseball with white people, which soon opened a door for other colored people to join the MLB. Joe Stoshack believed that what better way to do a report than to interview Jackie Robinson face-to-face. Once he time traveled he no more was a white boy, he turned into a young black boy. When he finally arrived at jackies time he noticed that he their was a black man heavily bleeding from the arm, Joe helped him out by putting pressure on the wound and got him help. Thanks to Joe the black man survived, the man was thankful enough that he introduced Joe to Jackie. Jackie soon accepted Joe into his home and let him stay there for a few nights.
This book happens to not have an antagonist, that’s what makes it very interesting to me, it catches my attention at all time but without an antagonist. Around Jackie Robinsons time their was a different league, a league for all black people called the negro leagues. Jackie Robinson was the first to get signed to a professional team. In 1945, Jackie played in the Negro Leagues for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1946, he was now in the international league playing for the Montreal Royals. 1947-1956, he now played in the MLB for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson #42 from the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1947 got awarded MLB rookie of the year, 1955 the Brooklyn dodgers became the world series champion, and #42 got retired in all baseball teams.
Theme of this book shows how racism was back in the days, it showed how colored people suffered back in the days. Even Though Jackie Robinson became a famous baseball player didn’t mean everything was going to be easy. Jackie Robinson was one of the best baseball players, but with having such a good talent also meant their will be people that are out their to make his life worse. Jackie and his family received threats because he was the first black man in the MLB. Joe Stoshack helped Jackie bring his confidence back up and told Jackie how one day he will become a great baseball player, that he shouldn’t let people bring him down. If Jackie would’ve quit history might have been different, black people might of not been able to play in the MLB if it wasn’t for him.
I highly recommend this book to all students in all grades and ages, this book has a lot to teach about how racism was back in the days, but none of it could’ve stop Jackie Robinson. This book teaches that nothing should stop you from succeeding your life goals, and that your skin color has nothing to do with it. Only thing that can stop you from succeeding are the actions you take each day of your life. Jackie Robinson shows that their will be times when things get rough, but at the end of the day he shows that you can overcome any obstacle. Jackie Robinson made a huge impact in history, that his jersey number 42 got retired in the whole MLB.
Yesenia Toro
Mr. Smith
English III&IV
January 18, 2012
Prompt 13
The book No Fear by Anne Shraff is a book about gangs and being abused. The main reason of this book is to tell the readers to not be scared to take a stand for themselves, to be strong, and brave for yourself and others.
In the book No Fear like any other book you have a good guy and a bad guy. Ernesto was the typical good guy who does well in school. Than you got the bad guy Clay, who’s a jock in school, plays sports and has the hot girlfriend. Ernesto and Clay had problems because of the hot girl named Naomi. Ernesto really liked her as a person and wanted to talk to her since she and Clay broke up. Ernesto didn’t want her to get back with clay because while him and Naomi were going out he had hit her. He slapped her across the face. During the break up Ernesto had ask Naomi out on a date. He had set everything up just for her to run back to Clay eventually.
I chose this book because of the title, and its cover. Than I was reading the back summary and it caught my attention. I felt it would be interesting to read and maybe I can learn a little from it. I searched for some reviews on it but the book was too new. The theme of the text was mainly about the cycle of abuse. This theme is traditional and familiar. You see lots of books on abuse. In the theme you find some personal motivation, you find entertainment, but mainly you learn a lesson.
I wasn’t to surprise with the text of the book, but I really liked it. It was based on real life situations that most of us go through and don’t know how o get out of. The book No Fear is kind of like the book the Crucible by Arthur Miller. They’re both reality type books. Both books can in a way teach a lesson in the real world and maybe a lesson within yourself. They both tell an amazing story. I recommend this book to any readers who like a little drama. I recommend this book to students who don’t know how to go through hard times, who may needs different perspectives. I think anyone can read this book and become easily interested.
Prompt 13
The title of my independent reading book is “1984” written by George Orwell. The book is about the development of communism and its negative effects on human sanity. The book portrays Orwell’s terrifying vision of the potential power of communism. The main character of the story is Winston Smith. The protagonist of the story is Big Brother. Big Brother is the collective mind of the government and its principles.
In the book, Winston struggles with himself and the ideals of the society around him. Winston is a free thinker, but the people around him have become so narrow-minded that they have lost sanity. The government brainwashes these people through years of propaganda and deception to the point where anything the government says becomes truth. Winston feels the need to rebel against Big Brother. Winston’s thoughts and feelings lead him to make difficult decisions and uncover nightmarish truths about both the government and himself.
I chose to read “1984” because it was recommended to me by a friend. The major themes in this book are the dangerous power of communism and the relativity of insanity. The themes are revealed through the behavior of the society and through the direct explanation by the characters. At the time the book was written, such themes were new and fantastic ideas that could only exist in writing; but, now these ideas have become somewhat common among books and moderately realistic fears among the population.
I enjoyed the book from its slow introduction to its shocking conclusion. The beginning of the book created such complex characters with meticulous backgrounds to give them a depth that seems as if Orwell was writing about a person that really existed. However, what I think distinguishes this book from many others is the setting, which is not only technologically advanced, but, psychologically elaborate. This aspect of the book permits the reader to fully immerse himself in the story. I would recommend this book to any person who enjoys psychological thrillers and who appreciates beautifully crafted literature.
Cassie Thompson
Mr. Smith
Creative Writing
13 January 2012
Prompt #13 –
The title of my independent reading book is The Monster Is Real: How to face your fears and eliminate them forever, and the author of my independent reading book is Yehuda Berg.
The Monster Is Real is based on a religion and psychology on different types of phobias, fears, anxiety, and mainly about the origins of healthy and unhealthy fears/anxiety. It is for the “technology of the soul: The Kabbalah.”
The Monster Is Real teaches you how to overcome what you are truly afraid of by going in depth about how phobias, fears, and anxiety originally started. The Kabbalah is part of a religion that takes part in the book, and it is based on psychology beliefs.
The main character in the Monster Is Real is Yehuda Berg, and there wasn’t a protagonist nor antagonist, because it wasn’t a story, it is a book based on a religious and psychological origin.
I choose The Monster Is Real, because a friend offered me to read it when I was feeling down, and it made me realize the different types of fears and phobias that I’ve wanted to learn about.
My initial reaction towards The Monster Is Real was fascinating, because I’m into psychological and religious beliefs, based on how I am feeling at that very moment. It caught my attention, because most of the interesting things they were saying.
Zeneida Guerrero
Portfolio 13
Mr. Smith
13 January 2012
Book Review
The title of my independent reading book is Go Ask Alice. The author of this book is Anonymous. The book is about a girl that is struggling with drugs, sex, school, and family.
The main character of my book is Alice. The antagonist is drugs. Alice is addicted to drugs, and it affects her life in many ways. There was one day she was on drugs, and she was so high she didn’t notice that she was getting raped. Also the people she hung around with were also addicted to drugs. This made if more difficult for her to stop doing drugs. Alice had a loving family they cared for her and wanted the best for her. Drugs changed all that. She left school and went out with the wrong boys. She tried to stop doing drugs many times, but someone or something always pulled her back to it.
I chose this book because I found it interesting. Alice was going through things many teenagers go through. I can’t relate to this book because I don’t do drugs, but quitting drugs isn’t as easy as it sounds. Many people say, “if they want to quit they can”, but if it was that easy a lot of people wouldn’t have drugs problems.
Compared to the other books I have read, this book is more interesting because I normally read fiction books, and Go Ask Alice is a non-fiction book. I would recommend this book to others because it’s a really good book, and it can also teach people about drugs and how it can effect your life.
Portfolio Response #13
The title of my independent book that I’m reading is called Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The author of the book is Jeff Lindsay. This book is about a guy named Dexter who worked for his father who is a cop. He was a hardcore killer. He was killing all the bad criminals in his city. His father would send him to kill a guy; he would do it without hesitation.
The main character was Dexter Morgan. He had problems only with people that were committing bad crimes. In this book the antagonist was the people he was killing, which were the criminals. Every time there would be a bad crime committed the police would always send him to go find the criminal and kill them. The thing that surprised my about this book is that he would kill someone and act like nothing ever happened. He would be fine with that.
The conflict he had with his brother was crazy! Towards the end of the book and his brother had a little argument and Dexter was really scared for the first time. Because he never saw his brother like that towards him. The ending was just crazy and will have you thinking about what will happen next I recommend a lot of people to read this book. Every chapter on this book had me reading with my eyes wide open. Jeff Lindsay did a really good job with this book. I would like to read more of his books.
The reason I chose this book because my science teacher recommended me to read it. The major themes in this book are when Dexter has to kill the criminals. The themes are revealed and developed when the author talks about the past of Dexter and his present. He talks about how Dexter becomes the person who he is in life. The theme is new to me but it might be traditional to others. The theme to me is psychological, socially-motivated, and entertaining because the author gets into his life and how he became a killer. Also it is entertaining because I like reading about crimes. My initial reaction to the text was that I liked it, it surprised me because I thought this book would be about just cops saving the day but it was more about criminals getting killed by a blood spatter analysis and also a hardcore killer. This book made me want to read which I never do. I also finished this book and liked it. I would recommend this book to my peers because its not boring and it will have you wanting know what will happen next. I suggest no minors to read this though.
Kaitlyn Mills
Mr. Smith
Portfolio #13
January 6 2012
One Last Scar is written by Tony Varrato. The book is about a young man named
Ethan who is a car theft. Ethan is a smart young man with some very foolish
decisions. He gets mixed up with the wrong type of so called “friends”. Jarrett is a
friend of Ethan’s who is a drug dealer and very intimidating.
One evening Jarrett asks Ethan to steal a car so they can do some business. When
Ethan picks up Jarrett, he has 2 of his friends with him as well. They end up at the
house of an older man, his wife, and young girl. Ethan was never told to stay in the
vehicle and keep it running. After going into the house Ethan sees Jarrett has them
all tied up. Jarrett ends up shooting the wife of the old man, and Ethan tries to stop
Jarrett from harming anyone else and puts himself in danger. Ethan gets in a fight
the 3 guys and ends up escaping from the house. He takes the drugs with him to lure
Jarrett away from the house. Jarrett holds Ethan’s friend hostage until he receives
the drugs. Ethan now must fight for his life and the life of his friends. In the end
Ethan is betrayed by one of his closest friends, but escapes from Jarrett’s clutches.
I chose to read this book because the illustration on the cover. It is the face of a
young man with a giant scar on his cheek. The theme of the book is overcoming
obstacles, realizing diversity and saving lives. Ethan realizes what they are doing is
wrong and he tries to save not only his life, but also the lives of others. This is a very
interesting book with an inspirational theme.
I feel this is a very moving story. We all go through tough times like this and it
makes you feel like your not alone. It is very detailed and gives a very vivid
description giving the story a realistic feeling. This book is none like any other
It makes you feel like your there standing in the shoes of the character. I would
definitely recommend this book, because it is very moving and dynamic.
Arlenys Zoquier
Mr. Smith
Portfolio
13 January 2012
Prompt 13
One of the books that I have read this semester is called Fringe Girl in Love by Valerie Frankel. This book is mainly about a day in a teenage girls life who battles everything from dating, annoying siblings, and crazy parents. I choose this book because of the summary in the back and I read the first chapter of the book and instantly liked it.
The protagonist in this story is Adora (a.k.a. Fringe). She is a 16-year-old girl and goes to a private school in New York City, her hometown. Her life is very typical. She has a boyfriend who she is head over heals for. Her parents are both writers and write advice columns in the New York Times. She has a little sister who is young but has developed really quickly and thinks that because of this she is able to have sex, which Fringe finds to be very bazaar. On the other hand her parents don’t really think much of it due to the fact that they are so sexually active and this concerns Fringe. In the story the main turning point is when Adora’s English teacher is out on medical leave and they have a substitute for the rest of the semester, doesn’t seem like a big deal right? Wrong. Ms. Rossi is her name and she seems to be out to get Adora. Everything she says is wrong in Ms. Rossi’s eyes and she doesn’t have any say in absolutely anything.
The book overall was great it really showed how every teenage girls life is similar, and in life you go through many changes and its normal to not like them at first. I’ve read many books in the past where the main character feels as if they’re an outcast but in reality many look up to him or her.
I recommend this book to young girls who feel like they’re in love at such a young age and they aren’t noticed. I feel like this book will open the eyes of those girls and show them that not everything they see is gold and they should wait and mature up before making such serious decisions that can change your lifetime.
Bryan Aybar
Mr. Smith
Portfolio # 13
13 January 2012
Independent reading book
The book that I have read is called, “Playing without the ball.” by Rich Wallace. The book is about a high school senior that is left by his dad in Philadelphia to finish school there as his dad moved out to L.A. he works at a bar as a cook and his dream is to become a NBA player and he meets numerous girls in the time he spends working at the bar.
The main character of the book is called Jay. He works at Shorty’s bar. Where he meets spit, a girl that eventually grows on him and he starts to like. The antagonist is probably the lawyer that spit starts to go out with and jay doesn’t really like it but he tells spit that he’s fine with it all though she knows he isn’t. The conflict between jay and the lawyer is spit, jay wants her but the lawyer has her.
The reason why I choose this book is because someone once told me that they really liked it and I saw that my English teacher had it on his shelf so I decided to read it. I recommend this book to people that like basketball and somewhat romance and everyday things that happens to a teenager. The theme of the book is probably romance and trying to live out your dream. The theme is familiar, it involves someone trying to live their dreams but at the same time they find someone that they want to be with.
Over all I liked reading this book it fit me interests. This book in my opinion, I think it might have become one of my favorite books that I have recently read. I would recommend this book to someone but someone that is interested in the theme of the book because if they aren’t interested in characters in a book starting to like someone or falling for someone else in the book then they probably wouldn’t like it but I think it was a great book.
The title of my independent reading book is Million- Dollar Throw, by an author named Mike Lupica. My book is about someone who has a chance to win a million dollars by throwing a football. In this book, Million-Dollar Throw, the main characters name is Nate Brodie. Nate Brodie is a thirteen-year-old boy who loves American football. Not only does he love watching it but he also love playing it and is pretty good at it, better then a lot of kids in his league. He is an amazing quarterback and is compared the famous athlete Tom Brady, who is also his favorite player in football.
Nate wanted a signed football by Tom Brady. The ball he wanted was a Limited Edition that came with a certificate of authenticity. He had been saving up for it for a long time and finally was able to get it. When he went to buy it he went with his mom and Abby. Abby was reading a sign that was being promoted by sports about a chance to win a million dollars on throwing a football, it was a contest and whoever won would get the chance to throw it. Abby then got a pen and signed Nate’s name. The only qualifications needed for this was that you had to be over 13 years old and you had to make a purchase of over five hundred dollars. The football Nate bought cost more then five hundred dollars. He had the qualifications and all he needed was his mom’s signature, which she signed it. The way they were going to choose who won was going to be like a lottery. When they called the winning number, they matched the ones that were on Nate’s ticket. Nate would soon be on his way to get the chance to make a “million dollar throw”.
Nate had a best friend named Abby who was always there for him and had gone to his games. Abby was loosing her eyesight little by little everyday and one day could be blind. She was loosing her night vision and had lost her peripheral vision. Nate didn’t like what was happening to Abby but couldn’t stop it. When they would talk about the million-dollar throw she would say that she would be able to see perfect when the crowd yelled but Nate knew this was not going to happen. He didn’t want her to go blind and not be able to see him get that throw.
I chose this book because it was about sports and I am interested in sports. I also chose this book because I had read a previous book by the same author and it was good. I can compare this book to the one I read before because they were both about sports. The only difference between the two books was that one was about basketball and this one was about football. The other book I read was called “Heat”. The way he wrote this book was a great way because I could understand it. The throw that Nate would have to make would be one of the biggest throws he’s ever had to. Not only because its for a million dollars but also because he would be able to help his family with money that they would need. This book is an interesting book to read and I would recommend it to anyone.
Jonae Texeira
Mr. Smith
Portfolio #13
6 January 2012
Forever Overview….
The book Iam reading is Forever… by Judy Blume. This novel is mainly about a teenage girl named Katherine and her boyfriend Michael that are seniors. They have been together for quite some time considering they attend the same High School. This couple is one of he most popular one’s in their school. Once they both have entered their senior year things between them seem to be a little bit of a rift raft.
The main character of my book is obviously Katherine. In the beginning of their relationship everything is amazing, sincere, unique etc. As I had said before, this partnership was like no other to them. Middle of Katherine, and Michael’s senior year they come to find out that Katherine gets pregnant. Michael insisted that Katherine was to get an abortion, and forget everything. This was a tremendous bump affecting this relationship. So on, and so forth everything falls off track toward the end of the school year. Michael becomes a deadbeat father because Katherine keeps her baby and deals with him. He doesn’t like the fact of this, but he pays child support etc, etc.
I chose this book because a friend referred it to me. My friend had read the series of these books. Which she led to say it was made for teenagers and related a lot to us! The major theme of this book does relate to us in some kind of way. The theme is mainly about teenager’s high school relationships, what comes about, and how to deal with them. I feel like this theme is traditional considering it has to do with teens now in present days. Also, this novel is definitely a socially motivated theme. That’s because it might have a positive impact on some people on how to do with different types of relationships with their partners.
My initial reaction to this book was dislike. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book to others. I’m not exactly sure why, it was somewhat inspirational but I don’t feel enough to be read. This novel doesn’t compare to other relationship books I have read. That is my perspective review on the novel Forever… by Judy Blume
Shelby Carter
Mr. Smith
Portfolio 13
January 6, 2012
The title of my independent reading book is Crank By Ellen Hopkins. My book is about a girl that was kind, sweet and smart. When she took a visit to see here dad in Alberque. Her whole world changes. She’s introduced to the monster by the “ love of her life “ and her own father. They call crystal meth the monster a.k.a crank.
Kristina is the main character of the story. She doesn’t have serious problems with the same person through out the book. It starts with her boyfriend Adams girlfriend Lince. The problem with her soon goes away when she leaves Alberque. When she goes home there are a couple people she starts problems with. Through out the story she gains a problem with her mother and stepfather but nothing ever really comes out of that beside Kristina getting grounded a few times. When she meets a boy named Brendan, things seemed to be going good until one of there dates he took a little to far and raped her. A few months later she finds out he had gotten her pregnant. She haves the baby and that’s were it ends.
I chose this book because I heard a lot of good things about it. From the summary on the back it seemed like something I would really enjoy and wouldn’t mind reading. The different theme through out the book is drugs. More than half of the book is Kristina talking about her highs, and trips and how she got her crank. The theme of the book is dark. It’s the life of a teenager going down hill fast. The book is very entertaining and almost is a lesson to other teenagers, that you’re life can change by every choice you decide to make.
I really liked reading Crank. It made really think about how drugs affect you and what can happen when you hang out with people you barley know. Through out this book my reaction was strong and it almost made me feel bad for Kristina. I felt this way because it made me think back to the best friend I had lost to cocaine. I would choose reading this book over any type of novel. It is filled with entertainment and each time you flip the page you have a different reaction. I would recommend this book to almost anyone. It caught a lot of attention and eyes.