Nearing the Middle of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

         I am completely and utterly entranced by this novel in so many unexplainable ways! This is because it is so true and so heart breaking to hear the Holocaust story from the narrator talking about a little girl named Liesel Meminer. She is such an unfortunate child because her brother has just passed away, and now her parents are shipping her off to a foster home in the hands of her foster father named Hans Hubermann. I can see this story gradually gaining speed when Liesel picks up a fallen book from one of the gravediggers burying her dead brother, and is suddenly interested. This is probably the introduction, or beginning of her travels and troubles with book thievery during the Holocaust. I am definitely anticipating what happens next with Liesel because she is refusing to get out of the car to go into her new foster home, but I personally don't blame her, I would be pretty stubborn if all that had happened to me too!

      Although this book has definitely peaked my interest, there are a few things that I don't understand, or could use some revision. I am not very clear on the point of view of this book, because it is not from the point of view of Liesel, or any of her relatives. But if I were in Markus Zusak's shoes, I would base it on Liesel's reference. This is because it would be very interesting to find out how children related to the Holocaust and how they coped with all the harsh treatment based on race. I also wish that the author would emphasize Liesel's family a bit more because there has to be a huge reason why they are giving up their last child to a foster family. This underlying reason would also help the development of Liesel and her past. Other than these small changes, I am completely loving the structure of The Book Thief. 

      To finalize this blog post, I would love to discuss the movie based upon this book. I would love to see the visual of this mature topic and how the director sees the characters interacting. A few things that I definitely want present in the film are a corrupted society that definitely displays the ideals of the Holocaust and the importance of knowing how to change the future. Another aspect is a very shy, and reserved character to represent Liesel. And then later in the movie, a burst of her true curious self sparkles through her soul. Although I am not allowing myself to see the movie until I complete the book, I am still looking forward to how the author and director share common ideas!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816442/

A Brief Beginning/ Overview of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

            I have just begun the wonderful historical novel of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and I am extremely intrigued by the main character. I was reading the prologue, and I came across an interesting line that reads "Personally, I like a chocolate-colored sky. Dark, dark chocolate. People say it suits me. I do, however try to enjoy every color I see-the whole spectrum. A billion or so flavors, none of them quite the same, and a sky to slowly suck on. It takes the edge off the stress. It helps me relax" (Zusak, 4). This quote hits me really hard in the chest because of the underlying truth that it displays. Colors are what humans really react to, a sad color like blue, or a spunky color like pink, and apparently a dark and mysterious color like chocolate. I love the immediate development of the main character and I hope that more of this specific detail of this character is yet to come.


           Although I have just started this book, I skimmed through before fully reading and saw that the chapters, or segments, are extremely short. I found this very compelling because my previous novels had very long extensive chapters. My prediction is that it is to give little snippets of information, and suspense, so that the reader wants to keep reading, even when the idea of the chapter has been dismissed. I am very excited for this type of writing because I know it will keep me interested for longer periods of time and it will definitely be efficient when I need to get ahead in the book. The only aspect that I am worried about at the moment is that those chapters will be too short and not give enough information to keep the suspense rolling. If this does happen, I will try to move past the mistake, and look more into the awesome characterization.


           To conclude this blog post about my new book, I would like to make a few predictions for the future, as I always do. I think that the overall message of this book will be to let your own actions define your character, because it is about a girl steals books from the Nazi book burnings, and since it is in the Holocaust time period, it is illegal the read as a Jew. These acts of defiance will define her as a rebel, and maybe even a hero. I am not very familiar with the rebels of the Holocaust, so I am very curious to find out how they found out the truth in such a hidden world. Another prediction is that the main character will have more family that supports her in this act, and that they will all eventually pay for it with possible death. I am anticipating the end so much that I can't wait to start reading again, and I hope that the suspense never stops rollin'!






















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_Thief

Nearing the End of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

              At times within this book, as I turn the long and exhausting pages over and over again, I realize that most information that is given through the author's tone is very meaningless to the main character, Mia. This may sound a bit on the mean side, but I am really starting to get extremely bored with the plot line of this novel! It is so confusing when Gayle Forman jumps back and forth with the decision- making process of Mia, and her past life. As I near the ending, I extremely hope for some sort of twist to keep me interested just a little bit longer. The story line really upsets me because I know that it has so much more potential than what Gayle Forman is giving it.


              Although the plot line messes with my head, I really adore the love that Adam has for Mia. With the actions that he displays, such as choosing her over everyone else and loving her for the similarities they have together, not the differences that slit them apart. One night, when Adam takes them out to one of his concerts, Mia doesn't act like herself, with her Halloween costume on and her fake attitude, but Adam looks beyond that and still sees that shy girl in the Orchestra room, and loves her for it. All these aspects of him lead up to the emotion that the reader feels when he finds out that Mia may be dead forever. This part of the novel was probably the most effective for me because it showed that Adam would literally do anything to see her, even if it involved cursing in front of the nurses and collapsing under his own weight. The aspect of their love that really upsets me though is that Mia does not seem to love him the same, and just takes their relationship day by day, until the accident. This part of the story line shows that Mia really does need Adam, or she is just a body floating into oblivion.


             With the conclusion to this blog post, I want to contemplate on some improvements to the novel. In the next few pages of the book, I want to notice a love for Adam that Mia has never felt before, to the point where she is screaming for him from the deepest corners of her soul. I would also love to see Adam become forever changed, seeing Mia's body plugged into all of the machines to keep her breathing. And my final request is that I start to see a change to the plot structure, to make it more understandable and interesting to read. If these changes were made, if they aren't already, then it would make the book so much more fun to read and actually drag the readers with the emotions of the characters, and put them in the same situation.







http://www.pagetopremiere.com/category/if-i-stay/

Nearing the Middle of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

              In my continuation of If I Stay by Gayle Forman, I notice that the author literally sounds like a love-struck teenage girl who is oblivious to everything except her one true love, which in this case is Adam. In some cases, Forman sends this message very smoothly, and in other places, it comes off as very irrelevant to the situation. For example, Mia explains her love life by stating "After that, whenever I started to doubt Adam's feelings, I'd think about my wig, gathering dust in my closet, and it would bring back the memory of that night. And then I wouldn't feel insecure. I'd just feel lucky" (Forman, 101). In this quote, I notice that Gayle Forman isn't going into too much depth to describe Mia and Adam's relationship. This clue may be hinting towards a break or crack in their relationship, which may be concluded near the ending. 

            Another important aspect that I have learned so far is that young love will stay with you forever and take over your thoughts. Mia is so engulfed in Adam that she has not fully grasped the idea of being virtually dead to the world. Which is why the reader feels so much emotion when she finally realizes that she may never be the same again. An example of when I felt a lot of emotion towards Mia is when she says "How am I supposed to decide this? How can I possibly stay without Mom and Dad? How can I leave without Teddy? Or Adam? This is too much. I don't even understand how it all works, why I'm here in the state that I'm in or how to get out of it if I wanted to. If I were to stay, I want to wake up, would I wake up right now? I already tried snapping my heels to find Teddy and trying to beam myself to Hawaii, and that didn't work. This seems a whole lot more complicated" (Forman, 88). I believe this section to be one of the most emotional and thematic section in the entirety of the novel, and although I haven't had any real clues to the conclusion, I believe that these thoughts will lead to her final choice.

           In conclusion to this blog post, I want to make a prediction to the ending of this novel. With all of the current evidence and quotes that I have provided previously, I believe that she will stay. All of her dreams and passions are here on Earth, and because she doesn't seem to be religious, she has absolutely nothing to look forward to if she chooses to let go. Which is why I believe that she will hold on for her remaining family, and especially for Adam. Without knowledge of the future, I can understand that Mia is scared, and I also notice that she feels that she was given a second chance for a very special reason. And I were in Mia's position, then I would stay as well because I was given a second chance at life.

http://www.hypable.com/2014/04/15/if-i-stay-trailer-chloe-grace-moretz/

If I Stay by Gayle Forman Update

                    If I Stay is starting to catch up with my interests, FINALLY. When I first started it, I was contemplating if I should abandon it because it literally had no plot development, but now it is finally becoming interesting. This is because the author, Gayle Forman, is skipping around through the scenes, which include the past and the present. It is a bit confusing using this kind of plot structure, but I think it is actually pretty unique, because I get to witness the car crash at first, then I get to see what happened to Mia and her entire family during the car wreck, and the aftermath. I also get to see snapshots of Mia's relationship with Adam, and the dates and times that they spent together. These circumstances make Mia so overwhelmed when she realizes that she has taken the form of a spirit because all it took was one mistake, to lose everything that she ever loved.


                   I believe that teenagers are so drawn to this book for one reason, and one reason only: IT IS SO REALISTIC. Even though anyone could read this novel and be content with the message, the reason that only teens are perked by this idea is because it can relate to them on so many levels that it is endless! One mistake can either break you or build you, and as humans we always want to build from our mistakes, not shatter and cry about it behind closed doors, but at times, the only logical thing to do is cry for yourself. I have made so many mistakes in my life so far, and what I have found, is that trying to change that mistake into something good, is a mistake in itself, because things that happen in your life were meant to happen, and not just for you to feel sorry, but for you to learn from it and build your life on bigger philosophies than you ever had before. This is why it is good to live with no regrets, because you can't say anything bad about the incident  until it never improves.


                    If I had to change one thing so far about the novel, it would be a more dynamic character for either Adam or Mia that sparks a unique love, not a cliche one. I feel like Adam must be weird, or Mia must be shockingly  outgoing so that the car accident means more than just plain "death." It means loss and sorrow and confusion, but it almost seems like Mia was expecting this to happen as soon as she looked around at the aftermath. I certainly hope that the details about Mia's human body are rationally displayed at a steady tempo because if it is too rushed or too slow, it will definitely become boring. Gayle Forman should very much continue her journey as an author because her way of writing mixed up plot scenes, could definitely intrigue other authors to change up our top reads, and sell way easier to teens and other love story lovers.

 

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/stay-movie-review-article-1.1910768 

The First Impression of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

                I have currently started the novel If I Stay by Gayle Forman, and as of right now, I am nowhere near as impressed as I thought I would be. I get a pang in my chest for saying it, but so far, the author has developed absolutely no plot and no back round on any of the characters except to explain that it is a snow day for the protagonist or main character Mia, and her brother Teddy. And right after the family is introduced, the car wreck comes immediately afterwards, which ends her parents' lives, and leaves chances for Teddy to live very slim. But Mia is in the form of a spirit when she awakens and sees her family laying dead in the perfectly white snow. This was when I got desperately confused because I know almost nothing about the family, and now they are all dead from the very beginning of the book. I dearly hope that the author maneuvers around this confusion because I believe that this will be very hard to read without the proper information prior to the accident.

               Although I believe that there could be many improvements to the start of this novel, I truly believe that the characters sound very interesting and more complex than the plot itself! Mia seems to be an ordinary girl when you take a first glance, but when you look even closer than that, you see that she plays the cello, and that music and her boyfriend Adam, may be the only two things that make her happy anymore. I do not know much more about Mia or Adam, but I can tell that their relationship may be the only hope and suspense that builds the story attached to the car crash. My favorite part of the novel so far seems to be the car wreck scene because the author is so detailed and descriptive about the death of the family and what the paramedics do to attempt to save the two children. "I edge closer and now I know that it's not Teddy lying there. It's me. The blood from my chest has seeped through my shirt, skirt, and sweater, and is now pooling like paint drops on the virgin snow. One of my legs is askew, the skin and muscle peeled away so that I can see white streaks of bone. My eyes are closed, and my dark brown hair is wet and rusty with blood" (Forman, 17-18). This quote shows how detailed the author was to really help the reader visualize one of the most important scenes in the book.
              I would like to take a moment to talk about this new popular author named Gayle Forman. So far I can see that she is a very unique author, because she mixes up the order of events in If I Stay so that the reader is temporarily confused. I am not so sure that I like this kind of writing, but it does intrigue me to find out how she will incorporate this kind of writing into such a complex set of characters in an unusual plot. I have never read another book by her before, but I have a feeling that she will be publishing more novels soon, based on all the publicity she has for just a two book series. I hope that I can trust her to move the story along with ease and to keep me on my toes, because I am determined to finish this series with a smile on my face and suspense in my mind.

http://www.amazon.com/If-I-Stay-Gayle-Forman/dp/014241543X

The Final Post for Paper Towns by John Green

                  As I near the end of the mystery, the plot is building more and more with the search for Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin has been extremely focused on being the first one to find Margo, that he completely hides useful information from his friends, until he figures it out himself first, which I find quite selfish and conceded. But I do understand his struggle to find a lost friend, even though he knows that what he thought was true about Margo, is completely incorrect and confusing. What I find so crazy near the end of the book, is that Quentin was willing to skip his graduation to go find Margo in his brand new minivan all the way in some un-existing town in New York! If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't leave my graduation to go find someone that I barely know, but Quentin did put so much effort into finding her, that I understand why he didn't want it to go to waste.


                  Although this seems to be a very well thought out novel, I find some of the components very confusing involving the clues and how Quentin feels. At the start of the novel, I felt that the clues were very interesting and fun to learn, but now it seems that the clues have absolutely no meaning because Margo isn't making them, but Quentin still manages to find the clues he needs. So to me, I feel that if Quentin were not as dedicated or brave as John Green makes him, the story would have no plot or meaning to it. I desperately hope that the very conclusion ends bitter sweet because that is how the entire novel was, and Margo and Quentin's relationship.

                I would like to take some time to explain the picture that I chose for this SPECIFIC blog. The picture reads "You will go to the paper towns and you will never come back." This quote is a deep representation of what Margo says at the beginning of the novel, when her and Quentin go on their rebellious exploration to get revenge on their former friends. She says this to explain Florida and how much she hates it. Then later on in the novel, she leaves this clue behind for Quentin in the mini mall where she was hiding for so long. This leads Quentin to believe that she is in New York because all she wanted was to run away from the horrible paper town and find herself in a sensation of escape. This is one of the most important lines in the book, and I hope that the very near ending of the book relates to this concept physically and emotionally. 

                       




http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/192/3/f/paper_towns_by_harpymarx-d56wmv9.jpg

On and on with Paper Towns By John Green

               Can you believe that they are coming out with another John Green movie, in addition to The Fault in Our Stars! I am so excited because they did some amazing things with one two- hundred page book, and I cannot imagine the magic they will do with an additional teenage story. I really hope that they include John Green in the making of this film because if he can make thousands of teenagers cry around the world with one book, imagine what he can do at every movie theater in America! He has definitely inspired me, and I have only read apart of his teenage dreams. In the movie, I hope that they understand the authors and the characters hopes for the plot, and if they do, then the movie should be a huge success.

               For the movie, it is crucial to have the perfect Margo. Not just any actress who walks in with darting eyes and a shaky voice, but the teenager that walks in saying "What's my line again?" Or the actress who walks in and as soon as you hand her the script, she smiles and yells "PERFECT!" She must be very adventurous, emotional, and indifferent about life, and not care what anybody else thinks of her. If the teenager acts this way all the time, then it should be easy for them to get behind a camera an do it the same exact way.

              Another crucial component to the movie must be the character of Quentin Jacobsen. This actor must walk in with a sly smile and a feeling of accomplishment. In the book, Quentin seems like a normal teenager, but when you give him an extra long glance, you notice that he seems more insecure than his looks. Quentin is almost nothing without the disappearance of Margo keeping him busy. I have very high hopes for the acting and characters in this movie and hope that the director meets my expectations.


 Nat Wolff attempting for the role of Quentin Jacobsen!

http://www.justjaredjr.com/2014/03/26/nat-wolff-to-star-in-john-greens-paper-towns-movie-adaption/

Nearing the End of Paper Towns by John Green

             As a teenager, Quentin Jacobsen is experiencing a lot. Margo Roth Spiegelman's disappearance, finding clues to discover her again, while secretly lying to his trusting parents, and saving his friends from being drunk at crazy parties. If it weren't for the stress of High-School, then Quentin could have found Margo by now. But I believe that Margo wanted it to be hard to find her, because she has many philosophy's for life, and she makes it quite clear that she wants life to have a struggle, so when you accomplish something that you felt defeated about, then it will seem even better when you complete or accomplish it. I think that the further I get to the conclusion of this novel, I will see the philosophy that she see views as love between Quentin and her.

             As I go through the motions of Paper Towns by John Green, I always find myself wondering what Margo is doing while Quentin runs around frantically looking for scraps of her. Is she relaxing in the Caribbean trusting that Quentin has enough time and money to get a plane there? Or is she hiding from a demon within her that she needs help from Quentin to get rid of? Whatever it is, It is majorly effecting Quentin's teenage life. I think that being a teenager is important to develop important life lessons and goals for the future, and if Quentin is always looking for her, he will be underdeveloped for future life, whether that's with Margo, or another person. But if it does work out, I think this lost relationship will make them become closer, even if Margo may be so far away.

           Another thing that I always ask myself as I read this book, is how Quentin will react when, or if, he finds Margo. Will he be angry that she made him search the world for her? Or will he be grateful that she wanted him to find her, and that she obviously likes him? If I were in Quentin's shoes, I would be a mixture of both. This is because it would ruin my home life and my relationships with my actual friends, along with college and school. I would also be happy to see someone I loved after they left for such a long time. I feel the similar emotions that Quentin does, and I feel sorry and happy for him at the same time.











 http://jennyinneverland.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/paper-towns-john-green-1.jpg

Refresher on Paper Towns by John Green

              As I read Paper Towns more and more, John Green keeps putting me on the edge of my seat! The suspense in this novel never stops accelerating at very high speeds, and never disappoints me anytime I pick it up. I believe that every book, especially mystery romances, should always be speeding up the suspense, because suspense is what keeps the reader interested and visualizing what is going on around and within the characters. I really enjoy how John Green balances the ideals of mystery and love in Paper Towns. He does this by showing how desperate Quentin Jacobsen is about finding more clues, because he loves this rebellious side of Margo, which shows both Quentin's hunger for adventure, and his lust for Margo Roth Spiegelman. If there weren't a balance between these two main ideas, then one characteristic would overwhelm the reader in believing that one topic is more important than the other, when the author wanted the ideas to be equal.

             In my life, I have realized that hope and faith are the two most important qualities you can have to be successful. Likewise in Paper Towns, John Green makes it quite evident that hope and faith are helping Quentin have the determination to find Margo. If it were me that had to go find a reckless, rebellious person that I barely knew, I wouldn't even listen to the clues or try to find them at all, but since Quentin feels a connection with her, he is more encouraged to find her, because she is obviously not the Margo he thought she was. Quentin's friends, Ben and Radar, may be the opposing conflicts in finding Margo throughout the novel because they always seem to be the people who tell him to give up or to stop because the clues are too confusing and don't lead anywhere. But deep down, Quentin knows what Margo wants from him; she wants to be found by him, and him alone. Quentin also knows that he must move fast because time is running out more quickly than he can control.

             As Quentin nears prom day, he despises his friends for thinking that it is more important than finding Margo, so as they get ready for a never- ending night on the dance floor, Quentin searches all around Florida for clues of Margo and what she wants him to know. As he goes back to the mini mall, where he found an address on the hinges of his door left from Margo, he searches inside for something to cling to and give him hope. That's when he finds Margo's nail polish bottle on an old desk with a calendar that has the date June 1986 on it. Quentin gets very excited about this because it proves that Margo was here, and that he is in the right place in the on-going exploration. As I turn each page of this book, I start to see how better off Quentin is when he is independently looking for clues, instead of having two people who drag him down as he searches. I believe that Margo wanted it this way, which is why Quentin is having so much success when he puts all of his trust in Margo to lead him into an eternity with her.    

                             http://www.embowman.com/2011/reading-paper-towns-by-john-green/

   BEING MADE INTO A MOVIE SOON!

                                                                                                 

     

Updated Paper Towns by John Green Review

                    As I dig deeper and deeper into Paper Towns by John Green, I realize more and more of the importance of developing a character through their actions. If a character falters in saving a fallen victim, like in Spider-man or other super hero movies, then the character is known and labelled as that falter. Likewise in Paper Towns by John Green, Margo is always a mystery and no one knows where she is or where she might be in the beginning, making her a label of unknown and lost in High-School society. But when Quentin, Ben, and Radar start finding small clues leading to her whereabouts, she becomes known as exclusive and detailed because every clue leads somewhere, and that place is somehow connected to Margo. As Quentin and his friends attempt to search for these certain clues, there are moments where they are completely frustrated and confused on what Margo wants them to find, and there are other moments where they hit the bullseye and know exactly what she is talking about, but as the plot progresses, it becomes harder and harder to interpret the clues correctly, and find the lost and mysterious Margo Roth Spiegelman.


                    Throughout my lifetime, I've noticed that the word "predictions" could mean so many things. Some of these things include what you think will happen in the future, and another is what you want to happen in the future, which are very extravagant answers considering that as we are reading, our brains already have an expectation of what we think would make it the perfect story or ending to a novel or narrative. In Paper Towns by John Green, the definition of "predictions" that is of what we want to happen, which is what is currently taking up space in my. Quentin, Ben, and Radar are all doing their best to unlock clues far above their heads, as they look for the next clue, which has something to do with un-hunging and looking deeply at doors to find another clue. The three get frustrated because they took an eternity getting the door off of the hinges, and find nothing behind the door. But later that night Quentin un-hinges his own door, and sure enough, a tiny piece of paper with an address that reads "8328 bartlesville Avenue". Quentin takes this as his ticket to finding Margo because the building looks like a trailer park that she could be leading him to. What I think will happen, is he will get there, and instead of finding Margo, he will find another clue leading him somewhere else farther away from the precious, which will make him very angry and discouraged. What I want to happen is he runs in and finds her asleep and waiting inside, and as soon as she wakes up, they have a reunion of love and later go to prom together.

              
                   I have a habit of thinking about another author writing the book I am reading, so as I read Paper Towns by John Green, I find myself wandering to Veronica Roth and Suzanne Collins and how Paper Towns would be altered if they wrote it instead of John Green. I believe that John Green creates a revolution of teenage people who think they are horrifically corrupted, but learn later on that they have much more to experience in life. An example of this is in The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, because Hazel Grace Lancaster feels that since she has lung cancer, her life will never be the same, and that meeting new people is unnecessary because she does not want to hurt them if she dies from her corrupted cancer. That's when Augustus Waters comes into her life, and changes her perspective on everything, but since he has cancer too, his corruptness ends up killing him, and Hazel feels a pain that she has never experienced before. I feel that this will be similar to Paper Towns because it involves teenagers, love, and choices. If Veronica Roth or Suzanne Collins wrote this, I believe that they would twist it into something that has a dystopian theme and a perfect society that affects all people, like in Divergent or The Hunger Games. I believe that John Green put together a perfect infinity for Hazel and Augustus, and I believe that I will soon experience the same with Quentin and Margo.
                   

        http://peaches-and-snow.blogspot.com/2010/12/paper-towns-by-john-green-review.html





                 

Paper Towns by John Green

                       Paper Towns by the spectacular John Green, is a metaphorical book with so many hidden themes. It starts off with a boy named Quentin Jacobsen, who lives across the street from the legend known as Margo Roth Spiegelman. Quentin never really spent much time with Margo in High-School, but one night, everything changed for him, with the help of the rebellious, and adventurous girl he only dreamt of. They started off their adventure with eleven long steps which included rule breaking, humiliation, and revenge towards Margo's and Quentin's formal friends. Although Quentin  did not agree on everything Margo suggested, he knew that he was a different person because of her. But there was a twist to this adventure, because the next day, Margo Roth Spiegelman was gone. She just disappeared in the middle of the night, and was not found the next day, which confused her parents, and Quentin. Although she is gone, Margo has a history of leaving very complex clues to where she went, that annoy her parents very much. But this time, these clues were left for Quentin , and it is up to him to solve the clues, and seek out Margo.

                        Although I am only less than halfway through with Paper Towns, I already feel a deep connection between Margo and Quentin. Margo is almost the exact opposite from Quentin, yet she can make him into an adventurous and rebellious person, with just one night, which makes their friendship special.  If i were put into Quentin's shoes, I would have never trusted Margo, but without the willing trust that Quentin gave her, I don't think that their relationship would have clicked as easily as it did. "I stood up and reached out my hand and said, 'May I have this dance?' Margo curtsied, gave me her hand, and said, 'You may,' and then my hand was on the curve between her waist and her hip, and her hand was on my shoulder. And then step-step-sidestep, step-step-sidestep. We fox-trotted all the way around the seal tank , and still the song kept going on about the stars falling. 'Sixth-grade slow dance,' Margo announced, and we switched positions, her hands on my shoulders and mine on her hips, elbows locked, two feet between us. And then we fox-trotted some more until the song ended. I stepped forward and dipped Margo, just as they'd taught us to do at Crown School of Dance. She raised one leg and gave me all her weight as I dipped her. She either trusted me or wanted to fall" (Green, 79). This quote displays the best example of trust between Margo and Quentin because it shows that Margo trusts Quentin to not drop her or to move the right way in the dance, and she wants him to feel the same.

                       Mystery and trust are the current topics in Paper Towns because of the relationship between the two dynamic characters, the average Quentin Jacobsen, and the mystery of Margo Roth Spiegelman. I believe that John Green is attempting to hide multiple themes with each scene of the book because with each scene, I feel that a character learns a lesson or is too late to learn it, in Quentin's case. Margo tried to warn him the morning before she went missing, and Quentin was too exhausted to realize it, making him a major part of Margo's whereabouts. As I continue to read, I realize more and more of how amazingly intricate John Green's writing is, and how one detail can make up his entire message or plot line. I am really enjoying this novel and can't wait to see the secrets that Quentin unfolds regarding Margo.

http://johngreenbooks.com/paper-towns/ 

 

My Life Next Door- Summer Reading Review

                   Over the summer, I read an amazingly written novel by Huntley Fitzpatrick, called My Life Next Door. It was such a spectacular book because the main character, Samantha Reid, goes through some of the most treacherous problems that people face today, and that includes love, crime, secrets, and choices. All these concepts in life are connected in some situations, as they are in the novel. Samantha falls in love with a boy from a family next door that her mother dislikes, and his name is Jase Garrett. He is a part of a huge family including his mother, father, the oldest brother Joel, his sister Alice, then there's Duff, Harry, and the two little one's named George and Patsy. As Senator of Stony Bay, Connecticut, Samantha's mother is very neat and orderly, which makes her very uneasy about the Garrett's messy house, and unkempt children. Samantha keeps their love a secret for awhile, and finds herself in a deeper problem than she intended on. First in the novel comes the love and secrets, with Samantha keeping her love life a secret to the world, which results in Jase feeling insecure about their relationship.  This then leads to crime and choices, and the crime is when Samantha's mother is driving with her boyfriend and government advisor, Clay, and Samantha in the back seat. The two of them had a few glasses of wine before driving, and before anyone knew what happened, they had committed a hit and run. The next day, Samantha heard some terrible news from the Garrett family, their father had been hit by a car late last at night. It took Samantha awhile to figure it out, but she soon realized her mother had done this to their family. Samantha was faced with the hardest choice ever, to tell the Garrett's and be relieved of the secret, or not tell them to save her mother's job as Senator. I will not tell you what she does, but it will definitely surprise you!


                     My favorite quote from this novel is when Samantha stands up to her mother about her and Jase dating, Samantha says "I'm not going to apologize as though she's right and I've done something unforgiveable. That would make what I said to Jase a lie. I'm not lying to him anymore, even by not telling the whole truth. Instead I stride to the fridge and pull out the lemonade" (Fitzpatrick, 223). I love this quote so much because Huntley Fitzpatrick hid a secret message behind it. Do you know what it is? She is conveying a symbol with the lemonade, and that symbol can be described in one word, rebellion. Samantha is rebelling against her mother's rules about dating a Garrett, and in this quote, it says that she goes to the fridge to get the lemonade, instead of saying sorry to her mother. Samantha has a choice here as well, and that is to trust her mom, or to be with Jase. The lemonade describes how she went the harder route, to the kitchen, to get the lemonade, which would be the rebellious choice. Samantha's true personality shines through her at this part of the book, which is why this quote is so important.


                    The ending of My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, is bitter sweet in so many ways. First off, it ends with Samantha Reid's life being completely switched around by the hit and run that her mother committed. Her mother ends up retiring from being Senator, and is no longer with Clay. As for Samantha and Jase, they are implied as being in the "friend zone" for now, since Samantha and her mother are moving to start a new fresh life. I believe that the ending was perfect for the theme of the story, or what the author wanted me to take away from the reading. The theme of my novel is that love, crime, secrets, and choices can be repaired, but only by the right hands. This means that you can turn your life upside down very easily being around the wrong people, or hands, such as Samantha's mother and Clay, but you can also change is with the right hands, and this was the Garrett family. Samantha knew the choices she had to make, they were just hard to make because people around her were telling her no. But Samantha knew in her heart what she had to do.

                                     http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394240144l/12294652.jpg