The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Category Archives: English 8
Book Reviews
Some books I’ve read
These are not all the books I have read of course, but there’s no way I’m writing thirty-two reviews, so I just chose 4 books/series to review.
EVEREST series by Gordon Korman
This trilogy is about a 13-year-old named Dominic Alexis who strives to climb Mount Everest, just like 15-year-old Ethan Zaph, record holder for the youngest climber to summit Everest. Dominic wins a chance to climb with SummitQuest with his older brother Chris. At first it seems that Dominic won’t make the cut, he ends up making it after Ethan quits the team.
Like all of Gordon’s books, this series is really compelling. It’s full of action, twists, and it’s really realistic, because in the book, people get sick, seriously hurt, and one person even dies. This is also the kind of book that you can keep reading again and again, and it would still be as entertaining as before. I like how all the characters have their flaws, and Gordon didn’t make Dominic the star in the team. Dominic nearly got eliminated three times. My favourite character is definitely Sammi Moon, because she’s fantastic at climbing and doesn’t listen to anyone. I really like the part in book one where Bryn sleepwalks off the cliff, and Dominic and Cap manage to save her. It really showed how Dominic can be stubborn and loyal to people. This series doesn’t only have the action of climbing Mount Everest, there’s still the suspicion among the climbers of Summit Quest. There’s a mole leaking private information to the news, and Tilt wants to do anything to be the youngest to reach the summit, even if he has to shatter Dominic’s dreams.
Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket AKA Daniel Handler
This book is the first in a quadrilogy called All the Wrong Questions. This book is about Lemony Snicket working as an apprentice for the worst ranked V.F.D. member. They go solve a mystery surrounding a small statue of the Bombinating Beast. It was seemingly stolen from Mrs. Murphy by the Mallahans family, but Moxie Mallahan tells Lemony they didn’t steal it, it was always in their lighthouse. Then there is a mysterious man by the name of Hangfire, who imitates people’s voices in order to get the Beast. Lemony meets Ellington Feint, who double crosses him twice, and the mystery of why the statuette is so important is still unknown at the end of the story.
This is a pretty cool mystery novel, and it’s also written in the same style as A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is a good (but unfortunate) series. There’s still that gag of everyone defining difficult words. And like the other series, it’s leaves many things unknown, like in the other series, after 12 books and two companion books, we still don’t know what the sugar bowl is, what V.F.D. stands for, and if the Quagmires are still alive. In this book we don’t know where Ellington’s true loyalty lies, and what is so important about the statue. I bet at the end of the series, the last question will still be unanswered. There’s not much action in this book, but after all, it’s just the first book. It does have some action, but not as much as series like the 39 Clues, On the Run (now that’s a great series), or the movie Jurassic World.
Paper Towns by John Green
This book is about how Margo Roth Spiegelman climbs through Quenton’s window, and takes him on an all-night journey of revenge on her cheating boyfriend and her former friends. Afterwards, Margo goes missing, and Quenton and his friends find clues that Margo left for them, and they end up on the road trip of their lives to find Margo.
This is the one of the best books I have ever read. It’s one of those books that you just can’t bring yourself to put down. There are so many great words you could use to describe it. Magnificent. Interesting. Compelling. Awesome. Amazing. I don’t know how John Green does it, but this book is a really, really amazing read. I definitely recommend it to anyone. It’s also one of those books where the back says it’s “laugh out-loud funny,” and actually is. I like how John’s characters seem to be different than other people (and much better at English too. Seriously, who knows the word ghettoize?). But the thing is, Paper Towns is also about how nobody is really that different. That a person can’t be more than a person. A person is just a person. I think it’s a really interesting message, because isn’t everyone different? And most books always say things like that. There’s also another thing that Margo believes, that college isn’t important, which goes against everything humanity has been doing the last few decades.
Chomp by Carl Hiaasen
Chomp tells of a job taken by animal wrangler Mickey Cray (who has been out of commission since a dead iguana fell from a tree and hit him in the head) and his son, Wahoo. The job is for some of Mickey’s most amazing animals to be in Expedition Survival! a popular TV show starring Derek Badger, who is a fake survivalist. Up until this episode, everything has been faked, but Derek wants to put “real” back in “reality”. Then Derek goes missing in the Everglades after getting bit by a bat, and Tuna, Wahoo’s friend, has a drunk abusive father tracking her down, and he has a gun.
This book, like Scat, Hoot, and Flush, is a marvelous story to read. I really like it, and have read it three times, enjoying it each time. The characters are realistic, none of them Mary Sues, which is great. The things that happen are really unexpected too, like you would think that the book jumps immediately to Derek running away, but it doesn’t. I also never expected Tuna to come along, or for her dad to follow her. It was also really entertaining reading about Derek’s fails in trying to be a survivalist, and also his stupid stunts. One thing I don’t like was the fact that Derek ran away because he thought he was a vampire. Even though it could happen, it was just so ridiculous, I couldn’t stop thinking of how ridiculous it was the whole time I was reading the book.
My Year in 5 Minutes
In English class, I have learned a great deal of information. This is a screencast showing what I learned from three assignments from all four quarters of my 2014-2015 school year.
Imbalance of Genders
Nanako and I made an infograph for gender inequality and sexism. Gender inequality is the imbalance of men and women. In this infograph, we are focusing on misogyny, which is women being treated unfairly because of their gender.
Sources
Sexism and Gender Discrimination Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from http://www.cityvision.edu/wiki/sexism-and-gender-discrimination-statistics
Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from http://ukfeminista.org.uk/take-action/generation-f/statistics/
Facts and statistics on gender inequality. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from http://ukfeminista.org.uk/take-action/facts-and-statistics-on-gender-inequality/
Gender Inequality and Women in the Workplace. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2015, from http://www.summer.harvard.edu/blog-news-events/gender-inequality-women-workplace
The Facts: Gender Inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls Around the World. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2015, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/1556-the-facts-gender-inequality-and-violence-against-women-and-girls-around-the-world
Covers TED Talk!
Our project is making covers, then posting them on Youtube and Facebook to get feedback. In our TED Talk, we explain our goals, process, mistakes, and more.
A Ripple in Society
Playlist
Photo Credit: Melissa Gandhi via Compfight cc
1. Catch My Breath by Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson, Kelly. “Catch My Breath.” Greatest Hits•Chapter On. Pasadena, CA:The Listening Station, 2012.
“Catching my breath, letting it go,
Turning my cheek for the sake of the show
Now that you know, this is my life,
I won’t be told what’s supposed to be right”
When Jerry was getting bullied, he didn’t retaliate, which is what, “turning my cheek” means. He got kicked out of the team, his artwork went missing, his locker vandalized, his phone constantly ringing, and people coming over to taunt him outside. He continued to reject the chocolates, and refused to listen to the Vigils. He didn’t let others control him. Kelly Clarkson sings this with a defiant tone, showing that she is not weak, and that she is going to live her life no matter what everyone else says.
2. Wavin’ Flag by K’naan
K’naan. “Wavin’ Flag.” Troubadour. A&M/Octone, 2009.
“So many wars, settlin’ scores,
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor,
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
‘Cause we just move forward like Buffalo soldiers”
This part of the song describes the part when The Vigils start to lose power and people start to rebel and think for themselves. The Vigils make some people believe that what they are doing it good, and Archie makes people do Assignments, and making them feel really guilty. Jerry refused to accept the chocolates, even after Archie asked him to. One person also put up a poster saying, “SCREW THE CHOCOLATES AND SCREW THE VIGILS.” The poster shows that Jerry’s followers are getting the courage to badmouth the Vigils. The way you’re supposed to sing this song is a bit sad, but also promising, reassuring, and strong.
3. Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson, Kelly. “Stronger.” Stronger. Los Angeles, CA:Echo Studio, 2012.
“You think you got the best of me
Think you’ve had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I’d come running back
Baby you don’t know me, cause you’re dead wrong”
This song is about how Archie feels in the end. Archie knows he’s still powerful, and that Jerry doesn’t know him and that he is not broken down, and Archie hasn’t lost just yet. Archie put together a match between Jerry and Emile, and proved that it is he who had the last laugh. Kelly sings this song with a slight smirk, like, Haha! You’re wrong! which is probably how Archie feels.
4. Roar by Katy Perry
Perry, Katy. “Roar.” Prism. Capitol Records, 2013.
“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agree politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
I let you push me past the breaking point
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything”
The students at Trinity always follow the Vigils without protest, they were afraid to “rock the boat and make a mess.” It is mentioned in chapter 27 by Archie that rough characters melted into ninety-seven pound weaklings when confronted by Archie and The Vigils. The students never stood for anything, and like Goober, just let The Vigils push them to the breaking point. People at Trinity forgot that they had a choice in what they do, and instead chose to do what everyone else is doing.
5. I Believe I Can Fly by R Kelly
Kelly, R. “I Believe I Can Fly.” R. Atlantic • Jive, 1996.
“See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me, oh”
These lyrics are about making a change and believing. In chapter 17, Jerry again refuses the chocolate, and there is a dead silence in the classroom. Change has to start with someone, and Jerry chose to continue to refuse chocolates and to try and stop the terror of The Vigils. This song is pretty slow, giving you the feeling that you are really free from the world, and that you’re flying.
6. Holiday by Green Day
Green Day. “Holiday.” American Idiot. Reprise/Warner Bros, 2005.
“A shame, the one’s who died without a name.
I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies
This is the dawning of the rest of our lives”
The first line is like how Emile Janza strives to become one of the Vigils. He wants to die with a name, meaning he wants to be remembered. The second line tells how someone wants to dream and be different from the bad ways of Trinity. That someone could be Jerry in this book. The third line tells how it’s the beginning of the rest of our lives. Being different could change other people’s lives. People at Trinity began thinking for themselves.
7. Mean by Taylor Swift
Swift, Taylor. “Mean.” Speak Now. Big Machine, 2011.
“You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You have knocked me off my feet again
Got me feeling like I’m nothing
You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard
Calling me out when I’m wounded
You picking on the weaker man”
This song describes how someone uses words to hurt people. The same way Archie doesn’t usually use violence as punishment. Instead, he uses words to hurt people, because they last longer than physical punishment. He doesn’t look like much, but Archie is still feared by the population of Trinity.
8. Read All About It by Emeli Sande
Sande, Emeli. “Read All About It.” Our Version of Events. Virgin Records, 2011.
“You’ve got the words to change a nation
But you’re biting your tongue
You’ve spent a life time stuck in silence
Afraid you’ll say something wrong
If no one ever hears it how we gonna learn your song?”
Everyone at Trinity can change the school if they stop biting their tongue and be confident that what they’re doing isn’t wrong. “You’ve spent a lifetime stuck in silence,” relates to Jerry’s father. Everyday, his work is just fine. Nothing bad, nothing good. Jerry’s father never became a doctor so that he could get more money.
9. 21 Guns by Green Day
Green Day. “21 Guns.” 21st Century Breakdown. Reprise Records, 2009.
“One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I”
This part of the song can relate to the ending of The Chocolate War. Jerry gave up the fight, telling Goober to don’t disturb the universe, no matter what the posters say. This song is about surrendering, because there are some things worth fighting for, but aren’t worth dying for. Jerry paid the price for disturbing the universe, Emile had very nearly killed him.
10. Careful by Paramore
Paramore. “Careful.” Brand New Eyes. Fueled by Ramen LLC, 2010.
“Shifting your weight
To throw off the pain
Well you can ignore it
But only for so long”
In chapter 28, Jerry got beat up at the football field, then his watercolor disappeared, his locker vandalized, and his sneakers ruined. He also got telephone calls, with nothing on the other end but laughter. In chapter 34, the school made him invisible. Jerry tried to brush off the taunting and bullying, but the boxing match was the last straw. He could only ignore it all for so long, and in the end, he gave up.
11. Amnesia by 5 Seconds of Summer
5 Seconds of Summer. “Amnesia.” 5 Seconds of Summer. Capitol Records, 2014.
“ ‘Cause I’m not fine at all
No, I’m really not fine at all
Tell me this is just a dream
‘Cause I’m really not fine at all”
In chapter 32, Jerry tells his father that he is fine, though he definitely is not fine. Archie and Brother Leon are like this too. They pretend to be all cool, and they try to let everyone think that everything is under control. Brother Leon’s eyes gave his true feelings away. Inside, Leon is vulnerable, and scared about the influence Jerry has on the students at Trinity.
12. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
Green Day. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” American Idiot. Warner Bros, Reprise Records, 2004.
“I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known
Don’t know where it goes, but it’s home to me and I walk alone
I walk this empty street on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
When the city sleeps and I’m the only one and I walk alone
I walk alone, I walk alone“
In this song, a person walks along on a road they have known their entire life. They’re incredibly lonely, but they don’t explore other places or meet any people. Jerry’s father is like this, choosing to live a boring life because it’s easier. He doesn’t try to marry another woman so that he and Jerry won’t be so lonely, and preferred to just relive the same day over and over, never having anything new happening.
TIEA #1
The Chocolate War has a big theme on the idea of disturbing the universe, and the song Read All About It by Emeli Sande also shares that theme. The first line of the song is, “You’ve got the words to change a nation.” which relates to how just one person could disrupt the system at Trinity. In chapter 21, Howie and Rich, and Kevin and Danny discussed how they’re going to stop selling the chocolates, inspired by Jerry’s bold decision to simply refuse. The 5th line of the song is, “If no one ever hears it, how we gonna learn your song?” In chapter 27, it mentions how nobody has ever been unintimated by the Vigils and Archie, then later Obie shows them a poster that portrays the Vigils in a bad way. In all of these examples, it shows how Jerry has completely changed the way of thinking of the students at Trinity. Jerry sparked a change, and it spread to all the students. The Vigils began losing power and influence. Like the song says, anyone has the potential to change a nation, they just need to find the courage to do so. You have to face the fact that you could get in serious trouble, because not saying anything will not let people hear your opinion. Jerry was only a freshman when he made the entire school know his name. Numerous people were affected by his influence.
TIEA #2
The theme of fear plays an important role in The Chocolate War, the theme lets readers understand how fear can be a powerful weapon, but how there is still a way to face it. In chapter 37, while Emile and Jerry were fighting, the audience did absolutely nothing to stop what was happening. In chapter 6, when Gregory Bailey was being falsely accused of cheating, and nobody stood up for him until the end. All of these examples shows how people are too afraid to be a nonconformist and to do what’s right. They instead chose to go along with everyone else and what The Vigils want so they don’t draw negative attention to themselves. It’s easy to tell that what is happening it wrong. We all know that teachers shouldn’t accuse students of cheating when they know they don’t We all should know that supporting a fight, and one so unfair, is totally wrong. Us readers know that The Vigils are very bad news. But if you were in their situation, would you choose to conform or not? The characters deep down know that what they’re doing is wrong and not helping, but fear prevents them from acting. Robert Cormier lets us as readers know that being a nonconformist can really make a positive change in society, and that you shouldn’t be afraid.
Storybird
This is my Storybird. This short book tells of my attempt to disturb the universe in a positive way, and comes with a section on bullying and how to prevent it.
http://storybird.com/books/a-ripple-in-society-2/
To Poetry and Beyond
INSPIRATIONAL POEM
You are as smart as scientist
you have logic, skill, and common sense
but what is the use of having all that
if no one notices what you could be?
if you never let your colours show
you will never be unique, never be noticed
people notice the ones you’ve shunned
the show-off with pi memorized to infinity
the know-it-all with a talking textbook for a head
but you, you never get attention
because you’ve never stood out from the crowd
Click! The front row smiles bright, but you try to hide
HOPE POEM
My hope looks like the ground, so small during flight
My hope feels like sunshine, at the dead of night
My hope smells like cookies, in a cold dark dungeon
My hope tastes like ice cream, freezed in the oven
My hope sounds like an apology, after thinking it were impossible
My hope is for something unachievable, to become possible
TIEA PARAGRAPH AND ANALYSIS
Inspiring poems can inspire and change other people. In a poem called Better Than Before, it says, “From a small puddle, rebirth of motivation, better than before.” After reading this poem, people who feel like they don’t have any ideas at the moment, will still be confident that they can think of ideas. Also, they will start to believe that their ideas will be better than before. They can also rest assured that they could get motivation at any time. In a rhyming poem called You Will Never See Me Fall, in line 16 to 17, it says, “You may see me struggle…but you will NEVER see me fall.” This will make reader realize that struggling and falling are not the same thing. This can make people be less afraid of facing difficulties, because making mistakes doesn’t mean it’s the end, and that struggling isn’t something to be ashamed of. In a poem called You Will Never See Me Fall, Joyce uses metaphors many examples of struggling, but not falling. The lines in the poem are also real things people could go through. Line 10 and 11 say, “I’m going to wear the biggest smile, even though I want to cry.” A lot of people are like this, they pretend they are fine when they are not. Then they can relate to the poem. The author is trying to get people to stay strong no matter what, and you can’t give up.
In Better Than Before, the author makes the poem simple but meaningful. The author uses a metaphor, comparing a state of nothing happening to a small puddle. The author doesn’t explain much either, even in the description of the poem. So you have to use your imagination to think of what it means. The metaphor might not be what I think it is either, making it so simple, Jeremy made this poem be able to apply to many things.
In the poem Strength and Courage, it follows the order of “It takes strength to…” then “it takes courage to…” there’s not a lot of words after each of those, so it’s quite simple, but has a lot of good examples of strength and courage being different. The author uses things that can happen in real life into his poem. David wrote in two lines, “It takes strength to stand alone, it takes courage to lean on another.” This can totally apply to a war. It takes a lot of strength for you to take care of yourself in battle. But you need to get the courage to help yourself by letting another help you.
All three of these poems use situations that happen in real life, and reassure people that it’s okay. You Will Never See Me Fall uses the idea of people making mistakes and going through lots of difficulties. Strength and Courage uses the idea of people being strong, and people having courage. Better Than Before uses the idea that you can always make it better if you have some motivation. One difference is that what the message is in You Will Never See Me Fall is pretty clear. Better Than Before, however, can apply to many situations and can have different meanings. Strength and Courage’s message is more clear, but the poem doesn’t directly say it. Instead, the audience has to figure it out themselves.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Joyce Alcantara. April, 2008. You Will Never See Me Fall. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/you-will-never-see-me-fall
Jeremy J. (n.d.) Better Than Before. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.fatchomper.com/2012/10/inspirational-haiku-8-better-than-before.html#.UsHef2RDtZ0
David L. Griffith. (n.d.) Strength and Courage. Retrieved March 24, 2015, from http://www.wow4u.com/takescourage/index.html
Where I’m From Poem
I am from tomes, dictionaries, and paperbacks
from plants, instruments, and unhealthy snacks
I am from a house full of fun
Where there’s laundry that’s just never done
Where toys are scattered all around the floor
and a single dart board hangs on my door
I am from the flowers my mom planted outside our home
so bright and beautiful countless bugs roam
I’m from the fireworks that light the sky on New Year’s Day
and all the joss paper we burn away
I am from the hard-working and intelligent
from the irritating and the lazy
From kind and generous Ya-Li
to hard-worker Chung-Yi
From be yourself both night and day
to work so you can play
From my mom’s side they have Taoism
and for my dad’s there’s no religion
I’m from Richmond and the island surrounded by sea
From cheeseburgers, milk, and oolong tea
I’m from the time my brother got lost in the mall
from the finger he broke in a painful fall
I’m from the thick glasses my father wears
and the food he brings that he always shares
TWO New Songs!
On February 18 I went to Teresa’s house to film Somebody To You by the Vamps. We had split the parts before then, so we were ready to begin filming. We used this karaoke. We managed our time really well and managed to finish in less than 30 minutes. So we had loads of time to choose our next song and practice that one. We chose Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift. We split the parts on this document.
Then on February 23 I went to Teresa’s house again in the morning to do our Teardrops on My Guitar cover. I could only stay for one hour this time, since I had to go to Tainan, so we had to finish fast. We finished our video, and after that, we went and searched a few more songs to add to our songs list.
On March 13, for Valiant Ventures I listened to the songs that Teresa had put on the songs list. The one I liked the best was Demons by The Wanted. I told her that between classes, and Teresa split the parts, seeing who would be best for which part.
On March 15, I went to Teresa’s house to practice Demons. We are going to use this karaoke for the video. We plan to do our cover next Sunday (March 22).
Bias Awareness Post
On a website called Wattpad, I posted a chapter on the story that has been the most read recently, which is called Demigods At Hogwarts. The chapter is here (I’ve already deleted the chapter on May 13). I told my readers about the English assignment and posted my poster in it. I asked 6 questions for them to answer, and a lot of them did answer them and some replied to other comments.
In the discussion, people agreed that bias really needs to be noticed and stopped. They agreed that there is still a lot of bias in the world, such as gender stereotypes. They talked about how bias probably started because a group of people are just this way, then people start assuming that they’re all like that. People said that the poster I made was great, meaningful, truthful, attractive, and amazing. They explained how stereotypes must have started, and how it still exists. @paigeanne0 talked about how bias makes people agree with things they don’t. The one bad thing about it was that people said they didn’t know what the poster really represented until I told them. @Camo_Percabeth also mentioned that companies use bias in commercials because they want people to buy them. And that buying them would make them “normal.”
@Cadence1o1 said, “I think stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason. I do think that media influences the way everyone thinks, and we can’t see how people who grew up somewhere else think.” I never thought of it this way, and that’s something I learned. Because people don’t know what other people are like, so they have a general description of what they’re like. @PJOandHOO_fan also brought up a good point, “I agree with this. If enough people around you agree with a certain stereotype, you won’t be free to express your own thoughts.” @TheCatPersonYay replied to that comment about how peer pressure can make you go along with what they say, including bias.
Here are all of the comments.
Also, the opinions I got were from many different kinds of people.
For the gender, pink is girls, green is boys, and purple means their gender is private.
For the ages, blue is 13-18, brown is private, green is 18-25, red is 25-35, light blue is 35-45, and pink is 45+
This is a map that shows where my readers are from. Dark blue is the most popular.
