Let It Snow- Setting

                                 In the three part book Let It Snow, the first part The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson, is about Jubilee Dougal's Christmas Eve. Often called Julie, the main character of this book is sent off to her grandparents house in Florida because her innocent parents were arrested in a riot over a porcelain elf house at the mall. To add to Julie's misfortunes, due to heavy snow fall, Julie's train is stranded in a quiet, small, and unfamiliar town. With no place to go, Julie and several other passengers (including fourteen annoying cheerleaders all named Madison) enter a warm waffle house. It is in this diner, where Julie meets Stuart; a  fifteen year old local with a part-time job at the restaurant. Stuart is kind enough to let Julie stay in his home for Christmas Eve. Julie quickly becomes friends with him, and spends the night at his house with his over-enthusiastic mother, and his hyper eight year old sister. The setting of this book, a cold and unfamiliar town, is very important in this book.

                             A reason the setting of this book is so important, is because without the bad luck Julie has had this Christmas, she wouldn't have seen how self-centered her boyfriend Noah was. For example, while alone in a diner, Julie calls Noah to tell him all about her troubles this evening. Trying to have a conversation with Noah, Julie notices Noah's distant and distracted voice. Even in her most desperate times, Noah is far too focused in his own activities. If it weren't for the terrible situation Julie was in, she wouldn't have realized how little Noah pays attention to her. It was important for Julie to realize that, because Noah wasn't what Julie wanted; someone who would listen to her and pay attention to her.

                          Another reason the setting of this book is important, is because Julie learns how to make the best of her situations. For example, when Julie finds out her Christmas plans are ruined, she is furious and refuses to try and cheer up. Ending up in this small, unknown town teaches her how to make the best of her situations and that not everything will always go as planned.

                        In conclusion, the setting is very important in the story because Julie realizes Noah is not right for her and she learns her plans won't always go the way she wants them to go.

There's No Place Like Home: Secrets of My Hollywood-- Character patterns

                               In the final book of the Secrets of My Hollywood Life series, There's No Place Like Home, by Jen Calonita, Kaitlin Burke is going through a tough time in Hollywood; paparazzi following her everywhere, her over-powering mother signing her up for too many jobs, and her crashing relationship with her non-celebrity boyfriend. When faced with so many challenges, Kaitlin's flaws and weaknesses are shown. Rather than facing her troubles, Kaitlin let's everything pile up until it is too much for her to handle.
                            
                                A weakness of Kaitlin's that I have noticed in this book, is that she ignores her problems and says she's fine with it. For example, Kaitlin's mother makes several career choices for Kaitlin before even asking her. Even though her mother's actions upset her, Kaitlin constantly says that her mother "know's what's best" for her. Kaitlin is out and supposed to be enjoying her birthday party, and rather than socializing and having fun, she only has one thing on her mind-- her mom is taking too much control over her life, and how she will be able to handle four jobs. This example shows how Kaitlin does not confront people about her problems, rather, she leaves herself to worry about them later.
                            
                             Another flaw that Kaitlin has is that she is continuously trying to escape her problems. She is having publicity problems and rather than holding a press conference, to make her "wild partying" scandal go away quietly, she makes an escape to Disney Land with her boyfriend, just piling up the problems making her even more stressed.
                          
                            These weaknesses Kaitlin has, really stood out in this book because of all the bumps that occur in Kaitlin's usually perfect road. Never has Kaitlin had to deal with any serious issues-- such as getting fired, having outbursts in public, or having to deal with four jobs! These problems showed the reader how strong or weak Kaitlin really is and how prepared she is for the tough acting career she has ahead of her.

A Royal Match: Antagonist

                                The book A Royal Match, by Tyne O'Connell, is about Calypso Kelly, the American Freak at her posh boarding school called St.Augustines in England. With only one friend, Calypso is not exactly at the top of her schools social ladder but is doing her very best to do so. No longer does she want to be isolated and made fun of, so Calypso decides to make up a fake boyfriend and hopes it will make her more popular and liked. Soon enough, Georgina Castle Orpington, one of the richest and most popular students at St.Augustines, befriends Calypso as soon as she's sees Calypso has a boyfriend (which makes her worthy enough of Georgina's attention). Although later in the book, Calypso reveals the truth about her "boyfriend" Georgina remains friends with her and just laughs it off. Even though the book portrays Georgina as one of Calypso's dearest friends towards the end, I never thought of her being trustworthy.

                                Georgina does end up being Calypso's best friend, however I do not trust her character. First off, she only befriended Calypso because she thought Calypso had a gorgeous boyfriend. Otherwise, Georgina Orpington would not have even talked to "the American Freak". For example, Georgina and Calypso find themselves as roommates but Georgina doesn't talk to or acknowledge Calypso. She makes room only for her fabulous, designer wardrobe and tosses away her roommates clothing. But when Georgina hears of Calypso's fabulous "boyfriend" from Los Angeles, she suddenly asks Calypso to join her for lunch. If Calypso had not made up a fake boyfriend, their friendship would have never even started. This is one of the reasons I do not trust Georgina; she only noticed Calypso because she heard Calypso had a boyfriend.

                               Another reason I do not trust Georgina, is because she is (or was) best friends with Honey O'Hare. Honey is a rich and gorgeous girl who, in her spare time, bully's other girls or does things like steal their cell phone SIM cards and exploits their text messages. Georgina has been friends with Honey for about ten years and someone who is best friends with a cruel person like Honey and puts up with her for ten years, must be similar to her. Georgina can't be as incredibly innocent as Calypso describes her to be. After all, Georgina has spent the last decade of her life alongside Honey O'Hare and helping her and her schemes. Someone's character can't drastically change from a gossip-starved mean girl, to a caring best friend.

                            In conclusion, I think Georgina is the antagonist in the book. She doesn't seem to be trustworthy since she only befriended Calypso because she had a "boyfriend" and supported Honey O'Hare and her horrible schemes.

The Clique Summer Collection: Massie-- Character patterns-archetypes

                                In The Clique Summer Collection: Massie, by Lisi Harrison, the young and wealthy Massie Block attends an elite horse-back riding camp over the summer and eventually gets kicked out for cheating in a horse race. So unlike the rest of Massie's glamorous summers, she is forced to get a job in order to pay her parents back the money they spent on her camp. Although her parents are clearly very wealthy and are not in need of the money, they are doing their best to teach Massie a lesson on how she needs to not constantly depend on her parents money to get her by. It is completely unlike Massie's character, but when she begins her job as a makeup consultant and seller, she starts to care about her clients looks more than hers. 

                               

                                  Every morning, Massie spends about an hour doing her makeup, and another hour on her hair. She finds looking her best every single day, is part of what makes her a leader. However, when Massie begins to care about how her clients look everyday. She talks to one of the girls she gave a makeover to and gives her good makeup advice and how to make herself look better everyday. Massie starts doing this with all of her clients, and focus's less and less on herself everyday. 

                              "Her Chanel Number 9 perfume had faded, her mascara was smudged, her eye bags were fuller and darker, and her usually shiny hair was dull and dry".

                             This sentence shows how Massie's character is slightly changing; she is working so hard on helping others, she forgot to spend hours in the morning focused on herself.

                             Another example in the book where I see Massie's  character is changing, is when she forgets to "rate" her outfit out of ten, one morning. Rating each others outfits had almost become a ritual among Massie and her friends, and it definitely shows a change of character when Massie forgets to do so. It shows that she knows she will not always have time in her life to focus so much on herself, and that while having a job, her customers and clients are her first priority.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Resisting the text

                      In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie, a poor, fourteen year old boy named Junior living on an Indian Reservation. Junior, a "budding cartoonist" is born with a variety of medical problems and is constantly picked on by everyone. Junior only has one friend, Rowdy, who has his share of problems. Worried that he will end up living on the reservation for the rest of his life and never fulfill his dreams, much like his parents, Junior makes the decision to attend an all-white school. Although he is constantly judged, and called a traitor, he continues to attend this school because he wants a better life for himself.

                      In this book, I have constantly found myself resisting the text. While reading this book, I want only the best to occur to Junior; for his parents to be friendlier, for his sister to be there for him, for Junior to never get teased or beaten, and for Junior to be a smart and perfect person. Several times, I found myself resisting the text.

                      One part of this book where I found myself ignoring or resisting was when Junior throws a book at an innocent teacher, Mr.P. Junior describes Mr.P as a calm, harmless guy who shows up to school in pajamas and assigns the students little to no homework. In conclusion, Junior speaks kindly of this teacher. One day, Junior opens up a text book and sees his mom's name written in it, meaning that it is the exact textbook his mother used. This makes him angry because it makes him realize how little money the school has to buy new books and that he is using a thirty year old book. I understand that Junior would be mad, but it isn't like Junior to have outbursts and throw books at innocent people's faces. He has put up with a lot of things, such as his father being drunk all the time, his sister running away, his poverty and hunger, his dog and best friend dying and many cruel men beating him up. The worst Junior has done about this is draw mean cartoons. I praise him for dealing with things the right way, and not aggressively taking out his anger on the ones that hurt him. I "resisted" text because Junior hurt an innocent person who had nothing wrong to him and doesn't have the ability fix any him.

                       Another part of the text which I found myself resisting was when Rowdy, Junior's best friend, is about to beat him up Junior because Junior laughed at him for tripping. I felt like I resisted that part because I felt bad for Junior. He has nobody else's shoulder to lean on. Everybody else bullies Junior and I feel like he needs Rowdy. I didn't like to read about his best friend acting like his other intimidators.

                       In conclusion, I resisted the part of the text where Junior has an outburst on an innocent person because it was so unlike him. I also resisted the text when Rowdy is mean to Junior because I feel like Junior has no one else but Rowdy.

                    

Just Listen- Whose Perspective is missing? Why?

     The book, Just Listen by Sarah Dessen is about Annabelle. A teenage girl whose model life seems perfect on the outside but really, she's putting with many issues; her sisters eating disorder, her best friend ignoring her, and her social life disappearing. Despite her beautiful looks, she is barely talked to and usually sits alone at lunch. Although Annabelle is the narrator of this book, her opinion is not often heard. She most commonly says "I guess I have to deal with it" or "I was too young to have an opinion". Annabelle never clearly states her opinion on anything. Her thoughts usually include telling events rather than giving her point of view on anything. I think Sarah Dessen rarely includes the main characters opinion, so that the reader knows she is a rather timid character and usually worried of what others think.

     An example in which Annabelle does not explain her point of view is when she explains a crisis her mother went through when her grandmother died she once again says "I didn't talk to my mom about it. I was too young to really understand." Annabelle was ten at the time, but that shows she usually refrains from giving her opinion. Another example in which she doesn't talk about issues to anyone is when she sees her sister is anorexic. She leaves her sister alone and says "I'd rather not bother her. She's probably just going through a phase". Anabelle definitely wants to talk to her sister and wants to know what is going on, but she ignores the problem, fearing her opinion won't be liked.

    I think Sarah Dessen makes Annabelle a timid character, with a quiet opinion because she wants the reader to pick up clues as to what is making Annabelle such a reserved character. Annabelle lost her best friend due to an issue that Sarah Dessen doesn't mention until the end of the book. I think the author wants us to know that the main character possibly had too strong of an opinion or something of the sort and has now changed.

     In conclusion, Sarah Dessen makes the main character's opinion be the one thats missing so we can pick up clues as to what the problem initially was with her friend. When Annabelle's opinion is left out we know what kind of a character she is.

New Moon- A missing point of view

New Moon- Conflict

     In book two, New Moon, of the Twilight series, written by Stephanie Meyer, Bella Swan is left by her boyfriend Edward Cullen. The vampire who loved and cared for Bella more than anyone ever has. The perfect boyfriend; incredibly gorgeous, caring, smart and protective. It all came in surprise, really. 

"I promise to always be here for you." promised the honest and trustworthy Edward. Leaving Bella with nothing but a quick goodbye and a less than reasonable explanation, he left Forks, Washington (their hometown) and Bella was clueless as to what to do with her life. She spent several months not speaking, giving short direct answers when asked things, had a small appetite and was completely anti-social. She got a "wake up call" when her father decided to confront her and told her he would send her back to Pheonix (her hometown) if she didn't get her act together. Bella was shocked by her father's outburst. She wasn't sure of what to do with herself. This conflict had many positive and of course negative effects on Bella.

     A positive effect this devastating conflict had on Bella was that she learned to try harder and to help herself. She learned that she couldn't live life this way because of her being abandoned by the person she trusted most. She pushed and tried until she found a true friend. Bella made a slightly awkward attempt of returning to her original "group's" inner circle. They were mortals, nothing special, but they were kind to Bella. They welcomed her back in, knowing that she was left by Edward and was going through a difficult time. Yet, it wasn't the same. Bella had grown out of their friendship and it hadn't seemed to work. She and her former friend Jessica went out on a saturday and didn't seem to bond like they used to. Bella understood that and she certainly wasn't going to force a friendship. So she pushed her way into another friendship. Jacob Black. She did her very best to befriend Jacob and not lose him. I think that this shows that Bella is ready to help herself and decided she can't live so emotionless because Edward left her.

     The reason Bella is staying in the dull town of Forks, Edward Cullen, is gone. He left her with a short goodbye and an upsetting abandonment in a dark forest. Of course from this experience, Bella has become a stronger person. She learned to help herself and make the best of her life. But of course this dismal time in Bella's life had a bad affect on her. "Stay safe. Don't do anything reckless or stupid". Edward's final words to Bella before leaving her. Bella was angry, hurt and upset. She decided to go far against Edward's knowledgeable words. One of the most important people in her life had left her, so she didn't care much about herself. Without thinking of the cold, dark, waters Bella decided to jump off a cliff for "the fun of it".  " I wanted to see what it was like to fly." The average person would immidiately think about the painful landing in the water. But not caring about her life any longer, Bella goes ahead and does something very few proffessional divers do. In conclusion, Bella wasn't cautious towards her own safety.

Secrets of my Hollywood Life: On Location The Antagonist

  
      The book Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location is about a humble sixteen year old Hollywood A-Lister. The book is about Kaitlin Burke (the main character) living a glamorous life but with the average person's problems. Kaitlin's character is best described as warmhearted yet a bit of a pushover. She usually let's the antagonists of the book take her over, and rarely speaks up. 

     
There are several antagonists in this book: Sky Mackenzie, the insane, overcompetative costar who wants to ruin Kaitlin's innocent reputation, Drew, the backstabbing ex-boyfriend who will do anything for publicity, Hutch Adams, Kaitlin's frustrated, loud, crazy movie director, and the least obvious, Kaitlin's mother and manager.
    
Kaitlin's mom-ager, as the magazines like to call her, thinks she always knows what's best for Kaitlin. I mean, she probably does, she's her mother, but she never takes in Kaitlin's opinion. For example, when Kaitlin has to make decisions about what movie offer she should take, her mom makes her take both, as well as a T.V series. Kaitlin desperately tries to tell her mom that three jobs is far too overwhelming for her,  her mom insists it's what will make her the next quote, "Reese Witherspoon". Another example that shows how Kaitlin's mother is an antagonist in the Secrets of my Hollywood Life series, is when Kaitlin and her family are out for dinner, Kaitlin is ready to order a delicious hamburger filled with bacon and melted cheese, as the book describes. As the waiter comes to take orders, and as Kaitlin makes her request, her mom interrupts are and tells her to get the salad instead because of a bikini shoot later that week. Maybe that is the healthier choice, but this situation happens often. Far too often for Kaitlin to enjoy her nights out.
     
Another reason Kaitlin's mom is an antagonist in the book is because she is much too controlling. Kaitlin is in her room, memorizing lines, and is constantly getting calls from her mom, who is making sure Kaitilin is reviewing her lines. First off, this doesn't let Kaitlin focus. Constant phone calls aren't helping. Also, how is Kaitlin going to ever memorize lines when her mom isn't there to tell her too? Kaitlin is only sixteen and it is understandable if she puts off lines memorizing to go out and have a pizza with her friends. Another example which shows how controlling Meg Burke, (Kaitlin's mother) is, is when Kaitlin tells her she is "officially" dating Austin, a "regular" boy who goes to highschool near Kaitlin. Austin is exactly what Kaitlin needs; someone who's not in the business. But that isn't what Meg thinks. She is constantly giving Austin disapproving looks because she thinks he doesn't understand the difficulties of being an actress. If that was the case, Kaitlin would have already left him, as she did with the publicity loving ex-boyfriend she had. Kaitlin obviously knows what she's doing and her mom doesn't let her.


Kaitlin's mom is only trying to do the best for her daughter, and plays a huge role in the book. Although it isn't too obvious, she is an antagonist in the book. She almost keeps Kaitlin from becoming her own, independent person.

The Phantom Tollbooth- (Question #1 on the sheet)

     At first, Milo regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of all time. Which honestly, I completely understand why he would say such a bizarre thing. As most people know, knowledge is very important. But why? I think Milo doesn't understand and see the importance because he's never had any encounter in which his knowledge had to "kick in". 
      
     Truthfully, I thought the exact same thing when I was in elementary school. I had maintained good grades, but really, when would I ever have to count the number of bricks that make up my house, as the world problems in fourth grade had suggested. And when was I ever really going to use writing, unless I become a writer, or something of the sort? I think Milo is in pretty much the same situation. Knowledge has never come in use for him. Yet.
     
     In Dictionopolis, Milo is taught how knowledge is what makes up a person. Well, in dictionopolis, it is literally what makes up a person. In this strange land, Milo learns that knowledge is what let's a person have their opinion heard. With more knowledge, a person has more to say. People are also more interested in what they have to say. In Dictionopolis, people with less knowledge, were actually arrested! This is a bit of an extreme, but this is probably the only way Milo will understand how important knowledge is.
    
     And why do people seek knowledge? Well, to be smart. To get a better job. Money. But is any of that important in Dictionopolis? Maybe in "our world" it is why people value knowledge, but because jobs and money don't matter in this strange land, we see the real reason as to why people seek knowledge. In Dictionopolis, the reader and Milo are taught that people seek knowledge simply for their own happiness. To be able to speak up, and have their voice heard in the world. If someone wants their opinion heard, they must have a certain degree of knowledge to explain what they want, and for their opinion to even be considered.


    Dictionopolis helped Milo see the true importance of knowledge, rather than the common, modern, shallow reasons. It also made it difficult for him: Milo didn't go with Dictionopolis's rules, he ended up arrested. Although this probably wouldn't happen in real life, it did help Milo understand why knowledge is important. Knowledge was also required to get Milo out of his six million year sentence!     

The Phantom Tollbooth- All the "Extra characters"

     There are many different characters in The Phantom Tollbooth. All of these characters have distinct personalities and roles. I think all, or most, of these characters represent something in Milo's life.
    
    "I don't see any reason to learn how to spell. When will it come in use?" questions Milo in the beginning of the book. 
     
     Soon after his arrival in "Dictionopolis" Milo runs into a town that's all about words. In this town he learns the importance of words, and spelling. At first, Milo didn't care about language, spelling, and grammer and he soon goes into a land which really stresses the importance of words, how much they say about a person, and how sometimes a little can say a lot.
     
     Out of all the exciting characters Milo meets in Dictionopolis, the Duldroms are probably his least favorite but they are most similar to him. The Duldroms are people who do absolutely nothing all day. Their schedule includes sitting around, daydreaming, sitting and other dull activities. I think these peculiar creatures are exaggerated versions of Milo; Milo admits in the beginning of the book that he does absolutely nothing and find no point whatsoever in doing anything. I think seeing these lifeless people almost terrified Milo and caused him to wonder if actually doing things with your time isn't so useless after all.
     
     Two other characters who represent things in Milo's life are Rhyme and Reason. Although Milo comes to rescue them they are the one's teaching Milo is final life lessons before he leaves the land of Dictionopolis.


     Milo starts of as an ignorant character; oblivious to the world around him, friendless, and impatient. There are almost too many characters in this book but almost all of them mean something. Milo needed all these people to put his life back together.