Where is Margo? (Hon English 1A)

Margo Roth Spiegelman is a character in Paper Towns. Quentin (the narrator and main character) has been in love with Margo since they were kids. Now that they are in high school, they have grown apart, but Quentin has remained hopelessly in love. They didn't talk for quite a long time until one night Margo broke out of her house and snuck up to Quentin's window, asking him to come with her on a night adventure that included breaking into Sea World, breaking into 2 peoples houses and one persons car. After that night, Margo disappeared. Quentin and his two best friends (Ben & Radar) have found various hints that they are trying to use to follow and eventually find Margo. The boys and Ben's girlfriend, Lacey, found an abandoned minimall that had evidence that Margo had been alive after her night with Q. One night, Radar and Q were in the minimall and found a map that Margo had not intended for them to find. It had 5 small holes that they used to find 5 locations. Q uses that information to find Agloe, New York. Agloe was a 'paper town', as Margo named it (a town that had been abandoned before it was actually built). For graduation, Q got a car, so the boys and Lacey all skipped graduation for a 19 hour drive from Florida to Agloe. Will Margo even be there? If she is, will she even be alive?

Summer Reading (Hon English A)

A major theme of TFiOS is that love is bigger than any struggle. "He nodded. “So I went in for a pet scan." He stopped. He yanked the cigarette out of his mouth and clenched his teeth. Much of my life had been devoted to trying not to cry in front of people who loved me, so I knew what Augustus was doing." (213) (Green) This is right before Gus told Hazel that his cancer was back. Cancer is one of the main struggles in TFiOs, and Augustus' grenade was detonating. He was going to try to fight the cancer but he knew already that his life was coming to an end. The cancer had spread all throughout his body, and he knew that he couldn't win like he did with his osteosarcoma. Augustus had spent the whole relationship being strong for Hazel during her lung draining, and pneumonia scare and everything else that she had been through. Then, when the tables were turned back on him, it was really difficult for him to know how and when to tell Hazel. I think he waited until they got to Amsterdam because he knew Hazel would insist they didn't go so that he could start treatment. It was one of their last good memories together until the 'Last Good Day' in the Literal Heart of Jesus. Even after (spoiler alert) Augustus' funeral, Hazel still loves him, and she always will. If love can conquer death, it can conquer anything.

 

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The Fault in Our Stars
On paper, The Fault In Our Stars should have been the most gut-wrenching and depressing book in the YA canon: Two teens, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, meet in a cancer support group and, despite Hazel knowing she only has a little bit of time left, manage to fall for each other in a spirited, fully engrossing love story. The book is sad, yes, but it’s a triumph of author John Green’s plot, heightened teen-speak dialogue, and humorous moments that manage to make the tale a phenomenon (a movie version, starring Shailene Woodley, hits theaters next June), as opposed to a high school reading list tale that many will take great pains to avoid.
It’s no wonder that, like Hazel’s favorite story An Imperial Affliction, once you read the story it stays with you. It’s not enough to enjoy in silence; many readers are discovering that they’ve also got to get all their friends on board as well.
There wasn’t much surprise among the EW staff that the recent hit made it far. But going back over the pages, it’s easy to see that this story, while popular, isn’t just a flavor of the week; it’s enduring. There are so many standout scenes in the 318-paged tale. America’s Next Top Model-loving Hazel, with her awkward teen vulnerability got readers on her side, while Augustus and his witty bravado makes both teens and their moms swoon. The duo’s Genies-sponsored trip to Amsterdam, which includes champagne! and reclusive author Peter Van Houten! and Anne Frank’s house! and happiness! and devastation! is unforgettable.
To say more would spoil what is truly a literary treat best discovered for yourself. But ultimately, Fault In Our Stars is greater than the sum of its parts. The story between two teens elevates into teaching us about one of the very best and most confusing parts of the human condition — the power of love.
Okay? Okay.

TFIOS article

 



This article tells a brief summary of TFiOS & would really persuade someone to read it. I completely agree with everything that it says in the beginning, it sounds like a horrible story, but John Green turns it into an amazing adventure.

 

 

 

  

Why do I read? (Best Sellers)

Why do I read?  I read for adventure. I read to learn. I read to laugh. I read to cry. Why wouldn't anyone want to read? I have loved to read since I first learned how. I always like to have a book in hand, but as of lately, I don't always have time to sit down and relax with my Kindle or a paperback. One of my favorite reasons to read is that a good book can take you to a different world. If an author uses sensory details, and characterize everyone so you have a clear image of the characters, and make you feel like you are living this story with the characters, that is why I read. I read to expand my vocabulary. If there are words in a book I don't know (which there most times are) I make a list on my bookmark and put the page number with it so that I can eventually look it up and find out what it means. People always ask: What is your favorite book? For me, this is an extremely hard question to answer. I like books for different reasons. I like when books have a point of view that isn't common. Like the Series of Unfortunate Events are written in the authors perspective, but sometimes the author is writing straight to the reader and not about the actual book. That makes me feel very involved in a book. Overall, I prefer books written in first person, but it really doesnt matter. I like realistic fiction, like TFiOS and Perks. I have learned so much about life, people, and history through books. Books are rad.