So I'm a little more than halfway done on this book, and so far, a lot of people know Deryn's identity by now. Alek, Volger, Pancho Villa, Eddie Malone, and Dr.Barlow. That's definitely a lot for a girl who's really wanted to keep this secret. I understand if someone like Alek knows, since he is her best friend/ally, but it's been starting to leak out in bad situations. And soon, almost the whole world will know, thanks to Eddie Malone.
When Pancho Villa, a Mexican rebel leader, found out, while he was talking to her about it sneaky American reporter Eddie Malone was eavesdropping on them, and found out. It may not seem like a major issue, but this took place in World War One. Back then, women did not have a lot of rights in many countries. They couldn't vote, join the military, couldn't wear pants, and other things. And to know that a girl was smart enough to fool the great British Navy and join the service, dressed as a man, that's a story to write about. So chances are, Eddie will make a story about this in the New York World, and news will spread to the rest of the world, giving the Brits a bad name.
It may seem like Deryn should be punished for this, giving the whole British Navy a bad name and stuff, but I feel bad for her. Why should women be denied such rights I mentioned earlier? Deryn is a great soldier, even better than many male ones, and is a hero to some. And after everyone will realize she's a girl they'll look at her differently. Even Alek does, her best friend. I think Deryn is going through some hard times, and doesn't
deserve it.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Goliath
So after finishing two books I really enjoyed reading, The Leviathan and Behemoth, I started reading the third one, Goliath. In this book, I guess the main plot is about Alek and Deryn trying to stop the war, with help of an inventor, Mr. Tesla, who built a weapon that can stop the whole world, as long as he doesn't use it, since it can wipe out a whole city, maybe even more.
But the book also focuses on Alek and Deryn's relationship. Or is it Dylan? That's what Alek finally finds out, that Dylan is a girl, named Deryn. Confusing, right? He realizes that Deryn has been lying to him the whole time, so he's been pretty angry at her for a while. He also finds out that she has feelings for him. But although Deryn did lie and probably should have told him earlier, I feel bad for her. She's been trying to tell him since the first book, but she's afraid he'll "run a mile" if he finds out that she's a girl, and the whole reason she was pretending to be a boy in the first place was because girls aren't allowed to be soldiers. So there's kind of a small sexism issue here. And if the captain does find out, she could be hung for treason.
I think it's wrong to only let men into the military in this book because although Deryn is a girl, she's done many brave and daring things while serving, more than a normal middy (as in mishipman, or soldier). I think Deryn is actually a very inspiring character and could play a very good role model for some women.
But the book also focuses on Alek and Deryn's relationship. Or is it Dylan? That's what Alek finally finds out, that Dylan is a girl, named Deryn. Confusing, right? He realizes that Deryn has been lying to him the whole time, so he's been pretty angry at her for a while. He also finds out that she has feelings for him. But although Deryn did lie and probably should have told him earlier, I feel bad for her. She's been trying to tell him since the first book, but she's afraid he'll "run a mile" if he finds out that she's a girl, and the whole reason she was pretending to be a boy in the first place was because girls aren't allowed to be soldiers. So there's kind of a small sexism issue here. And if the captain does find out, she could be hung for treason.
I think it's wrong to only let men into the military in this book because although Deryn is a girl, she's done many brave and daring things while serving, more than a normal middy (as in mishipman, or soldier). I think Deryn is actually a very inspiring character and could play a very good role model for some women.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Finished The Roar
I just finished the book The Roar, and it is a very good book. It was probably one of the best books I have ever read. The book is about 500 pages, but it doesn't feel like that at all when you're reading it. It felt too short to me actually, and I wish there was just a little more to it, or if there will be a sequel. But I think this book teaches you a lesson, it teaches you about how the world might be like if we don't stop global warming, and it does seem possible.
It turns out that Mika finds out that the animal plague was a lie, that the government did it to scare people by showing it on TV. They just wanted the remaining land to themselves, since only a little bit is left because of the floods and stuff caused from the global warming. So they just scare everyone with the fake Animal Plague by showing it on TV, so they build the Wall and crowd in there, where it's so overcrowded and horrible people die form being camped in there. Only the very rich live outside the wall, like very important people. I think this is kind of selfish, them in their giant mansions in the beautiful forests while people live in tiny apartments with floodwater and mold on the walls.
But the book teaches you another thing, which is that people can believe anything from the media, which I think is true.
It turns out that Mika finds out that the animal plague was a lie, that the government did it to scare people by showing it on TV. They just wanted the remaining land to themselves, since only a little bit is left because of the floods and stuff caused from the global warming. So they just scare everyone with the fake Animal Plague by showing it on TV, so they build the Wall and crowd in there, where it's so overcrowded and horrible people die form being camped in there. Only the very rich live outside the wall, like very important people. I think this is kind of selfish, them in their giant mansions in the beautiful forests while people live in tiny apartments with floodwater and mold on the walls.
But the book teaches you another thing, which is that people can believe anything from the media, which I think is true.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Roar
I started reading a new book called The Roar. I picked just because the title and blurb looked convincing, but I realized I made a very good choice. The book is a sci-fi, which is my favorite genre. The book is about a boy named Mika who lives behind the wall, like everyone else living on Earth does. The wall surrounds some of Europe and Asia, because of the animal plague, which caused all animals to try to kill humans, but then they built a wall to keep any animal away.
I feel bad for Mika because most people don't understand him. His sister, Ellie, died a year ago. Or at least, that's what everyone thinks. Mika is the only one who thinks she's alive, and he's actually right. But a lot of people think he's just crazy, and just can't get over the fact that she's dead. But she actually was kidnapped by this very powerful organization that keeps her and some other kids in space. The reason they're abducting them was still not revealed, but it is for the company's benefit, they're training the kids. And when the organization uses new tactics to get the kids really fit and skillful with the fit mix and the flight simulator before they abduct them is actually bringing Mika closer to Ellie, but further from his parents, which is why it's kind of a sad book.
I feel bad for Mika because most people don't understand him. His sister, Ellie, died a year ago. Or at least, that's what everyone thinks. Mika is the only one who thinks she's alive, and he's actually right. But a lot of people think he's just crazy, and just can't get over the fact that she's dead. But she actually was kidnapped by this very powerful organization that keeps her and some other kids in space. The reason they're abducting them was still not revealed, but it is for the company's benefit, they're training the kids. And when the organization uses new tactics to get the kids really fit and skillful with the fit mix and the flight simulator before they abduct them is actually bringing Mika closer to Ellie, but further from his parents, which is why it's kind of a sad book.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Opinion about other people's post about "Freak the Mighty"
So instead of doing a normal post about a book I am reading, I have decided to do responses on my classmates'
blog posts that are about the same book I have read. I found a few good posts about Freak the Mighty, so I have decided to do my opinion on them. Sophia's blog post on Freak the mighty was really good. I agreed on a lot of the things.
One thing I like that she said is that **Spoiler Alert** when Freak died at the end, their friendship stayed in Max's heart, which I can totally agree with, and it's a really good observation. I did feel bad for Max when that happened, but I never thought about how friendship could still stay in someone's heart, even when you think it's over. I also agree with what she said about how Freak is a character that's hard to forget. I have to admit, Freak is a very interesting character. A character so small physically but so big in geniocity (I know, it's not a real word, but I couldn't think of a real word that would be good enough to describe him as). Freak practically knows almost every word in the English dictionary, can invent so many cool things from scratch, can name alol of the chemical compositions of a firework during the fourth of July. Come on, tell me he's not unique. Who could ever forget him?
I also like Dia's second blog post on Freak the mighty, how it teaches you a lesson. I never was able to really figure out the author's purpose or lesson in the book, just that it had something to do with friendship. But Dia said that the lesson is that there are two roads in life, and you have to take one, the one you feel safe and secure in, the one you can comfortably walk down. I think this is a really deep thought and I never would of thought of that.
I'm glad I read other peoples' blogs about a book I have read, it helps me think deeper about the book.
blog posts that are about the same book I have read. I found a few good posts about Freak the Mighty, so I have decided to do my opinion on them. Sophia's blog post on Freak the mighty was really good. I agreed on a lot of the things.
One thing I like that she said is that **Spoiler Alert** when Freak died at the end, their friendship stayed in Max's heart, which I can totally agree with, and it's a really good observation. I did feel bad for Max when that happened, but I never thought about how friendship could still stay in someone's heart, even when you think it's over. I also agree with what she said about how Freak is a character that's hard to forget. I have to admit, Freak is a very interesting character. A character so small physically but so big in geniocity (I know, it's not a real word, but I couldn't think of a real word that would be good enough to describe him as). Freak practically knows almost every word in the English dictionary, can invent so many cool things from scratch, can name alol of the chemical compositions of a firework during the fourth of July. Come on, tell me he's not unique. Who could ever forget him?
I also like Dia's second blog post on Freak the mighty, how it teaches you a lesson. I never was able to really figure out the author's purpose or lesson in the book, just that it had something to do with friendship. But Dia said that the lesson is that there are two roads in life, and you have to take one, the one you feel safe and secure in, the one you can comfortably walk down. I think this is a really deep thought and I never would of thought of that.
I'm glad I read other peoples' blogs about a book I have read, it helps me think deeper about the book.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Millions
I'm still reading millions, and for this post I want to focus more on Anthony and Damian's dad. Their dad is also kind of weird, like the whole story itself. I find it weird how long it took him to notice the huge heavy duffer bags they sometimes carry around, and all the new toys in their room (although they're hidden). He found out near the end of the book, so about a month or two in real life.
I think maybe it's because of the death of his wife/Anthony and Damian's kids, and that he's still not over it or something, because the book never stated how or when she died. The kids are still pretty well behaved besides the lying about the money, and he just encourages them by constantly telling them to be "excellent". But he doesn't really enforce it. It's like the Jaywalking law. Damian does try to do what his dad says as much as he can, but Anthony is more of a slacker kind of kid. He technically lies the most throughout the whole book and stuff, while Damian just keeps his mouth shut, but that's also bad, too.
But I also kind of feel bad for the dad, too. In the book, he meets this woman who works in an organization that collects donations for the poor, and they kind of start to get close. But later he realizes she really didn't work for that organization, that she just used him to get the money Damian and Anthony found to keep it to herself, which she manages to steal a little before Christmas. After he found out about the money, he let Dorothy count it with him, since he thought they were good friends now (or soon to be more than that). After that, he didn't seem as heartbroken as I expected. For now he's just focusing on getting his money back.
I think maybe it's because of the death of his wife/Anthony and Damian's kids, and that he's still not over it or something, because the book never stated how or when she died. The kids are still pretty well behaved besides the lying about the money, and he just encourages them by constantly telling them to be "excellent". But he doesn't really enforce it. It's like the Jaywalking law. Damian does try to do what his dad says as much as he can, but Anthony is more of a slacker kind of kid. He technically lies the most throughout the whole book and stuff, while Damian just keeps his mouth shut, but that's also bad, too.
But I also kind of feel bad for the dad, too. In the book, he meets this woman who works in an organization that collects donations for the poor, and they kind of start to get close. But later he realizes she really didn't work for that organization, that she just used him to get the money Damian and Anthony found to keep it to herself, which she manages to steal a little before Christmas. After he found out about the money, he let Dorothy count it with him, since he thought they were good friends now (or soon to be more than that). After that, he didn't seem as heartbroken as I expected. For now he's just focusing on getting his money back.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
What would you do with a million in cash?
The book I started reading now is called Millions and it's about these two brothers who find a huge bag filled with a million in British pounds, and become rich. But the thing is, they only have a few days to spend it because the money is in British pounds and they will soon get rid of the British pound and switch to Euros.
The main character in this book is named Damian and his brother, Anthony. Damian is a very weird and interesting character. For instance, the thing he keeps on talking about throughout the whole book is about saints.
Yes saints, saints and patrons of almost anything you can imagine, and he knows all their full names, what they did to be considered saints, and when they died. So this makes him pretty religious too and he thinks the money came from God.
And since he likes saints so much he wants to be like one. He wants to donate most of the money they found to charity and people who need it more and stuff. I think that's what makes him inspiring, to do good deeds to the world. But his brother is kind of the opposite. He doesn't care much about the poor and doesn't really agree to all this donating stuff, he just wants to buy things for himself. What he also does is that since their mom died, whenever he wants something or gets in trouble for something he just mentions her death and pretends to cry. I's like doesn't care about her death or something, but I don't want to judge because I haven't
experienced something like that, but most characters from other books don't do such a thing.
Another weird thing is that their dad doesn't even know about this. He did question the big duffer bag once or twice, but they just answered with a lie. He didn't even notice all the new toys they bought for themselves! Also, Damian is weird to. He has these visions of saints talking to him or something, and I don't know if the author is trying to make this book more fantasy-like or just trying to make Damian seem like some
weird kid with mental problems.
And one last thing that makes this book a little weird. England never switched from Pounds to Euros, but
I guess he can do tat since it is a fiction book after all. But what I did notice is that England is just instantly getting rid of their pounds. The day after they switch to Euros they can't take the money in Pounds and exchange it to Euros. Most countries still allow you to exchange old money, if you still have any, to the new money.
But overall, this book is pretty good, just a little... different.
The main character in this book is named Damian and his brother, Anthony. Damian is a very weird and interesting character. For instance, the thing he keeps on talking about throughout the whole book is about saints.
Yes saints, saints and patrons of almost anything you can imagine, and he knows all their full names, what they did to be considered saints, and when they died. So this makes him pretty religious too and he thinks the money came from God.
And since he likes saints so much he wants to be like one. He wants to donate most of the money they found to charity and people who need it more and stuff. I think that's what makes him inspiring, to do good deeds to the world. But his brother is kind of the opposite. He doesn't care much about the poor and doesn't really agree to all this donating stuff, he just wants to buy things for himself. What he also does is that since their mom died, whenever he wants something or gets in trouble for something he just mentions her death and pretends to cry. I's like doesn't care about her death or something, but I don't want to judge because I haven't
experienced something like that, but most characters from other books don't do such a thing.
Another weird thing is that their dad doesn't even know about this. He did question the big duffer bag once or twice, but they just answered with a lie. He didn't even notice all the new toys they bought for themselves! Also, Damian is weird to. He has these visions of saints talking to him or something, and I don't know if the author is trying to make this book more fantasy-like or just trying to make Damian seem like some
weird kid with mental problems.
And one last thing that makes this book a little weird. England never switched from Pounds to Euros, but
I guess he can do tat since it is a fiction book after all. But what I did notice is that England is just instantly getting rid of their pounds. The day after they switch to Euros they can't take the money in Pounds and exchange it to Euros. Most countries still allow you to exchange old money, if you still have any, to the new money.
But overall, this book is pretty good, just a little... different.
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