Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

In Jordan Sonnenblick's "Drums Girls and Dangerous Pie" we follow a protagonist named Steven. He tries to cope with his normal middle school life, homework, girls, and drums. When he finds out that his brother Jeffery has cancer, he learns to deal with his brothers illness and challenges in school. At the end or Stevens eighth grade year, we see that he has matured through the sacrifices he willingly makes.
Steven shows the reader he has matured when he shaves his head. Steven was a very selfcontious person so it was very surprising when he did it regardless of how it made him feel about himself. Jeffery had been feeling bad about becoming bald and felt like he was the only one with no hair. Steven did it so that Jeffery wouldn't feel like he was alone. Steven was willing to make sacrifices for his brothers good and not think about how it made him feel.
The protagonist showed a lot of maturity when he left his All City Jazz Band concert to take Jeffery to the hospital. Steven had practiced all year and even had a solo. But when Jeffery had a fever Steven knew he needed medical attention as soon as possible. He thought about what Samantha, a friend he met at the hospital, had said about him staying by his brothers side. He dropped everything to care for his brother. Steven made sacrifices for his brother even though it meant him getting his moment of fame taken away from him.
When Steven didn't let Renee Albert into his house because he knew her being sick wouldn't be good for Jeffery, the reader saw him mature. Steven had liked Renee since the third grade and any boy would die to have her come to their house. Renee was going to teach him the math he hadn't understood and help him pass his math test. But because Renee had the flu Steven knew it would be a great threat to Jeffery. Any viruses in the house would make him extremely sick. So he turned her down even though it meant that he would fail math.
All in all, Jeffery went from being a boy who only thought about himself and how people saw him. To a man who thought about others and how certain decisions would affect them. He matured from beginning to end by doing things for others. Even though its probably not as serious, we all know what it feels like to have to juggle school work and something important in your life. But not everyone becomes stronger after it. That's why Steven is such a remarkable character.

Memoir

     Sequins. All I could think about was sequins. And jazzhands, and the stage, and all the people staring at me. But most of a the only thing I could hear was my mom. No matter what you gonna be great sweetie. Just do your best, okay? There’s no reason to be nervous. I just nodded and put on a smile just like I was gonna have to do on stage.

Still, how could she say that to a six year old who had never had a dance recital before? How could she look at my sad little face and tell me that everything was going to be fine? But I guess it was much better than just saying nothing at all. It was much better than telling me I was going to remember this day as the most embarrassing day of my life.

I felt the sweat rolling down the side of my hairline. I peered out from the back of the curtain and watched as people filed into their seats. Why can’t I be sitting there in the audience? Hidden in the dark. Watching all the action. Getting to look onto the stage and watch other people humiliate themselves. Safe.

I got a glimpse of my family. Anticipating me walking on stage and doing everything perfectly. Everything just right. But no! What if I slipped and broke my neck? Or maybe even fell off stage and died. All because of a stupid two minute tap dance.

Fast. I herd the the pumping of my heart. I inhaled a gust of hairspray and coughed. Ribbing the dry dust bunnies out of my eyelids and smudging the thick, pasty eyeliner I had on. The old stage lights flickered on. The loud buzzing in the audience stopped. I listened to my heavy breath and felt my shaking body. I checked the safety pins holding up my costume hoping they’d stay on the whole time. The music blasted on and I somehow pushed myself on stage. 

And just like that I was beaming. Literally beaming. So happy. It seemed impossible but as soon as I began the cheesy, toddler dance all the things I had been worried about slipped my mind. I caught my mothers eye and she winked. My dad was smiling and my little sister was staring straight at me. I kept going. Flinging myself around the stage listening to the music. Time flew past and with every move I got more excited. I wanted to keep going and never stop. When I was done the music stopped and the stage went black. I smiled, knowing that this wasn’t the last time I’d be doing this.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

The book "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zarvin is a different and intriguing story. The main character, a girl named Elizabeth, who dies in a bike accident and finds herself in a parallel universe where everyone that dies ages backwards until the become babies and then start another life on earth. Elizabeth is completely distraught by the whole thing and misses her whole life. She realizes how perfect it was. Through this the reader can finds that you don't know what you have until its gone.
Liz misses things she had never even cared about before she died. She missed her younger annoying brother, her homework, and even her teachers. But most of all she's misses having obstacles to overcome in life. Everything in elsewhere is perfect so know one ever has to work hard for anything. Even the things that none of us want to do at all.
All in all this book makes you realize that all the things in life that you hate to do make your life interesting. And all the obstacles you have to over come help you learn new things. When we have no problems and everything is perfect then we are almost not even human.

Finding Themes in Books

Some books that I pick up are easy to understand. It's easy to tell what the author wants you to get from the book and they make that really clear. But some authors make you have to think more about what the theme of the book is. They want you to think about everything and try to put the puzzle of the book together. They might also not make the theme so general but more of something that you can interpret all on you own.

The book "Backwater" by. Joan Bauder was a great book. It was easy to get the plot and the writing was amazing. Still, it was extremely difficult to find a ongoing theme. But the book "Life of Pi" by Yann Patel was a harder read and difficult writing. But the theme of the book was so easy to grasp and really understand. For me, even if the book is easy to read doesn't mean it's easy to find the theme.

Overall every author has something that they want to convey to the reader. They all have themes that have a great meaning. It's their choice if they want to make it hard to grasp or extremely obvious. Sometimes it probably depends on the book that the author is writing. But mainly I think it's just their choice.

Backwater by Joan Bauder

     This different and cute book by Joan Bauder followed a teenage girl named Ivy Breedlove who loved history and didn't want to become a lawyer like everyone else in her family. On a christmas break she decided to travel up a mountain to find her aunt to learn about her families history. But instead she learnt about herself and realized that she could accomplish a lot more than what she thought. This is important because it teaches the reader that not everything is as important as it seems and some things compared to others are nothing. When Ivy realized that she was able to do many things.

    She was able to tell her dad that she really didn't want to go to law school but instead be a historian. This was something she wanted to tell him forever but never had enough courage to say it to his face until she realized what she was capable of. She was also able to turn in her long paper that she wrote on the history of her family and read it aloud. She was petrified of even letting one of other soul reader it before she when it the mountains to spend time with her aunt.

     All in all Ivy was able to do so much when she realized that the things she thought were important really weren't when she faced actual problems. I think that a lot of people can relate to that because everyone has had at least one thing that was a bigger deal than anything else. That's why this book was so good. I recommend it to anyone that can stand a really slow beginning and wait for a great ending to a book.

This I Believe

      I walked. Taking a deep breath in when I smelt the coffee passing by the cafe in
the morning. The same people passed by me everyday. Doing the same thing. All of us trying to get to where we were going. I gazed at the same stoplight. Eager for it to turn green. Watching it change colors repeatedly. Iʼd catch eyes with the same salesperson putting his array of colorful flowers out for the long day ahead of him. The street I walked on to get to school was always the same. The only thing that ever changed was the weather and where the scaffolding was.       It made sense to me. Iʼd walk a certain way because it was the fastest way to get there or just felt the safest. It was never because I liked walking that way.
      After a year of taking the same path, I realized I had walked the same way hundreds of times. Walking I thought about the street across from it. I had never walked on it before. So the next day I took a whole new route to school. There were different smells, new people, and new stores. I soon felt fresh. After a while it became a habit.
     There was hardly a difference in the walk. It took me about the same time and was just as long. Still, it was something new I had never tried before. It made my daily routine a little more interesting. Then I realized I could apply this idea to many of things I did.
     This was something you could do all the time. This was about breaking boring habits everyday. This was about change.
      After that I started doing many new things during my day. Soon I found myself sleeping on the opposite side of my bed, buying new cereal brands, and rearranging the

furniture in my bedroom. It was all extremely easy to do but still very different. It was all so simple. I didnʼt understand why I felt like a different person every time I changed something so small. I made me happy.
       It turns out itʼs not as hard as it seems and that making all those little changes adds up.
     So next time your sick of doing something over and over again, Try to switch things up a bit. Think of all the little things you can do to make your day more exciting. Ask yourself what do you not like that you do everyday and change it.
      This is why I believe in breaking boring habits.

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

     In the book "Joy Luck Club" Amy Tan explore mother and daughter bonds. The book is written into sixteen stories that are told by four different families. Each is about a Chinese immigrant mother and her American raises daughter. The story visits the connections between two cultures, two lives, and mother and daughter.

     In one of the families a daughter is forced to take her mothers place in the Joy Luck Club. Something her mother made in China when she was very young and brought to San Fransisco when they moved there. She feels pressure to please her mom and when she figured out that she had two half sisters in China. This is important because it shows us the struggles that she faced that in a sense are the same as some we face with our mothers today.

     All in all the story is a great example of the problems and connections mother and daughters have. Even though it is shown a completely different culture. You still get to see that  the feeling and emotions they have are the same as ours today.

Revolt of the Evil Faries by Ted Poston

      Ted Postons “Revolt of the Evil Fairies” explores determination in the face of racism through the stories of the protagonist. The main character really wants a role in his school play but is not picked by Ms. LaPrade. The protagonist in the story knows exactly what he thinks is right. He still tries to change the problem even though he hardly has a chance. He sees that instead of being treated unfairly and not getting the role because he was black, he should try to get the part. Even if he didn’t get the part he still did the right thing.

     The protagonist in the story shows determination in the face of racism to the reader. He was unhappy because even though he got the best grades in his class, was the lead debater, and was part of a respected family he still would never be picked for Prince Charming because of his race. This didn’t even stop him from auditioning for the lead role. He wanted to be Prince Charming so baldy he and didn’t care of the odds were against him.This is important because it shows us that even though he was extremely eligible for the part he hardly had a chance to be Prince Charming. The protagonist was unhappy about what was happening.

     The protagonist is always determined in the face of racism. He was extremely distrot when Leonardius got the role of Prince Charming just because he was lighter skinned. Still the protagonist continued on to make this play better than any other previous performance he had done as Head Evil Fairy. This is important because it shows the reader to be determined to do your best even when your treated unfairly. Even though he was disappointed he didn’t get the part he wanted he was still did his best in the play.

     Through the protagonist Ted Poston explores determination in the face of racism. The protagonist is hurt when during the second act Leonardius hits him in the head while reaching for his sword. Instead of leaving the situation be he fights back in the next scene and they locked in combat. Instead of letting him get away with it the protagonist feels he needs to show Leonardius he was wrong. This is important because it shows us the protagonist doesn’t just give up when he’s upset. He is wants to do what’s right.

     In conclusion, Ted Postons “Revolt of the Evil Fairies” Lets the reader learn about being determined to stand up for rasicm. The quote “ They wouldn’t let me be in the grand dramatic offering at all next year. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t have been Prince Charming anyway.” Shows us that the protagonist didn’t solve the entire problem in the community. Which hardly any one could do. Even so he did realize that nothing was going to change and felt satisfied with not being a part of something he knew was wrong. The protagonist shows us that even if you don’t change the problem on a whole you can still change it for yourself.

Book Genres

    Finding a book genre that you enjoy can be really difficult. There are so many to choose from and even then you don't know if you will like that exact book. Sometimes I read a book in a completely new genre that I've never read before and I love it. Even then I try to read a new book in that same genre and it sinks. So I think it doesn't really matter which genre you read but the book itself.
     One example of how sometimes the genre doesn't matter but the book does is in Susan Collins "Hunger Games". This book is a futuristic, science fiction book. I had never picked up a book of that genre in my life. But this book was so good it almost didn't matter. Every once in awhile there would be something that really bugged me about the book. Still, overall it was really good. This shows me that sometimes you find a book in a genre you hate.
     Another example of a book a genre I never liked was "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book was a historical fiction book. I had always not liked to read those books. They usually made me fall asleep and were boring. But this book was so well written and creative that the genre didn't matter to me. Some moments in the book I was really bored but for the most part it was great. This is why I think sometimes you can find a book you really like that has a genre you hate. 
     To conclude, you don't know which book you will like or not. One day you could be reading realistic fiction and the next day only be reading mystery. You don't really have to have a favorite genre. I Don't. Just find a book that you love and try new books all the time.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

     In Jennifer Brown's "Hate List" she explores hatred and betrayal. The main character Valerie and her boyfriend, Nick have a hate list in which they write everything they dislike in. To Valerie it's just fantasy but Nick takes it to far and kills all the people in school one day including him and Valerie. But Nick dies and Valerie survives and she is left to deal with everything. This book shows us that it's difficult to face your emotions when being betrayed and hated. But this is exactly what Valerie must do. 

     The author really shows hatred and betrayal between Valerie and Nick. For example, When Nick stared shooting people in the school, Valerie didn't know what was happening. But she realized he was shooting everyone from their list and then he shoots her and himself. this is important because nick was someone she even looked up to and loved. It's important because she hates and feels betrayed by Nick and by what they have created.

     Jennifer Brown explores hatred and betrayal with the people that are close to Valerie. In this quote "And when it dawned on me that she was probably apologizing for being my friend, that dream world just blinked out, vanished. Never existed." This shows the reader that Valerie felt hatred and betrayal from her best friend, Stacy when she basically told her she wasn't her friend anymore. This is important because Stacy was one of the only people Valerie thought would understand knowing Nick very well. So Valerie was extremely hurt to hear this.

     To conclude, Jennifer Brown explores hatred and betrayal in her story "Hate List". Valerie not only feels betrayed and hated form the people she thought used to love her. She also felt hated and betrayed by her own self. This just added to the problems going on in her head. But when Valerie learns to control the thoughts and feelings in her mind, instead of caring what other people think. She will not need other peoples opinions on her. When that happens Valerie will deal with her life much better. 

Revealing Character

      In every book the author reveals character. They let the reader learn about the characters in different way. How you learn and connect with a character is really important in a book. All authors do it differently. The way authors do this is one of the most important parts of writing a book. To me the way you connect to the character makes you like the book or not.
     The the book "Tweak" by Nic Sheff reveals character really well. The author uses the main characters internal thinking to let the reader understand the character. This really helps because the main character is really quiet. He doesn't vocalize what hes really feeling. So when the author lets you know whats going on inside his head you connect so much more. Sometimes the character would do something he didn't want to do. But the reader didn't really know until he thought about it.This is one example of a get way authors reveal character.
     In the book "Pay it Forward" by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The characters revealed in a different way. The author uses the main characters actions to let the reader learn about them. By what the character does you can tell the kind of person he is and connect with him as well. The author explained every thing the character did from itching his back to blinking.  This made it much easier to learn about him. The way this is another great way author's reveal characters.
    All in all, i think no matter how great your character is the way you reveal him or her to the reader is what really counts. So think about some of your favorite books. How does the author reveal character? Does the way the author reveal character help you get to know him or her better?

Tweak by Nic Sheff

     In the book "Tweak" the author Nic Sheff allows the reader to learn about how painful bad habits can get. When the protagonist is hooked on drugs and can't seem to stop for long periods of time he knows he's in deep. To him there's no way to stop. He's been to rehab and tried to do other things but he always seems to end up at the same place. Throughout the book the reader gets to see just how stuck you can get with a terrible habit and just how much it hurts.
     For example, when Nic was younger it was just something he did on spare time. He would just do it for fun or sneak into his parents liquor cabinet with his friends. But as time went on he could hardly spend a day with not having it. The drugs and people he hung out with were just getting worse and and he was completely addicted. Also, Nic would do anything he had to do to get the drugs. He would save up all his money just to make it last through the night. It got so bad Nic would steal from his own house. Taking his sisters piggy bank and stealing his dad's credit card. Nic had turned a fun thing to do into a painfully bad habit that he couldn't break.
     Another example of how the author lets us learn how painful bad habits can get, is how Nic is so addicted he will turn down help to have what he wants. First his parents wanted to help him and get him into a good rehab center.  But instead he decides he wants to keep on doing drugs and his family kicks him out of the house. Also, when Nic stayed at Lauren's house instead of using it as a time to calm down and start paying back the big fees he owed, he just used it as a great place to package his drugs to sell them and drink wine. This shows us how it wasn't something he could just fix instantly and he was in an extremely sticky situation.
     All in all, the book shows you how deep into trouble you can get and how hard it can be to stop certain habits. It took Nic a really long time to realize this wasn't gonna stop on its own. It's really amazing to see Nic slowly figure the whole issue out.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

     I just finished reading the book "Speak" written by Laurie Halse Anderson. The main character was a girl named Melinda who has a bad past at a party and was having a really difficult time getting out of it. She lost all her friends and had to start all over again even though there was hardly any place to start. But Melinda soon realized that not speaking up wasn't going to change anything. And we know that even if it really didn't effect her situation that much at least it will still change for the better. That is why I think the theme of this book is doing something is better than nothing. If Melinda had spoken up sooner much more would have been lifted off her shoulders.
     The theme of the book is doing something is always better than nothing. For example, Melinda didn't try to do anything to fix her problems. She wouldn't try to get better grades and work harder to make friends with people in school. Even if it wouldn't have worked she would have tried and felt better about herself. Also Melinda constantly avoided all the opportunities to have a good time. She would never spend the night with her friend Heather and when David invited her to a party at his house she responded no. These are things that would've helped her break out of her shell and forget the future. But instead of making the situation improve Melinda just acted like she didn't care.
     Another reason I think the theme of the book is doing something is much better than doing nothing is because of how Melinda great she felt when she opened up. She finally opened up about what happened at the party and was able to tell the truth by writing Rachel a note. After this she realized that maybe she did have the potential to change her situation in high school and not spend everyday hiding. In addition she was able to stand up to Andy Evens after he confronted her and say no. After this she also decided to talk to her art teacher Mr. Freeman who had bee wanting her to open up for quite some time. You know that after this even if there wasn't an amazing change something changed for the better.
     To conclude, the theme doing something is much better than doing nothing really does fit the book "Speak" and the things Melinda did i the end should have been done a long time ago. When she finally opened up you knew that it was only down hill from there and that it was a new beginning.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

      I'm reading the compelling book "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The main character is a boy named Pi who ends up on a life boat with a zebra, orangutan, hyena, and a tiger. He was on a ship with his family moving to Canada to start a new zoo. But soon the only animal left is the tiger. Back in India he feared the tiger but now grew to love him. This is why i think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems. Pi went from avoiding the tiger at the zoo to living with it in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
     I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems because of pi's image of the tiger before he was stuck with him. One example of this is how his father scared him and his brother by feeding the tiger a whole goat right in front of them. It was to teach them never to go near the cage and just how wild these zoo animals were. But it did more than that. It truly spooked them. Also Pi would avoid all the animals in the zoo he didn't like including the tiger. Instead of reaching out to them Pi just thought something of all of them.
     I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems because of how Pi bonded with the tiger after he tried too. First, after being a friend to the tiger he saved Pi's life by killing another man they encountered lost at sea who wanted to eat Pi. This really made him realize how kind the tiger was. In addition, once they got to know one another they found an island to stay on for awhile and went on many adventures together. They looked out for each others backs and made sure the other was okay. This is why I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems.
     To conclude, when Pi was forced to live with the tiger he realized that not only was his father wrong but he was too. It was his choice to be afraid of the tiger in the first place and he really learnt a valuable lesson.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

     I just finished reading the book titled "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen. The main character was a boy named Roy Eberhardt who moved to Florida with his parents. The only thing that interested him there was watching a mysterious boy run faster than the school bus in the morning. But soon things started getting interesting. He met Beatrice Leep, a tough female soccer jock who turned out to be the sister of the mysterious running boy nicknamed Mullet Fingers. Soon the three of them teamed up to save a group of burrowing owls located a new construction site for a pancake house. As you can see Roy changes a lot in this story and goes from being a shy boy to a strong leader.
    Roy changes a ton in the book and almost becomes a completely different person from the beginning to the end. You can see this by the way Roy acts in the beginning of the book. For example, Roy wouldn't stand up for himself and especially others. He wouldn't socialize with anyone even Garret, who is one of the most liked boys in school. Also, he would listen to his parents and follow all the rules. Even if it was really obvious that he didn't like it. He was a shy boy who wouldn't break out of his shell no matter how hard someone pushed him to try it. These are just some of the many ways Roy acted in the beginning of the book. This shows us how much he really changed.
     Another way we know Roy changes a lot throughout the story was by how he acted near the end of the book. For example, he stood up to Dana Matherson by slugging him in the face do defend himself after Dana nearly choked him to death on the bus. This is something he would have never done when he first moved to Florida. In addition, Roy teamed up with Beatrice and Mullet Fingers to fight against the construction site killing the harmless owls located on the site. This required a lot of leadership and courage from him. At the end of the book he really grew into someone much stronger than in the beginning. This demonstrates that Roy really did change in the story.
     All in all, Roy changed into a tougher and more outgoing person throughout the book and gained new personalities he had never had before. He made an impact on the people around him and started standing up for himself much more. It was a really big accomplishment for him and happened for the better.

Pay It Forward

     I just recently finished reading the engaging and touching book titled "Pay It Forward" by Catherine Ryan Hyde this summer. The main character was a young boy named Trevor. His teacher gave an extra credit assignment to make a plan to change the world and put it into action. Unlike many other kids Trevor took it seriously and made a plan called paying it forward. As he put it into action it began to fall apart. Or so he thought. Throughout the book new characters unfold and gain stronger relationships and his plan blows up. Soon he's famous. Even though at the end of the book Trevor is killed he leaves a legacy behind. He lived life to the fullest and really did effect the world. That's why I think that the theme of this book is when you set your mind to something you really can do it. Trevor worked extremely hard and in the end he left the world better than he found it. That's what counts.
      I think the theme of this book is when you set your mind to something you really can do it because of how hard Trevor worked in the beginning of the book. First, Trevor thought about the perfect plan for days when hardly anyone took it seriously. He stayed up all night brainstorming ideas and trying to make a plan that could be put to action worldwide. Another example of the theme was how he put his plan into action. Trevor took care of a homeless man named Jerry. He gave him a place to stay, money, and helped him get a job. Then he worked on the elderly woman's garden everyday and made her one of the happiest people in the world. This is why I think the theme is when you set your mind to something you really can do it.
     Secondly, I think the theme is when you set your mind to something you really can do it is because of how all Trevor's work pays off in the end. One example of this is how Trevor gets to fly to Washington D.C. and meet the president. He is aired on television across the country and soon worldwide because of his plan. In addition after Trevor passes away thousands of people come to his memorial. The streets are packed and everyone is watching the T.V. screen in complete silence an amazement. Then they all promise to pay i forward just like Trevor planned. Millions of people worldwide promising to help three other people. This is why I think the theme is when you set your mind to something you really can do it.
     To conclude, Trevor not only made his idea known to many people and had an incredible idea. He also did change the world for the better. The theme when you set your mind to something you really can do it truly represents this book and is a great lesson. In the end Trevor had no regrets and did what he intended to do and more.