Thursday, May 22, 2008

Bad

This book is about a teenage girl named Dallas. Dallas' mother died when she was little, therefore, she lives with her father. She is a very independent girl and wants to do things her own way. She is always having confrentations with her father leading her to hang out with the wrong people. Her father seems to really resent the fact that her mother was a fun loving and dare taking person. Her mother was killed when Dallas was five on one of her crazy adventures. Dallas' dad was always telling her, "you're turning out just like your mother." Dallas always resented this because she couldn't see anything wrong with having fun and she really admired her mother for being that way.Dallas makes a lot of bad decisions in her life. She made one really bad choice,the one got her sent away to a group home for six months. At this home she meets a surplus of different types of girls. She became very good friends with a lot of them, especially her roommate. Her roommate's name is Shatasia. Shatasia has a baby girl that keeps her motivated from doing bad again. Shatasia left the home before Dallas did. Dallas really missed her and tried to keep in touch with her. Throughout the book Dallas made decisions thatt will change her life forever.

Dallas is a fifteen year old girl who is always getting in trouble that is sent to a girls home. Shatasha is dallas' best friend in the book who has a baby girl.

During this book I used visualization of what it would actually be like in a girls facility like this one.

The author of this book is Jean Ferris.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Hatchet

In Hatchet Brian Robeson is stranded alone in the canadien wilderness. While traveling in a single engined Cessna to visit his father —whom his mother has just divorced as a result of an affair that Brian knows about but his father does not, and who is working in the Canadian oil fields, the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack, and Brian must crash land the plane. The plane sinks in a remote lake in the Canadian Woods.
Brian figures out how to make fire and forces himself to eat whatever food he can find. He eventually becomes quite a craftsman, crafting a bow and a
. During the story he struggles with memories of home, and the bittersweet memory of his mother, for if she had not had an extra lover, there would not have been a divorce or the plane crash to follow.
Brian is saved when a tornado hits the woods, tossing the plane wreckage towards the surface. Brian crafts a raft from raw materials to get to the plane. When Brian was working his way into the plane, he drops his hatchet in the water which makes him realize how important the hatchet was to him. After diving numerous times he retrieves the hatchet, and was able to successfully locate the survival pack containing a transmitter, packs of food, and a gun. Brian unknowingly activates the transmitter thinking it was broken, and is rescued by a fur trader who comes in a water plane.

Brian is a thirteen year old boy who is adventurous and trapped in the Canadian wilderness.

I used visualization and determning the importance when reading this book.

This book was written by gary paulsen. Some other books he wrote include Brians Winter, Dogsong, and Brians Hunt.

Where the Red Fern Grows

This book is about a kid named Billy who lives on a farm. He wants two good coonhounds very badly, but his dad cannot afford any. Billy works hard, selling fruit and bait to fishermen, so eventually he has enough money for the dogs. He decides to name them Old Dan and Llittle Ann. He can see that Old Dan is very brave, and that Little Ann is very smart.
Billy's mom and sisters are overjoyed. Billy keeps up his hunting. One night, however, his dogs tree a mountain lion. Old Dan howls defiantly, and the big cat attacks. Billy is horrified, and with his axe he enters the fray, hoping to save his dogs, but they end up having to save him. Eventually, the dogs defeat the mountain lion, but Old Dan is badly wounded. He dies the next day. Billy is heartbroken, but Little Ann is so sad that she loses her will to live, and dies a few days later.

Billy Colman - The protagonist of Where the Red Fern Grows. At the start of the novel he is ten years old. He has three younger sisters. He is filled with "puppy love"--he wants a dog badly. He is a brave boy, full of determination and grit.Old Dan - Old Dan is one of Billy's red bone coonhounds. He is bigger and stronger than Little Ann, the other hound. He will never leave a raccoon once he is on its trail, although sometimes his impatience gets the best of him, and he loses the trail.

I used the technique of visualzation and determining the importance.

This book was written by Wilson Rawls. I do not know any other books he wrote.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Somewhere in the Darkness

Jimmy little, a fourteen-year-old boy, and his estranged father, Crab, are reunited after nine years. Crab, who is terminally ill from a kidney ailment, has escaped from prison to share the truth of his past and to re-establish a relationship with his son.
Jimmy embarks on a physical and psychological journey as he and his father explore their pasts. Because his mother died when he was a baby and his father has been in prison, Jimmy never had the opportunity to learn about the past until being reunited with his father. Jimmy is initially reluctant to develop a relationship with Crab, but eventually opens his heart and mind and learns about himself and his father. Although Jimmy recognizes that Crab is unable to depart from his illegal ways, he comes to believe that he was falsely accused and did not kill anyone. When Jimmy's father revisits an ex-partner-in-crime, he is betrayed again, captured by the police, and dies cuffed to his hospital bed with Jimmy at his side. Jimmy comes to realize in life mistakes are made but sometimes can be understood and forgiven.


Jimmy is Crab's son who is a fourteen year old African american. He is not conscience and doesn't care about anything. He is a very unhappy kid. Crab is Jimmy's father who is dying and is always in pain. He acts very strange but wants to have a relationship with his estranged son Jimmy.

I used visulization and dertimining the importance when reading this book.

The Author is Walter Dean Myers. Some other books he wrote include Scorpions, Monster, The Outside Shot, Hoops and Slam.

Slam

On the basketball court 17 year old Greg "Slam" Harris is in control. His disciplined body does what he tells it, the ball is an extension of his arms and his powerful legs allow him to elevate above the ground. Off the court however his life is a mess. His grandmother is in the hospital on her death bed, his grades are horrible, and his best friend is possibly dealing crack. This is what Slam is facing in life. He wants to go to college then continue on to play for the NBA. Though his grades may prevent him from doing that. So, he gets help from Mtisha, who Slam loves, to tutor him in math so he can stay eligible. Slam's coach feels Slam is a showboat and does not play him. Slam befriends the old basketball coach at Latimer who not only gives him basketball tips but also gives him tips on life.

Slam is a 17 year old African American who is great at basketball. MTisha is slam's tutor who slam loves.

The reading strategies I used was visualization and determining the importance.

This book was written by Waltern Dean Myers. Other books he wrote were Somewhere in the Darkness, Hoops and The Outside Shot.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Darkness Before Dawn

In her senior year of high school, Keisha Montgomery, was still distraught by the suicide of her ex-boyfriend, Andy Jackson. Keisha was having a difficult time moving on with her life until she meets twenty three year old, Jonathan Hathaway, the new track coach and principal’s son.
Jonathan is tall, dark and handsome and has his golden eyes set on Keisha Montgomery. Keisha is swept off her feet by Jonathan and is elated to have someone treat her like a woman, not a girl. Jonathan is the answer to Keisha’s dreams and a cure to all her nightmares.
Unexpectedly, this enthralling relationship takes a turn for the worst, and Keisha is once again thrust into darkness. She is physically and mentally abused by Jonathan and eventually finds her way out.
Keisha struggles to put her life back in perspective and is able to find her way back into the light.


Keisha is a African American girl who wants to someday be a track star. In her life many terrible things has happened to her but she has let them go and get on with her life. Jonathan is principle Hathaway's son who is a good looking young man. He has abused many people in his life and is not proud of it at all.

I used the technique of visualization and Determining the importance of the story.


This book was written by Sharon M. Draper the award winning author of Tears of a Tiger and Forged by Fire.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Scorpions


This story is all about a character named Jamal Hicks who is twelve years old. Jamal is having a difficult time with his family, his teachers and even the kids at school. He is feeling pressure to take over the leadership of the Scorpions gang from his older brother Randy who is in prison. Although his mother, sister and best friend Tito are against it. Jamal’s brother was sentenced to six years in prison for shooting someone in a delicatessen holdup.Crazy Mack, who is Randy’s best friend, has an idiotic idea. He wants Jamal to take control of the Scorpions and run crack. Jamal now becomes the new leader of the Scorpions. His best friend Tito also decides to join the gang. The disrespect from the Scorpions reached a plateau for Jamal when the members of the gang refused to respect him because he was only twelve years old and everyone else was fifteen or older.One evening the Scorpion gang members Indian and Angel approached Jamal. A fight broke out amongst them and Jamal was badly beaten. Jamal noticed a knife sticking out from Indians pocket and thought he was going to be stabbed. All of a sudden, there were sounds of multiple gun shots and Indian and Angel fell to the ground. Jamal realized his best friend Tito was again standing by his side and was the one who pulled the trigger. Shortly thereafter, Crazy Mack came walking by and shot and killed Angel. After this incident, Jamal and Tito decided to leave the gang for good. In his effort to escape the law, Tito became a fugitive and is now living somewhere in Puerto Rico. Jamal is still living in Harlem with his family and Crazy Mack became the new leader of the Scorpions.I liked this book because I love the way Walter Dean Myers writes. There is always a lot of action, suspense and detail.