Replay by Sharon Creech

In the beginning of the school year, I read a realistic fiction book called Replay by Sharon Creech. This book is about a boy named Leo, and how no one pays attention to what he says, or does. Leo is a very imaginative person, he day dreams when he think he is the hero of the situation. When in reality he isn’t, he is mostly the cause, of the situation. That why his sibling, family members, and sometimes teachers call him sardine or fog boy, but one day his drama teacher called him the dreamer. Which made Leo very proud of himself because he the only one who doesn’t care what around him

Leo’s main external conflict is that he and his whole family don’t get along together. He always in the middle, of something like when his brother and sister fight, or when his mother or father can’t find something, they accept him to know where it is. When he asks about Rosaria he should know who she is, and what happened to her. The main internal conflict that Leo has is that he feels invisible to the people around him, and he feels his talents are no good to people.

I think the author’s overall message is if you are good at something you should follow your dream, even if you think no one thinks you up for the challenge. The story was mostly about Leo, and the love he has to tap dance and act. This makes the reader think, that Leo was more like his father, when he was a child. But his father hates tap dancing and acting because it reminds him of his childhood. The unique thing about the author’s writing style is when the characters have a long dialogue; the author would make it into a script type of way. When Leo reads his father autobiography he wrote when he was 13 years old, the things that happened to his father would be in italic, so the reader knows who is speaking Leo. The literary devices the author used were mood/tone to describe the daydreams Leo had. Also ambiguity, so the reader wouldn’t know why the family was sad when Leo said the name Rosaria.

My overall opinion, of the book is the meaning ,of the book, which is to never give up on your dreams. It’s good to be very imaginative because you have an open mind of everything you want ,or dream to do. I would recommend it to kids or teenagers, who feel that they aren’t good at anything. When you find something your good at go for it, and don’t let no one stop you from achieving your goal.

Pretty Little Liars: Flawless by Sara Shepard

Pretty Little Liar’s is a series of eight books. I’m writing about the second book called Flawless, it’s by Sara Shepard. In the last book you found out the main characters which are Allison, Spencer, Aria, Hannah and Emily. After Allison died in the last book weird things have been happening to the other four friends, such as they have been getting anonymous texts and IM’s and letters from a person who calls their self A. On the back of the book it says “And their most horrible secret yet is so scandalous that the truth would ruin them forever. And why shouldn’t I tell? They deserve to lose it all.” It seems like this A person feels that they need to get revenge on the four friends because the person keeps messing around with Hannah, Aria, Spencer and Emily.
The message that the author is trying to portray is that you shouldn’t keep secrets because someone always gets hurt and life gets complicated. Basically most of the weird messages started coming after people found Allison’s body underground in the yard of Allison’s old house. There have been a lot of things that have happened to the girls that A can use against them. For example Hannah used to be the “chubby” one of the group and so Allison made sure she watched her weight and that sort of stuff, also Hannah was caught shoplifting. Aria has an on and off relationship with her teacher Mr. Fitz. Emily is starting to become self aware of her sexuality. Also, Spencer has always fallen for her sister Melissa’s boyfriends. There is also a TV show that can show you this visually aside from having to read the books.
The literary devices that the author uses are suspense because you don’t know what is going to happen next. The setting has to do with the book a lot because it takes place in a nice, rich neighborhood that usually doesn’t have bad things happening. There is also foreshadowing because sometimes you can infer if bad things are going to happen. For example at one of the parties in the beginning of the book, Hannah’s boyfriend did not want to do what Hannah wanted to, so she took his car keys and crashed his car. The author also uses foil character, because there are mean characters in the book that like to bully others. This is a really good book because the author reflects her writing on problems that teenagers have in life, which can really help people relate to the book. Something unique about the author’s writing style, is she has an anonymous character who tries to ruin four friends lives. This book is really good so far.

It's Not Summer Without You ~ Jenny Han

Over the summer I read the novel, It's Not Summer Without You, by Jenny Han. In this realistic fiction novel, Belly and Jeremiah are the narrators, and Conrad, Jeremiah’s brother, is also another main character. Belly, Jeremiah, and Conrad have been friends since they were born. Every summer, they go to their summerhouse on Cousins Beach. Except for this summer is different, for once they are not going to Cousins Beach. After Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother dies, everything is deferent. Each character has a hard time dealing with this death. Han changes narrator a few times throughout the novel. This change of perspective clears things up for the reader a lot, because sometimes it is hard to express what the other characters are feeling. Now the reader understands what the character is actually going through. This death changes everything because without Susannah, it doesn't feel right going to the house. Conrad especially has a hard time dealing with his mother’s death. When he feels like he can’t take it anymore, he drops everything at college, and escapes to the summerhouse. Belly and Jeremiah finally find him there. Conrad is confused, hurt, and unsure of himself and his life. He doesn't yet know how to cope with this death. Belly and Jeremiah are shocked and mournful also, but they have found ways to cope. Belly is thinking about how happy she must be now that she isn’t hurting anymore. Jeremiah is dealing with the death by doing what he knows would make her proud. With different perspectives on each character, the reader can really comprehend what each character is going through. The theme of the novel is that dealing with death is hard, and it is the time you need your friends and family the most. With the different view of all the characters, you can really see how they deal, and what their methods are. This novel was fantastic, but if u read it, make sure to read the first of the trilogy, The Summer I Turned Pretty.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher is certainly a magnificent book I will never forget—and not only because it focuses on one of the most horrific actions in human society: suicide. This book is mostly told in the form of tapes from the past, recorded by a girl who killed herself, Hannah. Before her death, Hannah recorded 13 tapes, telling her unlucky audience, the people who affected her decision, 13 reasons why she committed suicide. The main character, Clay Jenkins, is the first to receive these tapes. After hearing the purpose of these recordings, Clay panics upon hearing he is included in these tapes. Since Clay has received the tapes, he beats himself up inside, thinking he indirectly committed murder.

In the book, the author uses symbolism to portray what is left of Hannah as a person. Because the tapes reveal the inner most thoughts and feelings of Hannah when she was alive, it reminds the listeners of the days with her around and sets a gloomy setting for the book. As the tapes tell their story about the critical days of Hannah’s life, Clay starts to learn from her mistakes which motivates him to keep his chin up. I would definitely recommend this book because Asher switches from past to present, as well between Hannah and Clay’s perspective. This book, though it might seem depressing, is enjoyable to read. The book is a perfect balance between drama and joy that it makes the reader never want to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about the everyday life of a teenager and people who like reading realistic fiction.