#7 Free choice; My favorite book

     I have been asked before what my favourite book is. Teachers, surveys, friends, questionnaire's; I have never had a straight answer for them. I think subconsciously I have never wanted to pick a favourite, because the "holy grail" of my book list is out there, one I will probably never even hear about, let alone read.

     On the other side of this topic, Kira Kira is a book I have read over and over and still absolutely love. I first read it when I was 9, and over the next five years, have read again 9 and a half times.I'm not sure what about this book that sets it apart from others I have read. Oddly, its not the author. I have read some of her other books, and didn't like them. It's not like the story has a story line apart from any others. It is set in the 50's and a little girl named Katie lives with her mom, dad, sister Lynn and brother Sam. The family moves for the dad to find work and it fallows Katie's life as she grows up.

     It sounds silly, but I'm not sure that I can say that Kira Kira is my favourite book. I don't think I can ever say I have a favourite book. Its like...picking your favourite friend or family member, when they each have something amazing about them. But I can say it is a book that I love. I can say its the only book I asked for at Christmas ever. I can say that its the only book the I was banned from taking out of the library any more. And I defiantly can say that you should read it.

Blog post #6

     I am currently reading "Grist" by Heather Waldorf. This book is about a 16 year old girl, named Charlie. For the summer she goes to a remote lake, where her Gram lives. Through reading this book, I have found many qualities of an archetypal mentor in Grams.

    "Grams clapped her hands at Gerta, who disappeared back out the hole in the screen, chattering with disapointment. Grams pulled closed the glass pane over the broken screen and locked it. 'I'l take out a stale muffin after lunch and leave it up in the tree. I don't want Gerta getting the idea she can claw her way in here anytime. My poor heart can't take you screeching like that first thing every morning.'"  ( Heather Waldorf, 46)

    I think that this quote shows many Mentor qualites that she has. The first is the point that the mentor aids the hero. In this book, Grams starts to play the role of a mother figure to Charlie. She provides for her, mentally and physicaly, by teaching, cooking, helping, and supporting Charlie. The second is the physical aspects of Gram. The essance of the mentor is a wise old man or women. Grams is litterly a wise old women, proving that charachteristic of a mentor. The third I have found is the point that the mentors role may be to teach the hero. Through her trip, Grams has taught Charlie many things about the lake, fishing, cooking, and many life lessons.
   I think Grams was a perfect example of a mentor, and helped Charlie emensly on her journey.

Dempsey, Stephanie. "Astrology Lends a Helping Hand." Daily Horoscope. Daily Horoscope. Web. 23 Nov. 2011

I think the picture captures the mentor essance of Grams. Even though she may no be physicaly helping and mentoring Charlie, she is mentally and spiritually mentoring her.

Blog post #5

"We were supposed to write about patriarchy and Beowulf. I had no idea we even read Beowulf, but I'm resigned to the fact I can't bullshit my way through this essay as effortlessly as Becky probably has, and since I'm pretty confident she can do it as effortlessly again, I rip it from her binder. Its my essay now." ( Courtney Summers, 6)

     A am over halfway through "Cracked up to be" by Courtney Summers. The main character is Parker Fadley. She used to be the perfect, popular girl at her school until she started drinking at school, failing classes and getting suspended. Parker doesn't seem like the hero we normally read about, but she does have some characteristics of one. 

     The first heroic quality I saw was the loner quality. Parker says in the book that the reason she began acting the way she is, is because she dose no like people. She has said that she wants to be left alone, and to be ignored.

     The second one I have found is sacrifices they make to achieve their goal. Parkers goal is not typically seen as one, but hers was at be left alone. She used to be the captain of the cheer leading team, dating the most popular guy and a future valedictorian, but she sacrificed all that to be alone.

    The last heroic quality I found in Parker was that they must change and grow. I think it is obvious that Parker has changed a lot from her former "perfect" self, but near the end of the book she starts to change again. Parker is realizing that if she wants to get out of school, she has to work hard and graduate. In addition to that she meets Jake, who starts to bring out the better qualities in her. I think that her changing and growing is that more obvious and important heroic quality that Parker has showed.