Quarter 4 Choice Book Report

Part 1:

I read “Hold Still” by Nina La Cour. They main character is Caitlin. If I had to describe Caitlin in one word it would be strong. Caitlin’s life turned completely upside down on her and she stuck through it all. Her best friend, the one who she shared everything with, Ingrid her best friend, killed herself by cutting herself till she bled to death. Caitlin is so strong and confident. She never cares what people think of her. Even when people at school stared and asked her questions about what happened to her best friend. Caitlin always kept her head up. It was hard going to school when all she really wanted to do was just lay in bed and cry.  Caitlin is very talented too. She is the best photographer in her school. Also she is an amazing builder. Caitlin built a huge tree house in her backyard, the biggest oak tree. That helped her get away from everything and release some anger and stress. Caitlin isn’t the type to give up she does what she puts her mind to, always. She has her mind set to go to Oregon for college. She wants to major in art. Ingrid has always told her how creative she was.

Caitlin was a very beautiful girl too, or at least that is what everyone else said. She was a 17 year old girl with straight auburn hair, a dozen small freckles on the bridge of her nose. She has a small mouth, and big brown eyes. Caitlin is also really skinny. Once Ingrid pasted Caitlin lost a lot of weight though, more than she probably should have.

Once Ingrid died Caitlin was still the same person but her attitude changed toward taking care of herself and toward other people. Caitlin started skipping classes and walking to the park near her school that was the place Ingrid would spend time together and just talk, that was there place.  Caitlin stopped caring so much about her school work too, she didn’t really care if she turned in an assignment or not, when normally she really would, she was a great student.

             Even though she didn’t always make the best choices after Ingrid had passed she learned after a while and meeting a new friend that also lost someone very close to her that it is okay. You can move on even though you will never forget that person for the rest of your life it doesn’t mean you can’t move on and make a new best friend.

I personally would think of Caitlin as someone to admire, she is a great role model. Caitlin is a great listener and won’t tell everyone what you just told her. She will keep your secret no matter what. She is a great advice giver too if you want some. She just always knows what to say. Caitlin made it through a hard time in her life, but she learned that its okay and you don’t have to hold on forever.

Part 2:

A symbol that really had meaning to “Hold Still” would by Ingrid’s journal. Ingrid hid her journal under Caitlin’s bed the night before she killed herself easily stuck out to me as a symbol. Ingrid wrote everything in that journal. It was everything about her, everyone or everything that made her happy, sad, or even like she didn’t want to live anymore. When Caitlin found her journal about a year several months later after she passed she made a promise to herself that she would only read one entry a day. Throughout the book Caitlin learned so much more about Ingrid than she ever knew before. She realized how much Ingrid kept from her. Days that Caitlin thought they had the best time and Ingrid was so happy Ingrid was really sad and depressed. Caitlin felt guilty that she didn’t notice that how her friend was really feeling inside and that she was hiding everything. Ingrid hides everything from everyone, not just Caitlin.

            Caitlin found out from Ingrid’s journal that she made some really stupid mistakes in life just before she died. Such as Ingrid called up two older boys that she barely knew and told them to meet to her at the near by park. She was going to give them her virginity because she didn’t want to die a virgin.  Later that day Caitlin and Ingrid hung out and she never even had any idea at all.

            Throughout out the book Caitlin learned so much more about Ingrid. Ingrid’s journal even helped Caitlin realize that she probably shouldn’t do something just because Ingrid made that mistake Caitlin never knew happened to her.

Ingrid’s journal made Caitlin’s day better everyday. Caitlin looked forward to reading her journal everyday just because she felt as if Ingrid was really telling her this. Even though it might hurt a bit depending on what it was she still loved hearing from her in her own little way. Caitlin knew it wasn’t really her of course, but it still helped. It helped her get through her day.  That journal helped Caitlin heal.

Quarter Three Choice Book Report

                                      Perfect Chemistry

I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. The main character is Brittany Ellis. Brittany was perfect, her clothes were perfect, her family was perfect, her boy friend was perfect, and her car was perfect. Brittany’s life was perfect. At least that is what everyone thought at Fairfield High School. Brittany was the kind of girl who her appearance and what people thought of her was VERY important to her. Since her 20-year-old sister was “retarded” she felt she had to be even better to make up for her sister.  Her mother’s opinion also mattered a lot to her, considering she looked just like her, just a forty-year-old version. Even if Brittany didn’t get an A on a test, her mother would call the school and work something out, just so she could go to “the perfect college,” she wouldn’t want to have anything that wasn’t perfect on her permanent record. Brittany was the captain of the cheerleading squad and she was dating the captain of the football team, Colin Adams. They were the “Golden Couple.”

It is not that Brittany was full of her self, because she wasn’t. She didn’t try to make other girls jealous, or try to get attention. She never wanted the image of being “perfect.” Since everyone thought she was, she thought had to live up to it.  Brittany basically was just “perfect” at school. When she came home everyday after school she turned into a different person and helped her sister, she mothered her.    

Brittany is a dynamic character, above that is was she was, until she met Alex Fuentes. He completely changed her, she went to not caring if her eyeliner wasn’t perfect, or even if someone else thought she wasn’t perfect. She just kind of stopped caring. The thing was Alex was in a gang; he was a part of the Latino Bloods. Dating him, made her not perfect. Brittany still had a head on her shoulders; she still planed on going to Colorado State, and was majoring in Chemistry.

About half way through the book Brittany is her self. Not who everyone wanted her to be. She shows the rebellious side of her and learns a lot more about her self. She doesn’t need designer clothes, all A’s, and the perfect everything to have a good life. Brittany can look in the mirror and be confident that she doesn’t need to wear 5 pounds of make up to be pretty. She knows now that all it takes to be pretty is to be confident and be yourself, not who everyone wants you to be.

I did not like the book Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, I loved the book. One of the reasons I liked it so much is because Brittany gives up so much for Alex, and Alex gives up so much more for Brittany. Such as Brittany gives up Colin, ever since he came back from being on vacation things are different so they pretend that everything is okay so they can be the “Golden Couple.”  She breaks it off with him and leaves her perfect image for the gang banger Alex. Hector, the head of the Blood wants Alex to do a very dangerous drug deal. Alex said from the beginning when he joined the Blood he would never do any drug deals. He had to do it to save his family though. Brittany hates the idea of this and says it will never work if he does it. If the end of that, he finds out he was set up. Thankfully he didn’t do the drug deal, or he would have been dead.

Ten months later after Alex shows up in her life again and tells her he never did the drug deal. I love the fact Alex gave up so much just to be with a girl. It shows how much he really loves her and wants to be with her forever. 

I also didn’t like things about the book Perfect Chemistry too. One thing would be that how Alex started going after Brittany. It all started with his friend Paco. Paco bet Alex he couldn’t get in Brittany’s pants before Thanksgiving. If Paco won the bet he got Alex’s motorcycle. If Alex won the bet he got Paco’s car. I think that is terrible, Alex was using Brittany to get a car. When Alex finally wins the bet it isn’t so funny anymore. Alex actually fell for Brittany and now if Brittany found out about the bet she most likely would not be in his life anymore.

I would recommend this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes romance and a love story that doesn’t exactly end the way everyone wanted it to end. If you like surprise endings it is a great book to read. I think it is a great book to read in general personally. I couldn’t put it down.

Choice Book Report Quarter Two

Part One:

I read Pure by Terra Elan McVoy. The main characters name is Tabitha. She also goes by Tab. Fifteen year old Tabitha is tall and has curly brown hair. She has brown eyes and is skinny. She has very supportive parents and they respect and trust Tabs choices she makes in life and throughout the book. Tab is a very generous person and self-giving. Such as when one of her best friend was going through a very hard time and just simply needed someone to talk to. Tab blew off something that was pretty important to her and listened to what she had to say and was there for her friend. Tab gives great advice too. She is always that person her friends come to when they are stuck and don’t know what to do. She is someone you can trust and you wouldn’t have that thought of “I hope she doesn’t tell anyone.” Or “Should I really trust her?” I would say she has a lot of confidence in what she does and what she believes in. She is different from other characters in the book because one, she doesn’t let other peoples thoughts or beliefs stop her from her thoughts or beliefs. Some people at school think a purity ring is just plain stupid and that you’re a “goody little two-shoes” if you have one. That doesn’t stop her from wearing her ring though. Two, she is a “true friend.” When everyone else was bashing on her friend for breaking her promise to God, (abstinence) Tab didn’t go bash on her right away she listened to her friend’s story, not what everyone else was saying. Tab found out finding out the truth from the person, not what everyone else said went a long way and made a big difference. She knows that when rumors spread they always change and most of the time is totally different than what is really is. All along it wasn’t what everyone thought it was. Tabitha has many goals in life. Like one major thing is she always wants to have a relationship with God. She knows he will always be there and she believes having a relationship with him helps her through life. Another is she wants to successfully finish high school and go to college. Also, she wants to have her friends bond to be like it was in the beginning of the story and put aside that her friend made a mistake. She believes that everyone makes mistakes and sometimes they are worse than others and you just have to move past it and give that person another shot.  I think that Tabitha is a good role model in the book.

Part Two:

Discuss conflicts and how they are resolved. They are many different conflicts in the book Pure, some affect the story more than others but here are some. Tabitha meets this boy, and she has known him for a while, they had something before, but then they drifted apart. They meet up again and exchange each other’s numbers. When he calls her and she isn’t home she has to call him back. For her she has never really had a guy like her she a million things are going through her head. She doesn’t know what to say when she calls him. Plus she doesn’t know how to tell him about the purity ring and what he might think and if he will think it is stupid or might not like her as much. When she finally gets the guts to call him he does a lot of the talking because he can tell she is nervous. He also thinks that that purity ring is cool and not a big deal at all. She is relieved to know that she worried for nothing. Another thing that happens is Tab and her best friend, Morgan, don’t exactly see “eye to eye” about when Cara broke her promise to God. Plus, this promise meant a lot to all of them because they made this back in middle school. Morgan just can’t over the fact she broke it. She doesn’t think about why Cara did it or even care to listen. That is what frustrates Tabitha the most because she actually listened to Cara. She understands better and it doesn’t make her as mad. Since this is all going on Tab can’t talk to anyone because her parents don’t understand, plus, she can’t talk to her other friends, they are all taking Morgan’s side. Finally, Tab goes to God. She goes to the church and talks to a Youth Group leader, Marilyn. Tab goes to her and talks with her and asked her many questions. Marilyn didn’t just solve her problems for her though. She gave Tab great advice and things to think about. In the end Tab had to decide how to approach her friends all by herself.

Memoir 2

I t was a beautiful winter day, the sun was shinning and an occasiconal breeze. I come home from school to see a for sale sign in the front lawn of my yard. I don’t remember my parents ever talking about moving. I run across the yard, the snow going into my boots because its so high, it was really cold! I dash in the house and yell “mom.” I realized my mom was on the phone, she holds her pointer finger telling me to wait until she is off the phone. About 10 mintues later she is finally off the phone, I ask her why there is a for sale sign in the front yard. My mom and my dad have lived in that house for 11 years and they wanted to bulid a newer house, plus my school was turning into a pre- school, so I’d have to go to Discovery. Im not sure why by they wanted me going to Westwood. So they looked at a lot and we were moving into the Westwood area. I was pretty excited actully to move and go to a new school. We werent moving until June though so I didn’t need to switch during the year.

           

 Months pasted and my new house was built, I got to see it today right after school. Once we got there it was huge! I ran inside and I got to pick which room I wanted since my brother wasn’t old enough to care. I picked the bigger of the two rooms, with a huge closet and big window. I loved my new room already.

          

  My grandpa was big into art. He was going to paint my new room whatever color I wanted. I picked a light lavender. My grandpa used a sponge to paint it to give It texture. It looked really cool when it was done.

           

The move in date was June 30^th. I was so excited, friends and family came over to help us move and get organized. My cousin helped me put and pictures, posters, and anything else that was going in my room.  My new house looked great, I was so excited to start 1^st grade in a couple of months. I already made a new friend Natalie, she lives behind me. I guess moving isn’t so bad after all like I thought It would be.

Choice Book Report Quarter One

             The main character in Lock and Key is Ruby. Ruby is very independent and doesn’t really want help from anyone. She feels confident that she can do anything she sets her mind to. Ruby takes pretty good care of herself. When it comes to appearance she doesn’t care if she has designer clothes or expensive accessories. Ruby is the kind of person you might want to look up to. She is very dedicated to being successful in life.  She wants to finish high school and go to college. Ruby is quite different from other people in the book. She never lets people push her around or pressure her into something she doesn’t want to do.  She stands up for herself and what she believes in. Ruby has gone 16 years without a father and her whole life without a mother who just doesn’t care. This has made her a very strong person.

                Ruby learned what “family” is. In the beginning of the book Ruby thought she wasn’t a part of a family. She didn’t know what a family was and what it felt like to be cared about. She went most of her life taken care of by her sister. Her mother always sleeping or out at the bar. Once Ruby’s sister Cora left for college Ruby took care of herself. Years pasted and one day Ruby came home from school to see her mother was know where to be found. She felt unwanted and no one knew she existed. She got caught living at her mother’s house by herself underage.  Social Services took her away to live with her sister Cora and Jamie, Cora’s husband.

                 Months pasted. Thanksgiving gathering came along. Ruby had to ask different people what family meant to them for a school project. She asked one of Jamie’s sisters, Alice. They came from a big family.  Alice said,

                “You don’t have to have a big family to make it a family. There are sometimes I have wished I had a small family. The more people you have the more likely someone wont get along with someone else. The potential for conflict is always there. Every person, struggle together like beads on a chain.  Coming together, splitting apart, but always, a family.”

                That changed the way Ruby thought about a family. She always was apart of one and always will be, no matter what.

Memoir 1

One beautiful morning I get out of bed just like any other day. I rush down the stairs wondering what my mom made for breakfast that morning; secretly inside hoping it was chocolate chip pancakes. Once I get to the top of the stairs I don’t smell anything like usual. I rush down the stairs, its dark except for the light coming from the living room. The TV is on; I walk curiously through the quite house into the living room. I see my grandma sitting on the rocking chair half asleep. Why would my grandma be at my house at 7 o’clock in the morning? I nudge her shoulder, she wakes up slightly startled.  I ask her what she’s doing at my house and where my mom is. She explains to me that my mom is at the hospital with my dad. My brother is on his way! That made my heart race; I was waiting for my brother for months! I wanted to see him so I ran up stairs, got dressed, and brushed my teeth and hair. Once I got back down the stairs my excitement went away just like that. My grandma said that I couldn’t see him just yet. I had to wait until my dad called and said that we could go see him. I being a five year old didn’t understand why, but I guess I just had to wait. I waited and waited. I swear it was the longest 2 hours of my life. I watched TV and even helped my grandma make my bed. I went into the kitchen and ate my cold cereal and orange juice. Sure wasn’t as good as chocolate chip pancakes! Finally, the phone rang; I jumped up and almost spilled my juice!  I answered the phone barely being able to say “hello”. My dad said that we could come and see my brother!

        

Once we reached the hospital I took my grandmas hand and we went up to the front desk. A nurse named Jackie brought us to the room. She was really nice; she asked me questions like how old I was and if I ever held a baby before. I said I hadn’t held one before so she said that she would help me hold my new brother.  That got me even more excited!  Once we got to the room I saw my mom, dad, and my other grandma. My brother wasn’t there. My dad explained that he would be back in a few minutes. I guess my family really liked to bring me down; I really wanted to see him.

        

He was so small, I never imagined him to be so small. Then Jackie helped me hold him, I had to sit a chair and she showed me how. She told me how babies have a soft spot and it hurts them if I put pressure on it. They named my brother Nicholas. After awhile it was time to get something to eat. My dad and me went down to then hospital cafeteria and got some lunch.

        

After I ate and visited my grandma said that it was time to go and we could come and visit my brother tomorrow. That made me upset, why wasn’t my new baby brother coming home with me?! She explained that he has to stay in the hospital for a few days with my mom. I still didn’t quite understand why. But oh well, there was always tomorrow and every other day. All I knew was I sure was looking forward to tomorrow. I gave my new baby brother a kiss and left. 

Introduction

Hi! I'm Christine. I play soccer! I've been playing soccer for 6 years. I started when I was 7 years old. I play soccer for CMYSA in the summer. I also to track. I love to run! I love listening to music and hanging out with friends.