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.

READING RESPONSE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING

I  am very close to finishing The Once and Future King by T.H. White, and it has been an incredible story. I left off where Arthur had just become king of Camelot, he went into the courtyard of the town, and pulled the famous sword, Excalibur, out of the stone. He was the only man successful in pulling out the sword, and that accomplishment made him king off Camelot. He also just met the Lady Guinevere, and from my prior knowledge of the Medieval period, I know that the two of them will fall in love and Guinevere will be crowned Queen of Camelot. I am very excited to see how T.H White describes their wedding day.

I had predicted that Arthur would become a great leader, even when I was only in the beginning of the book when he was just a child. My prediction has come true, as Arthur is now King Arthur, of Camelot. The author has reinforces how Arthur will be the greatest leader Camelot has ever seen, he describes the perfect era in which Arthur will reign.

Arthur has changed so much throughout the book. When I first began reading, he was an ignorant child who fancied nothing more than to play with swords. His tutor, Merlin, who later became his trusted advisor in the royal court, educated him, and nurtured him into becoming a leader. The reader can truly notice how Arthur matures.

T.H. White is truly a magical storyteller. He takes the classic story of king Arthur and the sword in the stone and puts his own spin on it, creating a whole new and wonderful book.

READING RESPONSE: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING BY T.H. WHITE

I am nearly finished with The Once and Future King, and my earlier prediction has proven to be right. As I said, Merlin has transformed Wart into many animals (fish, bird, snake), and by going through these strange experiences, he has learned many valuable lessons. For example, when he was turned into a bird, Wart was put in the castle Mews, with all the other birds. He learned the social class of each bird, and how to be obedient. As a Merlyn bird, he had a considerably high ranking, but he wasn't as powerful as the hawk and had to obey the hawk's every bidding if he wanted to live. This taught him to be obedient, which is a very good trait to have, considering he was the king's adopted son, which came with lots of power.

I am currently at a most interesting part in the book, where Wart and his brother Kay, have gone into the forest in search of an adventure. Low and behold, they meet Robin Hood, the legendary outlaw who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. The two young boys are sent on a mission to Morgan LeFay's castle, to help rescue part of Robin's band of outlaws, who were kidnapped by the witch, Morgan. I'm very excited to see how the boys rescue them, but I predict that they will be captured by Morgan, so there will be an interesting magical scene of battles.

I definitely need to repeat how incredible a writer T.H. White is. He is so descriptive, he takes a while to describe the character's surroundings, which makes the reader feel as if they are actually there.

In conclusion, this book is a very enticing read, and I can't wait to find out what happens to Wart and Kay. 

READING RESPONSE:THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING BY T.H.WHITE

I am about 40 pages into The Once and Future King by T.H.White, and already I am hooked. It is about a brave young boy named Wart and his brother,Kay, who will later become king. One day Wart ventures off into a forest and gets lost. A little while later, he meets a wizard who lives in this forest by the name of Merlin. Merlin helps Wart find his way back home, and as a reward, Wart's father makes Merlin his son's tutor. Merlin teaches Wart the art of magic by transforming into different types of animals.

Although I don't know much about the story yet, I predict that Merlin will help Wart become more mature and experienced, which will help him succeed in life. I say this because I can already see signs of Wart changing. Before he met Merlin, he had no longing to learn anything, and most days he would just shoot at targets and waste time. When Merlin started to introduce him to magic, Wart became active in learning and actually wanted to educate himself, and now he is gaining knowledge everyday.

The author of this book, T.H.White, has a very interesting style of writing. He often uses run-on sentences, which gives the book a sophisticated feel to it. I like how he is very descriptive when he uses long sentences, instead of simply stating things in a short sentence. He also gives each character a specific personality, from the lowliest maid of the castle, right up to the king, which makes it easy to remember each person and the important role they play in the book.

In conclusion, this book is really interesting, and if you enjoy reading fantasy, you'll really enjoy The Once and Future King.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Literary Essay Response

 

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick is a story about a young boy in middle school named Steven Alper. As the story progresses, Steven is told that his younger brother, Jeffery, was diagnosed with cancer. At first it was hard for Steven to accept the horrible truth, and for a while he sulks and just drowns in his own sorrow. But eventually throughout the book Steven matures by making personal sacrifices for his brother's benefit, instead of thinking about himself.

 

Steven notices that all the medical bills for Jeffery's therapy are starting to negatively affect his family, and he steps up to the challenge. He decides to give up his precious drum lessons, which he realizes are an unnecessary expense. He sees how he needs to become a man for his family and help them, so he willingly sacrifices something he really loves.

 

Another example was when Steven shaved his head. When Jeffery started losing his hair, and a boy in his class called him "bald" it really upset him. To stop Jeffery from feeling insecure, Steven shaved off all of his hair, so Jeffery wouldn't have to be the only bald one. This shows how much Steven cares for his brother, and how he would change how he looked in order to make his brother feel better.

 

Steven has always been very passionate about drumming, and when he has a huge performance with a long solo, Jeffery gets a fever. Steven has the choice to continue his concert, or to leave with Jeffery. Steven gives up his big moment to shine, and leaves with his brother so he wouldn't have to be alone in the hospital. This shows that Steven would even give up a life changing moment to be there for his brother.

 

By making all of these sacrifices for his brother, Steven matures and becomes a true adult at the end of the book. Although we may not experience something as terrifying as cancer, we all find our own ways to mature, just like Steven.

 



Memoir

     I remember, maybe two years ago, when I received the news. It wasn’t the good type of news that you get from a handwritten letter in the mail, or a party invitation. It was the bad news; something a child always dreads, like when their parent walks up to them and says, “Listen darling, we’ve got some bad news and some good news. Which would you like to hear first?” And of course, you can’t help but say good news first, and for a second you are overjoyed, only for it to vanish a moment later when the bad news is told.

     It had been an excellent morning, and surprisingly warm for the winter months, on the day my mom told me everything. But of course, the horrible damp cloth of the news had come to drape itself over my great day. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, just contemplating life, I suppose, when my mom walked in. Her face was flushed and tightly drawn against her pronounced cheekbones. Her throat kept making a strange sound like a “click click” like it does when she is upset. “Isobel,” she said, “I just got a phone call from grandma-“ “Did you tell her I said hi?” I interrupted. “Yes, but,” “But what?” I retorted. “Grandpa Harry has…he has…passed away”, she blurted out. As those words left her mouth, the world just disappeared, and it was just my mom and I, no one else. Her words echoed in my head like a very repetitive song. “Passed away, passed away, passed away.” My ears must have heard her correctly, but my heart didn’t believe it. How could he be gone, just like that? In a split second someone so important to me had vanished, so quickly my mind couldn’t comprehend it. My thoughts were ramming into each other, causing a ruckus in my head, but through all that I managed to croak, “how?” “Oh, darling, it was a heart attack, no one could have known it would happen,” my mom replied. It was then that reality crashed into me, and the truth, the sheer simplicity of his death, was all clear. That was it. He was gone and he wasn’t coming back. I was at a loss for words. I just let the tears flow down my face like a cascading waterfall. My memories of him raced through my mind. Us watching the Olympics together, when I couldn’t chose who I wanted to win gymnastics. When I finally beat him at chess, and he smiled so wide it lit up all the whole room, “I’m proud of you”, he had said. The time he read me his favorite book while I sat on his lap, and we both slowly fell asleep. All those times were the last I would ever have with him. My mom didn’t try to say everything was going to be fine because it wasn’t. She just held me close and let me cry.