Focusing on resiliency

       Ishmael does have resiliency throughout the book right now. The tips that he is using is he takes decisive actions which means he's taking control of his situation. Before he makes a decision he thinks about it and talks about it with his brothers. I have applied this to my life by have a situation and not knowing what to do and asking myself how to answer this and then when I don't know i ask my mom and we discuss what I could do about it or say.
       I think we all could apply this more to our lives because sometimes when we get a situation we don't even think about what we are going to say and do and then when we say it or do it it doesn't come back in the best results because we weren't patient in that situation. In the book A long way gone another tip he used was he accepted the change, he accepted that the rebels or war were takin place and he is going to keep pushing and pushing to try not to give up on his family ad there life. He was determined.
       Ishmael also keeps things in perspective, when something bad is happening he tries not to think about it, but tries to think in a positive way put right now its hard to to get these crazy images out of his head of all the adults and kids dead in the village. I think we could apply this to our lives, we always focus on the negative things in life. And I think this is another second wasted not being positive. In war there are many ways to think negative but all Ishmael is trying to do is survive and think about the memories he has with is family. He just keeps his head positive and says he can wait to see his parents. A quote that shows a positive thought " I have a feeling that we will find our families, or at least news of them" (Beah, 189). This shows that these boys are not giving up and even in this really rough time they are still staying positive, which is really hard to do if there is a war in your town. I have learned just by reading this that I shouldn't complain because a lot of people have it worse than I do in there situation.

Memoir Partner discussion

Questions we discussed about our book

       In my book the conflict has definitely emerged, the rebels have made it to the town. The rebels are going to the town and killing people and kids quickly. Everywhere you look there are people fleeing as fast as they can to try to get away from the killers. Already, where ever they look there's body's and blood everywhere.

      The kids first thought was they should go back in town to try to find food and money, but all they could remember seeing is a town with friends and familiar people dead. In chapter 2 there was a large description of the scene, it says, "The breeze brings the faint cries of those whose last breaths the faint cries of those whose lat breaths are leaving their mangled bodies. I walk past them. Their arms and legs are missing; their intestines sill out through the bullet holes in their stomachs; brain matter comes out of their noses and ears" (pg 42). After the kids did not find any money or food they decided to flee into the woods. Now in the book its Nature vs Self. They have to find food, water, and shelter to survive. Also at this time in the book it is also showing conflict as person vs person, which means nobody can trust anybody. They don't know if its the rebels or people from their village so its a main struggle to really trust anybody. So this means that there really by them self in finding food or shelter. Through out the book my question is will they trust one another and find what they need to survive the rebels?  

2 ways to make your writing better; what the author uses in Wintergirls

           While reading the book winter girls found a couple unique quotes from chapter 008.00. The two quotes use two main writing ideas, imagery and descriptive language. In the first quote the author uses imagery. When the author uses really good imagery this helps the reader really be the character and experience what the character is seeing and feeling. The quote that really describes the imagery says, "I bit the days off in rows, corn kernels that popped in my mouth and wedge between my teeth. Bite. Chew. Swallow. Again. Bite. Chew. Swallow. Again." (Anderson, 47). So why would the author add this? Well it helped me go into the characters shoes and helped me imagine what was happening.
Another quote that used figurative language says, " They stuffed me like a pink little piggy ready for market. They killed me with mushy apples and pasta worms and little cakes and marched out of the oven and lay down to be frosted" (Anderson, 47). I loved how the author used really good figurative language and it just really added amazing detail and you could see this in your mind all going on thats why I loved it so much. So I hope I use more figurative language and description in my writing because this adds so much amazing details. And I hope you do to because it adds a great elevation in your writing.

Authors Writing

            While I'm reading the book winter girls I'm getting an idea on how the author writes. The author uses a really unique way to describe how the character is feeling. The author really does a great job on putting the reader in the characters shoes. Some reasons why I really like her writing is because she uses similes and metaphors, and allusions. A page from the book that really shows the authors wonderful writing says "“I am the library aide who hides in Fantasy.
I am the circus freak encased in beeswax.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.
When I get close, they step back. The cameras in their eyeholes record the zit on my chin, the rain in my eyes, the blue water under my skin. They pick up every sound on their collar microphones. They want to pull me inside of them, but they’re afraid.
I am contagious"  (Laurie Halse Anderson, 35).

            This automatically made me go into the characters shoes. How would I feel if I was getting mistreated like this? How would I feel? And how is she going to handle this situation? This page and the authors writing made me want to keep reading and reading this book. And I can't wait to see what happens.

New Book

        So I just finished my book battlefield of the mind by: Joyce Meyer and  my sister suggested I Should read winter girls. She told me she couldn't put it down because it was amazing. My sisters not much of a reader and this was one of her favorite books she has read. she begged me to read it because this author has a great way So I'm not that far in the book so I wanted to look up the author and learn more about her.

       So the author is Laurie Anderson and a little summary I found says
"Laurie Halse Anderson is an American writer best known for children's and young adult novels. She received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2009 for her contribution to young adult literature. WikipediaAlso other information I found is she was...
Born: October 23, 1961 (age 53), Potsdam, NY
Awards: Golden Kite Award for FictionSpouse: Scot Larrabee (m. 2004), Gregory H. Anderson (m. 1983–2002)Parents: Joyce Holcomb, Frank Adams Halse Jr."

I am very excited to read this book and hopefully I will make you want to read it also!

BELOW I HAVE ONLY READ THE BOOK FEVER AND I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN I READ IT IN A FEW WEEKS




Books that she wrote:



Speak


1999



Wintergirls


2009



The Impossibl...


2014



Fever 1793


2000



Twisted


2007