Category: Independent Reading

We get to the bus, and I tell Eva, Do you want to go with me, partner? and she said yes; we have less than 10 minutes on the bus. When I was feeling dizzy, I told Paolo because he was in the back seat, so he gave me a Cheetos bag that was just open, and I told Eva,Eva, move to the front seat because I’m going to throw up, so she moved, and when she got to her seat, I vomited in the Cheetos bag that Paolo gave me, and then I got to sleep in the bus seat, and when I woke up, I was near the snow.

Right now Im reading “The boy in the striped pyjamas” a novel written by John Boyne which is an historical novel of the world war II, specifically talking about the Holocaust, the story focuses on the friendship of 2 young boys. Bruno, the son of a very important Nazi officer and Shmuel, a Jewish young boy who is a prisoner of a concentration camp, this books symbolizes the innocence of Bruno and Shmuel being kids without understanding he horrors of World War II leading to the end of the book with the horrendous scenario of both kids being send up to the gas chamber

“The soldiers. The ones with the guns. They’re bound to know where your father is.”

In this quotation Bruno is telling Shmuel to ask the soldiers for help to find Shmuel´s father. The quote portraits the innocence of Bruno of what is happening around him, to Bruno, soldiers are just people with uniforms that serves his country by the side of his father, without knowing that they are part of what is causing harm to Shmuel´s family

Before the moment of this quotation Bel and her friend named Ash we discussing how it was weird her mother had returned from 16 years of being missing. Rachel (Bel’s mom) reappearing had made Bel feel but of relief and skeptical of the situation, especially when Bel sees the inconsistencies in her mother’s account of the past years. Ash is one of the crew members filming the documentary about Bel’s mother’s reappearance. And Bel confides in Ash about her suspecting that her mother faked her disappearance and reappearance.

“She would have needed a reason, Bel, to go through all that effort. People don’t just decide to disappear. She’d need a motive. A reason.” (page. 201)

In the quotation Ash is telling Bel that her suspecting her mother faked her whole situation may not be as crazy as she thinks. Ash is explaining to Bel that she needs to find out the reason or motive for why her mother would fake it all or who is responsible for helping her do this.

Good Girl Bad Blood by Holly Jackson is the sequel to good girls guid to murder where pips friends Connor comes to her with her next case. Connors brother Jamie went missing and his family believes that something has actually happened to Jamie instead of going Mia for a few days. Before pip accepts the case she tells Connor she cant go down that road again because of the danger she was put in last time she solved a case like this, she decided the case multiple time and agreed to go to the police to try to get them to open the case and look into it the conversation with detective hawks went

pip missing persons, Jamie Reynolds from Fairview

Hawkins yeah I saw it, what about it

pip why aren’t you doing anything about it

Hawkins I’m sure you know how it works, pip. I wont patronize you by explaining

pip Jamie shouldn’t be filed as low risk, his family believes in serious trouble

Hawkins well family hunches aren’t one of the criteria we trust in serious police work

this leads pip to accept the case working to find Jamie with his family and uses her new podcast ( a good girls guide to murder) to push Jamies disappearance and ask for help from the public.

I am currently reading Hunger by Michael Grant. And in this quotation they Sam and Astrid are talking about stuff and he brings up her little brother who is 4 years old and severely autistic.

“So. Anyway. How’s LP doing?” Astrid looked at her brother, who was perched on a kitchen counter stool and gazing mutely at Sam. Or, anyway, in Sam’s direction – she could never be sure what he was really looking at. She wanted to tell sam what had been happening with Little Pete, what he had started doing. But Sam had enough to worry about. And for a moment – a rare moment – he wasn’t worrying. There would be time later to tell him that the most powerful person in the FAYZ seemed to be… What would the right term be for what Little Pete was doing? Losing his mind? No, that wasn’t quite it.

I found this quote interesting because it is in my opinion quite funny, like, is he losing his mind? No not exactly. Oh well ok thats fine then. I just find it funny. But it is also an incredibly important moment in the book because despite the fact that he is 4, he is literally the most powerful person on the FAYZ which he, himself created.

I am currently reading a book called The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. The story continues after the betrayal as their friendship falls apart, and Amir gets distant from Hassan. Amir still feels like his father is disappointed in him for not meeting his expectations, so he goes and wins a local kite-flying competition, in hopes to earn his dad’s approval. However, Hassan is assaulted by a group of bullies and Amir doesn’t do anything to help. the guilt of not stepping in stays with him for the rest of his life. The soviet nation then invades, and forces Amir and his father to run to the U.S. , where they begin to live a completely new life in San Francisco. Amir grows up, becomes a writer and marries a woman called Soraya, but the guilt stays with him.

The quote below is a lengthened version of a quote from the book.

I had one chance to make up for my failure. I could choose to do what was right and make things right between me and hassan. But i didn’t. I had no idea what was going to happen after that moment, but i already had made my choice. I had chosen to keep my distance, to keep my secret, and doing so, I would break something inside me forever, I would do anything to make up for it. pg 111

This quote shows the thoughts of Amir, and his internal battle with guilt after the event involving Hassan. Amir has finally realized the full potential of what he has done and the impact it has had on Hassan and others.

I just started a book called The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. In the beginning of the book, he exposes us to Amir, a young boy coming from a wealthy family in Kabul, Afghanistan. He talks about his childhood and his relationship with Baba, his dad. Amir fells as though he isn’t living up to the expectations of his father and he may be disappointed in him. We also get introduced to Hassan, the son of the family’s servant – Ali, and Amir’s best friend. Amir feels like he betrayed Hassan and feels guilty when he got assaulted by Assef, and he was unable to protect him.

“I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. I had just turned twelve, and i was a coward. I had seen Hassan’s face in that alley, staring at me, waiting for me to act. I was twelve years old, and I did nothing.” pg 1

This quote marks a significant pivot point in Amir’s life, and it brings guilt to him for many years after. He talks about how his lack of actions made his eyes open, and he began to feel guilty, as if he betrayed Hassan. He felt weak and useless – especially when he said he did nothing, twice.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince, by J.K. Rowling (no I did not steal this from Nathan I had this idea originally) is the 6th book in the Harry Potter series. In this specific book, Harry Potter and Dumbledore go on an adventure to destroy Horcruxes, which are parts of Voldemorts soul, the wizard they are trying to defeat. Towards the end of the novel, Dumbledore dies, which throws a huge wrench into everything and causes Harry to get extremely heartbroken, but also mad, and even more hungry to destroy Lord Voldemort. So him and his 2 friends throughout the whole series, Ron and Hermione, decide to go and hunt down and destroy the remaining 4 Horcruxes. They’re hunt is detailed in the last and final book, though.

“Not while they are merely drifting peacefully below us,” said Dumbledore. “There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness. Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees. But once again he reveals his own lack of wisdom. It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.” (p. 478)

The part of this quotation i am going to be talking about is the last sentence, I just included the rest because it is all one phrase said. I think this sentence really makes you think about what it really is you are afraid of, when you are afraid of something, or when you are anxious about something. Because if you really think about it, you’re not scared of the dark, you’re scared of what could be lurking within it. This could be said for a lot of other fears. For example, you’re not afraid of elevators, you’re afraid of what could happen when you’re inside one (unless you are afraid of the actual machine in which case that’s more unusual), you’re not afraid of spiders, you’re afraid of what they might do to you, you’re not afraid of heights, you’re afraid of falling, or what happens if you fall, and so on. Of course there are some fears that stand alone, such as the fear of throwing up, or the fear of being homeless, etc. But those aren’t what we are talking about. I think this sentence really makes you dig deep into your fears, and find out what you are really afraid of. Because if you think about it, not everything is what it turns out to be.

For my IRJE #8 I have chosen the book “LEBRON LIFE LESSONS FROM THE KING.”. This book talks all about LeBron James and his childhood dreams of growing up and becoming a basketball player. It talks about all the struggles and achievements he’s experienced and also talks about the steps it takes to achieve your goals. This book also contains so many inspirational quotes that are very motivating. I’ve chosen this quote for IRJE #8:

“I put my blood sweat and tears in the game”

LeBron has been playing in the NBA for 21 years now, and I think thats part of what makes him so successful. All this experience in the league and learning from every mistake over all those years makes him play like the legendary player he is. On top of that, it shows how dedicated to the sport he is, as he’s been playing for 35 whole years in total. It shows that if you put your blood, sweat, and tears into something, then you will make it happen. It’s just the process of getting there and all that dedication and motivation that stops people.

This book is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This book was written by J.K Rowling. Mrs. Weasley was waiting in the front yard for her husband Mr. Weasley. When he had arrived she hugged him and the Daily Prophet fall out of her hand. It was picked up by Harry Potter and it had a photograph of the Dark Mark. The Dark Mark was a symbol of a man Voldemort who is the bad guy in this book. They all went to the small kitchen. The person who wrote it Rita Skeeter made it seem like is was all the Ministry of Magics fault.

‘If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Whether this statement will be enough to quash the rumors that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later, remains to be seen”( p.125).

I chose this quotation because I found that it was cool how Rowling wrote this. I find that it has a lot of detail and made it very convincing that it could have been the Ministry’s fault. I like how Rowling used words like alleging or emerged to really help put a picture in our heads. I also like that it makes us want to keep reading because it has that it remains to be seen which makes me want to keep reading and find out if it was true.

In the book Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect by Rotella is going through that facts and thoughts that golf isn’t a perfect game. Golf is hard as it is with the playing portion but the hardest part of the game is the mental part. Maintaining a positive mindset is so important because without it your game will crash into pieces. You need to be able to regroup after hitting a bad shot or not worrying about it and forget about it. You can’t dwell on the bad things. You need to get over it.

If you don’t trust right now, you will have to go through a period of conscious awareness until you learn the difference between the feeling of trust and the absence of trust. You will have to work at developing thoughts and habits that promote trust. You will have to learn to focus your mind on your target and your preshot routine rather than on swing mechanics. (p. 44)

This quotation explains how trusting what you’ve built in your golf swing is so important. You can’t go out to the first tee on a tournament and try something a bit different. To play well, you need to trust what you’ve practice. When playing at a high level, you’ve already hit hundreds of thousands of golf balls and those golf balls you hit were leading you to this moment where you show what you have worked on. So trusting what you know and what you learned will lead you to success in golf.

Right now I am reading a book called Fear and it was written by Michael Grant. In the book, a girl had fled the town because she thought she could not stay among the other people because there was a rule set in place that said ‘if you do something bad you have to leave the town’. However, she was forgiven because she saved many people. Still, she decided it was best for her and the rest of the people if she left. Right now she is living in the forest and she is in her camp just thinking about what she did.

Guilt was a fascinating thing: it seemed not to weaken over time. If
anything it grew stronger as the circumstances faded from memory, as the fear and the
necessity became abstract. (p. 18)

I like this quote because it is something that everybody has experienced. Also, it makes me think about how memories can warp to make it seem worse than it actually was depending on how long ago it happened.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling is the 5th book out of 7 in the Harry Potter series. The whole series is about a boy who figures out he is a wizard, and who goes to the magical school of Hogwarts to train magic, and eventually destroys the most evil wizard in all of the wizarding world, Voldemort. In the 5th book specifically, Harry potter is in his 5th year at Hogwarts, and he starts preparing for battles against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He creates Dumbledore’s Army to prepare for battle, and engages in several battles.

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure” (p. 186)

This is a very interesting quotation, and it really makes you think. Even years after reading this quotation for the first time when I first read this book, I still can’t fully understand what it means. I think wit beyond measure refers to knowledge or intelligence, and beyond measure refers to without a limit, or a very great amount. Overall meaning that unrestrained or limitless knowledge is man’s greatest treasure. This can be argued, but I don’t think anyone can have limitless knowledge, or be able to know everything or almost everything. I do not think it is possible, and that is why it is man’s greatest treasure, and greatest want, because it is not possible. Mankind will always want most what is not possible.

Nancy Drew the clue of the black keys this book is a mystery action style short story by Carolyn Keene it is the twenty eighth book in the serious The story is about Nancy and her friends who follow a trail of clues ending up in Mexico and finding important keys. It is a very exiting book and filled with surprises and mystery‘s.

P 111 Juarez Tino gasped in astonishment he stood irresolute then wheeled around and started for the back stairs oh no you don’t Nancy cried with a lightning lunge she was after him reaching for his clenched right hand give me that key she demanded i will not Juan muttered.

This part in the book is very exiting it is when Nancy is chasing the person who has stole the key it is very exciting and keeps you reading fast.

The book ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom is a book about the author’s former college sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz. After finding out that Morrie terminally ill with a sickness called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Mitch Albom reconnects with Morrie after drifting apart. They start to have weekly meetings on tuesdays, and during those tuesdays he Morrie talk about his life and life lessons such as love, his job, family, forgiveness, and death. Mitch learns how to live a meaningful life and what to prioritize.

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and let it come in. It is not so much what you do in life, but how you do it, with love.” (p.52)

This quotation highlights Morrie’s belief that love is the most important part of life. He explains that it does not matter what you do, rather how you do it. He believes you should do everything with love and that love gives life meaning and reason.

In the book Walking in Two Worlds, by Web Kinew, who explores the complexities of the indigenous identity and bridging the gap between traditional Indigenous values and the modern world. In the, web Web Kinew reflects on personal journey on navigating the two worlds. In the book it explores the purpose of being connected with the roots to your culture. The book also offers readers some cultural history, and it reflects on the ongoing struggle for the indigenous.

“while many other players in the world seek to exploit the floraverse, Bugz lives in concert with it appearing to be able to call anything she can imagine into existence,” an on-screen host intoned. Feng’s boot slipped momentarily from a crevice. He stumbled and regained his footing as the host continued (p.20).

i choose this quotation because at the end, it says that the character “Feng looses his footing and slips.” I can actually relate to that because i have once fallen or slipped when someone is was talking or giving a speech.

Right now I am reading Fear by Michael Grant. However, I have just started and don’t really have anything to write about. So, this one will be about Plague. In this book, there is a deadly virus going around and in the make-shift hospital, there are a lot of sick kids. Since there are a ton of kids vomiting constantly and all of the ‘doctors’ there are busy trying to keep the kids alive, a lot of all their poop and vomit have piled up in buckets.

Dahra said, “I like your boyfriend. Not many guys volunteer to
carry ten gallons of diarrhea and vomit.”
Lana laughed. “He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Yeah, well, he can be mine if he wants to be. He’s cute. And he carries crap.” (p. 216)

I really like this quote because I found it really funny. I also really like the character, Sanjit, because he is really nice and helpful (he is the guy carrying the crap).

In The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson, a young girl named Bel explains her situation about how her mother has been missing for 16 years, and presumed dead. She explains how her mother went missing when she was 2 and she was left in the back seat until a passer by found her. After the case was closed 16 years later her mother was found while they were making a documentary about her disappearance and the case turned into a reappearance documentary.

“The people who loved you, the ones who really cared, they would always come back. Sometimes, they even came back from the dead.” (page. 93)

In this quotation Bel is saying how the people who loved and care about you will always come back, but when she is saying they will even come back from the dead, Bel suspects that her mother faked her being missing and is determined to figure it out. she suspects that her disappearance was faked because her mother slips up about details of her missing. later in the book she figures out where her mother really was 

The book We’ll Always Have Summer is the third and final book to the series of The Summer I Turned Pretty. In the first two books it expresses of a love triangle between the protagonist Belly and two brothers Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly and the two brothers have been family friends since they were born because their moms are best friends. Belly has been feeling caught in the middle for years and it confused on what she is feeling and who she likes.

I’ve only ever loved two boys-both of them with the last name Fisher. Conrad was first. […] That kind of love is really a one-time-only thing. […] When I looked at Jeremiah, I saw past, present, and future. […] My two great loves. I think I always knew I would be Belly Fisher one day. I just didn’t know it was going to happen like this. (Prologue p.3)

Since Belly was a little kid, she has always liked Conrad (the older brother). But after the last summer, Belly realized that she like Jeremiah. This third book is the finale to the love triangle and Belly finally decided what she wants in her future.

The book ‘The Handmaids Tale’ by Margaret Atwood is a book set in a dystopian society in which women have very little, or no, rights. The main character is named Offred, and she is a handmaid who’s only purpose is to have childeren for the ruling class. She then navigates through the cruel, harsh environment, she then reflects on her past and begins to question the society and its ways.

“Ignoring isn’t the same as ignorance, you have to work at it. Nothing changes instantaneously: in a gradually heating bathtub, you’d be boiled to death before you knew it. It’s too late to rebel.” (p.154)

This quotation highlights how ignoring problems does not happen just by accident, instead it is something you do on purpose. The comparison of the slowly heating bathtub is just about how small changed can have a big impact or make you numb and you don’t even realize your in danger until it’s too late. It is simply a reminder that if you wait too long to fix or recognize the issue, changing or fixing it will be almost imposible.

Background Information about the book. Harry is waiting for the summer holidays to be over so that he can go back to school its his 4th year at Hogwarts school with his friends but there end up being some very cool adventures and mysteries and secrets hidden within this school year.  Quote: “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” by Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Chapter 37, Page 602). I chose this quote because I think it says something very important about teamwork. It tells us that the most important thing to work efficiently is to work in a team. You will achieve your goals way quicker if you have people to help you and support you through anything. It’s always good to be in a team and stick together.

This book is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The author of this book is J.K Rowling. In this part of the book Harry’s best friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Wesley had taken him to the head quarters of the Order of the Phoenix.  They are accompanied by Ron’s brothers Fred and George. They are talking about the ministry of magic and how Ron’s oldest brother Percy was promoted.

Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he’s friendly with Dumbledore, and he’s always thought Dad’s a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession But what’s this got to do with Percy? asked Harry, confused. I’m coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family — and Dumbledore (p.66).

This quotation was interesting because they think that Fudge only wants Percy to be in the office because he wants to spy on their family. I find this interesting because even though Fudge throughout the books has been very set on his ways he has never been the type of person to spy on people. I also chose this quotation because it really represents how unfair the wizarding world is. Even though Ron’s father is a wizard he is considered to be weird because he is not pure blood. Which means his parents are not wizards. This would be unfair because if he is a wizard he will always be treated different because he is a muggle ( a human).

I have now finished reading Girl in Pieces. Overall, I thought it was a powerful and emotional book, and I believe the author, Kathleen Glasgow, did a great job in capturing the experiences of the characters. The way she wrote about Charlie’s trauma and healing process felt very raw and authentic, and it really drew me into the story. Despite this book having heavy themes such as mental health, abuse, and personal struggles, it was very well-written and The narrative was so vivid and detailed that I could feel Charlie’s struggles throughout reading, from her emotional pain to the moments of growth. all the characters were very well written and were all complex and relatable, and their journeys were inspiring.I was very moved by the way the author portrayed Charlie’s journey and how the book highlighted the importance of finding people who support and believe in you,

“I wanted to tell someone what had happened to me, to say the words out loud, but the words were stuck in my throat, like a thick knot of sadness I couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard I tried.”  (p. 102)

This quote reflects Charlie’s internal conflict as she struggles to speak her truth. The words being stuck in her throat symbolize the burden she carries and show how trauma can silence someone and make it difficult to open up.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a classic coming-of-age novel published in 1868. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy as they grow up in Civil War-era New England. The novel talks about themes of family, love, independence, sacrifice, and personal growth. The story begins with the March family living in modest circumstances after their father goes off to fight in the Civil War. Despite their financial struggles, the sisters share a deep bond and face life’s challenges together. Each sister navigates her personal ambitions, flaws, and relationships. Jo struggles with her desire for independence, Meg learns to balance family life with her aspirations, Amy pursues her artistic dreams, and Beth’s quiet strength influences everyone around her. 

“Touched to the heart, Mrs. March could only stretch out her arms, as if to gather children and grandchildren to herself, and say, with face and voice full of motherly love, gratitude, and humility–‘Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!'” (p. 578)

It reflects her immense joy and fulfillment as a mother. The context of this moment highlights her dreams for her daughters’ happiness, love, and unity as a family. When Mrs. March stretches out her arms, it symbolizes her desire to embrace all her children and grandchildren both literally and emotionally. Her words express a heartfelt blessing, wishing them the same happiness she feels in that moment. The combination of “motherly love, gratitude, and humility” shows the blessings in her life and her selfless devotion to her family.

Right now I am reading Hunger by Michael Grant. This is the second book in the gone series and shockingly focuses on the problem of hunger. Kids are trapped in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone) and everyone over the age of 15 has disappeared. The second you turn 15 you poof out of the FAYZ, but we don’t know where they go. So far 2 kids have survived the poof and are 15 they are twin brothers Sam and Caine. Buuuuut they didn’t know each other until the FAYZ began and then had no idea that they were brothers, but they figured it out when people started checking birth certificates to see when they would poof, although Caine had already believed that Sam was his brother. Anyways, 3 months after a big showdown between everyone in the FAYZ Caine is in some sort of hut and has been badly injured and only semi conscious. Now he starts to ask questions about people and things that have happened while he has been losing his mind.

‘And my brother?’

‘Sam?’

‘I don’t have another long-lost brother do I?’

I just thought the quotation was funny. I also just started the book so I didn’t have many other options.

I am half way through the book Allegiant, by Veronica Roth, and so far it has been very interesting. Allegiant picks up right after the events of Insurgent, with Tris, Tobias, and their friends escaping their so called home; “the city” to explore what is beyond the fence.

The book walks through the dystopian world of Chicago, uncovering shocking secrets about the beginning of the factions and the purpose of the experiments made by the genetically enhanced individuals. They learn that the genetic difference between “Divergents” and “non-Divergents” is way deeper than they thought, and their efforts to fight for a better future take them to dangerous places.

“She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love… That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be done for people who need your strength because they don’t have enough of their own.” (p. 166)

This quotation highlights Tris’s changing understanding of sacrifice towards her loved ones, showing that it should come from love and certainty, not responsibility. Tris learns that true sacrifice is a selfless act done for those who can’t help themselves, and it should only be made after all other options are impossible.

Boy in striped Pajamas by John Boyne. The book explores themes of innocence, friendship, and the horrors of the holocaust. The book is set during world war II and it tells the story of Bruno who is a German boy, that is the son of a Nazi commandant. Brunos family ends up forcing him to move because his father has been assigned a new post, so all of his family ended up moving closer to his fathers new post.

Mother had frowned but then shrugged, as if none of it really mattered any more anyway. ‘Come on then, Bruno,’ she said, taking his hand and locking the door behind them. ‘Lets just hope we get to come back here someday when all of this is over (pp. 41-42).

This quotation from when they are moving and this is then Bruno and his mother leaving the house. The reason of why I chose this quotation because if you read between the lines it explains that they might not survive the holocaust or world war II.

I am currently reading Keeper of the Lost Cities: Neverseen by Shannon Messenger. A girl named sophie and her friends are looking over their forms for Exilium (the school for the unworthy) to make sure everything is correct. Sophie was created by the Black Swan (a rebel group) and raised by humans to give her a different perspective on the world. One of the leaders of the organization is Mr. Forkle, who has many identities. They have just seen on the form that his full name is Errol Loki Forkle.

“Loki,” Sophie repeated, tempted to roll her eyes. “You named yourself after the Nordic trickster god?” “Actually, he was inspired by me. Do not credit me for the insane stories humans made up-especially that one about the stallion. But as I said, I’ve always been partial to that part of the world, and in my younger days I may have had a bit too much fun there. It was so easy to take on disguises and cause a little chaos. And over time my escapades morphed into the stories of a shape-shifting trickster god. So I thought it only fitting, as I assumed yet another disguise, that I accept the title officially as part of my new identity.”

I chose this quote because I thought it was funny that this very strict character literally just finished warning the kids about following the rules at Exilium and then we find out that he is Loki. It also got me curious about the stallion thing. DO NOT LOOK IT UP!

I am currently reading Keeper of the Lost Cities: Neverseen which is a book about a girl named Sophie and her friends who all live in the lost cities. The lost cities are made up of elves with special abilities and the cities are built mostly from jewels and crystals. It is a place of peace, with no prejudice against skin color, or wealth, or religion. Everyone gets a birthfund (5 million lusters (one luster is equal to about 1 million dollars)) when they are born, and everyone lives in large mansions and has an infinite lifetime. The lost cities have been the perfect society for millions of years, but things are now unravelling when groups of secret rebels are being formed to try and “fix” the flaws in their society. The Neverseen are the bad guys and the Black Swan are the good guys. One of the characters is a prankster named Keefe who has terrible and emotionally abusive parents, he just found out that his mom is one of the leaders of the Neverseen. He and his friends are all fleeing to the black swan and are sitting in the foyer of someone’s house right before they leave and are all telling one of the adults things to tell their parents like “I love you” or “Don’t worry”. Then comes Keefe’s turn.

“Tell my dad… that I’ve been hiding his favorite cape in a closet one the twenty-ninth floor. But don’t tell him the door is rigged with gulon gas. Let him find that out on his own.”

For a little more context elves wear capes as a sign of status and Keefe live in a building with 200 floors, and gulons are REALLY stinky toad-like creatures.

Wonder is a sad and happy story about a kid named Auggie  who was grown up with a disease that makes his face look different then others. He was homeschooled his hole life up until middle school. His parents eventually decided to send him to middle school and  he goes through lots of hate he gets bullied to the point where he needs to wear a astronaut helmet to school. He ends up making a couple real friends and in the end of the book people accept him for who he is and don’t just judge off his looks. Its a very happy ending which ties the hole story together. “I wish every day could be Halloween,” he says (p. 73). This quotation talks about how he likes to be hidden in a costume because that’s when he feels most confident when people cant see his face and don’t just know him for the kid with the weird face. He fits in with everyone and doesn’t feel different or left out. This book is great i highly recommend for everyone to read it. I feel it is mostly a message for kids to understand looks are not everything. Also that You should not judge a book by its cover.