The End Of Summer!:(

    Hey Guys! Yesterday I finished reading Dead End In Norvelt by Jack Gantos. That was my last book of the summer! Can you believe that Summer is already almost over? I can't! It seems like the summer has gone by so fast! Where as I'm excited to go back to school I'm not quite ready to give up my lazy days at the pool!
   Anyway, back to the book! Dead End In Norvelt is absolutely the most boring book I have ever read! It has taken me so long to finish this book, the reason being that I just didn't like it! The only things about the book that were interesting were the main characters weird problem with nosebleeds and the occasional history lesson given about Norvelt and its founder, Eleanor Roosevelt.
   In the last blog I gave my readers some vocabulary word to figure out. Here are these vocabulary words and their definitions.
  
.Sly- stealthy,insidious, or secret
.Slat- a long, thick, and narrow piece of wood,metal,etc..
.obit- An abbreviation for the word obituary which is a recording of a death.
.Sublime- elevated or lofty in thought, language, etc..
.veneration- The feeling of awe or respect.


   That concludes my final blog for the summer and I can't wait to see everyone  at school!


      ~Savannah K:)

End of Summer Reading!

  Hey Guys! So yesterday I went to get my schedule and I am really excited about my classes this year! I have a lot of classes with my friends so it should be really fun! Even know school is starting soon, summer isn't quite over and our summer reading project is still in the process! Currently, I am about half way through my third and final book of the summer. If you can remember from my last post I am reading Dead End In Norvelt  by Jack Gantos.
   At first I really liked this book and found things that the main character and I had in common, but now I am really starting to dislike Dead End In Norvelt. The whole book is about this kid getting in trouble! First he got in trouble for playing with his dads riffle and now he's in trouble for plowing down his mom's cornfield. The weird thing about it though is that his dad told him to plow down the corn. Obviously his mom and his dad didn't have a joint agreement! The only interesting thing that has happened is that Jack(the main character) has to help an elderly next door neighbor write obituaries for the town newspaper and this next door neighbor is quite cooky. For example, she covers her hands in hot wax that burns her flesh! Now to me that is really crazy!
    Even know this book hasn't been too exciting,  I have learned some interesting vocabulary words! Heres a list just to give you an idea of some words that I have learned.


  1.kilter
  2.sly
  3.slats
  4.obit
  5.sublime
and
   6.veneration


I would like to play a little game with these words. I will blog again in about a week or so and in that blog I will include the definitions to these words. Until then, you can try to figure out what these words mean and check your definitions in my blog next week. Thanks for reading my blog and have a great rest of the summer!


            Happy Reading
              ~Savannah:)

Dead End In Norvelt!

  Hey Guys! I have started reading my third book of the summer. I ended up choosing "Dead End in Norvelt" over "Epic" because over the school year I read many books similar to "Epic" and I have decided to try to read different genres of books. So far Dead End In
Norvelt is Nonfiction because the events that occur could happen in real life while Epic was definitely a fictional story.
  I started reading "Dead End In Norvelt" around last week but I really didn't get in to the book until this morning. I'm not feeling well today so I can't really get out and about like I usually do, so I decided to take today as an opportunity to get caught up with my summer reading. But I'm not the only one reading this Summer! The main character in my book, Jack, loves to read! We may not read the same types of books but we do share a common interest of reading. Jacks father was in the Navy, so Jack likes to read about wars throughout history.
  Jack also likes to watch movies about wars and play with things his dad brought back from war such as his dads Binoculars that were picked up in a battle in Japan. Jack isn't supposed to touch things like the binoculars but he usually does anyway! Jack seems like a pretty normal kid, right? Well, he's got a problem that's not exactly normal! Whenever he gets excited, scared, or startled in any way blood spews out of his nose! He can barely ever go one day with out having a nosebleed! That's is one thing that Jack and I do not have in common! I have never even had a nosebleed while he gets them almost everyday!
  So far I'm enjoying this book and even finding things that the main character and I have in common! So if anybody is looking for a good book to read, I would recommend " Dead End in Norvelt". Happy reading!


~Savannah:)

End of Book Number 2

    Hey Guys! I just finished Chains and I highly recommend it to everyone! It was full of action and suspense as well as some knowledge about Patriots and Loyalists when America was trying to become its own country. If you read my last blog post you may remember that Isabel is the main character in the book. She is a slave that is owned by wealthy and powerful loyalists who are quite harsh when it comes to Isabel's work around the house. If Isabel wants to please her masters she had better never make any mistakes!
   Sure, Isabel lives in a house of Loyalists, but that doesn't make her one! Thats right, Isabel supports the rebel army! She shows her supports too by doing things such as delivering messages form rebels to other rebels through out the town. Now the question is, will she get caught by her masters who don't put up with any disobedience from slaves, or will she be able to continue to support the rebels without getting into any trouble? To find out the answer you'll have to read the book!
    Not only does Isabel have to worry about getting caught by her harsh masters but also about reuniting with her only family left, her sister Ruth. Her masters sent Ruth away to live with other people in the Rhode Island because they thought Ruth was a child of the devil. They thought this because Ruth sometimes had small periods of time where she couldn't stop shaking, and these happened a lot! Maybe Isabel will think of a plan to get to to Ruth and escape her masters but, will it work or will she get caught and punished? To find out read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.
    Now that I am done reading Chains I am moving on to Epic by Conor Kostick. Before I start reading  this book  I would really like to know if its good or not, so if you have read Epic leave me a comment and tell me if you liked it or not. Thanks for reading and have a great rest of the summer!
     


   ~Savannah:)

My 2nd book of the summer!

Hey guys! So, right now I am on my second book of the summer. The book I chose is "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson. I chose this book as one of my summer reading books because it includes two subjects that interest me. These subjects are slavery and the issues that occurred when America was trying to break away from England and become its own country.
I have learned a lot about the life of slaves during this time period. The main character, Isabel, struggles the emotional hardships of the death of her parents as well as her sister being separated from her. On top of all of that she is constantly working and being criticized my her harsh master. I can not imagine a life like this! Can you? Isabel must be very strong emotionally to survive this life!
This book reminds me of another book I read last summer. That book is "Elijah of Buxton". These two books relate because both main characters, Isabel and Elijah, would do anything to protect their friends and family when times get tough. Isabel always tried to protect her little sister Ruth before they were separated, and after their separation she constantly thinks of possible ways to reconnect with her. And as for Elijah, he does anything to make sure his friends are happy and his family stays safe. But wait, "Chains " also relates to another book. This book is "Fever 1793" . These books relate because they're both informational books about the past and are written by the same author!
In conclusion, I would like to say that "Chains" is a great book and everybody should read it. I can't wait to finish it and see how Isabel's story ends. Happy blogging and have a great summer everyone!!

~ Savannah:)

My Challenge Book Blog

   Hey guys! Today I finished my first book of the summer! The book I chose is The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez which will serve as my challenge book. I chose this book as my challenge book because it focuses on the communist revolution  in Cuba, in which before reading this book I knew nothing about. I usually read fiction books such as The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner so it was nice to switch it up and learn about something new. Not only was this book a challenge but it was also really fun to read! I loved this book so much that instead of jumping into the pool today, I sat in a lounge chair and read the day away! So if you're looking for a good book to read this Summer I definitely recommend this book.

   The Red Umbrella takes you through the heart wrenching story of fourteen-year-old Lucia, her younger brother Frankie, as well as her parents and the many hardships the family faces. This book takes place in 1961 after the communist revolution where a man named Castro and his soldiers are trying to change Cuba for what they think is for the best. While many people agree with Castro's ideas there are a few people who don't, but if they tried to disagree with him they could face huge consequences like being arrested or possibly even death. Many of the freedoms people held were taken away by Castro. When Lucia's family feels it is too dangerous for her and her brother to remain in Cuba, they are sent to the US where they will live until their family reunites with them. But that's the thing, will they reunite? Will Castro's revolution end? Will the Cubans ever regain their lost freedoms? To find out the answer to these questions and about the Cuban revolution read The Red Umbrella .

     As you can now see this book is really interesting and informative but also it helps you learn a little Spanish along the way. Since the family in the book is Cuban, their language is Spanish and the book includes some Spanish words and phrases plus a dictionary to define them. For example vida means life and pecera means fishbowl.
       The next book I plan on reading is Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. It has won many awards and was written by the author of Fever 1793 which is one of my favorite books, so i have a good feeling that I will like this book. That concludes this blog post and thanks for reading!


     ~ Savannah:)

    

Hey Guys! So, I usually read at least three books over the summer anyways but I am excited about getting to blog about my readings and read other peoples blogs. There are so many good books on the list that I haven't even decided which ones to read first but I am sure I will find one that I love.  It seems when I start to read a good book I just can't seem to put it down! Here are some sure-fire ways to tell when I am reading a good book!

• Instead of diving into the pool or taking a dip in the ocean, I am sitting in a lounge chair reading.
• In between events at swim meets I am snuggled up in my towel reading
• I stay up way too late  at night cuddled up in my warm blankets and reading for hours straight!

As you can tell from the list above, when I am reading a really good book, it shows. Some people are amazed at how I get so absorbed in books! My family has even gave me the nickname "bookworm" which is actually a very fitting name for me!   This summer I see a lot of trips to the book store or the library in my future! Thanks for reading my first blog and I look forward to seeing everyone's blogs this summer!
                                            
    - Happy Reading!
         Savannah