The following websites are all reviews on one or more of John Green's books.
His books include:
"Paper Towns"
"Looking for Alaska"
"Will Grayson Will Grayson"
"An Abundance of Katherines"
This website talks about the author and his books
Review 1
Review 2
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Book Talk 1
“Perfect” – Natasha Friend
This book written with very accessible language and literary strategies, allows many readers to dive right into the story. Although written, with a primary audience of ages 10-15, I personally think, the topics and issues brought up could certainly pertain to all ages through high school. The typical high school drama and problems echo through the voice of Isabelle, our main character, and allow us into her world of being 13 years old. She is in the 8th grade and has only her mother and sister to count on. She lacks social confidence and thus has found herself without a large social surrounding. When Isabelle’s mother learns of her eating disorder, the “deal” is for her to attend group therapy sessions. With these sessions flows the realization of her problems, the discovery of a lifetime- that the most popular girl in school also has an eating disorder, and her family’s path to acceptance and dealing with her father’s death.
• Easy to read
• Accessible language (vocabulary is that of a seventh grader)
• Short chapters and overall book length
• Issue book- dealing with problems that are controversial= eating disorders, death, and peer pressure
• Relatable characters and plot
• The end leaves you dangling (wanting more)
• Mostly female characters
- This book is one I would certainly recommend. I liked this book a lot because it kept me interested throughout and with an easy vocabulary, plot, and theme, it was something most people (in my opinion- more so females) could get into. There is a lot to the story because of the multiple angles of Isabelle’s life. With not only her eating disorder being the main problem of the book, her mother and sister each have their own problems they must work out through the course of the book. As the reader, you find yourself pushing harder and harder for Isabelle and her family to connect to each other and help each other.
- But this book leads to much self discovery and entices the reader to feel the hardship, sadness, and joy of all the characters. However, the ending of the book left me somewhat frustrated. The ending left so much unanswered, and as much as that may be a part of the story, for those who want closure, this book gives none. I would recommend this book to others with the precautionary advice of, it being a “girl issue” book and may leave you wondering where the rest of the story went. I believe this is a story about finding out who you are, grabbing a hold of it, and never letting go.
- PowerPoint Presentation- To the right is my resources box, click the link for Book Talk 1, under Lizzie on that page click the file
This book written with very accessible language and literary strategies, allows many readers to dive right into the story. Although written, with a primary audience of ages 10-15, I personally think, the topics and issues brought up could certainly pertain to all ages through high school. The typical high school drama and problems echo through the voice of Isabelle, our main character, and allow us into her world of being 13 years old. She is in the 8th grade and has only her mother and sister to count on. She lacks social confidence and thus has found herself without a large social surrounding. When Isabelle’s mother learns of her eating disorder, the “deal” is for her to attend group therapy sessions. With these sessions flows the realization of her problems, the discovery of a lifetime- that the most popular girl in school also has an eating disorder, and her family’s path to acceptance and dealing with her father’s death.
• Easy to read
• Accessible language (vocabulary is that of a seventh grader)
• Short chapters and overall book length
• Issue book- dealing with problems that are controversial= eating disorders, death, and peer pressure
• Relatable characters and plot
• The end leaves you dangling (wanting more)
• Mostly female characters
- This book is one I would certainly recommend. I liked this book a lot because it kept me interested throughout and with an easy vocabulary, plot, and theme, it was something most people (in my opinion- more so females) could get into. There is a lot to the story because of the multiple angles of Isabelle’s life. With not only her eating disorder being the main problem of the book, her mother and sister each have their own problems they must work out through the course of the book. As the reader, you find yourself pushing harder and harder for Isabelle and her family to connect to each other and help each other.
- But this book leads to much self discovery and entices the reader to feel the hardship, sadness, and joy of all the characters. However, the ending of the book left me somewhat frustrated. The ending left so much unanswered, and as much as that may be a part of the story, for those who want closure, this book gives none. I would recommend this book to others with the precautionary advice of, it being a “girl issue” book and may leave you wondering where the rest of the story went. I believe this is a story about finding out who you are, grabbing a hold of it, and never letting go.
- PowerPoint Presentation- To the right is my resources box, click the link for Book Talk 1, under Lizzie on that page click the file
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
EDU 330- Book 3- Re-thinking
One critical point that while "re-thinking" the book I may have overlooked is the potential of an "issue" book. Although using a book like this would prove to be useful in introducing many issues and talking/dealing with them, there is also the alternate. This book may be uncomfortable for some students to read and or deal with. I would suggest knowing the class and having a good classroom environment, one in which all students feel safe and secure enough to voice their opinion and feelings on the book, the issues, and their life too. I optimistically believe that students want to open up and I hope that this book could be taught without problems. But the classroom is always full of surprises.
Monday, October 4, 2010
EDU 330- Book 3 Picture
The idea for this book, for me, was self discovery. It was the idea that sometimes we forget the person that we are because we are too focus on the person we want to become. I think this book allows the reader to see the struggle of the character to really find herself.
EDU 330- Book 3
“Perfect” by Natasha Friend is a great book that I could see myself using as an “issue” book or as a starting point to tackle many difficult problems. This book, with the main character being Isabelle Eliza Lee, tackles many of individual and family’s secrets throughout the book. We begin with Isabelle discussing her sister, which she so humorously names “Ape Face”, or April, and how April has tattled on her for something she has “done”. This book brings to light the strong and difficult topic of eating disorders, pear pressure, fitting in and stereotypes. We follow Isabelle through the book and find that she is not the only one carrying a large burden and “issue” on her shoulders. Isabelle’s sister and mother carry much emotional pain and issues that they have yet to deal with. We learn of the death of Isabelle’s father, who has been gone for some time and the affect that his absence has on their home, their family, and their own personal selves. This book brings strong emotions into play of how to deal with one’s own family whiling trying to take care of one’s own self.
This book, written very accessibly with language and literary strategies, allows many readers to dive right into the story. Although written, with a primary audience of ages 10-15, I personally think, the topics and issues brought up could certainly pertain to all ages through high school. The typical high school drama and problems echo through the voice of Isabelle and allow us into her world of being 13 years old. She is in the 8th grade and has only her mother and sister to count on for "continual support" if you can even call it that good of a name. She has two friends, Nola and Georgie, whom she eats lunch with and hangs out with, until she find herself in the company of someone higher up on the popularity ladder. She lacks social confidence and thus has found herself without a large social surrounding. When Isabelle’s mother learns of her eating disorder, the “deal” is for her to attend group therapy sessions. With these sessions flows the realization of her problems, the discovery of a lifetime- that the most popular girl in school also has an eating disorder, and her family’s path to acceptance and dealing with her father’s death.
In a world where so many children are dealing with single parent homes, loss of one parent or both, eating disorders, social issues, and much more. This book gives an insight to the “real” world of how some manage to stay, barely, afloat with life passing them by. Things are not always what they seem, as this book proves over and over again with the characters. Written with mainly girl characters, the male audience may have a harder time getting into the book, but if there was a way to use this text as a “vehicle” text it may prove more than useful in helping students to understand that those sitting next to you in class are battling something of which you know absolutely nothing about, and on a daily basis. I liked this book a lot because it kept me interested throughout and with easier language, plot, and theme, it was something most people (in my opinion- more so females) could get into. However, the ending of the book left a lot to be desired. I was frustrated at how the ending left so much unanswered, and as much as that may be a part of the story, for those who want closure, this book gives none. I would recommend this book to others with the precautionary advice of, it being a “girl issue” book and may leave you wondering where the other half of the book went.
This book, written very accessibly with language and literary strategies, allows many readers to dive right into the story. Although written, with a primary audience of ages 10-15, I personally think, the topics and issues brought up could certainly pertain to all ages through high school. The typical high school drama and problems echo through the voice of Isabelle and allow us into her world of being 13 years old. She is in the 8th grade and has only her mother and sister to count on for "continual support" if you can even call it that good of a name. She has two friends, Nola and Georgie, whom she eats lunch with and hangs out with, until she find herself in the company of someone higher up on the popularity ladder. She lacks social confidence and thus has found herself without a large social surrounding. When Isabelle’s mother learns of her eating disorder, the “deal” is for her to attend group therapy sessions. With these sessions flows the realization of her problems, the discovery of a lifetime- that the most popular girl in school also has an eating disorder, and her family’s path to acceptance and dealing with her father’s death.
In a world where so many children are dealing with single parent homes, loss of one parent or both, eating disorders, social issues, and much more. This book gives an insight to the “real” world of how some manage to stay, barely, afloat with life passing them by. Things are not always what they seem, as this book proves over and over again with the characters. Written with mainly girl characters, the male audience may have a harder time getting into the book, but if there was a way to use this text as a “vehicle” text it may prove more than useful in helping students to understand that those sitting next to you in class are battling something of which you know absolutely nothing about, and on a daily basis. I liked this book a lot because it kept me interested throughout and with easier language, plot, and theme, it was something most people (in my opinion- more so females) could get into. However, the ending of the book left a lot to be desired. I was frustrated at how the ending left so much unanswered, and as much as that may be a part of the story, for those who want closure, this book gives none. I would recommend this book to others with the precautionary advice of, it being a “girl issue” book and may leave you wondering where the other half of the book went.
Reaction to "I am the Messenger"
After reading this book and writing my blog post about it, we had the chance to discuss it in class. I thought it would be nice to share some revelations I had about the book and how I felt after hearing other peoples' thoughts.
First of all the language in the book was hard for me to figure out and I concluded that it was a British accent, but as my fellow classmates have made me aware it is not, it is an Australian accent instead. I think this affects the my interpretation of the story, how I view the characters, it all has to do with context and this one little detail helped to change some ideas throughout the book for me. The next interesting point that my classmates brought up were the 12 scenarios that Ed was placed into, from the cards. There is symbolism in each card, or so I believe, and what does this to do each of the names, people, addresses, movies on the cards? We can break the book down into four categories: Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, and Hearts. And in each we can thus go further with the subjects of the cards- Diamonds: were addresses- Mila, Sophie, and the rapist; Clubs: names carved on a rock- priest, Angie, and the Rose brothers; Spades: were author names- Tatupu, Bev Kennedy, and the movie theater guy; Hearts: movie titles- Ritchie, Marv, Audrey.
If you are a superstitious person then it could be taken as a sign that Ed was himself the final message when he receives his final card making him the 13th message. There seemed to have been a connection from each card to the next, whether it be the way in which Ed has to deliver the message, how he had to understand the message or even how to decode the message. With the idea of connection on the mind, many of my classmates made the observation, or as I would call it a revelation, that the author was the final guy in which Ed meets, he was the one who orchestrated the events and who was "telling" Ed what to do. Some may believe that the author was the final messenger for Ed and his journey continues on.
I hadn't thought about all of these things before. I wonder what my future students would this of this book?
First of all the language in the book was hard for me to figure out and I concluded that it was a British accent, but as my fellow classmates have made me aware it is not, it is an Australian accent instead. I think this affects the my interpretation of the story, how I view the characters, it all has to do with context and this one little detail helped to change some ideas throughout the book for me. The next interesting point that my classmates brought up were the 12 scenarios that Ed was placed into, from the cards. There is symbolism in each card, or so I believe, and what does this to do each of the names, people, addresses, movies on the cards? We can break the book down into four categories: Diamonds, Clubs, Spades, and Hearts. And in each we can thus go further with the subjects of the cards- Diamonds: were addresses- Mila, Sophie, and the rapist; Clubs: names carved on a rock- priest, Angie, and the Rose brothers; Spades: were author names- Tatupu, Bev Kennedy, and the movie theater guy; Hearts: movie titles- Ritchie, Marv, Audrey.
If you are a superstitious person then it could be taken as a sign that Ed was himself the final message when he receives his final card making him the 13th message. There seemed to have been a connection from each card to the next, whether it be the way in which Ed has to deliver the message, how he had to understand the message or even how to decode the message. With the idea of connection on the mind, many of my classmates made the observation, or as I would call it a revelation, that the author was the final guy in which Ed meets, he was the one who orchestrated the events and who was "telling" Ed what to do. Some may believe that the author was the final messenger for Ed and his journey continues on.
I hadn't thought about all of these things before. I wonder what my future students would this of this book?
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