Entry Four: The Book Thief

Out of all of the choices on the list I chose The Book Thief because it sounded the most interesting and the most familiar. Also my aunt who is a teacher has read it too and she said that I would like the book. Mainly what drew my attention to this book is that the setting is set in Nazi Germany and I have always been interested in books or movies that were during this time period.  Also the title of the book caught my attention because it sounded like there would be conflict with the characters taking books. One connection I have with this novel after reading it is that Liesel and I both have strong morals and we will defend our morals if we have to. Someone that I would specifically recommend this book to is my sister who is in college because she likes to read books no matter what genre or what it's about. Like me, she likes books that are set in other countries.  Also she likes books that are long and are difficult, as well as books that challenge her thinking. I would also recommend this book to students who are in high school because it would be too mature for people who are younger. It would draw in readers who like to think while they read because this isn't a book people can read and not think about, there is too much hurt and loss to ignore. I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope I can find books that are similar.   

Entry Three: The Book Thief

 “You could argue that Liesel Meminger had it easy. She did have it easy compared to Max Vandenburg. Certainly, her brother had practically died in her arms. Her mother abandoned her. But anything was better than being a Jew,” (Part 3, page 161, Zusak).

Throughout the book readers are pulled in by the terrible situations the characters are put into.This quote shows that no matter how bad it got for Liesel it was a lot harder for many other people during this time. Personally, I believe that when people hear stories of loss or of unhappy times they are likely to be pulled in and more interested than hearing a story about someone who has a perfect life. So by making it clear through the words chosen that this character had gone through a lot it makes the readers feel more emotional towards the character which will then hook them even farther.Max had it a lot harder since he was a Jew compared to Liesel even though her brother died and her mother abandoned her.  Liesel did lose her family but many others lost everything including their friends, family, faith, belongings, food and normal life.  This quote is also shows that Max is having a harder time because he just escaped Stuttgart which is his home town and made it to Molching where he stayed with the Hubermanns and Liesel. Also Max has to decide whether he will stay alive and live with the Hubermanns or stay at the Hubermanns and keep them in danger of being caught with him.

Entry Two: The Book Thief

Liesel, Liesel's mom and brother, Hans, Rosa, Rudy.
Liesel wants to read, feel loved, and accepted.
Liesel's mom wants Liesel to be fed and taught well. It must of been very hard to leave her children with somebody else. The book doesn't say why she got to the point of putting her kids into foster care.
Hans wants Liesel to feel loved and wants to help teach her about her new life and to help teach her about school.
Rosa isn't sure if she wants to get close to Liesel and love her.
Rudy is always by Liesel's side and loves her.


Themes that are beginning to appear are the importance of reading and words and how they effect people. Another theme is the importance of Liesel's relationship with Hans.








The book is structured by being first person narrator. The main character is Liesel. It is written by the narrator telling the reader what happens with Liesel but isn't an actual person. The book talks about Liesel and her life and what happens to her.  In the beginning of the book there is a prologue and it talks about the three times the narrator saw Liesel. Then it goes on with the beginning of the story of Liesel going to the foster parent's house.

Entry One: The Book Thief

The major characters so far that I have read about are:
 Leisel Meminger who is the book thief.
 Hans Hubermann who is her foster father and becomes good friends with Leisel.
Rosa Hubermann who is her foster mother and is not very nice.
Rudy Steiner who is Liesel's best friend.


The setting of this book is in Nazi Germany and in Munich, Germany at the time of WWII.
The conflict in this book is death, Liesel stealing books, and moving in to this new place and the relationships she makes with people.


A prediction I have is that Liesel will get caught stealing books by Nazis.
Another prediction I have is that Liesel will get taught how to read by someone.
Another prediction I have is that Liesel's mom will come back for her in the end of the book.


Questions I have:
Why did Liesel's mom give her to foster parents?
How did Liesel's brother die?
Who is the narrator and how does the narrator take/collect people's souls?
Why did Liesel steal The Grave Digger's Handbook from the cemetery if she can't read?


Connections that I have made:
This book is wrote about the same time period Anne Frank wrote her book about Nazi Germany.

Reflecting on my Voice Blog

What specific words/phrases demonstrate your writer’s voice?  How do these words/phrases showcase your personality as a writer?

 

1. “What's up guys!” “I'm back with another dope blogger post.” “It's always better to be risky because you never know what people might think.” “See you next week with another blogger coming at you!”  All of these specific words/phrases convey my unique personality as a writer by using some slang.  I also gave my own opinion and tried to connect with the audience so they feel like they are actually talking to me or listening to me when they read this.

 

What purposeful diction and syntax choices did you make to enhance your writer’s voice?  You must choose to discuss at least one diction and one syntax technique from the list below.  Make sure to include textual evidence from your post where you included the diction and syntax choices you discuss.

1. “I'm back with another dope blogger post.”  This diction quote enhanced my writer’s voice because I used low/informal diction and you can tell if you knew me I don’t use the best vocabulary.  The low/informal diction was “dope” and I used it in a way that would make it slang.  “What's that you ask?”  This syntax quote enhanced my writer’s voice because I used a rhetorical question and it helps the readers feel like they are talking to me.

Suspense

The response I'm responding to is how the author built suspense and was it effective.  The author built suspense in Mockingjay by at the end when Peeta and Katniss got married, it doesn't give much information about what happens with them.  Also it doesn't give much information about how the districts and the capitol function.  It also doesn't say like if district 12 is still the least rich and not enough food.  It also says that Gale disappears into another district and you don't hear anything else about him.

It was definitely effective but I didn't enjoy the way she left the book so suspenseful and unfinished without making a different book.  It was kind of like they just lived happily ever after like a fairy tale.  A week after I have finished my book I was still thinking about the way the book ended and how angry it made me.  I wish the author would've had an ending that didn't have suspense.  I especially wanted her to do this because I usually don't read books and since I put in a lot of time into these books I want a better ending than the one she made.

Mockingjay Post #2 best part/worst part of my book

In the next part I read in Mockingjay district 13 bombed by the capitol, the capitol isn't completely sure that district 13 is there though.  After district 13 gets the all clear to go back to normal Katniss makes another commercial.  During this time the rebels attempt to rescue Peeta and it is a success.  Once Peeta gets to district 13 he meets with Katniss and attacks her. 

The best part of my book is the action and conflict that was going on with the capitol and district 13.  I liked this part because I enjoy conflict.  The worst part of my book so far is Peeta automatically attacked Katniss. I then figured out that the capitol brainwashed him into thinking Katniss was the enemy.  I didn't like this because I want Peeta to attack the Capitol with Katniss.  At that point I began to feel like I wanted the capitol to be destroyed even more than I had before.

Symoblism of The Mockingjay

Mockingjay


I chose to read this book because after finishing the second book it was such a cliffhanger I just had to read the third book.  In the third book beginning it shows that their was a strong district 13 ready to attack the capitol.  Katniss is still shocked by the quarter quell and everything that has happened.  District 13 decides that Katniss will be the Mockingjay.  Katniss has to make commercials that would be on t.v. for all the districts to see.  They did this so that they could gain strength in the rebel army.

Being the Mockingjay was a symbol for all of the districts.  The symbol was that she will help them destroy the capitol.  Doing a commercial Katniss witnesses a building being destroyed by the Capitol.  In the commercial of the hospital bombing she calls for justice.  After reading part of this book I have really enjoyed it and cannot wait to see what happens next.

Book Review

In the end of Catching Fire I was not expecting it to have an ending like it did.  The author really surprised me with this ending like she did in the first book.  When it turned out that a lot of people were against the capitol.  When Katniss thought she was attacked by Johanna and got the tracker cut out of her arm and realized she didn't actually get attacked.  The girl that cut out the tracker was actually with the capitol. Then when she shot the force field with the arrow I thought that it was so clever.  When she woke up in the plane and realized that they were flying with the game maker, Haymitch and Peeta was captured by the capitol, I was so surprised.  Then I knew I would have to read the third book to figure out what happens.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books, dystopian novels, or action.  The writing style is very descriptive and can make you feel like you were there.  If you enjoy series with suspense I would also recommend this book.

Why I chose this book

I chose this book because I had really enjoyed the first book.  I wanted to know what happened in the second book so I decided to read it.  Also my sister had read it and she told me it was one of the best books she has ever read.  Once I first started reading this the author created a really good beginning and the book always made me want to keep reading.  Another reason I chose to read this book was because I needed a book to read for English class.

I had heard from other people that the book was a really interesting book and that it wasn't really easy to read but wasn't too hard either.  That made me really want to read the book even more since I do not like to read books that are too challenging or books I cannot understand.  I was also hoping to finish reading this book before I watched the movie to see how they compared and which I enjoyed more.  In this book the beginning wasn't too boring or saggy which I also enjoyed.  I have never liked beginnings that are too long or too detailed I just want them to get to the good part of the book.

Fahrenheit 451

This is one of the more interesting books I've read in an English class.  I have always liked utopian and science fiction books.  Even though the book at some parts was dull I really enjoyed a lot of it and some of the futuristic ideas the writer had.  I thought that the relationship between Beatty and Mildred was really weird.  The fact that she left without him at the end and didn't really love him was really weird.

I was also surprised at how brainwashed the people of this country had become.  They didn't pay much attention to people suffering in other countries.  They also lived for having fun for only themselves.  The people didn't even really care about anybody else.  This book really opened my eyes to how me and a lot of other Americans are so brainwashed and need to help other countries and not only think for yourself.

Catching Fire Post #4 Voice

What's up guys!  I'm back with another dope blogger post.  As you could probably tell this blog will be about... Catching Fire!  In the book Catching Fire Katniss and Peeta have to go on a victory tour.  What's that you ask?  They have to get interviewed, visit every district and do a speech.  During these speeches in the beginning they were too risky with what they said but as they kept going through the districts they were less risky.  It's always better to be risky because you never know what people might think. 






This year was the 75th annual Hunger Games and every 25 years there's a quarter quell and something different, more challenging happens.  This quarter quell has tributes from every district that had won previous Hunger Games.  That could only mean Katniss, Peeta or Haymitch could be the people from District 12.  Uh Oh?  As you could probably guess they have the reaping and Katniss and Peeta are the tributes.  Katniss and Peeta have to go in to The Hunger Games and this time it is not as easy as it was last year.  This is because they are going against victors from previous hunger games.  See you next week with another blogger coming at you!

Catching Fire Post #3

In this book I would like to talk to the main charcacter Katiniss about why she didn't try to escape to District 13 (even though it may not exist).  She could've went when she had the chance because she knew that she was going to have to participate in another hunger games.  If I was her I would of probably chose to stay in District 12.  Even if there was a tiny bit of having a rebellion she should definitely stay.

I understand that she didn't want to look like a coward.  And she was mainly the only chance of having a rebellion against the government.  If district 13 has guns or weapons or flying machines it's would be a good choice by Katniss.  There's always a chance of district 13 not having all of that war stuff though.  It is a 50/50 chance mainly.  I personally think that it was a good choice of staying in District 12.

Catching Fire Post #2 Suzanne Collins Biography

The author of my book Catching Fire is Suzanne Collins.  She was born in 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut.  She moved a lot when she was young.  Also her first successful book series was The Underland Chronicles.  Then she started making the awesome Hunger Game series.

I really like this author because I have read her Underland Chronicles series and I really like The Hunger Games.  I wonder if she will have any more really good series. As an author she is more of a author who writes in series.  I have enjoyed all of her books so far.  I hope she comes out with another dystopian novel.

The Hunger Games Catching Fire Post #1

 

The book I'm reading, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins takes place in a futuristic society.  This book genre is utopian/dystopian.  The setting of this book takes place first in District 12 at first which is a coal mining town.  Katniss and another boy from her district won the previous Hunger Games together in the first book.

The Hunger Games but only one person was supposed to win, in the previous book.  Now the capitol is mad because they think that a possible uprising could occur.   They do not want this to happen. President Snow is watching Katniss's every move.  He pops up in her house every once and a while warning her not to do anything that could hurt others, (family, friends, everybody).  She does the right thing and doesn't do too much "sketchy" things while she knows President Snow is watching her every step.

Divergent Post #15

In conclusion I think this is one of my favorite books that I have ever read.  Divergent is not better than The Hunger Games because it has a better plot and more bloody action.  This way I won't get bored while reading.  Also the author of Divergent has a few pointless scenes that bored me at times.

Divergent Post #14

If I could have a conversation with Beatrice it would be why she chose to be in the Dauntless faction knowing that it is very dangerous to be in that faction.  Also knowing why she chose because she knew she couldn't see her family and possibly die.  I would tell her if I were her I wouldn't of gone to Dauntless I would've stayed in the same faction Abnegation.

Divergent Post #13

The scene that best shows the personality of my character Beatrice would be when she chose to be in the Dauntless.  I think this because she has no clue of what initiation in the Dauntless faction will be like.  Also choosing to go to a different faction means that you will probably never see your family again.  This scene proves that she is a brave, gutsy individual who wants to explore a new place and culture.

Author Biography Divergent Post #12

Veronica Roth was born in a Chicago suburb. She did creative writing at Northwestern University.  She started writing this book while she was in college.  The city of Chicago where her husband and her live is where she was inspired to write the book Divergent.

Divergent Post #11

The main character has changed a lot since the beginning of the book to the end.  In the beginning she wasn't known by many people and didn't speak out against things.  In the end she became a leader and spoke out against the wrong like the Erudite faction wanting to overthrow the Abnegation government.  As you can tell she was a very influential person and was well known and loved by many.