Character Connections between books

This year, I have read many books that are inter-related. They are either similar because they have the same genre, the same story line, or have the same character roles. I thought the characters in the books Crank by Ellen Hopkins and the book Things Change by Patrick Jones have similar character roles. In Crank, the main character was Kristina. Kristina eventually changes into this new person named Bree. She used to me a perfect girl who got the perfect grades, and who made her parents proud. But, when she got involved in the "crank" and a new group of people, her life changed and she could not control it. In Things Change, it talks about this girl named Johanna and how her life changes when she meets Paul. Before she met him, she got straight As, she respected her parents, and had a close relationship with her friend. But when got in a relationship with Paul, her main focus was to make him happy. And if she didn't she would get in trouble by him. In both books, people and certain things are what impacts the main character's life to change. People are the ones that influence Johanna and Kristina to act differently, which is outside there comfort zone. The main theme in both books is "change" and how character transform and develop from entirely different. In the beginning, they are innocent and towards the end, they are evil and dishonest. Also, both novels helps people to deal and understand life. They are fictionalized books. The main connection is that the outside world is a big target that can change one's mind.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Entry #1

I just started reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold this week. It is a fantasy book. It is about a fourteen- year-old girl named Susie Salmon and she is in heaven. As she looks down at this new strange place, she tells the story of her past life and her death. After her death, she watches how her life goes without her. She sees her school friends spreading rumors of her disappearance, her family hoping that she will be found, and her killer covering up his tracks. In the beginning, Susie explains how her death started. The murderer was Mr. Harvey, a neighbor. He tricked her to come into his cornfield. Then he raped her and she died. It was not that clear of her death. But after death, her family found one of her elbows and some of her school papers. Later, as months pass without finding her, her parents marriage started falling apart, her sister started becoming a stronger person and her baby brother started understanding the meaning of "gone". Through her time in heaven, she discovers that it is just like her school. She starts to meet new friends and counselors. Whenever she wants something, it will be there. But, the thing Susie really wants is to go back to Earth with the people she loves. As time passes by, her father started a risky quest to find the murderer. This is mostly the plot of the story.

I really like reading the book. It is different from most stories because it has a different story plot and it has a different genre that I usually do not read. So, reading fantasy helps me experience a new reading style. It is very interesting how it is a mystery to find the murderer. I can't wait to read more and tell you more in the next blog.