Girls Dinner Club by Jessie Elliot

Significance
This story is about three girls: Junie, Celia and Danielle and their teenage ups&downs. Junie's parents are overseas on business all the time, leaving her alone almost at all times. Celia's mom died and now her dad is going out with a woman she despises. And Danielle has a grandmother that everybody loved, and then un-expectantly passed away leaving family in tragedy. These three girls get together and share their troubles over dinner. It is important because this book really shows that you can cope through hard times with the help of a few good friends.

Perspective
This book was written in modern times by Jessie Elliot. It is great because she tells the story in second person... but you still get to see inside of all the characters heads without them telling the story. If you had the same experience as one of the characters did, I don't think it would change your views on this book... but just make you understand or feel it in deeper depth. The problems the girls face in this book are always solved by talking it out with their friends and figuring out a solution. I think this is a good way to approach a problem.

Evidence
Jessie Elliot is trying to make a point that true friends will always be there, and can help you cope through hard times. She supports this by telling the story about these girls going through hard times and them being okay in the long run because of her friends. I guess the biased opinion is that friends are useless and can't help you through anyhting. THat could be supported by a bad experience one could have had.

Connection
The book was published in 2006, so it is very recent and takes place in modern times. The evnts that happen in this book definitely still happen today. Normal high school drama, I suppose :).
I can definitely relate to the events in this story and most likely everyone else in middle/high school. I think that everybody could relate to this book... even if you are an adult because adults were once in high school. The only people that probably would not be able to relate to this book is little kids. Because they have not yet experienced these kinds of things in their short little lives.

Supposition
At the end of this book, everyone was left pretty happy. Celia ended up liking her dads new girlfriend after she actually got to know her a little bit more and opened up. Junie's parents came home for a while to visit and of couse she was happy about that. And Danielle had gotten over her grandmothers death after weeks of depression. I am guessing that for the rest of their lives, they are not going to be clear of problems... that later they will have more of course. But now they know how to cope with their problems better and can get through them easier.

Summer's End by Audrey Couloumbis

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Significance The events that happen in the story matter because they happened in a very important time period, the Vietnam War. 18 year old, Collin burns his draft card and then hitchhikes up to Canada. The story tells the tragedy of the family after the escape. 13 year old, Grace is put in the middle of her two constantly-arguing parental units. (That is not from the back of the book) I chose this book because, I read the back of the book and thought it sounded very interesting. It read “Ever since Collin printed STOP THE WAR in red paint that dripped down the back of his jacket, the going was rough between my brother and my daddy. But getting in trouble at out house used to mean getting yelled at. Getting grounded. I didn’t know what to make of it when Daddy put our stuff on the porch.” I personally, didn’t like the book one bit, but that is going off topic.

Perspective Audrey Couloumbis wrote this book. It was published in 2005, but the time period taking place was during the Vietnam War, which I don’t know what years that it took place. It is hard to tell if the author for/against Drafting people to war. Because in the book, she puts a lot of people who escape and then have great lives, and provoking it. But then also she puts in how the families suffer because of their sons decision. I suppose if a reader was around in the time of the Vietnam War, it would change their perspective of the book. They could relate easier and it all would make more sense to them, as for me it really didn’t.

Evidence Other than the whole drafting issue, there are others too. Like problems with communication through the parents. And I think the author is making an argument to have clear communication, to communicate with each other, rather than have other people communicate for you, or keeping lies from each other. The versus opinion would be that it doesn’t matter about communication, and it is fine to have all these un-talked about issues that just float in the air. But I can support my opinion, which is that there should be good communication, I’ll give you an example. Let’ say you have a cat. It is an indoor cat. But someone accidentally ran outside when you were leaving to work. You need to get to work, and don’t have time to go get it. So instead of calling your spouse in the house, you just figure they’ll go get it. And when you come home you see it getting eaten by a coyote. But, if there was the communication thing, you could have called someone to go get him while you still had the chance. But instead, it turned into coyote dessert.

Connection
This story took place in the time of the Vietnam War. The Vietnam didn’t happen a whole long ago. It was reasonably recent. There are still people living Veterans from the war, and I’m sure that it still affects their lives. Well, this doesn’t really affect my life, but I can really get a sense of it, because there is a war in Iraq right now, and I am the same age as Grace, in the book. But I am pretty sure they are not drafting anyone from here yet. So again, I can only get a sense of it. But on other aspects, I really could relate to it. The reasons are personal… So I will just stop there. J This piece really wouldn’t inspire me to read/write anything about this subject, considering I really didn’t enjoy the book. There was too much pointless information, and and many of the chapters, it seemed like the author was just trying to take up space by putting in pointless detail. Oops, getting off topic again… sorry!

Supposition At the end, the parents opened up and just told each other everything, and Collin called from Canada and said everything was okay. So based upon this information, I think that Collin will be safe, and eventually, after the war stops, will come home and that the parents will hopefully start getting along better again and all is well. But, it would be different if they got a call saying Collin was caught and had to serve jail time. I know for sure that then the parents would get really mad at each other, for one parent kicking him out in the first place, and the other for helping him on the journey to Canada. If this didn’t take place in the Vietnam War and in the Iraqi War instead, I think most of it would be the same. Just minor differences. Like what? Well I really don’t know.

Thank you for reading my January Book Review of Summer’s End.

Eclipse by Kristine L. Franklin.

Significance
Like the previous book I read, this book has to do with mental illness in the family. I think this issue is extremely imortant for many reasons. For one, thousands and thousands of people suffer daily because of it. And not only does that person suffer, but so does the family. And after reading two books about the same subject, it is a big deal to me. I would really reccommend this book to everyone, from people who know nothing about mental illness, it ould really teach them something, to people who live with it daily, who can most likely easily relate.

Perspective
The story is told in the eyes of Trina Jean, whose father suffers from mental breakdowns often. The book was published in 1995 so it is fairly modern and easy to relate to. The author, Kristine L. Franklin is a writer for many childrens picture books and she wrote this book because "mental illness is a reality for mny families and yet it is still somehting that is really difficult to talk about". So, she is clearly for this issue. Well, fixing it at least.

Evidence
The author is trying to make an argument that it is good to talk about the issues in your family. In the book, Trina's mom & dad didn't say anything about the mental illness and it only made things more confusing and much worse for Trina. There is no factual information to back this issue up, only persuasive conversation. The versus opinion would be that it is none of anyones' business who has mental illness in the family, and it doesn't need to be talked about. That it is not an important issue and can just be left alone.

Connection
This book was written in 1995 so it is fairly modern. ( wait, didn't I already say that?) The events that occur in this book definitly still happen to this day. Just so you can understand a little, this is what one of the book reviews reads:"Trina's perfect summer falls apart when her Dad falls into a deep depression. The characters are very memorable and both Trina and Miranda will remind you of people you know."
Trina and Miranda are both 12 years old, so it is really easy to relate to them. And the review is right, they are extremely easy to relate to. (Trina reminds me of myself, and Miranda reminds me exactly of my best friend Danielle). So basically anyone in my grade could relate very well to this book.

Supposition
At the end, Trina's dad has to go back to the hospital in result of an attempt to kill himself but at the last second changes his mind, so he is still alive. In the hosptial he agrees to stay on his medication (which makes him normal again) and to change. And Trina's new baby sister, Erin is about to come out of the hosptial finally. So based upson this information, I think that Trina's dad will in fact stay on his medication and change. He sounded extremely convincing at the end and i have to believe it. And for poor baby Erin, I really don't know. She was born a month premature and it extremely small for her age. I can only hope tht she stays healthy.

Thanks Mr. Strong for accepting this DECEMBER blog so late.

Memories of Summer by Ruth White

Significance
There are a lot of reasons people should care about this book. For one, it has deep meaning and it is really a heartfelt written story. Two, there is a great moral, and three, it has an amazing plot. This work matters because it is not just any ordinary book. It is very different and I would choose it over any other book in the library. People should care about the events in this book simply because they’re real. People have heard of some issues, but this book really puts you in the shoes of the family with the problem. This work is valuable in so many ways, for one it cost $16.00. Just kidding. For one, it is not a book that you read and then forget about. Oh no. After I read it, I felt the need to just sit there and think for a few minutes. I have never done that before with a book. And two, you really take something with you after reading this book. It messes with your heart, and now I see a different perspective on the issue. And that’ll stay with me forever.

Perspective
This book was written by Ruth White, and it took place in 1955. “…is described through the eyes of Lyric, who loves her sister deeply, yet she finds herself feeling increasing frustration, embarrassment, and anger…” an excerpt from the back of the book. So, Lyric sees Summer’s mental illness as something that needs to change, when others might think to just put her in a mental house and forget about her. When I first started reading this book, I didn’t really think about the families in that situation, and it jut never really mattered to me. But after reading this book, I have a whole new perspective on things. There definitely is another way to approach this problem in real life. Some families, as soon as they fnd out their child has disabilities, just gives them up for adoption. But, Lyric and her daddy took it a whole different way.

Evidence
Well, the author isn’t really trying to make an argument in the book, he is just telling a story.

Connections
This book took place in 1955 but these events definitely still happen to this day. There are still people with mental illnesses and there are still families that have to go through what Summer and hers did. This piece inspires me to read so much more. Because, it is such an amazing book, I didn’t know there was this good of books out there, so I am now determined to go read until I find one better than this. It’s hard to connect this with books or papers I have written. BUT, it does inspire me to write better, in more detail so the reader can have as good of an experience reading it as I did.

Supposition
Based on the information given, I think that Summer will never be “normal” again, but hopefully she will get better. If Summer was in a different family, then I think that the story would be a heck of a lot different. After Summer broke glass on Lyrics’ head, most families would’ve given up there and the story would’ve been over. If this book took place in modern times, I’m sure it would be mostly the same, but just a few minor changes. It wouldn’t change the important parts at ALL, however. For most people, life today wouldn’t be any different if mental illness didn’t exist, but for quite a few families it would.

Its not Easy Being Mean by Lisi Harrison

Significance
This book is number seven in the Clique Series. It is about Massie and her friends struggling to find the key to the legendary "secret room" and they encounter some struggles on the way. This story matters because it is a book of realistic things that actually happen to middle-schoolers and so we can really relate to what the book is saying unlike books written about adults, which we can imagine but not thoroughly understand. The events that take place in this book are important because they can help the reader make good decisions in their middle school years. The author is trying to say that cliques in middle school are not good and proves it by wirting a series of not so good events. I decided to choose to read this piece because I have gotten really good reviews about it and I have read every other book in the series and i definitively enjoyed the authors writing style and the realistic events in the plot. I don't think that adults would really enjoy reading this book because it is not at all relevant to them and it is written for more the middle school/ high school ages.

Perspective
This book was written just this year [2007] so it is very modern and easy to relate to. The author went to a school where there were a lot of cliques, so her experience really helped her make the book more realistic and better. Lisi Harrison is clearly against having the popular cliques or the LBRs (Losers beyond reach)
I know this because she is very open about and in the back of her book there is her life story and a bunch of Q&As and she expresses that she is against these cliques. It definitely depends on the reader's beliefs/age/thoughts when it comes to the interpretation of this piece. For example, an elderly person would not like it so much as a 7th grade preppy girl. It all just depends on the readers style. So if you are into classics, mysteries, adventure and historical books, I would not recommend this book to you.

Evidence
Lisi Harrison is trying to make a point which is that it is not important if you are popular or not. Even in the story, the not so popular girls were happier than the popular ones. But, the fact that the popular girls have power over the school definitely weakens the argument. Really, there is no tests or facts of what state is better to be in, popular or not so popular and the only way to really find out the answer is to live it. That is the only evidence you will ever get.

Connection
Wow, I can make sooooo many connections with this book. To start off, everybody in the book are all 7th graders, just like me. So when the author explains how the characters feel, I can really understand and feel what these characters are.This book can relate to pretty much any middle school human. If you are an adult it would be somewhat harder for you to be able to relate to this book, for it has many things such as lingo, phrases and attitude that they would not understand as us kids are able to. This book definitely inspired me to read more because I usually really don't like reading at all, and so it takes me a long time to read a book, but this book really made me not want to put it down. I was really interested in everything that was happening and it made me like reading a lot more.

Supposition
Based on the information I am guessing that Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen and Claire's 8th grade year is going to be AMAZING. I think this way because they got the key to the secret room and everybody knows it, too. They are already the most POPULAR girls in the school but now they are probably going to become even more powerful, because it is impossible for them to get more popular. If Layne kept the key instead of trading it to Massie, things would have been soooo much different. The Pretty Committee would no longer be so popular and the school would now be in the power of Layne. I think that would have been a change for the better because people would have been following whatever Layne does, which is good. She is not mean, and she doesn't care about what people think of her. There are so many different things that COULD HAVE happened instead of what did, but I guess the Pretty Committee was meant for the room

Thanks so much for taking the time to read by review on IT'S NOT EASY BEING MEAN by LISI HARRISON.
Thanks and check back for more reviews next month!

Flipped by Wendelin Vann Draanen

Significance
This book, tells the story of Juli Baker and Bryce Loski. Juli Baker had liked Bryce since the very begining. And from 2nd grade to 7th, that's how it was. She says: "My Bryce, still walking around with my first kiss" He says: "It's been six years of strategic avoidance and social discomfort" The whole plot matters because it is relevant to modern times, and it is something that us kids can relate to. The events that take place in this book are very important because it is these events that make up the book.I chose this book because first of all, I heard really good things about it, second of all because from reading the back, it looked really interesting and third, because I loved how simple and pretty the cover was. This book is relevent to most children, to adults not so much. A reader can take a great deal from this book. A bunch of life lessons, and new morals, I know I have.

Perspective
This book tells the story from both Juli's and Bryce's point of view. There is two chapters, telling one story of what happened, but in their own words. I love how you get to see both of their points of view.
This book was written in 1996, which is pretty modern. And I am guessing that the author had some experience with what she has written about because it is so well written!

Evidence

The arguement Wendelin Vann Draanen is trying to make is basically, stop and smell the roses. Bryce never even gave Juli a chance, never really looked or even talked to her. But finally when Juli gives up, then Bryce looks and sees how beautiful she is, inside and out. This is real evidence that you should really, stop and smell the roses, because you may just not know what you have until it's gone. (This fact supports the book very well)

Connections
This book was written in 1996, which is pretty modern. This book is realistic fiction, so it can happen in the real world, and probobly has, many times before. Juli loved Bryce because of his "brilliant blue eyes" and "drop-dead gorgeous" smile, but never looked on the inside. Because on the inside he wasn't as great as the outside. And sadly, many many MANY people do this in the real wold, they "judge a book by it's cover".

Example: You are walking down the road and you see this ugly, dirty mutt. You barely glance at it and walk away. Then you see this beautiful, gorgeous dog on the road. You bend down, seeing how pretty it is and then he bites your hand. For al you know, that ugly old mutt couldve been the sweetest dog ever but you never gave it a chance. How Sad. :(

Supposition

Based on the information given, I predict that Juli might give Bryce just one more chance. I think this way because at the very end of the book it said Juli Baker was thining that maybe Bryce wasn't such a moron after all. What happened was that Juli had a crush on Bryce. But then, Bryce did a really idiotic thing to get Juli angry. In the end, Bryce truly was sorry, and was really in love with Juli, but it was too late.

I suppose she will give Bryce another chance

Thank you so much for taking the time for reading my book review on FLIPPED by WENDELIN VANN DRAANEN