Daughter of Blood and Starlight

Karou is in the angel/demon world and is resurrecting demons. Akiva, the angel who loves her even though she's a demon, thinks she's dead. He soon rethinks that when angels are murdered and starts helping save demons in the hopes that Karou will forgive him. Karou's human friends are worried about her and start looking for her. Karou isn't accepted by the demons and longer and she hates Akiva.

I learned the term bulbous. Bulbous means fat or bulging. Her waist was bulbous is an example of that term. Bulbous was used with lying in my book. The White Wolf was lying to Karou about her safety, but there was nothing she could do but accept his offer because he's the only demon that is even remotely friendly to her, even if he is a bit of a pedophile.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chapters 1-5) then (chapters 6-9)

At the beginning, Harry doesn't know that he's a wizard and Hagrid must reveal his secret to him. Harry is excited that he gets to leave the family he was with. In the next chapters, Harry goes shopping with Hargrid and meet the Weasleys. That's where chapter 9 left off.

I made a text to text connection. The Witch and Wizard series is a lot like Harry Potter. The main characters don't know that they're wizards and must have it revealed to them. They're surprised and happy and start on the adventure of their lives.

The White Giraffe (Chapters 11-end)

The main character is still chasing the legend of the White Giraffe. When she finally finds him, she gets to ride him and becomes a good friend. They spend most nights together until her grandmother begins to suspect something is up. The main character reveals the giraffe to her grandmother and they become buddies and her grandmother treats her better. This is how the book ends.

I made a text to world connection. When people find amazing things, they share them with the world or their loved ones. Then their relationships become better and everything works out fine. These treasures are kept secret from the people who would use them wrongly and the world is made a slightly better place.

The White Giraffe (Chapters 1-10)

    The main character's parents were killed in a fire at the beginning of the book, so she has to go to Africa to live with her grandma who doesn't really tolerate children. While there, she hears of the White Giraffe, a legend that her grandmother tells her. She becomes obsessed with it and begins a long journey to find it. When she enters a cave, she meets a witchdoctor. That's where chapter 10 ends.

    I made a text to text connection. In the Red Pyramid, the two main characters chase a legend, desperately trying to find it. They meet many strange characters along the way and run into many road blocks. Both books are action-packed and well written.

Never Fade (Chapters 6-7)

At the beginning of chapter six, Ruby is just learning about her new assignment she must take on. She's upset because she was assigned with somebody under the age of 16, meaning this person was highly unprepared and likely to die. The system she works for, however, can not change their decision. Near the end of the chapter, she is feeling betrayed. The next chapter starts with Ruby and Jude on a plane headed to their assignment, arguing on whether or not it matters if you know the person's shadow when they're going to be killed anyways.

I made a text to self connection. In my book, Jude was scared of being on a plane and was trying to calm himself down. On my first plane ride, I was exactly like him. I was trying to take deep breaths and was trying to make the ride more enjoyable. I spoke to myself, just like he did, and when I did calm down, it was to argue, just like Jude is doing.

Where I'm From Poem--Monster

Abby Olberding

Devon Schweitzer

I am from cameras

from basketballs and a fridge

I am from the old brick house.

I am from the dandelions

The sycamore

Whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own

I’m from sleeping and large feet

from Jerry and Dad

I’m from twitching and sniffing

and from laughing.

I’m from Easter Bunny and Santa

and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I’m from baking cakes

I’m from Harlem and Africa

Potatoes and turkey

From Jerry wanting to me my sidekick

Also known as Robin

The pictures of me as a young baby

on the wall and in my mother’s heart.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Chapters 19-27)

    At the start of chapter 19, Karou is attacked. Her patron saves her, but not without heavy wounds. Angry, he throws her out, even though she is injured. Her friends try to help her, but as they are of another world, they can not. Karou ends up with her friends but can't shake the feeling that she is being watched. She then meets Akiva and they begin to fight.
    A term I learned was incendiary. Incendiary is a device of attack designed to cause fires. Akiva was going to use one of the demons but was convinced otherwise by the girl he once loved. An example of incendiary is as follows. "The incendiary is ready, ma'am," Tyler said with a salute, and together, he and Captain Ruth watched the world burn.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Chapters 11- 19)

    At the start of chapter 11, Karou is rushed back to her home in another world and is surprised to find relief and surprise in her patron's speech when he sees her. Then she is handed another assignment to a place she hasn't been to in a long time. Her last visit ended in being shot and a pile of dead girls. The chapters continue about her last adventure until we meet Akiva, the angel who was burning in his handprint, and we see how he is talking to a Fallen Angel. At the end of chapter 18, the Fallen Angel grabs Akiva and throws them off of the top of a building.
    I learned the term encumbered. Encumber means to restrict of burden in such a way that free action or movement is difficult. An example of this is as follows. The man encumbered Gracie in his grasp and threw her into the back of his truck, meaning to haul her away forever.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Chapters 1-11)

    At the beginning of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Karou is walking to school when her ex-boyfriend jumps out of an alley at her, trying to scare her, and fails miserably. They get into a fight and that leads to him showing up in her art class as a naked model for everyone to draw. She wishes itches upon him in ungodly places and then Karou and her friend go to their favorite fast food place and discuss upcoming projects. At nearly the same time, an angel is burning his handprint into the doors that lead to demon worlds.
    I learned the term berated. Berated means to be scolded or criticized angrily. Karou was being scolded by her patron because she was always complaining about the jobs he gave her. She was also criticized by her friend because of her hair and the fact that she had once gone out with a mean and disturbingly beautiful man who was a few years older than them.

Movenote Closing

http://www.movenote.com/v/v7P-Eufzbyg?integration=embed&scale=100

The Scorch Trails (Chapters 23-29)

    In the beginning of chapter 23, Thomas awakes from his dream to find that a storm is coming. Waking everyone up, they beginning running in the direction of shelter just as they stumble across and old and half dead man. The man will only talk to Thomas and warns him of bad people and a horrible storm on their way. Then the storm begins. White lightning, great gusts of wind, and grainy dirt fly at the group of 18 as they run. No rain falls, but each lightning strike hits the ground. By the time they reach shelter, seven people were hit and Minho was set on fire but saved by Thomas. Falling asleep, they wake up to find Cranks in their building. Minho starts a fight with the leader and Thomas steps in, saving all of their lives. Together, the leader and Thomas talk about their experiences and reasons why the Cranks should keep them alive. Thomas succeeds and the leader leads all of his followers away except one, Brenda, and feed Thomas and the rest of the group. At the end of chapter 29, the ceiling collapses, separating Thomas from his friends and the leader of the Cranks, leaving him with Brenda. 

    A conflict every character must face his man versus world. The world is slowly trying to kill everyone off, either with the storms or the Flare. It's every man for himself and if you're even a few feet behind one person, you're a goner. Each person, Crank or otherwise, are fighting each other, animals, climate, and diseases. 

The Scorch Trails (Chapters 17-22)

    At the beginning of chapter 17, Thomas, Minho, and Newt are walking out of the dark hallway and into the extremely hot desert. They find that they must place sheets over their bodies to protect themselves from the sun and the rest of the group follows their lead. They travel for a couple of hours before hearing a girl's loud shrieks. They rest for a couple hours and after they continue, they happen upon the first building in a large and abandoned town. There, a familiar girl, Teresa, steps out from behind the building and Thomas has a meeting with her himself. He finds that he must run away from her because she seems possessed and was part of a trap. Chapter 22 ends with Thomas dreaming about an his childhood with Teresa, where he learns to communicate with her through their minds.
    A vocab word that was new to me was gales. Gales means a very strong gust of wind or a burst of sound. In my book, it meant a very strong gust of wind. An example of a burst of sound may be "Cory let out a gale of laughter, surprising the entire group during our most solemn of all days."

The Scorch Trails (Chapters 13-17)

At the beginning of chapter 13, Thomas and everybody else who escaped the Maze are getting ready to go to the Scorch Trails. At exactly 6, they must pass through a portal. When they do, they find themselves in darkness and in a hallway of some sort. As they travel through it, they are attacked by burning metal masses that bite into your skin and decapitate you. At the end of 17, Thomas saves another kid from being killed by pulling it off.
    A text to text connection is the Hunger Games and the Scorch Trails because in both books, the characters must compete to win. If they lose, they die. If they win, they live. Both books are also very action-packed and exciting.

The Amazing Play

Mr. Faris and actors/actresses,
     I absolutely loved your play! It was put together beautifully and you all did so well! The characters came to life before my eyes. Not only were your costumes amazing, but your accents and your great deal of emotion were gorgeous! You made the play so enjoyable. I loved some parts more than others, but each scene was well thought out, there were amazing props, and all very well practiced. Every actor and actress did a wonderful job, the stage hands were quick and efficient, costume designers were amazing, and prop makers were very stunning!
     I have to say, I was impressed with the Chinese. You were all very memorized and convincing! It must have been very difficult, so I thank you for putting time and effort into it. Millie did a fantastic job! I love your voice, as I loved all of your voices, and I'm awed! I could never put myself in that position, so you have become a hero to me. You all have. Mr. Faris, I believe you should award everyone who took part in this play. Not only were they stunning, they were entertaining, convincing, memorized, and all became true actors and actresses! I really hope you all pursue an acting career.

Who's the Real Monster?

     As Richard (Bobo) Evans, 22, walks up to the stand to be questioned for his crime, we learn that Bobo was in jail for three years and arrested for breaking and entering, grand theft auto, selling drugs, taking a car radio, and fighting a guy who died. The prosecution in this case is using Bobo as a valuable witness, questioning him in front of the judge and jury is attorney Sandra Petrocelli. Bobo was involved in a robbery that took place at Alguinaldo Nesbitt’s drugstore located in Harlem. Petrocelli asks Bobo what happened on the 22nd of December, he replied with “Me and King planned out a get over (the drugstore) and we done it.” So this witness admits to being at the scene of the drugstore when the store owner, Nesbitt, was killed during the process of the murder.  

      In Bobo’s testimony he indicates that he and three other men committed this crime including Osvaldo Cruz, fourteen year-old gang member, and James King and Steve Harmon, both on trial for felony murder. Bobo claims that Mr. Nesbitt was the individual who pulled out the gun, but that King must have fired the shot, with Nesbitt’s gun, and killed the drugstore owner. “King was trying to get the gun from him and I was going for the money. Then I heard the gun go off. I looked over and and saw the guy falling down and King was holding the chrome,” Bobo testifies that this is what took place on December 22nd in Alguinaldo Nesbitt’s drugstore. 
Update from July 16th

Steve’s testimony- Steve states that he has nothing to do with the crime. He is saying he barely knows Bobo and King and Cruz. But he still does talk to them a little bit. During cross, he is asked many questions that seem to help his side.

Moore- Moore is trying to help her cousin by using a lamp saying that he gave her the lamp instead of being at the crime scene, but she said that the lamp had broken and she doesn’t have it anymore.

Nipping- Briggs ask Nipping if King is left or right handed to see if the side the wound was on would match, but it doesn't match, unless he’s lying.

The Summary

In the beginning of the book we are introduced to sixteen year old Steve Harmon who is being charged with involuntary manslaughter and may face capital punishment. He is on trial throughout the story and he is on the defense side of the case. Bobo Evans, James King and Osvaldo Cruz, who is in the Mexican gang Diablos, were a part of this stick up. Bobo Evans and Bolden were barely acquaintances, but Bobo offered a deal to Wendell Bolden for cartons of cigarettes from the robbery. Bolden told Zinzi and Zinzi used the information to get himself out of jail. So the two robbers and their two accomplices were brought into court so the jury could give them a final verdict. On the prosecution side Sandra Petrocelli tries to get the jury to believe that Steve and King viciously murdered Alguinaldo Nesbitt. Petrocelli as well as O’Brien and Briggs uses testimonies to convince the judge that their witnesses are innocent.

Steve and Osvaldo: Similarities and Differences

So Steve and Osvaldo have some pretty significant differences and a few similarities. Differences: Steve is 16 while Osvaldo is 14. Osvaldo made a plea bargain and turned himself in so he wouldn't go to jail while Steve did not. Steve was a lookout inside the store while Osvaldo was a lookout outside of the store. Similarities: Both are African American. Both played a significant role in the crime, as both were lookouts.

In my opinion, both should be on trial, not just Steve. Both were involved in the crime, yet only Steve is being punished. Osvaldo turned himself in and admitted to the crime. In my opinion, that makes him just as big of a criminal as the rest. I think the main reasons Osvaldo is getting away are because he used a plea bargain and he's younger than Steve. The author intentionally made the story the way it is because Steve is the main character and we don't really need Osvaldo.

The Inner Conflict and Irony

Steve's inner conflict is that he still doesn't know who he truly is. We see this by him writing in his journal, saying how he wants people to look at him closely. We see Steve's vulnerable and confused side. He wants people to look into his heart and figure it out for him, to have them tell him that he's a good person. Steve's battling against himself to prove that he isn't a bad person. That he is innocent and doesn't deserve to be locked up in jail. He wants to know what people see when they look at him, if they view him as a bad person. The irony of the students being in the courtroom is the fact that he is still a student himself and may end up in jail. This plays into his conflict because one instant he was a student, the next he was in a jail cell, leading up to the point where he doesn't know who he is.

Monster- Crime Scene Notes

Events of the Crime:

-Peaches, Steve, James and Johnny talk about how they needed money and make a decision to rob Nesbitt’s store because they think that nobody will care too much about a black guy who has a green card with a little drug store.

- Steve Harmon enters the drug store to see if “the coast was clear”

-The other men involved in the crime, “Bobo” and James, enter the drug store and begin to clean out the cash register and grab 5 cartons of cigarettes.
-Osvaldo is standing outside to stop anybody who tries to go in.

- Somewhere between the time the men entered and the time the men left, Alguinaldo Nesbitt was murdered and left in the store.

- Jose Delgado reports to work at the drugstore and finds the dead body of his boss.

- Jose called the authorities and Detective Karyl who showed up

- Jose takes inventory and discovers that about 5 cartons of cigarettes are missing, along with the cash in the register.

- Bolden tells Sal Zinzi about the robbery and that he bought two packs of cigarettes.

- Zinzi rats Bolden out to Detective Gluck about the robbery information and gets himself out of jail.

- It is discovered that Bobo Evans was the one who sold the stolen cigarettes and gave Zinzi the information.
-Zinzi tells Detective Gluck about the cigarettes.
-Boldon and Zinzi use the information to try to get out of jail and make themselves look good.

-At the crime scene, no clear fingerprints are found.

Monster- Court Case Begins

Petrocelli is against Steve and her statement was about how it's all Steve's, King's, and Bobo's fault that Mr. Nesbitt is dead. O'Brien is for Steve and that opening statement was all about how Steve has always been innocent and still is. Then there's Briggs. Briggs is for King and Briggs talked about the judge giving a just verdict for the crimes Steve committed.

I think Steve is feeling scared and nervous about how the entire case will go. I do not think it is fair to give Steve the capital punishment in this case because it was not his fault. Steve was not in the store when Mr. Nesbitt was killed, therefore, he should not be given a death sentence. Capital punishment seems a little extreme, especially since Steve is still a teenager. Maybe if he were an adult, it would be different.

Characters and Review

Steve Harmon- the accused "murderer"
Sandra Petrocelli- prosecutor
Kathy O'Brian- defense attorney with doubts
James King- thug/ other person on trial
Richard "Bobo" Evans- the rat
Osvaldo Cruz- tough guy wannabe
Lorelle Henry- witness
Jose Delgado- the one who found the body
Ernie- jail mate going to bathroom
Sunset- jail mate putting on shirt
ASA Briggs- lead counsel for defense James King
Judge- man who is in charge of trial
Sal Zinzi-slightly overweight with thick framed glasses
Mr. Sawiki- Film Club mentor

Summary-
It starts out in Steve's jail cell. This soon moves to a van going to a court house and then it goes to the court house. Why is he going to the court house? Steve was accused of murder and is being put on trial. After everyone arrives at the court house, Steve starts writing in his movie journal. (His thoughts will only become a movie if he is released from jail.) The whole trial is being told in a voice over- a narration of things that are happening. O'Brian tells Steve what's going to happen during the days at the court and helps him understand what is going on. Next the two layers, (Petrocelli and O'Brian) give their opening to why their witnesses are innocent and the trial begins.

Thoughts on Monster

The main character's conflict is that he doesn't recognize who he is anymore. I know this because he doesn't recognize himself in the mirror. He is constantly surprised by the fact that he's in jail. He thought everything was like a movie. Now he wants to treat it like a movie that he's directing. He wants control over the events that are happening. He doesn't want to face the fact that he was imprisoned. The main character is facing a big conflict about how much he has changed.

I can relate this to a close friend who recently experienced self-loss. He had made some pretty bad decisions that haunted him for a very long time, and he never could figure out who he really was. Was he a thief, a smart kid, or something else entirely? My friend did figure out who he was and fixed his past mistakes, but it was a very painful time for him.

Where I'm From Poem

I am from hope

from pictures and books

I am from the laughter of my family

(bubbling and joyful)

I am from the rich strawberry patch

The barbed red rose bush

whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I’m from chocolate chip cookies and pudgy fingers

from David and Suzanne

I’m from the religious and idiotic

and from the imaginative.

I’m from I love you! and Jesus is with you!

and O’ Come All Ye Faithful!

I’m from Thanksgiving dinners without stuffing

I’m from Minneapolis and a long line of royalty.

Taco Bake and fudge

From my dad riding a child’s motorcycle at age 16

Black hair lashing at his face in the wind.

I’m from the castle of my great-grandfather’s

Over in Germany

Where it was built to protect us

Where my great-grandfather sacrificed it all for love

Giving up fortunes and heritage

Letting true love lead him home.

Walter Dean Myers and Harlem

    I think that the Walter Dean Myers writes to inspire kids to read by making books that kids can relate to, such as the character and setting. Kids need to know how to read and write so he gives them books that they want to pick up and read. Walter writes about cities to teach kids about the neighborhoods and cultures of cities and the problems city kids face. This is probably to teach children that life isn't always easy and lazy.
    Harlem, one of the places he writes about, is basically filled with African American people. Many famous African Americans moved to Harlem because it was a promise for a better life. The culture of Harlem is mostly fixed on music, and the culture is mixed between African American culture and modern times culture. You can also see people out on the streets doing their hobbies.

Teenager Crimes: Should They Be Tried as a Juvenile or Adult?

    I think that they should be tried as an adult depending on their crime and their age. If they're a murderer, they should be tried as an adult, as long as they're over the age of 13. Little children below that age don't belong in a jail. If they stole something expensive, they should be tried as an adult, as long as they're over the age of 10. Children younger than that don't know what they're doing and don't belong in a jail.   Another reason why I think this way is that they may have a criminal record/background, meaning they may have stolen things before, maybe they did other minor crimes that weren't severe enough to be charged. If the person being charged is over 13, then they have no excuses. They did something that they knew was wrong and need to be punished.