READING RESPONSE: GONE BY MICHAEL GRANT

I am now nearly a third through 'Gone' by Michael Grant, and the book has majorly progressed since my last post. The adults aged 15 and over still show no sign of returning, and the younger children are becoming very distressed, only having teenagers to look after them. Sam, Quinn, and Astrid, the three main characters also discovered something out of the ordinary. Their town, Perdido Beach, is encased in a dome made of indestructible material, preventing them from leaving. The author also revealed that children in nearby towns are suffering from disappearing adults. In addition to all these strange occurrences, more children have begun to develop supernatural powers. Originally it was just Sam who could create fire by opening the palm of his hand, but a three year old girl was recently gifted with the power, but unfortunately she died a little while later.

I predict that the remaining residents of Perdido Beach will grow increasingly hysterical and agitated, as they realize the adults are nowhere to be found. The oldest children are being placed under a lot of pressure at the moment, having to take care of the younger children and attempting to uncover where the adults have gone. The children are relying on their survival skills and common knowledge to assist them in their altered world. I also predict that soon food and other supplies will run out, leaving the children in an even more desperate situation.

The author, Michael Grant, writes the story in multiple perspectives. His most common perspectives are the main character Sam Temple, and a girl from another town, Lana, whose grandfather disappeared while driving, and left her in a car crash. I admire how he uses multiple perspectives while writing, as I think it adds to the story's appeal. This book has been an amazing experience to read, and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

READING RESPONSE: GONE BY MICHAEL GRANT

I have just begun to read the first book in a series of books by Michael Grant. This book is called 'Gone', which is followed by 'Hunger'. Since I am only on chapter two, I don't know much about the book, but here is some information I am gathering: It takes place in an imaginary town in America called Perdido Beach. This town and surrounding areas are encased in a bubble, and everyone 15 and over mysteriously vanishes. Randomly, the people left in Perdido Beach and some animals develop supernatural powers, which assist them when trying to find the missing people. This book follows the adventures of the protagonist Sam Temple and his twin sister Caine Soren.

 

I predict that Sam and Caine will find a way to break out of the bubble, even though it appears to be impenetrable. They will probably go on a mission to find the adults who have disappeared. I know that these to characters gain a third companion, who is called Drake Merlin, who is insane, so I'm predicting that he will lead them astray.

 

Although I am barely 40 pages into the book, I can already see how talented the author Michael Grant is. He writes the book in three different characters perspectives, which is a very hard thing to accomplish. He develops each character separately, so they all have their own unique and distinguishing personality. I can't wait to get through this book so I can read the follow up, Hunger.

'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a poem about making hard decisions and choosing a metaphorical path in life, not knowing where it could lead you. Frost compares choices to a fork in the road, describing how he was faced with choosing a path, and how later in life he is looking back at that moment, wondering if he made the right decision, or if he should have taken the other path. The author wants the reader to know that he had  to chose between two paths, which represent choices, and now he is contemplating whether or not he chose the right one.

In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker says "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both." This quote explains that there are two decisions to be made, but only one can be chosen. Another piece of textual evidence is when the speaker says "then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same." This describes the moment when the speaker choses one path, without knowing which way it leads, because both paths resemble each other. A final quote is "I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." This explains the last part of my claim where I said the speaker was contemplating whether he chose the right path. In this quote, the speaker is thinking back to the moment when he made the decision, and wondering if he chose the right
path. 

The author wants the reader to know that he had to chose between
two paths, which represent choices, and now he is thinking and 
questioning whether or not he chose the right one. This connects
to me personally because especially at this point in my life I
will have to make tough decisions, such as high schools and
eventually college.

READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R TOLKIEN

I am on the last few chapters of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the book has been amazing. I left off where Bilbo and the dwarfs had narrowly escaped the rock creatures in a heated battle and had taken shelter in a damp cave, where they were once again captured by goblins. This chapter was a critical moment in the book, as it was when Bilbo first encountered Gollum, a strange creature obsessed with a magical yet evil ring that could turn the wearer invisible. Bilbo finds himself with the ring, and the journey continues. A lot has happened since this chapter; the crew has been lost in a forest, captured by elves, and almost killed multiple times. In the part I am currently reading, the dwarfs have discovered the secret passage in the mountain, leading to the treasure Smaug has been hiding. The dwarfs send Bilbo, their burglar, to scout out any immediate danger.

As I predicted, Bilbo's character has completely changed, before he started out on this great adventure, he was a simple hobbit. He wanted nothing to do with adventures, all he desired was to sit in his hobbit hole and eat four meals a day. When he was first given the opportunity of an adventure, he shied away, not wanting to risk his life for a bit of treasure. When he finally agreed to go with the dwarfs, he completely changed. I think after going through many near death situations such as trolls, goblins, and other nasty creatures, he started to see things as a thrill, rather than something to be terrified of.

The author of this book, J.R.R. Tolkien is an amazing writer. He is well known for his creativity and skill of writing fantasy books, such as the lord of the rings trilogy, but I believe his strongest piece of writing is The Hobbit. He lures the reader in with clear descriptions of magical and otherworldly places. He gives each character a distinct personality, so one could recognize every dwarf. This book is incredible, and I highly recommend it.

READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN

I am still reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and I'm up to an interesting part in the story. Bilbo and the dwarfs only left The Shire about a week ago, and already they have encountered  many dangerous situations. As I discussed last post, the group slyly escaped three huge dwarfs (with a little help from Gandalf), and now they are climbing the treacherous Rocky Mountains, while two rock creatures are in the midst of a battle. As Bilbo informs the reader, the weather is horrible, and the rock creatures are causing an avalanche of boulders to rain down on them, barely missing Bilbo as he dangles precariously off the side of a cliff. Eventually, the storm comes to a standstill, and the group take shelter in a small cave in the side of a mountain. Little do they know, the cave is already inhabited by Goblins, and once again they find themselves captured.

I can already see how Bilbo's character is developing and changing. In the beginning of the story, Bilbo resembled his father, who was a respectable hobbit, and who seemed the least likely to go out on adventures. Later, Bilbo becomes more like his mother Belladonna Took, who came from a long ancestral line of adventurers. Risky adventures suddenly appeal to Bilbo, and he is desperate to prove himself to the dwarfs and show them that he is capable of dealing with adventures. Bilbo eventually does prove himself, by distracting the trolls and saving his companions.

I predict that Bilbo will keep continually changing, gaining the characteristics of a Took descendant.He will probably have to prove himself multiple more times until the dwarfs finally see him as a worthy companion in an adventure.

This book is amazing. It is a classic fantasy book, such as The Once and Future King. J.R.R. Tolkien brings the story to life, using many descriptive words and making Bilbo a very distinct and recognizable character.

READING RESPONSE: THE HOBBIT BY J.R.R TOLKIEN

I finished Beautiful Creatures, and I haven't had time to buy the second book in that series, so I decided to reread one of my favorites, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book is about a young hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who doesn't believe in having adventures, as he thinks they are childish. A hobbit is a small, content person, who is even smaller in size than the average dwarf. One day, this particular hobbit is approached by the wizard, Gandalf. Gandalf wants Bilbo to assist him and his many dwarf friends in seizing back the treasure that an evil dragon, Smaug, stole from them many years ago. At first, Bilbo is very reluctant, not wanting to live the simple life of a hobbit behind. However, when the thirteen dwarves (Dwalin, Balin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur,and their leader, Thorin Oakensheild) barge into his house and eat up all of his food (under the impression Bilbo has already agreed to help them), Bilbo gives in and sets of his first adventure.

I can't make any predictions, considering I have already read this book, so instead I will further establish the main character, Bilbo. Bilbo is the son of a well known adventurous hobbit Belladonna Took, and a much simpler hobbit, Bungo Baggins. He lives in what you might call a Hobbit haven, but what is actually called the shire. The shire is a grassy plain, full of hobbit holes (usually under hills with big circular doors). Bilbo lives in a rather grand hobbit hole called Bag End, which he inherited from his father. By his neighbors, Bilbo was always seen as a respectable hobbit, seemingly the spitting image of his father. It wasn't until later that the adventurous side of his personality developed.

I am only up to the start of their adventures, when they are making their way to Lonely mountain, where Smaug has hidden the dwarves treasure. The crew are just making camp in the forest and settling down for the night, when low and behold a group of three trolls captures all of their horses, which are essential for their voyage. Before all the horses are stolen, Bilbo wakes up. Although he is terrified, he realizes what is happening, and he follows the trolls back to their camp. As he sneakily makes his way to where the horses are being kept, he is caught by one of the trolls. The trolls are questioning him and debating whether or not to cook him in their stew, when Bilbo comes up with the brilliant idea of stalling them until one of the dwarves realizes he is missing and comes to save him. As Bilbo predicted, the whole crew of dwarves come with the intention of saving him, but they are captured too. In the end it was sunlight that turned the trolls to stone, because the dwarves had stalled the trolls until the sun came up.

This book is an amazing adventure, and no matter how many times I read it, it is still very enjoyable.

“Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day,
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves
And harps of gold; where no man delves
There lay they long, and many a song
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,
The wind was moaning in the night.
The fire was red, it flaming spread;
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale
And men looked up with faces pale;
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;
The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom.
They fled their hall to dying fall
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim
To dungeons deep and caverns dim
We must away, ere break of day,
To win our harps and gold from him!” 

READING RESPONSE: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES BY KAMI GARCIA AND MARGARET STOHL

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I have finished the Divergent series, and I have moved on to Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. This book is about a young girl named Lena Duchannes, who recently moved to a very rural town in the middle of nowhere called Gaitlin. From the beginning of the story, the townspeople of Gaitlin see Lena as an outsider. To them, she doesn't wear the right clothes, or isn't interested in the same things as everyone else. This makes her appear to be very peculiar. Eventually Lena makes a friend named Ethan. Ethan doesn't find Lena strange, instead he embraces her differences and they become fast friends. When Lena feels like she can trust Ethan, she tells him the truth. Lena is a caster, or a person who can do magic. She moved to Gaitlin to be with her uncle, who was going to help her figure out what branch of magic she is from. Every caster has a specific type of magic, and Lena's uncle believes she is a natural, which means she has more power than regular casters.

I am around page 100, which is when Lena admits to Ethan her true identity. I predict that Ethan will at first be astounded by Lena's power but will Still protect her and be there for her.

Before Lena came to Gaitlin, Ethan was just like all the other townspeople. He was on the basketball team, he was dating a cheerleader, and he minded his own business. When Lena came, she completely changed his life. He started becoming more adventurous and he expressed how he truly was. He stopped being a stereotypical jock, and instead became himself.

I don't usually read books written by two authors, but for beautiful creatures, I am making an exception. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are both very talented writers. They often use flashbacks, and they are always very detailed and vivid. This book is amazing and I highly recommend it to those who love young adult fantasy.