Bryte Kiser

I am looking forward to visiting the White House and see the American History Musuem. Also taking pictures and creating my slide show for the RAFT project.

Charlie Stenhouse

Charlie Stenhouse
Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
Action
Just Right
Make up blog

1. Right now, Katniss has teamed up with Peeta in the Hunger Games. Katniss has been tending to Peeta's gash in his leg, and is hoping for Haymitch to send medicine for him. Eventually, Haymitch sends a little bottle of liquid, which is made to make people sleep. She realizes that there is a feast coming up and there will be bags with something that each tribute needs. Katniss gives Peeta the liquid and hikes to the Cornucopia to get the bag.

2. I feel that Katniss is going to try to retrieve the bag, but she is going to be attacked by the other tributes. I feel nervous for Katniss because there are a bunch of tributes who are out there looking for Katniss.

3. The theme that I see in the book right now is courage. I think that it takes a lot of courage to go in wide open space to retrieve a bag that could save someone's life.

4. My favorite character is Thresh right now. He is my favorite because he knows that Katniss helped Rue in the Hunger Games. He wanted to make up for the thing that Katniss did for Rue.

5. My least favorite character is Cato. He is my least favorite because he is a mean boy. He only cares about himself and that is very selfish considering he has a teammate that is helping him stay alive.

6. I believe that Katniss is going to retrieve the bag and save Peeta.

Charlie Stenhouse

Charlie Stenhouse
Red Midnight
Ben Mikaelsen
Realistic Fiction
Just Right
Page 52

1. Right now, Santiago is traveling to Lake Izabal after the horrible tragedy that happened in his home village. The soldiers attacked the town he was living in, killing everyone except for Santiago and his sister, Angelina. They first traveled by a horse to Los Santos, and they find everyone dead. They immediately leave the lonely village and travel South towards Lake Izabal. On Lake Izabal, Santiago's uncle has a house there. They decide that they will stay there for a couple of days then leave on the sailing cayuco.

2. I feel very sad for Santiago and Angelina because everyone that they knew died in the attack from the soldiers. I feel that Santiago is slowly becoming a man because of the conflicts he is facing.

3. The theme that I see in the book right now is trust. I see trust in the book between Angelina and Santiago. I believe that Angelina really trusts Santiago and that she believes that they are going to be happy again.

4. My favorite character right now is Santiago. He is my favorite character because he is taking charge. After everything that has happened, Santiago still has courage to take charge and travel to Lake Izabal.

5. My least favorite characters in the book are the soldiers. The soldiers are very cruel people to attack poor, indigenous people who care for each other in every way. Even the thought of killing people is very horrific.

6. I think that very soon, Santiago and Angelina will sail on the cayuco and will eventually make it to the United States.

Harry Thomas

Harry Thomas

The Compound

S.A. Bodeen

Realistic Fiction

Just Right

58

1. Not much is happening in my book right now. The characters are being introduced as the author is telling us more about them. Also, more about the characters pasts are being revealed as I read further into the book. Also, a lot of mystery is being built around the father of the family, who is acting strange.

2. Since I am not very far into the book yet, it is hard to form and opinion about it. However, I would say that so far the characters are being developed very well. I can almost feel their emotions as the author is describing them to me. This is a sure sign of a good book.

3. The theme I have noticed so far in this book is boredom. The people living in the compound have to do the same old routine every day. Though they live in luxury, they can still not escape the fact that they are trapped inside the compound for six years due to the bombs. This creates a theme of a lot of dullness inside the compound.

4. My favorite character so far in this book id Eddy. Though he is presumed dead, I have heard a lot about him in flashbacks and what his family members have said about him. His younger sister tells Eli, Eddy's twin brother, how Eddy used to play with her and treat her kindly while all Eli did was be mean to her. They also say that he is the brother that everyone wants, and Eli was lucky to have him.

5. My least favorite character in this book so far is the father. He doesn't seem to be paying much attention to his family, and spends most of his time locked away in his room. also, he does not let anyone in the family question his judgment. I think this is wrong because he is acting like a tyrant and not giving anyone a say in what goes on at the compound, even though not much goes on there.

6. I predict that later in the book, Eddy will become a key character. Dead or alive, he seems to be impacting the characters in the compound's lives significantly through memories of him. Also, I think the father may do something crazy. This is because of all of his strange behavior lately. For example, he used the exercise almost obsessively, but one day he just stopped.

Ian MacDonald

Ian MacDonald
1984
George Orwell
Fantasy/Sci-fi
98
Just Right

1. Right now in my book Winston is having more and more second thoughts about the government. He is very upset about the fact that if you speak out or try to be different you "disapear". All day while he is at home he writes in his diary about how he wants to be free and not be controlled by a dictator. One time he starts writing DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER all across the diary page before he even notices what he is doing. He realizes what he is doing is against the law and that if he gets caught he will be killed. Once he realizes that he is on his own and he has to fend for himself he becomes a little more daring.

2. I think this is a great book because you can see whats going on in this book in real life. In China this same thing is going on. It is very suprising at how many predictions he got right. Not only the ones about TV and helicopters but also about how life would be like in the world and how everyone would be against eachother. This is going on now in Iraq and Korea were everyone is threatening everyone else.


3. The theme I see most often in this book so far is manipulation. You see this so often, during the two minute hate period where the government tries to influence the thinking of the citizens. The government tries to get everyone to hate the same people they do. You also see the government trying to manipulate everyone when they put the big telescreen in everyone's room, and how it streams constant propaganda to everyone, and how you can't turn it off. The signs that say BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU is also a form of manipulation. It is influencing everyone not to do anything that big brother wouldn't like.

4.My favorite character is still Winston. I love his resolve and how he still thinks differently even after years of opression. I also like how he realizes that he is going to be killed by the government because of what he has already done so in his mind he is thinking what else do I have to lose and I really like that about him.

5. My least favorite character is sill Big Brother, too. Now I don't think he is a symbol of the government. I know think that he is just an evil dictator. I really dislike how he never feels safe and how he always feels like someone is out to get him and I think he takes this out on the poor citizens. I also don't like how he has microphones in everyone's house so he can listen to everyone's conversations to make sure no one is plotting against him. If he wasn't so mean nobody would want to devise a plan to bring him down.

6. My prediction for the rest of the book is that someone will give Winston up the the goverment. I think that this will force him to run and while he is running away he will meet a group of people that share his same views. I think that he along with the other group will think of a way to turn everyone against Big Brother and I think that someone from Winston's group will lead the party and Winston will be to humble and decline the offer to lead.

Charlie Friesen

Charlie Friesen
The Red Pyramid
Rick Riordan
Fantasy
Holiday
pg. 70

1. Right now in my book, a brother and a sister named Carter and Sadie have just had their lives turned upside-down. Carter and Sadie have rarely seen each other. When their mother died, their father and their mother's parents got into a huge argument and a lawsuit followed. In the lawsuit, Sadie was to stay with her grandparents while Carter would stay with his dad. Sadie can see Carter and his father twice a year. One of those times, Carter's dad, Julius, takes both Carter and Sadie to the British Museum because that is where Sadie lives. There, Julius had a special tour arranged by the curator. But, Julius tells Carter and Sadie to lock the curator in the closet, while he goes to examine the Rosetta Stone. Julius does something strange, and this huge, fiery man appears and locks Julius in a sarcophagus, and then the Rosetta Stone explodes. So Carter and Sadie are left to the police, who believe that their father was a terrorist who wanted to destroy the museum. But in the end, the police deport them, because they are both American, back to the U.S. But, they end up traveling, by magic on a mysterious boat with Julius' brother, their uncle, back to New York, where he had this mansion. I left off just as they were getting to the mansion.

2. Right now, the book is already very interesting. I know that I have not gotten very far, but so far there has been a lot of action. Also, there have been so many questions that have been posed in this book, that I am anxious to read more and find out what this is all about. I have not even gotten far enough into the book for the plot to really appear yet, so I am still waiting for that. But I am very excited to start reading and find out all the answers to the questions that I have. Also, I like how Riordan formatted the book. The whole book is a transcription of a tape recording, and every couple of chapters, the narrators switch. So the first two chapter are told by Carter, and then the next two are told by Sadie. This is interesting because both characters have very different personalities and tell the story each in their own special way. Overall, this is very good.

3. A theme that I have noticed so far is not knowing what is going on. When Carter and Sadie were in the British Museum, and their dad was doing weird incantations and gestures around the Rosetta Stone, both had no idea what he was doing,or that even Julius would do something like that. Also, Sadie seems to have some kind of special power of being able to read hieroglyphs and this had just turned up when all this crazy stuff started happening. Sadie has no idea why or how she is able to do this. Also, when the police were talking to Carter and Sadie, the police chief had in mind to put the kids in jail. But then, all of a sudden, the apparently changes his mind to deport them, but it is very peculiar in the way he does this. He got a blank stare, and I think that their uncle was brainwashing the chief into deporting them so that he can get them, but Carter and Sadie do not know this.

4. My favorite character is Carter. He is my favorite just because of his personality. He is very smart and knows a lot about Ancient Egypt, which is something that I can relate to because Ancient Egypt interests me too. Also, Sadie picks on Carter for being a nerd and knowing everything, so I sort of feel bad for him. He is also the one who seems to be the most calm about everything that had been going on because he knows a lot about Egypt and is most comfortable with it. So later in the book, I think he will be very important in figuring what to do. Overall, he is my favorite just because there is this feeling in my gut that tells me that he will be a great and important character.

5. My least favorite character is the entity that Julius summoned when he was casting spells on the Rosetta Stone. Julius had obviously not wanted to summon this being, because that being ended up locking Julius in a sarcophagus and sending him underground. This has not only ruined Julius's plans to do what he wanted, but also caused a lot of trouble for the children. I can already tell that he will probably be the bad guy of the story. He was in one of Carter's dreams. The being was standing outside of Phoenix, Arizona, with some other Egyptian mythological creatures, discussing some ominous to build a temple and destroy the city. So is he is the bad guy, then he is my least favorite character.

6. My prediction is that Carter and Sadie will spend some time at the mansion in New York City for a while, training. Julius' brother mentioned something about the kids having to train before they can go out to do what they need to do. So Carter and Sadie will train, probably honing in some kind of supernatural power, like Sadie's power to read hieroglyphs. After that, they will probably have to go on some sort of quest in order to save the world from the wrath of the Egyptian gods, like the one that locked up Julius. Their quest will probably take them all over the Ancient Egyptian mythical world, sort of like Percy Jackson, since this is the same author.

Jonatahan A. Rapo
Outcast
Vladimir Egorov
Memoir
Challange
P.198

1. Vladimir has had enough. His father has come back home again drunken and has beaten his mom and Vladimir to the final extent. After being through broken arms, unexplained bruises and cuts. He has had enough. While still weak from treatment on his burnt arm (a result of his father) he decides that enough is enough. While his father is beating his mother, Vladmir comes up behind his father with a heavy pot and whams His father across the head. To his astonishment, Vladimirs mother, becomes outraged at this and knocks Vladimir unconcious with the pan. Luckily he wakes up before his father and runs off into a cold Russian night.
2. This book is very depressing. It takes place in a remote region in Russia. Vladmir has been living a life of despair and pain. His father has a major alcohol problem while his mom spends all the money the family has extravagating herself and on heroin. This causes the family to lose meals and to face bankruptcy. It is a very moving story and I am enjoying it.
3. A theme I am seeing in this book is dreaming. Vladimir dreamt of living a normal life and being able to leave his dreadful environment. He wanted to help his mother with her drug problems and his father with his alcoholism.
4. My favorite character is Nikolai. Nikolai is Vladimirs best friend. He met Nikolai in school. Nikolai was also beat by his parents but not to the extent of Vladimir. He joked with Vladimir, calling him a rotten banana when he came to school. Although a very awful thing to say, it was Vladimirs only escpae from his everyday depression.
5. My least favorite character is Vladmirs father. His name is never mentioned in the book andneither is his mothers. Vladimirs father always finds a new way to torment Vladimir and his mother. He makes them "entertain" him or else they get punished. Through this entertainment, Vladimir got himself a 2nd degree burn on his arm. His father is just beyond anything that deserves the chance to live.
6. I think that now that Vladimir has rnun away, that he will probably go to a orphanage and plead for them to take him far away. He will most likely not tell the police to keep his location a secret. Since he wrote the book he will probably be adopted by an American family and be sent to come live here.