I just finished the book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I am very happy that I read this book. I don't usually read historical fiction, but I really liked how I could learn about history in an inspiring story like The Help. It's setting is placed in the 1960's in Jackson, Mississippi. In a group of friendly white ladies, Skeeter Phelan decides to make her dream come true and become a writer by taking on the position to write about housekeeping in the local newspaper. Skeeter uses her friend's black maid, Aibileen, to help with her writing and to get the full perspective on being a maid during this time period.

As I read The Help, every chapter only continued to get better. I don't want to give any spoilers to this book, but the ending was definitely one of my favorites. Kathryn Stockett doesn't give you all the information to what happens to the characters, but she does give you enough detail to see the change and inspiration in the characters. The Help would be a unique book to have a sequel to, but I also like the details Kathryn gives you at the end to make up your own sequel.

I am happy that I saw the movie and then read the book. It's an unusual order, but now I can watch the movie again and really point out the differences between the two. It's also is always fun to see a book acted out on the big screen.

Now that we are so close to winter break, I want to talk about the books I want to read over break. I would like to read the third book in the Hourglass series, Infinityglass by Myra McEntire. I have not read the first two books in this series in a long time, so I plan on also reading those over break.

 

Below is the link to the movie trailer for The Help:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ajv_6pUnI

I finished Growing Up Duggar over the past two weeks. The rest of the book was fantastic! I thought that this book was really interesting to read because it wasn't from the perspective of one person, but from the perspective of four people! I liked reading about multiple views on the kinds of relationships they talked about. They always seemed to connect each type of relationship they were focusing on in a chapter with the relationship(s) they had talked about or were going to talk about.

Overall, my favorite relationship to read about was having a relationship with friends. This was my favorite relationship to read about because I think it spoke well on how to treat your friends, choose them wisely, and how to even be a friend to someone you may not even be close with. These were all really good things that they pointed out.

The main idea I saw them always referring back to had to do with the connection between the type of friends you have and they kind of future you want to have. Grandma Duggar tells her grandchildren, "Show me your friends, and I'll show you your future," (Duggar 108). I think this really explains that the kind of people that you surround yourself with leads to the kind of future you'll have.

Tonight, I am going to begin reading my new book, The Help. It is the last book I chose from a genre that I do not usually read. It is a historical fiction book and I am pretty excited to read it. I saw the movie a few times and I enjoyed it a lot. I have heard that the book is even better and I am hoping to say the same.

This picture shown above is of Mrs. Duggar and Grandma Duggar.

Below is a link to the Goodreads page about The Help:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4667024-the-help?from_search=true

I found my nonfiction book this week, Growing Up Duggar, and I am very pleased with it so far. Growing Up Duggar is written by Jana, Jill, Jinger, and Jessa Duggar. The four Duggar daughters from the TLC show, 19 Kids and Counting, wrote this book to talk about relationships. The kinds of relationships they mainly focus on in the book is your relationship with yourself, your parents, your siblings, friends, guys, your country, culture, and with the world.

I read about what they spoke on about a relationship with yourself and I was very impressed. Jana wrote about how she'd see what her sisters were wearing to go somewhere and change into something more like what they had on. I immediately connected to her because I have also done that before. Today,  many girls focus on making sure they wear the cutest outfit or don't want to go out not looking nice. They'll ask what their friends are going to wear. Then, compare it to what they are going to wear. I think that we get so caught up in the fact of comparing ourselves to others. It's very normal to do that, but we lose the idea of what we actually want and focus on impressing others instead.

These girls are wonderful writers and I'm so happy to be reading this book. I found a book that I wanted to read about, and that is people impacting others in a good way. This is the first book from the Duggar's that I am reading, and I'm excited to read more about what they have to say. They definitely have impacted me and I only just started reading it.

This link is to the Duggar's website:
http://www.duggarfamily.com

End Aim of Allegiant!

**SPOILER(S) ALERT**

 I finally finished Allegiant! I think that it was a great book overall. It had an exceptional plot to it. I really enjoyed how much detail the author, Veronica Roth, wrote about the setting. I could pick up that book anywhere I was and picture every little detail that she would write about. The only thing that I did not like about the book was the ending, obviously! I wish that Veronica Roth make it like that because I wanted more. But I am very happy that she has had so much success with this series. I know that if she writes more books, they'll be just as great.

My favorite part in Allegiant was when Tris, Tobias and the other members took the risk and went beyond the fence. This was my favorite part because what was out there to be revealed to them was so suspenseful and mysterious. They didn't know what kind of people they would meet or things they would see. It was a brand new experience for them and it was fun and adventurous. It happened to remind me of the first time I traveled to New York City. The cultural there is so different than what we are used to in a suburban-like area. It's exciting and adventurous just like the book. You just want to take a picture of every little thing you see and do all the popular things that the city has to offer, like seeing a Broadway show. The people you meet are so cool and it made me realize that there is so much more cultural out there that I have yet to explore.

I am going to look for a non-fiction book to read next. I think I want to read more about someone who has experienced the cultural lifestyle, like an actor or singer. I want to get their perspective on that type of life. I also would like to read about someone who was happy to make a change. I haven't found a book like that yet, but maybe I will soon!

This week link goes to a culture report on New York City:
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/cities/new-york

***SPOILER(S) ALERT***
This week in class, we wrote a synthesis about where resilience comes into play in our own lives, The Color of Water, and included tips talked about in the article we read. As I concluded my reading for the week, I realized that Tobias is resilient. The part I was reading discussed his difficulty about being beaten when he was younger. I realized that although he discusses his poor childhood memories, he doesn't let them bother him much. He didn't let his father ruin his entire life because of those bad situations, instead he used them for his own good. Tobias let those bad situations shape him, and make him stronger. He doesn't live with it in a depressing way, but in a powerful way that can help him grow, and that's exactly what resilience is.

From what I have read of Tris, I also think that she is resilient. She is actually shown as being resilient a lot throughout the Divergent series. For example, in Divergent when her mother was shot,
she put it aside at the moment and focused on would mother would want her to do. She needed to focus on dissembling the factions and protecting herself at the same time. Her resilience showed when she took her  focus off of her mother just dying, and focusing on the task at hand that could effect her more in the future.

When I am in a bad situation or am faced with a problem, I see myself as being resilient by not letting it destroy me, but putting it into a positive perspective. I will look at a situation or problem and think of positive pieces that I can take away from that will help me with other situations or problems in the future. I think that this really helps because focusing on positive things are good and healthy for you! You don't want to be negative towards every situation that comes your way. Think of situations as lesson so that you can learn from them instead. My mother will always say, "When you have to deal with a bad situation, learn from it in a positive way because all bad situations will only make you stronger in the end."

This link goes to different quotes about resilience:
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/resilience

So far, my favorite character in the book has to be Tris. I really like her curiosity and determination. Ever since the first book, her curiosity has always preserved her. For example, in Divergent, she was curious about her being Divergent. Another example, from Insurgent, is her determination to find out what had been going on at Erudite Headquarters. A third example, from Allegiant, is her curiosity about what would be beyond the fence. That curiosity goes away, but is only replaced with her new curiosity and determination to find more about her parents past lives. As I continue, I think I will see more curiosity and determination coming from her, and it will only make the book so much better.

As I read on this week, I connected  Tris to a character in a movie I recently saw, The Maze Runner. The main character, Thomas, is also very curious and determined like Tris. He wakes up in an unknown place to a group of boys looking at him. He realizes that he is trapped with the high walls surrounding him, and that the only possible way out is going into the maze when the wall doors open. It is one of the rules there (in the Glade) that you can't to go into the maze unless you're a "runner", but Thomas does anyway. He went beyond the walls just like Tris went beyond the fence. They both were curious and determined to go beyond where they were not  allowed to go. I know Tris' curiosity took her places, but did Thomas'? Read or watch The Maze Runner to find out! I very much recommend it!

My reading this week was filled with answers to my curiosity about things happening in the book! It has only gotten more suspenseful as I have continued to read. I'm hoping that it will only get more suspenseful further on. I like Tris' curiosity about her parents, but I would really like it if she became curious about a different topic. Maybe something to do with Tobias? It will only make the book more intriguing! Veronica Roth has done a wonderful job at keeping me hooked onto this book, and I'm hoping I still will feel that way when I am closer to the end!

My link this week is to The Maze Runner trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64-iSYVmMVY

*Spoilers-Read at your own risk*

 

As I read this week, I yet made another connection to Tris in the book! Tris was finishing reading part of her mother's file: "My teeth dig into my lower lip. Here in the Bureau compound, people are sitting in the cafeteria right now, eating and drinking and laughing. In the city, they're probably doing the same thing. Ordinary life surrounds me, and I am alone with these revelations" (Roth 190). I read this and I automatically made a connection to how I am when I read. Whether I'm at school, in the library, or at a restaurant when I read, sometimes I can get so lost in the book that it doesn't matter what is going on around me. I like that a lot about reading because there are thousands of stories you can fall in love with, and make up whatever kind of setting that you picture in your head to go with them. 

 



 

I'm happy that Tris decided to read part of her mother's file! It was really interesting to read about her mother's childhood, what her parents were like, and how she got into the Bureau. The file revealed that Tris' mother was part of the Bureau, and I think that this made Tris feel more comfortable and welcome being there. I predict that Tris feeling this way will make Tobias and her other friends feel more welcome and comfortable too.





 

In the reading this week, it was revealed that Marcus would not be executed, but sent outside the gates. I was really surprised that they didn't execute him, especially with all the terrible things he has done. Evelyn spoke about these terrible things: "You deceived innocent children into risking their lives for your purposes. Your refusal to follow the orders of myself and Tori Wu, the former leader of Dauntless, resulted in countless deaths in the Erudite attack. You betrayed your peers by failing to do as we agreed and by failing to fight against Jeanine Matthews" (Roth 200). I would think that the citizens would have been upset about not having him executed, but I guess that Evelyn thinks that sending him beyond the fence is even worse than that. I'm wondering if this means he and Tobias might meet again? That would be a thrill to read about! I'll just have to read more to see what happens!

 

 

 

My link this week is to a goodreads page for the popular books of 2014:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/books-to-read-in-2014

I made a text to self connection as I read this week about Tris taking her first ride in an airplane. As I read, I connected that when I took my first plane ride (two years ago), I also felt how Tris felt. I was nervous, but very excited. I was questioning the ability of the plane at the same time. It amazes me (as it seemed to amaze Tris) that something so heavy and huge had the power to stay flying high up in the sky. And the view you get from that high up is one you never can forget. It gives you a perspective of how big the world really is, as you compare it to your everyday life. 

***SPOILER ALERT*** One crazy part of Allegiant that I read this week was when Tobias was told he isn't Divergent!!! I was so shocked! He had lived up to that title for a long time, and now it has no meaning to who he is. But he should also realize that he is the same person he has always been, with that title or not. I predict that he will realize that he is the same person as I read this next week, but maybe he won't and he'll take this news a different way. 

Another big event happened in the reading this week; Tris received her mother's file to read. Like Tris acted in the book, I wouldn't know what to do with it. I would be so anxious if I waited forever to decide if I should open it or not. I might also be way too excited and just open it right when I got it! The information that could be held inside could be heartbreaking or super fantastic! It will be interesting to find out what is inside!

My link this week is for a goodreads page full of Allegiant quotes:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/15524549-allegiant

A part I read in Allegiant this week was when Zoe was talking about how she has trained for her whole life to get where she is now, working at the Bureau. As I read this, I made a text to world connection. I connected how very few people in our world today set themselves up for what they do in the future at a young age, and many other people don't find out what they will do until they are older (like the faction members in this series). 

I found another text to world connection as I read this week. The faction components are made up in the large cities in the Midwest, like Detroit and Chicago. The faction components are like large companies to us. I connected them to how we have large companies located in Detroit and Chicago, like Ford Motor Company's Headquarters.

Reading Allegiant this week was so suspenseful! There are so many questions I have about the book and I found some answers to my old questions. I like this book even more because I have made so many connections to the world today and other books. I looking forward to looking for more connections as I read. I'm also expecting to find answers to my unanswered questions this next week, and even find myself asking more questions about what will be happening.

My link this week is to an interview with Veronica Roth. Veronica tells readers how she came up with the factions.

https://www.goodreads.com/interviews/show/637.Veronica_Roth

As I continued to read Allegiant this week, it became very interesting. Tris, Tobias, and other members get to the other side of the fence. As they were roaming around, they met Zoe and Amar (who was Tobias' old instructor) who took them to meet the leader of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. He was in charge of the manipulation of the people's genes. His name was David, and he began to explain to them the history that came before their time. He explained how there was a country before they made the factions. David explained how they used genetic manipulations to take away certain traits that they did have in the past (like selfishness), but didn't want anymore because it caused too much conflict. David told them that factions were made as a cause of a war they had (called the Purity War) which was between people with damaged/manipulated genes and the people with pure genes (including the government). They also reveled that Divergent's are ones with pure genes. And the most interesting thing that I read this week was that the Bureau of Genetic Welfare have been watching the people of the factions' every move with camera surveillance.

If I were to be like Caleb or Cara, someone with damaged genes, I would definitely be upset. I wouldn't want to be someone that was altered, and have some that were not, just for an experiment. I would want to be whole, and I would always be jealous of the ones who were. 

I'm predicting that some type of conflict will start between the damaged genes and the people of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. I think it will also be interesting to see what the Bureau of Genetic Welfare will do with Tris, Tobias, and the others. Will they use them to their advantage? Will Tris, Tobias, and the others fight against the Bureau? Or will the Bureau send them back into the gates? It is very suspenseful and I am excited to read more this next week! 

The link I found this week is to an article about how the Allegiant movie was announced to be split in two parts. I know I am not finished with the book, but I think that Allegiant has so much suspense. They will be phenomenal movies no matter where they decide to split it. 

http://www.latinpost.com/articles/10532/20140414/divergent-movie-series-lionsgate-split-allegiant-book-two-movies-mimic.htm

This week, I have continued to read Allegiant. I have grown a great liking for the book. A change of events have been happening throughout the story. I don't want to give away much, but the most interesting thing that happened in the book was when Tris and Four got on a train to go beyond the fence. There was always a lot of suspense as I read this week, and I did not want to put the book down!

The part I am at in Allegiant (Tris, Four and other members getting on the train to go beyond the fence) is reminding me of a book I have read in the past, Hourglass by Myra McEntire. In Hourglass, the main characters have to go behind their work leader to risk their lives to travel back in time a save a friend. It is a fantastic book that I recommend reading. It reminded me of this part of the book in Allegiant because they also are risking their lives to travel beyond the fence. They don't know what will be out there, and don't know if what is out there will hurt them, but they are hoping for something better than the lives they have inside the fence.

Veronica Roth is the author of Allegiant. She was born in August 1988 near Chicago, IL. Veronica graduated with a creative writing degree. Her first book was Divergent, and then she went on writing Insurgent and Allegiant. Veronica also wrote a few short stories in relation to the Divergent book series. I think she has a great future ahead of her, and I'm excited to read more of her books.

I found information about Veronica Roth here:
http://bestsellers.about.com/od/authorprofilesaz/p/Veronica-Roth-Bio.htm

Below is a link to a review on Hourglass, the book I connected with Allegiant:

http://thebusybibliophile.com/review-hourglass-by-myra-mcentire/

I began reading Veronica Roth's Allegiant this week. It'll be fascinating to find out how Veronica Roth ends the Divergent book series. I have only read the first eight chapters of the book, but have enjoyed reading what I have read. I'm excited to continue reading it throughout the next few weeks.

Allegiant is the final book to the Divergent book series. Veronica Roth ended the book before this one (which was Insurgent) with a lot of suspense at the end. She brings all of that suspense back into the story at the beginning of Allegiant. Evelyn Johnson is Tobias' mother and head leader of the factionless. She has a plan to get rid of factions altogether (with help from the members of the factionless). One main event that just happened in the reading was a riot that happened to show that there should be no more factions. I don't want to spoil this part of the book, but this riot did involve someone destroying the bowls from the Choosing Ceremony to show that they are against the idea of having factions.

One thing in Allegiant that is different from Veronica Roth's first two books in this series is that she uses two character viewpoints (Tobias' perspective and Tris' perspective) throughout this book. I really like that she chose to show two different viewpoints because it can give readers different ideas/predictions of the story that they may not have thought of before. I also think that books with multiple viewpoints are more interesting and fun to read. I look forward to seeing what else happens in the story this week as I continue to read.

I attached a link to the movie trailer for the first book in this series, Divergent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutgWjz10sM

          My summer reading book was Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. This book was about a seventeen year old girl, named Taylor, who returns with her family to their summer lake house in Pennsylvania. The last time Taylor was there, five summers ago, she left without saying goodbye to her two closest friends that she had hurt very badly. She would always run away from her problems, and at times, literally ran away from them. Throughout the book, Taylor tries to make amends with the people she hurt, like her past two close friends, Henry (her old crush) and Lucy. While Taylor tries to make amends, she also deals with her father only having a few months left to live. This summer is Taylor's second chance to change things with the people she cares about, not run away anymore, and enjoy the time she has left with her father. This book is great for readers who like Romance, but with a tragic twist.

          I liked this book a lot. I would give this book a four-star rating. Although it had some suspense, there were times in the book that seemed too predictable. It made the book less exciting to read. I always predicted that she would see someone specific, or go do something that was very easy to predict. At the same time that I was satisfied my predictions were right, I still wished that Morgan Matson chose for something better to happen. I wanted to be surprised that I had the wrong predictions, so that I could look forward to see what better dramatic detail Morgan Matson had in store for the novel.

          Second Chance Summer does have a wonderful summer romance in it, but the romance wasn't what the whole story is about. Morgan Matson adds other details in the book that aren't all about Taylor's love life. Taylor has to find a way to talk with Henry and Lucy and become friends with them again. You also see that Taylor spends a lot of time with her family, especially because her dad is sick. She develops a better relationship with her dad, and the rest of her family during this time. Taylor would go to a diner with her father every morning before she headed to her job at the beach. And there whole family would play a board game together every night. Even though her dad was sick, the whole family still went on with their lives. They all lived every summer day to the fullest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsCZdvAv6NQ