Character: Happyface

The main character in the book Happyface refers to himself simply as "Happyface" and this is also what all of his friends call him. Happyface is given a chance to start over when his family moves to a new town, and he takes that chance, completely remodeling who he is. He went from nerd to big shot, because, as he says," Sometimes you've got to fake it 'til you make it." This is definitely advice that Happyface follows throughout his story. His strategy to become 'cool' is to smile all the time and see if he can make friends. He starts out being quite successful, attracting the girl of his dreams. This shows Happyface's uncanny ability to poke fun at himself while he tells his story in his diary.

At first, Happyface loves his new life, making friends all over the place, and they all think he's super chill, because he shows that he is, but he soon gets too involved in some situations, and is not able to get himself out in time. Happyface soon finds into some situations uncomfortable to him, due to his lack of social experience, and soon learns that just smiling cannot solve all of his problems. Happyface feels bad for getting too involved in these people's lives so he decides to leave them alone.

But they need him!

These people realize that after all, we all do need someone in our lives that is just always happy. We all need a light in our lives to show us that it gets better, and we all have the opportunity to improve our lives in this way. Happyface has taught me this, and i now live my life in a different way because of him, and my life is better because of it. Below I have posted a link to a website that talks about Happyface and his endeavors.

Happyface

Happyface Author: Stephen Emond

I recently started re-reading one of my favorite books of all time: Happyface by Stephen Emond. Stephen Emond is one of my favorite authors, not only because of his writing, but because of the artwork he includes in his stories. Happyface in particular is written n a diary format, so on each diary entry, along with a date, there is a small drawing depicting what is going on in the story. But enough about Happyface, this post is about Stephen, so let's talk about Stephen.

Stephen Emond is an interesting author in the fact that he draws out the story as well as telling it. On his blog, he mentions that started out drawing comic books in middle school, and in his youth focused solely on drawing, wanting to grow up to be a comic book writer. let me tell you, though, Stephen is a fine author as well. He does indeed excel at drawing, so it's good he enjoys that, but his writing skills are superb. I admore his creative ability, while at the same time, remaining relatable. He often writes about the same kind of guy; a somewhat depressed teen who wants to turn their life around, and does it in an interesting way.

In Happyface, the main character is depressed, as I said, but moves to a new town and decides he will jus slap a smile on and try to make friends. And it works. Emond says, "Cute girls dig him. He even ha his own fan club." which perfectly describes the character. Stephen Emond findsa way to tell the same story multiple times while still keeping it fresh and modern, and the illustrations help with this. Stephen Emond now resides in Connecticut and continues writing and drawing in his daily life. A link to his website is below(aptly named, I might add), so that you may find out more about this talented young author.

http://www.stephenemond.com/about/

Young Adult Fiction

In this post I will be examining a genre that I tend to read a lot: Young Adult Fiction (YAF). As a self proclaimed expert of this genre, I have noticed some trends in these types of books and would love to share them with you, so as to enlighten you all. Basically, what I've notice is that there are really two types of young-adult fiction nowadays. The first of which includes some sort of forsaken society where a young hero discovers that only have the power to save the world. The other story would be the simple romance, where a troubled guy meets a troubled girl, he charms her and they fall in love. Now sometimes, the best writers can ash up these two ideas and create an action-romance novel, which teens seem to just adore(i.e. Twilight, Hunger Games, etc.)

The simple romance story has been around for a while, dating back to back to the 16th century, when William Shakespeare wrote the famous story of star-crossed lovers: Romeo and Juliet. Now that may be a play, not a "young adult fiction novel, but it is literature nonetheless. romeo an Juliet is the classic tale of star crossed lovers, copied hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times in history. What happens is we see  story we like, but there is a detail that we think isn't quite right, so we rewrite the story  to our own liking. This seems to be a common theme: copying old works and making them new and fresh. For example, Disney put lions into centuries-old Hamlet and made a blockbuster hit: the Lion King. That's all writing is, I believe, is taking old stories and tailoring them to fit our beliefs. Another fine example of how history repeats itself.

The other type of writing in YAF has been around much longer than romance. Dating back to 700 BC, the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey of Ancient Greece tell similar stories to those we see today. "Unsuspecting Hero saves the world" is very popular, almost as popular as the story of the underdog, Cinderella, or the dark horse. We saw it in Ancient Greece and we see t now, as recently as in 2011 when the Harry Potter "Era" came to an end. But there's one thing: the era is not over. Believe it or not, there will be another Harry Potter, because there always is. He might not be the unsuspecting boy-wizard in glasses with the lighting bolt scar, but he (or she) will have their own attribute that make them special and lovable. We will have more heroes to look forward to until readers stop reading and writers stop writing.

Columnist Research: LEGOS!

It is a well-known fact that Legos are very popular among children, and even some young adults. In her article titled, "Locking into the Magic of Legos", Krista Ramsey goes deep inside to discover what ignites this fascination with building blocks. I have provided a link so you too, can discover what i shall soon discuss:  

Locking into the Magic of Legos

My favorite line in the piece is, "They're in a world beyond learning objectives and select soccer, safely out of reach of arranged play dates and online language programs," basically what she says in this sentence is that the kids, when they play with Legos, are in a world of their own, free from distraction, and focused on one thing only: building. When a child first builds a set of Legos, there is little creativity involved, but it is the possibilities after it is built that truly make legos the creative tools they are. In her article, you can tell that Ramsey truly believes in what she is writing, and you can see this in the way she writes the piece. She most likely does this because she knows she must seem credible to her audience, which she does, to me at least. If a columnist wasn't credible, no one would read them.

Ramsey's writing style, in a word, is confident. As I said before, she stands by what she writes and she probably loves what she does. She goes into depth by incorporating not only a few details, but many. this can be seen in the second paragraph of her article, when she says, "Some sit cross-legged on the floor, doing homework. Some talk quietly to a friend or have a snack. Others check their mothers' watches somewhat compulsively. Many have been waiting with their parents for as long as two hours." She obviously did her research and attended this event to figure out what exactly she needed to say to describe the scene.

If I had the chance to ask this master of the pen a few questions, I would first ask her about how she became the columnist she is today. "How did you get the point you are in your life today?" the next question I would ask her would be, "Are you happy with your life as a columnist?" because if you're doing something, in my opinion, you should love it every day.  The third and final question I would have for Krista would be how to develop a signature writing style? I feel like the way I write things is pretty generic and would like to possibly make some changes, which I have been experimenting lately, as you avid readers of this blog may have noticed lately, with the way I write these posts, but I'm still not quite satisfied, so I would ask her how to change that.

Divergent Text to Text Connections

Since I have started reading Divergent  by Veronica Roth, I have noticed some striking similarities between this and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, so I have decided to make some text to text connections.

 First off, Dystopia! Who would have thought that dystopian society would be such a popular subject for young adults? Perhaps it is the idea that 'things get better even in the worst of times' or 'Everyone can contribute to society' or maybe even 'Girls run the world',but i think we just enjoy the disaster and destruction of it all, an seeing they cope with issues clearly bigger than our own of,"Oh no, I forgot to do my Homework!"

This brings me to another area of similarity; Girls. Why girls? Generally in fiction, the male takes the hero role, while a girl may be a secondary friend of he hero, they are never THE hero. Just think of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, and you know this to be the truth. Despite this, as of late, the girls have been dominating he bookshelves everywhere as the heroes, or heroine as they call it(which is spelled very similarly to a certain fatal drug, I've noticed). Perhaps his is a feminist movement, after all both books were written by women, but then again, so was Harry Potter (JK Rowling). I'm not trying to sexist or anything here, but I justfind it interesting, and I can't help but wonder what has cause this...

 A final trend I have noticed within these young adult novels is that there must be a romance. Even despite the killing and destruction, there is always a guy that the girl doesn't think she deserves, for Katniss it's Peeta (and Gale) and for Tris, it's Four. This could be one of the reasons that young women in particular are setting aside Nicholas Sparks to read these books. They would be missing the romance if it weren't for these moments, and it is most likely the authors way of appealing to broader audience. The author may also be appealing to that same audience by having a female main character, showing that girls can do the same thing a male character can.

Below is a link to the Washington Post's comparison of the two novels, as well as the films.
Divergent Hunger Games Comparison

Divergent: Setting

     A book I recently began reading is Divergent by Veronica Roth. It was recommended to be by my sister, who is quite the avid reader. I decided to check it out, since she has read the entire 3-part series, and loved all of the books. Veronica Roth opens in a scene similar to he way that Suzanne Collins opens The Hunger Games; the day something big is going to happen for a female main character. Unlike the Hunger Games, everyone is chosen for the task Tris must complete. The task is to complete a series of personality based tests to decide which 'faction' they belong in. The test will tell you where you belong, but ultimately it's up to you. Sometimes the test can be indecisive and tell you that you may belong in more than one faction.     This is what they call Divergent.
    Being that this is a book, that tells a story, the main character, Tris is divergent. The test tells her that she could choose three of the five factions and be fine. the five factions are the Abnegation: the selfless, Candor: the honest, Amity: the peaceful, Erudite: the intelligent, and dauntless: the brave. Tris is told she belongs in either Abnegation, her home faction where she was raised, Candor, or Dauntless. Tris has always been fascinated in the way the dauntless behave and how they dress. Being that she is selfless, she doesn't really care much about in her appearance, in fact she is only allowed to look in the mirror twice a year. She dreams of being dauntless, and dressing in black leather, getting tattoos, and climbing buildings, how exciting! At the choosing ceremony, the day after the test, her brother decides to leave his home faction, so she decides she could too. She becomes Dauntless and is taken away for training in the dauntless lifestyle.
    Below is a video trailer of the recent movie made based on the book Divergent. In the trailer, you can really see how the book will come to life, and see what they're world is really like

Book Recommendations: The Office of Mercy

The Office of Mercy, by Ariel Djanikian, is a book a read quite a while ago. The premise is that there is a post apocalyptic society, called America 5, that is controlling is civilians to do what the selfish leaders say. The office of mercy is a department within America 5 that deals with outsiders who don't live up to the standards of society. A girl named Natasha, who works in the Office of Mercy, is getting fed up with the office's actions. She starts a rebellion to save the outsiders and forms unbelievable relationships with the outsiders. I really enjoyed reading this book and imagining what i would do in such a society, or what my role would be. I would probably be neutral and watch as the action progressed. Below  is a picture of the cover of the book; analyzing it deeper,  i see the helmet with the glass visor broken. This is an element of foreshadowing in the book. THis busted helmet also symbolizes how the outdoors are seen as unsafe in the book. The citizens of America 5 see the outdoors as being dirty, and fille with disease, so when Natasha wishes to go outside, she is seen as being a bit strange.

Analysis: Light

As I read this book and it draws to a close, i can analyze the authors thoughts and the flow of the story better than ever before. I have no idea if Michael Grant knew everything that was going to happen in  this six part series when he first started writing, but i do know that he wrote it impeccibly. THe flow of ideas and the twists and turns throughout the plot make you want to keep reading forever. its like there isnt a good place to stop, except at the very end. These books have kept my attention for nearly three years now and it will be hard to say goodbye to the kids in Perdido Beach, but at least ill know they're safe.

Characters: Light

Because there are so many different characters in the book, Light, by Michael Grant, it is so hard to pick just one to describe. The book follows multiple different story lines, showing many growths in characterization. It is sometimes hard to remember who's who in such a situation. For instance, two very similar characters, Brianna and Brittney, are on opposite sides of the conflict, but have very similar personalities. Both are young girls trying to survive in the FAYZ, with their extraordinary powers. The two girls hate each other with a deep passion, and end up nearly killing each other. The one thing about Brittney that stands out is that she is not always herself. She has an 'alter-ego' in a sense, named Drake, only that Drake was once a real person too. Due to radioactive issues from a nuclear power plant, the two were fused together and switch realities periodically. Neither of them enjoy the switching because hey cant control it, and it always seems to come at the worst times; in a battle while talking or doing something else important. Brianna often says she hates Drake even more than Brittney because Drake is crueler. He serves Gaia as a warrior, whereas Brittney serves as a messenger. The relationship between these three characters has been growing throughout the book and will continue to grow.

Theme & Summary: Light

The Book Light By Michael Grant is truly a great read. I have truly enjoyed reading this amazing series and the end to that series: Light. The Premise is that there has been a nuclear accident at the nearby power plant that created a dome with a 10 mile radius in every direction around the town of Perdido Beach, California. The dome is and impenetrable translucent martial that shocks you if you touch it.  Needless to say, the people inside are stuck. To make matters worse, all humans over the age of 15 have disappeared and are outside the dome. As a series of catastrophic events unfolds, heroes must rise and become leaders to help all the kids within the dome, which the characters have named the "FAYZ" or "Fallout Alley Youth Zone". In the book, the author basically tells that reader that struggles, no matter how catastrophic can always be overcome with bravey and synergism. In the end, all the survivors make it out of the FAYZ alive and great rejoice is had. Everyone is very excited and happy that the past is behind them and they can start a new life safe from  the evils they have escaped from within the dome. People are reunited with their families and those families whose children didnt survive are in remorse. It is a very predictable ending, but it is exactly what the reader wants to hear, and a great end to a great story.

Analysis: Light

The book I am currently reading is called Light by Michael Grant, which I have written about in my previous posts. Analyzing the text further, I can see the relationships of different characters better. Brothers Sam and Caine used to be enemies in the earlier books in the series, having many epic showdowns. In this edition of the Gone series, Sam and Caine have started to work together more to search for the enemy, Gaia. Sharing a common enemy helped them to get to know each other, and become greater friends and extend their brotherhood. I infer that in the end, the brothers will find Gaia, defeat her, and get out of the FAYZ and become even closer together.

Reading Skills: Light

I am once again writing about the book Light by Michael Grant. Currently in the book Sam and his brother Caine are out in the desert, looking for the enemy, Gaia. the way things ussually go in situations like this, are that the heroes find the enemy, slay them with great dificulty, but come out victorious. I predict the same thing will happen in this situation. They will find Gaia, but Caine will have a hard time fighting against her, because she is his daughter. I can infer this because this situation relates to another book many people have read, Harry Potter.  A text to text connection is in the last book of the Harry Potter Series, The Deathly Hallows, Harry and Voldemort have a final showdown but struggle to defeat eachother because they are connected. However, after the struggle, the hero comes out victorious. A text to self connection is that i also always seem to come out victorious, or at least be satisfied with the outcome of any situation. A text to world connection is that ussually in the world situations seem to resolve themselves. of course there arwe some instances when evil does prevail, but fortunately, for a majority of the time, good things happen.-

Theme and Summary: Waterfall

The Poem, Waterfall, is about the true beauty and serenity of nature, and the unexpected goodness in life. A group of people embarks on a short journey to see a waterfall. While they are there, the author meets up with a strange woman. They say they have seen each other in town before and have caught one another's eye. They stay a while longer to admire the beauty of the immaculate falls. This strongly supports the idea that you should never go planning everything out, because you never know what's going to happen. The character that thought they would take a short trip to the falls and back, but ended up spending quite some time appreciating the complexion of nature. I have added a link to the poem below so that you, too, may read it.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/10975917-Waterfall-by-HungryJack

Characters: Light

 

The book I am currently reading, Light, which I wrote about in my last post, is about kids struggling to make it through a tough time. In this tough time, leaders must be formed to help the kids feel some safety. One of the key character that the book focuses a lot of its time on is Sam. Before the FAYZ, (Fallout Aley Youth Zone) Sam was just a regular guy. He loved to surf and hang out with his best friend, Quinn. One of the most important things about Sam being a leader is that Sam was one of the first kids in the FAYZ to develop powers. Sam's power is that he can create light with his hands; he can shoot beams of light that will vaporize anything they touch, or he can create little balls of light that float in the air, which was very imortant, especially when the power went out in the city. Sam's role as a leader develops throught the Gone Series, from being the leader of his small 5 person group, to the entire town. At first he feels like he doesnmt really know what he is doing, but becomes a better leader and a better person.

New Plot Structure for Interlopers

To change the plot in The Interlopers, we decided to start the story by first flashing forward to when the tree fell on Ulrich and Georg, and then we told the reader that the wolves came. We then flashed back and introduced the story and told it in a fairly normal order, but we had conflict again before the became friends so that the end of the story was when they became friends, and it had a better, more telling ending. This benefits the plot structure in a huge way because the ending is more definite and it doesn't just leave the reader guessing what happened. Also, the new structure provides an element of mystery and tension in the beginning when the wolves come and make the reader want to read more about how that happened. We made the story easier to read by giving the reader more information than originally intended by the author.

Book Reccomendation: Gone Series

The book Light By Michael Grant is a book I have been waiting to read for a while. It is the last book in a six part series about a terrible catastrophe in a small town in California. All adults over the age of 14 has disappeared and a giant 10 mile high dome has been created to cover the entire area. At first, kids are confused as to what is happening, and anarchy sweeps across the FAYZ, as they call it, the Fallout Alley Youth Zone. The town in which the live is described as fallout alley because of the nuclear power plant on the far side of town. The kids soon discover that the power plant is the center of the dome, with a radius of 10  miles, and a terrible creature called The Gaiaphage that created the dome. The kids have to make key, life decisions at a very young age and young leaders must step up to help everyone through the struggle, which is really what this book is about maturity. Only in a terrible disaster should kids have to step up and fend for themsleves. Adults ought to help kids out before they mature themselves.

Text Structure

1) All three texts talk about an exposition before they get into the main point of the article

2) In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech he talked Bout how ridiculous it was that 100 years later they still weren't completely free

3) I could do this so they would know what's going on in my story

4) I can be able to connect text and structure and find a common message between them

Summer Reading

I would rate this book 6 out of 10 stars. The story was lacking characterization and key details in alot of places. Basically what happens is a guy named Clay loses his corporate job and goes job hunting. he finds a mysterious bookstore in San Francisco and gets a job there. As he works therre he discoveers the many secrets of the store and the secret society hidden inside.