The Scorch Trials

By James Dashner

This is the second book in the Maze Runner series. When Thomas gets out of the Maze with his fellow Gladers, he thinks that he is done. But he's not. Him and his friends all have to go through phase 2 of the trials. They have to cross the Scorch, a stretch of sun-beaten land. They have little supplies and there are insane people around every corner. I want to read the next book or two in this series this break.

Sorry I was late! I was at the airport all day yesterday and our flight got delayed two hours.

Slice of Life

Talent Show

It seemed to take longer than it should to walk across the gym in pure silence, everybody's eyes on me. When I finally came upon my guitar, I picked it up, turned my amp on and hit a string to see how loud it was. Too quiet. I adjusted my amp, and went to sit down at my chair. I paused, and then started. Since I had only hit one string, I wasn't sure if the others were in tune. I only knew that one was well tuned. As soon as I started playing, I knew that one was horribly off. I had to stop and change it. I was very embarrassed because I looked like I wasn't prepared. It was a very awkward silence for those moments while I was tuning my guitar. I thought people were going to remember this part, instead of the actual song. As soon as I was done, I started playing again. Much better. It ended up being ok, and many people commented on my song. Now I am very glad that I tuned.   

The Maze Runner - James Dashner

This is an amazing dystopian book about boys that are trapped into a maze. They don't remember anything from their past life. They have to solve the maze and escape, but it is harder than it seems. They have been trying to solve the maze for over 2 years. There are things that they call Greivers, which are like mechanical spiders, that always come out at night and kill whoever's left in the maze after dark. If they escape, what will the world be like? Who did this to them? Why? How?

Anyone?

Is there anyone anywhere

who has stepped

on this spot?

Anyone who

has thought

this thought?

Is there anyone here

Who has heard

what I hear?

Can they see

what I

see?

Anybody out there

that is exactly

like me?

The Martian

In a freak accident, Mark Watney is trapped on the desolate surface of Mars. Everyone thinks he is dead. He has no communication with Earth. He has to survive against all odds for years with supplies that were only designed to last a month. He uses his resourcefulness, knowledge and everlasting humor to survive everything Mars has to throw at him. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK READ IT NOW!!!!!!

For my next group I would like the genre to be dystopian because a really like dystopian books and I need more ideas.

The Secret Garden - Frances Burnett

This is a book that begins with a spoiled, ugly little girl moving from India to England. Her parents died of sickness, so her heartbroken uncle Arichibald Craven is the only one to take her in to his giant mansion. In the gardens of this mansion, there is a garden that has been forbidden and locked up for 10 years. As soon as she hears about this garden, she knows she must get in. Her, queer cousin she didn't even know about and a local boy all tend to the garden, transforming not just it but themselves also. 4.5/5 Rating!!!

Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer

This is a personal account of a disastrous climb on Mt. Everest. Here is the summary: The author is a reporter for Outside Magazine, and one of his articles is going to be about Everest, so he decides to climb the mountain on a guided expedition. There are many critical, faulty decisions made on the trip that cost many lives. The human brain cannot fully function at these 29,000ft, which is about the altitude that planes fly. Jon (the author) barely comes out unscathed. This is 5/5 rated book!!! I would recommend this to anybody. It is mildly inappropriate.

Farenheight 451 - Ray Bradbury

This turned out to be a not bad book, even though I didn't like it last week. In this part of the book, the fireman find out that Montag has been reading books. He has to make many critical decisions to save his life. He finds some outlaw rebels who are "books themselves." They reveal horrible things about the government to him, and he decides to join their party. This book has a pretty boring beginning but a action-packed end.

Farenheight 451 - Ray Bradbury Part 1

I didn't like this book very much. It is really dense and boring partly because sometimes people in the book will talk for 3 pages straight. It is about a man named Montag in a future world who is a fireman, but firemen burn books instead of putting out fires. Many people around him are unhappy, but he loves his job until Montag starts to question his job and the world he lives in. This symbolizes things about a possible future world, that Ray Bradbury predicted would happen right around now, since this book was written a while ago. We are lucky it hasn't happened, but maybe books will be gone sometime soon and replaced by kindles and ebooks...

Maniac Magee - Jerry Spinelli

This book is about a runaway boy who accomplishes many impossible challenges and stands up to segregation. In this town there are to sides, the East side and the West side. The east side is full of black people, and the West side is full of white people. This boy, nicknamed Maniac, astonishingly brings both sides together, but he loses many homes and families along the way. I dont think this book would be a good movie because there are so many important little things that really change the book.

Stargirl

Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
This is a book from a perspective of an average high school boy named Leo that lives in a town in Arizona. When he goes back to school again there is a new girl named Stargirl who is very different from the norm. She sings to people and wears different clothing and even has a pet rat. Everybody in the school wants see what weird thing she does next. Leo ends up falling in love with Stargirl, and they are happy together for a while. But the school starts not talking to them and shunning them because of Stargirl's actions. Leo has to make a hard choice: Would he rather have Stargirl or everybody else?
I think this was a great book because of the way the author set the scene and described the characters. I also liked the plot. The ending of the book could be more satisfying though.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

In this book, Katniss and Peeta are forced to go on the Victory Tour, which is a way to remind all the districts of the sickening Hunger Games. Strange uprisings in the districts happen on the tour. There have been talks of rebellion ever since their first Hunger Games. After the Victory Tour, Katniss and Peeta are sent into the arena for a second time, but this time around they never finish.

I really like this book a lot because of the plot. I love futuristic plots like this one. I think this book is a little, similar to The Book of Ember, because of the corrupt future world plot. I also really like all the character descriptions and scene settings that the author put into your head.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

This book was my favorite book I have ever read. It is about a teenage girl named Katniss in a corrupt future world where there is an event called the hunger games. A boy and a girl are chosen from each of the 12 districts to compete in the hunger games, which is a horrific fight to the death. She must survive with the help of a boy named Peeta from her district through the games.  The Capitol, which controls all of the 12 districts, has always had certain rules about the competitors in the games, but when Katniss and Peeta find a loophole in one and exploit it, they mush move carefully to make sure that they aren't destroyed by the Capitol. The story continues in the next 2 books!

"The space gets tighter, more claustrophobic as people arrive. The squares quite large, but not enough to hold District 12's population of about 8000." I liked these sentences because I can really imagine the crowd closing in around her and swallowing her up.     

The Wright 3 - Blue Balliet

This books was spectacular. Its a mystery about the Robie House, a house that is considered a work of art. There are strange things happening inside the house, slamming doors, open and closing windows,  weird voice. There isn't supposed to be anybody inside because the house is considered hazardous. It is going to be knocked down soon. 3 kids have to solve the the mystery inside house while at the same time trying to save it from being knocked down.

My favorite character, Calder, loves to solve all kinds of puzzles. He always carries a set of pentominoes in his pocket, which are like Tetris blocks. They can be made into all kinds of shapes. He also has to balance two friendships. His old best friend Tommy moved away for all last year and then came back, but he made a new best friend, Petra, over that year. He and both his friends have to find a way to work together to solve the mystery and save the Robie House.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli

This book was truly amazing. It's about the hard life of a Jewish orphan in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, Germany. He learns from another older orphan about the world he lives in and how not to get caught. He has many close calls and other surprises as he grows up. He meets many different people, some he is afraid of, others he wants be with. He has to steal, run and hide to survive.

The introduction:
"I am running. That's the first thing I remember. Running. I carry something, my arm curled around it, hugging it to my chest. Bread of course."

This was very effective to me because you learn just enough to keep on going, but not enough for you to predict everything in the book. You learn a little about him and about his life.  It also makes you ask questions about what he is doing and why. 

First Blog - Woods Runner By Gary Paulsen

This book is a historical fiction story about a 12 year-old boy and his life getting intruded by the Revolutionary War. He loves the forest, and one day while he is away hunting, his parents are captured by the British and taken away. He goes on a journey to find them and meets many redcoats (the British soldiers) on the path, but also many friends along the way. I loved this book and read it very quickly. It also included facts about the war at the start of every chapter, which I enjoyed and kept me interested.

To Be Read:

1. Milkweed
2. Knots in my YoYo String
3. Maniac Magee
4. Space Station 7th Grade
5. Eggs