sbergoine

Jodie Picoult’s Songs of the Humpback Whale, is a story of adventure and love. Jane Jones is a woman who fell in love to a man named Oliver Jones at the age of 15. She married a man that was much older than her straight out of college. She then got pregnant with her daughter Rebecca Jones. Oliver is a famous scientist who studies whales. While he is always consumed in his work, Jane takes care of Rebecca. Jane and Rebecca find themselves traveling across the United States after a tragic fight between Jane and Oliver that could potentially end their marriage. They are traveling to Jane’s brother’s apple orchard in Massachusetts, far from their usual L.A lifestyle. Jane and Rebecca follow letters that are sent from Jane’s brother to get to the orchard. All during the trip different secrets are unfolded by all of the characters. Both Jane and Rebecca find their true selves on the orchard. They meet men that they start to fall in love with. They are forced to make the most important choice of their lives. These women grow and mature and are definitely different after they leave the orchard. This story is great and I recommend it to people enjoy adventure and love.

90 minutes in heaven

Have you ever been afraid to die or wonder what it’s like when you do?
I always have wondered about the after life because many don’t care or are not afraid of the after life. This book has shown me that heaven is just like earth just much happier with no worries and all your fears ending. Car accident can take your life and also give you a glimpse of heaven, as it did for this pester. Driving with care a semi- truck came out of no where crushing his car and not fallowing any lights just ending up there. The emt’s pronounced him dead at the seen but after a 90 minutes came back to life.

My sisters Keeper

My sisters Keeper
Heart
Aurora Library
Teen Stress
160 Pages

Having your own body is your personal being. Its almost restricted for anyone to take anything or use anything from your body. Only if you give full permission to give something to a sick patient. Poor Anna suffers from undergone countless surgeries ,transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has hit her since childhood. Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate, a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister. So Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means interfering upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?
I would recommend this book to all ages because it gives a reason for people to think about life and the horrible possibilities that other individuals have. This book also gives a good reason for saving someones life even if thier close to you. But you do have certain rights.
In conclusion overall this book was very good and it gives a good lesson on life.

3rd 9 weeks

The Five People you Meet in Heaven
By: Mitch Albom

The book "the five people you meet in heaven" is a book, published in 2003 based around a character, Eddie, who is a crippled veteran of WW2. Life was hard for him, growing up with an abusive alcoholic as a father who maintains the rides at a local amusement park, Ruby Pier. The only hope to having a bright future is his mother, who loves him more than anything, even though she does not prevent the abuse and neglect that his father contributes. This story begins with the death of Eddie at 83 years of age and then continues on with flashbacks throughout his life. Throughout the story Eddie meets a series of 5 people that show Eddie how to appreciate life and how his actions effected others.

This book is a very interesting, very intense read and i would recommend everyone read it. I read this book from start to finish in about 3 days. Its intriguing from page 1.

lauramedhurst
English12
Chbosky, Stephen

The Perks of being a wallflower         The book opens its first few chapters introducing a boy named Charlie. In highschool he suffers the loss of one of his best friends and in his mind he goes the pain, sadness, but eventually heals. Then moves on through summer and he is just trying to find himself. He explains to us through the letters about his trouble of trying to fit in, or  that he must try at least to live up to his parents’ expectations because his sister gets straight A’s and his brother was the star of the football team. He is beginning his freshman year in high school when he writes this letters, and has trouble making friends but then he meets two seniors one day outside smoking and they give him one and it all happens. Some of the hard times he goes through shows his character and he writes toshow what he is going through. This book is good to read if you’ve ever been in trouble, get misread by some, or have trouble understanding other people. 

Ian Sanford
Crutcher, Chris. Deadline
Harper Collins: 2007.
Heart
Borrowed
Teenage life, sports
316 pg.
One certainty in life is that we all die, but it most cases we aren’t given a time table of how long we have to live. Ben Wolf a high school senior from the small town of Trout has a terminal blood illness and was told that this was his last year to live. Bens life has been somewhat of a failure to him and there are several things he wants to pursue before he is gone forever.
Ben doesn’t want to tell anyone about his terminal illness because he wants people to view him for who he is and not alter his pursuit. In his time left Ben is changed by several people and learns some of life’s most valuable lessons. Cody, Ben’s brother is a quarterback on the varsity team and also his best friend. Cody helps Ben with football and his girl problems. Bens friend and teammate Sooner Cowan teaches Ben a lesson through his actions, witch resemble his (sooners) abusive father. Through the football team and coaches Ben learns about hard work, toughness in the hardest of situations and unity. Atop of high-school and football there is Dallas Suzuki, Bens crush. With nothing to lose Ben approaches Dallas and before long they are serious about each other. Ben realizes that he could have been with her all along if he would have just tried. Outside of school Ben is taught valuable lessons from a drunk named Rudy and a friend named Hey-soos. Rudy teaches Ben lessons about failure and shares secretes to Ben. Hey-soos helps Ben deal with the religious aspect of life.
This book was a good read that I would recommend to people who enjoy sports and need motivation. Steve was right in that the book is captivating and an easy read. The lessons taught by Crutcher are valuable to all ages. After reading this I’ve come to the conclusion that life’s short, so do what you love.

Alcohol. What does it really do?

 

Book Review by R.Chmielewski

Recommended by S. Bergoine

Mrs. Smith, 2nd Period





Zailckas, Koren; Smashed

The Penguin Group USA, 2006

Heart

Personal Collection

Teen Tempation/Angst/Teenage Problems

343 Pages

 

Alcohol can ruin many situations. It can change a person. It can leave a person forever changed and unable to recover from the spells that it puts upon you. Every teenager is faced with temptations of alcohol and drinking. But for Koren Zailckas, in the novel Smashed by Koren Zailckas, the problem has become a lifestyle of parties and drinking. She grew up in a small city, and lots of people knew her. She had her first drink at a party at the age of 14. Living in a small town where everyone knows the ins and outs of everyone else, words and things spread. Soon after, she was unable to let go and escape it. She felt the alcohol could make her into a new person and allow her social life become more positive, it was a way of her letting go and escaping her feelings. Koren's alcohol problems became even more of a problem when she woke up one day in the hospital from alcohol poisoning covered in bruises. She then realized she had a drinking problem, and had to stop. Zailckas wrote the story as an autobiography on herself at the age of 23, just when graduating college to make teens and young adults aware of the temptations and dangers of what the excessive use of alcohol can do to someone.

This book is meant for young adults and high school students who are faced with many temptations in their life. It shows a teen that even the best of us give into temptations but it shows that anyone can overcome them and pull through them when in time of need to recover and regain strength in your life. It shows you that drinking is bad when done too much in excess, and it even scares you to a point to realize that you need to hold onto your sense of reality. I recommend this book to any teenager who wants to see an account of a teenager whose life spins out of control.

The Secret Life of Bees

I found this book from Lmedhurst
The Secret life of Bees is a very heart touching story. It is about a young girl Lily who live on a peach farm with he Father. She believes that Her Nanny/Housekeeper played a huge role in her Mother's death. The next day the Nanny/Housekeeper is in the hospital after being beaten up by the police. Lily meets August who takes in her and Rosaleen(the nanny) and decided that they can help out aorund the hosue while Lily learns the art of beekeeping. Lily find out later that her Mother had once stayed that the Boatwright house.
I would recomind this book to others. The book is very touching and has enough action and twists to keep you turning the pages.

Smashed

Smashed
Heart
Personal Library
Teen Angst
343 Pages

A teenagers life may seem easy. Wake up, go to school, hang out with friends, play sports, and so on. That’s only half of every teens life, the good half. On the other half, every teen is faced with decisions and problems that could change their lives forever. Teens face problems with parents, friends, drugs, and alcohol. This story is about a girl named Koren Zailckas who has a major problem with alcohol. Koren grew up in a small suburban area where everyone knows each other. She was known as someone who was shy and standoffish. Her first drink came when she was fourteen at a party. Alcohol was just a way for her to let loose and escape her shyness. From her first drink, her problem with alcohol escalated rapidly. She had no incentive to quit drinking. Her friends were doing it, and they pressured her into doing the same. Koren continued to drink throughout high school, but when college came around she was a bit skeptical. However, once she got to college her drinking began again. This time it was worse. Koren realizes she has a problem once it is too late. She is at a party when everything goes terribly wrong. Koren wakes up from a coma that was induced by her drinking covered in bruises. She realizes that she has a problem and finally gets help
This book is geared towards high school students as well as parents of high school students. It shows what a teenager goes through and the pressure they are under with friends and alcohol. High school students should read this because it shows what could happen if you drink to much, or even start to drink. High school parents should read this as well to learn what their son or daughter goes through, and how they can help prevent their child from drinking.
I like this book a lot because it shows what life is truly like for a teenager. People say that your high school years are the easiest years of your life, but this book shows that that statement is completely wrong. Also, almost every teenager is able to relate to this. They may not drink, but almost every one knows a friend that drinks. It is an overall good book that teaches you about the dangers of alcohol. I would definitely recommend this book to any high school student or older.

A Manual

Coelho,Paulo.Warrior of the Light.Harper Collins,2003.

By J. Simmons

WARRIOR OF THE LIGHT

By: Paulo Coelho

133 pages

D. Moore recommended this book 

Heart

Warrior of the Light is about a young warrior who is a religious and courageous. He learns different lessons to being a strong, and strategic fighter. The book teaches its readers how they themselves can be warriors in things they do in life, such as myself with soccer. You must learn when to fight or when to back down to win at the end. All the lessons are very inspirational and will help you in life. Threw out this book I was taught lessons by Coelho about inner strength in various ways.

This story is not like a typical story because it does not have a plot line. It is more about getting the point across about what a warrior needs to do and have to be the greatest warrior. Every different page talks about a different lesson that the warrior needs and what we actually need to do to be the best at what we want to do such as being a warrior in the book. I would recommend this book, after reading this it had inspired me to be great I what I want to do in life. The people I would recommend this to is people who have a strive to do something such as something you want to do now or in the future.  

Great Book

Albom, Mitch The five people you meet in heaven
Heart
Public Library
Non-Fiction

The book I did was called the five people you meet in heaven. In this book the main character named Eddy is a mechanic at a Ruby pier which is kind of like a theme park. And the story is about him dying and going to heaven and getting to talk with five people that he either impacted there life or they had an impact on his life. The thing is each of these people had a specific role in his trip to heaven, and with each person he sees he learns a lesson. But the question is what lessons we need to learn.
This book is a really great book. If I had to rate this book on a ten point scale I would give it a eight and a half. Why I would do this is because It is a very interesting book that incorporates everything. It has drama, it has action, it has everything. But the only thing that is keeping it from a ten is that it does get pretty boring at times, but for recommendations I would totally recommend this to any high school student. It is very entertaining and is good for people like me who hate reading, because it actually can keep your attention.
The purpose of this book is to strictly entertain. It also has many lessons you could apply to your life depending on how you interpret it. But like I said in the previous paragraph it has a lot of good stuff to it and is a lot of fun to read.
In this story it had many different types of characters. The main character in the book was named Eddy, who was a mechanic at Ruby Pier. The first character he meets is called Blue Man who was a side show performer who worked at Ruby pier when eddy was a boy. Another character was called Captain which was the second person he meets in heaven. The third person he meets is Rudy. The fourth person he meets is Marguerite, who was eddy’s long time lover. The final person he meets in heaven and the last real main character was the little girl named Tala who was the little girl he tried to save before he died.
In my opinion this book was one of the better books I have read this year. This book would be great for any readers in high school or older. Once more this book is a book full of everything you could want in a book but the main thing is that Albom does a really good job of keeping you awake. So I would not hesitate to go and pick this book up, because I know you won’t regret it.

Deadline DMyers

Deadline
by Chris Crutcher
This book was recommended by SYung

Ben Wolf was a senior in high school and had only one year to live. He didn’t want any treatment for his disease; he just wanted to be normal like every other kid. Cody, his older brother and best friend was the star on the football team and Ben wanted to follow in his footsteps. He also had a lifelong crush on Dallas Suzuki, but she had never really noticed him until this year. Ben’s family was different from others, his mother had many anxiety attacks and spent most nights in her room accompanied by their father whose absence was shown by never really being there for his sons. Ben’s football coach was like his dad because they would always talk about stuff; off and on the field. But when neither his coach nor family was able to talk, Ben talked to a spiritual voice called Hey-Soos. He offered Ben a lot of advice about life and his rough situations that he was in. There were a lot of things Ben doesn’t know, and finds out throughout the book that changes his life.
I really liked this book a lot because it made you want to keep reading. You never knew what Ben was going to do next so it was an interesting story. I also liked how it was about football because I can refer to a lot of the things that happen. Also Ben was a senior in high school just like I am so I can put myself in his shoes in a lot of situtations. Overall I think this was a really good book and I recommend this to anyone who likes football, and the real life drama a high school senior goes though.

Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Twisted.

Heart

 

Danny Myers book review made me want to read Twisted.

 

            Twisted is a story of highs and lows, Tyler Miller, the main character has a roller coaster of a life.  Everything starts off horrible; he doesn’t get much attention at school and is occasionally beat up by Chip Mulberry, who just happens to be the son of his dad’s boss and the brother to his longtime crush.  One day he decides to spray paint the school to get revenge, but ends up getting caught.  He had a lot of community service and had a growth spurt, the once nerd was now pretty big and ripped.   This gets the attention of Bethany and they start talking and even kiss.  But after Tyler is framed for putting up obscene pictures of Bethany on a internet blog, his life is back in the pits.  Tyler’s life has its extreme ups and extreme lows. 

            I believe Anderson style is very suitable for a teenager.  It is an easy read and a book that a lot of kids can relate to.  I really liked how Tyler’s life was being compared to a video game with a lot of challenges.  I would definitely recommend this book to any teenager or young adult.  It lets you see you how life can be at the top of the world, and at the bottom of a hole.  

Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuedays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
192 pgs.
Stole it from Cameron Worth
Heart
Solon Library

Tuesdays with Morrie is one of those books that I have heard about for all of my adult life, but am just now getting around to reading. It is about the author, Mitch, and his relationship with one of his college professors, Morrie Schwartz. He looses contact with him after college, until Mitch hears that Morrie is diagnosed with ALS, and realizes that he needs to talk to him again. So for the next 14 or so weeks, every Tuesday, Mitch would go to Morrie's house and talk about life lessons with him, until the disease finally consumes him. Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you are in anyway intersted in the kind of philosophy of life, and just a pretty inspirational story, this is the book for you.

The Last Lecture

Andrew Wallace

Smith 2nd Period

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch. The Last Lecture

Hyperion Books: 2008.

Heart

Own collection

Inspirational

206 pg.

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture."  Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them.  And while they speak, audiences can't help but question, "What legacy will I leave when I die?"  For Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, he didn't have to imagine what his last lecture would be like, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  But his lecture wasn't about death, but about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment.  It was about living.

The story Randy Pausch tells takes place in a Carnegie Mellon lecture hall on September 7, 2007 titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."  He combines humor, intelligence, and inspiration in explaining his life story and the dreams he achieved and didn't achieve along the way.  One of my favorite quotes that Pausch mentions in his book is that, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."  This quote applies to everyone because there may be some aspects in life that we just can't prevent, but it's the way we deal with these things that makes us who we are today.  Pausch really expresses a lot of emotion in this book when mentioning his children and his wife, Jai.  Once he found out he had pancreatic cancer, Pausch said he and Jai cried for days knowing that his time on Earth was limited.  However, this book is more about a celebration of life rather than despair.  Most of the book is composed of stories Pausch experienced throughout his life.  These include family trips, how he met his wife, and his success at Carnegie Mellon.  

Overall, I would recommend reading this book because it makes you want to live life to the fullest, and take granted for the things that you have in this life.  At times I often found myself reflecting on my childhood and past experiences I had with my family.  The summation of events told in this story will make it a book that is shared for generations to come.

Letters to A Young Brother

Letters to a Young Brother MANifest your destiny by Hill Harper
Penguin Group Inc.
176 pages.
I heard about this book from my friend and fellow class mate Jamaal.

Letters to a Young Brother is not a normal book it doesn't have a plot or anything like that. It is just letters that Hill Harper and a young boy talking about the hardships that they have both gone through. They talk about problems that you have growing up with one parent and wondering why one didn't love you enough to stay. During this book you will realize how things are actually really good for you and how they could have been a lot worse. I would suggest this book at anyone because it can relate to any situation that you are going through. I am glad that i picked this book and actually read it because it made me change the way that I think about certain things.

Catcher in the Rye? More like Boring in the Boring.

By Brad K.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.
Little, Brown 1951.
214 pages
I totally stole this book from Andrew Wa.
Dagger
(insulting a classic American novel may not get me very positive comments i am sorry in advance.)
Catcher in the Rye is an American classic. No teenager in America hasn’t heard of this book, but my question is why? This book did not interest me in the least bit. I guess that says a lot about my character. I know the Catcher in the Rye is full of symbolism and deep meanings but I guess I’m the kind of guy who wants everything just spelled out for him. I also like a book with a good amount of abnormality and action. Catcher in the Rye was like something I would have to read for a sophomore symbolism project. Call me crazy if I don’t like to read about a boy in New York in the 50s, but it was pretty boring. One thing that really annoyed me was how the book would have so many dead ends. The main character, Holden Caulfield, would think of things and go on with them for about 10 pages, but it would have no relation to the main plot. I’m pretty sure this book was just a contemplation of a bunch of hidden symbolism. In fact I’m not completely sure what the main plot was. It just seemed like an adolescent boy full of angst just doing things that he wants to do. The author could have followed around any normal 16 year old kid and wrote down everything he did, maybe add some symbolism, metaphors, and angst and there you go, Catcher in the Rye. After reading such a boring book it sort of makes me feel ripped off. This book was supposed to be a classic! What happened? I guess I got one good thing out of this. Classics are BORING. (Citizen Kane for example)

BOOK REVIEW

Rachel Cantelmi
The Bitch Posse
Martha O'Connor

I found this book from the wonderful review Katie M wrote.

The Bitch Posse follows the lives of three girls Cherry, Amy and Rennie. There girls are all unique, their personalities and experiences are all vastly different from one another. Since the girls are so different it makes it easy for every girl reading the novel to relate to one of them. The book skips around a lot, because each chapter is told from a different view point. This keeps the book intriguing and makes you want to keep reading. The novel begins with the three girls in their senior year of high school, and it continues to follow their lives into their thirties. The three girls all have major secrets, and it is a constant struggle to contain them. The novel is dark and some what controversial, but it only show the truths and secrets of girls growing up. I would recommend the novel, because it is an interesting read and very easy for any girl to relate too. As well, it is anything but boring and at times leaves you questioning the characters actions and thoughts.

Exit Here

Exit Here by Jason  Myers

Heart <3

Honestly, it is very difficult to piece together a somewhat coherent description of this novel Exit Here by: Jason Myers. It touches on so many extreme problems that it seems very hard to believe that Travis, the main protagonist, could deal with or experience everything without completely breaking down. He deals with a spiraling drug addiction, alcoholism, confused and forceful parents, a manipulative ex girlfriend, and a sibling who seems to not learn from the mistakes he has made. As if that isn't enough he has recently returned from a very dark trip from Hawaii. The plot of this trip is told primarily through eery flashbacks that help the reader figure out what really happened. This creates some confusing yet satisfying elements of the story. The language in Exit Here is pretty much accurate which means there is a lot of swearing and vulgar terms so keep that in mind if your easily offended as well. It can be somewhat hard to follow along with at times but it does eventually all come together. If you are a fan of teenage novels that deal with the darker side of life this is a book for you.

I learned of this book through Mpassek. I'm glad i did even though at first i was a little bit skeptical. It turned out to be an exciting and intense read although at times unrealistic. But thats what books are for sometimes, unrealistic events. Like Mpassek said, this is a book you will not want to put down and i definitely recommend this.

The Summer that Changed a Year

K. Brasher
Smith
Twisted

Anderson, Laurie Halse, Twisted
Penguin Group, 2007
Heart
Borders Book, $9.99
Teen Drama
250 pages

Tyler Miller never fit in. He was always the skinny, average kid of his class. This all changed when he decided to do something radical. Tyler was arrested for doing graffiti on his school. His punishment was community service. This meant that he had to do manual labor. Over the summer all his work gave him muscle and an attitude to make him stand out in the next school year. The girl of his dreams even begins to take notice to his changes. The only question is, is it good or too good to last?

This story is written from the point of view of Tyler. In this style the reader is able to understand why Tyler makes the choices he does. It takes place in our present society which helps to make it very relatable to our generation.

The readability of Twisted is fairly easy. Laurie Halse Anderson keeps the reader’s attention very well. She keeps the suspense and drama going throughout the entire book.

I gave this book a heart because of its interesting plot and ability to make me want to keep reading. I found this book from D. Myers review.