Category Archives: LA – Reading Reflection

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela – Reading Blog 18 (19)(20)

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Book # 18 (19)(20)                              Words: 247392                                              Date: 9/Dec/2014

 

Title:  Long Walk to Freedom                                                                     Author: Mandela, Nelson                                

 

Genre ~ Non-Fiction: Autobiography        

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

Apart from life, a strong constitution, and an abiding connection to the Thembu royal house, the only thing my father bestowed upon me at birth was a name, Rolihlahla.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

She said the devil would certainly take me to task for my sin.

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Thatched- a roof covering of straw, reeds, palm leaves and anything close to the material

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I first picked out this book my sister told me that it was too hard for me to read. She was obviously right but still I wanted to read it. This book took me awhile to read. At times I found it boring but then I kept pushing on. In the end I learnt a valuable lesson from Mandela, it was to keep on trying. The way I read was also demonstrating this technique. I did push myself to read it and when I had problems such as unknown words, I asked. With this, I learned lots more words that I had not known. This book is an amazing book. This not only shows how you have to keep pushing yourself, it also shows the life of Mandela himself. I learned a lot about Mandela too. His life while he was staying in prison was terrible too. I have never been in the same situation as Mandela. I have never been to prison for doing nothing bad and I also have never stood up for something I believed in. Now, I know to not only keep on trying, I also need to stand up in what I believe in too, and to also take risks. This book was an amazing book anyone should try reading and like before even though some parts may be a bit boring, just push on and the lesson behind the whole book will stand out.

Famous Last Words by Katie Alender – Reading Blog 17

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Book #  17                              Words: 71513                                    Date:  20/Nov/2014

 

Title:  Famous Last Words                                                                  Author: Alender, Katie                                

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type:   Realistic Fiction      

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

Nothing glittered.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

This is the kind of dream you don’t wake up from, Henry.

 

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Psychoanalyze – A theory meant to treat mental disorders (noun)

 

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I first started this book, I thought it was the type of book that you read a little of, then give up on it. But I was completely wrong. This book kept me interested and engaged at all times. The scary moments made me scared, of course but most importantly it made me want to read more. When I started this book I thought it wouldn’t be as scary as it is now. The main character Willa is just a teenage girl in pain. Her father had suffered a heart attack in a pool and she had been trying to get in touch with him ever since. How would she get in touch with him when he’s dead you may ask. Well, Willa used a closed, unknown method from a book that had been removed from all libraries. This then triggered a chain reaction of ghosts haunting her house that she had stayed in. Willa has changed a lot. She at first was this girl who was like any other girls on earth. She was a girl that had homework, moved to different countries and had a mom. But throughout the book she changed. She had slowly become into a girl that was aware of what was around her a girl who was curious and also a girl who didn’t care about her image as much as she had before. The reason why I say that she didn’t care about her image is because she hung out with a person nobody has. Wyatt. Wyatt is a boy that is a loner. He sits alone during lunch and has no friends. This is all because of one thing. The mystery. Ever since the times of the nineties there was a killer in Hollywood, the Hollywood murderer. This person killed anyone who auditioned for a part of a play and got away with it every single time. From this book, I have learned to look outside the box, and to also stay open to any suggestions thrown at you. Anyone should read this book. It is amazing, scary and engaging.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney – Reading Blog 16

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Book # 16                               Words: 41909                                    Date: 18/Nov/2014

 

Title:   The Face On The Milk Carton                                          Author: Cooney, Caroline B.                              

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type: Mystery     

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

Janie finished her essay.

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

But did love conquer all? Could love conquer the theft of a child?

 

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Cyanide – a salt or ester of hydrocyanic acid (noun)

 

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I began this book, I thought this book was like any normal realistic story and not mystery. I thought this was mystery because I have a unit that is called Mystery Mania. When I started to get to the middle of the book I started to feel empathy for my character Janie. I felt empathy for her because if I were her I would be scared about these two people that I called my parents. I would be scared because of all my life, they have been caring for me but why would they capture me? Near the end I was relieved as well because the truth was revealed. I thought my character Janie changed a lot throughout the book. At first, Janie used to be a carefree type of girl that didn’t really care about anything except her family and her studies. But now at the end when I look at her I see a type of girl that is aware about things like the truth about life and how hard it is. I also see a type of girl that is now observant about everything. She is also curious too. At the end of the book, it gave a little teaser about the next book in the series. It was about her going to visit her biological family. Instead of leaving that family alone, she decided to look for them and contact them to say that she was okay. In the teaser, although the main character was Janie, the story was not in Janie’s point of view. It was in her brother’s point of view instead. In this I then got to know a bit about Janie’s brother. At this point, I see Janie’s old family as a really caring big family. But I also see that Janie’s twin brother as a person who never cared about anything too. I learnt from this book that anything could change in a blink of an eye. For example, for Janie when she realized that her face was on the milk carton. This then changed her family because she got curious and searched for the family she actually came from. For many other people it could be that somebody dies or something happened to their home. So now I know to treasure what I have. My family, my dog, my grandma, my school and all of my personal items because it or they could just go away in a second. I recommend this book to anyone near the age of twelve because this book is an engaging and good for people in that age to know to treasure what they have.

The Year I Met You by Cecelia Ahern – Reading Blog 14 (15)

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Book #  14 (15)                       Words: 149226                                              Date: 10/Nov/2014

 

Title:    The Year I Met You                                                               Author: Ahern, Cecelia                              

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type:  Realistic Fiction    

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

I was five years old when I learned that I was going to die.

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

He is still searching, though he seems less angry, the spiteful look is gone.

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Corroborated – Confirm or give support to a finding, theory, or statement (verb)

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I first looked the title, I thought that this was a novel about romance and love. But I looked closer and found something different. This book has no aspects of love. This is an amazing story about two people going through life. Both of them have gone through loss. One has lost a job, while the others family has ran away from him. What does this have to do with us? Well, this teaches us to take little steps at a time. ‘Sometimes you have to stop still in order to move on.’ This is a quote from the blurb of the book. It is true. Jasmine, the perspective we are reading from has changed quite a bit since the beginning of this book. Jasmine used to be a person that takes her job like her life. She does many projects and many things just to get rid of one thing. Her life. Jasmine dislikes having to deal with family problems, dislikes thinking about life and especially just lazing around the house doing nothing. Once she got fired from her job, she was completely broken. Her life was shattered onto the ground like glass and she was the one that had to pick it up and piece it up again. This has changed Jasmine. Since she never cared about anything that is personal, she never had time to start a garden or just have a social life. This then changes when she meets her neighbor Matt. Like Jasmine, Matt is a man that is broken. His family has left him leaving him all alone. I have also seen lots of change in Matt. In the beginning of the book, Matt was a type of person that arrived home at three a.m., banged on the door till someone opened it and also drank. He sometimes would come home drunk and start taking glass and fling it onto his garden. Now, when I see Matt, he is a caring guy with a heart as big as the sun and would do anything for his family. Although his family never came back, he still helped his neighbors and friends and changed everything about his life. He stopped drinking, and also stopped randomly throwing things onto the grass on his garden. I saw this change happen when they both met. Now when I look back to the beginning of the book, I get this feeling that it was fate. Without helping each other, they would have never solved the problem they faced. This book is amazing. Anyone who is interested in realistic fiction should read it. With this you will learn countless lessons that can be used in your own future.

 

 

 

 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth – Reading Blog 12 (13)

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Book #  12 (13)                                    Words:  106028                                             Date: 27/Oct/2014

 

Title:  Insurgent                                                                       Author: Roth, Veronica                                 

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type: Science Fiction       

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

I wake with his name in my mouth.

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

I watch him walk away. I feel like a space has opened up within me, expanding so rapidly it will break me apart

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Chasm – A deep fissure in the earths surface (noun)

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I first starting this book I felt that since the first book (Divergent) the main character, Tris, has changed a lot. In the beginning of Divergent Tris was a girl who was weak but brave. She was nice and made friends in an instant. Now, Tris is still a brave and nice girl, but she isn’t weak. Tris is strong and able to stand up for herself. Another character in this book changed a lot as well. This character was known as Four. Now, Four has been revealed to be the son of Marcus, Tobias. When I first read about him I thought of a vicious person with no feelings. I also thought of a person that has no intention of falling in love. Now in this book Insurgent, I now see him as a person that is capable of love and also is not a vicious person. He is a caring, brave and yet shy inside. This then proves to the readers that he is a Dauntless from Abnegation. I feel that this book has uncovered many things that I have never really thought about. Before reading these two books I never gave a thought about people divided into factions. I never thought about people choosing factions over blood and family. While I was reading this, I also thought about the book and movies of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games has a storyboard really close to this. Instead they have Districts and that every year two people (a boy and a girl) is then forced to play in these games of torture. This book is an amazing book that everyone should read. No matter what genre you like, this book is a great book and you should read it.

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai – Reading Blog 11

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Book #   11                                Words: 14925                                                Date: Oct/19/2014

 

Title:         Inside Out and Back Again                                                  Author: Lai, Thanhha                                

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type:  Historical Fiction   

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

Today is Tet, the first day of the lunar calendar.

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

No one can sweep, for why sweep away hope? No one can splash water, for why splash away joy?

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Tet – The Vietnamese new year, Lunar new year

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

When I first started this book I didn’t know what this book would be about. I thought this book would be about a normal girl in Vietnam. Instead, this book is about a brave and smart girl during the Vietnamese war. When I read this book I felt that she had gone through so many tough times but she still carried on. I feel that Ha is like Anne Frank. They both are brave and smart, and they both fought through their problems no matter what. Although Anne Frank got killed during the process of the World War II, she still was brought back to justice because of her diary Kitty. For Ha, her diary (the book itself is in a diary form) wasn’t ‘public’ but it still allowed herself to let go of all her feelings. Such as when the pink boy bullied her or when she was moving. Ha’s diary not only told me what she was going through, it also let me ‘feel’ what she was going through. This book clearly showed me how hard it was during the war and how hard it is for the refugees today. In school, we have a club and it’s called the Matrix Club. This club helps the refugees who are running away from their country. Just like Ha. When I’m in the club I see how happy the refugees are when we play with them and teach them. This is probably how Ha felt when she moved to America. She was happy that she is able to start a total new life and to start over. Now whenever I go to help the refugees in Hong Kong I now know what they have gone through. I wouldn’t exactly understand what they have gone through but I will know how hard it was to just move away from their country. My fourth grade teacher is also Vietnamese and she was also a refugee during the war. She told my class how she had to move in such short notice and also how she had to stay in a abandoned place in America. Now she is a teacher in Hong Kong with two sons and a husband. Another thing is that her name is also Ha. So now, when I picture Ha (from the book) I see her just like my fourth grade teacher. In a safe country or city, with a family. I would recommend this book to anyone. This book is an amazing book that shows the life of a young girl that was a refugee during the times of the Vietnam War. This book is incredible you should read it!

The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank – Reading Blog 9(10)

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Book #   9 (10)                                      Words: 101360                                              Date: 12/Aug/2014

 

Title:  The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition                              Author: Frank, Anne                          

 

Genre ~ Non-Fiction:    History    

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

When I think back to my life in 1942, it all seems so unreal.

 

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Bashful – Reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

This book is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. For the past few months I have read books about Anne Frank. The reason why I enjoy reading about them is because of her adventures and experiences she went to. I want to know what really happened when the Nazi’s took over and I want to know how these people hid and for some people survived; just like Anne’s father Otto. Although this book isn’t factual, it still gave me a peek at how these Jews lived during these times. Many people just say ‘it was a hard time for them’, but I want to see how hard it was for them. Now when people talk about the World War II and Anne Frank, instead of seeing a sad unfortunate girl, I see a happy girl; trying to live a normal girl’s life. Anne was a very upbeat type of girl that was always optimistic about things. Even though she was very unfortunate for being born at that time of year, she was still able to continue her life no matter what. She was still able to find love, she was able to have secrets of her own, and she was also able to find one special thing that not a lot of people had during her time. Laughter. If I was Anne, I would’ve just sat at home hiding. I wouldn’t be able to find love or laughter because I would be too sad and helpless to be able to get them. This book is an amazing book to read. Like all the other Anne Frank books I have read, it doesn’t just surround one genre, it surrounds multiple. So if you find this book, pick it up and give it a try; I think that this young girls story will change your life.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer – Reading Blog 6(7)(8)

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Book #            5(6)(7)                 Words:           203402                                                Date:  24/Sept/2014

 

Title:      The Host                                                        Author: Meyer, Stephanie                                

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type: Science Fiction       

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

The Healer’s name was Fords Deep Waters.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

A shiver of horror jolted down my spine. And I wasn’t the only one who was staggered by the idea

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Fatigue – Extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

This book is not like my life at all. The author, Stephanie Meyer wrote this amazing book that captured my full attention. Even though no one had experienced a situation like this, Stephanie Meyer made me feel as if I was in the book myself. I felt sad when the main character was sad and happy when the main character was happy. It was truly surprising to feel these feelings. Something that I cannot relate to was the part when she had two people in her body. It is hard to describe, but it was interesting to read about a character that had two opinions instead of one. Another thing that interested me was the part when normal people could tell the difference between the invaders and them. I remember the part when Jared and the main character Wanderer/Melanie met. It was interesting because at first Jared thought that Melanie/Wanderer was an invader or a seeker, but when he looked up close he found out that she was a human. I wonder how he found that out because I thought that all of their eyes should look the same. I also wonder if the humans and the invaders/seekers have other features that are different from each other. Other then that, I personally feel that this book is a great book for anyone to read. It is for people who enjoy intense science fiction books and also for people who enjoy reading about adventure. But even if you enjoy to read other genres, this is a good book for anyone.

Divergent by Veronica Roth – Reading Blog 4(5)

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Book #     4(5)                                    Words:           105143                                       Date:       Sept/13/2014

 

Title:       Divergent                                                                  Author:     Roth, Veronica                            

 

Genre ~ Fiction Type:      Science Fiction

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

There is one mirror in my house.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

“Be brave, Tris,” he whispers. “The first time is always the hardest.”  His eyes are the last thing I see.

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Tranquil – free from disturbance, calm

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

This book is intense. The way the author describes things so well that it makes the reader feel like they are in the book itself. In this book I felt many emotions rise. There was sadness, happiness and anger that rose throughout this book. In the beginning the author set me in a place that made me feel uncomfortable. I felt uncomfortable because the place Tris, the main character, was in was new territory and she didn’t know anything in there. Also, since she is ‘divergent’ she is in danger. So it is even more dangerous for her to be there, someone may be lurching around the place and suddenly attack her from behind. I only started to feel comfortable when Tris started to make friends. This then let my worries subside because I know that someone has got her back. At the end,  Tris had an extra person to take care of her and that person is Four. Knowing that Four is a really protective and aware person, I feel eased because now I know for sure that she is in safe hands. For me, the best part of the book was when Four or Tobais changed. Somewhere in the middle of the book the Erudites took over and put a chip into many peoples neck. One chip got into Four’s neck. When the chip was activated, the infected ones was under the control of the Erudites. Tris then had to stop this, so she went into the control room to turn the chips off. But instead of turning it off, she found Four. Four then was about to shoot her when he fought the chip off and went back to normal. This is my favorite part of the book because Four shows loyalty to Tris. This then completely allows my fear of her being killed lower a bit more. But knowing the risks Tris takes, I am still worrying about her. This leads me to my last point. Tris is not like me at all. Tris dares to take risks, while I am sitting at the side looking at the people taking risks. If I were in the book, I wouldn’t be the first one to jump off the building, I also wouldn’t go to Dauntless in the first place. But some of Tris is like me. Both of us are unsure of a lot of things. We have many good choices to chose from and we can’t make them. This book is an amazing book to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who like Sci Fi or action because Veronica Roth writes about them descriptively.

 

Anne Frank’s Story by Carol Ann Lee – Reading Blog 3

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Book #   3                                                                Words:                                                Date: 7/Sept/2014

 

Title:    Anne Franks Story                                                                 Author: Lee, Ann Carol                               

 

Genre ~ Non-Fiction Type: History     

                                                                           

 

  • Opening Sentence:

The Nazi Party was already on its rise to power in Germany in 1929 when Anne Frank was born.

 

 

  • Favourite word / phrase / sentence:

I want to live on after my death.

 

 

  • Vocabulary and new terms (with part of speech) and definition:

Barracks – A large building or multiple building used to house soldiers

 

 

  • Reflection, Connection & Personal Response:

The book Anne Frank’s Story is about the girl who lived after her death. This girl was named Anne Frank. Anne Frank was born in Germany around the time when the Nazis power rose. This was a hard time for everyone. People had to change a lot of their normal lifestyles. Some had to go to hiding, while others made a choice of changing beliefs. However, Anne Frank’s family was brave. Instead of changing everything about their normal life, they chose a choice of helping people like them through this rough time. The Franks’ invited many Jews to a place called ‘The Secret Annex’, this was the place the Franks’ and many other families stayed while the war passed by. But then, something terrible happened. Even though the Annex was pretty safe, there were traitors among them. The traitors then gave away their hiding place and everyone in the Annex was taken out and brought to the concentration camps. These camps were camps where Jews and people who helped Jews were tortured day and night. Some were starved while fell sick and died. This happened to the Franks’. Anne’s mother Edith was starved to death and was the first one to die. Then, unfortunately Anne and her sister Margot caught a disease and they both died shortly after their mother. But Anne’s father Otto Frank survived this tragic camp and escaped trying to find his family. But when the war ended, he was told that all of his family had passed, leaving him as the only Frank left in the world. Otto then headed home just to find Miep, an old family friend at their home. Miep then gave Otto Anne’s diary. This diary was then published for us to read again, and again. Anne’s wish was then true. She was the girl who lived after her death. Anne was like no other Jew in the time of the World War II. Although she was like no other person in this time, she stood out. Anne had a dream, she wanted to live after her death, and she did. Although the way she imagined her dream was different that it is, her dream was still fulfilled. I believe that the way she fulfilled her dream was that she kept a positive attitude. I can connect with this because I think that I also have a positive attitude in things. I believe that if you keep a positive attitude, many things will come your way. I sometimes wonder if Anne never looked at the bright side and never got to write her diary, would she ever lived after her death? This book is a great book to read, it has many life lessons to learn from and gives an amazing perspective that makes you feel that you are in the book itself. I recommend this book to anyone despite their age because this book has many unknown things to the modern world.