Danielle

When Holden got expelled from Pencey Prep because of his awful grades, it wasn't a big deal for him, he'd been kicked out of school after school; almost started to be a tradition for him. Holden loved a girl named Jane, and one summer they became very close, but once they got back to Pencey, she ditched him for his handsome, beautiful, strong, and popular roommate, Stradlater. Holden was fine with his roommate, until they got into a huge argument that ended up with blood all over Holden's face. The night of that fight he decided to leave Pencey earlier than he should have for he could not stand it, or the people any longer. That runaway escape that he took, was the beginning to his adventure. This book started off a little bit slow for me, and I wasn't sure whether it was going to be interesting or boring. After Holden left Pencey the book started getting exciting, and made me want to keep reading. There was something about Holden's character that pulled you in, that made you want to feel bad for him, but then you'd think oh wait he's a troublemaker he deserves it. So it's kind of a play of two different characters. Holden is really funny though, sometimes he would say things about people or just in general that would actually make you laugh out loud. It's an exciting book full of adventure, changes in life, and watching a character grow up, without even realizing it until the end of the book. I highly suggest that you read this book, something different is the best way to describe this book, I for one have actually never really read a book like it. Holden walks us through his life as a child, through his boarding school experiences, and how he doesn't really know what's coming next in his life, but it's got to be better than what used to be. He always looks for the good in things, and never expecting to be rewarded for it. He is a character that lives life to it's fullest, and has no regrets about that; he knows he isn't the perfect child, but he sure can try, there's no harm in that. This book pulls you into it, teaching you new things, and makes you want to keep reading. I think anyone from the age of 14 and up could read it, and be happy with it, and definitely get a good laugh out of it, so read it, I strongly suggest it to any reader. []
 * The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger (third trimester reading book.)**

Have you ever pictured your life being perfect? Your parents both love each other, you and your siblings play outside all the time together, and you never get yelled at? Well that is what little David thought he had. He would always go on trips to a little cottage where he, and his family went together. His mom and dad would sit on a blanket drinking their wine watching David, and his brothers play. He didn't think his life could get any better. Until randomly his mother started drinking, and she became a monster, but only to David. David became the family slave, he wasn't considered part of the family anymore. His mom would beat him, almost so severely that it seemed like she was trying to kill him. When she had a new born child she tried to get him to eat the kids diaper. That isn't the worst though, one day she stabbed him, and made him sit in the bathroom with clorox cleaner scenting the room, so he couldn't breathe. I strongly suggest reading this book, it actually affected this little boys childhood. It makes you realize that your lucky for what you have, and when your angry with your parents it makes you think. Yes, your parents might not always make your life easy, but that's because they want you to succeed. David's mother made his life miserable, she tortured and beat him every single day. He slept on a little army cot in his garage for about half an hour. Could you imagine not believing in dreams or wishes, believing God was out to get you, or believing their was something wrong with you, you deserved to be treated this way, it was your own fault.When you read this book you realize that your parents do love you, and only want the best for you, when you say you hate them...you think twice after you read this book. This book made me realize how thankful I am for the life I have. I couldn't imagine having a life like David did, and having my own mother hate me. A mother is someone whose supposed to tell you everything is okay, and tell you she'd protect you from the monster under your bed. Not be the monster under your bed. When life gets awful your moms the one that is supposed to comfort you, and hold you, and tell you that you can do it, but not continue making your life miserable. I now like that my dad speaks his thoughts, because David's mother took control of his father, and even though David's father didn't believe it was right he didn't do anything. He let David's mother strangle, beat, starve and torture his own son. []
 * A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer (second trimester reading book.)**


 * The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (first trimester reading book.)**

[] Fourteen year old, Susie Salmon was murdered on December 6th, 1973. While walking home from school one day, Susie decided to take the short cut through a corn field right behind her house. She jumped to the voice of her neighbor, whom she had never talked to before, George Harvey. He was a young man, but looked older than he was. “You’re the oldest Salmon girl right?” Kind of shocked to think he knew who she was, but she barely knew who he was. He showed her an underground room that he had created for the kids in the neighborhood. He opened a trap door which you couldn't even tell was in the middle of the corn field and all you had to do was climb down a ladder to get to this underground room. Mr. Harvey led Susie into this room, and before she climbed down that ladder; she didn’t realize that was the last time she would be outside. Mr. Harvey raped and killed Susie while she was in this underground room. Throughout this book you find secrets to Susie Salmon’s life, family and of course murder. People trying to catch her killer, and put him away for good. Ever since I finished reading this book I have become more cautious to what I do, and where I go because I never know where I might meet a killer. I have also become more thankful for everyday of my life. I always think oh well this is a book, but I always forget it is based on a true story. Each day I live through now, I think… the day that I am living, someone my age could have been killed today, randomly and out of the blue. Just like Susie Salmon was. I know this is rare, but there are sick people in the world that kill people my age, just like Mr. Harvey did to Susie. Of course this book was filled with surprises, I mean aren’t all mysteries? The book led you to wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I remember one night where I was planning to read three chapters, but ended up reading six because I wanted to know what happened. This is a book that you can say “I couldn't put it down.” Everything that happens is exciting, it’s not like anything is boring. The way the murderer thinks, and the way Susie’s death affects her family is just so interesting. Honestly I would want somebody to recommend this book to me as soon as I could read it, and understand it. It’s such a good book, and I highly suggest reading it. I guess I would say this book is for a 7th grader or older. Only because some of the words are big, and hard to understand, but the wording can be difficult too. It’s so good so read it!




 * The Red Kayak, Priscilla Cummings(Summer Reading)**
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 On a quiet lake in Maryland, where fourteen year old Brady has lived his whole life, and spent every day with his best friends Digger and J.T. crabbing, playing outside and riding in the back of Brady’s uncle Carl’s ambulance. Enjoying growing up as teenage boys usually do. Until Brady gets taken out of class one day and instead of hearing his uncle’s ambulance alarms sounding to pick up the three boys from school, it flies right by them. A peaceful town like this had never witnessed a death from drowning in the lake…until today. The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings was the best summer reading book that has been assigned to me. I thought it was a really interesting book that could teach so many people different lessons, but it could also be not so interesting at times. I liked the book, but some parts of it you just wanted to be over. For instance I thought when Brady went to his cousins it was boring, and I didn’t understand why the author added it to the story.  This book was mostly on topic, and didn’t really change. I mean like I said earlier I could read it straight through without getting off track if the part when Brady went to Boston wasn’t there. That part made me so bored I remember re-reading a sentence at lease eighteen times, but other than that part the book was very interesting, and I wanted to keep reading.  I can really relate to this book because there was one time when I was in 7th grade, and I was with my friend, Megan at her house. She wanted to walk to our other friend Kyle’s house, but her mom said no. Well Megan did it anyway, and later that day her mom found out, and even though I didn’t want to go with Megan, and I knew it was wrong I still got yelled at because I could have stayed home instead of going with her. So in my case I was kind of like J.T. **The Last Song, Nicholas Sparks(summer reading) **  []

Danielle Bunten 7.10.2010 Becoming best friends with your father, a man who you haven’t seen for three years. Crying more than you ever have in your lifetime. Watching turtle eggs hatch. And even falling in love. All in one summer; Ronnie discovers a change in heart when she is forced to leave her city life behind, and spend the summer with her father in North Carolina. “Sparks knows how to tug at a reader’s heartstrings” the Chicago Sun Times said about Nicholas Sparks book //The Last Song.// The BEST story I have ever read. This book kept my attention throughout the whole four hundred sixty-three pages. I would consider this book as a “memorable” book, one that you will never forget as a reader, but a point in somebody’s life that will never be forgotten as well. The only time that my mind would wander during this book was when I would think about Ronnie’s situation and put myself in her shoes. Looking forward to a summer spent with her trouble making friends that went to clubs at two in the morning, Ronnie was looking forward to her summer spent at the Big Apple. Little did she know she was actually going to North Carolina to spend what would be her last summer with her father. She and her brother Jonah didn’t know that their father was sick but quickly learned when he started looking more tired every minute. Ronnie planned on spending her time in NC on the boardwalk getting into trouble with other kids, but she met Will. The rich, athletic, beautiful southerner who charmed Ronnie the day she ran into him. This one summer changed Ronnie’s life, but even better it saved her. This book really did show me how a family develops throughout time in one summer Ronnie became best friends with her father, who she had planned never to talk to again after he and her mother got divorced. She fell in love with a boy that put her on the right path in life, and she developed a bond with her little brother that is unbreakable. The book wasn’t really filled with surprises; you kind of expected what would happen especially by the way that the characters talked to each other. Some of the chapters you would be thinking I want to keep reading because I want to know what happens next. So I would say yes, the chapters did sometimes end with cliffhangers but the book itself didn’t end as a cliffhanger. It was almost a more sophisticated version of the fairy tale princess books. It was a happy ending! If you’re in 7 th  grade or older I think you would really like this book. I personally loved it because it was a book that interested me and unlike most books that I tend to read it actually made me want to keep reading, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I loved it best book I have read!