Final Blogpost

     Its so sad that the year is finally coming to a close, but  i have had such a fun time doing blogs i enjoyed being able to write about the books that i enjoyed and didnt enjoy and having readers reflect and respond to the things that i had said.  In the begining i had a bit of a rocky start, because i was unsure of what to write and i really didnt enjoy writing about "charlottes web".  Through the process i learned all sorts of things about myself as a reader, i learned the books that i enjoy reading and the ones that i dont, and i also learned that instead of writing about the books i dislike i like to write about the ones that i do like.  The only problem is that i wish that i could improve on the blogs that i didnt like, because basically i wrote that i dont like this book, dont read it, and other nonsense like that.
     I think that i benefited a lot from doing blogs beacuse i feel that i have now grown as a writer and a reader, and i noticed that i try to incorperae what we learned in class into my writing.  i also dont read by skimming the book over now i really try to read inbetween the lines and try to find the symbolism that the author is trying to use and why the author is using it.  Sometimes when i have to write a blogpost at the end of the week i go back to my previous blogs to find the things that i liked in them and i try to the same thing.  But while looking through them i can see how much i have improved  over the year, in the begining my blogs were short and werent very meaningful.  And i am so grateful to be able to see how my writing was at the begining of this expirience and the outcome of it now.
     Writing online is so much more different than writing in a book because online there are other people viewing your posts and they expect something that is well delivered and proffesional.  But in my notebook i feel that i am writing for myself and i dont push myself as hard because there isnt that pressure of other people reading it on me.  i feel that being online can be liberating because you are able to write whatever you please and post the things that you want.  But on the other hand it could also be limiting because the things that you may write may not be appropriate for blogs and may offend other people that may be reading it.
     I dont believe that online we are ourselves, some people may be i dont feel thatr i am.  I do find myself creating a personality that is mature and proper and independent when i write my blogs.  But i do think that as teenagers we sometimes do abuse the freedom of not being ourselves online like on facebook.  Many people that i know have abused the power of being able to become someone that they are not, and saying things that they would never say in reality to that persons face.  Why they do it i am not quite sure but i believe that it is because they want to be able to change themselves into a person that they know that they are not.  Now doing that isnt a good thing, because you are not being honest to yourself and you are changing yourself into someone that is doing the wrong thing.
     I do see myself possibly keeping up this blog, maybe not as often but i will persue it.  In general my view of a blog is as an informer to the readers and helps educate them.  Thank- you Ms. Rear for letting us have the expirience of having an online blog :)

All Night Party

     I started to read this book because Tiffany reccomended it to me, knowing how much i like mystery and horror combined i believed that i would enjoy reading the book.  At the beginning i did, and the book managed to keep me on the edge of the seat , i was constantly overwhelmed with the series of events that kept on turning, but as i got further into the story all of the information i was given was too much.  And i was too busy trying to figure out the killler that i was rarely focusing on the book.  At last i came to the decison of checking who had commited the crime and then start the book over to see all of the clues and evidence that was given so that i could focus on the base line and the details of the story instead of worrying about the killer.
     When i found the killer i was surprised that she could do such a thing, she had such a close bond with cindy, but she just let jealously get the best of her.  But as i continued reading the revaeling of the killer, i found myself in hysterics of how badly written the end was.  It seemed as if it was out of those stupid soap operas that play on tv.  The killer was saying "she betrayed me... i had to do what i had to do... I DID IT! mwa ha ha..."  just those simple cheesy lines made me want to dispose of the book rather than keep on reading it.
     I too find it hard from my own expiriences to end stories, especially mysteries.  It confusing me on he way that i want my plot to end.  I just wish that the author could have tried someting newer than doing the obvious conclusion to the story.  Overall i dint like the book, i beleieved that it as badly written and i only reccommend it to those that want to find out who was the killer rather than reading the book for fun.

Sold blogpost #3

     Today i finished the book sold, it's such an amazing book that never stops taking you on an adventure , either on the page or outside of the book.  I feel bad for the main character, Lakshmi as well as her other young friends that have also been lied to in order to get them to work for Mumtaz.  But i haven't really thought about the way that it affects the adults in the same situations as well.  Its a poor neighborhood without much to offer, and those that need money to help support their families are left with the only choice of working for Mumtaz as a prostitute. 
     Monica, a good friend of Lakshmi has been working there for as long as she can remember to help support her child a few miles away as well as her parents.  Finally after many years her time has finally been done and the money that she owed Mumtaz is finally payed off.  And she is constantly bragging about how nice its going to be with the money she earned with her child, she talked about the way that they could start a new life and buy a new house, and pay for her father's medical bill which was the reason she had to work for Mumtaz in the first place.  Once she is gone Lakshmi and the others must go back to work.  Little did they know that Monica would be back, she would'nt be at home with her daughter because of the decision she made that would help her family.  It reminds me of philosophy and the way that even though you may do something good like Monica finding the only job to help her support her family but then all that work and money she made and horrible things that happened to her and that she wittnessed all went to waste.  Her famly were disgraced by her working as a prostitute even though that was the only thing that she could do, that they told Monica's daughter that she was dead.  so know it seems that everything that Monica had done was all wasted.  Left with no where to go she had to go back to the place where she wasted most of her life, there was the only place she had, the friends she had there were now her family and her real family was just a bunch of strangers.  Its really sad to think that although Monica was doing the right thing she was punished for doing something that could potentially help her family, and hat part really devastated me.  Think about it, you havent seen your child for a long time and then when your finally free to go home and not live all of the harshness of being a prostitute you family tells you that they told your one and only child that you were dead because you disgraced them for having the job that was the only one that she could find.  So now you can never see your child again because you 're supposed to be dead.  Just imagine the pain that Monica must've felt, just imagine the devastation, just try to imagine.

Sold Blogpost #2

     Whenever  i read sad books i always have a philosophy that everything always happens for a reason.  When i read this book i kept that philosophy in mind, but as the book went on i couldnt help but wonder what was the reason that these innocent young girls were suffering.  While a lady is profiting off selling.  I wondered who could do such an awful thing without feeling a sense of regret or sorrow.  I started to wonder whether Mumtaz (the lady selling them) had been through the same thing as a child.  But if she had why would she want other young girls just like her to face the same pain and misery that she faced as a child as well.  I wondered what she gained out of it, just the money, was that all she cared about.  Did she even care about how awful the things were that were goinbg on, did she even care that young girls were taken away from their families, did she even care that they even commited suicide. What i cold heart Mumtaz muzt have fro putting them through all of this.
     As i got further into the book although the main character Lakshmi hated even the thought of having to go back to work at night, but she did what she could do get as much money as she could to finally be able to be free.  Even if that meant begging to sleep with anyone, she didnt care.  The part that surprised me was when she siad the nice man came to her room and was warm and soft and smelt good.  It was crazy to me that she thought that he was a nice man.  He definatly wasnt nice if he was sleeping with young girls and he knew that what he was doing was wrong, and he definatly wasnt nice if he didnt do anything to help and change the issue going on.  Instead all he did was help Mumtaz make more of a profit.
     It seems that after all that time that Lakshmi spent there didnt seem to let her forget all of her memories of home that she had.  If she had forgotten she wouldnt have been able to stay strong and keep hope that she would finally be free someday and with her family once again.  She was one of the few that lost hope, and along the way of her journey she made many friendships that changed her and gave her a wider range of thought towards what the world was really like.  And i love how the author found a way to make the reader feel as if they were on a journey as well, and feeling all of the pain and sorrow that Lashmi felt.  We were in her thoughts hearing what she felt and we got to make her character up in our head based on what she said and therefore we got closer to her as the story went on.  I highly reccomend this book, it takes you on a journey through part of the world that you'll wish there never was.

SOLD

     This book was amazing, i started reading it and just couldnt put it down.  Human trafficking is an awful things and it is so sad that many young girls had to go through the pain and misery of it.  They were taken from their homes to raise a little extra cash for their families, but then end up in a whole new world that wasnt heard for.  They thought they would be doing simple jobs like cleaning and cooking but what they were told was so far off from the reality that they were to face.
     I found it awful that Mumtaz could just do that to poor  innocent little children.  It just goes to show you just how jacked up the world is.  There are some that have tons of money and live in great homes and dont have to do anything to work ofr that money.  And then there are spme that are horrible people that would use small young girls for extra cash. I dont really understand what makes a person have to do something that they know is so wrong to the people that dont deserve it.
     Lakshmi was very strong though.  Although she was lied to and cheated she always had hope and prayed ofr things to get better.  she didnt mope around like most did, she stayed strong and held her ground.  and even though she was facing the worst of times she always thought of the bright side and remembered all of the things she had done with her family.
     The book really got me to think about what is really important in life, and to be grateful for everything that we have.  i couldnt even imagine myself being in that situation, i dont even think that i would have hope that things would get better.

Sammy Keys and the wedding crashers

     ***SPOLIER ALERT***

     Whenever i read mysteries i cant help but feel bad for the victims, even if they might have been stupid and annoyingly moody they were still hurt by someone elses actions.  Mr.Vince on the other hand was someone i couldnt feel sorry for.  All he did was accuse, and lie, and bicker, and yell, and he didnt even like kids when he was the teacher.  Its no wonder that sammy had some problems with him, even heather the kiss-up queen did.  But after he was the one everyone detested and became the base of a plot to mess him up he still seemed to go on with his moody ways.
     As the book slowly came to a close i started to become more and more suspicious of Mr. Vince, and finally when i learned he had done all the crimes to himself i became stunned.  why would a man go so far to mess up his car, put a dead rat in his desk, and send death threats to himself.  Why would he have to sink that low and frame his own students just so that he could have some days off from school.  you might as well call in sick than commit crimes that will lock you up in jail.
     i get confused in childrens mysteries like this one, because the criminals are so dumb.  in reality if murderers and robbers and all other criminals were that dumb then they would all be in jail.  I wish that books actually portrayed bad people accuratly because then it makes the book more complex and more realistic.  overall the book was really good and i enjoyed reading it, and i plan on reading the next one in the series.

Sammy Keys and the wedding crasher

      Inviting Sammy Keys to a wedding... well thats just a disaster waiting to happen, and making her a bridesmaid, come on get real.  So when Sammy is having some problems with Mr.Vince it's just ready to get out of control.  And when things seem too good to be true, she automatically suspects that something fishy is going on and usually her instinct is right.
     Heather Acosta, theres one in every school.  she's the girl that pushes you around, thats popular and pretty, the one that sucks up to all the teachers so that when she strikes no one suspects that its her.  Shes the bully, the girl who always has to get what she wants, and when she wants something she'll always find a way to get it.
     When you think about bullies you think that they're just mean and crude to everyone.  And that was also my automatic response when i first met the character Heather.  But since reading the series since the third grade i always had a bad vibe from her, and i thought that there was no way that she could ever be kind, and there was no way i would have any sympathy if something happened to her.
     As i read through some of the book i noticed that most bullies have problems with their families, or making friends, or they just have trouble at school and they let their anger out on others.  And even though they may seem big and harmful, they have feelings too, just like every other normal human being.  The harder i thought about it the more i started to realize why Heather was so angry.  Her parents split up as a young girl, leaving her to watch them find new boyfriends and forget about each other.  she watched them drift apart, and now when things have finally cooled down, her father is now moving away to be with the woman in love.  Now is that something that seems easy to get over and understand.  After seeing her parents together foir so long and them watching them chase after other people and not each other, that suffering can build up.  And although we dont see her suffering, we see the way she lets it out on other people, because she doesnt know where to store all of her emotions. 
     Heather's emotions arent discussed through the book because the story doesnt revolve around her.  But sammy's best friend Marissa ios going through the same problems with her parents.  and you can see how much that tore her apart, and that must be the same way heather felt, except unlike marissa who had Sammy, hooly and dot, heather didnt have any friends that she could let it all out to. and that is a huge impact on the way heather turned out to be.