Summer Reading blog posts

 



Summer Reading Book Reviews


Students may post their summer reading book reviews here!  Just select the comments link and include your first and last name (do not include your email address).  The blog post should be a minimum of 3-4 paragraphs and include the following:  summary paragraph, description of major characters, setting of novel (if relevant), and the novel's theme.  The book review should include enough specific details which indicate that the student has read the novel in its entirety.  Please note that it may take several days before the book review becomes published onto the blog's site.

20 comments:

  1. The book I read was "Make Lemonade" by Virginia Euwer Wolff. I would highly recommend this book to anyone else who would consider reading it.

    The major characters in this book are Jolly and LaVaughn. Jolly is a 17 year old with two kids from two different fathers who aren't in the home with her. She has a hard time spelling most of her words and also a hard time taking care of her kids. She is a dynamic character, she changes in many ways throughout the book. LaVaughn is a 14 year old babysitter for Jolly while Jolly is working. She is also a dynamic character in this book, as she changes some throughout the book.

    There are multiple settings in this book. The beginning of the book takes place at LaVaughn's school, and some at home. When LaVaughn takes the babysitting job for Jolly, most of the time the setting is at Jolly's house.

    The theme of this book to me was "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade", which makes you understand what the title is about once you read the book completely. The theme also gave me hope for doing great things in life.

    Overall, this book was completely amazing as it showed me that no matter what happens in life you can always make it better. For instance, even when Jolly had the two kids whose fathers weren't around, got fired from her job, and lived in a run-down neighborhood where she occasionally got beat up and pushed around, she still went back to school and actually accomplished something, and also saved her daughters life from learning CPR in her health classes. I would highly reccomend this book.

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  2. The book I read over the summer was Tuesdays with Morrie. This is a book about Morrie Schwartz, a college professor, battling a critical disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ASL. This illness attacks the neurological system of the body, and once it spreads to the lungs, is always fatal. Although the disease was terminal, Morrie began to ponder the life he lived, not negatively, but positively.
    Morrie would not be afraid of dying. He thought that he should teach people about his final days as if he were a textbook- he wanted everyone to realize that we should not be ashamed of death. Rather, we should embrace it. Let it teach us what it knows, and make the time we have left worthwhile.
    While this should be pitiful, Morrie was a teacher in many years of his life. One of his students, fourty-year-old Mitch Albom, had departed to live his life long before the illness was discovered in Morrie's body. On one particular, very lonesome night, Mitch happened to be casually flipping through the channels on his television set. "Nightline", a very popular show, had interviewed Morrie and asked about ALS. This was the night that Mitch began to see the world for what it was.
    This story takes place in Waltham, Massachusetts. Starting in 1995, the setting is Morrie's own home. On each Tuesday, Mitch would go to see his old professor, and in return, Morrie would give him a life lesson, each one as in-depth as the last. One week after another, Mitch would come to see Morrie, and a bond grew stronger each and every second.
    Morrie taught his student about life and about death. He always said not to fear death, to always make the best out of the time you have left. Detach yourself from the emotion and walk away, realizing that the emotion is the emotion and that you are done experiencing it. Don't afraid of life itself, because wonderful things come from all of it. Stay open minded, and do not envy youth.
    All things that get born, die, and will continue to do so. Love people the way you have always wanted to be loved, and give people attention. The world can always be a better place, even in the depths of sickness. Morrie will always leave a life lesson in the world, even after his departure.

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  3. I read Make Lemonade by Virgina Wolff. Here is my summary. Verna LaVaughn is looking for a job on the school note board. Her two friends Myrtle and Annie find great jobs. Then Verna spots a note saying BABYSITTER NEEDED BAD. Verna takes the job because no one else had. Verna calls the number and meets Jolly at her house. It is messy and torndown, but the kids don't mind. Jeremy is two and Jilly is a baby.Verna is allowed to take the job, but she has to ask her mom. She needs the money because her mom wants her to go to college. On the bus ride home Verna thinks over what she'll say to her mom. When she gets home she starts a conversation with her mom. Her mom eventually says yes. Jeremy and Jilly are very hard to control, but Verna keeps coming back. She feels like they are her babies. Myrtle and Annie are trying to get Verna to get a new job, but she refuses. Verna helps the kids plant lemon seeds to pass time. Verna is falling behind in school because Jolly keeps coming late. Verna tries to potty train Jeremy and after a while he gets it. Then,Jolly gets hurt, so Verna calls her mom. Ms.LaVaughn helps Jolly. Verna and Jeremy clean and make beds. Ms.LaVaughn wants Verna to be careful around Jolly. Verna thinks about her deceased father. Jeremy cuts off Jilly's hair off because he didn't know Verna was joking when she said,"She had a big curl and she was a bad girl." Verna remembers how her dad was killed. Jolly gets fired because someone hurt her, and she had stabbed him with a pencil. So, Jolly tries to get even, but Jolly needs money. Jolly is job-hunting so, Verna buys Jeremy new shoes. Then, Verna goes shopping with Jeremy. Jolly goes to steam class with Verna and Verna thinks about working for free. Verna gets Jeremy new lemon seeds because his wouldn't grow. Jolly is struggling and Verna decides to help her. So, Verna signs Jolly up for a class. Soon, Verna gets better in school and Jolly does too. Jeremy needs glasses. Jolly makes a business letter for school and Jolly tells Verna about her "Gram". Jolly is getting better at homework. Jolly tells Verna a very meaningful story. Jilly chokes and almost dies, so Jeremy is left with Verna. Verna sees how much they've grown.

    There are four major characters: Verna, Jolly, Jilly, and Jermey. Verna is the main character. she is very determined to help, optimistic, and is a great teacher. Jolly is the "mother" in the book. she is stubborn, worrisome, and caring. Jilly is the baby. she is special, silly, and troublesome. Jeremy is the loving one in this book. He is eager to learn, cheerful, and compassionate.

    I think there was two themes in this book. Friendship would be one because Verna sticks with Jolly through thick and thin. For example, Verna helps them get an education. Also,hope because they had so little, but they held onto hope. They tried to clean, work, and get an education so that the kids would grow up happy.

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  4. The book I read was "Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom. This book is about a forty-year-old man who goes to see his aging college professor he hasn't seen since he graduated.
    One of the main characters is Mitch Albom; a man of business who had forgotten about his favorite professor; Morrie Schwartz. Until one day, Mitch was flipping through channels on the television, and found his professor being interviewed on a show called "Nightline". He was telling about how he had gotten diagnosed with ALS, which is a cancer that attacks the neurological system in the body, then once it reached the lungs, it was time to say goodbye.
    The other main character is Morrie Schwartz; Mitch's old and very wise college professor. Morrie didn't believe in self-pity, he believed in living your life to the fullest, no matter the circumstances.
    This story takes place in Waltham, Massachusetts. Every Tuesday, Mitch would come to visit Morrie in exchange for life lessons from Morrie. Not only did this make Mitch more aware of how fast he was going through his life, but created a close bond between the two friends.
    The theme of this story is to live your life like you only had one day left to live. Don't waste your time being attached to one emotion, because you'll waste your life. Finally, don't forget about the ones that love you because those are the people that will support the most and will always be there for you.

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  5. This summer I read Firestorm. Firestorm is the story of Jack Danielson who thought he was a normal boy but then discovers he is from the future where planet Earth is dead and over run by the dark army. Luckily for Jack, he won’t have to do it alone, he also has the help from ninja girl from the future, Eko, and the high mutt, Gisco, of the future. With the help of his new friends, Jack has to embark on a quest to find Firestorm, a legendary artifact created from by the Earth as a last defense.

    As I mentioned before the main characters are Jack, Eko, and Gisco. Jack was just an average Joe but learned he was the future’s beacon of hope and that he would have to do every thing in his power to find the mythical firestorm. Gisco is the above average size dog Jack finds in New York who betrays Jack, but then comes back to save him in many situations. Eko is a shape shifting ninja girl who at first beats Jack to a pulp but then teaches him almost everything he needs to know to survive. All these characters have one big thing in common; they are from the future order of Dann.

    The setting of this book changes frequently. The main setting of the book is the time which is the present full of forces form the future. Other than that though they move from Texas to New York, then to Pennsylvania in a barn, then a swamp, then the rest of the book is more important which takes place out at sea on a fishing trawler. After Jack, and Gisco, are off the trawler and a brief time on a cruise ship they are on a private island with Jack’s evil cousin and Firestorm.

    The theme of Firestorm is your only so strong alone because throughout the book Jack is faced with many challenges that normally he could not overcome but he has his friend there by his side to help him. Another theme I got from this story is to not give trust easily because multiple times Jack was betrayed by random people and once or twice even by a friend.

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  6. The book that i read was Firestorm. Firestorm is a story about Jack Danielson who thought he was just an average boy until he learns he is from the future, a future where the Earth is dead and over run with the dark army. But Jack also has Eko, the ninja girl from the future, and Gisco, the high dog of Dann from the future. With his friends, Jack must go on a journey to find firestorm and save the Earth.

    As in the summary the main characters are Jack, Eko, and Gisco. Jack is a above average boy who learns he is the planet's "beacon of hope" that will do everything he can to find firestorm. Eko is a shape-shifting ninja girl who tries to conceal her emotions inside of her most of the time, also she teaches Jack how to fight, swim, and fly. Gisco is a very above average sized dog. who can only communicate telepathically. Also he betrays Jack but he comes back and saves him.

    The setting of Firestorm changes every so often. In Firestorm the main setting is the present. Other than that the setting changes from Jacks hometown to Manhattan. From Manhattan to Washington D.C. From Washington D.C. to North Carolina then to a fishing trawler then to Jack's evil cousin's island.

    The theme of Firestorm is not to give trust too easily. Jack gave his trust to a few people who ended up betraying him.

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  7. The book i read was Make Lemonade, this book was great.It taught me a valuable lesson in the process of reading it,which was you can turn your life around. This book was such a good book because its realistic and most people don't think about it but this is how some people live their life. A young single mother on her own and the baby daddies are nowhere to be found. Some people are blind to the fact that there are predicaments that are like Jolly's. So i felt this book would be great for young teens so they no they shouldn't grow up to fast.

    The main characters in this book were LaVaughn ,which was a 14 year old girl who needed money to save up for college so she decided to take on a babysitting job. Another main character in this book was Jolly. Jolly is a teenage mother who is 17 years old and and going through a rough time in her life.She gets beat up, her house is yucky and she is barley a adult her self and she already has two small children she has to care for and can barley afford. Which brings us to two more main characters in this book Jilly ,which is Jolly's youngest baby girl and Jeremy who is Jolly's two year old son. those are all the round characters in the book. Some of the flatter characters would be LaVaughn's mom ,Myrtle and Annie which are LaVaughn's friends they also show up in the book some.

    This book doesn't have a specific setting. There are many settings in this book . They were at Jolly's house most of the time ,but while they weren't at Jolly's there was some times when it was at LaVaughn's house,school, LaVaughn's steam class and many more.

    There is a great theme for this book " when life gives you lemons make lemonade" and that's exactly what happened.So what I'm basically saying is don't sit around feeling bad for yourself because unless you do something about the situation then it will stay the same so if your given an opportunity take it. It started when jolly let LaVaughn in on her unfortunate pass with her boss. Jolly informed LaVaughn that she was harassed by her boss and later fired. LaVaughn also shared a secret with Jolly well half a secret anyways she told Jolly about her dad dieing when she was a little girl but she left out the part of him accidentally getting shot by a gang.Jolly is jobless what is she going to do if she doesn't get money to provide for her kids? Better yet pay LaVaughn because now LaVaughn is having to babysit for free .So LaVaughn and Jolly are trying to job hunt ,then LaVaughn gets a idea about Jolly going back to school ,and that was a automatic nope! Then she happened to come around. One problem LaVaughn has to face the fact that her mom is very judgmental when it comes to character and it seems like she is concerned with Jolly's lack of character. But at the end everything worked out Jolly earned respect from LaVaughn's mom and was becoming a better and graceful person.

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  8. I read “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom. This book is about an elderly college professor reuniting with a student after sixteen long years.
    One of the main characters is Morrie Schwartz, a college professor dealing with a life threatening disease. Morrie was an older man fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an illness of the neurological system. This old professor believed that you shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself because you’re dying, or something in your life isn’t going the way you planned. You should embrace it. He believed in living your life to the fullest.
    The other main character is Mitch Albom, a successful businessman focused more on his job than the things that matter most, Morrie Schwartz. Mitch was going through channels and noticed his favorite professor being interviewed by a television show called “Nightline”, for his disease (ALS). Hearing that his once important professor is dying, he goes to visit him.
    This story takes place in Waltham, Massachusetts. Every Tuesday for a few hours, Mitch would go and visit Morrie, to discuss different life lessons. Like death, family or forgiveness. This made Mitch and Morrie closer as friends and helped Mitch realize how fast life was passing him by.
    The theme of this story is don’t waste your time only doing essential things but do stuff that makes you happy and proud of the life you lived. Also, live your life to the fullest and don’t let anything stop you. Finally, be there for the ones that you love, because when the time comes they’ll be there to help and support you.

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  9. I read the book “Firestorm” by David Klass. This is an action-packed and very interesting book. If you like a good book with mysteries accompanying action, then this would be a book for you.

    Jack Danielson is an 18 year old senior in a seemingly normal high school. Well, that isn’t the case. One night, Jack is ‘marked’ by the Dark Army... His Dad tells him this, shoves him into the car, and drives off with him. Jack’s Dad tells him that he isn’t his Dad, and Jack’s mother isn’t his real mother. Also, there is the Dark Army from the future after him. Jack is from the future, sent to retrieve Firestorm to save the future… Another major character is Gisco, who is a dog. He meets up with Jack early on and eventually explains a lot about what is going on to him. They flee together before Gisco traps Jack in a barn. He then meets Eko, a shape-shifting girl. They go through rigorous training together before the Dark Army catches up. Later, after getting lost at sea and working on a trawler boat, they meet Dargon. He is from the future too, sent to destroy Firestorm, the only thing that can save the future. Jack was sent to retrieve it to save the future. Jack eventually retrieves Firestorm, but later, at the cost of his two friends, Eko and Gisco, who ‘blink out’ of existence.

    There is no definite setting for this novel. Some of the book takes place in Manhattan and Washington D.C., and a remote island in the middle of the ocean, Dargon’s Island.

    The theme I got out from this book was “life is full of twists and turns; you don’t know what is around the corner”. I believe this makes sense for this book because every other chapter, there is something new and exciting to read about. It surely describes all that Jack Danielson has to go through to save the future.

    Throughout this entire book, action persists. I really enjoyed reading it. I believe anyone who has a liking for action and mystery on every other page should read this book.

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  10. This summer I read the book "Tuesday's with Morrie". This story is about a man named Mitch Albom who learns that his favorite college professor and friend has developed a terminal disease, ALS or, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gherig's disease. Mitch feels bad for not staying in touch with his friend through the years and decides to go see him. Mitch travels from his home in Detroit to West Newton, MA where he finds his friend Morrie Schwartz. Morrie is an elderly man with thinning silver hair who has spent many years as a proffessor of sociology. Throughout the story the ALS disease worsens, which forces Morrie to give up many of his favorite things including teaching at Brandeis University and dancing. In his final months of life however, Morrie tries to teach his final lessons.

    Mitch is a person who is dedicated to his work as a professional columnist for the Detroit Free Press. He is hardworking, but he judges his success on the money he makes. He thinks wealth is the most important thing. During the story his circumstances change due to a work strike and Mitch learns that money is not the right prioritiy and that there is no need to be better than the next person. Mitch has so many things happen to him that he doesn't know how to deal with and he has a lot of problems he needs to resolve. So every week he travels to West Newton so he can attend Morrie's classes on Tuesday's.

    Morrie enjoys having the time with his friend. As the ALS disease takes more and more of his mobility from him he comes to rely on his mind to get him through which is sharp as ever. During their Tuesday visits Morrie & Mitch reminise on memories of old times they shared and talk through many of the hard times and difficulties that they've endoured. Mitch brings Morrie his favorite foods, but due to the disease Morrie is unable to eat them. Morrie knows he's going to die, and he spends a lot of time trying to help Mitch find his priorities and change his life around to what Mitch wants it to be and what he knows it can be. He encourages Mitch to see things differently and tries to help him mend relationships with those important to him like his brother Peter.

    After many years, Morrie is once again Mitch's best teacher. Mitch learns that you need to live a fulfilling life and in the end when Morrie dies Mitch has learned how to put things in perspective to deal with his fears and cope with both life and death He has learned that life is what you make it.

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  11. This summer I choose to read Firestorm. When Jack Danielson breaks the highschool record for rushing on his football team, his life is to change forever. You see Jack is from the future, he was sent back in time as a baby to save it from the horrid future ahead, that is ofcourse run by the grusome Dark Army. After winning the breaking record Jack and his football team, along with P.J., his girlfriend, go to a burger joint to celebrate. At the restaurant a cyborg sees Jack and now Jack has to run, and find for his life.
    Jack Danielson is the future's ''Beacon of Hope'' and because he is the destined to save Earth jack has runins with some good and evil people. Eko, who is a high flying ninja that trains jack to find for himself and shows him that what he is saving. Then Jack has Gisco. He is a veary ''outspoken'' dog from the future. When Jack and Gisco go on a jurney to Kitty Hawk, North Carloina, Gisco has to trick Jack into going into the barn where he gets beat up by Eko. That caused a lot of tention between the two. Obviously you know jack has to run into some bad people. Well his cousin actually is one of them. He tries to kill Jack after he finds Firestorm. Firestorm is a rock formation inside an active volcano. jack is the only one who is abel to find it and it is said that is saves the Earth from the terrible future.
    In Firestorm there are obviously many settings. There are, in my count, four main places. There is Headly-by-Hudson in Manhattan, Kitty Hawk, N.C., the ocean, and a remote island.
    Now this story dose have a theme. The theme would be not to trust others right off the bat. If you that to someone you haven't known a while it can cause you danger.
    This is bay far one of the best books I have read that was a school recommended. I can assure you i will have to read the reast of the trilogy.

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  12. I read Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. This was an amazing book about a professor teaching life lessons to a former student of his, in his last days. They talk about culture, life, marriage, love, family, and responsibility. Mitch comes out a completely different person than when he first came to see Morrie out of guilt. He learns so much, and made up for the 16 years he didnt see his old professor.
    The characters in this book are Mitch, and Morrie. Mitch is a journalist, and sports guy whos been absorbed by the world, money, and material things for example. Morrie, is the second. Morrie was a professor who has ALS and doesnt have much time left in the world. He uses his last months to help out people he loves, gives them advise, and learns what he thinks is the meaning of life. Mitch was Morries student, after he graduated though, they became distant until Mitch saw his teacher on T.V talking about his illness.
    The setting of Tuesdays With Morrie, takes place in Chicago, New York, and Massechutsettes. The seasons change slowly through Summer, and Fall, partialy through Winter, to show his dwindling time. The days the book shows them talking is on Tuesdays, always. The setting is pretty constant.
    Personally, I think the theme of Tuesdays With Morrie is: love one another. All throughout the book, it talks about loving your family, your friends, enemies, and even strangers. Doing nice things, showing you care all showing you love them. Morrie shows Mitch that he loves him by teaching him. In the end Mitch shows Morrie he loves him too, doing tasks you wouldnt normally do for another person, and showing he listens when Morrie speaks.
    This was an amazing book. It taught me alot about some views of the world, and how we should all at least try to love, and be kind to people. It teaches life lessons, and about friendship. It showed a loving relationship between friends, and it was just overall a great book.

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  13. I read the book, "Firestorm", by David Klass. "Firestorm" was about a boy named, Jack Danielson, who had lived a normal life. That all changed the night he broke the school record in football and became famous. Jack unknowingly led the dark army to him by making the papers and was chased by them from that night on. As a result, Jack embarked on an epic journey to find Firestorm before the turning point, or when the world started to die. On his perilous journey he made friends with Eko and Gisco. Jack learned he was sent back a thousand years to the past to find Firestorm, the only source that could save the Earth. On his journey he encounters the dark army, a biker gang, an ocean trawler, and Dargon. Luckily for Jack, meeting Dargon led him to Firestorm which was hidden on the Island of Dargon. In the end Jack finds Firestorm and saves the Earth, but also loses the only two friends he made on his journey.


    The main characters of "Firestorm" were Jack Danielson, Eko, and Gisco. Jack Danielson, the beacon of hope, a small town boy, who was always faster, stronger, and smarter, was sent a thousand years into the past. He was prophesized to find Firestorm and save the future. Jack was brave throughout his quest although he was hunted down, lied to, betrayed, and faced many challenges. In the end, he still saved the world. He even lost part of his ear in a brawl with a member from the biker gang. Next Eko, A.K.A., ninja girl, was sent back in time to prepare Jack for his quest. She was brave and saved Jack numerous times and sacrificed herself to save him. Lastly, Gisco, the High Dog of Dann, or as Jack called him “Mutt” a wise dog, who was great in his younger days, but became fat and whiney. Jack picked up this ally when he was almost captured by the Gorm. However, Gisco proved himself very useful and helped Jack on his quest.


    The setting in "Firestorm" changed frequently. In the beginning Jack started out in the small town of Hadley-by the- Hudson, where he grew up. Next, Jack and Eko escaped to the beach or as they call it, the graveyard, where Jack trained to fight and learns his special powers. The next setting was on an ocean trawler with ruthless men from around the world, where Jack learned more about his real life and got closer to finding Firestorm. The last chapters took place on the Island of Dargon. It was a luxurious and beautiful island, and Firestorm was hidden on it. In the epilogue the setting changes to 6 months later when Jack made it back to Hadley, his home town. In each setting Jack got closer to finding Firestorm, or learned more about his real life.


    The theme of "Firestorm" was to “never give up”. “Never give up” is the theme because throughout the story Jack faced many challenges and did the impossible. He avoided being captured and killed by the dark army. He survived Ekos harsh training; like learning to fly, bending sand, brutal workouts, and fighting sessions. Aslo he made it through a shark attack. Jack embraced the truth about his real life instead of freaking out. He held on to dear life in a little boat without water or food for days. Jack endured life on the ocean trawler for a while and got a bit closer to discovering Firestorm. He battled Dargon and found Firestorm and saved the Earth. No matter what the challenge was Jack never gave up. He kept on fighting until he completed his mission.

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  14. My Antonia
    By Wila Cather
    I read the book My Antonia by Wila Cather. My Antonia is about the struggles of a rural Nebraska town and how immigrant pioneer Antonia and Jim Burden find romance. The story begins when Jim, an orphan boy from Virginia, is sent to Nebraska to live with his grandma. He made friends with a dyslexic boy named Jake and an Austrian named Otto Fuchs. But when a foreign family, the Shimerdas, moved to the U.S, the girl known as Antonia Shimerda became the friend he was most fond of.
    Her life wasn’t easy though, because she immigrated from a poor European country, only to find the grass wasn’t greener. They were caught between the pioneer times, which took place during the late 1800s and people travelled westward in search of homes, gold, and opportunity. They faced many obstacles, like disease and natural detours such as mountains. They couldn’t afford a good house, but Jim and his grandma said they’d find a better place to live there. Then, yet another set of foreigners came: Peter and Pavel.
    They were two friends from Russia with a rough past. They seemed like decent men, but it took blood, sweat, and tears to be where they were. Years ago, back home in Russia, they were asked to take home the bride and groom home one wintry night after a big wedding party. They heard stories of ferocious wolves in wooded regions of the country that ate people, so they tried to avoid them. They rode home on sleds that night.
    As soon as they took off, the wolves were already on foot. One by one, the sleds were overturned and the riders were killed by those malevolent creatures. It was traumatic for Peter and his friend to hear the screams of horses and people dying, but they had to go on, because they had the bride and groom. But their sled was slowed down by extra weight, thought Peter. That idea led to something that he’d soon regret; he’d have to let go of them.
    He threw the couple out into the snowy wilderness. When they got back to the village, the people drove them out, knowing about what happened. And soon, so did the whole country. They were forced to move to America, but didn’t get a lot of money from the countless jobs they’d worked. So the only place they had to go was to the middle American farmlands in Nebraska.
    There, they made a living. But in fall, the bad luck just kept coming. Peter got an urgent renewal note from a man called Wick Cutter, a ruthless money lender. Fortunately Peter took care of this, but the rotten luck didn’t stop. Shortly after that, Pavel was working on a farmhouse and was hurt badly.
    People were getting afraid of them and didn’t want to be around them. After many workers thought he’d die he made a full recovery, which was a relief to everyone. For once, their future was bright. But what comes around goes around, and Antonia’s father committed suicide.
    10 years later, Antonia had become a grown woman. She moved on tried to forget her father’s death. Jim took summer vacation to meet his friends and family before going to law school. He met Antonia, who had her own house now. She was all grown up, with a baby in her arms—the baby her ex-husband Larry Donovan left her with. Jim was ashamed of her, for not being the woman he thought she would be all these years.
    The others had symphony for her, saying “Poor Antonia!”She lowered Jim’s disappointment when she recollected their childhood days, explaining how he felt for her was more than a friendship. She knew that they wanted to be with each other since they were kids, but they couldn’t because those were sad times. They just couldn’t be together. At that moment, they learned the theme of the book: that if they could just pull through this, they wouldn’t lose sight of hope. My opinion on the book is that I didn’t like it at first, but as I read, I liked it more and more because in the beginning it said Jim was an orphan, and that got me thinking it was a sad story. It wasn’t really sad though. There is more than one setting through the whole book.

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  15. The book I read is called Make Lemonade by Virginia Wolff.I really recommend this book. Make Lemonade is a spactacular story about a young girl going through difficulties with her two kids, but she gets through opsticales with the help of a 14-year old girl. This book teaches you a valuable lesson to show people that there lucky for what they have.
    The major characters in this story are Jolly and LaVaughn. Jolly is a 17-year old girl with two kids, Jeremy and Jilly. She struggles with taking care of her kids because she got fired from her job. Jolly doesn't have any family members or her children's fathers to help her out through her bad times. LaVaughn is a 14-year old girl who was looking for an after school job and saw a post that said "Babysitter needed help bad". She agreed to babysit jolly's kids until she got back from work. LaVaughn sees the struggles that jolly is going through and advised her to go to welfare, but jolly doesn't want to do it because she thinks that welfare will take her kids away.LaVaughn is a caring person because she still took care of jolly's kids without pay. She really helped and pushed jolly back on her feet to get an education, and get a better job for her kids to have a better life.
    In this book there are alot of settings. One of the settings is at LaVaughn's school where she finds the babysitting job. Another setting is at jolly's house when laVaugn takes care of the kids.LaVaughn's house is another setting.
    The theme of Make lemonade is" When life gives lemons make lemonade." I think this theme goes good with this book because it shows how jolly turns her life around by going back to school.She learns that it takes something simple like going back to school can get her a better job for her and her kids. LaVaughn really helps her by showing her a steam class and getting the confidence to call the Mom up program. If it wasn't for laVaughn jolly would jus still be struggling with rent and taking care of her kids. This is why u have to get the strive to do better for yoself and not just sit around not caring about anything.

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  16. The book that I read for summer reading was titled Make Lemonade, by Virginia Euwer Wolff.
    I enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anybody who is looking for a good realistic fiction.

    This book is about LaVaughn a fourteen year old girl who is an above average student is starting high school who is very interested in college. Her mother tells her she can go to college if she works hard enough and sets her goals high. Make Lemonade is also about Jolly, a seventeen year old girl who is uneducated and a single mother of two children, Jilly and Jeremy. While looking for a summer Job LaVaughn stumbles across Jolly and here two kids, badly in need of a babysitter. Jolly lives in a bad apartment and can't even pay the bills, LaVaughn is determined to help.

    LaVaughn’s mom is not as enthusiastic about helping as LaVaughn is. LaVaughn thinks it’s not Jolly’s fault for having this kind of life, while her mom says she needs to take hold and support herself. After an argument, LaVaughn’s mom says she will let her keep the Babysitting job as long as she can maintain her grades and get her homework done. Soon after LaVaughn takes the job Jolly gets fired leaving her as a single, jobless, and poor mother. Jolly is unable to pay for the babysitting, still LaVaughn continues to work.

    One of the main events in this story is LaVaughn plants a lemon tree with Jeremy. Three times the seeds will not grow. But Jeremy is a patient boy and is still determined. I think this is the theme of the book that you cannot give up, even when things are tough.

    LaVaughn had formed a close friendship with Jeremy, and after finding out he needed glasses and Jolly couldn’t pay, she had had enough. LaVaughn signs Jolly up for a “Mom Up” program teaching young moms to become more mature.

    Jolly continues in the program and does very well. One day an ad comes up about a billionaire who will give you money if you are in tough conditions. Jolly decides to write him a letter, he tells her he will give her a fair amount of money if Jolly can provide an education certificate. So Jolly decides to work extra hard and signs up for a CPR and safety class.

    When LaVaughn is over babysitting one day teaching Jeremy numbers, which he is learning very well, Jilly begins to choke. Within moments Jolly is there performing CPR and other breathing maneuvers on Jilly. Jolly screams to call 911, Jeremy who is already over at the phone presses on the “9” button. I think this moment is a very important part In the story because it shows that Jeremy has matured and is already learning at a fast rate. After, LaVaughn dials the two 1’s and an ambulance us on the way. But before they arrive Jolly is able to save her own daughter’s life with her new skills. I believe this is probably the most important part in the story because it shows that Jolly is now capable of being a mother, and that hard work pays off. LaVaughn also realizes this and is proud that she helped get Jolly’s life back on track.

    After Jolly’s life is restored and the two girls are back to regular lives, Jolly stops LaVaughn in the hallway a few weeks later and tells her that Jeremy’s lemon tree grew and he is taking great care of it. This reassures LaVaughn that she is a successful girl and that someday she will achieve her goal of going to college.

    So over all this is a good book about determination and hard work. The book also has humor which makes it more enjoyable. Over all I really enjoyed the book for summer reading.

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  17. The book I read was "Make Lemonade" By: Viriginia Wolf. It is a really great book that teaches you a very valuable lesson. Although this is a book, this is a simular lifestyle of alot of young adults. Same struggles,lifestyle and problems. This Book is about a young adult named Jolly, that is only 17 years old and she is raising two kids Jeremy and Jilly. which Jolly's kids are both under two. Even though she is a wonderful mother she can't do it alone. So she post a sign at a high school saying " Baby Sitter Needed Bad." Which leads us to LaVaughn. LaVaughn and her friends went to their high school office to look for any jobs the school had approved that they can apply for . So they looked on the board and two of LaVaughn's friends were interested in cleaning,but LaVaughn wanted to do the babysitting job. So when she called the number she talked to Jolly for the first time. They decided to meet the next day. And LaVaughn gets the job and start as soon as possible. Lavaughn soon finds out how hard it is to take care of two little ones. But as it gets tougher and soon kind of slacks on her promise to keep her grades up and do all her homework before school. LaVaughn's grades start slipping and her friends caught her doing her homework at lunch so she knew she had to try harder. Meanwhile, LaVaughn teaches Jeremy to use the potty. But later one day Jolly comes home tells LaVaughn she lost her job because of a sexual harrasment from her boss. Since she stabbed him with a pencil and made him mad and he fired her. So LaVaughn worked for her for free. Then later LaVaughn talked Jolly into going back to school and she did very well there. Not only did she get a good education she learned how be a good mother. Which payed off when Jilly choked
    on a toy and Jolly did CPR which she learned in school. Jilly was alright after she went to the Hospital. Later, LaVaughn went back to not babysitting the kids. Although, she got another job, cleaning the church. And Jolly and LaVaughn slowly but surely faded apart.

    The setting of this book is in a variety of places. Although most of the story took place at Jolly's house. And a little while it was at the high school. But it didn't stay in just on place. It was a moving story
    The main character were LaVaughn and Jolly. Lavaughn she was a very determined 14 year old. Very concerned about her school work. Also she loves taking care of kids. Although,Jolly is 17 she is a wonerful determined mother. Also a kind of secretive person.

    The theme of "Make Lemonade" simply is based on the story of the blind lady. Even though she wanted an orange,but when things didn't go how she planned she still made the best out of the situation. So since she ended up with a lemon she made lemonade. Which is the theme that even if it isn't the way you plan just make the best of it. Just MAKE LEMONADE!!!!

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  18. I read "Make Leamonade" by Virginia Euwer Wolff. I really liked this book. I thaught it was very interisting.

    Their are two main characters in this book one of them is Jolly and the other one is LaVaughn.Lavaugh is a student so she neads a summer job and Jolly neads a babysitter so Lavaugh takes the job. Jolly is a 17 year old person and has two children. both of the kids have different fathers.

    Both charachters are dynamic because they change through out the book. Jolly changes more than lavaugh but she is still a dinamic charachter.

    In this book their are two main settings on of them is at school and the other one is at jolly's house. Those are the two main settings along the book.

    The theme of this book was friendship can help along your life if your have the right friend because that is what the book is all about.

    This was a great book i reaaly liked reading it i would recomend it to anyone who wants to read a good book. This is one of the best books i have read.

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  19. Over the summer I read "Tuesdays with Morrie," by Mitch Albom. This book is about a college professor that becomes a carrier to the disease ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Mitch is Morrie's favorite student because all through college, Mitch took every one of his classes. He would even eat lunch with Morrie, Mitch called him Coach. This took 16 years after Mitch graduated, and it has been 16 years since they have talked with one another. Throughout that time,Morrie has been slowly losing his ability to dance. Morrie loved to dance to rock and roll music. The doctor said the bacteria would go through his body.Starting at his feet, he would slowly lose the feeling and ability to use feet and unable to use the restroom alone. Then, he would lose the ability to use his hands. In addition, he would have to drink all his food chopped up in a blender.


    When Mitch was at home home flipped through the channels one night, he turned on a news channel and saw Morrie. Morrie was having an interview with Kopper, and he was talking about living with ALS. When Mitch looked closely, he realized that it was Morrie. He wanted to find out were he lived so he could visit Morrie. Mitch found out that he lived in Boston. Mitch got a plane ticket and went to visit him. Mitch is a sports reporter who interview big sports people. While he was driving through neighborhood, he looked and saw this man in wheel chair with tears with rolling down his eyes. At the time, Mitch was on the phone with his work. When he realized that the old man in man sitting in the wheel chair was his beloved teacher. Mitch then turned off the car, ducked down, and got himself together. He put the phone down and went outside to see his beloved professer. He went to Morrie and agve him a a hug. He could feel the tears from Morrie on his cheeks. Mitch rolled Morrie inside his house. Mitch noticed that there were so many people there. He figured out there were there to help take care of Morrie. They went into the kitchen, and Mitch noticed that there were many pill bottles. They sat down and had a bit to eat. When Mitch looked in the refrigerator he saw barely any food. While they were eating they got to talking and they decided that Mitch should have lessons on Tuesdays with Morrie.














    Thoughout the Tuesdays in which they talked about lifes lessons, Mitch recorded every conversation on a tape rcorder ant eventually wrote a book called "Tuesdays with Morrie". This books over all theme is that even when you are going through your last days, you can spend them with the ones you love. This story's setting takes place in a small house in Boston with the feeling of love and loss in the air. With all his loved ones around him, Morrie asks to go peacefully. Morrie is buried under a tree beside a pond with just the sweet sounds of birds and the smell of fresh air. Morrie is a very sweet, gentle, kind, loving manthat cares for everyone. He does not wantanyone to hurt when he is gone. This book has a very great lesson for society to evryone who reads it, and it is heart-felt story for all ages.

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  20. This summer the book I read is called “Make Lemonade” by Virginia Wolff. After reading the book it taught me to not take things for granted. It was very interesting and I really recommend this book. Make lemonade is a great story about a young girl who was going through a lot but a 14 year old girl helped her. This book teaches you not to take things for granted and to be grateful for what all you have.
    The main characters in this book are Jolly and LaVaughn. Lavaughn was a 14 years old who was determined to finish school. Her mama told her she has to set goals and work for them. Make Lemonade other main character is also Jolly, who is a single mom and is 17 years old with two kids. The kid’s names are Jilly and Jeremy. Lavaughn was at school and she ran across a babysitting job poster with Jolly’s name on it. Lavaughn was determined to babysit Jolly’s two kids. Jolly and her two kids live in a dirty old apartment. LaVaughn sees what Jolly is going through and LaVaughn tried to help her get back on her feet but Jolly was scared welfare was going to take her kids if she goes to them. LaVaugn tried to push her so hard for Jolly to get a better job to take care of her two kids and how they lived.

    In this book it’s a lot of settings, most of the settings took place at the school, but basely majored at Jolly’s house. Really this book settings was everywhere, it was like a moving book.

    The theme of “Make Lemonades” is to not take things for granted. You should always be thankful for what you already have.

    “Make Lemonades was a great book I readied during the summer. I recommend to any one that loves reading books about learning a lesson.

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