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Book 3 review

The Uglies is about a girl named Tally that lives in a post America world that everyone believes your nothing if you’re not pretty. The government brainwashes them to believe that everyone should look, act and think a certain way. The Uglies plot is really good.

All authors write dystopian basically the same. There are always different groups/ towns and their trying to defy their current government.  The man character is also always in some sort of love triangle as well. Kirkus Reviews describes the plot “With a beginning and ending that pack hefty punches, this introduction to a dystopic future promises an exciting series.” The statement is partially correct. The ending was exciting but the beginning was not. The Uglies is very interesting but the book didn’t start to get good until the ending.  The main characters Tally lives in Uglyville and has this plan her whole life to become pretty, planning out what she’s going to look like and act. After her best friend becomes pretty before her she meets another girl that doesn’t want to be pretty and is rebellious.  Just when she’s about to be pretty she has to betray her friend and find her to reveal to the government were the people who don’t want to be pretty live. After she spends time with them she finds out what really happens when you turn pretty and she meets a boy and falls in love.  Writing a dystopian society is hard because it involves an author to use your imagination on what life would be live if the current government collapse and they have to use issues that they have today to incorporate that into their writing.  Then to make the dystopian book interesting they have to add some sort of conflict between the government and the main character. Also they have to add love interest in it as well.

                Scott Westerfeild does a really good job developing the characters in the book. Especially the main character Tally, the whole beginning of the book is about her wanting to be pretty and how she feels when it comes to the government turns you. You also get a good understanding of her and her best friend Pervis’ relationship and how it hurts her when she goes to visit him and he doesn’t want her there. Then her character changes when she goes on the journey to get to the Smoke. She finds out that she doesn’t want to be pretty and that she doesn’t need to be pretty. She doesn’t refer to herself as ugly either. To get Tally to do what they want they tell her “…until you do help us, tot eh best of your ability, you will never be pretty.” (110) That quote shows how Tally felt before that journey because she goes on it to become pretty.  You also see her; self vs. self-conflict when the government finds out were they are and invades the Smoke and she wants to tell people it’s her fault. Also when she figures out she loves her best friends boyfriend. You see the character development of her best friend Shay through dialog and how they interact and what shay thinks about turning pretty and how she doesn’t want to. Then when Shay turns pretty her opinions change and she said that it’s her fault that Tally is not pretty. Her self vs. self conflict is really describes when her and David are talking and he says “you’re not sure about it all” (216). He’s saying that she’s not sure yet if she entirely doesn’t want to be pretty anymore, there’s still part of her that wants to be.

                The theme of the novel is relevant to what is going on today people believe that they have to be pretty to get what they want and do things to make them pretty. Kilatt describes the theme of the book by saying “This book, the first in a trilogy, asks engaging questions about the meaning of beauty, individuality, and betrayal…” Westerfield really does an amazing job of exploring this theme and giving his ideas of what it means to be pretty through his characters in the book.  The writing style of the uglies is there are long sentences, a lot of dialog which helps you with the character development.

Overall this book is a 4 out of 5 stars because the book didn’t get interesting until the ending but the author had really good character development and writing style.

blog post 7

In my mind a book has to be over mostly true to be considered non-fiction only a little sliver of it should be not true. Non-fiction means it’s supposed to be factual and if most of the book is not true then why call it non-fiction. I understand some writers might have to embellish the truth a little bit to make it more interesting and add more the story but they shouldn’t embellish it to the point where it’s far out there.  I’m sure tons of authors have exaggerated the truth a little bit in their books. Half-truth for me wouldn’t be enough to call it non-fiction. Maybe they should create a new genre like half truth-fiction.  It does matter that they bent the truth because Frey bent the truth a lot and he’s advertising that this stuff really happened to him and it really didn’t. I do not believe him when he says that only 5% was not true a little more than 5% is not true. For Mortenson people invested their money to give to the charity and he spent it on other things besides what he was supposed to.  It matters a lot in their cases that they bent the truth.  No David Shields is not right we do need to label things fiction and non-fiction because that’s what people look for , the genre that they like and if books don’t have genres then there would be just a bunch of books everywhere  and no one would want to read because there are so many choices it would be overwhelming.

Readicide

What should schools do?

Schools should not just teach literary fiction or classics. Most of the classics we read in class are not relatable. When we read classics during school the majority of the people often times do not like it. Students who only read the books that are assigned to them (classics) don’t experience genre fiction and don’t like read because they figure the books we read in class are just like every other book. Schools need to teach Genre fiction so that students won’t hate reading so much. Some of the classics are relatable and have lessons in them but we should have a balance of genre fiction so that when we read we don’t feel like its homework, and actually enjoy the book instead of retaining the information because we have to for the test. I am okay with swapping out a Shakespeare book for a Hunger Games book. A 21^st century English class reading list should have a balance of literary and genre book, 50/50. There should be books like color of water and lord of the flies but also books like the Hunger Games and twilight. Literary Fiction is not relevant to our culture, for instance Romeo and Juliet. Normal people don’t kill themselves when their lover dies and normal people don’t stalk people on the other people’s balcony. No one does that stuff. Romeo and Juliet is a good book and its cute but it’s just not relevant to today’s culture. Romeo and Juliet is not preparing me for the job market. I don’t need to know why Juliet killed Romeo to apply for a job to be an accountant. There really isn’t a life lesson in Romeo and Juliet besides knowing that you shouldn’t kill yourself when the person you love dies. We should want kids to read because it broadens their vocabulary and teaches them knew things. Also it is a healthy pass time than watching TV playing video games all day. Reading more Genre fictions in class will want kids to read.

Blog post 4

A challenge that film makers would have to overcome is making the thoughts known and having the book in 3 different perspectives. Since the book is in Third person ominsenct has a lot of characters thoughts in it. Filmmakers will have trouble showing the characters thoughts in the movie. Also they will have to show the movie through all three perspectives.

One scene that is essential to keep is when Logan Thibault, the main character, is jogging and finds the picture of Beth while he’s in the war in Iraq. That scene is essential to keep because it’s where it all begins, he feels like he has to find her and repay her for saying his life throughout the war. Without that scene there wouldn’t be a book. The second scene that is important is when they first meet. This is important because you see how she felt about him at first and then you see how that evolves. The last important scene the filmmakers have to keep is when Logan and Keith Clayton, the sheriff and Beth’s ex-husband, meet. When Logan gets interrogated for looking suspicious and then slashes Claytons’ tires and stealing the police cameras. Another important scene they need to keep is when Logan and Clayton are trying to save Ben, and they don’t Zeus does. They need to keep this scene because it’s the suspenseful moment of the book and also determines the ending to it.

One scene that could be cut is when Logan first gets to town and is showing people the picture and asking if they know her. They can take this scene out because it’s not a very important scene compared to the other scene and its long. Another scene they could take out is one of the parts when he’s remembering the things that happened in Iraq. These scenes can also be taken out because their also not important and don’t really contribute to the plot.

BOOK 1 PROJECT

My idea is to make the Miss. Peregrine’s house into a museum! We refurbish the house. We try to salvage as much furniture and appliances as we can. Especially the weighted and belted furniture Olive used. If we need more furniture we could make or find old vintage things from WWI time period that they might have had in the house. From the explosion some of the house is gone so fix some of it and keep part of it open.  We dig up the bed with Victor and put him in his original room and make it so people have to pay to see him.  Have a display case for all the children’s toys, clothes and pictures. Sell replica toys and clothes at a gift shop in the basement and make a photo album of all the photos. There should be a series of them, make them collectables. Miss Peregrine’s house would be a tourist attraction. We could give away free trips so even more people would want to come. And of course we will sell copies of the book. Part of the museum tour would be going to the site that the time loop was at.

My idea comes from all the parts of the book. Most of them are when Jacob is with the children and in the house. Since the house would be over 100 years old with no one living it in there will be a lot of refurbishing. When Jacob is exploring the house he says “…rooms that had become more outside then inside, character striped away by moisture and wind and layers of dirt. The ground floor was hopeless… ” (Riggs 102) Trying to salvage the weighted and belted chairs connects to the book because in the book it says “Olive the levitating girl had to be belted into a chair screwed to the floor so that she wouldn’t float up into the ceiling.” (Riggs 162). In the house there is a chair probably still screwed to the floor where Olive used to sit, that could be used for part of the museum.  When the bomb hit it only damaged the ground floor. Finding the toys and clothes the children used won’t be hard because when Jacob is it exploring the house the book describes the toys and how they were left right before the bomb went off “killing” the children.  “…wooden toys moldering in a box; crayons on a windowsill, their colors dulled…a dollhouse with dolls inside, lifter in an ornate prison…” (Riggs 102-103) When Jacob finally opens up the trunk by breaking it he discovers it is filled with pictures, like the book says “…I found a box of letters…they weren’t letters but photographs… dozens of them” (Riggs 107) My idea of making a photo album of all the pictures and selling them connects to the book because Jacob found a lot of pictures that weren’t destroyed by the explosion.

Mrs. Peregrine"s house after it was destroyed.  This is where the museum will be. 

My idea of turning the Miss. Peregrines house into a museum will broaden the audiences. People like taking vacations and visiting new places. The book is already well known, readers will be pouring into it to get more of the book they loved. They will bring there families and tell there friends about it and their friends will want to read it, and then they will want to come. The museum is family friendly and could be a fun experience for them.  More people will want to read the book because they see all the cool stuff that the museum has to offer them so the idea will give the book a lot of attention. My Idea keeps the already fans still connected to the book because thye can get the clothes the children where, the toys they played with and they get to experience the lifestyle of the children that they loved and enjoyed reading about in the book. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrNyVhSJUU  This is how i envisions the photo album that the giftshop would sell and what the inside/outside of the house would look like. 

A book is a computer.  A device that contains so much knowledge it just wants people to explore.  The computer and a book can teach you a lot. You can learn new things even if the book is just a Fantasy. There is still lessons that you can learn from it. A book is just another device, another way to learn new things.  I agree with Joe Meno when he says “ a book is actually a place, a place where we, as readers, still have the chance to engage in active imagining, translating word into image, connecting these images to memories, dreams and larger ideas. Television, film, even the stage play, have already been imagined for us, but the book, in whatever form we choose to interact with it, forces us to complete it… books provide us the place to imagine”  With books the author leaves how the book plays out and what the characters look like to your imagination. When you watch movies before you read the book you see the characters and the environment the way the director portrayed it. Reading books also expand your imagination.

                Reading a book on a kindle, ipad, or nook is not the same as holding the actual book in your hand. Although I don’t mind using kindles,ipads and nooks, I prefer the actual book. When I read books I like to flip back through to things I have already read, and if the book has pictures flip back to that too. I like the feeling of being able to flip through things easily.

Q: Do you agree with Victor LaValle when he says “It’s not the book, but the idea of the book” ?

B: I agree but disagree with Victor LaValle, I like the idea of having a book shelf full of books, I like the idea of being able to write in the margins, I like the idea of being able to hold a book in my hands and letting everyone know what I’m reading. But I also feel it is the book not just the idea of it, when Nancy Jo Sales says “There's something about the physicality of a book, the way it looks and feels and even smells” I agree with her. Some books have really cool covers that you can feel and aren’t just a flat piece of paper. There is something magical about just the book.

Why do I read?

Why do I read? I read because sometimes sitting in the bed and watching the same TV shows over and over again is annoying. Reading gives me joy, when I read I can picture the whole book in my head. I feel like I’m in that world and my imagination has the power to imagine the characters and the scenes how I want to and you don’t get that when you watch TV, everything is decided for you. When I read really good books like the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins I forget I’m reading because it’s so descriptive. I feel like I’m watching a movie and the TV screen is my mind. I read because holding a book in my hand and cheering on the characters gives me a rush and makes me all giddy inside. Reading is fun and exciting.  I read because it gives me something to talk about with my friends and family and causes discussions. It gives me knowledge. I learn new things when I read and when I learn new things I get excited and want to apply them to everything in my life. It’s also is a pastime I read if I’m bored, tired or if I just want to. That’s why I read.