Final Blog Entry~ Never Wave Goodbye by Doug Magee

  The book Never Wave GoodBye by Doug Magee and I believe it belongs in the teachers classroom, because the book explains a life message on never to give up. In this book two parents  sends their child Sarah off to soccer camp for the first time. Too busy being excited and anxious Sarah's mother puts her on the wrong bus; she send her child on the bus which she thinks is her departure bus, but no. Sarah was kidnapped with other children from her neighborhood who was also attending the camp. Many people were notified and questioned on the kidnapping. Sarah's parents never gave up hope that one day she'll be found.
 This book held a lot of emotion, and drama. The reading level for this book is easy and modern. I'll give the book and 8/10, because it left a lot of unanswered questions with serious suspense. I believe this book deserves and part II.

(Final Blog Entry) Looking for Alaska By: John Green

The best book I have read during this school year would definitely have to be Looking For Alaska by John Green.  John Green wrote a very powerful and inspiring novel.  Throughout the novel, John Green found ways to connect the book to you and touch your life.  John Green is one of my favorite authors by far and I really enjoy reading his books.
Looking for Alaska is about a boy, Miles, seeking for a Great Perhaps.  Miles is through living a life filled with boredom.  He decides to listen to the wise words of Francois Rabelais and look for a greater perhaps. Miles transfers to Culver Creek high school to being a new life. Throughout the book I felt a strong connection to Miles. This is because he didn't just sit around and let his life waste away.  He wanted to make something of his life, so he did.   I personally believe that we should enjoy our lives while we're young because we wont be young forever.  We have to make something of our lives now because before we know it, our chance will be gone.
 I believe that all teachers should have this book in their classrooms because this book could potentially inspire many and make a difference in their lives. John Green is an amazing writer and touches your life throughout the story.  His way of writing is easy to understand. However, there are parts in the novel which make you think and challenge you as a reader.  This book isn't very long so it isn't hard to read or finish. However, if you read at a good pace, you will feel and instant connection to the characters. I believe other readers will love this book because is displays a solid message and makes a great impact on your life.
Rate: (10/10)

Final Blog Entry~ The Host by Stehphenie Meyer

          This year I read the book, The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I believe this would be a good book for a teacher to have in her classroom library. It's about a girl that gets her humanity taken away from her by a soul. these souls abduct humans and take over their lives. There is a guy that is in love with this girl and he doesn't know what to do when she is gone. There are still some humans scattered all over in hiding hoping to never be found. It has to do with present day and the characters are very detailed in the book. I think it's pretty cool how the author wrote about aliens since they are not real. I think it is good for a teacher to have science fiction book in her classroom library.
          The reading level was somewhat easy. It was really hard to put the book down because of the combination of emotions and actions. It had romance, drama, violence, and sci-fi. I personally think that those things are the best combination to have in a book. It makes it so hard to put down the book. I would rate this book a 10/10 for the awesome job of writing the author did. It was one of the best books I have ever read.

Final Blog: Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz

          Earlier in the year, I read the Alex Rider thriller Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz. This year I had my eyes sighted on the Alex Rider book series as I read most of the books in the series. Of all the ones I read however, this one stood out as the best.
          Alex Rider is your average 14 year old. He's into video games, sports, and girls. But there's something not so average about him. He is a spy for the British Intelligence Agency, MI6. In the end of the last book, Alex was walking out of building when he was shot. An attempted murder by a hired hit man. Against all odds, Alex was not killed. Now we've just started Ark Angel. While recovering in world-renowned St. Dominics Hospital, he saw several suspicious men pull up in a dark vehicle. He took the elevator down to see that these men meant serious business. Listening through the door, Alex heard them asking for a Paul Drevin, the very boy that was staying next to him. After a while, he heard gunshots and the receptionist was dead. Using Alex's quick-thinking, he went upstairs and switched names and room numbers with Paul Drevin in the next room. He waited opposite the elevator in a long-hallway. After the men came, they asked him if he was Paul. He said yes, ran, and the chase began. Alex manages to knock out 4 of the 4 men. But later when Alex is catching his breath, he is hit in the back of the head... He woke up several hours later in an abandoned building. After a while, Alex is let in on the plan. All of this is led by an organization called Force Three. They are your "Eco-Freaks" so to speak. However, they will go to unimaginable heights to protect the earth's natural "jewels". In regards to Paul Drevin, he is the son of billionaire entrepreneur Nikolai Drevin. Nikolai Drevin has launched a program that will build the first luxury hotel in space. However, many of the rockets they send up carrying supplies give off harmful gasses. These gasses destroy the natural ozone layer that protects the earth and this does not sit well with Force Three. What will happen now? Find out what happens in Ark Angel.
          I recommend this book for a plethora of reasons. First of all, I think that classes could use a little bit of excitement. The tone of the book in general and the voice of the characters makes this a very enjoyable book to read. Especially out loud. I feel that it will make people excited to come to English class. Like something to look forward to. Also, even though this is a series book, each book is very individualized. You pretty much don't need to read books 1,2, and 3 to understand what's going on in 4. This is an advantage because teachers can read a different book every year while still posing the same types of questions. This way, teachers don't have to read the same book 10 years in a row. My final and most important reason for recommending this book to be part of an English curriculum is that it poses real-world issues in a passive way. I'm sure if there was a book called The Very Real Issues of the World That Can Affect Future Generations and Should Receive More Attention no kid, even adult would WANT to read it. But by integrating a problem (Terrorism) with an action book with the main character being around the same age as the readers, it can actually make kids interested. And that is what is great about this book. It passively introduces reality into an exciting fiction novel.

I give this book a very genuine 10/10.

Final Blog Truancy by Isamu Fukui

                                During the school year, I read a decent amount of books. If I had to pick one that every teacher should have available for students to read, I would have to chose Truancy by Isamu Fukui. The story's setting and lesson makes Truancy a great book that is worth reading.
                               The setting of Truancy is crucial to the story. This story takes place in a totalitarian society. I can assume it also takes place in an Asian country because of some of the names Fukui uses. In this society, the Educators, a board of strict teachers, and the Enforcers, a group of police officers and soldiers, completely control every aspect of everyday life. These groups only answer to the Mayor. The Mayor is the man in charge of everything that goes on in his society. He has the biggest influence on everyone's lives. He enforces strict rules and can sometimes make life unbearable, especially for children. Children in this society are treated the worst. The teachers expect that no child behaves poorly. In order to prevent this, the Educators made a rule that prohibited talking in school. Any student that was caught talking was sent to the principle's office and most likely suspended. These strict rules sparked the creation of the Truancy. The Truancy is a group of children who go on special ops missions in order to loosen the Mayor's grip on the society. Their main goal is to disrupt the Mayor's plans so that children and others can live freely in the society. They do this by destroying as many of the Mayor's bases and headquarters as possible; however, the Mayor is not a person who excepts defeat easily. Both sides are determined to fight each other until one side gives in.
                                 While reading this book, I found that the Fukui tried to teach his readers a lesson. The lesson in this story is that people must stand up for justice and freedom when these things are being taken away from them. All teachers should support "liberty and justice for all." The Truancy stood up against the Mayor in order to help the children and people living in the society. This lesson also applies to real life events. The Patriots revolted against Great Britain because they were being treated unfairly. Because of their efforts, all American citizens have freedoms and can live in a just society. Without their hard work and determination, the United States would not exist today.
                                I really enjoyed reading this book. The book's totalitarian setting and lesson made it a very interesting book to read. I would consider it a science-fiction book and a moderate book to read. I actually did a decent job pacing myself while reading this book and I was able to finish it within a month. Fukui's writing style in this book consists of him changing points of view form the Truancy's point of view to the Mayor's point of view. He does this constantly. I like this style of writing because I felt that it gave me a better understanding of each event that occurred. Overall, I would give this book four out of five stars.                                                                                        

Final Blog- Stormbreaker

        A book that I have read this year is Alex Rider: Stormbreaker- by Anthony Horowitz. This has been the best book by far that I believe should be included in every teacher’s classroom. This book is the first of the books in the Alex Rider series and it is one of the best. The plot is thorough and interesting as he is an orphan whose uncle dies, his legal guardian, and is brought to M16 to help them be a part of their agency. This book has moment to moment action and keeps you at the edge of your seat waiting for the next gun shot to be fired or the next time he gets himself out of a sketchy situation. The author also creates the main character Alex as a young relatable British school boy. He has problems, even though they may be different than the common problems of teens, he still had problems and he stressed about them. This book should be in every Teachers personal library because this book has a moderate reading level perfect for appealing to many students. The structure and pacing is consistent. It appeals to multiple genres and interests; there is action, suspense, drama and more. This is overall the book that I would recommend the most; it is the original of the series which might encourage people into continuing in the series.

Final Blog: Inheritance

The Inheritance Cycle (sometimes informally known as the Eragon series) by Christopher Paolini is definitely the best that I have read this year. I have read it before, but that is actually a sign of how good I think it is; normally I can't stand to reread books, except for my favorites. I haven't gotten to the final book, Inheritance, yet, but so far it has been great. The plot is constantly changing and morphing with unexpected events that have the reader hungry to find out what happens next. There is constant action, both in terms of stuff happening and of additions to the plot. This is a quality that I love in stories that have high potential. The books mainly follow the adventures of Eragon as he struggles through physical, mental, political, and familial issues to reach his goal of overthrowing the tyrant king, Galbatorix. 

King Galbatorix had been one of the Dragon Riders, a group of elves and humans with magical powers who kept the peace in the land of Alagaësia. When his dragon was killed, he went mad, and the Riders would not provide him with a new one because of his madness. Galbatorix then stole a dragon and began to slowly destroy the Riders and their dragons. He recruited 13 followers, called the Forsworn, who assisted him. He then took over Alagaësia and began his immortal reign, and since had been gathering his power to unimaginable heights. By the time of Eragon, all of the Forsworn had died, either through their own carelessness or through the attacks of the Varden, the main body in opposition to Galbatorix.

Eragon was a poor farm boy who lived with his uncle, Garrow, and his cousin, Roran. Eragon had no idea who his father was and all he knew about his mother was that she had only been in the nearby town of Carvahall a few weeks, to give birth to him and place him under the care of Garrow. One day while he was hunting in the neighboring mountains, a large, smooth stone suddenly appeared in front of him, obviously by magic. He took it and brought it back to Carvahall, hoping to find someone to sell it to. But nobody did, and after a few days the stone broke open, and a baby dragon came out. Eragon then had to raise the dragon in secret. Eragon later found out that two strangers from the Empire had appeared in Carvahall, inquiring about the stone. As the approach the house, his dragon panics and carries him far away. When he finally gets it to return, he finds the farm burnt down and Garrow mortally injured within. When Eragon is at Carvahall, he asks the town storyteller, Brom, about the dragon. Brom surprisingly has much more knowledge on the subject than Eragon had thought. Eragon and Brom then take the dragon, whom Eragon has named Saphira, and venture out of Carvahall seeking to avenge Garrow's death. Much of the story consists of this revenge. There are many later huge twists, such as Eragon's joining the Varden, communing with dwarves, and going to the elves to be trained as a Rider.

The Inheritance Cycle is, without a doubt, one of my favorite series of books. It consists of a complex mythical world of magic, elves, dwarves, dragons, and many more creatures. I highly recommend it for any lover of fantasy, in particular of magic, dragons, and the such. These are reasons that I think any teacher who agrees should have this series. The story, although it might be considered long and kind of complex, is actually a not very difficult read. The pacing and action is definitely continuous and flowing. There are multiple smaller stories that intertwine to add to the greatness of the plot. The writing style really reflects how the characters feel. When the books sometimes follow the actions of other characters (in particular Roran, and sometimes Nasuada or Saphira) every few chapters or so, the writing style is slightly different, which helps the reader to be able to understand the character individually much better. The books, in order, are Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance.

I rate the Inheritance Cycle 9.75/10.