I am so impressed with everyone's hard work with literature circles! I am extremely proud of how hard all of you have worked to do your readings on time and be prepared for your literature circle roles each class. I hope you enjoyed the experience and liked your book!
Here is one more assignment:
Please post a comment about the book you read for class. Post a minimum of 35 words about what you liked about the book or didn't like. Be specific. Did you like the main character, did you like the conflict he had to deal with, did you like the style of how the book was written? Be sure to explain why. If you didn't like something about the book, please explain that too. Don't give away the entire plot of the story or too many secrets, but tell enough so that it will inspire someone else to pick up this book or not.
"Drums, girls, and Dangerous Pie" was an ok book, but not in my top favorites. Steven throughout the book really bothers me. In the beginning, he goes on and on about how his mom took Jeffery on a "vacation" and how it wasn't fair, when actually, he was getting a series of painful shots. His brother got diagnosed with cancer and he just complains about himself.at just doesn't make him a good character. And he cares about his "image" and such th I also don't like the ending of the book. Almost 13-15 pages toward the end, the author randomly throws in Samantha. He tries to make a little bit of a connection between Steven and her, but it's so brief you barely realize it. And how Steven gets all mad at the end (not going to say what happens) just didn't really go into the story.
ReplyDelete"That Was Then This Is Now" was pretty good until it reached the end. Bryon and Mark were getting along real well, Bryon had a girlfirend and everything was going real smooth. Until Bryon changed and discovered some life-threatning secrets about Mark. Bryon wasn't going to shake it off and let it go like he did, when mark was always causing trouble. This time it was different. Bryon was changing and Mark and Cathy weren't.{Cathy is Bryon's girlfriend} Instiad of all three of them coming together, their spreading apart and heading in diffferent directions. Growing up can become tough to do.
ReplyDeleteTangerine was a great book. Paul Fisher, the main character, is a very talented soccer player even though he is blind and is always determined especially when it comes to the main conflict, the Erik Fisher Football Dream. Paul's parents, especially his dad, pay most if not all their attention to Paul's brother Erik who is a senior in high school and is a star kicker on the school football team. With all the attention on Erik, Paul tries to gain some ground by playing soccer on the Tangerine Middle School team. I don't like the conflict because I think Paul's parents should have paid more attention to him ever since he went blind. I liked how the book was arranged into a diary format. It made me feel like I was there witnessing all that has happened throughout the book. I thought Tangerine was a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteWhere the Red Fern Grows was a great book. At first I was a little confused, but as the book went on I really enjoyed it. I could just picture the dogs, as they hunted for the coons. Scurrying up trees, swimming in the water and many other things. He worked so hard to get the dogs and he had to wait so long for them to come. He also treated them great. He was so determined to catch raccoons. He was even obsessed with it. He was so obsessed he wouldn't leave the tree he put one it for a whole day. This was a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.
ReplyDeleteDavid Harte
Where the Red Fern Grows was a very good book. I liked how the story starts off with the main character in his older years. There was much animal action. A good book for boys, hunting and all the things boys like. Billy wanst a special kind of dogs, coon hounds. He does anything he can to get these dogs. A great tale between a boy and his dogs. I would recommend this book to anyone, people of all ages. My mom even loved this boook when she was a kid.
ReplyDeleteThat was then, this is now was a great book. I liked it because its kind of like a sequel to the Outsiders. Ponyboy's even a character, but they call him Curtis. The book is about two brothers who start to grow apart as they grow older. Bryon is the main character and starts to get suspicious of Mark. Mark is Bryon's brother and is usually going around stealing or hot-wiring cars. I would recommend this book to anyone because once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down.
ReplyDeleteBy, Matt Flaherty
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete"That was then, this is now" was a great book. Better than "The Outsiders" in my opinion. It is the story of two "brothers" living their thug lives as they grow further and further apart. The book is packed with action and you just cant close the book. As you reach the end of the book. Bryon finds out a secret about his brother and then he completely changes for the worse. I didnt like the ending. The author makes you feel like everyone will live happily ever after untill Bryon changes completely and other problems start to arise. If you want to find out what happens, pick up your own copy on "That Was Then, This Is Now".
ReplyDelete-Brian Perez
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteKyle and Alland, you both need to rewrite your comments. You wrote some great things, but you gave too much information and gave away the endings of your books. Your purpose is to get people to want to read your book- interest the readers, not tell them what happens in the end. Try again for full credit.
ReplyDeleteI thought that drum girls and dangerous pie was a good but was not great. By the middle of the book I became tired with the main character Steven. His world was turned upside down by his brothers illness and he was worried about him self. He woul feel sorry for himself when his mom and brother were on "vacation" in Philidelphia when his brother was in pain. This book was an ok read.
ReplyDelete-Luke Ayers
i think that was then this is now was a pretty good book. It had a good plot an i liked the two main characters byron an mark. They were a great team an the conflicts they possed were great. I think that the outsiders were still better though. I would have to think about recomending this book for a person I knew. This book would appeal to different types of people. If you like action packed and drama filled books then i would recommend it, but to all other people I wouldnt. This book wasnt the greatest but it was still a good read.
ReplyDeletesean holleran
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTangerine, by Edward Bloor, is a book that I probably wouldn't recomend. I kind of liked the main character, Paul Fisher, but didn't really like the conflicts he had to face. Paul's brother Erik is a high school football star, and has everyone believing that he can do no wrong, except for Paul. Paul was blinded after an accident that he can't even remember. I don't really like the way that the Author springs the reason Paul was blinded on you near the end. It had a pretty predictable twist near the end of the story. Although I didn't really like the book, there were some good parts to the story. The book did address some issues that teenagers would have to face such as moving to a new town, switching schools, and wanting to play sports. There was also a pretty decent hook at the beginning. All said and done though, I would probably rat it about a five out of ten.
ReplyDelete-Deke Murphy
My book was drums girls and dangerous pie. Which explains everything from the title in the first chapter witch I thought was a little weird .Anyway this book has been called fantastic and the worst book on earth or from what people have told me. I personally like this book it doesn’t take much to get me to like any book. Anyway I like this book because of the way they put the dialog written. Although my group disagreed with me, I think when they say “she said or he said” it seems to put me a little out of the story. Because when I read I imagine the images and I actually see what they see coming from their mouths so it messes me up so I think the italicizing works best. That however is only 1 reason. I also like this book because it shows how someone might deal with his brother getting cancer. Because he seems rely selfish at first but think about it going through life with your parents always occupied is tuff as u will see. Also a good hint to understand the book better is to think that it is actually happening to you. Anyway some parts in this book will make u laugh and others angry and some rather angry. And when u reading it or if u read it just think that most of this stuff could happen and most did as it shows later in the book how many kids are sick or sicker compared to Jeffery, Stevens (the main character)little brother. Yes, well I say u should read it. It was a good book for me.
ReplyDeleteBy Aj Mastrocola
My book was Tangerine. I liked the book a lot because it had a lot of action in it. Things would happen very suddenly, but then they would just pass by as if it wasn't a big deal. This was maddening, but I liked that about the book. Also, it was very mysterious and didn't give very much at all away untill the end. It only gave you little bits and peices of what he was remembering. The style in which the book was written in, in journal entries, could get confusing, but I still liked it. This is a very good book, and I think that all of you shood read it.
ReplyDeletefrom Jack Murphy
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous pie was an ok book. Everything in the title is explained in the first paragraph. I didn't like how the dialogue was in italics and I didn't like how it was written. Also, I didn't like the main character, Steven. He was selfish and wasn't a good character. When is brother was getting very painful treatment, he was thinking about himself. Finally, I don't like how the author throws in Samantha at the end. That part of the book wasn't necessary to the story. I feel as if he threw her in the book just to make the book longer
ReplyDeleteI thought Tangerine was a great book. I hated Erik because of all those terrible things he did to Paul. I wouldn't blame Paul if he beat up Erik in his sleep. I especially liked how the book was split up into journal entries. That made the book more exciting in my opinion. I was also not a big fan of Paul's father because he never payed any attention to Paul and all of his attention to Erik. What i don't get is why Luis didn't do anything to Erik after he said he would. I would have liked to see Erik get what was coming to him a little earlier in the book. Overall it was a great book with an excellant beginning, middle, and end. I would suggest this book to anyone, no matter what kind of book they like.
ReplyDelete-Kelan
I think "Where The Red Fern Grows" is a good book because of the characters and setting. I just love the fact that it takes place in the wilderness and that it involves hunting. I was wondering why it was called "Where The Red Fern Grows," but I found out on the last two pages. I would highly recomend this book.
ReplyDeleteIf you liked the outsiders you will love the outsiders.This book had everything from action to romance. there is so much conflicts and action that it is almost impossible to shut your book.This is about two best friends almost brothers and how they grow fater apart every day.it gets its best at the end when bryon makes a life changing decsion and could ruin the brotherly bond between mark and bryon. this will effect bryon and the rest of his life..
ReplyDelete- scott
The main character is Paul. He is in seventh grade and lives with a father who is constantly ignoring Paul and focusing on Paul’s older brother, Erik, and his football career. What is special about Paul is that he is legally blind. This was caused by an early childhood accident. Despite Paul’s handicap he plays soccer.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great book for many reasons. I liked the conflict between Paul and his brother was basically Paul being jealous of his parent’s attention always directed on Erik and his football career (or known as the “Erik Fisher Football Dream” in the book) and I just enjoyed waiting to see if the attention turned to Paul and for what reason. There were also many other minor conflicts, but you will have to read the story to find out about those. I also like this book because it was written like everything was recorded in a diary. So it had dates that separated passages just like a diary and this helped me pace my reading. However there is so much more to this book and I hope you choose to read it.
Kevin Enabulele
The main character is Paul. He is in seventh grade and lives with a father who is constantly ignoring Paul and focusing on Paul’s older brother, Erik, and his football career. What is special about Paul is that he is legally blind. This was caused by an early childhood accident. Despite Paul’s handicap he plays soccer.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great book for many reasons. I liked the conflict between Paul and his brother was basically Paul being jealous of his parent’s attention always directed on Erik and his football career (or known as the “Erik Fisher Football Dream” in the book) and I just enjoyed waiting to see if the attention turned to Paul and for what reason. There were also many other minor conflicts, but you will have to read the story to find out about those. I also like this book because it was written like everything was recorded in a diary. So it had dates that separated passages just like a diary and this helped me pace my reading. However there is so much more to this book and I hope you choose to read it.
Kevin Enabulele
I though that that the book was ok. I really did not like the begining. I did not like the book because the metion dangerous pie once and then forgot about it. One other reason will Idid not like the book is because Idont like the stile she wrote it in. I liked the book because the way see put these carictors and what roll they play in the story. I thougt Anete and Reane played a huge part of the story as kind of minor carictors at one point and major carictores at another point. That is why thought the book Drums, Girls,and dangerous pie was ok.
ReplyDeleteJake McEachern
That was then, this is now is a very great book. First of all, I like the way it was written. It wasn't written like a diary. It is about two boys that are almost like brothers and really like each other as friends. Their other friend named M&M is also a good friend of theirs. Bryon meets M&M's sister and she becomes his girlfriend. Then bad things start to happen. The characters start to find out secrets about each other and problems that effect their lives. That messes up their friend ships and changes the whole book. Everyone please get your own copy of that was then this is now and read it.
ReplyDeleteAlland Timas
"Where the Red Fern Grows" was an ok book. It got off to a slow start, and didn't really pick up and grab my attention until Billy (the main character) actually gets his dogs. It was also suprisingly dark, NOT something you would give to your 4-year-old sister to read! Most of the book described the images and scenes so well that I could easily picture them. I recommend this book, If you can get past the slow first chapters.
ReplyDeleteWhere the Red Fern Grows was a pretty good book though it took me a while to understand what was going on in the story. Though I did like theb fact that it was told as a flashback and that in each chapter they let you hanging, so you would want to read more and more. I also like the main character greatly because he was that kid who lives in the country side and does not get along with the kids in the city. He is also a demanding, hardworking and a loving person to dogs. I also like dogs and am a hardworker as well. Overall I would highly recommend this action and exiting filled book to all of my friends.
ReplyDeleteScott Brink
ReplyDelete"Tangerine" was a great book. It made me feel like the main charcter, Paul, was a real person. It also had many real problems that kids have, or could have. In conclusion I think this was a great book.
Peak was an OK book at some times I felt that it was a little boring. The book was about a kid who lives in New York and got arrested for scaling a sky scrape. Instead of sending him to jail they send him away with his dad as they go out to climb Everest. Some parts of the book told you about every step he took to get up Everest and thats when i got bored. I wouldn't really recommend this book but it wasn't terrible.
ReplyDelete"Peak" was a fairly good book. I think it was mostly about humility, character and revelation. Peak went through an amazing journey using his brains and his strengths. The way he got to have the opportunity to climb Mt. Everest was not what you would expect. I liked the plot, but not how it was explained as it was confusing at times about who was speaking or doing what. I liked Peak Marcello, the main character, because he seemed to be the only person telling the truth and for what he did at the end, (Read it to find out) and for his courage. It isn't my favorite book, but I liked it anyway. READ THIS BOOK!!
ReplyDeleteU
AJ, I completely agree with you on the whole italics thing. I liked that. Although, I have to say that writing dialogue like that made me confuse as to who was talking sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHey, its jake and the book i read was Drums Girls and Dangerous pie. This book was written by Jordan Sonnenblick this book is not the best book to reccomend to a person that likes action books. It was tough reading on a schedule. At half the time i would read a head. parts of this book is sad half is funny But i just did not like it because i like books with fights scenes and bloody desrciptions it definately was not a book for me.
ReplyDeleteThat was then, this is now is a very good book. I like that it was written by Brian the main character who faces challenges with his best friend mark, and then gets suspicious of where he is getting extra cash. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes action and a little mystery.
ReplyDeleteRyan Sweeney
My book was tangerine. i thought it was a great book. i really liked the man character Paul Fisher. He seems like the kind of friend you would want to have. I liked how the book always had some sort of action going on. It kept me on my toes for the intire story just wondering what was coming next. Those are my favorite kinds of books. Plus i think it had a great message to it. I won't say that message because you will have to read more to find out. I would definatly recommend Tangerine.
ReplyDelete“Where the Red Fern Grows was a tremendous but gloomy book. The main character Billy is a 13-year-old boy living a man’s life. He grew up in the country so he used to having to work hard for everything he gets. He illustrates that if set your mind to something and are determined to get you will succeed and that is exactly what happened to Billy. I enjoyed how the book was set in the perspective of a flashback of the boy himself who went through those moments so many years ago. All the characters throughout the book were interesting to see what they would do next but the only two characters that I disliked were the Pritchard boys. Even though they were in the book for a mere chapter they caused so many vital problems not only for Bill but themselves as well, but in the end I believe that the Pritchard’s got what they deserved. Over all “Where the Red Fern Grows,” was an exquisite book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure and a thrilling book on the wild.
ReplyDelete-Kolby Vegara
Peak, is about a 14 year old boy named Peak who, after being arrested for climbing a skyscraper in New York, sets out to climb Mt. Everest and be the youngest one to ever reach the top. The cache is that he has to get to the top before his fifteenth birthday or he won't achieve the record. Peak had a very good plot, with very well thought out twists that kept me guessing and changing my prediction until the end. It also had very detailed characters, each having a different story of their own. The suspense in this book was not so great, however. When you pick up this book, you'd expect to have the characters dealing with all sorts of suspenseful jams in which they hardly make it out of alive. But the problems of this story are mostly about Peak and his dad's relationship and takes you out of the adventure for a while. There are only a few suspense parts but they're not even that suspenseful. Peak was a farely good read but not the best book I've ever read.
ReplyDeleteDrums, Girls and Dangerous pie was an okay book. It wasn't my favorite book, but it kept me interested. I did not like Steven, he was the main charcter, i didnt like him hecause he is constantally complaining. His little brother Jeffery is cool. I like him, he is never mean, and is always optimistic. This book did not have action, but action is something i like in books, and this book just didn't have alot. This book was not bad, but it didnt really entertain me. (Bobby Lucicno)
ReplyDeleteMatt Chakalis
ReplyDeleteGirls Drums and Dangerous Pie
Not one of my favorite books. The main characters name was Steven he had a brother name Jeffery who had leukemia. I didn't really like the plot of the book because I thought it was very boring to me. I also didn't like how he met a girl at the hospital when he went with his brother Jeffery and the next day she died. I thought they didn't need to put that in because it didn't change the story any way or they could have not killed her. I do not recommend this book.
The book i read "Drums,girls,and dangerous pie" was terrible in my opinion. if your a person who likes reading about an annoying main character like ( steven ) then you might like this book. During the beginning he wont stop talking about how hes an amazing drummer. Later hes a brat who gets mad because his brother is
ReplyDeletegetting all of his parents attention because he has a serious illness that was caused by STEVEN. The authors was also very annoying by having random characters come in every once in a while like Samantha. Also he kind of excludes the dad throughout the entire story. This was not close to a favorite of mine and do not recommend this to anyone.
My last comment was not fully posted for some reason so i am making a new one.
ReplyDeleteScott Brink
"Tangerine" was my book and i enjoyed it. There were many things in the book which made you believe that Paul was a real person. I liked how there was never a boring part in the book. If i knew that i could have chosen this for a reading book over the summer this would have been my first choice without a doubt. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone.
That was Then This is now was a great book. It shows how two friends show so much passion for eachother that they call themselves brothers. This is and action packed book leading up to a thrilling ending. Do the "brothers" split or become closer together? Find out on your own.
ReplyDeleteTerry Cullen
Thanks, Scott, for making changes to your original post.
ReplyDeleteAnd for William Roach- just to be clear, Steven doesn't cause his brother's illness. He causes the accident which leads to them discovering the illness.
Thanks to all of you for your excellent posts! I am so impressed with your thoughts about these books. Even when you didn't like something, I was so happy with how you explained it. Hopefully, we will do literature circles again and you can continue to discover what you like and dislike about young adult novels. Great work!