Romeo & Juliet (Hon English 1A)

I have somewhat enjoyed reading Romeo and Juliet so far.  When I read the text at home, I go line by line and I have to read at a much slower pace than I would read a book I chose. I think acting it out in class would help understand (since we have only acted out one scene) because I'm a visual person, it helps me to see what is happening and not just reading though it. One thing I don't like about it is that I know what happens at the end. I'm not one to read the end of a book before I read the rest of it, and I don't understand why the end was written in the prologue. It makes it less exciting to read. What's the point in reading it if I know what happens at the end? I like watching the movie version also. I like the old version better because the newer version seems very fake, like they were trying too hard. Overall, Romeo and Juliet hasn't been to painful to read.

Melina Marchetta (Hon English 1A)

Jellicoe Road is written by Melina Marchetta. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her newborn daughter. 

She has written other books including  Looking for Alibrandi, Saving Francesca , and Finnikin of the Rock. 

Awards:

Looking for Alibrandi:

 Children's Book Council of Australia award (1993)

Saving Francesca:

Children's Book Council of Australia award (2004)

Jellicoe Road:

WAYRBA voted by teenagers in Western Australia (2008)

US Printz Medal (2009)

Finnikin of the Rock:

 Aurealis Award for YA fantasy

Looking for Alibrandy was made into a movie, and Jellicoe Road is being made currently. 

A video about Melina's writing room: 

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/s3860882.htm

Works Cited:

http://melinamarchetta.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/looking-for-alibrandi.jpg

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47104.Melina_Marchetta

Blog #6- Readicide (Best Sellers)

Is Readicide a problem in schools?
Yes. I know so many people who hate reading because of school. Schools require books/plays/other texts to be read and then students don't read outside of class because they don't like the books they read in school. My solution would not be to take out all required reading. My solution would be to take books that are more recent to our times, but with similar messages and themes of the older texts. Then you could take pieces of the older texts to reference and compare between the two. One of the most important part of reading for me is my relations with the characters, and if I can identify with anyone in the book. When I read Shakespeare, its hard for me to even read the text, must-less identify the characters. Nothing against Shakespeare of course, but why can't we read something more up-to-date?
Is literary fiction relevant to our current culture? Is it preparing students for the job market you are about to enter?
If analyzing text and finding the theme of a piece of text is going to get me anywhere in life, I'm all set. I don't know how to turn a washing machine on, but hey I can read Elizabethan text. Are skills from reading actually going to help me in the real world? Reading is important, but we are just not reading what we should be in schools. I understand The Fault in Our Stars isn't going to teach me how to work a washing machine, but it is so much easier to relate to and to understand. The world and the culture we live in today is different from the world William Shakespeare lived in.

The Book Thief Review (Hon English 1A)

I am nearing the end of The Book Thief. So far I have really enjoyed reading it.

A summary:

TBT is narrated by Death. Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a young orphaned German girl that was taken in by foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Death tells her story over a period of a few years, during the Holocaust and WWII. Shortly after moving in with the Hubermann's on Himmel Street, she meets her neighbor, Rudy Steiner. Rudy and Liesel have many adventures, and they are always getting into trouble together. Liesel came to love her foster parents (especially Hans, whom she called Papa) and couldnt dream of a life without them. The book really picks up when Hans reveals a huge secret to Liesel, they would be hiding a Jewish man in their house from the outside Nazi Germany world.

Type of reader who would enjoy this book:
Someone who is interested in the Holocaust
Someone who like historical fiction 

Anyone who likes suspense and a page-turner

Book rating:

A+

Post 5: The Book Thief Adaptation (Best Sellers)

 

 

 What specific challenges would a filmmaker have in adapting your book to the big screen? Walk through some of the specific ways that the plot or characters would need to be changed to make it work. 

I think one of the biggest challenges in The Book Thief movie would be Max's day dreams about fighting the Führer. A large crowd surrounds them, and at the end, the whole crowd joins Hitler in the fight, and Max says that he can feel the punch from all the nation on him. The movie directors would have to work hard to make sure that those of the audience felt that with Max. I think it's a scene that should be included.

 

o   Explain three specific scenes you think are essential to keep (based on where you have read to so far) and not change in order for the adaptation to work. 

• Stealing apples from the farm with the older kids (spoiler- the leader of the pack leaves and they get a new leader, and it seems like something is going to happen in the future with the new leader and Rudy)
• When Liesl reads the first book that Max makes for her (a quality scene in the book, which could be very emotional on screen.)
• Liesl leaving the mayors' house for the last time (spoilers- the mayor and his wife can no longer have their laundry done by Liesls mother, but Liesl gets to keep a book, and throws a big tantrum)

 

o   Discuss two specific parts of your book you would have to cut if adapting it.  These could be plot events, subplots, minor characters, etc.  What would you have to exclude in order to include what’s most important?

• Liesls' brothers death/burial scene. I think a better way to tell that is through the flashbacks/nightmares she has in the begining of her stay. I dont think that is the best way to start a movie.
• As far as I have read, the children that they play soccer with can be cut out. They can still play soccer, but just never really go into detail of the kids like in the book.