King Of The Shadows By Susan Cooper

King Of The Shadows is a great, fictional story about a boy named Nat Field. Nat is one of many talented actor and acrobat that has been recruited by an American acting company that is to travel to London to perform "Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare at the replica of the Globe theatre. Nat is excited to leave behind is home and the shadows that haunt his past as a small child. Then one day while practicing his role at the Globe Theatre something weird happens, Nat becomes ill with The Black Death. Everything happens so quickly, he's in his room with a fever and then the next second he's in a coma. At least that's what everyone in 2013 think. Nat wakes up in an interiorly different]t world. In a world where he will befriend Shakespeare himself and be part of thee original Midsummer Night's Dream.

The theme in the book is that everyone has a bigger purpose in life. Nat didn't want to time travel or have his parents die but because of his past it shaped the person he is. If Nat hadn't time traveled then most things that happened in the past wouldn't have happened. Shakespeare wouldn't have been inspired to right Hamlet. In the book Nat discovers something amazing, "If I hadn't gone back in time Shakespeare would have died way too early." This means that Nat saved Shakespeare by traveling back in time, meaning that he had a bigger part in this universe than he thought.

Shatter Me By: Tahereh Mafi

"Shatter Me" is a science fiction about a girl named Juliette whose touch can literally kill. Juliette has been in a concrete room with just the smallest window to keep her sane for 264 days. She has's seen another human being in 264 days. Not that having someone in her cell would be a good thing. One touch could cause excruciating pain and even death, leaving Juliette to for ever long the touch of another human being. Then one day a boy is thrust into the cell, a boy that Juliette used to know. She thinks she can trust him even though he doesn't apear to remember the days when Juliette lived in the same town. He doesn't seem to remember the reason why Juliette was put in the cell. However everything changes when four soldiers rush into the room taking Juliette to a government compond were she will be forced to torture those who don't agree with The Reestablishment. An organization whose mission is to destroy every ounce of culture with in the human race.

The conflict in the story is that Juliette doesn't want to be the moster that "The Reestablishment" believes her to be. The leader who wants Juliette to be his, believes that if he can use Juliette's powers he could destroy the groups of people threatening "The Reestablishment". However Juliette has fallen in love with the boy she once thought feared her. Now she will do anything she can to escape the compound to live a normal life with the person she most loves, a person who her powers don't work on.

Shadow and Bone By: Leigh Bardugo

This book was amazing. Ever since I finished reading Shadow and Bone on friday, I want to read the second and third books in the series. So lets talk about the actual book. Shadow and Bone is a fictional book about a girl named Alina Starkov. Aline lives in a country named Ravka which is split in two by a darkness called the Shadow Fold. Mostly everyone fears the Shadow Fold, which crawls with monsters who love to feast on human flesh. However Alina and her friend Mal, who have known each other since they were orphaned, have been assigned to cross the Shadow Fold. This assignment is risky but nothing important until their ship is attacked by the monsters that live with in the Shadow Fold. In a moment of true disparity the world turns white with Alina's hidden powers. Alina is then thrust into the world of the Grisha, a race of humans who can manipulate the earth's elements. Alina is now Grisha, a Grisha who can manipulate light. With the help of her teachers and a very attractive Grisha she must train to destroy the Shadow Fold. However trusting people as easily as she does could cost her life and the one of the person she most loves, Mal.

The conflict in this book is person to person. Alina doesn't quit know how to control her power. She is extremely powerful but sometimes her powers can be too much for her. This means that Alina must hunt a magical dear in order to use it's antlers as a magnifier. With the help of the magnifier her powers could grow and make her powerful enough to beat the Shadow Fold. However, if Alina doesn't get to the dear first she could turn into the most powerful and dangerous weapon against the country of Ravka. In the book Alina says to Mal, "If we don't make it and the Darkling gets to the antler's first, you must promise me not to let him take me." This means that Alina is willing to lose her life in order to save the lives of many others.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Part 2

I just finished reading "Miss Peregrine's" this weekend (along with another great book) and my overall thought of this book is that, it had it all! Personally, I like books more when they have a lot of action and romance. "Miss Peregrine's" had romance, action and even a plot twist that caught me completely off guard. I mean really I wasn't expecting it. So let's talk about what happens in the second part of the book. So, Jacob, the main character, learns that his grandfather had come across the peculiar children when he became a refugee during the Jewish genocide. However, the only reason he had stayed in Miss Peregrine's home was because he was in fact peculiar; which makes Jacob peculiar. Jacob crosses "the loop" which leads to September 3, 1949 a place and time where the peculiar children are in hiding. He learns that the whites and hollows are after the peculiar race so he decides that in honor of his grandfather, Jacob will stay to fight against the hollows and whites. However Jacob is afraid that he won't be as strong as his grandfather. 

The theme in "Miss Peregrine's" is not to let fear take over your life. In the book the theme presents itself in the form of encouragement. Jacob is the only person who can truly fight against the hollows and whites. His unique gift which allows him to see the hollows, allows him to protect the other peculiar children. However the question is, what happens when you can't put the fear of your grandfather's killer behind you, a killer that is now after you and people you love? In the book Jacob says to himself, "What if I'm not as strong as him. I'm not as brave or as strong so how could I ever protect the people I love the way he did?" Obviously conquering the fear of your grandfather's killer is a hard thing to do but what Jacob later realized was that he didn't have to be like his grandfather in order to achieve in over throwing the whites. Jacob is a strong and brave person but just in his own way. 

American Indian Response

American Indians have been marginalized for quit sometime. Ever since the day people came to live in America, American Indians were treated unequally. In the article "Would We Be Killed" the author wrote, "By 1879, settlers and the U.S. Army had forced most tribes off their lands, and "white man" diseases had devastated the native population." This quote shows that "white men" didn't care about the health and the lives of the American Indians who were forced out of their home.

In Shanice Brittons's essay, "Life on the Rez It's Not What You Think", Shanice describes her life on the Rez. She tells the reader about how her life isn't as different as people might think despite her American Indian ancestry. Shanice describes her desire to help American Indian traditions from disappearing like the  language sometimes used in her community. She tell the reader about her life in order to help the reader understand that they aren't that different and how she wants her community to prosper. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children By: Alma LaFay Peregrine

I have only read half of this book so I'll only be writing a summary of the first part. The main character in the story is a sixteen year old boy named Jacob Portman. As a child Jacob grew up with fairy tales about children who could disappear in mid air and monsters with eyes the color of coal with tentacles springing from their mouths. As a child Jacob believed the stories told by his grandfather but soon grew to doubt them. Until the day that Jacob's grandfather died suspiciously. As his grandfather slowly faded away his last words were a confusing quest for Jacob. So off Jacob went to find the truth about his grandfather's past, a past hidden with in a remote island. What Jacob didn't know was that the fairy tales once told to him as a child would reveal themselves to him as being true There is indeed a girl who can make fire from within herself and a boy who is completely invisible. These children are known as peculiar and have been in hiding for thousands of years from monsters known as the hollows.

The conflict in the story is that the hollows have been threatening the existence of the peculiar race. All these children who have been separated from their non peculiar families are being hunted down. The monsters "Awful hunched-over ones with rotting skin and black eyes" had killed the only person that Jacob truly felt that understood him, his grandfather. 

Count Down By: Deborah Wiles Part 2

After 3 weeks of reading Count Down, I finally finished it. Since I've already did a summary of the first part of the book, I'll just do the second. It seems like every time the book switches to the historical part the author always mentions the Cuban Missile Crisis and how President JFK and the Russian president are tempting each other. Then in the historical fiction, which is Franny's story, it seems like the family is falling apart. Franny's mother is always upset and distant, while Franny's father is always at the military base ready to fly off to protect his country. Then her brother is all depressed because he's obsessed with "Our Friend The Atom", a book that tells him that atoms are supposed to be used for good, yet atomic bombs are made of atoms and are being used to hurt people. So things are pretty messed up but as the days go by they seem to help and rely on each other despite their differences.

I honestly love the way the author developed the main character, Franny. In the beginning all I could do was roll my eyes at the ignorance Franny seemed to always show. She acted as if she only cared about her image, even though she truly loved her family. In the beginning as Franny and her friend walk home from school and saw that Uncle Otts was scaring people as he acted like everyone on the street was a soldier. Franny hid behind a bush and said, "I just can't. I don't want them to make fun of me. I'm going to be the laughingstock of the neighborhood, if not the whole school, on Monday." Honestly, I get where she was coming from, but she chose to save herself even though her uncle needed her. I believe if Franny would have stood up for her uncle she wouldn't have been laughed at but looked up too. Then as the story goes on and Franny learns to be more considerate and mature I learned to love her character and the way she saw things. Franny and Margie (ex-friend) get into this big argument but instead of leaving Margie to run around in the woods, Franny goes to help her even though she has every right to be angry. In the text it says, " I can help. I don't want to. I will. I turn myself around and run into the woods."

Count Down By: Deborah Wlies

I haven't finished the whole of "Count Down", so I'll just do a summary of the first half. There are two parts of the book that take turns throughout the book, the first is more of a historical part. It contains short biographies from people who used to live during the Cold War such as President JFK and organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The second is a historical fiction about a girl who lived during the Cold War (1960s). Her name is Franny and she's just like any other 11 year old during the 1960's. When I started reading this book I got so excited because the author really does show the reader how life was back then. She doesn't sugar coat things either, like the fact Franny's mother doesn't believe that African-Americans are equal. Franny describes how the Cold War has every American frightened and how people with disabilities, African-Americans, and women are discriminated against. Even though Franny is just an 11 years old and doesn't quit understand what is going on it doesn't mean the reader doesn't.

The conflict in the story is that the Cold War has everyone so frightened that people are becoming more discriminative and untrusting. Franny had lost a friend, Margie because she thinks that Franny and her family are wrong. In the book Margie says, "Stay away from the Portman family. They are nothing but Russian spies and crazed lunatics." In reality, Fanny's sister, Jo Ellen is really secretly training to be a Civil Rights Activist against her mothers will. Franny's uncle is being discriminated against too. Many people in the town think the Uncle Otts (Franny's uncle) is crazy but really he suffers from post traumatic stress from being part of World War II.

Tolerance

"Tolerance: the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with."

 To me tolerance means to agree to disagree. Using words like, gay, dyke or faggot as something mean, means that your intolerant. When someone different comes along it doesn't mean that they should be let down. Being tolerant means to recognizes that although they may be different from you it doesn't mean that they are doing or are something wrong.

A surge of electricity surges through my body. Like my nerves are on fires just for a few seconds. My head hurts as if my brain was pulsing from the anger and sadness from the ignorance and stupidity of comments like, "your wrong" or "thats so gay".

Ruby Red Kerstin Gier Part 2

I have to be honest and I kind of didn't like the ending of Ruby Red. I was expecting something grand and mind blowing but it wasn't really like that. I guess its because Ruby Red is only the first book of the Ruby Red trilogy and its ment to be an introduction.  None the less the overall book was pretty good but since I already did a summary of the first part of the book I'll just do the second half. So after Gwen finds out that she can time travel all the family secrets are then told to her. Gwen finds out that because she is the ruby of the twelve time travelers that have ever been, she has some type of bigger power. Gwen can see ghost unlike any other time traveler but I believe this is only the beginning of her powers. Gwen and the other time traveler, a 19 year old, named Gideon who is apparently, "tall, dark and handsome. With eyes greener than emerald." have to get the blood of all twelve time travelers in order to release a secret. However Lucy and Paul stole the machine needed to collect the blood so now Gwen and Gideon have to start all over with a second machine.

Gwen is the main character in the story and seems to always be misunderstood. Everyone has this image of Gwen without even meeting her. Since everyone thought that perfect, smart Charlotte was the next in line to inherit the time travel gene, they think that Gwen is immature and hopeless. In fact the second time Gwen and Gideon met he has this assumption of Gwen and says, " You're like any other girl out there. You giggle with friend about boys and will rather go out shopping than do anything remotely important." but Gideon hardly knew Gwen. Fortunately throughout the book they get to know each other and Gideon finds out that Gwen is actually really smart and like no other. Almost everyone thinks that Gwen is useless but at the end of the book everyone realizes that Gwen is actually strong and smart.

Ruby Red By: Kerstin Gier

I just started reading this book so I'll just be doing a summary of what I've already read. So the book I'm reading is called Ruby Red it is a fictional story about a girl named Gwen. Gwen comes from a family who loves secrets and one that has this thing called the time travel gene. Long ago Sir Isaac Newton (the gravity guy) calculated the birth of the next person to inherit the gene. But now there is a big problem because both Gwen and her cousin were born on the same day, the day calculated by Newton. Everyone believes it is beautiful, stuck-up Charlotte who is the gene inheritor but only because Gwen's mom faked the day of Gwen's birth. Both Charlotte and Gwen are now sixteen and their whole lives they have been prepared for Charlotte's first transportation but what happens when Charlotte stays in her time and Gwen doesn't. I'll tell you what, all hell breaks loose. The family is now torn apart and no one quit believes that Gwen has already transported three times. Until they see it for them selfs.

Note and Notice: Again and Again
Gwen has no idea what is going on because she's never been told about the specifics about the gene. Gwen is extremely inexperienced and has already traveled three times. In the story there these little passages from a book called The Annals Of The Guardians this book is basically a history book for both past and present time travelers. The weird thing is that passages from the past say that Gwen was born on October 10 1994 but its the 21 century and Gwen is only 16. There is also the thing will Gwen's mom faking the birth of Gwen which is a subject that no one really knows about. These two things keep coming up in the story and I believe its going to turn into something way bigger than everyone else thinks it to be. In the text it says, " Female Line Of Descent: Gwyneth Shepherd Ruby, birth 1994" This quote just confuses me but it also tells me that there is something way bigger going on than just Gwen's ability to time travel.

Identical By: Ellen Hopkins

I just started reading this book called Identical by Ellen Hopkins. This book looks so cool. Every page is a poem but every poem is just a small part of the whole story. Its a realistic fiction about two sisters who are actually twins. So the two main characters are, Kaeleigh and Raeanne and they describe their lives as appearing picture perfect. They live with their father, who is a judge in a huge house with a maid to clean after them. Their mom is always away but only because she's this huge politician. Everything seems perfect to everyone else but behind closed doors it's more like hell. When Kaeleigh and Raeanne were about 8, their family got in this huge car crash that tore the family apart both physically and emotionally. Their mother had to go through numerous plastic surgeries to hide scars that would never go away and their father became an alcoholic. Then Kaeleigh and Raeanne's mother started to become less and less loving and never wanted to be home. Raeanne has an abusive boyfriend that she's only with to get weed. Kaeleigh is binging and is starting to cut herself. But now Kaeleigh wants out because her family is holding her back. Kaeleigh has to keep to many secrets and she can't do that if she want's to fall in love.

The conflict in the story is that Kaeleigh and Raeanne are in danger. Their health is slowly deteriorating and every passing day it seems that things with their family are getting worse. Something horrible is happening in the book but the author wont tell what. As the story goes on she only provides clues. Raeanne says "I wish he would at least recognize I'm in the room the way he does when Kaeleigh is there." While Kaeleigh wants nothing but to get away from her father's grasp. Every night the sisters hope that their father has knocked himself out with beer and medication. Kaeleigh is terrified of the heavy foot steps that lead to her room at night but most of all she's terrified of the person she might become. In the text it says, "While he's with Kaeleigh, I can only watch because I can do nothing for I'm not really there." This quote shows that the sister's father is not the only conflict but that Kaeleigh and  Raeanne could be one and the same.

A Creature Of Moonlight By Rebecca Hahn Part 2

I finally finished "A Creature Of Moonlight" after 313 pages of romantic, mind blowing fantasy. Since I have already done a summary of the first part of the book I will only write about the second part. I left of where the King is trying to kill Marni, so what happens is that Marni is taken to jail but she manages to escape. Now, Marni doesn't have anywhere to go. Her grandfather's hut is to painful to look at and she can't go to the castle so Marni goes to the only other place she knows, the woods. Marni goes on a tiring journey up a huge mountain where she will find the only person who really nows anything, her father. Marni thinks she's finally found a good home but after a few years of living with beautiful creatures she finds out that her grandfather isn't really dead. Now Marni has a purpose so of she goes once again to become a princess and find her grandfather.

The theme of this book is that home is not always a place but a person. Throughout the book Marni goes to different places with different people but it never really feels like home. Marni goes to this lavish castle where you laugh all day and sit by a huge fireplace with a man who just might be in love with you. Then she goes to this magical place where you can turn into any kind of animal you want and spend your days with absolutely no responsibilities. Almost anyone would want to stay in either places but Marni didn't. Marni felt lonely with out the people she loved and when she found out that her grandfather was alive she had to find him. In the text Marni says, "Home. We're going home to Gramps." and then " Gramps, there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here." This shows that the only place Marni wanted to be was with her grandfather.

A Creature Of Moonlight By: Rebecca Hahn

I have just started reading this book called " A Creature Of Moonlight" and its really good. The book is fictional and has to do with a girl named Marni. Marni is the kings unwanted niece, a flower girl who lives in exile and a dragons daughter. Many years ago when Marni's mother committed treason and had a baby with a dragon of the woods, her brother, the king, was infuriated and killed her. Now Marni and her grandfather live in exile, growing flowers to make a living. The woods are a forbidden place were creatures will take you and never let we go. Now the woods are magically growing and are closing in on the kingdom. A women with no face is trying to take Marni, saying she must come home, but Marni always refuses because of her grandfather. Then her grandfather dies suspiciously and with vengeance in her heart Marni is out to kill the king. So of she goes to become a princess once more and to kill the man who has taken her heart.

The conflict in the book is really complicated because its constantly changing. Marni keeps finding out new things about her past and even her future so her mind is constantly changing. The woods keep moving closer and closer into the kingdom and now the king wants someone to blame. In the text the King says, " I should have killed her when I had the chance." This shows that Marni's uncle truely believes that the reason the woods are moving in is Marni's fault. Marni's ruthless uncle wants her dead but before that can happen Marni must kill him first. But then again, Marni is just a girl and although she is heart broken she doesn't have it in her to kill her own uncle. Then there is also the fact that Marni's father, a wild dragon is sending his woods to capture Marni. So even though she is the one being blamed for the woods, she is also the one who must save them all.

Crossed By: Ally Condie Part 2

I just finished reading Crossed by Ally Condie and now I really want to read the next book. The second part of the book is so romantic and heartbreaking at the same time, it hurts. So Cassia and Ky find each other and now are trying to find out what their next step is. They've found each other in the Canyons but now they don't have anywhere to go. Cassia has fond out about the Rising and from clues found all over the Canyons she strongly believes the rebellion is real but Ky doesn't want to join. Ky repeatedly says he doesn't trust the Rising but never says why.  As the story goes on Ky and Cassie get in a lot of arguments because of their opinions. In some parts of the book it even seems like they wont get back together. At first Ky refuses but then both Cassia and Ky realize that they can't just separate after all they've been through. In the text Ky says, "If what she wants is the Rising. I will help her reach it." This shows that Ky is willing to forgive the Rising for Cassia. Cassia, Ky and Indie separate from the rest of the group and head towards the Rising with the aid of a map they found in a cave. The journey is harsh, as they get held back by poisonous rivers, tress full with thorns and The Society which has taken an unexpected interest on the Canyons. In the text it says, "The river is fast; we can see better, but we can be seen and we are exhausted. " This shows that even as they get closer and closer to the Rising they are in danger and all they've worked for could be a waste.

Memory Moments (Note and Notice)

Throughout the book the author would suddenly change the setting and put me in one of the character's memories. When the author does this the memory always connects with something that is happening in the present or will happen in the future. In one part of the book Cassia and Ky find out that the Society had been trying to land in the Canyons but an organization within the Canyons would take down the airships. Back then, the story showed Cassia and Ky that the Society was interested in the Canyons but then the memory turned into something bigger. In one part of the book as Indie flies away in one of the Rising's airships, Ky says, "I see that it's been burned and damaged along the bottom. As though it tried to land somewhere that people didn't want it to be and was fired at. I think I'm looking at one of the airships the farmers tried to take down." This piece of evidence is mind blowing, it shows that maybe the Rising is not what it seemed to be and Ky, Cassia and Indie have gotten themselves into a bad situation.  This could potentially turn into a bigger conflict.

Crossed By Ally Condie

So I just started reading this book called Crossed by Ally Condie. Again, I'm only half way done so I'll just write about what I have already read. So the first part of the book is basically the two main characters trying to find each other. Each were relocated to different parts of The Outer Provinces which apparently is where non-citizens live, in the eyes of a huge government called The Society. One of the main characters Cassie was relocated into a village where she has to work as a farmer while Ky the other main character is shipped to an abandoned village where a war is going on. Cassie finds a way to get to Ky but when she gets their she realizes that Ky has fled to a place called The Canyons to try and find her. Cassie and her new friend follow Ky and his two new friends into the Canyon. Along the way each character learns new things, things that could change the way she sees her world. A rebellion is taking place and is being led by a person called the Pilot. Now, Cassie and her friend have two goals: find Ky and find the Rebellion.

Cassie is a strong determined person although she might not notice it most of the time. Cassie was given tablets by the Society, red erases your memory, blue is poisoned and green calms you. Now all these tablets are something good to Cassie but only because she was told a lie. Cassie's grandfather told her never to take the tablets because she was strong enough to go with out them. In the story Cassie gets to a point were she thinks she's going insane so she takes the blue tablet but instead of dieing she isn't effected by the poison. In the book Cassie's friend Indie says, " If it was going to work, it would have by now, Indie says to Cassie. You must have walked through it somehow . I've never heard of anyone doing that." This quote shows that even though Cassie took the poisonous tablet she was strong enough to beat it both physically and emotionally.

The Bronte Sisters By: Catherine Reef Part 2

I finally finished The Bronte Sisters and honestly this book made me cry.  Since I have already written about the first part of the book, I'll just write a summary about the second part. So from where I left off things start changing for the three girls in a really good way. The girls, now women, write books and publish them with fake names. As you may know at the time women weren't allowed to do many things such as get jobs or write books, so they published the books as male siblings. At first they didn't really get much publicity or recognition but then newspapers started publishing their opinions. To most people the sibling's books were sad and inappropriate but then again their opinions started to change. Charlotte published her first book named Jane Eyre with the name of Currer Bell. Jane Eyre teaches people about the hidden darkness in the way that people hide the ugly things in their lives. Many people didn't know what to make out of a book that really told the truth. Emily Bronte, who published her first book called Wuthering Heights was even more criticized. Wuthering Heights told of a women who believed that earth was a glorious world and that she had no place in heaven. Again, in the 18th century people were very religious and discriminated anyone who didn't believe in their religion. Anne Bronte who published The Tenant of Wildfell Hall wrote about a women who went to live with her five year old son at Wildfell Hall. At the time it was rare for women with children to travel without their husbands, let alone live with out them. The truth was Helen Graham escaped from her husbands abuse and alcoholic abuse. This taught people that a women could be an individual and that sometimes diving into a marriage where you only cared about certain things could result in a terrible way.  Sadly the three sisters died one by one but the book as well as their stories went on.

The conflict in this book is person vs. self and person vs. society. The sisters all start dieing at a very early age (between 21 and 39). As said in the book "Critics and historians claim that if the three sisters would have lived on they could have been some of histories best writers." This shows that the girls had true talent but were never able to fully use it. None of the girls ever had children or were in a marriage longer than a year because of what happen to them. Its honestly a sad story but in a way the three sibling' lives went on, in their books and in the people who loved and remembered them. There is also the other conflict which is how people used to see women but the siblings not only proved people wrong but also got hundreds of people to change their minds and even started to name their children after characters in the sibling's books.

The Bronte Sisters By: Catherine Reef

My first third quarter book is a non-fiction, biography called The Bronte Sisters By: Catherine Reef. The book is about the lives of three sisters called Charlotte, Emily and Anne. I haven't fully finished the book so I'll write about what I have already read. Basically what I have read is a bunch of ridiculous social rules that the Bronte siblings were forced to follow. The book takes place in the 18th century during the Victorian Period so as many people may know during that time women were not allowed to do certain things because of their social status. It seemed to me as if the Bronte sisters were born in the wrong century because they were so full of adventure and intelligence something that was not "lady like" during their time. In one part of the book an English writer named Sarah Stickney explains, " Gentlemen may employ their hours of business in almost any degrading occupation and may be gentlemen still; while, if a lady but touched any article, no matter how delicate, in the way of trade, she loses caste and ceases to be a lady." The Bronte sisters wanted to be writers and people of importance but they couldn't simply because they were women. The only real choice in life for them was either get married to a rich man or work as a teacher. The sisters vowed never to marry unless they truly loved the man and sucked at teaching so their future didn't look so good at the time.

In the book their are three main characters, which are Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The three sisters are different in almost every way but do share a few characteristics. All three are very intelligent and are gifted in poetry, writing, and quick learning.  They are also alike in the fact that they are women who at their time don't have many rights yet try their best to defy their social rules in order to try and follow their dreams. Emily who is never afraid to show here intelligence was once talked about by a teacher named Constantine Heger who said "She should have been a man."Emily is also very shy and didn't make a lot of friends while Charlotte although a little shy had many." Charlotte also loved to learn and went back to school in her twenties to learn more. She studied in Brussels, Belgium until she was kicked out because she was suspected of loving a married man. Anne is the youngest but always seems to be the one who can keep a job and still be happy. Anne at 21, started working as a governess and later helped employ her brother for the same family. Anne was also described as beautiful by a friend of Charlotte who said, " had lovely violet-blue eyes, fine pencilled eyebrows, a clear, almost transparent complexion and curls who's unlike her aunt's were real."

Silence By Natasha Preston

The second book I read during Christmas Break is a realistic fiction called Silence by Natasha Preston. So the book is about this girl named Oakley( I know weird name) and how she wont talk. So her story is about how someone raped her and how it was all her dads fault. So her dad got into some kind of trouble with a coworker and to repay the debt he offered his daughter. Oakley was going to tell her mom but then her dad told her not to talk so she didn't. Oakley was about 11 and the story takes place when she's 17 so she hadn't talked since then. Then Oakley gets into this amazing relationship with her childhood friend and because Oakley trust Cole and because she wants her family to be happy again her father is afraid she'll finally speak.

The theme in the story is not to be afraid. Oakley was terrified of her father not she didn't speak for 6 years. She wanted a normal life again, one where she didn't feel like she was the cause of her families unhappiness and one where she could love her father again but she was afraid. Oakley was afraid that if she spoke about what happened to her, that her father would take her to her assaulter, that she would be seen as wrong, that it would destroy her family and that she would loose the Cole.

Anomaly By: Tonya Kuper

I got a book for christmas. The first book I read during Christmas Break is a science fiction called Anomaly by Tonya Kuper. The book is a debut but I'm hoping its the first of many books written by Tonya Kuper because after all its a really good book. So basically the book is about this girl named Josie and on her seventeenth birthday she starts experiencing weird things. She notices that every time she imagines something happening, it happens. One day during lunch, Reid Wentworth rides up to the school on a motorcycle to apply as a a mew student but also to flip Josie's world upside down. Turns out Josie is an Oculi, an ancient species that can change reality with their thoughts. Not only does Josie find out that she's Oculi but she's also being hunted down by an evil Oculi organization that wants her dead called The Consortium. Reid is sent by the good Oculi called The Resistance to guide and protect Josie and prepare her upcoming battles.

The conflict in the story is person vs society and person vs self. The first conflict has to do with the fact that The Consortium is hunting down Josie and her family to kill them. Apparently Josie and her older brother were two of the most powerful Oculi anomalies ever but Josie's brother was killed a year ago and know The Consortium is after Josie. The second conflict being person vs self is Josie's fears which are taking an impact on her life and training. Since Josie found out that the reason her brother was killed was because of his powers and how he was using them dangerously, she's scared of becoming her brother, crazy and dead. Josie's fears are making her hesitate in using her power's full strength, making her vulnerable.