Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane #2

As I finish this book, I am amazed. Suzanne Collins has astonished me with her writing once again. I, however, enjoyed the first book in Gergor the Overlander series. In the second book, Gregor experiences new challenges. He and his sister Boots have to kill the grest bane before the rest kills Boots.

In the last part of the book, Greogr experiences something a 13 year old boy really shouldn't have to experience. The rat he has to kill, is just a baby and he can't bring himself to kill a baby. His check rides on the life of his baby sister. If he kills the rat, he kills a baby, but if he doesn't kill the rat, it will kill his baby sister. Gregor can't let his sister die, making this challenge more difficult than the others.

As I mentioned in other posts about the Gregor series, I metioned Collins' unique style of writing. She uses very unique syntax. She uses an abudent amount of commas, diction, and her sentence structure is a different style. In a way, she writes like Willam Shakespeare, with her writing backwards with unique word structure.

This was overall a great book. I would recommend the series to anyone who wants to try to read fantasy. I believe Susanne Collins will hook you into the book, and want you to read more.

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

I started the second book in the Gregor the Overlander series, Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane. This book has introduced me to new characters as well as past characters from the first book. So far, Gregor has fallen into the under ground again. He now has a new quest and this one includes him killing a giant rat. The other rats are after his little sister, Boots, trying to kill her. Gregor's new quest has him face new challenges and hardships, trying to complete it without his sister dying.

Suzanne Collins is a very interesting author. She includes different styles of writing in all of her novels. Each novel/story she writes includes and different style of writing. In this book, she writes in third person. She also uses commas and great diction in her writings. Collins includes detailed images in the Prophecy of Bane. Images that become engraved in your mind about what the under land is like.

I hope that this book is as good as the last one. I hope it is better. I hope I continue to read this book at a fast pace so I an read the next book in the series. I hope Gregor achieves his goal and returns to his home safe and sound.

Gregor #4

Wow. I finished Gregor the Overlander. When I first started this book, I was dreading it. I thought this book was going to be extremely boring and I would never be fully engaged in it. I thought wrong for sure! Suzanne Collins did a phenomenal job keeping me engaged in throughout the entire book, including the parts that seemed to drag on. Collins used various forms of creative writing as well. One part that stood out to me the most during the course of the book was the way to different creatures spoke, as well as the Underlanders. To be more specific about this, one certain animal that stood out was how the "crawlers" spoke. They spoke in an almost backwards way. For example, on page 33, the crawlers say: "Give you four baskets, give you?" These creatures say the first part of there statements/questions twice.

Another aspect of Collin's writing that stood out to me was how descriptive she was. She wrote in very precise detail, creating vivid images in the readers mind about what is going on. She described the rats extremely well. The way they bared their sharp, yellowed teeth at any outsider that came near them. Or the way the bats could fly, without sight, in the eerie, darkness that lingered for miles. Descriptiveness like this, kept me engaged and made me want to not put the book down.

Overall, this book was fantastic! I am starting the next book in the series and will keep you guys updated on my progress. I hope that book is as good as this one. Anyone who is not into fantasy, I suggest you read this book, it will get you engaged and maybe change your mind about fantasy. I know it changed mine.

Gregor #3

Since my last post, I have made lost of progress. I am proud of how far I have read. In this post, I am planning to summarize what has happened so far and make a few more predictions.

In the beginning of this book, I was not engaged at all. Gregor and his little sister, Boots, were in the laundry room in the apartment. Boots had gotten away from Gregor's. She slipped into a dryer and fell into a mysterious hole. Gregor went in after her and they ended up in the Underworld. A few years before, Gregor's father had disappeared. I predicted that his dad was in the Underworld. As the story went on, Gregor is taken into a prophecy room. According to a certain prophecy, Gregor is the "chosen one". The Under landers believe he is apart of the prophecy and he is there to save another over lander, his dad. This is as far as I have gotten in the book. Like I said before, I am proud of how far I have read since my last post.

I personally think this book is good. It has engaged me into it, making me want to continue reading. I predict that Gregor will find his father, and bring him back home to his family. I also predict that Gregor's mom will start looking for Boots and him, falling into the Underland during the war.

Next week, I hope to be even further. I hope that my predictions come true and I hope the book will engage me even more.

    

Gregor #2

I have not gotten very far in Gregor the Overlander. So far this book has not engaged me and I find it very hard to "get into" the book. I hope as I push myself to read it more, I will become more engaged and want to continue reading it for pleasure also.

As I ended in my last post, I predicted that Gregor and his little sister, Boots would end up in a unknown, strange world. As I read further, I found out they had entered a world. A world of giant cockroaches and various other giant bugs. The bugs are interested in many different smells. Especially when little three year olds need a clean diaper. When the cockroaches scented the smell, they considered boots as their queen.

To make any further predictions about the book so far, I think the cockroaches know who Gregor and his sister are. I think they will help him find his dad and will reunite them. Next week, I hope to read more next week so I will be able to know if any of my predictions come true.

 

Gregor and the Overlander

I just started reading the first book in the Gregor series, Gregor and the Over lander, by Suzanne Collins. I am reading this book for the genre that I don't read often. This book is fantasy and honestly, I absolutely hate fantasy books. I'm reading this book because it is shorter, but still a good length. I am hoping the book will challenge me to read more fantasy.

So far, Gregor and his little sister, Boots, are in the laundry room. Boots is playing with a tennis ball, when it goes behind a dryer. Gregor is daydreaming when she does this and does not see her. He realizes she was in a dryer and went to retrieve her. As he did this, Boots disappears and Gregor panics. He follows her into the unknown world.

This is as far as I have gotten in the book. I think Gregor and Boots will end up in an unknown world. I also think this is where his dad is. Gregor's dad disappeared three years ago randomly. Gregor is upset about it and hope to find his dad.

I hope I enjoy the book and continue to read fantasy.

Oogy #6

As I said in my last post, this post will be a summary and book review of the novel Oogy, by Larry Levin.

In the novel, Oogy, the author and his family are leaving for the pet hospital. They are heading there because of their cat, Buzzy, who was dying slowly and wanted to put him out of his pain. As they were leaving the hospital sadden, a strange looking dog came spiriting out of the back room. Seeing the family, the dog ran up to them, knocking them over licking their faces. After that moment, they knew the dog was going to be apart of their family. After bring the new dog home, they came up with the name Oogy for an unknown reason. Oogy had become apart of their family an was considered, "the third twin".  He wanted to do everything with his new "siblings". After countless face reconstructions and infections, Oogy is now living a happy, healthy life.

My favorite part of this book was when the author described Oogy's protectiveness. If this part of the book, he stated that the dog would protect them no matter what would happen. One night, someone tried to break into the house. "One summer day, we came into the house and discovered that the window and screen were wide open in the family room. Nothing had been taken or moved. None of us would have had a reason to open the screen, but just to make sure, I asked the boys if they had done it. They told me that they had not, and we had concluded that someone has decided to force his way into the house through the window, had heard/seen Oogy, and within seconds had realized that he had had better ideas in his life." (Levin 137). This quote describes Oogy's protectiveness and his will to protect the family from danger.

I recommend this book for ages 12 and older. It contains some material that could be sensitive or hard to comprehend for younger ages. I give this book a 8.5 because aat some parts it was extremely slow and hard to understand.

Oogy #5

I am almost finished with the book Oogy. I hope to finish it next week.

In the book, there are many parts that stood out to me. One of the main parts that stood out to me was that Oogy was destructive. In the beginning, it described Oogy as the sweetest, most caring dog ever. During chapter 6, the author, Levin, states; "He tore apart insulated galoshes, flip-flops, scarves, sneakers, shoes, plastic fruits, and the head of one of Noah's lacrosse sticks." (Levin 123) This shows that Oogy was destructive and enjoyed to chew on many things.

Another part of the book that stood out to me was when Levin stated that Oogy became the third twin. He always wanted to be with the boys and wanted to do whatever they were doing. A statement in the chapter that supports this is; "Whatever the boys did, he insisted on being included; wherever the went, he wanted to go..." (Levin 119) This supports how the dog wanted to be included with the boys and never wanted to dis included from them.

My next post will be a summary and a book review. 

  

Oogy Part 4

"The fact that a brutalized, mutilated pup had so immediately and so completely reposed his trust in us made all of us feel that we had been rewarded. He was one of us." (Levin 113).

This line stood out to me at the end of chapter 5. It makes Oogy sound like a patient, caring, and forgiving animal, who does not have a care for the world. The thing I find amazing is, Oogy started his life under horrific abuse. The fact that he can come out of that abuse and start loving a human again is remarkable. Levin describes that having Oogy become apart of their family, was like adopting another baby, this time with even more care and even more love.

When Oogy first came to the house, he would not leave Levin alone. He would follow his owner around and would bark when he went into the bathroom. Oogy was a protector and wouldn't let anything happen to his new owners. During his first night home, Dan (one of the kids in the house) was taking a bath. When Dan went down to rinse off his hair, Oogy started barking trying to get Levin's attention thinking that his new owner had drowned. In the part of the book when this happened, Levin describes it, "Suddenly Oogy began barking, the sound reverberating off the walls of the bathroom like a dinner bell...Dan was submerged, completely out of sight, rinsing off his hair. Oogy had placed his forelegs on the side of the tub and raised himself in alert; the boy he loved had disappeared." (Levin 110). This line from the story, shows the dogs protective instincts and it shows that he cares a lot about other people.

As I continue reading this book, I hope I will find out more about Oogy's personality. I hope to finish the book later this week and will complete it with a book review and summary.

Oogy Part 3

As I read further in the book, Oogy, I get more curious about the dog and how he changed the family's life. In chapter 5, Levin, describes what it was like to adopt Oogy. He says, "'This makes it official,' I said. I kissed his nose, and he licked me..." (Levin 100). This quote is a great example of how Oogy responded to having a new family. He was calm and caring. He was loved and knew he would never have to fear for his safety again. 

Another thing I have wondered about while reading further was, why is Oogy so laid back with his new owner. From what I know about abused animals is that most don't enjoy human company and they are terrified from different actions if their new owner. What interests me, Oogy does not seem worried about anything his new owner does. I am curious of what he will do when Levin does an action that scares him. 

One last thing I want to include about the book so far is that Larry Levin uses a great variety of vocabulary words in the story. He does a great job creating a picture in the reader's mind about what is going on in the house hold. Some of these words include: reintroduce, uniqueness, leathery, whapped, and brutalized. 

Oogy Part 2

As I continued to read further into the book, Oogy, some of my predictions came true. My first prediction was, there would be flashbacks of when they first adopted Oogy. The family first met Oogy when they were putting their cat to sleep. As the cat was put to sleep, Oogy came prancing out of the back room for a walk. When he saw Larry and the twins, the dog ran over to them and started licking their faces. One line in the chapter during this part that really stuck out to me was; "With a sudden explosive force, the pup tore the leash out of the technician's grasp and rocketed into Noah, knocking him over. Noah fell backward and lay stretched out as the dog stood on his chest, licking his face without a pause." (Levin 82). This stuck out to me because it shows how the dog is very lovable and caring.

Another prediction of mine that came true was if the family would ever wonder about the kind of abuse Oogy had received. Larry was so determined to find out what had happened to him, so he went searching for answers. Chapter 2 is about Oogy's story and the abuse he went through. One line from the chapter that embedded an image in my mind was; "They had not bothered to clean off his blood. As soon as Diane walked into the room, the pup lifted his head and his right ear stood at attention; his large, dark eyes looked at her, and she couldn't take her eyes off him...he started to wag his tail." (Levin 34) This part stood out to me so much also because of the incredible determination from Oogy. The quote creates a picture of a dog, beaten and bloody with one bandage on his head, who wags his tail with no care in the world.

This book is a great read so far and I am excited to continue reading. Hopefully, it will include more things about the dogs journey and how it has affected lots of lives.

Oogy

I just started the book, Oogy, by Larry Levin. The book is about a dog who was adopted by a family after given the slimmest chance of survival. Oogy was still a puppy when his owner put him in a dog fighting ring with a pit bull. The pit bull attacked him and bit the left side of his face. Oogy, no longer has his left ear and the left side of his jaw is flat.

The book Oogy is a true story, written by his new owner. Larry Levin describes Oogy as "incredibly special animal", who can change someone's life forever. The theme is the book so far is love. A quote in the book that brings the theme out is, "He comes over to me, those large dark eyes searching for something in my face, and then clambers onto the couch...He turns and gets the goopy look on his face he shows me at such moments, and I pull back just in time to avoid a big, sloppy kiss." (Levin 12-13)

I predict, that later in the book, there will be flashbacks from when the Levin family first adopted Oogy. I think that they will wonder why the dog's previous owner had abused him and what he had done wrong to deserve the abuse. I also predict that there will be flashbacks from times where the family was having a bad day and Oogy was there to help them get through it.

I am excited to continue reading this book. I am looking forward to see if any of my predictions are correct.

Linked below is the book trailer of Oogy:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqBDvvcrZpo

My Sister's Keeper

In the book My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult, Anna Fitzgerald was genetically made to save her sister's life. Anna's sister, Kate, has acute promyelocytic leukemia, or APL. When she was first diagnosed, her prognoses wasn't good; a 50% chance of living the first two years. Anna came into the picture when Kate's doctors said that the only chance was a bone marrow transplant that had a higher chance of killing her instead of helping her. Anna was genetically made, meaning she was made with the same genes as Kate. Whenever Kate needed something, Anna would supply her with it. However, when Anna turns 13, she no longer wants to be a donor for her sister. Kate, needs a kidney, but Anna doesn't want to give her something that she may need in the future. She also doesn't want to give a kidney because of the side effects and the activities she would have to give up. So, Anna files a lawsuit trying to get medical emancipation from her parents.

While I was reading the book, I wondered what the social impact of genetic engineering would be. When I finished the book, I looked up an article about the social impact. The article stated that there are many problems with genetic engineering in kids. They said that it was against nature's laws.  The problem with genetic engineering is that creating a child for your needs, is not the best way for your child to live. In the novel, Anna was created to help save her sister's life and she doesn't want to do it anymore, for the reasons above. (Attached is the article)

If I were a critic and I was reviewing and rating the book, I would rate in five stars. I would choose five stars because of the content and the way the book was written. The book, uses chapters that switch from person to person. By switching from person to person, it makes the book more interesting and it keeps the reader hooked. The content of the book is interesting because no one would expected a 13-year old girl to go to a "big-time" lawyer to sue her parents. The book had multiple setting changes and it had great dialogue between the characters. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in just a good read, and to anyone who wants to think hard and be crushed that there prediction was wrong.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/social-impact-of-genetic-engineering.html