Fantasy

#16                                    Readers Journal                                    11/29/11                                                                                                                                                                                                Dear Mrs. Zrihen                                                                                                                                     I just finished a book that I was reading for the past two weeks. Janette Rallison calls this book My Fair Godmother.  Out of this hole book I was able to find one passage that I thought was significant to this book. That passage is:                        

“Chrissy looked at me, her wings fluttering and the wand grasped in one hand. She checked her watch. “ Is this going to take a long time?  I hate to rush you, but I have a shopping trip planned with some mall pixies.” I touched my pillow sham, thinking. “ I just wish that some how my life could like a fairytale. You know, with a handsome prince waiting for me at the ball, and that somehow when I meet him, everything will work out happily ever after. “ Chrissy checked her wrist-watch again, hardly paying attention to me. “ Okay, great. One Cinderella coming up.” Before I could say another word – and I had planned to say, “ Wait, that wasn’t my wish! “ – white sparks surrounded me. The next moment I found myself in a cold, dark room. (Pg. 47)

This passage is significant to the story because it leads to the climax of the story.

           

            I used many strategies before, after and while I was reading this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to look at the illustration on the front cover of the book and the title of the book and predict what this book would be about. I predicted that this book was going to be about a teenage girl and her fairy godmother because the fairy godmother on the front page looks like a teen-ager. Another strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan this book to see if there was any text features in the book. One text feature that I found in this book was one or two illustrations. One strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to find words that I don’t know and use context clues to try to figure what those words mean. Another strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to make predictions about what I think would happen next in the text. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to see if my predictions were right. Another strategy that I used after I read this book was to reflect on what I just read and put it in to my readers journal.

            I was able to find many literary elements while I was reading this book. The genre of this book is fiction and the sub genre of this book is fantasy. There are many characters in this book. The main character in this book is Savannah, a high school sophomore, who her boyfriend dumped to go out with her older sister, Jane. But when a fairy godmother becomes mixed up in this mess it turns in to an even bigger mess. Savannah finds herself in trouble in the Middle Ages. She is the protagonist, and she is a round/dynamic character. Another character in this book is Tristan a guiltless boy who gets trapped in the Middle Ages. Tristan turns into a hero and has to marry Princess Margret, in order to become King, but while he is in the middle ages he finds his true love, Savannah. Tristan is a round/dynamic character.     

Chrissy Everstar, a high –heel wearing, gum chewing teenager who is better known for her mistakes than her magic. She is a round/dynamic character. Jane is Savannah’s older sister, 18-years old, who goes to the Middle Ages to find her sister. She is a round/ dynamic character. Hunter is Jane’s boyfriend, and goes with Jane to the Middle Ages to help find Savannah.  Tristan and Savannah true love gets them out of the middle Ages and back to the modern world. The King’s son, Rodderick is the protagonist in the story and tries to stop Savannah and Tristan from going back home. Some foil characters are the villagers, the wizard knights, and the knights. They are all flat/static characters.

This story took place mainly in the Middle Ages and modern day but mainly in the Middle Ages. The main social condition is middle class. Savannah has to get Tristan back from the Middle Ages safely. The moral of this story is that you should always be thankful for what you have. The tone of this book is romantic and the mood of this book is survival. The point of view is to entertain. The point of view if first person. The author’s perspective is subjective and because the author is biased towards the Savannah’s situation. The pattern of organization is chronological order because it presents the events from which they occurred. The conflict is external. And is man vs. society. There were a few figurative language forms I found.  “She just couldn’t cut the mustard” is an idiom. “ I just wish that somehow my life would be like a fairy tale. This is a simile because it’s comparing her life to a fairy-tale using the words like or as. The kings nose was three feet long” is a hyperbole because it’s an exaggeration. “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” this is also a hyperbole because she is so hungry that she could eat anything.

I found the plot structure very interesting. The exposition was when Jane stole Savannah’s boyfriend. The rising action was when Chrissy got assingned Savannah Delano fro her class project. The climax was when Savannah was granted three wishes. And Chrissy twisted Savannah’s wish around. The falling action was when Savannah and Tristan got there way back to the modern world. The resolution is that Savannah got to go to prom with her Prince Charming, Tristan.            

I would rate this book a 9 ½ out of 10 because it was an amazing book and the author put a lot of descriptive words in to this book and she made as if you could actually see what is going on. I would recommend this book to teen age girls because they would most likely have a better chance to be able to relate to what Savannah is going though. In all I can’t wait for the next book that she writes.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                    Roxanne Fine

current event #3

Current event #3

Title: Animal Shelter's behavior experts face life and death decisions for animals

Author: John Owens

Source: The Miami Herald

Topic: The animal shelter

Main idea: The animal shelter has to choose between keeping the animals and putting them to death

Authors purpose: Inform the reader about the animal shelters decisions based on the animal behavior.

The author’s perspective is objective because he is not only speaking about the dogs being out to death but also how they may actually live.

Pattern of organization: Argument and support. To prove why the dogs are being put to death.

Text features: A title is helpful by showing what the article is most likely about. Quotation marks that show some peoples opinions.

Summary: this article is about how animal shelters make the decision to put the animals to sleep or put them up for adoption based on their behavior.

Sagnifances of this article is: so that the reader can see the kinds of decisions shelters make which is either to put the pets up for adoption or put the pet to sleep.

What I learned from this article is: that some animals get put to sleep while others get put up for adoption based on their behavior.

What I liked about this article: was that the author used many quotation marks in this article to represent other people’s opinions.

What I didn’t like about this article: was that this article didn’t have any pictures so that the reader can see what happens in the shelters.

Who should read this: I think everybody should read this because it might show them what they do at the shelters and it might tell the m to take care of there pets better.

Text to self-connection: I can relate to this because my aunt had a dog and even though the dog acts badly she hasn’t put it to sleep.

Text to world connection: That I made was that animals all around the world is abandon and then put to sleep because they do not have a good behavior.

Text to text connection: That I made was to a book called a Lost Dog because it was also about a dog that had to be put to sleep.

New vocabulary I learned

   

    Word                             Context Clues                                         Meaning

1. Euthanized          reread it many times                                     To put to sleep

2. Evaluation                       inferred                              The value or number of something                                          3. Advocacy           Looked at the words next to                         motivation; support

RJ#15

#15                                                   Readers Journal                                     12/06/11                                             Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                                                      I am in the middle of reading the book My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison.

                        I used some strategies before, and while I was reading this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to read the synopsis of the book and see if I would be interested in this book’s subject. Another strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan through the book to see if there was any text features in the book. One during reading strategy that I am using is to find words that I don’t know and use context clues to try to figure what those words mean. Another strategy that I will use while I am reading this book is to make predictions about what I think would happen next in the text. I did not use any after reading strategies yet because I am not done with the book.

                       

Even though I did not get to finish this book I still was able to find some literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is fiction because the events that go on in this book are not real. The subgenre of this book is fantasy because it includes magic and fictional objects. The main character of this book is Savannah, a high school student that hates going to school. Another character in this book is Savannah’s boyfriend Tristan. That is all of the characters that I know of for right now. The authors point of view is first person. The authors perspective is subjective.

           

The exposition and rising action were interesting. The exposition of this book was when Savannah bought a prom dress assuming that she was going with her then boyfriend. The rising action was when Savannah’s boyfriend dumped her for her older sister Jane. And that I all I know for now.

                       

If I had to rate this book I would rate this book a 10 out of 10 because so far it is really interesting and descriptive. I would recommend this book to most teenage girls because they can relate to this more than boys. I really hope to finish this book.

                                               

                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                        Roxanne Fine