Pandora Gets Heart by: Carolyn Hennesy

Over the summer I read a historical fiction book, Pandora Gets Heart, by Carolyn Hennesy. This is the fourth book in the Pandora series. The story takes place in ancient Greece. It is based on the story about Pandora opening a box unleashing all the evils into the world. Her main conflict is that she must collect the 7 evils she had unleashed. If she fails to do that, then the gods will punish her and her family for eternity. Plus she’ll have to live with the fact that she ruined everyone else’s life as well as her own. Furthermore, she also carries a burden knowing that she set the whole world into a panic. She often stresses and worries about her family’s safety as well as her friends.
The characters in this book play a significant role in the story. Each of them has strength and weaknesses, but most importantly they all support each other! Iole is very smart and she has a lot of knowledge about the gods, it comes in handy in many of the situations they face. But she is very frail and weak. Alcie is very brave, and she’ll do anything to help her friends, but she has a very big mouth, sometimes she blurts out things she doesn’t mean. Homer, one of the people they meet along their journey, is quite the poet. Since he’s strong he’s a big help to Pandora’s quest, but he isn’t the smartest person around. Of course Pandora relies on all her friends as well. She is strong and finds herself growing up and becoming mature and taking on responsibility while on her journey. Everyone helps each other out through their strengths and weaknesses, and that’s what helps them succeed in the book.
In this book, there are also many literary devices used to make the book enjoyable. For instance, this book includes foil characters. Hera (a god,) is one of the main foil characters; she always tries to ruin everything and most of the time she succeeds. Her main goal is to keep Pandora from collecting the evils so she can ruin her life. Conflict is also the main part of the story. Without a problem, this book wouldn’t be fun to read at all! The author does a good job of explaining the conflict of the story. Also the author uses mood/tone. Even though the book is historical fiction and about Greek gods, that doesn’t make the book boring. Carolyn Henessy puts voice into her writing and she makes the story very lively and vivid. She gives all the characters in the book personality; it makes the story seem more realistic when character trait is added in. Plus, the story is told in third-person view so it gives you a chance to understand all of the characters thoughts. Third-person helps when you’re trying to understand each person’s internal conflict.
Carolyn Hennesy has a very unique writing style, the story is about ancient people but it isn’t a boring book about history. The characters talk more like they would in present times, and the author weaves in different facts about the ancient gods in a very fluent way. Carolyn Hennesy makes the story come alive with her word choice and makes it more vivid with her detail. The main highlights of the book are that Pandora must collect the evils she had unleashed into the world in 6 months. That task isn’t very easy to accomplish, she and her friends must overcome many hard obstacles too. Battling monsters, or mythical creatures, and trying to receive help from the gods without getting caught by Zeus. If they don’t succeed to catch the evils then Pandora will have to face consequences, and since she is facing the gods, her punishment will be very agonizing. The author’s message seems to be that, if you truly want to accomplish something, you have to try hard. Plus, nothing will come easy unless you try your hardest. Take Pandora for instance, she has come face to face with a hard and almost impossible task. But she wants to fix her mistake knowing the consequences that will follow. She has accomplished so much because she tries and believes in herself. Her friends are always ther to encourage her.
Overall, this was a really great book. It was a fun read and it was nice reading about the Greek gods and learning about their personalities. It’s a whole new story about the Greek myth, Pandora’s Box.

Perfect by Natasha Friend

What do you think of when you hear the word perfect?...

Over the summer, I read a book called Perfect by Natasha Friend. This realistic fiction novel revolves around a girl named Isabelle Lee. Her father died and she had trouble coping with it, so she started binge eating. One day, her sister April caught her in the act, then tells their mother. Isabelle is forced to go to group therapy about body image. She is surprised to find the most popular girl in school, Ashley Barnum, in group. How could she be in group? She is perfect! Well at least that’s what she thought.. Ashley had bulimia just like Isabelle. Over time, they become friends. Isabelle ditches her two best friends Nola and Georgie, for Ashley and her friends. Nola and Georgie are astonished when they see Isabelle having lunch with the famous Ashley Barnum. Overtime, Isabelle realizes that Ashley doesn't have such a great life like she thought. How could Isabelle do such a thing? Perfect uses a lot of literary devices. Especially foil characters. Ashley and Isabelle are so different, that they contrast. Ashley is pretty, popular and everything a girl wants to be. Isabelle is one of those girls no one knows. Other than the fact that their both bulimic, they have nothing in common. Characterization and conflict are also major literary devices in this book.Natasha Friend really paints a picture in the readers mind about the characters. This is significant because if Ashley and Isabelle were exactly the same. Their friendship wouldnt be surprising or controversial. The conflicts are really obvious in this book, bulimia. I think the fact that the two main characters of the book are going through the same thing is very original. This book taught me a lot about bulimia and anorexia. At the end of the book, the author dedicates a page about these two diseases. I feel that if more people read this book they can realize how serious these two diseases are. My overall opinion of the book is that it was amazing! I thought the author made this book very easy to relate to. Also, this book taught me something I didn't know much about (anorexia and bulimia).

The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot

A wonderful book I read this summer was The Mediator Series:Twilight by Meg Cabot. In this book The main character Suze can see and talk to ghosts,The people who have powers like hers are called mediators. Suze is an aggressive yet helpful young lady. Suze focuases on helping ghosts get to the next life.Her peer Paul Slater is also a mediator.Unlike suze Paul likes to steel from the ghost and mock there problems,he often tells suze that a mediators job is not to help ghosts just to listen and mock.The next character is Jesse De Sliva.Jesse is a ghost who died 150 years ago when he was 20 years old.Jesse is a sensitive and caring young man,with a passion for helping people.
The main conflict of this book is that both Jesse and Paul are in love with Suze.Suze however does not know who to choose.She loves Jesse but he is a ghost and can not give her a decent life.Jesse can never be introduced to suze's parents,he can never get married or have children with her,and he will never grow older than 20,not that it matters because only mediators can see him anyways.Jesse would always be Suze's little secret almost like an imaginary friend.Paul on the other hand is gorgeous ,wealthy,and human.Paul has every thing suze would ever need, there is only one problem he's a huge jerk.The message Meg Cabot is trying to portray is that true love concurs all ,and that if you are mean to people you wont get anywhere in life.
Cabot uses foreshaowding alot in this book.She uses it well and it adds to the unique genre of magical realism.Her foreshawding keeps you on your toes and wanting to turn the page.Cabot uses ambiguity,foil character,and a great setting.For foil characters Pauls jerkyyness makes Jesse better,and for setting the old house Suze lives in was a perfect place for her to meet Jesse.I love this book and i would deffently recomend it to girls my age.

Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon

When I read the book Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon over the summer, I was immediately hooked and couldn’t put the book down. The mystery novel Nightmare is a suspenseful and unpredictable, story that combines dreams, or nightmares, with reality. There was excitement and suspense from the first page to the last. Emily Wood, the main character, is an under achiever, or at least it seems that way compared to her straight A siblings. As a result, Emily was sent into a summer camp called Camp Excel: a summer camp for under achievers. Ever since Emily Wood, was a little girl she had one disturbing reoccurring nightmare. Every night when she slept, she saw a dead woman in a lake, then a sudden flash of light appears out of nowhere and as she ran away with terror, she heard a voice screaming for her; telling her that he’ll find her one day, but she thought if she never told anyone about it, it would go away, she was wrong. Emily’s roommate, Hayley made her pick rune stones -stones that suppose ably tell your fortune of that day- and after Emily keeps getting the stone that means that means she’s in danger. Emily begins to worry about if she is going to get murdered this summer, and if the nightmare had anything to do with it. Instead of Camp Excel being a struggle to learn, it becomes a struggle to survive. From then on, one of Emily’s friends was always by her side, hoping to scare of whoever is plotting against her.

The author’s writing style very interesting and dramatic. Every other chapter, Nixon changed from the perspective of the protagonist, Emily, to the antagonist. This made the book very suspenseful because the antagonist remained anonymous until the end of the book, and you go to see what the antagonist was planning and thinking while the book went on. The author also used a lot of literary devices, such as foil characters (to make the book more interesting), mood (to set the book in a mysterious tone), point of view (so you can know the characters inside feelings), and, of course conflict to make the book very engaging.

Another quality that makes this book amazing is that it also had a meaningful message, which is if something is bothering you, you shouldn’t leave it bottled up inside, but you should tell someone about it. Emily didn’t tell anyone about her nightmare, and that got her into a lot of trouble and a very dangerous situation. I would defiantly recommend this book to the class because it was one of my favorite books, and if anyone enjoyed it as much as me, than it will be one of theirs also.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Monuz Ryan

Have you ever read a book that you just couldn’t put down? During this summer I read an outstanding novel titled Esperanza Rising. Pam Monuz Ryan created an engaging story that will keep you reading all day. Esperanza Ortega was living a wonderful life in Mexico with her family. The night of her thirteenth birthday, bandits killed her father. After hearing the bad news, Esperanza’s evil uncles sneakily came to their ranch. They strongly told Ramona Ortega (Esperanza’s mom) that if she did not marry Tio Luis (Ramona’s brother in-law) there would be consequences. Because, Tio Luis was the governor of Mexico at the time, he wanted to marry the most known women in Mexico.  When Ramona Ortega declined his offer, the two evil uncles set the Ortega’s ranch on fire. Days later, Ramona Ortega agreed on marrying Tio Luis. Later that night Esperanza and her mom escaped from Mexico and traveled to the United States. Esperanza was then forced to live a different life. She had to go to a camp for Mexican farm workers. She was now considered a poor farmer in California. The ending of the book will make you realize how fortunate you should be for what you have. I wont spoil the ending, so you’ll just have to read it! Esperanza Rising is a little bit of a fairy-tale but also can be a real life situation. Esperanza Rising includes a very important message though. Even if something tragic happens you have to find a way to move on. I think this book’s message, brings out character traits. It shows that Esperanza is a strong determined teenager. Besides theme, there are symbols used in the story. Esperanza learns a zigzag stitch pattern for making a blanket. The zigzags on the blanket are a symbol because it shows the ups and downs in everyone’s lives. There are many other symbols in the book but you just have to read to find them out! Esperanza Rising takes place during the Great Depression. If you didn’t know, families had a lot of financial problems back then. Truthfully, reading this book made me change my way of life. I now always try to think positive like Esperanza did. Overall, Esperanza Rising was one of the best books I read and I definitely recommend it to anyone my age. ­  

Scott Klein Mr. Marcus

English Period 1

While I read many books this summer, my favorite was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, by J.K. Rowling. This final installment to the famous series takes Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, on a heart pounding adventure across the wizard world. Voldemort, Harry Potter’s archenemy and leader of the dark wizards, has destroyed Potter’s life. He and his minions have killed not only Harry’s parents but also his godfather and mentor, Dumbledore. Dumbledore has sent Harry and his friends on an impossible mission to destroy Voldemort with only a few tools and a point in the right direction. But, Harry will do the impossible to avenge his parents and finish his mentor’s work.

J.K. Rowling has outdone herself in this seventh and last novel. I recommend it, but only if you wish to stay up until one in the morning, not being able to take your eyes off the page. Although the book does continue the story from the other six novels, the plot of The Deathly Hollows has unexpected elements and makes you question what you thought you knew from the earlier stories. Rowling uses many literary elements to create excitement and tension in this novel. There are many examples of foreshadowing, characterization, and symbolism in the novel. The author keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat by alluding to things yet to come. Unfortunately, most examples of these foreshadowings would give away essential parts of the story and so I cannot divulge these details. Rowling also uses symbolism effectively. The Petronis Charm takes the form of an animal which represents the character's personality - Harry Potter Petronis becomes a stag representing his bravery and leadership skills. Finally, with Rowling's omnipotent narrating, the reader is able to delve deep into the thoughts and emotions of Harry.

The Deathly Hallows is by far the goriest and depressing book of the series and takes the action up to the next level. As the main characters grow up so does the maturity of the plot. The story develops from a children’s fantasy novel with Harry meeting his dear friends and having petty competitions with the obnoxious Malfoy, to an adult adventure book that includes fighting the un-dead, killing giant snakes (also called basilisks) and having wizard duels to the death. It is as though the readers grow up with the Harry. J.K. Rowling’s foreshadowing, symbolism, characterization and unique story has created a can’t miss series that everyone, young or old, should read.

(The following link is a clip to a preview of the movie version of this novel. Wait a few seconds before clicking twice, or it will restart)

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2799962393/

Something like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Have you ever had to make a decision that could possibly ruin your friendship with your best friend? In this book Something like Fate by Susane Colasanti, one of the main characters named Lani is in the exact same situation. Throughout the book, Lani struggles on whether or not to admit that she likes her best friend, Erin's boyfriend, Jason.

Lani and Erin are very close; they share a secret bond which a big part of their friendship is built on. One summer Jason and Lani started to get closer and closer, but Lani felt guilty about it. This would eventually create conflicts; not just conflicts with Erin, but also within herself.

I have many positive things to say about this book, as well as her other 2 books I have read. There isn’t much unique content, but there are a lot of things I like about her writing. One of the things I like is how she uses voice. Even though Susane Colasanti is an adult, in some way she can recollect how teenagers think.

Other than Susane Colasanti’s voice, she includes a lot of other Literary Devices. A couple of them are foreshadowing, ambiguity, foil characters. Foreshadowing is when the author gives subtle hints or clues that show what will happen next. It makes the reader want to keep reading to find out what’s going to happen. Ambiguity is when the author leaves out information. This makes the reader think of possibilities of what might happen. Lastly, are the foil characters, which is when there are two characters that serve as a contrast or challenge to the main character. Notice that all of these literary devices listed lead to the reader wanting to keep reading.

I love all Susane Colasanti’s books; that’s why I would definitely recommend them to all of my friends; as well as all girls my age.