Summer Reading #4

I'll Give You the Sun

By Jandy Nelson Pages #240-371

Prompt: Draw 4 objects that represent your reading. Write a sentence for each, telling what each item says about what you’ve been reading.

      The first image I chose was a cliff. I chose this to represent Jude during her wild stage. She went cliff diving, surfing, went to parties, etc. This stage of Jude was when she was thirteen. The second image is of paint brushes. I chose this to represent Noah at age thirteen and Jude at sixteen to show that they were very artistic. 

       The third image is a picture of asteroids. This symbolizes Noah and Brian's relationship. Brian was crazy about space. He would take Noah out to look for asteroid pieces in the woods. He also had a suitcase with him that was full of asteroid rocks that he found. This made them very close. Noah felt best when he was with Brian. 

       The final image is an orange. This represents Jude and Oscar's relationship. Jude's grandmother always said that if a boy gives you an orange, your love for him will multiply. At this time she was sixteen and on her "boycott". She stayed away from them. Oscar tried to give her an orange and Jude refused. This turned into a little game, Oscar would give her an orange and Jude would put it somewhere like a jacket pocket. This was important to jude in their relationship. 

Summer Reading #3

I'll Give You the Sun

By Jandy Nelson Pages #1-239

Prompt: List the personality characteristics of the main character (feelings, interests,

behaviors, etc.)

      The book starts off with the main characters at age thirteen. Noah tells the story at thirteen. Jude tells the story at sixteen. Noah at thirteen is super artistic. He draws and paints and does everything related to art. He is shy and bullied by Zephyr and Fry. He desperately wants a best friend. Then a new boy moves into the neighborhood. They become friends instantly. Brian ( his new friend) is obsessed with space. They hang out a go to the woods together. Noah almost loves Brian but feels unsure about it.

      Jude at thirteen is wild and fears nothing. She goes surfing and cliff diving and hangs out with the hornets. The hornets are basically the group of popular surfer girls. Only Noah calls them the hornets. Just has long blonde hair, Noah describes her as Rapunzel. She goes to parties and is just wild. Her mother always talked to her telling her not to be that girl.

     At sixteen, both of them completely changed. Noah completely stopped being artistic. He became "normal", he became an athlete and hung with his own group of friends. Jude cut her hair a turned away from every boy, going on a "boycott". She went to a fancy art school and became quiet. She followed her Grandmother's "bible". They switched lives basically. They used to be super close. Now they hate each other. 

Summer Reading #2

We Were Liars

By E. Lockhart Pages #136-225

Prompt: 

Do you like what you’re reading? Why or why not?

(Spoilers)

        I liked what I read, but the ending I thought was just awful. I like the beginning because it doesn't start off too slow or too fast. There was a map of the island and a family tree of the Sinclair family. It was very interesting from the start. The author did a good job of pulling me into the story. The beginning made me think and question if she would ever figure out what would happen. 

        The middle was good because it seemed she was so close to figuring it all out and one thing lead to another and the plot shifted. However it still revolved around her figuring out her amnesia and what happened Summer fifteen. The middle seemed to be more about her and Gat. She figured out she loved him. Even though being with him or any of the Liars didn't feel the same since that last summer.

        The ending was just so surprising and in your face it makes you question the entire book. Personally, I didn't like how (spoiler) the Liars were just visions or weird ghosts the entire summer she was trying to figure everything out. I just didn't like the fact that they died and the whole time they weren't actually there. However, now that I think about it, it was kind of obvious. The ending just made me so frustrated because they seemed so real. Other than the ending I did like the book. The just ruined it for me.

Summer Reading

We Were Liars

By E. Lockhart pages #3-135

Prompt: 

Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How does it make you pause and think?

     The first quote I chose is, "My head and shoulders melted first, followed by my hips and knees. Before long I was a puddle, soaking into the pretty cotton prints. I drenched the quilt she never finished, rusted the metal parts of her sewing machine." This shows how the main character Cadence reacted to her grandmother's death. Obviously she didn't actually melt, but this is an example of  the author figurative language. This made me pause and think because it show how hard her grandmother's death affected her. 

      The second quote I chose is, "In Europe … I lay prone on the bathroom floors of several museums, feeling the cold tile underneath my cheek as my brain liquefied and seeped out my ear, bubbling. Migraines left my blood spreading across unfamiliar hotel sheets, dripping on the floors, oozing into carpets, soaking through leftover croissants and Italian lace cookies." This is much like the first quote I chose, it has the same form of figurative language and imagery of melting from pain. This quote is describing her migraines while she was away from Beechwood during the summer for the first time. This quote made me stop and think because it shows how much her head injury affected her life in such a negative way.

      The final quote I chose is, "Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family. No one is a criminal. No one is an addict. No one is a failure." This is the first paragraph of the book. However, when you finish the book you understand the beginning even more. Cadence begins the book by lying. I would explain how she is lying but I would just spoil everything. This quote if very important to the book it ties everything together. The first time I read it I didn't stop to think about it. Once I finished the book I thought about it and I realized the beginning almost gave away the ending.