Beastly (pg. 149 - 300)

Okay...so I realised I didn't blog at all while reading the rest of this book. So bare with me, this review is gonna be pretty general because I really don't want to make a super long post that no one will read.

So, Kyle...or Adrian, now has a blind tutor named Will. He is a pretty cool guy, I would want him as my teacher. haha. Anyway, Kyle actually missed school, so he made his dad get him a tutor. He also becomes pretty close with the maid he once was horrible too. Now on to the girl. Well there is two girls, Kendra, and Lindy. Kendra is a witch who put a curse on Kyle, er, Adrian. She made him look the way he acts on the inside, an ugly beast. Lindy is this sweet girl who lives with her alcoholic drug using father. :(  pretty sad deal she has there. What is even sadder is that her dad trades her to live with Kyle if he doesn't call the cops for breaking into his house. Of course Lindy is mad about this, and thinks Kyle is a creep without meeting him. However they become friends, and then more then that. It's your classic fairy tale love story!!

Review: Great book. I recommend everyone should read the book, and then watch the movie. Or if you already saw the movie, read the book. They are pretty different from each other. I think the book did and had some better things, but then I think the movie turned some things for the better.

In 10 Years...

High School Students Predict Their Future!! This website is pretty cool because it really makes you think about what you plan to do in your future. Their is one guy that hasn't decided what he plans to do yet. I have a pretty good idea about what I want to do, but sometimes I just don't know, so it was nice seeing that I am not alone in that. I also can relate to the students that are going into a job because it is something they want to do, not because of money. I also could relate to those who want to help others, but their was also one who loves animals, and so do I, and that's where I plan to be...

...In ten years, I plan to be a zookeeper at a zoo. I have always loved and enjoyed animals, but it wasn't until I started volunteering at the zoo as a zookeeper aid did I realize that that's what I wanted to do. I'm not 100% percent sure I want to be a zookeeper, but I am 100% sure I am going to get a college degree in zoology. I know that this job doesn't pay a whole lot, but it is something I know I will enjoy, as well as be good at. I am excited and scared of the future, but thinking ahead and making some plans, is what makes it easier, even if it is a little scary.

Two Way Street (pg. 120 - 180)

Its before the trip, and we see that Jordan and Courtney are in the kissing stage in their relationship. She doesn't want to go to far, because once that line is crossed, there is no going back. Plus,Jordan has never stay friends with a girl he's hooked up with before. We also get to see Jordan in his mom after he walked in on her and some guy. His mom of course doesn't want him to tell his father. This causes drama. I don't want to go into all the details and ruin anything in case anyone wants to read this book, but their is this big secret that he discovers...that ruins his relationship with Courtney!! :( The secret is quite good, however...I don't get why...oh never mind. I don't want to ruin it. haha. Anyway, back to the trio, Jordan takes care of his girl, of course. They end up getting wrapped in each others arms (so cute)

Review: Nothing much to say other then I loved it so much!! haha I kinda suck at these reviews I do. Lets see, the secret is BIG which I enjoyed. I didn't guess it.

The Little Things That Make Me Smile

Off of this really cool website that has 1000 awesome things,  choose some of the stuff on the list that would be on mine if I made one:

1. Finding Money you didn't know you lost

2. Living with someone who doesn't mind killing spiders -- I hate spiders!!

3. Using Rock, Paper, Scissors to settle anything

4. Eating Cookies like a cookie monster

5. Roasting the perfect marshmallow -- the best thing ever

6. Getting in a line just before it gets really long

7. When the dog's really excited when your back home -- this makes my day, everyday!

8. Sitting on your freshly made bed and admiring your work after cleaning your room

9. The one person that laughs after telling a bad joke

10. When you open a book to the exact page you were looking for -- so cool, especially in school

Reading through some of the stuff on the list, and picking some for my blog, inspired me to make my own list. So when that one rainy spring day comes, I plan on sitting down and making a list of awesome things!! And I think you all should too. Because if your in a bad mood ever, reading the list will make you smile, like it did me.

Oh the memories...

Children books!! Something each and every child enjoys. Either they love the illustrations (something I always enjoyed) or the story in general. There is website that is a time line of a bunch of children books from a really long time ago. This will be a walk down memory lane for me! Here are my favorite childhood picture books.

Peter Rabbit

Through the Looking Glass

Madeline A favorite :)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Goodnight Moon

The Velveteen Rabbit

Curious George

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type I loved this one!!

The Cat in the Hat

Little Bear

The Snowy Day

Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you See?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Frog and Toad I use to read this one all the time

All these books are so special too me because they were what I learned to read from. Some of them taught me morals, while others just made me smile and look at the pictures. I remember teachers reading these to us, and having special times with each of my parents before bed reading them. The list of books I love and enjoy from my childhood is much longer, but these were the ones on the list that I loved so much!! I still have these books and I look forward to the day I can share them with my children.

Chicago

I recently went to Chicago with my family. I've been before, but I defiantly forgot how hard it is to drive in such a big city. First of all, the people down there love to honk their horns! Second, the people down there really need to look where their walking. But beside the driving problems, its really a fun city. There is just so much to do! Its really pretty downtown in the city at night. All the buildings just light up and its really a nice sight to see. When I was down there all we really did was go to a museum (no my first choice). It was fun, but by the end f the day my feet were about to fall off! I really like visiting that city, I just know I could never live their.

It's Soooo Pretty and Cool!!!!

Pretty Little Liars (pg. 20 - 71)

Emily. The sweet girl-next-door swimmer who is a child every parent dreams of having. She doesn't do bad things, she gets good grades, and she is one of the best swimmers. However, there is something about her that she knows she doesn't want anyone to know about her. She meets Maya, a more out-there-kinda-girl. Her and Emily become fast friends after she moves into Alison's old house, but Maya seems like she has a bad influence on Emily.

Aria. The girl with the individual fashion sense. She loves doing her own thing and has a unique style that shows her independent self. She has just gotten back to town after spending the last 3 years in Iceland. She goes to a bar to escape from her family, where she meets the young and attractive Ezra. He believes she is in college, and she has no problem letting him think that. It doesn't seem to be a problem until she walks in her English class and sees that he is her teacher.

Hannah. The popular girl everyone wants to be like. Her best friend is Mona. Both of them use to be un-popular and chubby. Things change because now they are popular, Hannah is dating the boy shes loved since forever, and they enjoy shoplifting. Hannah has a little secret about how she lost weight so fast, one she doesn't want anyone to know about.

Spencer. She is the girl that is almost perfect. She is in all the extra school activities, she gets fantastic grades, she gets into college summer programs, and she is athletic. She has it all. She even has one of those older sisters who is better then you know matter how hard you try. And unfortunately for Spencer, she is home from college and is going to be staying in the guest house with her new boyfriend. This is not a good thing in Spencer's eyes.

Review: So, the characters are pretty much like they are in the show, only their looks are different. However, Hannah seems different then on the show. That might just be because its really early in the book, but she doesn't seem like the girl in the show. haha. I know I know, books and movies are never the same, but you all have to realise for me, the show came first ;)

Word Count: 71/286

Beastly (pg. 20 - 149)

Kyle did a horrible, mean thing to the un-pretty, un-popular girl. He asked her to the dance, then went with someone else. Well this was a mistake, because that girl just happened to be a witch. A witch who now wants to show Kyle what her truly is...a beast. So he gets turned into one. He has fur, claws, fangs...all that stuff. He freaks out, of course. So the curse is that he has two years to find someone to love him despite his looks, and he must love to. They will prove the love with a kiss. After two years, if he hasn't found his true love, then he must stay a beast forever. Well his dad, who is all into beauty, fears his own son, or is just ashamed. He takes him to a bunch of doctors, with them all saying the same thing, the can do nothing to help. So his dad takes him and they move into this big castle thing (whats a fairy tale without its castle). However, his dad doesn't move in. Hi guardian, well shorta, is the maid. He also makes his dad get him a tutor. His dad finds him a blind one, named Will, and they are good friends now. But then theres this girl. He met her once at the same dance with the witch, and because he showed her kindness, that's why he gets a chance. Anyway, he uses his magic mirror to watch her. He watches her read, but he also watches he take care of her drunken father. Later on he discovers that he can go out at night, all he has to do is look like a homeless person and everyone acts like your invisible!! He is really into Will's garden, and enjoys the roses because it is perfect beauty, and everyone needs some beauty in their lives, no matter how ugly.

Review: Aww, at the beginning of this book, you would cheer that the witch put him in his place. But once you really get to see the character, you fall in love, and feel bad for him. A part of me wants to yell at him to get off his butt and at least try to find someone, but another part of me just wants him to stay put so he can't face those nasty people of the world. I can't wait until he falls for the girl, cause those parts are always my fave!! :)

Word Count: 149/300

Pretty Little Liars (pg. 1 - 20)

Allison is the girl everybody wants to be like. There is just something about her that makes people love her. In 7th grade, she decides she wants three girls to be her friend. Aria, Hannah, Emily, and Spencer. Of course they want to be friends with her! So they become the best of friends. One night, the girls have a slumber party. Nothing abnormal about that. Allison says something that upsets Aria, which happens often lately. You see, Allison may seem like a really good friend, but she tends to tear her friends down. She also is the knower of all their secrets. So during the sleepover, Alison makes her friends let her try hypnotizing them. They don't want to, but listen to her anyway. Spencer back outs last minute, I think she got scared, and has a fight with Ally. Ally storms out, and Spencer feels bad so goes to find her. The others girls snap out of whatever trance they were in, and are scared. They each had a dream about Allison. It is then three years later, with still no sign of what happened to Ally. The girls all miss her, of course, but deep down they think it might be a good thing, because now the secrets are all safe.

Review: What made me want to read this book is the TV show, Pretty Little Liars. I heard the books are really good, and since I watch and like the show, I thought "why not?" The way this book started out was a before it all happened. It showed us how the girls were friends, and what their friendship was like. Ally, we see right away, isn't a good friend. She says mean things to her friends, and makes them do stuff.

Word Count: 20/286

Sucba Diving

Everyone has that one thing they really want to do at least once in their life. That one thing for me, is swimming in the ocean under water will all the life of the sea (just hopefully no sharks or sting ray). I think I would be amazing to scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!! I will say that this is something that would also be pretty scary for me. I'm not scared of water, or swimming or anything...but the ocean does kind of freak me out a little. Don't get me wrong, I think it is obvious by my blog that I

love the ocean, but some of the life that lives in the sea, scare me. Plus, you don't know completely whats out there....

To solve my little problem, but still do what I want, I came up with a little solution. A few episodes back on the Amazing Race, contestants had to go scuba diving in this huge tank full of real ocean creatures. Fish, the worlds largest sting rays, and sharks (not even the friendly ones). So, it was like scuba diving in the ocean, only...not in the ocean. See, it would feel the same, and I would be with all those creepy animals doing what I want, only, as long as the zoo keepers feed the sharks, it would be safe, and I wouldn't be scared. I doubt I would ever be able to do that, however, I do want to be a zoo keeper in the future, so you never know. ;)

Doesn't It Look Awesome?!

Beastly (pg. 1 - 20)

Kyle is on of those guys that thinks he is the best. He has the good looks and the body, so of course all the girls want him and the guys want to be like him. He is on the ballad to be king of the school dance. Basically, Kyle believes only the good looking people will go far in life, and looks are important. These thoughts aren't only because he is full of him self and shallow, it's also because his dad is too. He keeps telling us about the things his dad tells him about how looks are so important. I think the Kyle try's hard to be popular is because he just wants his dad to love him. Anyway, even with all the people that love him and envy him, there is one person that doesn't, Kendra. Kendra is the witch in his English class, who get this, isn't attractive. She is described as chubby and like a goth because she wears all black. She is basically the only person to stand up to Kyle, and for that, she creeps him out. She really creeps him out because she tells him that he is ugly inside, where it really matters, and he would be nothing without his good looks. For some reason, the way she said this just really freaked him out.

Review: This book is great. It's kinda of like a classic fairy tale. There's a witch, and hot guy that turns into a beats, and then later we know there is a girl to possibly save him? I haven't gotten that far, but that's my guess. I can't wait to see the movie they made to the book, but I think I am going to finish the book first. I also can see the good looks of Kyle...blond hair, blue eyes...so cute. hehe. Except the witch is right, he is ugly on the inside, and this kinda takes away from his good looks. So bottom line is, I'm not very far into the book, but I am already in love with it!

Word Count: 20/300

Spellbound

In the film Spellbound, it shows different students competing in the national spelling bee. It shows the hard work they put into studying, and their family life. Two characters that stood out to me was Neil and Emily. Both students spent a great amount of time preparing and studying for the bee. It seemed to me Neil worked non-stop, and was drilled by his father to learn everything. He had a long 10 step process to spell words, and was all around motivated and good at spelling. However, it seemed to me he didn't enjoy studying or the pressure his father put on him. He did want to win though. Emily on the other hand works hard too. She works with her parents and makes flash cards. Emily also knows that spelling and studying isn't the only thing to do in life, and can't wait for when she can stop studying. She also doesn't believe she will win, and is just going out there to do her best. Her parents don't pressure her as much as Neil either. Both students work hard for the same reason, and they both did well in the bee.

Two Way Street (pg. 105 - 120)

We are still on Day one of the trip, at that rest stop. Courtney is in the bathroom, not feeling very well, so Jordan comes in the check on her. She throws up in the sink, and he holds her hair for her. The women in the bathroom are giving him nasty looks, but come on, hes helping his sick friend. I think this is a pass for going into the girls bathroom. haha. Anyway, so 10 minuets later they are outside at his truck, and they both hop on their cell phones. Courtney talks to Jocelyn, while Jordan phone rings, and he has to talk to Courtney's Dad. We find out that something is up with Jordan and her dad. We find out that there is some secret Jordan knows that Mr. Brewster doesn't want Courtney to know.

So they are back on the highway, and Courtney still doesn't feel good. She throws up a couple times, luckily Jordan pulls over in time so she doesn't do it in the car. So since she is sick, they check into a Days Inn. Awkward is the word Courtney describes the situation, and I couldn't agree any more. They argue whether to have two rooms, or just one. Jordan wins so they get one room, but Courtney makes sure it has two beds. While in the room, we see one of the funny sides to Jocelyn. She is following B.J. because I guess he is keeping something from her, and she thinks he might be cheating. It's pretty funny the conversation her and Courtney have. After the phone call, Courtney falls asleep. When she wakes up, fifteen hours later...Jordan is lying next to her, and they are in each others arms.

Review: Yuck. If there is one thing I hate, it's throwing up. So I could totally relate to Courtney here. She says she pretty much has a fear of throwing up, and I do too. haha. So gross. I also loved how sweet it was of Jordan to take care of her. I love this book so much. I will say one thing that bugs me is they cuss a lot in this book. Not so much in the dialog, but in their little thoughts and narration.

Word Count: 120/288

3.1 Diction Exercise

Invitation to Love By: Paul Laurence Dunbar

Representative Words: mellow, golden, hay-field, twilight, nesting, blossom, gleams, glows

Elevation: Medium - colorful, elaborate

Connotation: Poetic - beautiful, pleasing

Claim:
Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem Invitation to Love's peaceful, empathetic, and dreamy colors enhances the romantic and sentimental feeling of welcoming love in one's heart.