Uglies, con't.

Overall what kind of a feeling did you have after reading a few paragraphs of this work? Midway?

 I'm about halfway through Uglies and the plot took of very quickly.  The beginning was a little slow, as many books are when they are introducing the characters and the plot, but it seems like the real action came out of nowhere.  One minute, it's the last day of being ugly for Tally and then Shay is trying to convince her to run away to The Smoke with her.  After Shay decides that her efforts have failed, she leaves for The Smoke on her own.  Tally is sad that her friend has left but is excited about her becoming a Pretty at the same time.  She finally arrives at the hospital and after waiting for an hour, Special Circumstances take her away to the outskirts of the city to ask her about Shay and The Smoke.  Tally told them she made a promise but her best friend Peris, who became a Pretty a few months ago, has heard rumors about Tally's situation and turns up in her dorm room for a visit.  He reminds her of the promise she made to him that she would get the surgery and they would be Pretty together.  He also reminds her that they promised to be best friends forever.  After talking with Peris and her parents, Tally changes her mind and Special Circumstances wants her to travel to The Smoke to become a spy for them.  She feels bad about having to betray Shay but she keeps in mind that if she doesn't help Special Circumstances, she'll have to break her promise to Peris and be an Ugly forever.  She makes a tumultuous journey through the wilderness and is picked up by the Rangers who take her to the drop off spot for people going to The Smoke.

This is where I stopped but I read about 100 pages and it was hard to put down.  I was constantly on the edge of my seat, waiting on what would happen to Tally next, especially when she was first introduced to Special Circumstances.  This novel has really kept me engaged from the beginning and I really hope the author explains what happens to the Rusties and what Special Circumstances will do with the people who live at The Smoke.  I'm also anxious to find out if Tally will change her mind after seeing Shay again and if she will actually like life at The Smoke.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Overall what kind of a feeling did you have alter reading a few paragraphs of this work?

Uglies instantly hooked me.  I love dystopian works and this is the epitome of dystopian.  I haven't gotten too far into the book but I already feel that I am deeply involved in the plot and the characters.  We're introduced to Tally who is quick to tell us about her society in which teenagers, upon turning 16, get surgery to make them "pretty".  She's telling us about her best friend, Peris, who has just become a "pretty" and she's lamenting the fact that they have to live in different places although she can see New Pretty Town from her bedroom window.  She's miserable without her best friend and she has to wait 3 months before her 16th birthday so she can be a pretty herself.  She decides to sneak into New Pretty Town which is apparently very dangerous and she's risking her opportunity to become a pretty, which would result in her being "ugly" forever.  After successfully sneaking in via the only bridge that can't tattle on her due its age, she accidentally crashes a party in the most humiliating way possible.  On her way to find Peris she finds a pig mask on the street in order to disguise herself but the party at the building that Peris lives is, of course, black tie.  Not only does she bring attention to herself, but a group of pretties decides to follow her and taunt her.  She finally finds Peris who doesn't recognize her at first and she is overcome by his physical changes.  She thinks to herself how much she has changed in the short amount of time that he became pretty and remarks on his changed personality as well.  After being outed as a party crasher, Peris helps her escape by telling her to jump off the roof of the building using a life jacket type hover device.  After narrowly escaping the guards, she makes it back to the bridge and meets another ugly who had snuck into New Pretty Town to spy on her friends.  They decide to cross the river together back to their ugly lives and I unfortunately had to leave off here.  This book, in the 20 pages that I have read so far, is fast paced and had me on the edge of my seat through the entire first chapter.  I love books that hook me from the beginning and keep me wanting more after only reading one chapter.  I can't wait to see what happens to Tally and Shay (her new friend she met at the river) and how they traverse their ugly lives together.

Box Out (Part 2)

What quality(ies) of which character strikes you as a good characteristic to develop within yourself over the years?  Why?  How does the character demonstrate this quality?

I really like that Liam sticks to his convictions despite the peer pressure and status quo.  Although I don't necessarily agree with him on his thoughts about prayer in school, it's admirable how he doesn't let the status quo sway what he thinks is right.  I was a little skeptical when I first started reading this book because I was afraid it would be anti-Christian or anti-prayer, but I don't think that's what the author is trying to do.  Liam's situation isn't unique but it could be applied to other situations where you feel that you have to abide by the unwritten rules of society so as to not make waves.  Liam was in a very precarious position with earning his spot on the varsity basketball team due to another player's injury and it was obvious from the beginning that he was torn about his convictions on prayer in schools.  Playing basketball meant the world to him and he didn't want to mess that up by causing an issue with the coach having them pray in the locker room before games.  However, Liam never abandoned his beliefs and while he ended up leaving the basketball team, he stayed true to himself which ended up meaning more to him than being able to play.  I think this is a wonderful quality to have, especially when it deals with something that you aren't comfortable with on a personal level.  Fortunately, I've never been put in a situation as serious as Liam's where I had to make a choice that could alienate those close to me, I like to think that I will be able to when, and if, that time comes.

Box Out-John Coy

Do you share any of the feelings of the characters in this work?  What makes you feel this way?

Although I am about a quarter of the way through Box Out, I was hooked from the very beginning.  John Coy does a very good job of making his characters realistic and relatable.  One such character that I can especially empathize with is the main character, Liam.  The novel opens up with Liam, a tall high school basketball player who has just been promoted to the varsity team after a star player has broken his leg.  Of course, he is in disbelief at first but has a tremendous first game later that night.  His teammates seem excited to have him on the team and he proves his worth several times a star rebounder.  However, Horizon High School is down by 1 point with just seconds left in the game when Liam is called to throw for two free throw shots due to a penalty.  He misses the first one by a long shot and the second one comes closer but still fall short of the one point needed to take the game into overtime.  Of course, Liam blames himself for missing the free throws and despite his teammates' and his parents' encouraging words that it was the team's loss and not just Liam's, he refuses to believe it.
I have never been a basketball player but I have participated in team activities, such as marching band when I was high school.  We were a large band but my director was a seasoned one with an eagle eye for individual mistakes.  However, he always stressed that we were only as strong as our weakest link; in other words, if one person made a mistake, it was all of our mistakes.  If we came in second place because a trumpet player was out of step, it wasn't just their fault, it was the band's fault.  I can relate to Liam's feelings of putting the blame on himself, though.  Even now, past the days of marching band, I still feel like I put too much pressure on myself to somehow find the hidden meaning in the new SC state standards and the ADEPT standards that new teachers are evaluated on.  Of course, there is no "hidden meaning" and one of my favorite things about the teaching profession is how collaborative it is.  Many times I have to take a step back and realize this, but every time I do, it comes with a great wave of relief.  While my fellow teachers and I aren't playing for the state championship on the varsity basketball team, teaching is still very much a team sport where your colleagues will always have your back, no matter how badly you think you've messed up.