Entry Four: An Abundance of Katherines

I chose to read An Abundance of Katherines because I had heard it was a pretty good book and I already had it available at my house. No need to go buy or a rent a novel when I already own one that is on the list. The attractiveness to this novel came about because my mom and brother had both suggested this book to me. I had no idea what it was about but it sounded interesting. As I went through this book, I was always thinking about connections because once a reader connects to a novel, it makes it easier to understand. However, I never found a strong connection with this book. Normally I can connect to book but not this one for some reason.

I would recommend this book to people who like adventures because Colin goes a long way away from home to do some crazy things. It is a very strange and interesting book but I however did not like it. It was hard to follow and boring at times.

I would give this book a three and a half out of five stars because it was interesting for most of the book but was at times very slow and boring. This was overall a nice read.

Entry Three: An Abundance of Katherines

A quality excerpt that contains and displays the concept of "hooking" potential readers comes on page 40. It says,"You don't need a girlfriend, Colin. You need a robot who says nothing but 'I love you.' And it felt like being stoned and sticked from the inside, a fluttering and then a sharp pain in his lower rib cage, and then he felt for the first time that a piece of his gut had been wrenched out of him.
She tried to get out as quickly and painlessly as possible, but after she begged curfew, he began to cry. She held his head against her collarbone. And even though he felt pitiful and ridiculous, he didn't want it to end, because he knew the absence of her would hurt more than any breakup ever could.
But she left anyway, and he was alone in his room, searching out anagrams for mymissingpiece in a vain attempt to fall asleep" (Green 40).

My rationale for saying that this piece from An Abundance of Katherines could hook potential readers is because readers normally get connected to the main characters throughout the book, therefore, you would want to find out what happens with Colin after this breakup. Readers can clearly tell that his girlfriend means a lot to him and it will be interesting to witness how Colin deals with this mini-crisis.

Entry Two: An Abundance of Katherines

Character Complexity:

Colin Singleton: What Colin wants is to be a genius, not just a washed up, has been prodigy.

Hassan Harbish: Hassan is real easy going and goes with the flow and loves helping people.

Lindsey Lee Wells: Lindsey loves her life in Gutshot, Tennessee and wants to live there for the rest of her life until TOC (the other colin) cheats on her.

Themes:

The main theme that has appeared in the book is Recognition. Readers find out that Colin wants recognition and to be a well-known genius. Lindsey also wants some lasting presence as well. The third part of the book contributing to recognition is the gravestone of Archduke Franz Ferdinand because I have now realized that the grave is actually Lindsey's grandfather. He wanted to be remembered so he requested for that name to be on his gravestone.

Structure:

One element of structure in An Abundance of Katherines is that it is written in third-person. This is different because most of John Green's books are written in the first-person. Another element of structure is the use of footnotes. He uses footnotes throughout the book to explain things to the reader. The third and final structure is the great use of dialogue. John Green uses a lot of dialogue in this novel.

Entry One: An Abundance of Katherines

Characters:

Colin Singleton: Colin is the main character in this novel. A rather strange trait of his is that he has dated 19 girls named Katherine. Another problem for Colin is that he needs to be praised and recognized.

Hassan Harbish: Hassan is Colin's best friend. He is smart but lazy. He helps Colin with any problems that occur. Hassan triggers the trip to Gutshot, Tennessee

Lindsey Lee Wells: Hassan and Colin meet Lindsey in Gutshot. She has many sides and changes depending on the audience she is speaking to. She is dating a jock named Colin that Hassan renames TOC (the other colin) to differentiate between the two.

Setting:

The setting of An Abundance of Katherines is Gutshot, Tennessee. The most important part of the setting is that in this town is the tourist attraction called The Last Resting Place of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This grave sight is what brought Colin and Hassan to the town of Gutshot, Tennessee. In this town, the boys meet Lindsey and her mother Hollis. Hollis owns the main factory in Gutshot, where the town profits most from because of the production going on there.

Conflict:

I am unsure of the conflict of this novel.

My prediction is that Colin Singleton will date Lindsey and something will happen to or with the grave.

Question: How much does Colin dating Katherines come into the story?

Connections: I have no connections to this book yet.

Discussion of 9th Grade Blogging

This 2013-2014 school year, I had English second and third trimester. Something new that was introduced to me was blogging. We blogged once a week in the computer lab and each blog was about the novel that we were reading at that time. After my experience with blogging, overall, I enjoyed it for the most part. However, I did not enjoy the weekly basis that we had to post on. It was frustrating especially if you could not find time to read that week.

I felt like my blog is very quality for multiple reasons. In my blog post, "Setting of Shattering Glass", I used a quote or textual evidence to contribute to the quality of the post. All of my posts were at least two paragraphs and I added widgets on the side of my blog. Also, I added pictures in five of my ten blog posts this trimester. My blog is somewhat adequate but I still have things to work on over the summer that I can apply to my future blogs.

The Fat Boy Chronicles

A book that I have been thinking about picking up and reading is The Fat Boy Chronicles by Diane Lang, Thomas H. Inge, and Michael Buchanon. This book received a 3.9 out of five on Goodreads( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6542580-the-fat-boy-chronicles ). I have also heard from multiple sources that it is a very enjoyable book to read. The meaning behind the book is explained on Goodreads, "... reveals to readers the emotionally painful world obese teens experience in the face of a thin-obsessed society."

The personal connection I have to this book is that the book is about a student that once attended William Mason High School, which is where I go to school. The book can also relate to many people because of the topic of bullying. Kathie Bryant, who rated the book five out of five stars, in the comment section of Goodreads states it perfectly, "Anyone can relate to this book. Those who are bullied, find hope. Those who are bullies, find forgiveness." I might have to research this book more in depth and decide if I want to read it or not.

Review and Summary of Shattering Glass

Summary:

At the beginning of the book, Simon Glass is the biggest dweeb at B'Vale High School in Texas. And by the end of Shattering Glass, he's not even alive. This all starts because four jocks decide to make Simon Glass Mr. Popular of the senior class. What they didn't know before this transformation was that Simon had a mean, devious side to him that none of them could even imagine. And just like the back of the book says, "And when Simon uncovers a dangerous secret, events darken. The result is disquieting, bone-chilling...and brutal." You'll have to read the book to uncover all the details.

Review:

My thoughts on Shattering Glass is that it was an enjoyable book to read and I liked it. Gail Giles' writing style is very unique and she includes elevated diction which both contributed to liking of the book. My rating for it would be an eight out of ten because most of the book was good but at times it was hard to follow and confusing also. The type of reader that would enjoy this novel by Gail Giles would someone who enjoys reading about mystery and relatable plots. Overall, it was a great read and I recommend it to all.

Vocabulary in Shattering Glass Part 2

Upon finishing Shattering Glass by Gail Giles, I was impressed by the elevated diction and vocabulary used throughout the book. Overall, the book was very enjoyable and kept me engaged although at times it was hard to follow. I would recommend this book to everyone because it will keep you wanting to read more all the way up to the very last word.

In chapter 27, I came across a word I was unfamiliar with. That word is valiantly. In the book, it is used like, "The band tried valiantly to sound like they were playing music, the lead singer wiping the obligatory sweat..." (Giles 199). After looking this challenging word up, I now know that it means boldly courageous; brave; stout-hearted. Valiant is a useful word and I may include it in my daily vocabulary if I find a situation I can use it in.

Text Connections in Shattering Glass

There are many text connections in Shattering Glass. A text-to-world connection in the book is that every high school has nerds or kids who aren't popular. Other students pick on these kids who aren't "cool" to make themselves feel better. This happens in the real world as well as in Gail Giles' Shattering Glass. The weird thing about the book is that some of the most popular kids in school decide to help Simon Glass change his image. He goes from scrub to pub with the simple help of four high-end boys. This doesn't happen often in the real world.

A text-to-self connection I made to Shattering Glass is that there are many kids who aren't "popular" in my high school. They occasionally get picked on also, just like Simon Glass at the beginning of the book. Something I could do to make a larger connection to Shattering Glass is to introduce myself to these kids who are shy or not "cool".

Characterization of Simon Glass

With Shattering Glass, I have not been finding time to read therefore, I have not kept a good pace with my reading. However, I have enjoyed the book! I am on page 76 out of 215 and a lot has happened so far. Up to this point, we have learned a lot about Simon Glass: His parents are extremely wealthy and not engaged in his life at all. All they do is work while he just rides the bus to and from school. Simon also does not have his license because his parents have no time to take him to Driver's Education. Readers find out that he is surprisingly funny as well.

While finding all of these things out about Glass, readers also experience Simon's feelings and input on things as he talks a lot more now that he is more comfortable around his peers. He is more comfortable because of the makeover Bobster, Coop, Rob, and Young have given him. He feels like a new man, or atleast it seems this way. My thoughts on Simon Glass is that he has made a complete change from the beginning of the book to now. He is a completely different person. I am excited to see how this "popularization" of Glass is going to work out.

Worst Thing and Best Thing about Shattering Glass

The worst thing about my book, Shattering Glass by Gail Giles, is that it is hard to follow at times. Occasionally, the narrator will jump around to things that have not been mentioned in awhile or at all in the book. Speaking of the narrator, who is it? I am unable to decipher who is telling the story. This can take a huge toll on the reader's feeling and emotion towards the book. If the person reading the book doesn't know who is talking, it is then extremely hard to follow the piece.

The best thing about this book is the whole plot or concept. The overall meaning of the story relates to so many people because most of the population goes through high school at one point in their life. Not only going to high school but that almost every high school has kids that get picked on. However, it is not often that jocks would help out a kid that isn't as popular as them. This is truly an extraordinary plot that people need to read about.

Krista Ramsey Columns

Click here for Krista Ramsey's column. A summary of what this column by Krista Ramsey is about is the concussion prevention system at the University of Cincinnati is truly unbelievable. Concussions are caused not by the power of hit but by the player's knowing of what's about to hit them. In 2010, UC players acquired just 1.3 concussions the entire year. 

The line that I think is best written is, "Even a slight improvement in timing, for example, can mean seeing an approaching opponent more quickly and preparing the whole body to absorb the hit." The effect this line has on the reader is that it's a very informative sentence. It can also motivate athletes to improve their timing. An example of abstract diction in this quote is timing. It is abstract because the word timing is hard to explain or visualize. The sentence length in this quote is medium because it contains 25 words.

 I believe Ramsey's writing style is factual. She likes to incorporate factual evidence many times in her writing. An example of this from Ramsey: For better vision, kids need time outdoors is, "In the U.S. alone, the percentage of people ages 12 to 54 who are nearsighted – meaning unable to see things clearly at a distance – rose from 25 percent in the early 1970s to 42 percent now." An example of factual writing from KRISTA: Super Bowl QBs score points for great style is, "Manning is a Southern-bred gentleman..." A third and final example of this style is from See the hit, save the brain gameplan at cautious UC, "Since 2006, UC's football concussion rate has dropped by 80 percent. From 2006 to 2009, UC players sustained an average of 8.75 concussions per year. From 2010 on, the number dropped to just 1.3."

Questions: 
1. How do you come up with what to write about?
2. What would you describe your writing style as?
3. How do you get started in a career of writing?

Vocabulary in Shattering Glass

Thus far, I have read five chapters in Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. The book has been very thorough and overall, a very good read. The vocabulary has been middle to high-level difficulty in my opinion. It has been enjoyable to read up to this point and has an interesting and relatable plot which makes a great book.

An example of high-level vocab in this book is, "He tugged one of the flapping sheets of notebook paper hanging haphazardly from Coop's binder" (Giles 26). The vocabulary word in this sentence is haphazardly. Upon looking this word up, I now know that it means marked by a lack of plan, order, or direction. This is a helpful word and I will now start to use it in many situations. For example, I could use haphazardly to describe something that is unorganized.

Setting for Shattering Glass

The setting for Shattering Glass by Gail Giles is B'Vale High School. The book was published in 2002 which makes me want to believe the time period is present day and not in the future or back in the day. A real-life connection I can make to this novel is that I am in high school and know what that life is like. I see what happens to kids that get picked on for no reason other than they aren't popular.

A good line of imagey in the book is, "It was retro-cool in our part of Texas to wear loafers or Top-Sider boat shoes without socks, but Simon wore crepe-soled black lace-up wingtips" (Giles 1). This line describes what the average student in their part of Texas looks like.

Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

I have just started the book Shattering Glass by Gail. It received a 3.85/5 rating on Goodreads. This book is about a husky nerd named Simon Glass who everyone hates. Four popular friends try to improve Simon's image by moving him up in the social ranks. But what they don't know is that Simon has a cruel, demented side to him. This is a paraphrase of the back of the book.

My predictions for this is that it will be a good book. I'm excited to read it based on the reviews it has gotten. I don't have any real-life connections to this book so far so it is hard to analyze it in depth.

Blog Final Reflection

The blog I best exemplified my ablility to analyze development of theme is http://mattdreadingblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-man-named-dave-summary-and-review.html. In that post, I summarized the book without giving away the ending and stated what I believed the theme was. From the post, I said, "I believe the theme is to never give up because like good things, bad things come to an end also." I came up with this theme conclusion based on the observations I had while reading A Man Named Dave. The summary and review post meets the requirements of the rubric because I stated the theme and I analyzed the book with the summary I created.

Choice Two:
One thing that I struggled with through the experience was keeping up with the pace of a blogpost every week. I fell behind and never felt like doing them. I overcame my slacking by bearing down and getting to work, finishing all 10 posts in time with the correct requirements. Next trimester I will try to do my blogposts on time so at the end of the trimester, I won't be bombarded with work and it will make my life easier. One strength I had while blogging was that I was short and straight to the point. I believe in quality over quantity because if you overload the blog with too much information, it becomes hard and boring to read. I am also proud of myself for getting to work and finishing the blogs on time. Overall, this was a good experience and it really teaches students how to analyze books effectively upon reading them.

A Man Named Dave, Summary and Review

Summary:

A Man Named Dave is about a boy that is searching to find his inner self. Brainwashed by his mother, Dave Pelzer believes he is waste of space and shouldn't be here. After being placed in foster care at the age of 12, he begins to find his true self. Dave wants to continue in his father's footsteps and become a firefighter, so he decides to joins the Air Force. He believes it will toughen him up and make him more ready to be a firefighter. While in the Air Force, he overcame hurdles that would halt an everyday citizen. He later meets the love of his life in the Force and rushes into marriage, later having a son named Stephen. The marriage later fails and adds to Dave distrusts in people. To find what happens after his father dies, you will have to read the book. I belicve the theme is to never give up because like good things, bad things come to an end also.

Review:

Overall, A Man Named Dave was a great book, just like A Child Called "it". If you are into an inspiring story of courage and bravery, read this book. I would give this book a 9/10 rating because I loved it so much!

Vocabulary in A Man Named Dave

A Man Named Dave is a great book and has very good, challenging words, one of them being mononucleosis. In the book, it says, "After a quick examination at the base's clinic, I was rushed to the hospital and admitted for severe mononucleosis." (Pelzer 98) After looking up the definition of this word, I now know it means the presence of an abnormally large number of mononuclear leukocytes, or monocytes, in the blood. I have never heard of or seen this word before so it challenged me when I came across it.

Characterization of Mother in A Man Named Dave

Dave Pelzer's mother is concluded to be a terrible human being. She attacks Dave for no reason and makes him do beyond awful things. In A Man Named Dave, she is most definitely the antagonist for obvious reasons. The weirder thing is that she has another son and treats him perfectly fine. I would also be scared if I was David's brother because this monster might turn on me any second.

David's mother eventually passes away after her kids were separated from her. Dave says now that his mother's actions were caused by her own childhood and how she used to live.

Update in A Man Named Dave

So far, I have finished the book but I am behind on my posts so I want to give you a midway update. There are 15 total chapters in the book so I will give an update up to chapter eight.

Shortly after the beginning of the book, Dave is separated from his mother and becomes a foster child. He sees this as a huge relief because all the horrifying things that his mother did to him. In chapter four, we find out that Dave's dad has cancer. The doctor's tell little David that there's nothing they can do and that his dad isn't going to make. Dave doesn't want to and can't believe what they just told him. This is truly traumatizing for David who is just a young boy. Dave spends many hours with his terminally ill father because it all he has. He can't talk to his brother because his brother is nearly the same age as himself so his father is important to him. His father finally passes and David is depressed.

Characterization of Dave in A Man Named Dave

Dave Pelzer in A Man Named Dave is a spacious and lost individual. He doesn't know who he is because his mother has brainwashed him to think he is simply a waste of space.  Dave doesn't want to be on Earth and he thinks God hates him. I know this because way back in chapter one, Dave explains, "I close my eyes as tightly as I can and mumble a quick prayer, even though I know God hates me."

Dave Pelzer now travels the country inspiring others because of his childhood. In Dave's declaration of independence to his mother, he says, "All those years you tried your best to break me, and I'm still here. One day you'll see, I'm going to make something of myself."

A Man Named Dave Vocabulary

A word I found in A Man Named Dave that I am unfamiliar with is 'raved'. The sentence is, "When I was younger, mother would drag me out of bed in the middle of the night, have me stand in front of her as she poured herself glass after glass and raved on for hours." (Pelzer 14) After looking it up, I now know that raved means to talk wildly, as in delirium. This book also has other good vocabulary words as well.

A Man Named Dave, Chapter 1

Chapter one in A Man Named Dave, The End, takes place on March 4th, 1973 where Dave Pelzer is 12 years old and depressed because is mother makes his life a living hell. A line in the chapter is, "I close my eyes as tightly as I can and mumble a quick prayer, even though I know God hates me." This is important because it gives us a clue about how mentally unstable and depressed he is. He also says this because his mother abuses him so much that he believes God hates him.

I cannot imagine what this was like for him. Just knowing that as soon as you come home your warm house, you are in trouble and getting beat. The most amazing thing is that he somehow got through it all and grew up to write these awesome books that let other know that these things happen all the time and that it needs to stop. I admire him and will keep you updated as move through the book.