Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnerblick

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnerblick, shows the story of 8th grader Steven Alper, and his coping methods, with a dramatic school year, and his brother getting diagnosed with Leukemia. Throughout the year, he faces a lot of issues, but he learns how to deal with them, or at  least do what he can. It actually helps him become a more mature person. 

One thing that Steven does to deal with the troubles in his life is that he tries to help his brother feel less self conscious about his bald head, Jeffrey is bald  because he is on a lot of cancer killing medications, that make him lose his hair. Steven shaves his head too, so that his brother isn’t the only bald one, I think that this shows how much Steven cares about his brother. You really have to care a lot about someone to do something that bold. The way he put Jeffery before himself, is a sign of maturity.
Another thing Steven does to cope with all the drama, is he decides to stop taking drum lessons. He notices how stressed out his parents are, because of the medical bills, and realizes that even though he loves the extra lessons, they aren’t a necessity. He tells his drum teacher, that he needs to stop lessons, because of all the financial problems his family is facing. Even though it’s a small change, it certainly helps. He gets lucky on this attempt to help out, because his teacher offers free lessons. Because of this, his family is saving a ton of money.
The last thing Steven gave up, to help his brother was Renee. Steven has had a huge crush on Renee since the third grade. After Jeffery was diagnosed, Steven began to slack off school work. Eventually teachers noticed, and decided to let Renee tutor him. Steven was really excited for Renee to come to his house, but when she got there she was sick. She was sniffling, sneezing and coughing. Even though those are only signs of a small cold, Steven’s mom warned him that any sickness near Jeffery could get him even more sick. Steven really wanted Renee to stay, but he put his brother first, and told Renee that she had to leave, in protection of his brother. The fact that he kicked His crush out of his house, for his brother is amazing.
In conclusion, Steven learned to deal with all the abnormal events that took place in his eighth grade year. as a result, he became a much more mature person, he learned that shouldn’t take responsibility for things he can’t change, instead, he takes part in smaller, more realistic changes that make a difference.

Memoir

          My parents left early in the morning for New Jersey to pick up my dog! I usually sleep in on weekends, but my mom promised to be home with her by eight, so I woke right up. Shirley was the sweetest, cutest, little puppy I had ever seen. Her fur was as soft as velvet, and she was tiny enough for me to hold her in one hand. I couldn’t believe she was mine. She was so affectionate, something I had never seen in a pet, after growing up with two cats for six years. It was crazy, she was so loyal, she followed me around the house, and whenever I walked in the house she was there ready to welcome me in.

          Four days after getting Shirley, I came home from school and Shirley didn’t greet me at the door by jumping up on me, and licking my face. In fact she didn’t greet me at all.
          “Where is Shirley?” I asked my mom trying not to sound as panicked as I felt. “She’s at the vet,” my mom seemed anxious.
          “Will she be home tonight?” I trembled.
          “No,” my mom started to cry.
          Seeing your parents cry is one of the most strangely awful things to encounter, but when you’re feeling the same way, it’s worse, because there isn’t anyone to comfort you.

          “I took her to the vet, because she had no energy and was throwing up, there was blood in it, and she smelled really weird.” My mom’s cry turned into a sob.
          “Is she gonna be okay?” I asked. I knew that if I cried anymore it would make my mom more upset, so I widened my eyes as much as I could, keeping in as many tears as I could.
          “I d-don’t kn-ow honey, the-e vet-t-t said sh-she w-w-ould try her-er b-b-best.” I hugged my mom, I felt my tears soaking the shoulder of her sweater.
          We went to the vet immediately. They had a special room we were allowed to visit Shirley in as often as we wanted. She had already lost three ounces. She had three I.V.’s attached to her, and her fur was shaved around those areas, and she had a cone around her head. I ran and kissed her. She seemed so weak, and helpless. My mom was right, she smelled like rotting fish.
          It was very unclear if she was going to make it. Shirley had Parvo which is
an extremely deadly disease, our neighbors had two dogs that died from Parvo. Supposedly we discovered Shirley’s Parvo very early, so there were still things that could be done to help her. She was gone for six days total, and we visited her every day. The vet’s office would call us to notify us that she was still sick, but I didn’t want to believe it. I kept on telling myself that she was fine, and that she would be home soon. This was very strange, because I normally tend to think of the worst possible thing,
and freak out; I knew somewhere in me that this was a huge deal, but I just couldn’t let myself believe it. She had already lost a full pound, and every time we asked the vet about her, they said that they would try their best. That wasn’t good enough. My normal mind had come back, and everytime I thought about Shirley (all the time), I realized that

for all I know she could be dead. Coming home from school everyday to find that she was still alive was the best feeling, even though she wasn’t even home.
          After she was gone for a week, she finally came home. Her surviving was a miracle. I love her so much, and not only has she taught me to stick through bad times, this experience helped me understand that look on the dark side doesn’t help me, and that when I stay positive, I actually feel a lot better as a person. 

Gathering Blue, Lois Lowry

     In Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry, Kira's mother dies, and she has to start her life over again. For such a young girl, she is extremely clever.

     I love the way the stands up for herself. At the beginning of the book, she comes to see her old house, which is now completely burnt down, but her and her mother's garden is still in perfect condition, she sees people who are eating vegetables from her garden and gets really upset, and tells them that it is her garden, and that they need to leave. The reason I think this is good, is since she is alone now, people have to take her serious, or else she won't be able to get things she needs, getting adults to take you seriously is very difficult at such a young age.
     Most children if warned that they were going to die would freak out, but it really wouldn't help them at all. Kira is smart, and she stays very serious, so that the people will listen to her, and once again take her seriously. She needs to convince the "government" that she didn't kill her mother, and they are actually listening to her. I think that if she was standing there sobbing, they would think that she was just a silly little kid, and not even bother listening to what she had to say.
     In conclusion, I think that Kira is very clever, if I became an orphan, and everyone was accusing me of killing my family, I wouldn't be able to handle it. Kira really kept it together.

Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry

     I am currently ready Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry, I am still pretty close to the beginning, but I really like it. I love how the futuristic aspects of the book relate a lot to the real world.
     Kira's mom died from illness in a burning house. Her mothers death had nothing to do with Kira, but the rule where they live is that who ever might have killed the dead person must be killed. Kira obviously didn't kill her mother, because she is really upset about it, but the government is trying to kill her because they assume that she is the murderer. This reminds me of now, because a lot of the time, innocent people get arrested. I think this is because the government just wants to feel like they've done their job.
     I think that the way Kira handles her mothers death is good. Of course she is upset, but she knows that sobbing isn't going to get her anywhere, so she forces herself to start her life over, and not show the pain she's feeling, it also makes her appear stronger. The reason I think this relates to the real world, is because if you appear strong, and confident, it is less likely that people will pick on you, or mess with you.
     In conclusion, Even science fiction books relate to the time they were written. The author of science fiction books are living in the present time, so they have to get their ideas from their life. Next time you read a book that has parts that seem crazy, think about how the author got the idea, and what it is similar to, in everyday life.
    

This I Believe

I believe that everyone should a dog if they are responsible, because they need lots of attention and time. Dogs are loyal, they love you no matter what, and they always want you to be happy.

When I was four I got my first real pets, two cats. I had wanted a pet for a really long time (not a hamster or a fish). I wanted a soft animal with a beating heart. I was really happy when I got my cats, although they weren’t what I expected a pet would be like. They weren’t very cuddly, and sometimes they would bite or scratch when you pet them. I was really upset, because every time we tried to make them feel comfortable, they would run off and hide under the couch. I loved them anyway.

When I was ten, I got a dog. My parents wanted to get a dog in the fist place, but I was scared of them at the time. Once my cats grew up they began to get very independent, they were twins, and spent all their time with each other instead of my family. We could go on vacation and leave them at home alone with food and water, and they would be completely fine. My dog was different though. She was everything I ever ask for in a pet. She was very affectionate, she curled up on my lap on the couch, and she could never have enough attention; some people wouldn’t like that, but I loved it.

I think that the relationship between a dog and its owner is something very special. Dogs are loyal to their owners in a way that most people can’t be. I’m not saying that people aren’t loyal, it’s just that dogs have lots of faith in you. I go to camp for a month every summer, I love it, but once I got my dog, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to go, because I didn’t wan’t to leave her for that long. I ended up going, but the whole time I was scared that she wouldn’t remember me, or that she would be angry that I left (I couldn’t explain it to her(she is a dog)). When I finally got home, she ran to me, and covered me with slobber, similar to when I get home from school, but more. She is so loyal.

  I think that everyone who can handle a big responsibility should have a dog. I rescued my dog a little bit less than one year before I went to middle school. I was very nervous at the time, but my dog was always so happy, she reminded my that everything would be fine, she can always tell how I’m feeling, and always knows what to do. I believe that everyone deserves a dog. They do need lots of attention and time, but it definitely worth it. My pets mean everything to me, and I don’t know one person with a dog who doesn’t feel the same way.

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

     I just finished reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead for the third time. Sometimes after books multiple times you realize things that make you like the book more, or you realize things that make you like the book less. In this case, I liked it even more.  Since I have finished this book I am going to do an overview/review of When You Reach Me.
     The first thing I'm going to be talking about are the notes Miranda gets from the Laughing Man (Marcus). At the beginning Miranda is unaware the notes are from Marcus and she pretends they are not for her because she is scared. The first note is addressed to her as "M". She tells herself that M could be anybody and so does her mom, but they both know that the notes are for Miranda. And if the first note wasn't scary enough, having a stranger telling her that her best friend was in danger and asking for her house keys,  the second note was worse.

Most people would think that the since her full name was included in the second note that would make it more scary, I disagree. Miranda knew that the notes were directed at her in the first place. What I think is scary is when he says, "I know you have shared my first note. I ask you not to share the others please. I do not ask this for myself." She says after reading the note, that it scared her because she was alone. And that's exactly how I feel.
      For some reason when anything creepy or scary happens to me, being alone makes it ten times worse. I think that if you're with someone at least you have somebody to talk to. But since Miranda doesn't know who is sending her the notes, and if they knew she shared the first note they would probably find out if she shared the second one. Since she has absolutely no idea who is sending her the notes, for all she knows they could be dangerous. Because Miranda is very independent, she doesn't want to get into any trouble.
      In conclusion, these notes can be perceived in many different ways. It may seem like the notes were a small part of the book, but if you really think about it the notes build up the whole story. This is one of my favorite books, and after reading it again I've noticed even more things, in the last reading response about When You Reach Me I listed other things I noticed, but the notes are much deeper. Think about how you would feel inside if a stranger was sending you notes telling you that they know you and predicting your future and you couldn't let anybody know about any of it.

Revolt of the Evil Fairies, by Ted Poston

Revolt of the Evil Fairies

discrimination

     

     In “Revolt of the Evil Fairies” by Ted Poston. The main character wants the part of Prince Charming for the school play, but he can’t get it, because he has darker skin. The main theme in this book is discrimination, no one cares about anyone’s personality, only their complexion.

     The first example of discrimination is towards the beginning of the story when the main character says, “The good fairies wore white costumes and the evil fairies black. And strangely enough most of the good fairies turned out to be extremely light in complexion.” This quote shows that there is discrimination within races. Even though all of the children and the teachers in The Booker T Washington Grammar School were African American they recreated the unfairness they felt in the rest of the world inside their own community. This is not fair, no one has a chance at being successful, if their skin is dark.

     The teachers didn’t actually care about talent when casting the role of Prince Charming, they only paid attention to skin color. In the middle of the passage it is explained that, “Roger was not only dumb; he stuttered. But he was enough to pass for white, and apparently that was sufficient.” I think that this is unfair, because the main character got good grades, and practiced as much as he possibly could for the part of Prince Charming. But the teachers didn’t care about his hard work. This also shows how different things are now, if a kid in this time period got bad grades, they probably wouldn’t get a big part in the school play, no matter how they looked.

       My last example of discrimination in Revolt of the Evil Fairies by Ted Poston is when the author talks about the community. “The yallers had the best of everything. They had the most teaching jobs in Booker T Washington Colored Grammar School. They were the negro doctors, the lawyers, the insurance men.”

This shows that this discrimination doesn’t only take place in the school. I know that things like this in schools can be part of bullying, but this proves that discrimination goes through the whole african american community. The fact that people can be racist amongst their own race is ridiculous. It shows us that some people need to discriminate others in order to feel of value, because in their mind, compared to others they are.

     In conclusion discrimination is the theme of Revolt of the Evil Fairies by Ted Poston. Discrimination takes place even where you don’t expect it. I find it interesting and upsetting that people can feel so awful about the way things are working in the world around them that they need to create the same concept within their own people, just so they can feel better about themselves. Imagine how much discrimination it would take for you to create exactly what’s making you upset, again with your own people.

     

When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

     I just started When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead, for the second time, I like reading books twice in general, but after reading The Girl who was on Fire, I was inspired to read When You Reach Me again, because it is one of my favorite books, and I want to see what new things I notice.

     The first thing I noticed after reading just the first chapter was that all of the chapter titles start off with "things that..., or things you...,"I noticed this before, but I just figured it was part of Rebecca Stead's style of writing, but then I realized/ remembered that Miranda's mom is entering the $20,000 pyramid, (a game show,) and on the $20,000 pyramid, that's how the questions are formatted. This may seem obvious, but it's just a little example of how even obvious thing can only be noticed when thought about.

     Another thing I thought about, is Miranda's mom's trust issues. I've always thought it was a bit weird that her boyfriend Richard who has been with them for a long time, and is almost always at their house, still doesn't have keys to their house, it seems as if Miranda's mom somehow doesn't trust her own boyfriend in someway. Miranda claims that he always eats dinner with them and is at their house whenever her mom is home (otherwise he wouldn't be able to get in) so Miranda is very confused at why he doesn't have a key.

     Adding onto Miranda's mom's trust issues, Miranda is "a latch key kid" which basically means that she is very independent. She walks home alone, and then spends time alone at home, until her mom comes home, it's not weird to me that Miranda's mom trusts her own daughter, it's just strange, that she feels a difference between letting her 11 year old be completely alone for hours, and letting her boyfriend who she has known for years, and is always at her house, have access to her house.

     In conclusion, when you re-read a book you notice, and start to question things you never did before, this is very interesting, and I can't wait to notify you again once I have noticed more things.

Finally done with The Girl who was on Fire

     I know I didn't post on sunday, and that was very bad of me, but in a way, it's kind of a good thing, because I only finished the book yesterday. It would be hard for me to talk about the book as a whole, since there was no plot, so just incase you didn't know, The Girl who was on Fire is a book essays about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. They talk about different aspects of The Hunger Games, that you probably didn't notice, or think about.

     Even though this essay is only in the middle of the book, it is still probably my favorite, besides the one about people being watched, which I already wrote about, this essay was about outfits and costumes, which is perfect, since today is Halloween. It is called Crime of Fashion, and it's written by Terri Clark. This essay talks about appearance, and how it effects you as a person, and even your life.

     Terri Clark says at the beginning, ""fashion statement" means our clothes speak for us. I think that this is very true. Clothing is looked at to be very superficial, and it really can be, but not always, it is what makes us us. Imagine a world where everyone wore the same thing, there would be no individuality, as Terri said, our clothes speak for us, people who wear bright colors, are usually generally happy people, when people are depressed they usually wear darker colors, they most likely don't even realize that there clothes represent their personalities, it's just something that we do.

     People can usually figure out what someone likes, by looking at them. If someone wears sports jerseys all the time, it is fair to assume that they like sports, especially the team on their shirt, if someone wears lots of makeup you can generally assume that they are insecure and care a lot about how they look. Just like how in The Hunger Games the sponsors decide who they think will win, by looking at them.

     In conclusion, our clothes speak for us, even if you don't really care about fashion, think about the clothes you wear, and how they represent you as a person.

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

     I know I've been talking a lot about The Girl Who Was on Fire, and I apologize, I am almost done, so most likely I will talk about the whole book next week, but for now, I thought it would be interesting to share my thought and beliefs on The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. The main thing that I found extremely interesting, was how most parts of the story were not very detailed, so the reader could interpret them how ever they wanted. In the next paragraphs, I will be talking about this.

     Katniss' relationship with her sister Prim, is a huge part of the story. If Katniss didn't love Prim, she wouldn't even be in the hunger games in the first place. Prim was supposed to play in the games, but Katniss volunteered to take her sisters place, because she loved her, and didn't want her to die, (something most people wouldn't want to happen to someone they cared about.) The funny thing is though, that Suzanne Collins never actually said that she volunteered out of love, it's just something we assume, I as the reader doubt that Katniss actually wanted to play in the hunger games, so I assume that she took Prim's place, because she loved her, even though Suzanne Collins never mentioned that.

     Another example is when Peeta announces his love for Katniss. The author never mentions if he is telling the truth or not, Katniss thinks he's lining, but me as the reader am positive that he is serious. He tries to prove to her that he really does love her, by telling her stories of their childhood, and how he always thought she was beautiful, but she still thinks he is making it up for sponsors. As the reader I was getting very frustrated, because Katniss still wasn't buying it, when it was so extremely obvious to me that he really loved her. Suzanne Collins never mentions if he is lying, or telling the truth, so it is up to the reader to decide. Even though I don't think he's lying, doesn't mean I'm right, once again, Suzanne Collins leaves it completely up to the reader to decide.

     In conclusion, The Hunger Games is a very open book. What I mean by that, is that even though it is very detailed plot wise, the are lots of aspects in it that are left open for the reader to interpret in their own way. Personally I like this, because it makes the book even more fun to read, since you get to think of it how ever you want. This really show the expression "show not tell," because Suzanne Collins shows a lot, and does't tell anything.

The Girl Who Was on Fire, essays by many authors (spoiler alert)

     I am a very slow reader, so I am still reading The Girl Who Was on Fire. Usually since I am such a slow reader, I notice things that fast readers wouldn't, because they are skimming the pages a little bit, but this book keeps on bringing up things from the Hunger Games, that I really never even noticed, which is very interesting.
     The main thing that stood out to me was the essay written by Lili Wilkinson, called " Someone to watch over me." This essay talks a lot about the similarities in the hunger games arena, and life in a city today. I never would have even thought to compare the two, considering the fact that the hunger games take place in the future, and it is in such a dystopian society that I didn't notice how it could be at all similar to present day. Even though the times seem so different, Suzanne Collins (the author of The Hunger Games,) lives in this time period, so she must have gotten her idea of the hunger games from her life now.
     In the hunger games, even though it is completely real, the contestants are being forced to kill each other, it becomes an all day, and all night television show, which basically shows every thing that is happening in the games. The "show" goes on twenty four hours every day, until the games have finished, (there is only one contestant left). This "show" is filmed by hundreds of hidden cameras all around the arena, the contestants know they are being watched, but they can't see the cameras. There is always a chance that they aren't being watched, but there is an even bigger chance, that they are.
     The essay talks about the present day cities, the subways and busses, the streets, restaurants, and even some schools, etc. have security cameras which pressures us to do the right thing, even though it's mostly out of fear. Now that I think about it the criminals in this society are not only bad people, if anything, they are extremely brave. When a person waits on a long line in a crowded store, or restaurant, it's most likely no one will notice if they don't pay, but they are scared of getting caught, so they pay. In the hunger games the contestants were sometimes scared of killing one another, because they were scared of people not liking them, specifically the friends and families of the people the killed, but I'm sure they are also pressured into killing one another, because they want to seem fierce, so that their families, friends, and specifically sponsors have faith in them; it is also good for them if the other contestants think that they kill a lot of people, because then it is much more likely that people won't mess with them.
     In conclusion, the hunger games are some what similar to life now, it now makes sense how Suzanne Collins came up with the idea of the hunger games. Maybe now that the similarities have been brought to people's attention, we can prevent anything like the hunger games from happening.

The Girl Who Was on Fire, essays by many authors (spoiler alert)

     Currently I am reading The Girl Who Was on Fire. The Girl Who Was on Fire is a book of essays written about The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I am going to be writing an essay about the essay in the book called Team Katniss, written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
          In Team Katniss, written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, it talks about the love portion of The Hunger Games. For those of you who have never read the hunger game, Katniss (the main character) has two boys (Peeta, and Gale) in love with her, the difference between their relationships is that Katniss and Gale are very close friends, and Katniss and Peeta barely know eachother, although Peeta has always had a crush on Katniss. Peeta and Katniss are put into the hunger games against each other and are forced to kill each other. Katniss is very skeptical of Peeta's love for her even though it's very obvious to the reader that he loves her. 
     I personally didn't like Katniss's character, because I thought she was to skeptical, and the idea that anyone liked her was shocking to her. She always seemed very tense to me, and it annoyed me how she was mad at Peeta for saying he loved her, because she thought he was lying. Even if he was lying,(which he wasn't) it's a complement, so I don't understand why she can't just accept that.
     In the last paragraph I explained why I didn't really like Katniss's character, but in In Team Katniss, written by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, explains why she does like Katniss's character, she explains that Katniss has absolutely no desire to be famous, which is true, but I still feel like she should be proud that she won, instead of acting like it was a burden, now don't get me wrong being in the hunger games is not fun, but it's an honer to win it, so I think she should be a little bit more proud, tons of other kids would have loved to win, and here she is with amazing food for a year, and every one in district 12 thinking she's a hero, and she's complaining about it.
     In conclusion, I think Katniss is a very strong person, but I think she should be more aprecitative of the good things in her life, instead of focusing on the bad ones.

   

The higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron (spoiler alert)

     I finally finished The higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron. Over all, it was a very good book. I saw Brigitte, change a lot through out the book. It seemed like she changed a lot, but Lucky's way of thinking of her changed, which would lead the reader to think of her differently too.

     In the last entry I wrote about The higher Power of Lucky, I said that I didn't think Brigitte was a good guardian, but I was only at the beginning of the book. The deeper into the book I got, the more I disliked Brigitte. When Lucky was completely convinced that Brigitte was moving to france, I hated Brigitte the most, because I couldn't believe she would just abandon a dog and a little girl and move to a place 9 hours away.

     When Lucky decided to run away, I actually thought it was a good idea, because she wanted to stay with her dog, and if Lucky got put in an orphanage she would be separated from it, and besides, if Brigitte was unattached enough from Lucky to move to france, then why would she care if Lucky moved away a few days before she did?

     In the end of the book, Brigitte finds Lucky after she ran away, and is really upset that she had left, it seemed sort of like a character change, since at the beginning and the middle of the book Brigitte had acted completely un interested in Lucky, and now she was telling her that she loved her and that she would never leave her. I guess it was all just a misunderstanding. 

     In conclusion, Brigitte really does love Lucky, she just had weird ways of showing it, she didn't act very affectionate, but she did feel it, I don't think that Brigitte is the only one who did something bad, I also think that considering how upset Lucky was, she should have talked to Brigitte.   

The Higher Power of Lucky, by: Susan Patron

     Currently I am ready The Higher Power of Lucky, by: Susan Patron. It is a very good book, about a girl, (Lucky) who doesn't live with her actual parents, Brigitte is only her guardian. Brigitte is originally from france, and Lucky is almost positive that Brigitte is moving back, Lucky love her life is Hard Pan, and doesn't want to move, so she decides to run away, with her dog.

     I feel bad for Lucky, because she is sort of like a mother to Brigitte, and what she really wants is a mother. On page 14, Lucky lists all the good and bad qualities of a mother, one of the good ones is " Remember that your child needs you to take care of her, at least until she is older, about 25." I think 25 is a little bit old for your mother to still be taking care of you, but Lucky is only 10, and she is already pretty much taking care of herself, so I think it is totally reasonable for her to want a person to be there for her.

     One example of Lucky acting more as a mother than Brigitte is in the chapter called snake. In this chapter, there is a snake in their dryer, and instead of Brigitte being a good guardian, and calming Lucky down, she starts to freak out, and asks Lucky to do something about it. Lucky ends up solving the problem, which I think is wrong, I think that the adult should not make a 10 year old deal with something like that.
     Another way that Lucky acts more as a mother than Brigitte is that Lucky is way more mature than Brigitte. Lucky is very interested in science, and she does lots of experiments with bugs, but Brigitte is scared of bugs, and when ever she comes home to see bugs she freaks out. Bugs scare me a lot also, but considering Brigitte is a grown women, and she is more scared of bugs than a kid, if I was Brigitte, instead of yelling, I would calmly ask Lucky to take her experiment outside.
     In conclusion, Lucky acts more as a mother than Brigitte. Even though life with Brigitte is all Lucky has ever known, she still somehow knows that their are better parents in the world. I wish Brigitte realize how good of a kid Lucky is, because even though Brigitte is not a great parent, Lucky is still really nice to her, Brigitte sort of takes advantage of that.
-Olive Forgash

The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

     Out of all the books I read this summer, my favorite was The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan. I love reading, but there are certain books that I just can't put down.
     The Joy Luck Club was about a Chinese woman who grew up in America, and never really cared about her Chinese heritage, until her mother dies, and she takes her place in "the joy luck club" a club where a few Chinese women have time to remember their time in China, by eating Chinese food, and playing Chinese games, she gets to really know her family, who her mother was, and things about her culture.
     The Joy Luck Club was set up in a strange way, each chapter switched off between different people, which some times made it hard to know who was talking, but I don't really think it mattered, because the story they told were very easy to follow. I loved how all the stories helped her at the end of the book.
     I've noticed that in lots of books there are parts where it seems as if nothing is happening, and then chapters where there is nothing but action. I feel like the action in The Joy Luck Club was very spread out. I can't remember a dull moment. For me, this was a very good thing, because each and every chapter was extremely interesting, I never found myself skimming through pages, waiting for and exiting part.
     Over all, it was a really good book, it told an amazing story, and Amy Tan told the story beautifully, The Joy Luck Club was very detailed, and smooth, I would definitely recommend it.
     -Olive Forgash