Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen has been thrown into the fight of her life.  She is now the face of the rebellion against the Capitol.  Without her, the districts would not have had the courage to fight for their freedom, and District 13- thought to have been destroyed 75 years prior to the new rebellion- wouldn't have the purpose to come out of hiding and make it known they are alive and ready to fight.  Katniss's Hunger Games parter Peeta Mellark has been taken captive by the Capitol, and who else better to use against Katniss that Peeta.  With the help of other victors, all the districts, her mentor Haymitch, her camera crew, and stylists, Katniss makes her way to President Snow's mansion to end a ruler that has overstepped his power. She powers through heartbreak, death, and a deep fired vengeance for the man who threatened everything she had.

Subject:  Katniss Everdeen, now 17, is still paying for her shenanigans in her first Hunger Games.  The berries that started it all.  Since the first Hunger Games, she has participated in a Quarter Quell - her second Hunger Games.  Since she was broken out of the arena, District Thirteen has risen up and declared war on the Capitol and is not recruiting all of the Districts for support.  She needs to find a way to get Peeta back, keep her friendship with her best friend Gale strong, and take down the Capitol.
Occasion:  The book takes place in North America in the country of Panem.  Panem has twelve districts, and little does everyone know, the thirteenth district is still thriving below ground.  The districts are trying to end a reign that has been going on for over 75 years.
Audience:  The intended audience is teenagers and young adults.  The romance mixed in with the action and mystery makes for a dramatic story and questions yet to be answered.  Teens may relate to the romance Katniss is battling against through the whole series.
Purpose:  The purpose of Mockingjay is to conclude all the questions that has risen since book one of the series and finally let Katniss choose who to be with for the rest of her life.  Katniss is given closure by facing the villan that took her freedom, family, and her sanity.
Style:  The point of view comes from Katniss.  She tells how she is feeling how each and every move is thought of ahead.  How she constantly jumps to conclusions on why people are doing what they do.  With Katniss as the narrator, it is easy for me to connect and understand on a deeper level how she is feeling.
Tone:  Suzanne Collins uses very intense diction to describe powerful feelings and scenarios that happen throughout the book.  She makes Katniss seem hostile and against anyone that shows affection to her.  She wa incredibly effective in making me have this impression of her throughout all three books.

Marley & Me by John Grogan

Subject:  Marley and Me is about the relationship between Marley and his new family.  Just beginning their lives together, John and Jenny bring home the adorable yellow lab, Marley.  Marley turns out to be a rambunctious, loud, and troublesome.  He gets into the messiest situation anyone could imagine.  From slobbering everywhere, to shutting down a beach, to eating jewelry, to getting kicked out of obedience school, Marley seems like the worst mistake the Grogans could have made.  However, once their family begins to grow, Marley proves to be worth all the hardships he has put Jenny and John through.  He comes to the rescue of a seventeen year old stabbing victim and protects his family better than they could have expected.  The kids love having him around and John and Jenny are grateful they stuck with the little (big) rascal throughout everything.

Occasion:  Throughout most of his life, Marley spends his time in Palm Beach, FL.  Joining his new family around the 1990's.  John talks about his struggle with taming the fluffy beast, and even in the beast's old age, he was hardly tamed.  Marley and his family eventually move down to coast to Fort Lauderdale where Marley spends the last eventful years of his life :(

Audience:  This book is definitely one that can be read to the whole family.  It has a humorous tone with a syntax that is easy to read.  This book is meant for anyone who loves animals, loves to laugh, and wants a simple life story they can relate to.

Purpose:  The purpose of this book was to get the point across that even when times get hard, stick with those who love you because in the end, everything is worth it, and you make the best friend a man could ask for.  John Grogan was showing the world how even the most wild, boisterous, untamable dog can turn out to be a life saver, and truly mans best friend.

Style:  Grogan tells this story from his point of view, which in my opinion makes it much easier to relate to.  When a story is told in first person it is a breeze for me to be able to visualize the situation in which they are explaining with a more accurate description.

Tone:  The way John tells his story has a hint of sarcasm and a lot of comedic language.  He describes every situation as if he is genuinely amused behind the fact that he is furious with Marley for the mess he just made.  There are times when things get serious and you have to take a step back from all the fun and reassess what is really happening.  John Grogan was very good at switching from emotion to emotion and making you feel what he is feeling.

This was an incredible read, and I think anyone would enjoy it! Beware; you may regret picking the cutest, funniest, fluffiest dog out of the liter.  He might even eat your pretty necklace!  But he would sure look after your kids like they were royalty.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wallas

Subject:  Jeanette Walls wrote this book about her childhood and how her family moved from place to place every time trouble arose.  She goes as far back as her memories from the age of three, where she was a bright young girl with much to show for it.  Her parents believed in letting their kids do whatever they wanted without rules or discipline and learning from their mistakes, such as teaching them to swim with a sink or swim system to not relying on the hospital every time they get hurt.  These kids wanted nothing more than to make their parents proud and be able to fend for themselves.  By their adult years, all of these children turn out to be successful people with homes of their own.  However, Rex Walls and Rose Mary stay homeless by choice.  Because it is the only thing they know and they love it.  Eventually though, they get an apartment of their own and turn their lives around.

Occasion:  By the time Jeanette was four years old, she had counted at least eleven places she had lived for more than a week before she lost count.  Seeing as they left their original trailer park home at the age of three, she had already been all over the country.  This story follows her throughout her teen years and jumps into her collegiate life.  Jeanette and her family never stayed in one place for too long.  Something bad always happened such as the police chasing them around, to gambling mishaps, to court summons.  Whenever authority became involved, it was time to do the "Skedaddle"and find a new home.

Audience:  This book is for more of an adult group. There are a lot of vulgar words used that would not be appropriate for anyone under the age of fifteen at the least.  It is a fantastic book and the reader needs to get the full effect of the book without getting side-tracked or offended by all the swearing and rough situations that are some times described.  The language is the main reason it puts it over the top into more of an adult category.

Purpose:  Jeanette Walls kept this story quiet for years and she finally got enough courage to get it out there and tell her story.  She displays a great amount of love and compassion for her parents even though she grew up with next to nothing.  Always moving and always facing new obstacles.  Jeanette tells a fascinating story of a difficult childhood and against all odds becoming a successful woman.  She brings hope that even in the worst circumstances, you can be triumphant and battle anything and still become a person with everything you could've wished for.

Style:  Walls keeps a very calm theme throughout her story.  She likes to use a lot of imagery and describe the places she's in and she makes me feel as if i was there and I can imagine the room that she is in.  She is very educated and she was very educated as a child with her extensive vocabulary, that of children many years older than her.

Tone:  The author expresses an immense amount of gratuity and adoration for her family.  Her parents didn't always care for her the best they could, but Jeanette wouldn't wish for any other parents.  She always believed in her father no matter what.  "I told him that I would never lose faith in him. And I promised myself I never would." (Walls 79)  Jeanette believed her father was doing every thing he could and that one day he was going to make a fortune with all of his weird inventions.  She believed in him when the rest of her family doubted him.

Favorite Songs

One of my favorite songs recently is By Your Side by an alternative band called Tenth Avenue North.  I like this song because alternative is my favorite type of music, and I like the story line that goes along with it.  This song is relating to people who were affected in by a flood or some other type of disaster, I'm not completely what type of natural disaster it was, but something major happened that made people have to leave their houses and lose most of their possessions.  The song influences the people affected because embedded in the song are interviews from people that were effected and the band is trying to restore some happiness and hope into these people's lives.  There was one man in the song that said when this band was singing, people's spirits were being lifted.  This song is a great song if you need something to cheer you up and know that someone is there for you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU