Book Review: Allgeiant

The book Allegiant by Veronica Roth was a great book although I was a little disappointed because it wasn't as good in my opinion as the other books Divergent and Insurgent. I can't give much of a summary because that would ruin the whole series for you. But what I can give away is that Tris and some of her friends go and explore a new place. At first it is weird but as time goes on it begins to feel more comfortable. Tris really finds herself and grows up throughout this book which I really enjoyed experiencing her different changes as the book went on. I would give this book a 4 out of 5 because it wasn't my absolute favorite book out of the series but it was still page turner for sure! The type of reader who would enjoy this is someone who likes action, drama, romance, and being on the edge of their seat in anticipation. A writing style the author uses is she tells the story from two peoples point of view which at first I thought I wasn't going to enjoy but after reading the book I realized I really enjoyed! Veronica Roth was also very descriptive in her writing so much so to where I would feel like I was there. When the characters would get hurt for example she would use such description I would cringe at the thought of it. I definitely recommend reading this book because overall it was a really good book but be sure to read the other two books in the Divergent series first!

Book 1 Project : Allegiant

Book 1 Project *Caution some spoilers*

Do you ever feel like you can relate to the characters in your book? Or wish they could give you their expert advice on life? Well you’re in luck! Coming soon to your local book store a of self-help book that covers all of those topics! This book is broken up into different sections adventure, romance, life etc. That way you can get all of the help you need for any topic in life you might be struggling with. Need a little adventure in your life? Tobias will help you out! Having trouble with romance? Tris and Christina have that covered. Now if you’re thinking that each character only gives advice in one section well we have you fooled! For each sections each character shares their own pieces of advice! Overall we hope you will enjoy the experience of our book and maybe even have a few laughs! Want to learn more about what will be in the book just keep on reading!

This idea came from the thought that many readers have of wanting to be even more connected to their characters. The idea of the readers not wanting the journey to be over just yet with them. Tris, Tobias, Christina and a lot of the other characters have experienced in different ways many of the experiences people go through in everyday life. Like how Tris deals with the betrayal and a sort of disconnection with her brother an example of her advice when in that situation is to forgive like when she says “Or maybe forgiveness is just the continual pushing aside of bitter memories, until the time dulls the hurt and the anger, and the wrong is forgotten. For Caleb’s sake, I choose to believe the latter. “Yes, I have,” I say. I pause. “Or at least, I desperately want to, and I think that might be the same thing” (Roth, 446). This would be Tris’s way of giving you advice in saying yes you should forgive the ones you love or you should at least try. No matter what they might have done in the past. Another example advice given by one of the characters would be from Tobias on sometimes you have to try something new even if you might be terrified of it. Like when he says “Zeke tightens the straps across my back and legs, then wedges the urn behind me, facing out, so the ashes will spread. I stare down Lake Shore Drive, swallowing bile, and start to slide. Suddenly I want to take it back, but it’s too late, I am already diving toward the ground. I’m screaming so loud, I want to cover my own ears” (Roth, 523). The advice he would be giving you is to try something new, something different, something you haven’t ever tried before even if it might terrify you. The last and final inside look as to what can be found in the book is from Christina on not giving up even when you want to. This would be shown when she says to Tobias “This is not your decision,” she says. “This is the decision of a coward and you’re a lot of things, Four, but not a coward. Never.” “Maybe I am now,” I say passively. “Things have changed. I’m alright with it.” “No, you’re not” (Roth, 505). This is Christina’s way of giving advice because she’s saying to Tobias don’t give up, and even though he thinks he’s a coward he’s not. Which might help someone who might be feeling the same way.

The idea for a book of self-help based on advice from the characters in Allegiant will work because people love to feel closer to the characters in their book they have grown to love. And giving them a book on the characters personal advice when faced with certain situations will give them that. This will broaden the audience because when someone buys the self-help book and learns about these different characters they will want to know where they came from. The curiosity of wanting to know where they are from will lead them to the Divergent series and since Allegiant is a part of that series it will eventually lead them to Allegiant, thus the reason why this will broaden the audience. This encourages fans to stay connected with the author and the book because well for the book it’s almost like a 4^th book in the series, and for the author because if they liked these books it will make them interested in what else Veronica Roth might publish later on. Here are some of my ideas as to what this book might look like. The right picture would be the cover that way it would promote the upcoming movie and the left picture is just to give you an example of a self-help book.

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Why I chose the book Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I chose the book Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs because it looked genuinely interesting, the minute I saw the cover something about the mystery of why the girl was levitating just made me gravitate towards it. Then I saw the book trailer at first I didn't know if I still liked the story although I was still interested. As the last bits of the trailer were playing I saw what looked to be torture weapons and then a man walking down an empty dark hallway, and then chairs all empty. The book trailer left me wanting to know more it left me with a million possibilities as to what the book could be about! I also like books with mystery and horror in them but sadly haven't read many like that, causing me to want to read and discover what it was all about even more. I then got a hold of the book finally and read a little into what it was about one back of the book. When I had finished I wanted to start reading it right away which is always a good sign. This is why I chose to read Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children , and so far from the amount I have read it looks like it is going to be a great read!

The worst thing about my book is: Farenheight 451

The worst thing about the book Farenheight 451 by Ray Bradbury is the fact that they burn the books. I don't think they should burn such great sources of knowledge even if it might threaten their power, their being the government or whoever runs America now. I think that books teach us so much about life and shows us the different perspectives of things. I believe learing and hearing about different perspectives is very important because it can help us figure out our own perspective on life and other matters and it also keeps us open to new ideas and opinions. Without different perspectives we tend to become stuck in our ideas and beliefs and very closed off to others opinions. This is why I really think burning the books even though being a key piece in my book is the worst part of my book. Burning books is almost like burning history and life which just isn't a good thing. Do you think burning books is the best part of the book? Do you think burning the books is a justified thing to do?

Best Sellers: Why do I read?

Why do I read? I read because it's an escape from all the crazy drama going on in life. Whenever you’re having a bad day you can just pick up a book and escape from it all. When you’re reading you don't have to worry about other people or the problems that might be happening in your life. Reading is a way of relaxation, a way to wind down after a hard day. I read because I can be anything or in my mind do anything. I read because it gives me a sense of imagination. No matter what book I'm reading I instantly get a visual picture of what’s going on. I start to picture all the characters and how they look, act, talk, etc. Reading is also fun!! It’s a great downtime activity whenever you’re bored or say it’s rainy and you have nothing left to do. I read because it enhances my learning skills and teaches me things I might have not found out about otherwise. Reading also gives me a stronger bigger vocabulary which I really enjoy because you can never know enough words. Lastly I read because there are books about pretty much everything. Anything you want to read is pretty much available out there for you. So reading doesn't matter about what your good at or what you’re in, reading matters about what you like and enjoy.

Final Blogger Reflection

Click here to view my best blog post

My blog for Theme and Summary I believe shows my best work because I followed every one of the requirements for the Theme and Summary Rubric. The first requirement on the rubric is to write a theme statement for your book which I did when I wrote "My thematic statement for my book Divergent is to never give up no matter how hard things might get.". The next thing the rubric asks me to do is to include quotes from your book that support this theme statement, and explain WHY they support your theme statement, I demonstrated this when I quoted from my book Divergent and explained it "He shoves me and I begin to fall again, scraping my hands on the ground, blinking, sluggish and slow and hot. I cough and drag myself to my feet. I really should be lying down if the room is spinning this fast. And Peter spins around me; I am the center of a spinning planet, the only thing staying still. Something hits me from the side and I almost fall over again. On my feet on my feet" (Roth 110-111). This proves my thematic statement because you can clearly tell by reading the quote she has no chance at beating Peter in that fight but yet she keeps telling herself to get up, she keeps on pushing herself she never gives up even though beating him is a very hard thing to try and accomplish." The next and final thing my rubric asks me to do is to summarize my book I demonstrated this when I wrote the summary "My book so far is just about Beatrice going through her new life and trying to fit in. She is trying to go 'under the radar' to avoid trouble with other faction members. Beatrice is also adjusting to new changes in her life. She is finding strength and courage she never knew she had which is a good and bad thing. So far Beatrice is doing semi-well but it is always changing. The book is going really great and I love it!" These details from my blog prove that my blog meets the standards and expectations of theme.
The goals I have for my next trimester reading is to be able to read fast and to read even more challenging and difficult books, I would also like to read books with challenging vocabulary because I want to expand my vocabulary even more and by reading a book with challenging vocabulary will make me want to learn what all the words that I don't know definitions. My goals next trimester for writing are to be a better speller because every time I write I am constantly having to look up how to spell a certain word and it really holds me back. I would also like to do more writing with different tones and with dialogue because its something I've never done before. Areas of improvement for next trimester reading would be expand my vocabulary to help me read better and to read faster than my pace now. Areas of improvement for next trimester writing would be to spell better and to use more literary elements in my writing.

Allegiant Review

I just got the third and final book in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth called Allegiant. I am really sad that this is the last book in the series because the series was absolutely astounding. I am not to far in to the book yet I'm only on page 101, which I know sounds like a lot but really its not because there are about 500ish pages I believe. So far two characters have died which only one of the deaths sort of depressed me because they weren't really super important characters that you really came to know so it wasn't to bad. I really can't say much more to keep from spoiling things so your just going to have to read the book! :)

Book Recommendation: Insurgent

The book I am recommending is called Insurgent it is the 2nd book in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I personally thought the book was amazing just like Divergent was, because it was filled with action, romance, comedy, and some scenes that left me on the edge of my seat. I honestly believe this book deserves a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was honestly just an amazing book, I couldn't ever put it down. Insurgent was Definitely a page turner for sure!! Veronica Roth did a great job on writing the book she was very descriptive and when I was reading the book I felt really 'in touch' with the characters, while I was reading I could just really feel their emotions throughout the whole story. I believe this book is targeted toward teenage and even some adult audiences. The reason why is because I know a lot of teens have been falling in love with this series but I have come to find so have some adults! The book is about the war that continues to rage on between the Erudite (with some Dauntless) and the other factions. There is a lot of betrayal and there are deaths.....You also do figure out whether the war continues on or ceases....I encourage you to read Divergent first of course and after you do if you haven't already get Insurgent and get ready for a ton of action and adventure with a little bit of love on the side! The genre of Insurgent is fiction.

Divergent: Links and Displays continued

This video clip shows the actors and even the author really breaking down the movie and the different types of factions.



This is a picture of the 3 books in the Divergent series. The third book Allegiant comes out October 22nd 2012 :)!!!

*2013 not 2012!
This next video is of Veronica Roth (author of the Divergent series) talking about her book Divergent and how she started writing it. She also talked about the different locations in Chicago.

Divergent: Links and Displays

These are the symbols of the 5 factions in the book Divergent

This is Shailene Woodley who is going to play Tris and Theo James who is going to play Four in the Movie Divergent, talking about the movie. One of the things they talk about is who they would be if they themselves were to have to choose between one of the 5 factions.

This image shows Beatrice with her tattoos of 3 birds on her collarbone these birds symbolize the members of her family...This picture is also used as one of the many movie posters promoting the movie Divergent coming out in 2014.

Tone and Mood: Isurgent

The tone of my book Insurgent by Veronica Roth can be very tense and high-strung a lot because they are figuring out war strategies, how to survive. The tone can also be tense and high-strung when someone finds out that someone they trusted lied to them. Some examples to support this are " He had a gun," I say. He was about to shoot me. He was under the simulation." "You killed him," she says. Her words sound bigger than words usually do, like they expanded in her mouth before she spoke them. She looks at me as if she doesn't recognize me for a few seconds, then turns away," (Roth, 153).  "Why should I tell you? You don't tell me about your plans" (Roth, 246). The mood of my book would be stressful because tensions are high between Tris and Four espeacially and everyone else trying to agree as to how certain things should be handled. Some examples of this is " Your're throwing yourself into danger for no reason again," he says. "Just like when you stormed up to fight the Erudite with only a...a pocket knife to protect yourself." (Roth, 247-248). "It's not brave, choosing the position you were in yesterday. It's beyond stupid-it's suicidal. Don't you have any regard for your own life?" "Of course I do!" I retort. "I was trying to do something useful!" (Roth, 211). A particular moment in my novel when a character was persuaded was when Beatrice talked to Marcus in the old Abnegation meeting place and persuaded her to go behind Four's back and help him. His tone helped to persuade her because he was being very manipulative and hitting her at one of her soft spots which is her mom. A quote to support this situation is " So if he's telling me the truth, and my mother really was willing to die for this information to become public...I would do just about anything to accomplish the goal she failed to achieve" (Roth, 416).

Analysis: Divergent

I know that the city Divergent is based in is surrounded by a fence. I know this is true because the Author Veronica Roth says in the text. " Their primary purpose is to guard the fence that surrounds our city" (Roth,7). I can infer in my book Divergent by Veronica Roth one of my main characters Four has a crush on one of my other main characters Beatrice because when Tris starts to have her first fight she is getting beat up pretty bad and in the midst of that Four walks out but he doesn't do that for anyone else, making me think she is special to him. "Out of my peripheral vision, I see Four shove the door open and walk out" (Roth,111). Also when Tris gets kiddnapped by Peter, Drew, and Al, Four protects her and saves her from getting killed, he beats the boys all up more than probably necessary which to me shows that he is almost protecting her in a more of boyfriend protecting his girlfriend way. " The world dips and sways around me, and someone is on the pit floor-Drew-screaming. I hear thumps. Kicks. Groans. I blink a few times and try to focus as hard as I can on the only face I can see. It is contorted with anger. His eyes are dark blue. "Four," I croak" (Roth, 280).

Reading Skills: Divergent

I predict that Four and Beatrice will become and 'item' or boyfriend and girlfriend. I also predict that Beatrice will make it through the entire initiation process but if that doesn't happen I believe it will  be due to her secret being found out or discovered by someone who it shouldn't be aka someone dangerous to her. Another prediction I have is that a war might start up.
My questions about the book is: Is Beatrice really safe any where she goes? Will she make the initiation process? Will she survive? Will someone find a way to break her? Can Four truely 100% be trusted?
This reminds me a lot of the book The Hunger Games, because just like Katniss Beatrice is trying to survive and fit in and go unnoticed. And they both have to go through greatly difficult things like leaving their families.
I can relate to Beatrice because she tends to get her self all nervous before she does something she is not used to or has never done before and after she does it she ends up loving it and also she trys to please certain people and I can relate a lot to those things about her.
This book reminds me of real life competition because its like the factions are almost competing against one another to see who is the most powerful. This is similar to things that happen in the real world because people in a way are divided for example in school you have your cliques the only difference here is its called factions really. It is different from things that happen in the real world because we don't classify people based on their personality traits.

Theme and Summary: Divergent

My thematic statement for my book Divergent is to never give up no matter how hard things might get. A quote from my book to support this is "He shoves me and I begin to fall again, scraping my hands on the ground, blinking, sluggish and slow and hot. I cough and drag myself to my feet. I really should be lying down if the room is spinning this fast. And Peter spins around me; I am the center of a spinning planet, the only thing staying still. Something hits me from the side and I almost fall over again. On my feet on my feet" (Roth 110-111). This proves my thematic statement because you can clearly tell by reading the quote she has no chance at beating Peter in that fight but yet she keeps telling herself to get up, she keeps on pushing herself she never gives up even though beating him is a very hard thing to try and accomplish. Another quote to support my thematic statement is "You stay in the hallucination untill you can calm down, his voice continues and I cough, and my face is wet with tears, and another crow has wriggled under my arms, and I feel the edge of its sharp beak against my mouth. Its beak wedges past my lips and scrapes me teeth. The crow pushes its head into my my mouth and I bite hard, tasting something foul. I spit and clench my teeth to form a barrier, but now a fourth crow is pushing at my feet, and a fifth crow is pecking at my ribs. Calm down. I can't , I can't. My head throbs. Breathe. I keep my mouth closed and suck air into my nose. It has been hours since I was alone in the field; it has been days. I push air out of my nose. My heart pounds hard in my chest. I have to slow it down. I breathe again, my face wet with tears. I sob again, and force myself forward, stretching out on the grass, which prickles against my skin. I extend my arms and breathe. Crows push and prod at my sides, worming their way beneath me, and I let them. I let the flapping wings and the squaking and the pecking and the prodding continue, relaxing one muscle at a time, resigning myself to becoming a pecked carcass. The pain overwhelms me. I open my eyes, and I am sitting in the metal chair" (Roth 234-235). This proves my thematic statement because overcoming her fear of the crows pecking her to death in order to get out of the hallucination was very hard and challenging but she never gave up, and by not giving up she escaped the hallucination.
My book so far is just about Beatrice going through her new life and trying to fit in. She is trying to go 'under the radar' to avoid trouble with other faction members. Beatrice is also adjusting to new changes in her life. She is finding strength and courage she never knew she had which is a good and bad thing. So far Beatrice is doing semi-well but it is always changing. The book is going really great and I love it!

Divergent Review

So far my book Divergent has been amazing. It has been so hard to put the book down once I started reading it. The author does a good job of keeping me on the edge of my seat and keeping me guessing. The way she writes the characters and their very different personalitys is great. Divergent is not one of those books that you can't predict what is going to happen next which keeps me so interested and in love with the book! :) I cannot wait to finish it and read the next book in the series!

Book Recommendation: 13 Reasons Why

I am recommending the book 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This book was a great read it really kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. While I was reading I could also connect with the characters in the book very well and feel their pain and happiness all throughout the book which I really loved causing me to rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I believe the author did a really great job on writing and characterization in the book because I really was able to connect with the characters a lot and their emotions. Also throughout the whole book there was good images painted in my head about the different scenes being visited in the book. I believe the audience being targeted is teenagers because suicide is a huge deal now a days especially amongst the teenage group, so I believe he wrote this book trying to give readers or the audience a better view as to why people commit suicide and to try and help them better understand it and to possibly even help someone headed down that path. This book 13 Reasons Why is about a girl named Hannah who commits suicide and leaves behind 13 tapes each tape containing one reason why she commited suicide. Clay Jenson recieves these tapes and he doesn't know what they are for at first but once he figures it out he must keep on listening to find out something very important. But if I told you what that would be spoiling the book so you will just have to read it yourself ;) The genere of this book I belive is drama because it definately keeps you on your toes, so if you like a book that keeps you guessing and on your toes this is the book for you.

Divergent Short Summary

So far there has been a lot of sudden change in my book Divergent. My main character Beatrice and her brother Caleb have to decide whether or not to stay in their faction (Abnegation) or leave for a new faction and a new life. The descion is tearing Beatrice to pieces she doesn't know what to do or what she wants...Does she want to leave everything she knows including her family behind? Or does she want to possibly make the feeling of not fitting in disappear and have a new possibly exciting life? As the day of the choosing ceremony arrives she is nervous and can't think her brother on the other hand is calm and collected. When the time comes for her brother to decide he shocks everyone including her. But what will she do? She walks up still pondering her descion in her head its between to factions the Dauntless and the Abnegation as she stands between the two thinking what will she choose?

Divergent Characters: Beatrice

My character Beatrice has changed quite a bit in the past few chapters I have read. In the book she has to choose which faction she will be in since she has taken the test already. It is between to options for her the Dauntless and the Abnegation, she keeps pondering both options, both lives...so different from one another. At first she has the personality of a Abnegation (the faction she was born into) she helps out at the house cares about others and not herself; But then she has the personality of a Dauntless being daring, asking questions at the dinner table when she is not supposed to unless her parents ask her to. Her undecisiveness propells the plot along very much because it keeps you wanting to read wanting to know what will she choose? Like when she thinks to herself "It will require a great act of selflessness to choose Abnegation, or a great act of courage to choose Dauntless, and maybe just choosing one over the other will prove that I belong. Tomorrow these two qualities will struggle within me, and only one can win" (Roth 37). Beatrice goes from being this modest girl who doesn't speak her mind and when she does gets glares because she is not supposed to, to being a girl who speaks her mind to others and does things she never would have dreamed of. She stops caring about everyone else and starts caring about herself which I think she enjoys but at the same its very dangerous in her current faction. So do you think she will change factions or stay in the same faction for her parents sake?

Divergent Movie Trailer

I learned that my book that I am reading Divergent is being turned into a movie so I decided to look up the trailer. Watching the trailer made me really excited for the movie and I cannot wait to go and see it!

Divergent

I just started reading my book Divergent by Veronica Ross and after only a few chapters it leaves me wanting to read more. So far my main character Beatrice is about to take her aptitude test, this test will determine whether she will stay in her faction or change to a different one. There are 5 different factions Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Erudite, and Amity. In Beatrice's current faction Abnegation which practices the art of selflessness she is very unhappy. She longs for more, she thinks 'differently' than her other family members. This conflict leaves me even more intrigued to read because I am curious to see whether she will decide to stay in her faction with her family or leave her family and go to a different faction to pursue a different practice. I am so excited to continue reading my book!

The theme of my book Water for Elephants  was you will always find your way back home. This is the theme because before my main character Jacob didn't know what was home anymore after a traumatic event had occurred in his life. This causes  him to make a life changing choice and completely leave everything behind him his friends, his town, and him completing his college education. But by doing this he discovers the true meaning of home and he also discovers his one true home, which is the Circus. A quote to support my theme is "If they're willing to accept me and my guilty conscience, why the hell shouldn't I run away with the circus? It's like Charlie told the cop. For this old man, this is home." (Gruen, 331) This supports my theme because it says even though he is an old man he goes back to the circus because to him the circus will always be home. And when Jacob returns to the circus he is finally at peace I believe because he is back at home, in the circus, surrounded by the animals and type of people he loves.

I really liked this article about Water for Elephants because in the article it gave a brief summary of the book without ruining anything for the readers and on top of that it told you about the books success for example it hit number 1 on the New York Times paper back fiction best sellers list. In the article it also gives you back round information on the Author herself Sara Gruen. When reading this article I also was able to gather some opinions of people that have read the book throughout the article like someone said "Water for Elephants could end up being Sara Gruen's best book." Overall I believe this is a good and helpful article that gives you many different types of information on Sara Gruen's book Water for Elephants.
Water for Elephants Article