Blog post 7

    I think that in the novel 'Death Benefits'  by Sarah Harvey there is a terrific example of an ordinary world. This would be when the protagonist, Royce has to move because his mother  makes him leave New Brunswick go all the way across the country to be closer to her ninety-five-year-old sick father. She is making Royce leave his ordinary world to go on his call to adventure. He has to leave his friends, house, and school! Royce is determined to get back to New Brunswick with his friends, no matter what it takes.

                                           

   I think this image is perfect for Royce's feeling about moving because it is representing all the different things that are going to occur when he moves. Meeting new people, a new school, a new house, a new everything. He thinks he knows the road he is going to go down, but he does not realize how bumpy it will turn out to be.

Blog post 6

In the novel 'Death Benefits'  by Sarah Harvey the main hero I though was Royce's grandfather, athur. I think Arthur is a hero because Royce always thinks that Arthur is just a grumpy old man, and does not know much about him. At the beginning of the book, Royce just wants to go back home to New Brunswick to his friends. Royce's mother wants to make the two bond more, so she makes Royce Arthur's new caretaker. At first Royce thinks it is just a nightmare, but then Arthur slowly starts to open up to Royce and they start to get along very well. Arthur is a hero because he opens Royce's eyes to new things and made a new friend. In the scene where Royce pulls out Arthur's very old cello and they started to play around and call it Franky, it made me feel like that was a major bonding time for them and they where beginning to open up to each other. Page 70-71
   To me, a hero is someone who makes a big, good difference in another persons life, and that is exactly what Arthur did to Royce.

Blog post 5

   Looking back onto the first novel I have read for English, Room 13 by Henry Garfield, one of the characters named Moondog is a perfect example of a shift shaper. Moondog can physically turn himself into a werewolf if there is a full moon, from a curse he has upon him. One good trait about Moondog is that he is very responsible. If he is about to transform, he will make sure he gets away from everyone to save them. This trait also could make him a hero. Moondog shows loyalty to Marilou by always leaving when it is necessary, and always putting others before him. Moondog tries to live a normal life as much as he can, and he just tries to fit in.

Blog post 4

"He gasps, as if shocked by her words, and then silence afterwards makes me feel as if I too am suffering. I stop talking and bow my head. His chest is still. We all lean forward, listening, holding our breath." -page 186 of 'Death Benefits' by Sarah Harvey.

My connection to this scene in the story is when my grandmother passed away, and I was in her room with her. As I watched her take her last breathes, I remember how painful it was. Reading this scene was difficult and made me feel depressed, and brought back memories of me and my grandmother. It made me feel as though I know what Royce is going through.

Edvard Munch
By the Deathbed, 1895

Blog post 3

The book i am currently reading is called 'Hit And Run' by Norah McClintock

In this book, the protagonist is a 15 year old boy named Mike. Mikes mother died when he was just eleven years old. His mother was killed In what he believed was all an accident, but when Mike and his ex-cop teacher start looking back on the case once more, Mike realizes this could of been much more than just an accident, and he could have trouble from this case just waiting for him. One major motif i found in this book was good vs. evil. the good being Mike and his teacher, and the evil being the murderer of Mike's mother.

Blog post 2

 

   The book I am currently reading is called 'Room 13', by Henry Garfield.

   This novel is about an English teacher Marilou McCormick, who has recently moved to Julian, California due to her boyfriends sudden and tragic death. Marilou wants a fresh start in a new town, putting the tragedy behind her. Everything is going fine in her new town until weird, unexplainable things started happening in her classroom, room 13.  Former teacher Mr. Scurvy is known to haunt the room, and has started to freak Marilou out.

   For my review of this book, I think that it is very well written. The Author made me feel like I was right there with them. The author used lots of suspense which kept me wanting to read more. There where lots of twists in the story which I was not expecting, and in the end all of the pieces fall into place. Over all a great read from my point of view.

Blog post 1

   “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” -Doctor Seuss

I have chosen this quotation because I really love the way the author creates a chain that goes from reading into going places and seeing things you couldn't without the knowledge you get from reading. Reading is a very important skill to have, and if you read a lot and know many things you you learn from books, there are better chances for you to get a better education, therefore letting you 'go more places.' I can connect to this quotation because when I need to study for a big test, I read over all of my notes, and when I do that it makes me remember things for my test. When I get a good mark on my test, it gives me a good grade, and it takes me another step forward to going more places.

I got my quotation from:

http://www.readfaster.com/readingquotes.asp