Just Kids by Patti Smith Non-Fiction Reading Response

The title of the book “Just Kids” has great significance to the book because its the theme that carries the story. The main characters, Patti Smith and Robert Maplethorpe are literally just kids when we meet them. Even at the end of the story, even when they grow older, even after Robert has died, they remain kids at heart.

The story opens with the central character, Patti, describing her early childhood in the South of New Jersey. In her own words she was, “dreamy,” “precocious,” and deemed “impractical” by her elementary school teachers. Less then ten years later, dissatisfied with the grown - up world of south Jersey she sets her sights on New York. In New York she imagines she could be her real self. To Patti that meant staying just a precocious kid. 

Using the excuse, “just kids” Patti and her new best friend Robert think they can get away with anything. Like on page 152 when Patti tells Robert she’s just peed in a take - out cup instead of a toilet and thinks that’s normal. Patty is a poet/musician and Robert is a photographer. Together they spend almost ten years “playing” in the New York art scene in the mid 1970’s.

Over the time that we get to know them the pair almost always do the opposite of what a grown - up would do. Patti and Robert both have equally strong imaginations and they see eye to eye on almost everything. They don’t live on very much money, but they feel rich. They live in a very tiny apartment, but they don’t care. Don’t get me wrong Robert turns into a super famous artist and Patti becomes a musical goddess, a mother, a widow, and the soul survivor of the story. Through all of that she stays just a kid. And looking at Robert on his deathbed describes him in his last moment as, “a sleepy youth cloaked in light.”

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Reading Response

The title, I Am Number Four, has great significance and is the theme of the story.  The story opens just as number Three is murdered.  We don’t know it yet, but the main protagonist, John Smith, is number Four and he is next to die.  John Smith, a sophomore in high school, has just arrived in Paradise, Ohio, but he has been moving around since he landed here on planet earth many years ago.

When John Smith was just barely able to walk his planet, Lorien, was invaded by its planetary neighbors the Mogadorians.  These evil neighbors were running out of resources to keep their race alive.  Their plan was to conquer earth, but this couldn’t happen until the last of the Lorien race was annihilated.  Number Four’s grandfather, who had raised him (all Loric children are raised by their grandparents and a guardian/protector), led him and his protector, Henri,to safety.  Along with eight other children and their guardians, John was sent to planet Earth on the last transport pod before Lorien was destroyed.

After their space journey the Loric children, each with their own protector, scattered over the Earth to start new lives.  John, for example,  lived in many places before finding a home in Ohio.  Each child also has a charm that protects them from being killed.  But the Mogadorians know their fatal weakness.  If they want to kill every last Loric child they have to do it in the sequence that the Lorien elders assigned.  To the Mogadorians these Loric children would be known as numbers One through Nine.

The Mogadarians have an inner sense when the children are near and can track them.  The Loric children just want to live a normal life without having to run.   They mostly get along with and learn how to share their lives with humans.  John is taught at an early age to act like his fellow humans. In Ohio he finally finds the girl of his dreams.  He falls in love with Sarah Hart and hopes that he will get the chance to make a life with her.  But from the minute we meet him, we know as well as he that at life with Sarah will not be an easy one to make. When the Mogadorians come for John he has to make the decision to fight back and defeat them and live a life with Sarah or let them kill him so they can conquer earth. He choses the obvious choice. Defeat the Mogadorians and find the other Loric children so he can live a long and harmonious life with Sarah. 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky

I just finished reading The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It is about a young boy, Charlie, who is just about to enter high school. Charlie had a tough time last year because his best friend, Michael shot himself. Charlie is entering the year by writing to this "friend". I don't really know who the "friend" is but the reason Charlie is writing to the friend is because, "...she said you listen and understand and didn't try to sleep with that person at that party even though you could have..." 

Throughout the book Charlie makes friends with two seniors, Sam and Patrick (sister and brother). They take Charlie under their wing and teach him "the ways of life and good music". They introduce Charlie to all their cool senior friends, Mary Elizabeth who is quite a pill, if you ask us. With a tattoo and belly button ring, she's a teenage American Buddhist, and she has a lot to say about the matter; Alice who likes vampires and stealing jeans at the mall even though her family is rich, and then theirs Bob, he throws a lot of parties and smokes a lot of marijuana. They all have a lot of fun and they party and do drugs and other crazy things. 

In the end, Charlie gets the girl (Sam) and they all go off to college. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

The book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling is all about Harry finding himself selected to be apart of the Triwizard tournament. The Triwizard Tournament is a magical contest held between the three largest wizarding schools of Europe: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, each school being represented by one Champion. Selected Champions compete in three tasks - traditionally judged by the Headmasters or Headmistresses of the competing schools - designed to test magical ability, intelligence and courage. Champions compete for the honour and glory of winning the Tournament and for the Triwizard cup and a monetary prize. Harry has to face dragons, mermaids, and magical mazes. The first few chapters of the book were mostly him getting ready and processing the fact that he's in this race for good, but then in the third or fourth chapter Harry has to face his first challenge. He has to battle a dragon to win the golden egg (the golden egg has the clue to the next challenge.) Harry barely defeats the dragon and he now has to figure out what the next challenge is by opening the egg underwater. He then finds that the next challenge is having to save one of the four students that are trapped underwater by creepy looking mer-people. Harry ends up saving two students and wins that challenge. The next challenge that Harry must face is the labyrinth. In side the labyrinth is where the triwizard cup is hidden. Harry and Cedric Diggory both make it to the cup and touch it at the same time. But, as it turns out the cup is a portal to a mysterious graveyard with surrounded by death eaters. Death eaters are slaves to the most evil wizard in the world, Voldemort. That is when Voldemort is awakened by one of his most loyal servants, Wormtail. Voldemort then kills Cedric and faces off with Harry himself. But then Harry, him being in a graveyard finds himself with the help of his dead loved ones. He then takes the portal back to Hogwarts with the dead body of Cedric Diggory and the triwizard cup. In the end, there are two tests that Harry had to face. One, being the Triwizard Tournament and the other being the test of his loyalty to his friends and family. 

Reading Response #3 - Drummer Boy of Shiloh

  Joby is a young drummer boy, he is camping with the rest of the soldiers in a pech field near to Shiloh, he is afraid of marching into battle with no weapons only his drum and his drumsticks.

     In his time out, he begin to hear whisperings that came from the soldiers,he begin to count them they were hundreds of mans who would march into battle to fight, Joby reflects about his life and the soldiers lifes before the battle but the fear to death was constanly on his mind.

     Lately someone finds him. First Joby thought that the general who get closed to him was someone rude and brave, but then he founds him a friendly person.

      The general start talking with Joby ,trying to calm him. He told Joby ythat he also cryied last night,because he knew that the battle was hard to fight and also he knew that many soldiers would die,but he encourage Joby explaning to him how important was a drummer boy in a battle, what makes Joby strong to be with them.

     After this conversation he change his thought about the general and found him as someone who reminds him a father and also he discovered his sentimental side what makes Joby reflects about the generals feelings and real behavior.

Comments on Summer Reading Responses

Comments on Lydia's Reading Response

I really thought that Lydia's reading response was interesting. I think that Lydia's summary of the book "Make Lemonade" was really easy to grab the concept of the book. I think that she was really able to define the characters and their issues. At first LaVaughn's mother has everything planned out for her and then she gets a part time job working for a teenage mom and helping out with her kids. The mother thinks that the teenaged mom is a bad influence for LaVaughn; But LaVaughn sticks by Jolly (teenaged mom) the entire time.

Comments on Grace's Reading Responce

I thought that Grace's response to the book was great. I understood everything and put it into consideration, as something to think about in the future. I never actually read the book I just wanted to see the movie and reading her response got me wanting read the book and watch the movie even more. Her perspective on the book was amazing and really interesting.