Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This book was definitely not one of my favorite books that i have read this year. It was not a terrible plot but i did not find it to be very interesting. I am not completely finished with the book yet but i am a couple of chapters away and the book so far has not interested me. It is about a high school girl named Melinda Sordino. Melinda busted all of her friends by calling the police on a party. Once school starts Melinda has a very tough time. None of her old friends will even look at her, the entire school hates her. She hates going to school everyday and being ignored by everyone. To say the least, Melinda regrets what she did over the summer but knows their is not going back at this point. But their is something that Melinda is hiding from everyone, a secret about what actually happened the night of the party. The one thing i do like about the book is that it is suspenseful and this keeps me reading. Although it wasnt my favorite book, i would recommend to people who enjoy suspenseful books.

Tweak by Nic Sheff

I have recently completed Tweak. I thought this was one of, if not the best book i have read all year. It was extremely interesting and the kind of book that once you start reading, it is hard to put down. Thrughout the book, Nic is in and out of different rehabs across the country. He has a hard time putting up with everything but he knows that if he doesn't do anything, he probably won't live much longer. At some points in the novel, it seems as if Nic is giving up. But he then realizes that giving up in not an option. Finally at the end of the book, after staying at a different rehab facility for 2 months, his parents come to pick him up and he is allowed to leave. He hugs his parents and apologizes for everything he's done wrong and he says to himself, "I feel so to be exactly where I am," (319). This is what made the novel so inspiration. At the begining thankful it did not seem like their was much hope for Nic. He was constantly drinking, smoking pot, d0ing heroin, ecstasy, and crystal meth. But this novel shows that a person can truely achieve anything that they put their mind to...

Tweak by Nic Sheff

I am not too for into this book yet, based on what I have read and heard about this book, it seems very interesting. It is a memoir about a high school boy, Nic Sheff, who starts off in high school as what some would call a model student. Nic got good grades, he was athletic and he also had two younger siblings that looked up to him. But the story is about how his life completely changes around when Nic starts getting into drugs. Not just casual, he becomes addicted to drugs. He starts to fail classes, he no longer plays sports, and he is no longer the older brother that his two siblings look up to. As a matter a fact, he becomes a bad influence on his younger sibling and his parents are forced to kick him out of the house. This book makes me truely understand the effects of abusing drugs and how it can completely change a persons life around. What i like most about this book is that it is extremely powerful and realistic; this makes it that much more interesting to read.

Lord of the Flies (Conclusion to the book)

I thought the final chapter of the book was very interesting. Ralph's group fell apart with the exception of piggy and all of Jack's hunters became just like him- cruel and evil. At the end, all of the hunters go after Ralph, hoping to find him and most likely kill him. Ralph hides in a thicket and the boys are unable to get to him. Jack eventually lights the entire forest on fire hoping to get Ralph out. Ralph runs towards the beach and the hunters chase him. On the beach Ralph runs into a naval officer who says his ship spotted the fire on the island. The officer realizes what was going on and what the the boys were doing and was disgusted. He then asks, "how could a group of boys have lost all reverence for rules of civilization in so short a time?" This is coming from an adult naval officer who clearly deals with much violence in the world. He seems to be saddened and disgusted to see how these boys have become on the island. To me, this reveals a lot about human nature and the importance of society. It also shows the importance of having rules and regulations. When people are not guided by the rules of society, they feel that they can do whatever they want and in this case and example would be Jack turning savage.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (3rd quater)

Later in the book, in chapter 5, Ralph is walking along the beach and he suddenly gets frustrated. He realizes that all the other boys are the island are not doing their jobs, not hunting, no building shelters. He blows the conch shell and calls a meeting. Ralph realizes that the boys society is slowly falling apart. He tries to fix it but is not really sure how. Shortly after, Ralph and Jack's group officially split. In a way i see this as a replica of real society. Ralph and his group, i believe, represent the good in society. While Jack and his group represent the evils of society. Most of the boys give in to the urge. Deep down, everyone could be evil. However, in society we try to cover up the evils that lurk within. In real society, certain rules and regulations guides us away from it. However, when there are no rules, as you can see with the boys on the island, people often give in to desire and temptation. In Lord of The Flies, joining Jack's group of the hunters represents giving in to these evil desires.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (3rd quater)

I am at the start of this book and am trying to refresh my memory a bit after reading it in 9th grade. At the beginning, a group of young boys end up on an island after their plan crashes. The first thing they realize once on the island is that their are no other adults with them. Some of them seem to be happy about that, while others feel that without adults, they will not be able to get off the island. Even at the very beginning, the boys quickly figure out that they must establish some kind of order in their mini society. One boy named Ralph finds a conch shell on the island. Throughout the book, this conch represents power. The boys later if you have something to say, you must be holding the conch shell and cannot just yell things out. This is their way of creating order in their society. Ralph, one of the older boys on the island, is also voted to be leader over all the other boys on the island. Some people are happy about this, while others are not and feel it is unfair that Ralph gets to be leader.

I Know What You DId Last Summer by Louis Duncan

I finished the last book i was reading, Killing Mr. Griffin, and since i like Louis Duncan i decided to read another book by her. I am only just beginning I Know What You Did Last Summer, but so far it is good and makes me want to keep reading. Like the other book by Louis Duncan, it is also about a group of teenagers who accidently kill a mysterious man. They are horrified and don't know what to do. Instead of reporting it to the police, they dump the man in a river and pledge to never tell anyone about what they have done for as long as they live. That is where I am at as of right now. What i like most about Louis Duncan's style of writing is that it is very suspenseful. I like this because it keeps me engaged in the book and makes me want to keep reading. My predictions for the rest of this book is that the secret of the accidental killing will somehow get out. The teenagers will then be faced with an even bigger problem...

Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

I really like Lois Duncan. I have read many other books of hers. My favorite by her was I know What You Did Last Summer. Which is why i chose this book because Lois Duncan is very good with thriller and suspense books. I am a couple chapters away from the end of the book and I do not feel that this was one of her best books. I felt that it was not bad to read and somewhat entertaining, however, like many other mediocre mystery book, too predictable. The plot of the book is that Susan and a couple of her friends plot out a "practical joke" on their english teacher, Mr. Griffin. None of them meant to actually kill them and when they did they did not know what to do. They chose to try and keep everything a secret and not let anyone ever find out about what happened. I still have the last few chapters to read so i am not completely sure of what the overall turn out of the book will be, but up to this point i feel everything that has happened i could have easily predicted. I do like Lois Duncan's style of writing, especially in other books of her. After this book i plan to read another book by her because i really enjoy reading mystery/suspense books.

"A Long Way Gone" By Ishmael Beah

Over the break i completed The Blind Side- which i highly recommend to any sports fan. I also re-read a book that i read last year, "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah. The reason I chose to re-read this book is because last year after i read it I decided it was one of the best book i had ever read and I do not remember everything that happened since it has been over a year since i last read it. This book is a memoir about a young boy named Ishmael Beah. He is living is Sierra Leone. At age 12 rebels come and attack his land. Slowly, he becomes seperated from all of his family. He becomes sure that he will most likely never see his family again, and after a year of running, he decides to fight in the government army at age 13. What made this book so good, and worth re-reading, was the detail that the author gives. When Ishmael is fighting in battles with the army the detail makes given makes it seem as if you are sitting their watching everything. Being that it is written by Ishmael himself, it is not hard to really understand how the character feels and the horrors that he went through. It is also a very sad and emotional book.

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

As the book progresses, it begins to talk more about the life of Michael Oher, and how his football career began. Oher was a poor, homeless African American boy who is taking in by a wealthy white family. While in high school, a big-time recruiter happen to come by one of Oher's football films. He had no idea who he was, but he saw something that nobody else seemed to see in Michael Oher. This recruiter, Lemmings, went to visit thousands of high school prospects and had thousands more begging him to watch their films or meet with them. So, to say the least, he was busy. However we he saw this tape of Michael Oher he knew that he could not just let this kid slip by him; he was the first one to see that Michael Oher had a chance to play professional football.

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

This book is very interesting so far. The beginning of the book does not focus on the life of Michael Lewis and his football career. Instead it talks about before him, how the game of football evolved to become what it is today. It specifically talks about Lawrence Taylor and his career as a pro football player, and the impact he had on the rest of football. Lawrence Taylor used to play linebacker and was well-known for being a lunatic that did not seem to care about anything but getting to the quarterback, and hitting him as hard as he possibly could. He would tell anyone that he spoke to that he preferred to attack the quarterbacks "blindside" (the opposite side which the quarterback was looking). His logic for this was that if the QB doesn't see him coming, its only going to hurt more. Teams began to realize that if they couldn't stop Lawrence Taylor, it was very unlikely they could beat the Giants (the team Taylor played on in the 80's). So teams began to put a new type of player on the line of scrimmage, specifically on the side of the quarterback which became known as his blindside. This became known as the left tackle.

Crackback by John Coy

I completed this book last week. This was a terribly written book. It was a book about a football team, specifically one boy named Miles Manning, who knows they have a shot at winning states. In the last game, Miles make a play to win the game for his team by blocking the other teams field goal. Winning this game puts them in the state finals However, since his coach did not tell him to do this, he gets benched for the state finals' game. Not only was this book completely predictable, but it was also very poorly written. It was an easy read and I would not recommend this book to anyone of our age group.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

I am nearing the end of this book. Boobies Miles was never able to heal 100%. He was so angry over this that he decided to quit the team. Being around football for him only made his own struggles worse. Boobie knew he was born to play football, however he also knew that he wouldn't ever get a chance to after his injury.

One of the main motif's throughout the book is racism. This seems to be an issue throughout the entire book. In the small of Odessa, Texas, racism was a large part of peoples every day lives. It almost seemed as if people were used to it and were able to ignore it. For the football team, which consisted of players of all different races and ethnicities, racism was a major struggle. It seems as if as the book goes, the team learns how to deal with these issues. They begin to set an example to the rest of the town, because no matter what race or skin color, in order to win they must all work together, and thats all that matters. The football teams helps to unite the people of this small town in Texas, and see past the racial issues, and see what really matters.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

Boobie and his uncle go to the doctor after his knee injury during his scrimmage. They find out that his injury was more serious than both he and his trainer believed it to be. The doctor tells them that Boobie tore his ACL, and that their really is no way that Boobie will be able to play his senior year of football. Both Boobie and his uncle knew that not playing this year would completely destroy both of their dreams. Boobie's uncle is very emotional about this, he wants Boobie to make it to college as much as Boobie does which is why he is so upset. I think the main reason that Boobie and his uncle want it so bad is because they are living in a time and place were racism is still a very large issue. Being black at this time was very hard, and many times black people did not have many options. Which is why playing football would be a way for Boobie and his uncle to escape from it.

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

It still the pre season and scouts were beginning to look at one kid on the team, Booby Miles. He was an all star the previous season and his dream was to play in college, and one day, in the pros. Which is why Booby fully understood that his chances of playing in the pros depended on this season, his senior year. In the first scrimmage, Booby started out well. But then, on one good run, someone fell on his knee. Booby got up limping. As the doctor was evaluating him, he continuously asked, "how long will I be out for?" The doctor told him it could be 6-8 weeks. Booby knows that he does not have 6-8 weeks to waste if he ever wants to play college ball. So what should he do?

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

I just started this book and, so far, have only read the first chapter. The reason I chose this book is because I really enjoyed the book I was reading before this one, and therefore thought it would be a good idea to stick with sports related books. This book mainly focuses on a high school kid named Mike Riley. He is the quarterback of the football team, and, to say the least, is very good at what he does. Riley's life long dream has been to play football in college. And being that he does not come from a particularly wealthy family, playing football might be the only way for him to get to a good school. For Riley's first game, his coach pulled him into his office to tell him that their was going to be scouts at the game, watching him. Riley knew what he had to do, he also knew that his future depended on it.

Raiders Night By Robert Lipsyte

I am getting close to the end of the book, and it still seems to be getting better and better the more I read. Football camp has now ended and the real football season has begun for Matt. The only problem is, its hard for him to focus on football with all the other things going on. His old girlfriend Mandy is still an issue, although Matt does not seem to care much about that situation, he still wishes that he never had to see his father, and he has one other serious problem. Throughout the camp, the other co-captain, Ramp had been picking on the Chris (the new kid). Matt tried his best to look away from it, he wanted to tell Ramp to stop but knew that it would be better not to say anything. However, on the last night of camp Ramp went way out of line. Matt is really bothered by this and is unsure of what he should do, but he knows he has to do something.

Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte

So far, not much else has happened since the last blog posted on this book. Matt, the main character and a football player at Nearmont High School, went off to football camp for a week. However, before he left, he cheated on his girlfriend Mandy. Unfortunately she found out and he knows he going to have to talk to her when he gets home. As of right now Mandy seems to be Matt's biggest propblem. My prediction is that when Matt gets home, Mandy and him are going to break up. Matt has still been using steroids and other drugs almost everyday. This will probably have some sort of affect on him later on.

Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte

Although I'm not very far into this book yet, I can already tell its going to be good, and would recommend it to anybody who likes sports-related books. It is mainly about a high school boy named Matt Rydek, who is co-captain of the Nearmont High football team and the starting quaterback, who plans to play at a division one college. However he has a secret that few people know about. He has an addiction to steroids, and he can't wait to go off to college just so he no longer has to see his evil father. This book has been getting better every page and I can't wait to find out more. So far things are not looking so good for Matt, and he has some serious problems he needs to deal with.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Alcatraz, a maximum security prison, is home to many notorious criminals. However, it is also home to a young boy named Moose Flanagan. His dad, a guard at the prison, is the reason for him having to live on the island, and he does not like it at all. Living on the island is a lot for Moose to handle considering he is only 12, not to mention his parents put the burden of caring for his disabled sister mainly on him. However this story shows how different his life as a young teen is living on Alcatraz. He does manage to make a couple friends with the few other kids living on Alcatraz, he also manages to get himself in some trouble as the book goes on. I thought this book was a little bit boring and uneventful. It was also a very easy read, so if thats what you looking for, go ahead and give it a try.