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.