Lizzie At Last By: Claudia Mills

This is my book review for April, although I'm a little late, sorry!

Significance: I think this book was really great, and it taught me some really great lessons. This was an important book for me to read because she is in middle school dealing with some things we are dealing with, too. I care because the author does a great job of making it relatable, whether you're her age and are going through exactly what's happening to her, or maybe you've just been in that sort of situation. It talks about a seventh grade girl named Lizzie who is trying to be herself but still get noticed, which is pretty much what we're all trying to do.

Perspective: This book was written in 3rd person. Maybe the author visited middle schools or interviewed middle schoolers (especially middle school girls) to find out what they're actually like, to make the book more realistic. Either that, or she probably has a daughter that's that age that she thinks is exactly like Lizzie. The book also involves a lot of Emily Dickinson things, so the author probably loved Emily Dickinson and tried to include her in her novel.

Evidence: I think the point the author is trying to make is that sometimes when we try to become popular, or try to get people to like us, we end up losing ourselves in the end. This reminds me of a quote that I love, which is 'I'd rather be hated for who I am than loved for someone I'm not'. I totally agree with that, and I think that when Lizzie started trying to become popular, she started to lose herself. Evidence of this would be, in parts of the book when she comes downstairs in her new, more 'normal' clothes, her mom reminds her that she seems like she's a different person, and in some parts says that she misses the Old Lizzie. And All of the students at the school notice that she's a complete different person. At many times in the book, she tries to stop herself from writing poetry, which is a big part of who she is. But at the end of the book, she finds herself and becomes comfortable in her own skin, while still being liked.

Connection: I can totally connect to this book in a lot of ways. I'm in seventh grade just like her, and I'm a girl! Plus I can admit that I've been embarassed because of my parents sometimes, just like her. In a lot of the book she is totally crushing on a guy named Ethan, and I can relate to that because I have totally been obsessed with certain guys at times in my life. But in the end, just like she did, you realize they aren't really worth your obsessing, but she still liked Ethan.

Supposition: If they hadn't made this book or I hadn't read it, I probably would be less comfortable in my own skin, because this book was really inspiring to be comfortable with yourself, and confident not being like everyone else. 

The View From Saturday By: E.L. Konigsburg

Significance: This book was really significant to me, because it talks about kids around our age, who don't act like the typical middle schooler (in a good way). They look deeply into things to find the true meaning of them, and they're really intelligent. Plus, they're only in 6th grade! I really felt a sense of connection, like I actually care about these people and what they're going through; the author is great. The author really tries to rip you away from your own life and get involved in theirs; he did a great job. It was a book that was really important and that I'll remember for a long time, for uniqueness, being funny, and great writing.

Perspective: The perspective of the book changes a lot, actually. In some chapters it's from Mrs. Olinski's point of view, in some Nadia Diamondstein's, some Ethan's point of view, in some Noah's, and in some 3rd person. I think the author did a great job of linking these perspectives although they're totally different people. I think maybe E.L. Konigsburg might have a handicapped friend that helped her create the character for Mrs. Olinksi (or maybe she herself is handicapped). Or, maybe she is or was a middle school teacher, and if she wasn't, she must've visited middle schools to see what the kids' behavior was like.


Evidence: I think the argument being made is that not all public middle school students are obnoxious and inconsiderate. There are a lot of children in Mrs. Olinski's classroom that definitely don't behave like 'angels', but there are a lot who are really sweet; most being The Souls (Nadia, Julian, Ethan, and Noah). They're really kind, really smart, and never are mean/obnoxious and inconsiderate to anyone. A fact to support her argument is the effort she makes to show us how direspectful some students in her class are. For example, one major jerk Hamilton Knapp tried to poison Nadia's dog because he was jealous. Plus, he has his whole crew, and the insident where they wrote 'CRIPPLE' on the blackboard during lunch. (Mrs. Olinski is handicapped) It also shows that even the bad guys can have good parts too, for example she was about to pick Hamilton Knapp for the team because he really was smart and hardworking, but after the dog insident she knew she just couldn't pick him.

Connection: I connect to this story a lot because, I'm in middle school. Plus the author made you feel big sense of connecting with them, even though they aren't real. It was really great writing. Plus I'm a girl, like Nadia (haha). And I have a pet, too. Plus, I also have some kind of obnoxious kids in my class.


Supposition: My life probably wouldn't be very different if I never read this book or it wasn't published, but I guess this has made me realize how hard middle school can be in some situations. And how disrespectful people can be to handicapped people, so I should be more respectful after hearing about what things Mrs. Olinski went through.

Speak By: Laurie Halse Anderson

Significance: The main character, Melinda goes to a crazy party at the end of summer and calls the police which soon makes everyone hate her, so the book is all kind of about her life after that. I think this is important because the author makes you feel crazy, like that could happen to you, that your entire life could totally change because of one night, the author is sooo good at making you feel the pain Melinda is constantly going through.


Perspective: I think maybe something like that happened to the author when she was a good because she seems to be so good at making you feel like Melinda is a real person and that's actually happening. Or, she probably went to a lot of teenage girls in different areas and found out how they would say things, how to write in a realistic perpective of them, how they actually feel, so they could put some of that on paper to create her character.


Evidence: I think the argument that's being made is Melinda has definitely changed a lot since freshman year, and she needs something to help her change and go back to a bit of the person she was before. The evidence is the way she talks, expresses herself (rarely) the way she doesn't care, hardly speaks, and how her only friend (a new student who wasn't at the party) ditched her to hang out with some preppy club, and left her and her depressing, muddy thoughts and attitude to sit alone at lunch; she has no friends, and basically no life.


Connection: I'm not sure if this connects to me in particular, but it definitely connects to the real world. I bet a lot of teens go to insane parties just like that all the time, and a lot of them have probably been in her position, confused, reckless and left with an 'I don't care' attitude. She actually sounds like she'd be a real teen (a really emo one.) I think things like that have happened in the past, and the author probably went to high school with someone like Melinda. It could affect the future, because maybe a teen could read this and not go partying to much, or a despressed teen could read this and try to change.


Supposition: My life might be a little different if I never read this story. I think this story kind of reached out to me because I actually kind of understood the main characters language, and her story was really, really sad and deep. It seemed so true, too; if that ever happened to me, I don't know what I'd do. If I changed part of the problem in this book, let's say, her problem wasn't that everyone hated her, it's that everyone loved her too much and she needed space, maybe? Well If i did that, the book would totally change, probably even have a different title, because the whole book and all her actions and her personality are basically based on everyone hating her/her having no friends. I probably wouldn't like it as much.

Brige to Terabithia By: Katherine Paterson

Significance: I chose this book because the summary on the back looked really good, and it got in award so it must be good. :) I think what the author is trying to say in this book is no matter how old you are you can still act like a kid, and have an imagination, which is exactly what Jesse and Leslie do. And even though they're in fifth grade, and most people their age would act way older than they are and not play around and image, they created their own imaginary world. And as times got hard and life got complicated, Terabithia became their getaway, their own spot to be the rulers, where life stayed simple.


Perspective: This book was created by Katherine Paterson. I think it was written in maybe the 1980's, because of some of the text, such as how little Jesse's family members got for christmas (or at least a little in our world) and how each child only got one gift. The clothes they wore also suggested it, and Jesse's bad grammar and slang was much more normal back then than now-a-days.

Evidence: I think the argument that's being made is that not all bullies are actually bad people, they've just had some unlucky things happen to them; there's always a reason that someone treats you that way. In Jesse and Leslie's case, their bully was abused at home, and that's why she treated everyone so badly. But once Leslie started to comfort the bully in hard times, they created some sort of a bond, and they saw through the bully's tough image. I know this is fact not opinion because at lots of different times the author explained that the bully was abused, and then that she was opening up much more, and becoming much more friendly once Leslie started understanding her situation, and not judging her.


Connections: I think this work connects to the real world because there are many people in the world like Jesse and Leslie, who are best friends with different family situations (siblings, wealth, etc.) plus, a lot of kids use their imagine and create things like they did with Terabithia.


Supposition: If i hadn't read this book, I'd probably be more scared to use my imagination and create things, because people would think I'm imature or something. I mean, I am imature, but ya know... Plus, if I hadn't read this, I don't think I would've realized how lucky I am to be in my current situation. When I look at Jesse's family and how little they have, but how thankful he is for all he has, it makes me feel terrible. And it shows me how much I should be grateful for what I have and not take it for granted.

The Face on the Milk Carton By: Caroline B. Cooney

Significance
I chose this piece because it seemed like a mystery, and many peolpe have said they really enjoyed it; as I said in my last review I'd really enjoy reading more mysteries. The Face On The Milk Carton was a really fun, suspenseful, and interesting book and even though the ending was really annoying (because it was soo suspenseful!) it was a fun book overall. I think what inspired this piece was the author seeing a milk carton? So maybe he just created this idea in his mind, and then Jennie Spring came into his imagination, and the book began.

Perspective
This book was made by Caroline B. Cooney. I'm pretty sure it was written in the 90's, judging by the art, the language, the trends, the names, and etc. These books are probably more appealing to high schoolers, or middle schoolers because elementary school students might have trouble understanding them.

Evidence
I think an argument the author is trying to make, is that not all families that come off absolutely perfect really are as perfect as they seem. When I was little I always wanted my family to be, like 'magazine-perfect' but I guess I've realized that's impossible; plus everything in magazines are fake. :D Janie, the main character lived in a cute house with a cute, perfect family, as an only child and no one suspected anything about them was suspicious at all. Not even Janie herself. But then she discovered some weird things about her past and that changed. The facts the author used to support the argument were the book always talking about the Johnson (I think that's how you spell it) family in an absolutely perfect way, talking about Janie's perfect red curls, her sweet mother and father, and all of her best friends. Blah blah blah. But then towards the middle and end of the book he shows us other parts of their lives, he talks about Hannah (The one who kidnapped Janie, who was her parents' troubleed daughter) and so on.

Connection
This book and its situations apply to my life because I have a lot of neighbors who seem really perfect, but this book has showed me that no one's perfect, and a lot of things aren't what they seem like at a first glance. Nobody's perfect, but we can still try to be good. :D I think my attitude and actions affect myself because I can always strive to be perfect, and get upset when I'm not, but that gets you nowhere and I've learned to just do my best. I think this piece really inspires me to read sequels and companions to it, because there are a lot of companions to this book that I haven't read (well, I haven't read any of them, but you know what I mean. haha) Plus, this is the only Caroline B. Cooney book I've read, so I hope I'll be reading a lot more of her work this year.

Supposition
Based on this information, I'm pretty sure Janie (the main character) will talk to her real parents and figure something out with them, considering the finale of this book was her talking to her real mom on the phone. There are, I think two or three other books after this, so she's bound to talk to her parents in one of them. If this event never happened, I don't think life would be different at all. Well, maybe authors wouldn't be as inspired to write mystery novels as they are now if they're inspired by this author? :D And I wouldn't have my reading done.

The Box Car Children: The Lighthouse Mystery By:Gertrude Chandler Warner

Significance
I chose this piece because it really looked like a fun book to read, plus I love the author and all of the Box Car Children books. They're really unique, and cute. Plus, I love how it involves solving mysteries! A real world situation using these concepts would just be, if you were in a bit of a fishy situation you'd look into it and work together to solve it! It's a subject that applies to a lot of everyday activity, I think. I think maybe what inspired this piece was the author experiencing something that he wasn't really sure about, (a 'mystery') or maybe he's just really into old mystery books and he wanted to create something like that. Also, maybe he went through a situation like this and wanted to reflect on it, like a diary sort of, with the truth bent a little (you usually have to, to write a good story.)

Perspective
This book was made by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I think this book was written around the 1940's or 50's, by looking at the way they dressed, the things they did (trends change), and the way they spoke. I think maybe these books are more appealing to a younger age group, but not too young, or they probably wouldn't be able to understand them. At my age, they're a little cheesy and maybe the humor is too 'young' for 7th grade; but that's just my opinion. So I think this book is probably interpreted in different ways if you're younger, seeing as you probably wouldn't be able to understand a lot of it.

Evidence
I think the argument the author is trying to make, is that not all people that come off mean really are mean human beings. There were two characters in this book (Larry Cook and his father) and they were both very cross and glum at the beginning, but once Larry started befriending the Box Car Children, and the father began to open up a little, they were really, really nice people. It just takes a little time getting to know them. The facts the author used to support their argument, were at the beginning when they let us know that Larry Cook wanted very badly to go to college, but his father really didn't support the idea, to the extent that he wouldn't let him, no mater how much he (Larry) asked. Obviously, Larry was very upset about his father's attitude, so that created some tension between them, as well as everyone else. I support my thoughts by evidence of text in the book, where the author tells you that Larry and his father were not friendly to anyone, and the Box Car Children were even a bit scared of them both by their gruff, unfriendliness. It's very safe for me to assume what the author was saying was that at the beginning of the book they were very cross, unfriendly people.

Connection
This work applies to my own life, because there have been many people in my life that I don't get a good impression of, but it just takes some getting to know them, and they're actually really nice people. Most of the time you just need to take the time to let them open up. I don't really think my opinion would affect anyone else, because most of them are in my situation and would agree with me, and I don't think my opinion is very offensive at all. Hopefully it just makes those unfriendly people feel better. I think my attitude and actions affect myself because I used to not really give people I didn't get good impressions of a second chance, but I guess I've sort of seen passed that, and realized that most of the time they're nice people. I think this piece would definitely inspire me to read more mystery books in the future because I liked this one so much, and it was about a mystery. This is probably only the first or second mystery book I've ever read, so it's really opened me up to a lot of other reading options.

Supposition
Based on this information, I think I can predict that the Box Car Children will solve many more mysteries, and they'll hopefully continue visiting the lighthouse throughout future summers. In this piece, I think I would've enjoyed it a lot more if the language was a bit more sophisticated, or the level was a bit more advanced. It's just too easy to follow sometimes. If I applied this to a new situation, I don't think it would change much, because in every book they solve a mystery, and that's what happened in this one. So if you changed, for example, the mystery, or where they were located, etc. it wouldn't change it too much. Life wouldn't be different at all, I think if this event never happened. Well, maybe if there was some really old person who was obsessed with the Box Car Children and worshiped it or something, they'd cry or something, but that's about it.