Reading Reflections

Hi Class! Post your WEEKLY reading reflection to this thread. Click here for some FICTION reflection ideas. If you have been reading NON-FICTION, here are some ideas for your reflection. You first post is due October 2, 2015.

Of the many tips we discussed in class, be sure to include the title of your book and the author(s) in your post. If you are reading the same book over several weeks, simply continue your thread by replying to yourself!

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451 Responses to Reading Reflections

  1. Colby says:

    My book is Big Nate Lives It Up written by Lincoln Pierce, who is also the author of the diary of a wimpy kid series. It takes place in an unnamed town with Nate (the main character) at his school (P.S. 38.) present time. A new kid arrives and the principle asks Nate to be his “buddy” and show him around. The rest of the book is about how Nate and Breckenridge become real friends and not fake friends.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing the beginnings of your post Colby. Currently, you have retold the story; this is a good starting point for any reflection. Your next step is to explore and share some reflections, reactions and connections. For example, when you are a new student at a new school next year (VSS), what will your thoughts be? Another idea is to compare real vs fake friends – have you experienced this?

      Quick Fix:
      – Wimpy Kid would be a proper noun if you are talking about a series in a book.

  2. Luken Murray says:

    I’m reading a book called. Bone: Out Of Boneville: Author Jeff Smith. so far I’m on Pg.54 and not a lot has happened but I’m really liking it. So far my favourite part is when the book introduced the Grandma she is a great character and hilarious. I hope they’re will be more lovable parts like that but that is all I have for now. And I will keep you updated.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Luken. I’m curious about your statement that not much is happening, though you are liking it – what do you mean? What events would improve it?

      You start an intriguing reflection about the character Grandma. What are some of the hilarious things she does? Is she comparable to grandmothers you have or have known?

      I’m looking forward to your updates – keep posting!

    • Luken Murray says:

      Well now that I’m pretty much done the book I can give more details.

      They escaped a giant mob that is heading for the dragons cave. They are on a mission to kill the dragon that caused the fire that burnt down the village. But what they didn’t now was that it wasn’t the dragon that burnt down the village it was the nasty rat creatures. And now there is a huge battle going on between the rat creatures and humans and its up to Bone, Smiley Bone, and Phone Bone to save them.

      And that is where I left of the book. But I predict that the dragon will save the people and they will worship the dragon. And you I will keep you updated

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks, Luken, your retelling of events is a useful update. Now, try to add more richness to your predictions and connections. Why will the dragon save the people, what are his motives? Perhaps you could also consider if you or someone you know has done something great causing others to admire you or that other person. Do you want to be someone others look up to and are inspired by your actions? Why or why not?

        Quick Fix:
        – now = this instant (use know when you mean knowledge)

      • Luken Murray says:

        I’m sorry to say I haven’t been reading but I’m insuring I will post all five reading reflections. And they will be full of info I’ve found in a book

      • Luken Murray says:

        Right now I’m reading Survivors darkness falls written by author Erin Hunter

        So far there is this mysterious black cloud in the sky and the dogs think its an evil figure so they set of to find a new camp. Now they have finally found the camp but on the way there Bruno the farm dog unfortunately fractured one of his paws, but that didn’t stop bruno, he kept moving forward, and as of right now he is safe at the new camp with the pack.

        And that is where I left of and I ensure you I will finish the rest of my reading reflections

        • Luken Murray says:

          Today I read a different book but don’t worry I’m still reading the other one, as of right now I’m reading Nicole Mortillaros book, Something to prove so far I’m on p.37.

        • Luken Murray says:

          Today I read a different book but don’t worry I’m still reading the other one, as of right now I’m reading Nicole Mortillaros book, Something to prove so far I’m on p.37. What this book is about is Hockey hall of fame pro hockey player Bobby Clark one of the reasons I bought this book was because Bobby Clark is my Favourite Hockey player not only for his grit and determination but also his like mine type 1 diabetes, I just love this book because it goes to show that no matter what gets in your way as long as you’re determined ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

          Now on to my reflection so far in the book it has talked about his love for the game of hockey and how he was always on the ice no matter what the conditions. But but something is wrong Bobby is out of the ordinary, he’s having frequent visits to the bathroom extreme thirst/hunger, so the next day Bobby and his mother go to see the doctor a few days later the doctor calls and tells Bobby’s mom to bring him to the doctors office immediately, so they get to the doctors office and the doctor says,: I’m sorry to tell you this but the test results came in Bobby has a rare disease :Now days not rare: Called type 1 Diabetes:, the doctor sent Bobby and his mother to right away to get his glucose levels down.

          And that is where I left of.

          • Mr. Bell says:

            This sounds like a great read, Luken! How does your style of play compare with Bobby Clark’s?

            Quick Fix:
            – the office belonging to the doctor = the doctor’s office

          • Luken Murray says:

            At the moment I have read more but not a lot on the book something to prove By.Nicole Mortillaro.

            Now Bobby is out of the hospital and back on the ice, connection the day I got out of the hospital I got back on the ice, and hes better than ever making text book plays doing it all, but one day Bobby is on a break away he scores but he trembles on the ice hes passed out the coach quickly runs out on the ice they get him of and put him in the ambulance. They finally get to the hospital and he wakes up and says, can we go back to the rink the games not over and right then and there Bobby’s mom realized this kid truly does love the game.

            2 years later hes playing in the WCHL:Now the WHL: for the Flin Flon bombers. as a rookie he had the most point in his rookie season in the end he had The most points in the league for all 4 seasons he played but there are doubts about Bobby going in to the NHL because people are saying, he would be able to withstand the grittiness of the NHL hes also a type 1 diabetic how could he even do it. so Bobby’s coach/coach of the flin flon bombers to him to the highest recognized doctor at that time and asked him, would Bobby’s illness affect his ability to play sports, and the doctor said, not at all, and the coach asked can you right that down on paper.

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Thanks for your post, Luken. Why do you think teams look at factors beyond a player’s skill level when deciding a player’s worthiness?

              Quick Fix:
              – he + is = he’s

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for starting your post, Luken. The theme of moving forward, even under difficult circumstances, is interesting. Do you have any connections on this topic?
          Quick Fix:
          – it is = it’s (the dogs think it’s an evil…)

    • Isabella says:

      I read that book in one of my classes before. I love how the granny is so fearless. Funny!

  3. Max says:

    The book I am reading now is called, Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is about 2 adopted boys that are investigating, and trying to find out more about their birth parents. But after more and more digging they find something a little bit fishy, then they start receiving notes in the mail like, YOU ARE ONE OF THE MISSING, and WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU.
    in this book I want to find out more about their birth parents, and I wonder who is giving them the notes.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      This sounds interesting Max. Do you have any predictions related to the reason(s) the boys were put up for adoption?

    • Max says:

      I am still reading the book called FOUND, by Margret Peterson Haddix. If you want to know more read my first post. Since then one of the boys, Jonah was getting more and more curious about his adoption. So his dad calls the adoption agency for more info. So the receptionist gave him a contact phone number to James Reardon from the FBI, The same person Jonah called after calling a number on a sticky note he found at Chip’s house. So they personally went to the FBI to meet with Mr. Reardon. Jonah’s sister took a photo of the file on Mr. Reardon’s desk secretly. At home they put the photos on the computer and there were 2 categorizes Witnesses, and Survivors there were 2 names under survivors, Jonah and Chip. I love this book because it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and it is a downright well written story.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for sharing this update, Max. You’ve included more retelling than reflecting, so the next step is to try an balance your next reflection more evenly. What are some of the ‘edge of your seat’ situations you liked? What situations have you experienced that would have others on the edges of their seats?

        Quick Fix:
        – Many sentences in your post begin with ‘so’. Try other ways using other transition words.

      • Max says:

        I am yes, still reading the book called FOUND, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. What has happened since last reflection is the three kids call everyone on the list. One person though when they asked, “did you see anything strange 13 years ago or so” she hung up. Later they received an anonymous note stating she would meet them at the library conference hall at 3:00 on a Wednesday. When they showed up to their surprise she was actually there. She said her name was Angela Durpees. She talked about what she had seen. She had seen an airplane that had seemed to disappear and appear out of nowhere. Just like the ghost janitor Katherine saw at the FBI. when angela heard that she was so relieved someone believed her. For 13 years no one had believed her. As I read I will post more reading reflections on FOUND and on the rest of the series as well. I love this book because there is a TON of twists and turns it like driving in Norway. It also keeps you on the edge of your seat and wondering what will come next.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for the great connection between plot twists and roads in Norway – well done!

          You mentioned anonymous notes in your post. What makes this writing technique believable (as it seems to be in the book your are reading)?

        • Max says:

          I am still reading the book called FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Since the big conference with Angela, a HUGE fight broke out between 2 unknown people. One they labelled J.B. because he seemed to be helping them protecting them even it stands for, Janitor boy, because he is the same ghost that was seen at the FBI office the janitor looking guy. the other they labelled E, for enemy because he was trying to hurt them. During the conversation Angela talked about working for an airline when a strange plane showed up at the gate. Angela looked inside and it turns out the plane was filled with all babies, everyone was babies, and Angela figures one of them was Jonah. Every time I read another week of this book it seems even better written, most people would say there is plot twist and turns, I say it is like looking at a line graph of a penny share value.

          • Mr. Bell says:

            Great final phrase, Max! How would you react if you were a passenger on a plane with many babies? Would you enjoy working for an airline as a mechanic, pilot, etc…?

          • Max says:

            Yes I am still reading the book called FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but I am done. In this last heart beating stressful last part of this book Jonah wanted to go to a conference that the government sponsored for adopted children. Both Jonah and Chip wanted to find out more about their adoption but Chip thought it was a trap. They went to the conference anyway and with a little bit of persuasion to Jonah’s mom, they convinced her that Katherine should be aloud to go to, she said, “What effects Jonah, effects me to.” Even though that’s not what she said when Jonah broke a lamp 5 years ago. When they showed up at the conference they noticed that everyone from the airplane was in that room. OF course there were others but whoever these people are, they managed to fix that pretty quickly. The man at the front of the building said “hello everyone, my name is Mr. Hodge, because there is so many of you we are splitting you up into groups, if I call your name come up with me.” Just as Mr. Hodge started to name everyone that was on the airplane. Katherine was obviously called into the other group but they never moniter small groups anyway so she went over with chip and jonah anyway. However she was soon to find out they monitor a group of “The Missing” very very closely. Mr. Hodge had a beefy hulk like man beside him, he introduced him as “Garry.” “We are the lucky group now, we get to start outside, the other group gets to start the conference inside.” So they went up a hill and then stopped like a boy scouts group or something, maybe even a class field trip, with lots of talking and and a guide who seemed calm but wasn’t. “ Beside us here we have cave, it is normally off limits but they have opened it up for us to look inside, and on your way in there is a really neat rock it is 15* colder than the rest of the rock around it.” Said Mr. Hodge. “DO NOT touch the rock Katherine, I seen this on TV they scanned people’s hands before going into a room, they will know you are not part of the group if you do not touch it,” said Jonah. So katherine sneaked inside with everyone else and when they were all in, a door on the cave started to close, Jonah dived to get out but Gary grabbed him and pulled him to the ground. “What were you doing” said Garry “you could have been crushed,” then Mr hodge said, “ You are all missing, the children from the past That disappeared, all of them are you.” Just as he said, Welcome to the nineteenth century as they appeared in the nineteen hundreds. as you can probably tell from reading this reflection this book is the first in a series, there are more books to come and I will probably reading them throughout the year. IN the final summary of this book I would recommend it to some else with a sci-fi mind but not a person who likes fact. My opinion is it is very well written and great, for it’s style. However I did not exactly like this book because it was to sci-fi to unreal, that is why it took me so long to read. Think, if you had some tofu that was cooked extremely good, and perfect, for tofu you still may not like it, cause it is tofu. It would also take you a long time to eat it picking away very slowly. Not saying this book was tofu. Compliments to Margaret Peterson Haddix, it was a very well written book

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Thanks for your thorough reflection, Max. The analogy using tofu is brilliant! What change would you put in to make the story more to your style?

  4. Isabella says:

    Hi Mr. Bell!

    The book I’m reading is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire written by J.K. Rowling. The chapter I’m on is called The Triwizard Tournament. They said in the book that the rules were changing at Hogwarts (wizard school) because of a new event. I predict that there will be a competition between all the wizard schools. I wonder what the prize might be? I can’t wait to read more and see what happens!

  5. Savi says:

    Hi! My book is Looking For X, by Deborah Ellis. This is the first book I am reading by Deborah. In this book there is a 11 year-old girl named Khyber, autistic twins named Daniel and David, and their moms name is Tammy. Khyber has a old friend, nobody knows her real name, she goes by X. One day while X and Khyber were in the park, when a gang of ‘skinheads’ come and start fist fighting them. While Khyber is running home covered in mud and scratch marks, she gets caught by the school principal. Khyber recently got suspended because she got into a fight with a girl named Tiffany that was making fun of her brothers. The next day she gets called into the office. There were broken windows and mud all over the floors, the principal thinks that it is her that did this, she get expelled. Tammy thinks that X is just a imaginary friend. Destined to prove her mother wrong she sets out for a odyssey. I enjoy this book because it is very adventurous, has a fantastic plot, and has a interesting storyline. I can relate to Khyber because at home, when my brother annoys me and I try to get him to stop but I always get into trouble even when is was not even close to being my fault. The book also had some poetry in it, which I really liked. The poem is “The Buried Life” by Matthew Arnold;
    But often, in the world’s most crowded streets,
    But often, in the din of strife,
    There rises an unspeakable desire
    After the knowledge of our buried life.
    I really love this book and hope to read more books by Deborah Ellis!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Great detail in your post Savi – I loved the poem you included too, especially the phrase ‘din of strife’. It’s interesting to see authors incorporate topics such as autism in their stories. I wonder if this will help readers understand more about this relatively new subject?

  6. Alison says:

    The book I read this week is Wild Girl by Patricia Railly Griff. This book is about a girl named Lidie, who lives in Brail and then moved to New York to live with her father and older brother. Lidie finds it difficult to start a new life and school (in a different language). There is a horse at the stables that she loves, named Wild Girl. Wild Girl and Lidie seem to have a smellier background. This book was a very good read, it could of been though a little bit longer, because I feeled there was more for the auther to say. If this book went on longer or if there was a second book, I would think Wild Girl will become Lidie’s horses and she would go to a race with her.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for retelling some of the main events in your book and making some suggestions that you would like to have seen, Alison – this is a nice start for your first reflection of the year. Aside from Lidie getting Wild Girl, what other ideas were you thinking that the author could have said? Did you have some thoughts about what it must feel like to start a new life in a new school while having to learn a foreign language?

      Quick Fix:
      – I felt (not I feeled)

      • Alison says:

        The book I read this week is Wild Girl by Patricia Railly Griff. This book is about a girl named Lidie, who lives in Brail and then moved to New York to live with her father and older brother. Lidie finds it difficult to start a new life and school (in a different language). There is a horse at the stables that she loves, named Wild Girl. Wild Girl and Lidie seem to have a smellier background. This book was a very good read, it could of been though a little bit longer, because I felt there was more for the auther to say. If this book went on longer or if there was a second book, I would think Wild Girl will become Lidie’s horses and she would go to a race with her.Also I did have some thoughts about what it would feel like to start a new life in a new school with a different language. I will feel the same at a new school next year, but I wouldn’t have to learn a new language, and live a different life. The auther did a fantastic job of going thought the emotions and the frustration of Lidie, in this situation.

  7. aurora says:

    Hi Mr. Bell something is wrong with my computer it wont let me access my google account which has my saved Reading Reflection but it might work tomorrow.

  8. jordyn says:

    The book I am now reading this week is called On the Banks of Plum Creek written by Garth Williams. This book is about a family trying to live simple lives in a small town and on a small ranch, but they are struggling with there payment on there land but they have a plan that might work. I like this book because I have a connection with a little girl in this story, we have the personality and same ideas we both love to be outdoors and a lot of things. In this book this book there are a lot of problems but the one that interests me the most is when there is a drought. It interests me because they don’t have a lot of water and not a lot of money so they have to try and survive the drought without water or until it rains, that is why that problem interests me so much. In this book I want to find out if the drought keeps going or keeps going on and on……

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Jordyn. You’ve shared some interesting details from the story and have added some thoughts of your own – well done! Your sentence about the problems in the story and the one you find most interesting is a great way to retell and reflect! Now, look at your sentence where you talk about be outdoors and a lot of things. Avoid phrases like ‘a lot of things’ or ‘stuff’ because they do not help the reader understand your thoughts. You mention a link between your personalities; is there a specific trait your share? That would be a great addition to your reflection.

      Quick Fix:
      there / their / they’re It’s important you use the proper form as each meaning is different. Check out the link, or see me for some help!

  9. Jacob says:

    The book I am reading is Powerless by Matthew Cody. It is about a boy named Daniel who has to move to a town called Noble’s Green to live with his Gram. The twist is, the kids that are under 13 years of age have superpowers.He finds some friends named Mollie,Rohan,Rose,Simon,Eric and Louisa Who all have superpowers. Mollie has the ability to fly,Rohan has increased senses, Rose can become invisible,Simon can harness the power to control lightning, Eric can fly and has super strength and Louisa can pass through anything solid. Right now I am in one of the climacts of the book and there are many, the group of people I just mentioned are trying to figure out what is taking their powers when they turn 13. I think that Powerless is a phenomenal book and it is now one of my favourites. People who like magic, superpowers and what it’s like (somewhat) to be in a new town. Thanks for reading my comment, but you should have read this book first.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Jacob. The notion of children having superpowers is interesting. It must be quite a letdown when they lose them! What superpower would you want and why would that be your choice? As you post more reading reflections, try to add more on the reflection end. You’ve done a terrific job retelling some of the key events. Now, try to add depth to your connections. Elaborate on statements like what the new person in town could feel like; give details about the phenomenal aspects you enjoyed; explain what books are in your list of favourites.

      Quick Fix:
      – Add a space after a comma, and a period.
      – Use climaxes (not climacts).

    • Jacob says:

      I’m reading the book called “Powerless” by Matthew Cody again. At the point of the book I’m at Daniel and his friends are trying to find out what the black shape I talked about in my previous post was. They have named it “The Shroud” because of its figure,shape and colour. I really love this book because it is always a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting to read more and more and more. This book is also great because I am learning new words every few pages! I would love to be a character in this book because I love solving mysteries and other things having to do with that. Would you like to be in this book too and if so, why?

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for your post, Jacob. Using a question is a great way to get other people talking – well done. I enjoy mysteries and usually try to connect a minor detail to the big picture because I like to figure out the plot twists before they happen. I can’t say that I’m a fan of mysterious object; I prefer when the mysteries are related to the relationships between people.

        Please add some examples to further your statements about cliffhangers and new vocabulary. What was one place in the story where you didn’t want to put the book down? What did you do? What advice would you give to people when the can’t put a book down?

        Similarly, share a few of the new words that you have been introduced to. Learning new words is an important part of improving our communication skills!

  10. Liesl says:

    The book I’m currently reading is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, it follows the story of a former Olympian on his journey through the beatings and bullets of World War two. Louis Zamperini is the record-breaking Olympic miler who joins the American air force to become a bombardier and fight against the Japanese. After joining a squadron Louis is assigned a group and meets his pilot Allen Phillips who he will soon become very closely acquainted with. Flying plane after plane with Allen and encountering many close calls Louis and Allen and a new air crew are called on a search mission. This would have been a textbook mission if not for the fact that they were flying a plane called the Green Hornet. The Green Hornet’s tailed sagged under it’s belly making for great effort from the pilot to keep it aloft. Over the Pacific the Green Hornet tore into the sea of the Pacific leaving three men stranded on two rafts and the rest of the crew dead.Louis, Allen and a crew member who they all called Mac were the only three survivors. With very little provisions and fatal injuries the men sustained on the raft trailed by sharks for 48 days. Louis and Allen were the only two to survive the full 48 days though, Mac died early from malnutrition and his refusal to face reality. Eventually Allen and Louis were captured and taken to POW camps where they were dehumanized, brutally beaten and forced into hard labour. This book has been my first ever real adult war story and it’s opened up a whole new genre of books that I have fallen in love with, very similar to my grandpa who had a huge collection of war stories and loved to read them. Reading this book has really reminded me of him and through every page in the book I turned I thought of how much he would like this one. Although I finished the book and there won’t be a sequel I still wonder how those Japanese officers can live with themselves after inflicting so much pain upon another human being. I was also shocked to see what happens to many veterans after the war and you just have to wonder how life must have changed for them after the war and how daily sights and sounds turn into switches for terrifying flashbacks.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your detailed reflection Liesl, I feel like I’ve read the book simply by reading your words – well done! I am amazed at what soldiers had to endure, and cannot imagine how challenging wartime must have been. Your connection to your grandpa is wonderful!

      I often wonder why famous athletes who go to war make a better story than a ‘regular’ person doing the same. What do you think?

      • Liesl says:

        I agree completely, I think that famous athletes who go to war are able to endure more than the average person because of how intensely they train their bodies, so they tend to have amazing survival stories that are more unbelievable then those from a regular people. Athletes also tend to be quite intelligent and clear-minded because of all the exercise they do so that would keep them alive longer in times when the only thing you can do is hope.

        • Liesl says:

          ‘from regular people’ is what I meant to say.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          You make a great point about their fitness levels! I wonder if the non-athletes feel jealous of the attention the ‘stars’ get?

          • Liesl says:

            I don’t think they get jealous of these famous athletes because I’m sure they themselves find these books inspiring and captivating. Really at the end of the day I think that they’re happy just to be alive so to have a book written about them is an extra bonus. It’s also a very general point to say that famous athletes tend to have a better story, there are many books that me and my dad have both read that don’t have a famous athlete in them and are unbelievably thrilling.

            • Mr. Bell says:

              You make a great point about keeping things in perspective! It’s important not to be consumed by the tiny details if sight of the big picture is lost.

  11. aurora says:

    Thanks Mr Bell it worked!

  12. aurora says:

    Reading Reflection

    My ,super awesome book, is called Heroes Of Olympus (2) Son Of Neptune! This book has very unique and interesting characters so it’s hard to relate to any but there is this one that surprises herself a lot which is what i do sometimes, her name is Piper McLean. Percy Jackson has already been on a small adventure fighting gorgons, and yes that’s a small one! He doesn’t remember anything from the past 16 years of his life. Percy Jackson is from a Greek demigod camp called Camp Half Blood but he doesn’t know it. Now he’s in a Roman camp that may or may not accept him. The main characters in the first Heroes Of Olympus are Jason Grace, Piper McLean,and Leo Valdez. The main characters in the second Heroes Of Olympus are Percy Jackson, Hazel Levesque and, Frank Zhang. What I love about this book is it tells the story from each of the main characters point of view! It doesn’t go back and tell the chapter all over again by a different point of view which I’m glad about. It keeps going through the story.

    Aurora Durward

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Aurora. You’ve made a great connection with Piper about being surprised, and your observation about the point of view is terrific! Could you imagine what it would be like to forget the details from a large part of your life? That would be another interesting idea to explore.

      Quick Fix:
      – Is there a difference between ‘unique’ and ‘very unique’? (It’s a great debate!)
      – The pronoun I is always capitalized.
      – Add some more punctuation to your second sentence to avoid running on. It could work as two sentences, or perhaps use a dash in it to add extra information:

      This book has very unique and interesting characters so it’s hard to relate to any, but there is this one that surprises herself a lot which is what I do sometimes her name is Piper McLean.

      • aurora says:

        Thanks Mr. bell and I’ll get on it!

      • aurora says:

        NEW READING REFLECTION
        My book, Heroes of Olympus 2, is now getting into more detail and is starting to make more sense. I have found out something about the character called Hazel Levesque, she talks to herself a lot and I also do that. Now Hazel has a brother who knows Percy Jackson but but I don’t know how. Percy is now having flash backs of pieces from his past but can’t put them together. The first book was about a boy that has the same problem in a Greek camp. I hope they meet at the end. I think that Hazel’s brother, Nico di Angelo, has something to do with Percy losing his memory because when they met he looked really nervous.
        Aurora

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks, Aurora! You mention the idea of self-talk; do you an Hazel use self-talk for the same reasons and in similar situations?

          Are you a fan of ‘flashback’ writing where the author gives you pieces of information while a bigger story unfolds?

          • aurora says:

            Hey Mr. Bell actually she talks to herself about curses and gods. I talk to my self about school and friends, so no we don’t talk about the same things. Yes I love it when authors describe flash back themes so it’s like a puzzle you need to solve not just this happened and this is why.

            • aurora says:

              THE EYE OF ODIN
              I’m reading another book called ‘The Eye Of Odin’ by Dennis Staginnus who I herd used to work at MSES and now is the librarian at Beattie Secondary. This interesting story seems very heavy and serious. I have only read a few pages so far but a lot has happened. This woman, Rachel, went into a museum to steal half of this special stone but during this scandal she got killed by some other species who took the stone. The book described her bleeding to death, yeah that’s how heavy it is! Her last thoughts were of her daughter who I haven’t met in the book yet! But that was only the prologue! The first chapter talked about some boy, Gayle, who did many illegal scandals like robbing, stealing and I think he even hurt people in the process! This one couple made him do all of this. I feel this book will go deeper and deeper into fiction as I read more.
              Aurora

              • Mr. Bell says:

                Thanks for your post, Aurora. I’m not sure if he’s worked here before, but he is a local teacher. It sounds as though you are enjoying the gruesome details. Have you every stopped reading something because it was too ‘heavy’? What do you predict about the daughter you have yet to meet?

                Quick Fix:
                – use ‘heard’ (to hear), not ‘herd’ (group of cattle or livestock)

                • aurora says:

                  Reading Reflection #4
                  I’m in the middle of two great books so I’m just gonna jump back to Heroes Of Olympus #2. The past few chapters have been from Frank Zhang’s point of view. I found out that his life is depending on this one piece of half burnt driftwood! If it burns he dies, if it suffocates so does he. When his grandmother told him this right before his mom’s funeral I felt like he must have been trying to handle so much that I expected him to BURST! He still hasn’t told anyone! I’ve also found out that Hazel can make and control tunnels since she is a daughter of Hades/Pluto who controls under ground! I think this power will be very useful for hiding from enemies in the book!

                  • Mr. Bell says:

                    Thanks for your post and insights, Aurora. It’s always challenging to keep two great books on the go! Do you think Frank will eventually burst?

                    Quick Fix:
                    – use ‘going to’ rather than ‘gonna’

                    • aurora says:

                      Ya it is kind of crazy reading one book that is really exciting as well as one that’s really heavy. And I predict that Frank sometime will have consequences for holding it all in!

                    • aurora says:

                      Reading Reflection #5
                      I haven’t read much more of “The Eye Of Odin” because I haven’t got much chance but also sometimes when a book sounds like “It’s the of the world!” it makes me feel annoyed. So now I’m reading deeper into “Heroes Of Olympus,” which is getting quite nerve racking! Frank just found out his father is Mars the god of war in Roman or Ares in Greek! He didn’t want Mars to be his father though he wanted Apollo to (son of Jupiter and Juno)! They also found out that if they don’t succeed in a quest no people or monsters will die! I am getting more and more engaged in this book as it goes a long!

                    • Mr. Bell says:

                      You make a great observation about the hype books receive, Aurora. I wonder how many books are said to be, “Out of this world!”? It would be interesting to see how they compare to each other and determine which book is the greatest. When a book annoys you, do you stop reading it for good, or do you go back to it later because you want to find out how it ends?

                      Quick Fix:
                      – Use ‘along’ in your last sentence rather than ‘a long’.

                • aurora says:

                  Hey Mr Bell I actually have closed a book because it was to heavy but this one is heavy but also engaging! I predict that this mysterious daughter is also a thief or a orphan with a rough past!

                  • aurora says:

                    Thanks Mr. Bell and when a book annoys me I usually start another. When I finish that book or it annoys me as well I go back to the previous book to read the end! I’m so glad you feel that way about my reading reflections because that’s exactly what I want to achieve in my writing!

                    • aurora says:

                      Reading Reflection #6
                      “The Eye Of Odin” is surprisingly getting a lot better, I found out who that mysterious daughter is! She’s a bit of a thief but also has magical powers that are very interesting! Her name is Sarah and she already met Grayel who is on the verge of stealing a special artifact! Sarah is after the same thing and instead of competing, they’re working together to get it! Sarah found the man who killed her mother but was to mind blown to avenge her! Another cool fact I found out about this book is that it does what I love which is show at least two different points of view! Sarah as well as Grayel have points of view!
                      I’m starting to get really engaged in this book!
                      Aurora

                    • Mr. Bell says:

                      Your observation of the story being told from differing points of view is great. Do you find yourself seeing the story evenly from both perspectives, or do you drift to one side?

                      What are some of the most interesting magical powers? Explain.

      • aurora says:

        NEW READING REFLECTION
        My book, Heroes of Olympus 2, is now getting into more detail and is starting to make more sense. I have found out something about the character called Hazel Levesque, she talks to herself a lot and I also do that. Hazel has a brother who knows Percy Jackson but I don’t know how. I think that Hazel’s brother, Nico di Angelo, has something to do with Percy losing his memory because when they met Nico looked really nervous.
        Percy is now having flash backs of pieces from his past but he can’t put them together. The first book was about a boy that had the same problem in a Greek camp. I hope they meet at the end of the book.
        Aurora

        • Aurora says:

          This one was an accident I posted it twice.

          • aurora says:

            Well Mr. Bell I usually take turns in drifting to one side but right now Sarah’s life is super engaging! She can sense when someone like her is near and she can make a shield to keep off aura’s but I know there are more to come! They’re super cool cause I would’ve never thought of them!

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Thanks for your reply, Aurora.

              Quick Fix:
              – The car spun out because the road was icy. Icy roads were the cause of the accident. (note the difference between ’cause’ and ‘because’)

              • aurora says:

                Your welcome Mr. Bell and the mistake I made was a bit careless sorry. I usually text my friends in language like that so it becomes a bit of a habit!

                • Mr. Bell says:

                  It’s interesting how we adapt our language for our audiences. Similarly, digital communication has had a significant impact on many of the rules related to spelling and grammar. It makes 4 a gr8 debate!

                  Quick Fix:
                  – you are welcome = you’re welcome

                  • aurora says:

                    Your totally right Mr.Bell that’s exactly what happens and the automatic grammar and spelling fix on our technical devices are making humans more lazy about important English skills!
                    Aurora

                    • aurora says:

                      Reading Reflection #7
                      Wow both of my books are going CRAZY with events!
                      A lot has happened in ‘The Eye Of Odin’ since the last reading reflection but I’m going to talk about ‘Heroes Of Olympus’!
                      So, well here do I start? The three heroes started their quest which first took them to a island where Hazel got kidnapped by a bunch of weeds! I know right, weird! They got out of that mess and are now looking at a huge army that is heading to Camp Jupiter to destroy it! Percy is getting a million glimpses of his past all at once and is starting to get tense and very very confused! That’s exactly where I left off last night! Get ready for the next reading reflection about ‘The Eye Of Odin’ which will blow your mind!

                    • Mr. Bell says:

                      Thanks for the update, Aurora – have you ever been on a quest? How does it compare to the one you are reading about?

                    • aurora says:

                      Reading Reflection #8
                      OK, here we go! So I left off when Sarah and Grayel were going to steal an artifact. Well they didn’t get it but they did have a fight with Hel, the goddess of death. She tried to kill them but failed! Now Grayel knows about Sarah’s powers and is freaked out because just after that they fought two Hel-hounds, huge dogs that are steaming and as big as a horse, which tried to eat them! About 15 minutes after they got saved they were fighting a van with bad guys inside! Got out of that mess and are now on a magical boat that will take them to safety. WOW, that was a lot! I love it when the book describes faces that show messages. For example, ‘Sarah looked at me as if saying, I told you so!’. Luckily there’s a lot of that in ‘The Eye Of Odin’! I also found out that this book tells the story from 5 points of view! Grayel, Sarah, Cain, Mussels, and Mr. Snograss. I like Grayel and Sarah’s points of view best because they usually have the most action and excitement as you’ve noticed! I can relate to how Grayel is feeling, trying to take so much in at the same time and not knowing when or where to let it out! Obviously not as extreme but I can still relate!
                      Aurora

                    • Mr. Bell says:

                      Great post, Aurora, you’ve got some rich details and strong connections – well done!

    • Noah says:

      I read that book its really good

  13. Noah says:

    My book is “Heat” by Mike Lupica

    Michael Arroyo is on a team from the Bronx; the Clippers, in the Little League World Series.
    I really like this book because it involves baseball (my favourite sport) and because it has lots of interesting
    facts and details in it. I give this book a 😀 and a thumbs up!!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your reflection, Noah. This is a solid start. To take it to the next level, add value by sharing what aspects about baseball you enjoy. Similarly, you mention that many facts and details are in the story. Which ones did you enjoy the most? Which were surprising? Which were unbelievable?

      As you post future reading reflections, be sure to write ideas that are specific and supported. Many books are interesting and detailed and receive a 🙂 and a thumbs up, so say something important that is specific to the book and your own experience.

  14. marrie says:

    I’m reading a series called Warriors by Erin Hunter who is also the writer of Seekers and Survivors, anyways back to Warriors, its about four groups of wildcats called clans, Thunderclan,Riverclan,Shadowclan, and Windclan. they have divided the forest into four equal territories, there is a leader whose name contains the word “star”(example: tigerstar) a deputy who is second in command and becomes leader after the old leader dies or retires, there is a warriors den, for cats who have trained for six moons (moons=months) though cats must be six moons before they even begin training, at the naming ceremony they become a ‘paw/apprentice they change the last part of their name from ‘kit to ‘paw, (example:moonkit to moonpaw) and are given a mentor, a cat who is already a warrior, they learn how to hunt, fight, patrol clan boundaries, and learn the warrior code which is what the clans live by, there are also elders who are retired cats, the job of an apprentice is to hunt for the elders, take care of their ticks, replace their old bedding with fresh bedding, and other things, there is a gathering each full moon in which the clans come together in peace and harmony for as long as the moon is full, there are queens which serve as warriors when they can but if they’re expecting or nursing kits they live in the nursery until the kits are apprenticed, anyway thats all i can think of for now about Warriors so yeah.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Marrie, for retelling in such detail. To complete your first reflection, please add some of your reactions, connections, questions, and other related ideas to the details you’ve shared. For example, have you read other books by Erin Hunter? Why or why not? What do you enjoy about this genre of book?

      One major fix is to punctuate your sentences. There are two periods in your post and you need many more. Break each unique idea into its own sentence. Please go through your post, add periods and capitalize the beginnings of the new sentences, share some connections, then repost your work.

    • marrie says:

      i guess i forgot to mention that i read the entire series of warriors and and am currantly waiting for the next book to come out…

  15. alyssa says:

    The book i’m reading is called HOW I LEARNED TO FLY by R.L STINE. The book i’m reading is about this kid named jack that he try’s to be like this kid Wilson that is better at him at everything.Jack goes to a creepy hold house and find’s a book after that he went home the next day his parent’s went somewhere and after jack’s parent’s leave jack home alone with his dog. After jack’s parent’s leave he goes to find the book he found at the old house when he was trying to hide from his friend’s jack found the book he started to read the book he found a page that said how to learn to fly he said what this is not really and he said it might work if it does work i’ll be better then Wilson jack saw a potion for how to fly and he started reading it and jack had to eat it after jack made the potion and he’s friend’s came in and they said what are you doing?Jack said i’m doing yoga and one of he’s friend’s said you don’t do yoga jack said yes i do and they ask if they want to hang out with jack and jack said no i can’t i’m sick and one of them said you look fine and jack said no i cant and he’s friend’s leave jack looks around see’s he’s dog eating the potion jack say’s oh no jack’s said get down from there he’s dog started to fly the dog goes outside and jack had to eat the potion he did he started to chase he’s dog and that’s what happend so far.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alyssa. You’ve shared many details in your retelling, now it’s time to add some reflections. There are many things to connect to:
      – Have you ever been in a creepy house?
      – What is it like to be home, alone?
      – Would you like to learn to fly?

      The other area to work on is your punctuation.
      – Use an apostrophe to show possession (Dave’s car) or contraction (it’s sunny).
      – Do not use an apostrophe to make a plural noun (Jack’s parents NOT Jack’s parent’s).
      – Add periods to fix run on sentences. You only have two periods in this entire post. This means the reader cannot stop!

      Please add some reflections and punctuation, then repost your work.

    • alyssa says:

      I’m still reading this book is very good so far. And i really want to know if jack get’s a second chance to fly. and i wonder if Jack get’s to show Mia that he can fly.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Hi Alyssa! Please rework your reflection with the changes we talked about in class today then repost it. Remember, you are expected to retell several details from your reading this week, then explore some ideas to reflect upon. Why do you want to know if Jack gets a second chance? Is it important for Mia to see Jack fly? If you were Jack, how would you handle the situation?

        Quick Fix:
        – The pronoun I is always a capital letter.
        – Do not use an apostrophe in the word gets; get’s would mean ‘get is’ (that does not make sense)

  16. brian says:

    Big Fut Boy is a great book I like it, it is a great comic.

  17. jordyn says:

    Thanks Mr. Bell

  18. Copter. says:

    The book that I read Read today is called Slam Dunk. It was written by Takehiko Inoue, who is also the author of Buzzer beater. This story is about Hanamichi Sakuragi trying to get into the Shohoku basketball team. Anyways Hanamichi challenges the captain of Shohoku basketball team to a game of one-on-one. All he needs to do is score a basket, but the captain Akagi wont make this game an easy one.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for retelling some of the details Copter. Now, it’s time to add to your post by sharing some connections. Can you relate to Hanamichi – how he feels or thinks? Have you ever faced challenging games or competitors? How do you handle competition? Share your thoughts.

      • Copter. says:

        I think he is nervous because hes playing a game he knows nothing about.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Good connection, Copter. Would a similar situation affect you the same way, or does the nervous energy help you?

          Quick Fix:
          – he + is = he’s (If you are unsure where to put the apostrophe, simply write both words: he is playing…)

          • Copter. says:

            I think the nervous energy helped him because, when your nervous don’t take careless shots.

            • Copter. says:

              Because when you’re nervous you don’t take careless shots

              • Copter. says:

                when I first started playing basketball. I was scared to take shots because I was worried i wont go in the net. But if you don’t take any shots you will never get it in.

                • Mr. Bell says:

                  There’s a great saying credited to the hockey player Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” When you think a bit, athletes miss more than they make. How do you think they handle that much frustration?

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Quick Fix:
              – you + are = you’re (when you’re nervous)

  19. kionna says:

    The book I read was loser. It was a great book. My favourite part of the book was the beginning, I liked the way the author Jerry Spinelli introduced the characters.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing some details from your story Kionna. Can you give some examples of the things you thought were great? Share some more writing.

      You mention you like how the characters were introduced; now, give an example. What did the author do? The next step forward is to make some connections with a character (compare yourself to one or put yourself in his/her shoes and explain what you would do). Take some time to read the posts of your classmates to get some more ideas.

  20. Kendall says:

    The book that I am currently reading is titled ‘Gregor The Overlander’ written by Suzanne Collins, and is book one in the Underland Chronicles. I am very intrigued by its topic so far. This book takes place in a fantasy world beneath the city of New York, called The Underland. Gregor is an eleven year-old boy who lives in a run down apartment in New York, and has a mother that works full time, a confused grandma, and a missing father. While doing a load of laundry he is startled when his two year-old sister, Boots, runs into the room chasing frantically after her soggy tennis ball, and descends into a grate in the wall. He hurtles after her, and declines with her to The Underland. They are startled to find unearthly sized cockroaches and bats among them, but they also find humans, rather odd humans, that are in awe of his appearance. Currently, (ninety-five pages in) Gregor has definitely made an impression with the Underlanders, offending them by trying to pronounce their way of speaking and trying to escape once causing an absurd commotion. I think that if I could choose one person that influenced me the most, it would be Boots. Her enthusiastic, fun-loving spirit puts a smile on my face. She may only be two-years old, but even the most miserable Underlanders have to smile when she walks into the room. I would recommend this book to readers with vivid imaginations and can picture big settings. The author is very descriptive and if you can follow along, this book will become a favourite.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks Kendall, your post has a wonderful voice and is a delight to read! You’ve shared many interesting details from your reading so far; I look forward to hearing more.

      Here are some other connections to consider:
      – Have you ever made an impression by offending someone?
      – Do you know anyone that puts a smile on faces when he/she walk in the room? Do you want to be that person?

  21. Kailen says:

    I’m reading a book called BOT WARS it takes place in the future where people relied on robots and they did every thing for use,then the robots had a mind of there own and start a war. the main character’s [Troute] dad fights in this war and gets lost. That’s how far I got I have connection when I come home one day my dad wasn’t there and he didn’t tell me he wasn’t going to be there so I got really worried about him and then he finally texted me and said “I’m at the gym”

    • Mr. Bell says:

      That must have been a startling moment, Kai, but it’s a great connection to this book – well done! DO you ever see a day where robots will ‘think’ for themselves? What type of consequences would occur?

      Quick Fix:
      – A few of your sentences run on. Have a look for places where two ideas meet, but aren’t related: That’s how far I got. My connection…

    • Kai says:

      I am still reading the same book BOT WARS by K.V. I am on Chapter 9. Trout is still looking for his dad and he just came up with a great idea. He wants to post a video on the internet so everybody will be looking for him, but he can’t because he doesn’t have account. There is a girl in his class how is really rich and she has account so he decides to go to her house. The thing is they aren’t really friends so Trout is worried that she won’t let him use it, but she does and that’s where I stopped my contention I ask my mom if I could play video games even though I played a hour and I didn’t think she would but she did

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for your post, Kai. Do you think Trout’s plan is good? Will it work? Why or why not? What suggestions would you give Trout to deal with someone he is not friends with?

        Quick Fix:
        – Use ‘who’ rather than ‘how’ to say: There is a girl in his class who is really rich…
        – What do you mean, “That’s where I stopped my contention I ask my mom…”? Your ending is confusing.

  22. Madison says:

    I am reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Tomas wakes up in a elevator shaft and can’t remember any thing but his name. A bunch of boys help him out and he is in a courtyard 7x the size of a football field and surrounded 100 foot walls. I really liked the movie so I think that I will love the book!!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post Madison. Please add more details and connections to your reflection. For example, how would only knowing your name impact your daily life? Another idea is to consider what you would feel like inside a giant maze. One other thought is to talk about the genre of book you are reading. Is this a style you read often? Have you read other books by this author or other books in this genre?

  23. Kyle says:

    I am reading the book ‘I Funny’ the author is James Paterson. I just starting to reading this book and i actually just finished it awhile ago, but other then that it is a really good book. This book is about a kid comedian who is in a wheelchair and has troubles in his life. I think this book is one of the best books if read this year because it is sad, exciting, funny of course. I think that it is sad because, when he tells this girl about why he is in a wheelchair he said ” I remember one night my mom, dad, baby sister, and I were in the car and we got in a car crash. My mom, sister, dad died and i was the lucky one’. There is alot in this book that makes it a really good book. He moves to this new family that, he hates and the family’s name is ‘ Smiley Family’ but they never smile. Mostly the only thing i like about this book is that he has trouble in his life, it is really intresting, and the prolouge is pretty good. And these are some reasons why i like this book.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing you post Kyle – you’ve done well to retell some elements and make some interesting connections. I love it when writers create a character or a family with a name that is ironic. I enjoyed that you included a quotation in your reflection! How do you handle challenges compared to they way the main character handled the trouble in his life?

      It’s great to share so many opinion, but be sure to support them with evidence. For example, what was ‘pretty good’ about the prologue? Lastly, try to find other words to say ‘good’ in a more interesting and precise manner. Click here for some ideas.

      Quick Fix:
      – other than that (not then)
      – The pronoun I is always a capital letter. (…and I actually just finished it…reasons why I like…)
      – When you write a quotation, there must be a comma before the quotation begins and before it ends:

      …when he tells this girl about why he is in a wheelchair he said, “I remember one night my mom, dad, baby sister, and I were in the car and we got in a car crash. My mom, sister, dad died and I was the lucky one.”

      • Kyle says:

        Ok Mr. Bell i will work on that 🙂

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Great, Kyle – don’t forget that I is always capitalized too!

          • Kyle says:

            I think that when the kid had the troubles in his life, which he sort of does have a little bit of problems because, he talks to his friends to make him feel better. well he handles his problems because he sometimes goes to this guy and talks to him about how he feels right now, and about his mom, sister, dad. But what I don’t understand is that they are talking to eachother and they both like eachother and for some reason the girl walks away and goes with this other guy and hugs them???

  24. Copter says:

    Mr bell my parents are coming to see you next Wednesday after 6:00.

  25. Isabella says:

    It’s so CRAZY! There IS a tournament and it’s between all of the wizarding schools. It’s funny because you have to be seventeen to nominate your name into the goblet of fire,( a cup of fire you put your name into and if your name comes out of it your a contestant or “champion”. ) and two boys are trying to fool it because they’re only sixteen. The result is hilarious. They haven’t chosen the champions yet though. I want to know if anyone underage is going to make it in. And, like most people, want to see who wins. I just want to keep reading!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post Isabella. It’s interesting to see children wanting to be older in books and in real life. Are there any examples where you’d like to be older so that you could do something?

      Quick Fix:
      – The phrase “And, like most people, want to see who wins” sounds odd on its own. If you connect it to your previous sentence, it sounds better.

    • Isabella says:

      Sometimes I want to be older so I can drive a car. My mom takes us on “surprise car rides” which is usually going to the store. If I were to have a car, I would go to Fun Factor, or the movies, maybe even on a vacation. But other times, I don’t want a car. It can be stressful!

      • Mr. Bell says:

        It’s amazing how something one desires can soon be mundane. I remember really wanting my driver’s license, but now I’d rather stay out of a car as much as possible!

  26. Paige says:

    Hey Mr.Bell I’m Doing my Reading Reflection. My book is called Minecraft Construction Handbook By Mathew Needler&Phil Soitham. When you actually see the cover of Minecraft Construction Handbook the book it is all CAPITALS so it would actually look like this, MINECRAFT CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK. But let’s not worry about the title now. Inside this book amazes me in so many ways it tells me plenty of things.The Minecraft book gives me Hacks to do in the actual game, like for example if you have a pet dog you can tell if it’s hungry or not by just looking at the tail if its up high that means the dog’s health is fine but if its tail is dragging across the floor that means you should probably feed the dog. Thanks for reading my Reading Reflection like a book worm.
    By:Paige

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Paige. You’ve shared some interesting tips. Now, share some reflections about your connections to Minecraft and tip books. Do ‘hacks’ make you enjoy the game more – explain? Would you still enjoy the game if these books didn’t exist? Are there similar games you enjoy?

      This week, continue to share some details about your reading, then add some of your own thoughts, feelings, connections and ideas.

  27. jordyn says:

    The book I am still currently reading right now is called On the Banks of Plum Creek written by Garth Williams. This book has many little adventures in it that may surprise you, the one that surprises me was when right after the drought it started to snow non stop. That part surprised me because its kind of confusing when it got to hot then right after it got surprisingly cold. something that I enjoyed in the book was that there were many connections that I had with a lot of characters in this book, some of the connections I had with some characters was that we all had they same ideas and thoughts, for example… say that someone was in trouble and that they were trying to think of a way to fix it, I would always think of something then I would keep on reading then they would do it, its like there reading my mind or thinking my thoughts. There are a few questions I have for this book and they are…Is there a happy ending? Do they move? and Will there father make it home safely? Those are the questions I have for this book…. This is why I enjoy this FICTION book very much….

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your retelling and reflecting, Jordyn. It sounds like you are having a great time reading this book! Do you prefer fiction more than non fiction?

      Quick Fix:
      – The middle section of your post runs on: something that I enjoyed in the book was that there were many connections that I had with a lot of characters in this book, some of the connections I had with some characters was that we all had they same ideas and thoughts, for example… say that someone was in trouble and that they were trying to think of a way to fix it, I would always think of something then I would keep on reading then they would do it, its like there reading my mind or thinking my thoughts. The ideas make sense, now work on the delivery of them:

      Something that I enjoyed in the book was that there were many connections I had with several of characters. Both _____(character) and I share similar ideas and thoughts. For example, when…(retell the event)…

      Quick Fix:
      – Avoid repeating yourself in your opening sentence. Use ‘currently’ or ‘right now’ but not both.
      – When you are unsure if you use it’s or its, simply put it is in the spot to see if it sounds right.
      – “It’s like they are reading my mind.” (use they’re)

  28. Liam says:

    My book is about Adventurer Time they went to the fare to show fire princess, what it was like because she has never bin, but fire princess wanted her fortune told and that when ever thing went wrong

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for starting your reflection, Liam. You’ve got more to add:
      – include the author’s name
      – explain some of the events that went wrong
      – share your own connections to going to a fair, dealing with things that go wrong, adventures…there are many ways you can connect your own experiences to your book

      Quick Fix:
      – use fair (carnival) rather than fare (a payment for a taxi or bus)

  29. chris says:

    I’m reading “The Absent Author” by Ron Roy

    This book is about a fan named “Dink” wrote to his favourite author named Wallis Wallace.Wallis Wallace reply and invites him to visit Green Lawn.The famous writer says that the only way he won’t come is if he’s kidnapped.When the big day comes, Wallis Wallace is nowhere to be found.I really need to read this book because I wanna find out why the famous author got kidnapped.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your reflection, Chris.It sounds like this is a suspenseful mystery. To finish your reflection, add a prediction or make a connection. Who do you think is the kidnapper? Why was he kidnapped? Simiilarly, have you ever wanted to meet someone famous? Who? Why? What would you say if you could meet that person?

      Quick Fix:
      – When typing, be sure to add a space after a period.
      – ‘wanna’ is slang; use ‘want to’ when writing for school

    • chris says:

      I think he’s not kidnapped.He’s just faking because. Dink and his friends ask the taxi driver who drove Wallis Wallace to the airport. Dink and his friends asked the company of the airport and they said Wallis Wallace cancelled his ticket.

  30. Savi says:

    Hello everybody! The book I’m reading is called Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardner. I’m aware of the fact that this is a book that is grade 4 level. The reason why I’m reading this is because when we went to library I had to leave early. This is my 3rd time reading this book. This story takes place in a small town called Wyoming. Stone Fox is a book about a boy named little Willy, whose grandfather owns a potato farm. One day little Willy is not awaken by his grandfather as usual. When little Willy went into his room, grandfather lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, eyes as solid as ice. Little Willy finds out the reason Grandfather is like this, tax collectors. Grandfather owes them 500 dollars, which was a lot back in the day. Now it is up to Willy to save the farm and harvest the potatoes in time for the winter. Their only hope is the $500 dollar prize money from the National Dogsled Race. A lot of other people want to win this race, including Stone Fox, who has never lost a race in his entire life. Now we can only hope that little Willy and his dog, Searchlight, stand a chance against Stone Fox and his 5 Samoyed’s. I can relate to this story because a couple years ago my dad took me to a tournament, where there were a lot of fun activities like 3 footed races, egg and spoon races, beanbag tossing games, a tattoo station (temporary), running races, and much more. I competed in all, but I was quite nervous for the running race. There were a lot of girls much faster than me, but I tried anyway. I ran as fast as a turtle (at least I thought,). Turns out I came in 2nd place. I was pretty stoked. I’m not quite done the story, but so far I’ve learned that you should try no matter how badly you suck at something. If little Willy didn’t even compete in the race, he wouldn’t even have a chance of saving the farm. I’m reading this book for the 3rd time because it makes you go through a roller coaster of emotions. Some parts are exciting and fun, some parts are as sad as your dog dying (reference from the book), and some parts make you angry. I defiantly recommend this book to who ever is looking for a quick, fun read. I give this book two big thumbs up. 😀

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your reflection, Savi, you share an important message about trying when faced with a challenge. Too often people limit themselves by saying they ‘suck’ without giving a genuine effort. Negative self talk impacts performance! Approaching challenges with a ‘can-do’ attitude, and accepting there may be struggles is a better mindset.

      Quick Fix:
      – Use definitely (not defiantly); the meanings are very different!

    • Isabella says:

      Hi Savi! I remember reading that book. The details in your post are AMAZING! Good job!

  31. Liesl says:

    The book I’m reading right now is called Flyboys by James Bradley, it’s based off of the true story that took place during World War Two on the islands Iwo and Chichi Jima. Until World War Two hand-to-hand combat and naval based battles were very common and the most dominant ways to win wars. That was until the beginning of World War Two when aircraft carriers and different fighter planes and bombers were actually put to use. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour America retaliated by sending aircraft carriers with what they called Billys (B-25s) who would attack Japan. Japan spiritually believed that they would never be attacked because they had god’s protection so when the Americans came in bombing their faith was deteriorated. This raid on Japan was called the Doolittle raid all because of the little man who was known famously as the world’s best aviation pilot. Jimmy Doolittle was his name and he was the leader of the other fifteen Billys, Flyboys (pilots) and crew who wreaked destruction over Japan, fulfilling America’s revenge. Through only the first 188 pages I’ve learned an enormous amount about World War Two, Japan’s culture and how it became a civilized country. With the informative and progressive information there was also some very disturbing history about America and Japan both regarding brutality towards other races along with many very gruesome and ungodly methods of killing or torturing people. Reading this book has showed me just how much I have progressed with my reading from when I was younger and couldn’t believe the amount of pages and tricky words that these books had.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Superb summary, Liesl – your writing is well thought out and shows a great understanding of your book. It’s wonderful to hear you recognize your growth as a reader! What is something that you’ve done to improve your reading skills that may be useful for someone to try?

  32. Colby says:

    My book is BONE: The Saga Continues that has books 4 through 6, witch are The Dragonslayer, Rock Jaw Master of the Eastern Border, and Old Man’s Cave. The bone series takes place back a long time ago probably in the 1300s. In all the books Phone Bone, Phoney bone, Smiley Bone, grandma rose, and Thorn all battle the lord of the locust, an evil presence that wants to fully control the world. will he succeed? Find out by reading BONE.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Colby, as mentioned in the comments from your first reflection, you have only done part of what is expected. Rather than give a ‘teaser’ of the plot, summarize what you have read. Once you’ve shared a summary, add some reflections. For example, compare life in the 1300s to today. Another possibility is to explore why anyone would want to control the world.

      Please complete this reflection as expected and repost your work.

      Quick Fix:
      – witch (rides a broom and wears a pointed hat); which (refers to something)

    • Savi says:

      Hi Colby. I read The Dragon Slayer last year, fantastic book! I liked that you asked questions. Makes me want to finish the series. Good job! 🙂

  33. Alison says:

    This week I started a new book called Dream Of Night, by Heather Henson. I am on chapter three, (the chapters are quite long). So far this book is very confusing for me. This is what I got out of the first three chapters so far: a bunch of horses are rescued from an abandoned stable, a girl that is fostered to a family then moved to a different family. She seems to be trying to find her mom. If I could do anything to change this book, I would change some of the characters names, because some of their names are to similar, and you can get confessed by it. (It might just be me though). I would also be more discriptive of where the setting is as well.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alison, you’ve blended your retelling and reflecting effectively. Remember to consider rereading sections you find confusing or try to replace words with ones you think would makes sense.

      It’s interesting to hear you are reading about abandoned horses as this is something that I’ve heard in the news lately too. It sounds like organizations like the SPCA have had to help more horses than before because people are having a difficult time caring for them, due largely to the high price of feed (or a lack of it).

      Quick Fix:
      – There is a difference between confusing (So far this book is very confusing for me.) and confessed (you can get confessed by it); used confused in the second example.

      • Alison says:

        This week I started a new book called Dream Of Night, by Heather Henson. I am on chapter three, (the chapters are quite long). So far this book is very confusing for me. This is what I got out of the first three chapters so far: a bunch of horses are rescued from an abandoned stable, a girl that is fostered to a family then moved to a different family. She seems to be trying to find her mom. If I could do anything to change this book, I would change some of the characters names, because some of their names are to similar, and you can get confused by it. (It might just be me though). I would also be more descriptive of where the setting is as well.

  34. Liesl says:

    To improve my reading skills I just kept practicing, as they say practice makes perfect. You have to want to read too, so I would always find a book that completely enticed me and from there my reading excelled. Another skill that I used quite often was inferring, for me making connections and bringing knowledge of my own as a guide to my reading really helped me picture and understand things quite more clearly.

  35. Alison says:

    This week I started a new book called Dream Of Night, by Heather Henson. I am on chapter three, (the chapters are quite long). So far this book is very confusing for me. This is what I got out of the first three chapters so far: a bunch of horses are rescued from an abandoned stable, a girl that is fostered to a family then moved to a different family. She seems to be trying to find her mom. If I could do anything to change this book, I would change some of the characters names, because some of their names are to similar, and you can get confused by it. (It might just be me though). I would also be more discriptive of where the setting is as well.

    • Kendall says:

      This does sound confusing Alison; I don’t blame you. I have read a few books that just don’t make sense to me. If they changed a few details this book would sound way more interesting – your right.

  36. Madison says:

    I am reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. So far in the book there are two character. Bilbo Bagginsis who is a hobbit that lives in a hill and Gandalf is a wizard. My favourite of the two is Gandalf because I find him pretty funny, like when he was trying to find out what Bilbo’s “good morning” ment. Gandalf is trying to get Bilbo to go on an adventure that he may not even ever return from, to Lonely Mountian, and inside is gold guarded by a dragon named Smaug. I think that is amazing book so far and can’t wait to read more of the book .

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Madison! Thanks for connecting a retail from the story to an opinion. Moving forward, give more details and thoughts in your next post.For example, what direction do you hope the story takes? Or perhaps explain if you would go on an adventure not knowing if you’d return safely.

      Quick Fix:
      – use ‘meant’ (comes from mean & meaning)

      • Madison says:

        I’m reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. In the book I hope that something really unexpected happens, like someone gos missing or something really funny happens. If I could cange the book a bit I would make it so that Bilbo Bagginsis and Gandalf don’t smoke a pipe, and I would change where some of the speech bubbles are, because some of the speech bubbles did not make sense to who they went to. So far my favourite part was when Bilbo Bagginsis and Gollum were doing riddles, and then Bilbo Bagginsis asked “what is in my pocket” and Gollum had no clue, he started to get mad because he thinks that it is a unfair question.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for sharing some predictions in the form of hopes, Madison. What would be a funny thing? Explain more about your point on pipe smoking too. Your observation about the placement of the speech bubbles is terrific! I find that some fonts in books are challenging at times and impact my reading enjoyment.

          Quick Fix:
          – use ‘goes’ rather than ‘gos’
          – use ‘change’ rather than ‘cange’

          • Madison says:

            I’m reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. In What I had just read my favourite part is when Bilbo finds a ring that when you put it on you are invisible. If I had that ring I would try to sneak up on people and scare them like my mom, dad, and sister. In the book I wish that they added a few more really shocking surprise, like if someone went missing or they run in to lots of bad guys when they are not expecting it. I hope that in the next part that I read some more bad guys come and try to take them.

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Thanks for your post, Madison, your reflections are interesting. Why is it that when we imagine having a power, it’s often used for fun at the expense of others (scaring your family)? Can you suggest some usages of a ring of invisibility that would benefit people without hurting (or scaring) others?

  37. Noah says:

    My book is I Survived by Lauren Tarshis in it Ben is visiting his uncle in japan. He is depressed because his father died. first there’s an earthquake, then there’s a massive Tsunami. I can’t even imagine what what is like to be in his shoes first he survived a major earthquake then he survives a major Tsunami all while dealing with the stress of his fathers death. This kid is superman jr.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Noah, for adding the beginnings of a reflection when you mention that you can’t even related to what Ben must be feeling. Add more thought to this reflection by comparing how you handle difficult situations with how Ben handles them. Does Ben do anything you think is useful? Would you do things differently? Explain.

      Quick Fix:
      – Proper nouns are capitalized (Japan, Superman Jr.) while common nouns (tsunami) aren’t.

  38. Luken Murray says:

    I forgot to read this week I’m sorry and I will read next week.

  39. wesley says:

    For my reading reflection I am going to reflect on STARWARS trilogy a new hope, return of the jedi. so far i am at the point were darth vader is planning a plot to take princess leia , and luke is on tatooine workig for his uncle.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for starting your reflection, Wesley. I look forward to reading more once you’ve completed your post.

      Quick Fix:
      – Capital letters are expected for proper nouns: Return of the Jedi (title), I (it’s always a capital letter), Darth Vader (name), Princess Leia, Luke…

    • wesley says:

      where I am right now in my book is when luke really wants to explore the universe but instead he is on the sunny sandy planet of tatooine working hard for his uncle jibs

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Wesley, please review the criteria for reading reflections – CLICK HERE. More is expected.

      • Wesley says:

        For my reading reflection I am reflecting on “Everest”. So far I am at the beginning of the book, these books are really fun to read, I once read Amazon and it was a blast! So I am hoping that this book will be just as good if not better. How these books work is you read part of the book then it leaves you with a situation/problem and it is your decision e.g. a zombie just bit you in the arm, would you cut it off? or would you leave it and become a zombie? So technically you make the story, and you get to pick what happens next.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          It’s great to hear you are enjoying your book, Wesley. Here are some ideas to complete this reflection:
          – Why was Amazon a blast?
          – How would you make this book better?
          – When you read a book using this format, do you ever back up and change your choice? Explain.

          Remember what the criteria is for this activity – click here.

        • wesley says:

          For my reading reflection I am reflecting on Star Wars III Return of the Sith, To start of I just like to say I love reading sci-fi books especially Star Wars. So far I read is … the jedi/Anikan and Obi-Wan are trying to free Senator Palpatine from Count Duku and General Grievous.

          • Mr. Bell says:

            I look forward to reading the rest of the details for this week’s post, Wesley. Click here to review the criteria for your reflection.

          • wesley says:

            For my reading reflection I’m reflecting on the book “The Cellist Of Sarajevo” My sister just gave me this book, I just started reading this book so I don’t know much, I’v only read 2 page.So the story line: Exquisite and profoundly moving, THE CELLIST OF SARAJEVO shows how life under siege creates impossible moral choices. It is a story about survival, about the persistence of the human spirit in a time of fear and suffering.

            • Mr. Bell says:

              To complete this post, Wesley, add some prediction based on the information you’ve provided or explain what draws you to this book. I look forward to hearing about it as you get further in the story!

  40. Liam says:

    My book is about Adventure time encyclopedia they talk about all the,charterers like Finn the human he fight the ice king and meany more

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Liam – Like last week, you’ve got a few events retold, but no reflection. What are your reactions and thoughts about the events in the story? Please add some more details to this week’s post.

  41. Paige says:

    Hi Mr.Bell I’m doing my 2nd Reading Reflection.You said to share my connections with the minecraft book well my connection is when ever I play the game in minecraft I use the book filled in with great creative ideas and so do I,I
    also think that I think of great ideas that’s my connection with the book.The book just helps me when I run out of great ideas. Mr.Bell I finished reading the minecraft book but when I start playing the game minecraft I’ll go grab the minecraft book.Yesterday we went too the library and got some books and the library is closed for two weeks so I grabbed a big book so I didn’t have to get two books two make sure I didn’t lose them. The book I got is called Allergent its in the Divergent series its the third book Amelie is reading Insurgent witch is the second book.Thanks for reading my reading reflection bye:)

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for adding some reflections, Paige. Would you like to be the author of a Minecraft book for others to read?

      Quick Fix:
      – Be sure to add a space after a comma or a period.

  42. Luken Murray says:

    I am reading The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. So far in the book there are two character. Bilbo Bagginsis who is a hobbit that lives in a hill and Gandalf is a wizard. My favourite of the two is Gandalf because I find him pretty funny, like when he was trying to find out what Bilbo’s “good morning” ment. Gandalf is trying to get Bilbo to go on an adventure that he may not even ever return from, to Lonely Mountian, and inside is gold guarded by a dragon named Smaug. I think that is amazing book so far and can’t wait to read more of the book .

  43. Kyle says:

    I finished the first book ‘I Funny’ and now im now reading ‘I Even Funnier’ im going to predict what might happen in the second book: The comedian in the wheelchair might become more famous and present in front of huge audiences. He might lose his girlfriend and feel lonly, and maybe become hated towards the end of the book. So far I have read to page 34 and so far he gets bullied by this one guy named Stevie Kosgrove which he found out they are cousins and his girlfriend starts to break up with him.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing your predictions about the book you are reading. I am curious to hear what happens.

      How did the story develop from a bully situation to the discovery that they were cousins?

      Quick Fix:
      – lonely (not lonly)

  44. Isabella says:

    I’m still reading Harry Potter, and they chose the champions! It was Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts (Harry’s school), Fleur Delacour, Viktor Krum, and…………Harry Potter! There is only suppossd to be three champions, and someone else put Harry’s name in for him because he is underage. I’m not sure who did it though. Hagrid (the magical creatures teacher) showed Harry the first task and its DRAGONS! His only tool is his wand, and since he’s underage, he doesn’t know every spell he should. Also, his best friend Ron, is in a fight with Harry because Ron is jealous Harry gets all the attention. I wonder how he’s going to deal with it, and get past the dragon. He must be really scared! I would be, because people have died in this tournament. It’s as scary as a clown head in a pool of blood! I hope Harry makes it through!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Isabella, you’ve shared many details from your book. Similarly, you pose a great question about how he will deal with it..what do you predict? Have you ever faced a challenge that was frightening, but you felt you had to try it?

      Quick Fix:
      – it + is = it’s (the first task…it’s DRAGONS)

  45. marrie says:

    I am reading a book on wattpad called ‘please be there’ written by cheesehead. (wattpad is basically an app where you can write,post,and read books that other people have written) but its about a girl who is anorexic, and her teacher notices and tries to help her, but she refuses help and her mother goy killed by her father, and her father is in prison for it, she lives with her brothers and almost dies but she doesnt die and lives with all the happily ever after cliche

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Marrie. You’ve shared many relevant details from your reading. The next step is to organize them in sentences. It’s great to see you use commas, but periods are needed when ideas change. For example, end your sentence after the detail about refusing help.

      Lastly, in addition to retelling the big details, be sure to add some reflective thoughts. You mention the idea/cliche about ‘happily ever after’. What do you think about these types of stories? Do readers want stories with a happy ending? Explain.

    • marrie says:

      I am reading a book on wattpad called ‘please be there’ written by cheesehead. (wattpad is basically an app where you can write,post,and read books that other people have written) but its about a girl who is anorexic, and her teacher notices and tries to help her, but she refuses help. And her mother got killed by her father, and her father is in prison for it, she lives with her brothers and almost dies but she doesn’t die and lives with all the happily ever after cliche which I’m not the biggest fan of because the whole ‘happily ever after’ thing is boring and very predictable. Also the anorexic girls name is Brenda but everyone calls her brownie because when her mother was alive she cooked a lot of brownies and Brenda ate them the most, and her mother started calling her brownie but after her mother is killed the name brownie sticks and though she doesn’t like it everyone calls her brownie. her father always called her a fat baby and her mothers last breath was telling her the she wasn’t fat and Brenda thought if she could prove it for her mother then her death wouldn’t have been in vain so she became anorexic at the age of 7 years old and by the age of 15 she was only 78 pounds. i think that its crazy that she survived and im shocked that nobody noticed that she was anorexic until she was in eighth grade.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for your post, Marrie, you have done better to use more punctuation in this post compared to the previous one. That said, the last hafl of your post rambles on. Before submitting your reflection, take a moment to reread your writing and add punctuation when an idea is supported or changes.

        Do you think we should give up on people refusing help? Explain your thoughts.

  46. kionna says:

    The book I am reading is my name is Seepeetza it talks about residential school and how they were treated in the olden days. If they were not behaving the nuns and priest would whip with a horse whip or a belt. I am glad we don’t get whipped it probably hurts bad. And the kids would get whipped for stupid things like if they stepped out of line or got up to use the bath room at night. Or if were late for class this book would good for people who are interested in learning about residential school .

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Kionna! It’s frightening to hear the awful things that were used against children. That said, you make a valuable point about this book being a great learning opportunity too.

      Quick Fix:
      – bathroom (one word)

  47. Savi says:

    Hey everybody! The book I’m reading this week is called In The Wild, by Sofia Nordin. This is my second time reading this book. The last time I read it was in grade 5, it’s been a while so I’ve decided to re-read it. In this book, there is a girl named Amanda, who is 11 years old. She always gets made fun of, no one ever wants to sit with her or talk to her. Her class is going on a week long forest adventure/ field trip. Rafting was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, it sure is going to be a day to remember. The waters in the river are higher than usual and the current is as strong as a bodybuilder. Amanda is teamed up with Phillip, the class bully. Phillip seems to know what he’s doing, until her turns around and sees a log in his way. BAM! Next thing Amanda knows, she’s getting pulled with mighty force by the current. Floating away from her classmates in the ice cold river. Amanda finally floats up to the surface, all she sees is a something bobbing up and down in the water. Something that looks like a coat or a sweater. When she gets closer she gets surprised by Phillips face. “AMANDA! AMANDA! HELP!” Phillip screamed. When swimming towards Phillip she gets hit in the head with a rock. When she wakes up it is almost dark out. Yet again Phillip the know-it-all thinks he knows what he’s doing and starts walking. Amanda has no other choice but to follow him. It gets dark and they collect pine boughs to sleep on.

    TO BE CONTINUED!! I still need to finish!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Savi , you’ve shared many details of the story. Now, you need to add some reflections! For example, what draws you to reread a book? Do you have any books you could see yourself reading again throughout your life?

      • Savi says:

        Hello again. I am still reading the same book, In The Wild, but I am slowly nearing the end. Amanda and Phillip find a small abandoned house. In it they find a dusty bed, a stove, some old clothing, spoons, forks, plates, bowls, cups, pots, and pans. Phillip and Amanda light the stove and find edible items out in the wild. They manage to survive and make food for themselves. Amanda even washed the old clothing that she found. A small dress which probably belonged to a child, a larger dress, a shirt (for men), pants, and a pair of shoes. But one night the thought creeps into Amanda’s mind. Have they forgotten about us? Or are they all dead? She can’t help but think.
        I can somewhat relate to Amanda and Phillip, one day my mom, sister, and I were in the mall and when I turned around they were gone! I was scared as a child lost in a maze.

        TO BE CONTINUED

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Great start to your reflection, Savi! I await the conclusion to find out more details to your connection when you were separated from your family in the mall…I hope it has a happy ending!

          • Savi says:

            I sat in the chair for a while, until one of the workers asked me what’s up. I told her my mom and sister were here and I can’t seem to find them. She told me to wait a little longer in case they came back, so I waited, and waited. They never came, I talked to the worker and she asked me if I wanted her to make an announcement, I did what anybody else would do and said yes. A couple minutes later they finally came. The sad part is that they didn’t even notice I was gone. 😀
            This novel is great for anyone who likes adventurous books. I definitely would read In The Wild again. 🙂

  48. Kyle says:

    So im in the middle of the book im reading called ‘I Funnier’ and its funny but the boy Jamie Grimm is starting to have more troubles in his life, he is getting bullied more and getting bothered by the bullies. But he is also having fun too he is meeting new friends and he hungout with his 2 best friends and this girl to the movies. But so far the book is doing pretty good there isnt that much to say about it because it hasnt got intresting yet and yah. But when I read more of the book ill do another one of these to tell more.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      I’m glad to hear you will post some more to this reflection, Kyle. One way you could reflect is to compare Jamie’s troublesome and fun moments with your own.

      Quick Fix:
      – Look for synonyms for the word ‘good’.
      – When joining two words in a conjunction, the apostrophe replaces a letter (sometimes two):
      – I + am = I’m (I is always a capital letter.)
      – it + is = it’s
      – is + not = isn’t
      – I + will = I’ll
      – has + not = hasn’t
      – interesting (not intresting)

  49. Liesl says:

    The book that I’m currently reading is called Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley, this book shines light on the popular picture of six american soldiers raising an american flag on the blood-soaked soil of Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima is just a scab of an island nestled deep in the Pacific but it held great value to both the Americans and Japanese all because of what was heavily guarded atop mount Suribachi. The radio tower sat atop this mountain no bigger than the Washington Monument so it allowed the Japanese during times of war to intercept messages of bombings or attacks from the Americans and send out warnings. The Japanese guarded Iwo Jima and Chichi Jima more than they guarded their own home soil. The Americans needed Iwo Jima as a stepping stone in the vast Pacific so that the monstrous bombers carrying napalm and the first ever atomic bomb could refuel and regroup before heading out to Japan. Both countries saw this tiny island as a treasure and were prepared to fight in one of the greatest bloodbaths ever recorded in history. The Japanese fought from an intricate tunneling system beneath the island so many surviving marines remarked that they were shooting at an enemy they could not see. There were six soldiers fighting bravely and boldly through this battle that are not as well known as they should be; John Bradley, Harlon Block, Mike Strank, Ira Hayes,Franklin Sousley and Rene Gagnon are the six Iwo Jima flag raisers. In my second reflection I wrote about a book called Flyboys which was based on the story of Chichi Jima so it’s very interesting to get more detail about all of the references they made about Iwo Chima. For example Iwo Chima was being attacked and Chichi Jima received a distress call saying “we will all die in the name of the emperor”, so it’s good to finally understand what actually happened. I also really love this author because his father was John Bradley who was killed on Iwo Jima, so you can really feel the emotion and passion that went into writing this story. His passion and emotion has really helped me develop as a writer just because it’s like he’s pouring his heart out on a bed of information so it really gave me a great example of passionate writing to refer to.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Liesl. Your have a terrific writing voice! I especially enjoyed your adjective choices such as intricate and monstrous.

    • liesl says:

      I’m still reading Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley and I’m currently at the part where they’re telling each flag-raisers backstory. It’s really quite amazing to read these stories and find the undercurrents of the imperious American army. These men fight brutally but reading their stories they all carry one common virtue: kindness. These boys that went off to fight were normal teenagers that went to school, played sports and fully devoted themselves to their families and religion. Although most of them were poor they were all dedicated and had great mind sets of where they wanted to go and how they wanted to get there. Every single boy cared and helped around the house doing chores or helping siblings. The simpleness of their lives got me to thinking about how they became so enthralled in the idea of being a marine. Is it a duty they feel that is instilled in them, is it because they like the thought of battle or is it simply to prove they’re a man? No one likes the torture and battle of war and we hear about it all the time on T.V so I don’t understand why the thought of endless nights of screaming and the constant fear of death would be something that any person would want to go through. I find it so fascinating though that war itself is something we hear about as a whole but we never really hear about the people that make up the war, we don’t hear about those quiet heroes or those heroes that died but story has never been told, just war. We all know that war is brutal but why the men do it and create conflict is a complete mystery. In the olden days and even now in some places young men are forced to fight but in many places they aren’t so what is really the mindset of a soldier? I believe personally that each person is born with a purpose and whether they know their purpose from the moment they are put on this planet or later in life they are destined to fulfill that purpose so maybe fighting in combat and fighting for their country is a marine’s purpose. War as a whole is a huge concept but it’s those little sparks of character and emotion that can really change such a big concept like war to peace, among times of darkness those who fully let their personality shine through and prevent the brutality from changing them are true heroes.

      • liesl says:

        Flag-raiser’s backstory is what I meant to say.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for sharing your insightful post, Liesl. You’ve done a tremendous job retelling some of the details from your reading then adding wonderful ideas to reflect upon – thank you! It’s interesting to juxtapose the horrors of war with the virtue of kindness; it must make for captivating reading. In addition to the sense of duty that you mention, I suspect that many of the soldiers saw enlisting as an opportunity not only to explore the world, but to improve their situation in life as well. That said, the opportunities came with significant perils, so the motivating factors must be complex.

  50. Kendall says:

    I am still reading the book ‘Gregor the Overlander’ written by Suzanne Collins, who is also well known for writing the series ‘The Hunger Games’ in 2008. I am certainly enjoying this book. I am now in the second part of the story ‘The Quest’, following up on ‘The Fall’. The Fall is where Gregor and his two year-old sister mysteriously decline into a grate in the wall of their run down New York apartment building. The Quest is when the story takes action, and the strange “Prophecy of Gray” takes place. The “Prophecy of Gray” tells of a dark time when the future of the Underlanders is undecided. It calls for a journey, not just humans but other creatures, which may lead to either salvation or ruin, and will be led by an Overlander. After reading the Hunger Games and then reading this, I believe that this author is whimsical and imaginative. She has a large train of thought but makes things memorable and relatable. I am very intrigued by Suzanne Collins and her form of writing and hope to read more of hers in the future. Gregor seems to be molding to the Underlanders more and more each day. He is getting used to Luxa – a snotty teenager that didn’t make a good first impression – and thinking the way that they are now. If I could save one person in the event of a disaster, I would save Vikus. He is very knowledgeable and easy to be around. He is definitely the person you would want to be beside or even behind in a conflict . I have never necessarily liked fiction reads, but this one has definitely caught my attention

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Kendall! I enjoyed your writing voice in this post; you shared the details and thoughts in a smooth manner. Your word choices are terrific too: decline, whimsical, intrigued, snotty – well done!

      One improvement is to review when (and how often) you begin a sentence with ‘I am’. One way to make a simple change is to change the order of the sentence:

      I am certainly enjoying this book. I am now in the second part of the story ‘The Quest’, following up on ‘The Fall’.

      becomes:
      Now, in the second part of the story, I am certainly enjoying the follow up to ‘The Fall’. In ‘The Quest’…

  51. Alison says:

    The book I am reading this week is, Misty Of Chincteague by, Margierite Henry. Illustrations by, Wesley Dennie. So far in the book, there are to main characters Paul and Maureen. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincteague Island. Paul is The book I am reading this week is Misty of Chincteague by Maruerite Henry. Illustrations by Wesley Dennie. So Far in the book, there are two main characters Paul and Maruerite. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincoteague Island. Paul is old enough to help herd the wild ponies of Chincteague on pony penning day. There is one mare that everybody calls Phantom. What I’ve read so far in this book is, the Phantom has never been caught. In the two years of pony penning. Paul and his sister Maureen are making a plan to catch the Phantom. The plan that I understand from them is, Paul is going to participate in pony penning day. He is going to round up the Phantom, and buy her when they put the ponies for sale. I am reading right now about the pony penning day. So far Paul caught the Phantom! But the Phantom was not alone, she has a little foal! I am liking this book so far, it is a very good story. The only thing that I would change in this book is to add more discriptive words, because it can get very bla at sometimes in the book. I am very exited to read what is going to happen next! I hope that Paul and Marguerite, get to buy the Phantom and her foal.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Alison, It’s wonderful to see the progress in your writing from your first reflection to this one! Can you think of another way to say ‘very good’? The overuse of the adjective ‘good’ makes it less meaningful.

      Quick Fix:
      – There is a difference between ‘exited’ and ‘excited’. Their root words are ‘exit’ and ‘excite’. Think about the diffrence.
      – One describes something with ‘descriptive’ words.

      • Alison says:

        The book I am reading this week is, Misty Of Chincteague by, Margierite Henry. Illustrations by, Wesley Dennie. So far in the book, there are two main characters Paul and Maureen. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincteague Island. Paul is The book I am reading this week is Misty of Chincteague by Maruerite Henry. Illustrations by Wesley Dennie. So Far in the book, there are two main characters Paul and Maruerite. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincoteague Island. Paul is old enough to help herd the wild ponies of Chincteague on pony penning day. There is one mare that everybody calls Phantom. What I’ve read so far in this book is, the Phantom has never been caught. In the two years of pony penning. Paul and his sister Maureen are making a plan to catch the Phantom. The plan that I understand from them is, Paul is going to participate in pony penning day. He is going to round up the Phantom, and buy her when they put the ponies for sale. I am reading right now about the pony penning day. So far Paul caught the Phantom! But the Phantom was not alone, she has a little foal! I am liking this book so far, it is a fantastic story. The only thing that I would change in this book is to add more descriptive words, because it can get very bla at sometimes in the book. I am very excited to read what is going to happen next! I hope that Paul and Marguerite, get to buy the Phantom and her foal.

  52. Copter. says:

    The book that I am reading is called “Goosebumps” Its about a boy name Ray, he has a little brother name Brandon. Everybody thinks that Brandon is the older brother because hes bigger than Ray. If i had a little brother that was bigger than me, I would ask my parents to get rid of him. And if they don’t? I would run away.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Copter. You’re reaction to having a bigger, little brother is extreme don’t you think? However, you raise an interesting point about judgements based on appearance. This would be a great connection you could make by share some examples where people are misjudged based on appearance.

      Take a moment to review the criteria for your reading reflection – CLICK HERE.

      Quick Fix:
      – it + is = it’s (it’s about a boy named Ray…)

  53. Alison says:

    The book I am reading this week is, Misty Of Chincteague by, Marguerite Henry. Illustrations by, Wesley Dennie. So far in the book, there are to main characters Paul and Maureen. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincteague Island. Paul is The book I am reading this week is Misty of Chincteague by Marguerite Henry. Illustrations by Wesley Dennie. So Far in the book, there are two main characters Paul and Marguerite. They are brother and sister. And they live on Chincoteague Island. Paul is old enough to help herd the wild ponies of Chincteague on pony penning day. There is one mare that everybody calls Phantom. What I’ve read so far in this book is, the Phantom has never been caught. In the two years of pony penning. Paul and his sister Maureen are making a plan to catch the Phantom. The plan that I understand from them is, Paul is going to participate in pony penning day. He is going to round up the Phantom, and buy her when they put the ponies for sale. I am reading right now about the pony penning day. So far Paul caught the Phantom! But the Phantom was not alone, she has a little foal! I am liking this book so far, it is a great story. The only thing that I would change in this book is to add more descriptive words, because it can get very bla at sometimes in the book. I am very excited to read what is going to happen next! I hope that Paul and Marguerite, get to buy the Phantom and her foal.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alison. Do you think all horses (or ponies) can be herded, or are some simply destined to be wild?

      Add to your comment about using more interesting words by including some suggestions. Providing a quote from the book, then suggesting a few alternatives would be a great addition to your reflection.

  54. jordyn says:

    The book I am now reading is called By the Shores of Silver Lake written by Garth Williams. You may remember the authors name because the same author wrote On the banks of plum Creek, he is the author of both. I just started this book so I still don’t know much about. What I like about this book so far is that everything is still the same except for one thing, Laura is blind. She is blind because a disease called a Scarlet fever, they fever has gone into Laura’s eyes, so she is 100% blind sadly. Now the family has to move West because the father known as Pa got a job somewhere around there. The day before they left Pa went early that morning to get a start because they only have a waggon and two horse’s so it may take awhile to get there so now the mother known as Ma and all three girls have to take the train to the West, but that made Laura worried because she was blind and could not see a thing. so that is whats happening so far…..

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing the details of your newest book, Jordyn. Take some time to add a few more reflections. For example, can you related to moving to a new place? Are you a person that enjoys travelling to unknown places? Do you have a spirit for adventure? Have you ever considered what it would be like to be blind?

      Quick Fix:
      – the name belonging to the author = the author’s name
      – two horses (plural); do not use an apostrophe to make a plural noun
      – what + is = what’s

  55. Mr. Noah says:

    My book is the Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan. It is the last book in the Heroes of Olympus series. In it Percy Jackson, Frank Zhang, Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo, Reyna(don’t know the last name), Hazel Levesque, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Coach Hedge all are on quest to save the WORLD!!!!

    P.S. Coach Hedge is a satyr

  56. Jacob says:

    I am still reading “Powerless” by Matthew Cody. As of now, I am finished the book and it was one of the best books I have ever read. Before the book ended, it went down like this, the group of Eric,Daniel,Mollie,Rose and Louisa go to the junkyard where bullies hang out. The only bullies there are Clay Cudgens and Bud Cudgens who both have the power of strength and stink :). When Daniel and Eric go to talk Clay and Bud into fighting “The Shroud” (a mysterious black figure that steals superpowers) Clay is smoking a cigar. Clay and Bud agree to come to fight but not for Daniel and Eric, just because they want to get in a brawl. because Daniel gets altitude sick, the group of frenemies have to bike 5 miles to the quarry to fight “The Shroud”. You will have to read the book to find out what happens, or use Google because what do they not have on the internet these days? I really liked this book because of all the cliffhangers like when Simon gets his powers stolen by “The Shroud” in his own bedroom and Daniel has to go up there, unarmed. I love the plot of this book immensely and I think that you, the reader should read this book.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Jacob. You a steadily improving the quality of your reflections! Would you enjoy this book if the cliffhanger was not resolved until a new book was published?

      Elaborate on your enjoyment of the part where Simon has his powers stolen. Can you empathize with him? Have you had things stolen from you? Explain the feeling or predict how Simon felt.

  57. Liam says:

    I finished my book it was awesome i liked how they when’t to go find Finn that remind me, when i got lost in a store.

  58. jordyn says:

    Part (2) Continuing

    The part I disliked about this book was that when the beginning started it did not tell when Laura got blind or started seeing really fuzzy including that it had been five years that they have lived there. Those are the things I did not enjoy while reading the beginning….. But I can’t wait until I get to read and picture all there adventures in the book.

  59. Colby says:

    My book is on Bone: Treasure Hunters which is the eighth book in the series, in it Phoney Bone is looking for the hidden treasure in Atheia. (a city in the book) Phoney Bone is looking for the treasure undetected, because if Grandma Ben finds out she would be peeved. This book reminds me of another book that’s not in the series. the name of the book is Treasure Island, which is a book where the main character (Jim) is looking for treasure on an island called Skeleton Island. I would recommend reading both books for a real adventure. Back to Bone: Treasure Hunters, I thought it was okay but they could have had Bartleby (a baby rat creature) have more part in the story. that’s my only complaint about the book.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Colby. This is your best one yet because it combines some retelling with some connections – well done! Elaborate on what you would add to the character Bartleby and how it would improve the story.

    • Colby says:

      I am still reading the same book Bone: Treasure Hunters, and this time I think I will tell you all about Bartleby and the rat creatures (A.K.A. Hairy Men). He is a baby rat creature cub that was banished from the tribe, because nobody liked him. Rat creatures are monster like creatures that are a cross between a Sasquatch and a rat with ears like a bear. At age one they cut off their tails, because of the legend of the Jekk dragging them away by their tails. Also at age one they crop their ears, because they think it makes them scarier.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks, Colby, for providing more details from your story. To complete this post, add some reflections. For example, explain how exclusion (banishment) is similar or different to examples you’ve seen or experienced. Similarly, you could elaborate on how people alter their appearances and what motivates the changes.

  60. Kai says:

    I am reading a new series called THE IRON ASSASSIN by Ed Greenwood I am on chapter 3 and it dates back to 1800 in London, England and the king is ruining the country. The people want to get revenge so they hire the iron assassin to kill him so that the vice president [he is way better.] I think he won,t do kill him and just go in to hiding.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post, Kai. Please review the criteria for reflections by clicking here.

      There are opportunities to add to this post:

      – Could you elaborate why the king would be replaced with a vice president? Usually in a monarchy structure, there is a king or queen in waiting (another family member), not a vice president.
      – Would you rather have a King as your leader or an elected person? Explain.
      – Can you suggest other ways to improve the situation for the people other than assassinating the king?

    • Kai says:

      I am still reading THE IRON ASSASSIN nothing is really happening. The assassin thinking if he should kill him. like I said before I don’t think he will kill him. I don’t have any thing to relate to so I don’t really now what to say? On are fiftieth reading reflection I hope it will be more interesting and not boring. I think the writer will put a twist on things.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Kai, when the plot is slow, you can still add many thoughts. For example, you mention that the assassin is thinking about killing him – what options is he considering (what are the pros/cons)? Similarly, what would you do in his place? Lastly, imagine you are the author…what would you do to liven up the story?

  61. Kendall says:

    Now I’m in the very last section of Gregor the Overlander, the ‘The Rat’. After gathering all of the required creatures from the Prophecy – the crawlers or the cockroaches, the fliers or the bats, and the spinners – they head back to the underground river to discuss the rest of their deathly journey. They realize that they have too many Underlanders. Vikus, Solovet and Mareth decide they have to go back to Regalia and fend of the rats back there, leaving the creatures, Gregor and boots and Henry and Luxa. Gregor asks who their leader will be, and Luxa and Henry back away. All of a sudden, a venomous rat appears, and they find out he is their new leader. Gregor refuses, but Vikus insists that have to trust him, and they uneasily go along with it. Ripred is his name, and Gregor seems that he is more mysterious and stealthy than Fangor and Shed – the two rats that almost devoured Gregor and Boots when they attempted to escape. Ripred leads their group through a ghastly cave where the slimy rock ceilings so low that the bats can’t even fly. An unappealing liquid that smelled like rotten eggs dripped off the low ceiling. It took them a few airless and discomforting hours to reach a small cavern that had the pungent slime running down its walls. All of a sudden, two spiders came into the clearing, and they find out that the army of rats have taken over their territory. Now the Prophecy of Gray is completed –
    “Two Over, Two Under, Of Royal Descent,
    Two Fliers, Two Crawlers, Two Spinners Ascent,
    One Gnawer Beside And One Lost Up Ahead.”
    I find that the Prophecy of Gray adds more emphasis to this story. I have never heard of a prophecy before so this novel is very interesting compared to what I usually read.During there trek through the “tunnel of doom”, Gregor describes that Boots’ head was getting covered in the liquid, and in the cavern she was being quieter than usual. I hope she doesn’t get a cold. I want her to be healthy for this deadly journey that they are on. I don’t think that Gregor has evolved that much over his period of time in the Underland. I feel that he has always had a passion on escaping and getting out of there. I am still reading, but I predict that Gregor will find his father in a very dramatic way, meaning there will be war between the start and the finish line.

  62. Jacob says:

    I am reading “Invitation To The Game” by Monica Hughes. Currently, I am on the 32nd page and It has been an extraordinary book so far. It is about life about 30 or 40 years in the future when they have robots doing everything for them, 3d printers and huge Universities. The catch is, if you don’t do good in school then you become an “unemployed” and, you are bussed out to the middle of nowhere and are forced to live there for the
    rest of your life. I think this method is extremely harsh, imagine living in a place like that if you were a below average student!
    I can connect to going to a university because last year, because I did well on a math test I got to go to the T.R.U
    for an entire day to do a quiz, activities, and crafts.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      This sounds interesting, Jacob. How many of the predictions from the book do you see coming true. If you’ve seen the movie ‘Back to the Future’, it made predictions from 1985 for 2015. Sadly, the hover board is unlikely to come true, but the Chicago Cubs may win the World Series!

      Harsh is how you describe the consequence for not doing well in school. What strategies would you suggest to inspire/motivate/convince students to do well in school?

    • Jacob says:

      I am reading “Invitation to The Game” by Monica Hughes again. Currently, The main characters Karen, Benta, Brad, Lisse, Scylla, Charlie, Alden and Trent have received an invitation to the game.
      The game is all in your mind, the managers hypnotize the players to sleep and then manipulate their dreams. To me, just the thought of being controlled by someone else is appallingly frightening and I hope the world never comes the madness that is going on in this book.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        This sounds interesting, Jacob. Please expand on your point about the appalling fright the plot is giving you. If you had the power to hypnotize people, what would the impact be? Similarly, what are some potential outcomes if someone was able to hypnotize you and manipulate your dreams? There are many interesting paths for this post, and more writing and idea development is expected.

        • Jacob says:

          I am reading “Invitation to the Game” by Monica Hughes again. Currently, The group of companions are in “The Game”. The Game is not a game at all, it is in fact another planet where you are taken by spacecraft. In The Game, you are hypnotized into making another civilization on another planet from scratch, with no materials from earth except clothes. Yet, they still find many useful resources like copper, wood, food and water. I think this book is amazing, because I love science fiction stories and books. I like science fiction books because they are always interesting and spark ideas in your head that make you think that you can make something that is in your story. If I could hypnotize people I wouldn’t because just the thought of being manipulated to do something against my will sends shivers down my spine. I think hypnotism is wrong because everyone has a right to control their actions. If I was told to make a new civilization from scratch, I would have mixed feelings. On one hand, I would be the ruler of the world :). On the other, I would be putting my life on the line and who knows where the people who took me there would put me, they could put me miles away from water, food, and shelter.

          • Mr. Bell says:

            Great reflection, Jacob! Where do you stand on using hypnotism to assist an individual – for example helping someone quit smoking?

            • Jacob says:

              I’m all for it in that case:)

              • Jacob says:

                I am reading “A Mango Shaped Space” by Wendy Mass. The main idea of the book so far, is the main character Mia Winchell, was born seeing colours when people talk, yell, and all sorts of other things like saying the number 4 is coloured green. If I were in her shoes, I would find the colours extremely annoying, they would provide a distraction everywhere, and imagine trying to sleep while you can’t see anything but weird colours. Yet, if there are many people around the world with this ability, they should have their own separate school w here the answers to math tests were colours instead of numbers.

                • Mr. Bell says:

                  That’s an interesting idea about using colours for answers, Jacob. Please add a few more details/events from your reading so that you can add some more insightful connections like the one you made. For example, how do you handle distractions and annoyances? What are the things that distract and annoy you? Or perhaps, share some predicts about where the story is headed.

                • Jacob says:

                  I am reading “A Mango Shaped Space” by Wendy Mass again. At this point in the book, Mia is going to various doctor offices to try to figure out how to use her synesthesia (A disease that makes you see colours). after Mia goes to these doctors, a doctor who prefers to be called by the name Jerry, suggests that Mia goes on a website specifically for synesthetes. While on there, she meets a teenager named Adam, who she emails weekly. In my opinion, meeting people online is a little weird, for all we know, they could be the crazy cat lady down the street. just a thought, If letters and numbers had their own colours, you could cheat on a test easily! All you would have to do is colour a down a rainbow on your hand (In the colours of the correct letters or numbers and then just put that on the test).

                  • Mr. Bell says:

                    Thanks for your post, Jacob, you raise an interesting idea about connecting online compared to other ways to meet. Aside from the crazy cat lady down the street, are gamers weird for meeting online and playing games?

                    Is a rainbow cheat sheet the pot of gold that everyone talks about finding at the end of the rainbow?

                    Your connections are interesting, but require more development. For example, what do you do when you are searching for answers and cannot find them? You could also suggest better ways to meet people, or improvements to online interactions. Lastly, what are some of the best ways to cheat?

  63. Liam says:

    Started a new book called extreme sports it talks about stars doing tricks .With brands of BMX it cool because i like to do tricks with my bike and extra.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      It’s a good step to see that you have a detail and a connection, Liam. This is a great step forward in your reflection writing. Now, add more details about the book and more thoughts like the ones we discussed in class today, then repost your reflection.

  64. alyssa says:

    The book I’m reading is called attack of the jack-o’-lanterns by R.L.Stine. A kid named Drew that loved Halloween and a couple years ago Lee and Tabby that had a Halloween party. Drew went to the Halloween party and these people came in the house and tells everyone to do push ups for two hours. yes i have went to a Halloween. and i never had to do push ups for two hours.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alyssa. It great to see you use more punctuation and include some connections in your writing – well done. The next step is to develop your connections by explaining how they relate to the book. How does the party in the book compare to ones you’ve attended? What would you do if you had to do push ups for two hours?

      Quick Fix:
      – titles are proper nouns: Attack of the Jack-o’Lanterns
      – Read this ‘sentence’ again: A kid named Drew that loved Halloween and a couple years ago Lee and Tabby that had a Halloween party. What needs to be added or changed for this to sound better?

  65. kionna says:

    I am still reading the book my name is Seepeetza. And her real name is Seepeetza but at Kamloops Indian residential school they call Martha stone. And they finally got to go home today for Christmas but. The sad part is they only get to stay with there family until after Christmas then. They have to go back to school and when they are home they can’t talk about school. Other wise they well get in trouble.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for the update about your book, Kionna. It seems there are many emotions and feelings a reader would experience when reading this book. What ideas, thoughts or feelings do you have in relation to the story’s events that you’ve shared?

      It’s great to see more punctuation and capitalization in your writing! The next step is see if each sentence makes sense. For example, the sentence, “And they finally got to go home today for Christmas but.” is incomplete because and important detail is missing at the end.

      Quick Fix:
      – otherwise (it’s one word)

  66. Isabella says:

    “Harry, on his broom, swerves past the Hungarian Horntail dragon. He dives for the golden egg,………..HE CAUGHT IT!! Blimey, Harry out smarted the most fierce dragon in the world!”. I’m so happy Harry made it and caught the egg. Everyone was cheering, clapping, and chanting. That was probably my favourite part. After he got back to his dormitory, he decided to open the egg for his next clue. “SSSCCHHHRRREEEEEEEEEEECCHH!!”
    The egg made an ear scratching noise as Harry closed it furiously, wondering what his clue is. The next week, he and Ron went to the Yule ball with partners: Parvati and Padma (sisters). It was pretty boring after Harry opened the ball with the champion dance. Harry and Ron decided to take walk to Hagrid’s cabin, finding him with Madam Maxime. They get into a fight because Hagrid called her a half-giant ( giants are mean, vicious, and dirty), and Madam Maxime stormed away. Ron and Harry were startled by what happened and swore never to tell a soul. After they left to go to bed, Cedric (another champion), had harry to stop. “You told me about the dragons, so I’ll tell you the clue. Just take a bath, and… er…take the egg with you.”
    Harry, bewilderd on what Cedric just said, tried to fall asleep. He soon dreamt about winning the world cup, and victory forever more………

    I think maybe the bubbles from the bath will help Harry find the clue. I wonder what it would be like, finding out the next task, not knowing how to do it. I hope Hagrid will make up with Madam Maxime and everything will be good. I want to find out what the next task is. Hurry up, Harry!!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Isabella, it’s fun to see your progress each week. You mention wanting things to hurry up – is the plot developing too slowly?
      Here are some other ideas you could explore to add more to your reflection:
      – Pretend you are the author…what would the next task be if your were writing?
      – Aside from the next task in the story, what are other things in your life you are eagerly anticipating?
      – What makes challenges enjoyable? What makes challenges frustrating and annoying?

      • Isabella says:

        The next task I would choose is you having to go up the tallest mountain in the world, and finding the tiniest crystal in a huge cave. Once, I had to find a “lucky” rock in three feet of snow for someone.
        One thing I am very excited for is the next time I see my dad because we go skiing every year at Big White Ski Resort, and skiing my favourite winter activity. Another, is Christmas. I think we’re going to my grandparent’s house, and they make the best dinner and let us bake a special homemade Christmas cookie recipe.
        Challenges are fun when you want it to be. If you’re in a lousy mood, you’re probably not going to have as much fun. But it can be fun if it’s funny, happy, silly, and energetic. I like challenges because if you make the same mistake over and over again, you won’t learn anything new. I don’t like challenges when they’re really hard and frustrating. But, I just keep trying!

  67. Copter. says:

    I just finished a book called Goosebumps Horror-land. It was a great book! But I thought it would be a bit scarier though. Maybe I’ll get another goosebumps book from the library.

  68. Kyle says:

    I’m almost done my book ‘I Funnier’ so far close to the end of the book Jamie Grimm and this girl he calls ‘Cool Girl’. And then there is this one part where he goes to this one comedian place where you perform and meet other comedian, and Jamie Grimm saw this one girl that he defeat ( In the first book ) at a who could tell the best jokes and yeah. And now he calls this one bench called the kiss bench and his bench for some reason? And mostly in the book he starts to lose some of his jokes and gets them back its a little weird?

  69. Madison says:

    I am reading The Big Book Of Building, Mods & Circuits, the unofficial guide. I like how it looks really cool like all the pictures and how organized it looks. But I wish they added a few more redstone builds like how to build a canon or another trap. This book reminds me of another book I have its a book about Minecraft mods, and some of the mods that are in the book I’m reading are also in the other book which is pretty cool. My favourite part of the book is the gide to mini-games & online play, it’s really cool because it shows you the server address and even tells you a bit about the server.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Madison. Do you think Minecraft is something you’ll be interested in for a long time, or will it fade away as you get older?

      • Madison says:

        I am reading The Big Book Of Building, Mods & Circuits, the unofficial guide. This book is all about Minecraft and it is really cool and interesting because it has so many thing that I did not know. Like villagers can make iron golems, and that there is a trick to if you are lost and do not know the directions, than just use a piece of cobblestone or nether rack, because on the side it makes a L shape and if the L is facing the correct way then you are facing north. I think that the mane idea in this book is minecraft and how to do a bunch of stuff like how to build stuff and showing you what every thing does and is. I think that the pictures in the book really help me understand the book better, for example on page 96 it is showing you what a bunch of minigames are and this one was called factions, at first I did not know what it was so I read it and found out what it was but I still did not really get it till I looked at the pictures. One of the funniest things in the book is when it tells you that what to do when there is a creeper in your house you have to get out immediately because that is the creepers house know unless you don’t care if it get blow up. I really love this book and I really hope that I get to do another reading reflection about this book because I have so much to talk about, Like what I would do if one of the (what to do when) thing happened to me, or what I wounded about this book.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for your detailed post, Madison. How could textbooks used at school be transformed to be as interesting as your Minecraft book? Is there a way to turn a math book into something filled with images, tips and tricks so that people want to read it?

          Quick Fix:
          – Use ‘main’ (primary or important) rather than ‘mane’ (hair on an animals neck).

          • Madison says:

            I’m reading The Big Book Of Building, Mod & Ciruits, the unofficial guide. I love reading this book and righting reading reflection about it because it is so interesting and fascinating, plus Minecraft is my favourite game. In the book there is a a section of top ten minecraft builds and my favourite out of them is a build called Oasis Of The Seas Terminal 18 by: CharlesGoldburn. It is my favourite because it has a lot of different details like, its based on the ship in real life, it can hold 6300 passengers and 2394 crew members plus has 16 decks, and my favourite is all the amazing visible features. In the book there is a section called Master The Mods it’s really cool because it shows you a bunch of different mod and what they are about who they are by and shows you some images. If I was a mod maker I would want to make a mod that adds a bunch animals like, lizards, guinea pigs, fish, pandas, frogs, bears, etc and I would add a bunch different items like, frog legs, bamboo, sea shells etc. If I could add one section to the book I would what to add a section on how to make a bunch of stuff in a crafting table like, pistons, cake, armor, etc. I definitely think that i’m going to do another reflection about this book because I really like it! 🙂

            • Mr. Bell says:

              This is your best reflection yet, Madison – well done! Do you think Minecraft will fade away anytime soon or will it be a game you show future generations? Do you have an idea for a game that could replace/improve Minecraft?

              Quick Fix:
              – it is = it’s (it’s based on the ship…)
              – I (always a capital letter even in the contraction I’m)

  70. Alison says:

    This week I am reading Misty’s Twilight by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Karen Haus Grandpré. The book so far is amazing! The beginning of the book was a little confusing, but got better. This book was wrote by the same author that wrote Misty of Chincoteague. So far the book is about a horse named Misty’s Twilight, everybody callers her Twilight. Twilight is a Chincoteague pony cross Thoroughbred mare. Twilight’s owner Sandy starts her training has a cutting horse, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. She then trained Twilight for an jumper but, Twilight got an injury and couldn’t jump anymore. Then Sandy took Twilight to a trainer to start dressage. I haven’t read any farther but I have a feeling that Twilight will become a dressage horse, and then retire. I have made so many great connections so far in the book, and am excited to read the rest!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your enthusiastic post, Alison. I’m curious to know more details to support your statement about the book being amazing. What are some of the amazing events so far? Similarly, what are some of the great connections you’ve made? Do you have a cutting horse? Have you dealt with injured horses before? What are the challenges related to training horses? Do you have a horse named Twilight?

      Quick Fix:
      – ‘wrote’ and ‘written’ (This book was written by the same author that wrote Misty of Chincoteague.)

      • Alison says:

        This week I am reading Misty’s Twilight by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Karen Haus Grandpré. The book so far is amazing! The main character Sandy, loves Chincoteague ponies, she read the book Misty of Chincoteague, when she was a little girl, and has always wanted a Chincoteague with Misty’s blood lines ever since. One very exiting thing that happened in the book for both Sandy and I are, she got a Chincoteague pony with MISTY’S blood lines! The beginning of the book was a little confusing, but got better. This book was written by the same author that wrote Misty of Chincoteague. So far the book is about a horse named Misty’s Twilight, everybody callers her Twilight. Twilight is a Chincoteague pony cross Thoroughbred mare. Twilight’s owner Sandy starts her training has a cutting horse, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. She then trained Twilight for an jumper but, Twilight got an injury and couldn’t jump anymore. Then Sandy took Twilight to a trainer to start dressage. I haven’t read any farther but I have a feeling that Twilight will become a dressage horse, and then retire. I have made so many great connections so far in the book, and am excited to read the rest!

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for your enthusiastic post, Alison; it’s terrific when you can find books that suit your likes and interests! One addition to your second sentence is to share a big idea about this amazing book. For example: The book so far is amazing because Sandy and I have many things in common.

          Quick Fix:
          – Notice where ‘excited’ and ‘exited’ appear in your post. Which one needs to be fixed?
          – Use ‘is’ in the the subject/verb agreement for the sentence, “One very exciting thing that happened in the book for both Sandy and I is she got a…” (in this case, the subject is ‘one thing’).
          – Usage of ‘farther’ and ‘further’ is interesting. If you are talking about something measurable (like page numbers), use ‘farther’; if you are talking about a point in the storyline, use ‘further’.

  71. Liesl says:

    Hello Mr.Bell,
    I posted my fourth reading reflection on Friday but it’s not coming up on the blog. Did you get it, it’s just not showing up?

  72. Kendall says:

    The book I am reading is titled Shattered, written by one of my most admired authors, Eric Walters. He has written some of my favorite books – Between Heaven and Earth, Just Desserts, We All fall Down, etc. In this intriguing novel, a young high-school student, Ian Blackburn, wants to pass his civics term. To pass, their task was to do volunteer hours, and Ian mistakenly signed up to do his hours at a local soup kitchen. It was titled ‘The Club’, and Ian thought it sounded amusing, so he thought he would sign up. But it turns out that a soup kitchen just had a catchy name. The first three chapters are quite interesting. While walking to ‘The Club’, Ian discovers that this part of town is very run down, and a lot of homeless people sadly call it home. Ian comes from a very up-scale part of the suburbs, and compares a lot of characteristics between the rickety and the wealthy part of town. Running late for his interview, he decides to cut through a foul park. He encounters a charismatic homeless man, whose kindness and politeness startles him. He warns Ian about the sketchy people who live there, but Ian decides to carry on. Just up ahead, he runs into a triplet of boys, just a bit older than him, and they start to harass him – asking for his shoes and his jacket. Just in time, the homeless man that he met further back comes along and shoos off the boys. Ian thanks him dearly, and moves on. Once he got to the soup kitchen, he introduces himself to Mac – the independent owner of the Club – and starts working immediately. The homeless come in, some know the routine and some are just impatient and rude. Ian serves the stew and cleans dishes, then returns home. I am really inspired by this novel because of the perspective of homeless people that Walters demonstrates. I realize that most of their confusion is based on mental illnesses. Some, like they man that Ian met on the his way to his interview, are harmless. They just get caught up in drugs and smoking, which causes their life to go downhill. I am suspecting that the man in the park will have a great history. They were giving me hints in the novel that he might have worked in the military, judged on his knowledge about it. Maybe he will come to the soup kitchen that Ian is working at, and they will get to know each other. I don’t just expect that to happen, I want that to happen. I admire that Eric Walters wrote a book about the homeless, making sure people of aware of what kind of situations people have to live with in our world. I know working at a soup kitchen doesn’t sound like fun to others, but it sounds exceptional to me.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Kendall, your post is a great combination of details from your book and insightful reflections! Your realization about the link between mental illness and homelessness is astute. You recently read about Clara Hughes and her struggles; are there any parallels or similarities between her story and this one?

      You mention that you want the plot to go in a certain direction which shows you are relishing this book. As a reader, have you considered other outcomes just in case what you want to happen doesn’t? Will an alternate story development lessen your enjoyment? I look forward to hearing how it works out!

  73. Paige says:

    Hey M.r.Bell, you asked me if I wanted to be author for a minecraft book and yes I do want to be a minecraft book author if I was I would write about minecraft tips&tricks to play on minecraft.

  74. alyssa says:

    I’m reading a new book called Night of the living dummy 2 by R.l. Stine.The is book is about this girl named Amy.Amy’s ventriloquist dummy Dennis keeps losing his head and so Amy wants wants a new dummy. And Amy’s dad got her a dummy named slappy in a local pawnshop. And since her dad got her slappy horrible things start to happen just like what happened the first time.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      The next step is to add some of your reactions or connections, Alyssa. Have you ever wanted something new to replace something that was broken? Can you describe some of the horrible things and compare them to ones you’ve experienced? Please add more details to this post.

  75. Noah van_h0ff says:

    My book is ‘I Funny’ by James Pattterson, the main character is Jamie Grimm. Jamie had an unfortunate accident when he was younger, that not only killed his family but put him in a wheel chair. Now he lives in Long Beach, NY. It is about his journey to become the world’s funniest kid comic. I don’t know how he does it; going up in front of all those people and trying to make them laugh, I could never in a million years do what he did(plus I’m not in a wheelchair).

    😀

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks, Noah for the details from your reading. You’ve started a partial reflection, but more is needed. Could you extend your thinking and predict what motivates Jamie? You could also compare the things you are motivated to do. Similarly, consider what life is like for someone in a wheelchair. There are plenty of ways to add more ideas to your reflection.

  76. Liam says:

    I started a new book called Bigfoot boy 2. its a good book i am on pg 32 so far it a good book but there nothing to reflect on all i know is that he is ten years old.he has a spirit animal it is a flying squirrel.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Liam, add more information to your paragraph then resubmit it. We discussed a few ideas to improve your reflection:
      – Explain why it is a good book so far. Share an event from the story that was memorable.
      – Compare your experience being 10 years old to the character in the story.

      Your goal is to share at least three details from the story and provide connections, questions or prediction as well.

  77. kionna says:

    I did not finish the book my name is Seepeetza yet.Well she was talking about how they lived it sounds hard they never had money. So all they were eating was deer meat,fish,berries,bannock that’s what they ate every day. And they had a ranch with lots of horses and pigs and other animals and there was no cars so they had to ride horses. To the store and places and all there family leaved up on the mountains and in the winter they would have to up there. In the cold but once they got there at there great big family house they had hot coffee and cookies. To warm up and then every one well sit by fire warm and sing,dance,tell stories.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      The details you are sharing from your book are a great start to your reflection, Kionna. The next step is to add some connections to the details you’ve shared:
      – Do you get tired of some foods because you have them often? Explain why or why not.
      – Would you like to have a ranch? What type of ranch would you like to have?
      – What would it be like to travel by horse before cars were around?
      – What do you like to do on cold days?
      – What is a favourite story you’ve heard?

      Please add a few more ideas to complete this reflection.

  78. Paige says:

    Hi Mr.Bell I am now doing my reading reflection #4. So what happened in my book Allegiant if you know Tobias he is Tris’s soul mate and Tobias got shot in his arm here’s how it happened. So Tris got into kind of got herself into a war well it’s similar to war it’s when Divergent’s and another team like the Fractionless or the Allegiant’s fight against another team. Then the Divergent’s had to go against the Allegiant’s and the Allegiant group is new and know one really knows who they are so the Divergent’s are going up against people they don’t know. So When the Divergent’s had to fight against the Allegiant’s that’s when Tobias got shot,one of the Allegiant’s shot him.But anyways thank you for reading my reading reflection #4. I’ll be doing my reading my reading reflection #5 coming soon!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post with the details from your book, Paige. Here are some ways to add connections to the details:
      – Do you believe people have soul mates? Does everyone have one?
      – How do you handle new situations when you do not know much about something?

      Quick Fix:
      – There are many ways to transition from one sentence to the next. You’ve used the word ‘so’ too often. Click here to see some other ways to transition between sentences.

      – This sentence is confusing: “So Tris got into kind of got herself into a war well it’s similar to war it’s when Divergent’s and another team like the Fractionless or the Allegiant’s fight against another team.” How can you improve it?

  79. chris says:

    I am reading a new book called Amulet book six “ESCAPE FROM LUCIEN” By Kazu Kibuishi

    Its a picture book so I can know what there doing.Its about stone keepers escaping from a evil shadow.This evil shadow have a son named Threllis his a elf king in his kingdom. He don’t wanna be a evil king like his father because he met a his friends there stone keepers like him.There name is Emily,Max,Hunter and Hayes.When he retired being a king his evil father abandoned him.The evil shadow forced Max to be the king of the elves and ask Max to kill the stone keepers.The stone keepers are Emily,Threllis and Vigo.Max got cursed by the evil shadow.I like this book because Its adventure book Its picture book and if your done reading this book It makes you wanna read it again I read this book three times.I think Its my top one book.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Chris. It’s wonderful to see the detail in your paragraphs grow every week! You’ve retold many details from the story – well done! In addition, your reflection about why you like the book is a decent start. To improve your reflection, add more detail about the things you like about adventure books and picture books compared to other books you’ve read.

      Quick Fix:
      – it + is = it’s (It’s a picture book. It’s about stone keepers. It’s my top book.)
      – they + are = they’re (I can know what they’re doing.)
      – Use ‘want to’ rather than ‘wanna’. (It makes you want to read it again.)

    • COLBY says:

      I love that book! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

  80. Kyle says:

    I just finished reading ‘ Amazon ‘ its a book where you pick how you survive. I finished it and what happens is that you have to go through this big river where the water is trying to push your boat over and for example ( If you jump out of the boat go to page 45, If you stay in go on page 176 ) There isn’t really anything to say about this book because you mostly pick your story how it ends and stuff. I don’t really have anything to say about this book.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      To add to your reflection, Kyle, share your opinion about ‘choose your own adventure’ books. Explain why you like or dislike them. I remember reading these books when I was younger, and if a choice led to something I didn’t like, I would always go back and choose the other option.

      You could also elaborate on the types of challenges the character faces and consider if you would do the same thing in each situation.

      There are always ideas for your reflections. Click here for some ideas that you can use.

  81. marrie says:

    I’m reading a new book on wattpad called Boot Camp by Ginawriter. its about a girl named Whitney who has just graduated high school and learns she has two months until her sisters wedding,after thinking for a while she realizes that maybe Willow, the mean girl at whitey’s old school, may have made the correct comments about Whitney’s size, and decides to go to a five week fitness camp in order to become more in shape and possibly drop a few dress sizes before her sisters wedding. at the camp she meets her trainer axel, who basically torture Whitney for all the five weeks that she attended the camp, waking her up for the morning workouts at five AM, only allowing two breaks throughout the day, keeping her running until 30 minutes passed dinner time, then after dinner keeping her up until 10:00 PM working out. its not until 3 weeks into the program that she finds out why, Axel’s father used to work for Whitney’s father, before there was a train crash, Axel’s father died, Whitney’s lived, and no matter what the police told him, Axel was convinced that Whitney’s father didn’t help his father. Though Whitney had nothing to do with it, Axel uses treating Whitney like crap as his own little form of revenge.after a long apology and a lot of explaining, they become friends, fall in love, and live on with the happily ever after storyline. i can relate to being teased by the “Popular girl” and setting out to do something about it and prove her wrong, i strongly disagree with the “happily ever after” cliche, its quite unrealistic, and kind of ridiculous. but overall i quite like the book, and i am hoping for a second book, and possibly it becoming a series.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your detailed post, Marrie; it’s great to see a combination of information and connections. Here are a few ideas to extend the depth of your reflection:
      – Do you think it’s important to prove someone is wrong, or is simply knowing they are wrong enough?
      – Is there a cliché for every story?
      – If you could be responsible for the next story cliché, what would it be?

      Quick Fix:
      – Be sure to reread and revise run on sentences: “its about a girl named Whitney who has just graduated high school and learns she has two months until her sisters wedding,after thinking for a while she realizes that maybe Willow, the mean girl at whitey’s old school, may have made the correct comments about Whitney’s size, and decides to go to a five week fitness camp in order to become more in shape and possibly drop a few dress sizes before her sisters wedding.”
      – Be sure to capitalize the start of each sentence.
      – I is always a capital letter.

  82. Paige says:

    Hey Mr.Bell so I was wondering if you could (when you can) reply to my 4&5 reading reflection.

  83. Kai says:

    I am finished THE IRON ASSASSIN and just got a new book called END OF DAYS I haven’t read it yet though.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      What made you choose this title, Kai? Without reading the book, you can share some predictions:
      – Have you read books by this author?
      – Does the book jacket / title page interest you?
      – Was the book recommended to you?
      – Did you read any of the information on the back cover or on the inside flaps?

  84. Savi says:

    Hello! This week I finished reading Squish, The Power Of The Parasite, by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. In this exciting comic there is a amoeba named Squish, who lives in a pond. It was currently a summer as scorching as fire when Squish’s parents give him the choice of ballet lessons, or swimming lessons. Squish chooses swimming lessons because his parents tell him it’s a useful skill to know how to swim when you live in a pond. Squish isn’t really excited about getting into the water, so he sits on the bench where he meets his soon to be friend, Basil. They talk and get to know each other. Basil has powerful tentacles that can paralyse someone if they get touched. Basil thinks it’s funny to zap the swimming instructor, the instructor falls and get hurt. 🙁 Squish does the right thing and tells him the next day that it was Basil who zapped him. Eventually Squish builds up the courage to get into the water, and make a portal to get rid of Basil. The Summer goes on and Squish has one heck of a story to tell!
    I can connect to this story because when I was around 6 or 7 years old my mom signed me up for swimming lessons. I was scared out of my mind! I knew I had to eventually get into the water, and when I did, it was awesome! Another connection is when my cousin came over this summer, we went swimming in my pool and he was scared to go into the deep end. I convinced him to go as far as he could. Turns out he could go to the deepest part! I like reading fun easy comics like these once in a while. Some can be very pathetic but the Squish series is always a fun quick read! Until next time! 🙂

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Savi. You’re doing a great job retelling the details of the story and adding valuable connections – well done! The notion of ‘doing the right thing’ is powerful. Have you been faced with a decision where the ‘right thing’ is challenging?

      Quick Fix:
      – Use ‘an’ before a word that begins with a vowel: an amoeba.

  85. Colby says:

    My book is MIDDLE SCHOOL: Save Rafe! the 6th book in the series by James Patterson. I liked this book because it reminded me of when I went to Sunnybrae summer camp last summer. Except it was just a regular summer camp that didn’t have grueling hard work that had to be done, like in my book! The main character’s name is Rafe Khatchadorian* who is practically a Juvenile guy. He has broken pretty much every rule in his school (Hills Village Middle School) and now his mom, teachers,and principal have had it with him. They’ve sent him off to “The Program”, where he will face climbing a cliff, navigating through white water rapids, and surviving the rest of the kids he’s with! I would recommend MIDDLE SCHOOL: Save Rafe! to any one who likes an UN-ordinary kid doing UN-ordinary things in an UN-ordinary environment.

    *quite a handful isn’t it?

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post, Colby, it had a great voice and was fun to read!You’ve done a nice job weaving a connection into the details of the story – well done! Do you think ‘The Program’ is something we should have in our school?

      • COLBY says:

        definitely definitely definitely definitely definitely definitely definitely definitely definitely NOT

    • COLBY says:

      I’m still reading MIDDLE SCHOOL: Save Rafe! and this wasn’t the first time I read the book so I already know all the stuff that’s in the book. I guess I will tell some more facts about Rafe Khatchadorian. He is really creative with his comics and writing, he also has a younger sister named Georgia, who is constantly bugging Rafe. (this is the first part of my review).

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for starting your post, Colby. What draws you back to reread a book?

      • COLBY says:

        (continued) In another book in the series Rafe and georgia have an ultimate showdown where they put each other at fault and try to win you over by letting you create your own page, or doing a crossword and so on. I personally am not a fan of the Rafe vs. Georgia book, because it doesn’t have much story to it. Back to the main topic, I was a fan of this book the first time I read it, but after a couple of times it gets boring I sure am glad that i’m not like Rafe, vandalizing, pranking, ect.

  86. Noah says:

    My book is ‘I Funny’ by James Patterson. Jamie has won the Long Island contest and is moving on to the NY state contest all his friends, teachers, and classmates are cheering for him. If I had that many people cheering for me I don’t know what I’d do. I’d probably pass out onstage in front of all those people and make a fool of myself. This book reminds me of the time me, Wesley, and Paxon did break dancing for the talent show, I had to look right at spotlight so I was blind (temporarily) so I couldn’t see the audience

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Noah, it’s great to see more connections in your reflection this week – well done! Why do you think you would pass out if people were cheering for you? Does this sensation happen when you play sports as well?

      For your next post, be sure to add several details from your reading; a good guideline is to include at least three events.

  87. Kai says:

    I am reading a new book called the END OF DAYS by Eric Walters. It is sort of bouncing all over the place at the begging of the book the characters are in space and are looking for a lost satellite. The writer as isn’t told me the characters names yet. I hope the author puts a twist on things like the space ship will blow up!!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Can you elaborate on the twist you mention, Kai? Do you want the ship to blow up so that the search is more difficult? Can you see any of the characters being injured? Would the explosion be cause by some enemy/rival, or was it do to some unexpected incident?

  88. Isabella says:

    (I’m replying to my unfinished post! You didn’t confirm my post so there was no way to reply.)
    …so Harry was stumped for the weeks to come on how he was going to stay under water for an hour, and live to tell the tale. Once again, Harry was getting nervous as the months became days and the competition grew near, and the mermaids more deadly. The day before the competition, Harry, Hermione, and Ron sat in the library looking for books with ways to breathe underwater, when Professer McGonagall took Ron and Hemione to her office. Harry kept on reading….but found no luck. Dobby (a house elf) poked Harry awake the next morning. “Mr. Potter be late sir! It’s 9:00! The second task sir!”. Harry awakened and to his surprise, Dobby was holding a Gillyweed (a pill that makes you turn into a half man half fish). Harry rushed down to the lake and met with the other champions. The princapals from the other schools didn’t look to happy at Harry’s late arrival. Ludo
    Bagman (the announcer) counted from three and the race began. As soon as he touched the water, he was lost. As he swam, mermaids kept clutching to his feet, scraping him with spears, and following him. He soon found Hermione, Ron, Cho Chang (Harry’s crush), and Fleur’s younger sister tied to ropes firmly stuck in the ground. With no champions in sight, he started cutting a deeply in sleep Ron loose. Once he was done, he tried Hermione but the mermaids said “you must only take one.”. The mermaids grabbed hold of Harry and didn’t let him free. As Cedric and Krum took Hermione and Cho Chang, Harry was let free. At this point he knew Fleur was never coming. He cut loose Fleur’s sister and swam with Ron and her in his arms when the mermaids were asleep. He made it and waited for points. “Mr. Potter: 50 points!” It was amazing! Harry had a perfect score and beat the rest of the champions.
    Also, Harry has been writing to his godfather Sirius Black about what’s been happening at Hogwarts. He’s very concerned.
    I think Sirius is going to come to Hogwarts and take Harry away to keep him safe. If I were Harry, I’d be the happiest person on the planet! I also think that Ron and Hermione will awake but have a sickness. Once, I had a really bad flu when I was six. I was sick for about a week. Glad Harry made it through and got two firsts! Yay!!!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your detailed post, Isabella. In your connections/reflections, explain why you’d be the happiest person on the planet and why you suspect Ron and Hermione will have a sickness.

      Quick Fix:
      – Use ‘awaken’ rather than ‘awake’. “I also think that Ron and Hermione will awaken…”

    • Isabella says:

      I’d probably be happiest person on the planet because I saved two people even though one was the limit. People would cheer for you and you would probably be proud of yourself. That’s what I call WOW factor!
      Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang, and Fleur’s little sister might have a sickness because being put under a spell for so long, might be bad for you. I’ve seen some of the other spells they cast, and it most times ends with someone getting hurt, being sick, or unconscious. They say one word wrong and the whole spell goes wacko!

    • Isabella says:

      Come seek us where our voices sound.
      We cannot sing above the ground,
      And while you’re searching, ponder this:
      We’ve taken what you’ll sorely miss,
      An hour long you’ll have to look,
      And to recover what we took
      But past an hour, the prospect’s black,
      Too late, it’s gone, it won’t come back.

      The mermaids had sung this song when harry put it under water. So Harry was stumped…..

  89. Liesl says:

    Reading Reflection
    I am still currently reading Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley, who tells the heroic story of six diverse men who became intimately acquainted over a simple symbolic movement that will go down in America’s history. It was nothing more than the raising of a flag but what that flag bore and the blood soddened soil it was dug into changed the fate of what was known as the “War With No Rules”, (World War Two). Hitler and the German army were devastating countries in Europe while Emperor Hirohito was burning countries in Asia to nothing but ash. Split two ways America found themselves facing very different enemies. Hitler and his German army abided by the rules of war: POWs (Prisoners Of War) were medically treated and fed properly, medics were spared of bullets and there was no torture or disrespect for a dead enemy. Meanwhile Hirohito and his Japanese army showed disregard and neglected to follow the rules by: specifically shooting the medics in a way that they wouldn’t die but would draw many men to help and make for a great shooting gallery, torturing the POWs and only supplying them with very tiny rations of food, not providing medical care for POWs and by mutilating dead enemies. Although you really only hear about the brutality of Hitler and the Nazis Hirohito and his Imperial army were much worse. The Imperial army showed no mercy, they were trained from a young age to give their lives for the Emperor and that they were a superior being to the rest of humanity. This made the Imperial army a cocky, suicidal and imperious army. During World War Two the whole populace of Japan was being trained like a military man and upheld the same motos and rules that they followed. This fabricated a new problem; one of the rules for a man in the army was to never surrender or be captured so when many civilians were trapped by an overwhelming American army they all committed suicide along with their army. Whole families jumped off cliffs into coral clusters, men shot wives and then committed suicide themselves and many waded into the blue waters of the Pacific and simply drowned. The mass suicides of the Japanese bothered me quite a bit; I just can’t believe that a whole country would be willing to sacrifice themselves so quickly, especially strategists who would have the common sense to know that committing suicide will not win the war. It does really show the devotion and spiritual passion they had for their country though and the fact that they would give their lives up shows that their country came number one. I also thought it was quite interesting to see how differently Japan and Germany fought against America; they both wanted the same thing yet the Germans kept it as civil as possible meanwhile the Japanese completely ignored the rules of humanity and were a killing machine. For me just thinking about the anger and willingness to kill built up inside those Japanese men really is scary, they wanted retribution from the Americans and were intent on getting it. Most Germans didn’t want to kill a man they just wanted to fight for their country which is what most army members are there for so it was very interesting to see the two different personalities of war throughout the story.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Your book provides opportunities for complex reflections and reactions, Liesl, and you’ve done a marvellous job exploring your ideas. It’s odd that nations at war would bother establishing ground rules given the larger picture. Thus, Hirohito’s ruthlessness almost make more sense in the context of war. I wonder if the level of devotion shown by the citizens back then would be the same today?

      • liesl says:

        Hello Mr.Bell,
        As I was reading the book I was actually pondering that same question and as I pondered I thought about how advanced and more modernized Japan has come so I find it hard to believe that the devotion is still the same. Back then Japan was a very secluded country and until it broke out of it’s shell to fight the war they were very spiritually influenced so that was the only way they knew how to be, they didn’t know what the other countries were like so they had nothing to actually compare themselves to until the war. After the war though they became aware of the methods and traditions other countries had and began to evolutionize themselves into a more modern and a less spiritually intoned society.

        • liesl says:

          Revolutionize is what I meant.

          • liesl says:

            I have just finished Flags of Our Fathers and am fumbling for words to describe this book, it was the most powerful book I have ever read and am completely moved by it. Men fought horridly on that tiny island Iwo Jima, they died, they watched their friends die but they also killed. They stabbed and shot and bombed each other, moving through the black sand that was thick with blood and bodies. The tide licked the sulphur sand with a thick layer of mutilated bodies scarring the fighting marines with horrid thoughts and pictures. Although the open beaches were awful fighting grounds the caverns in which the Japanese waited silently were where many marines came face to face with their worst nightmares. Bayonneted multiple times, skin shredded as though it were torn paper, broken and fractured limbs and eyeballs removed from their sockets was just one state that they found the dead bodies of marines. The fighting on that small island would have been atrocious enough but what the poor corpsman went through must have been life-changing. These selfless corpsman ran from fallen marine to fallen marine through enemy crossfire to tend to their wounds while making a perfect target for the precise Japanese shooters. There is one exceptional story about the corpsman John Bradley who was one of the Iwo Jima flag raisers and how after being blown into the air by a bomb and having shrapnel embedded deeply into his legs he just bandaged himself up and continued to rescue the countless marines lying injured on the inky black sand. This act of heroism was awarded with the Navy Cross just a little while later. Although many marines will forever walk with a limp or have no right arm the worst aftereffect was the thought that the war never ends. Marines would have nightmares after the war of their buddies’ limbs being dismembered form their bodies or being shot through the back and having to endure the sight of the scarlet red drops that would pool out of the wound. The thought of killing another man would also haunt most marines, memories of seeing the man die at the end of their gun may have been just a stride to get to their bigger goal but after the war is over those anguished faces come back and permeate your life. This was a very hard reading reflection to write because of the overwhelming emotions I was stricken with after reading this book. If you actually think about the amount of deaths on that island you’re really thinking about fathers, brothers and grandpas who have all perished, not just a number but a family member and that was the most difficult part to read about. I have never read such a powerful book that has left such a strong imprint on my soul, this book has honestly moved me in ways that are indescribable. At one point in the book I was so overcome with emotion I began to cry because I had never really thought about all of those fatalities as more than a number. Now though I put myself in the mourning family’s shoes and really felt the pain and sorrow they would have felt. It just really proved to me that although we wear a poppy on Remembrance day to thank the ones that have perished for our country these veterans need more than recognition, they need a place to live and food and water. Why is it that there are celebrities who sing and act and are making millions but our veterans who allow us to live a safe life end up on the streets or in rundown places unable to afford anything better? The society we live in right now is cruel if they think that celebrities should be given more than men who lay down their lives for our country.

            • Liesl says:

              ‘from their bodies’ is what I meant to say

            • Mr. Bell says:

              Great reflection, Liesl! Your connection to Remembrance Day is timely and appropriate, and the extended thought about stardom and wealth makes for a great debate about what we value in society. Today’s assembly was a great reminder about what matters! If we were not able to enjoy the safety that we do, would we need to be entertained or would we be busy fighting for our safety? Considering the celebrities and athletes that took a break from their careers to go to war, it stands to reason that safety trumps entertainment. Sadly (in some ways), the amount of safety we enjoy has skewed our notion of the importance of our contributions to society. That said, I don’t want to see war erupt so that we can reset our priorities.

              On another note, when you read a book that resonates your soul, how do you go about choosing your next book to read? Do you pick something lighthearted or do you look for another soul-shaker?

              • Liesl says:

                After reading such a soul-shaker I find that it’s very hard to read anything less than the soul-shaker; I find them boring and they just don’t compare. This is why I try and find books that are just as powerful or even more so that I’m enticed and moved by the story throughout the book.

  90. Alison says:

    Hi Mr. Bell
    Sorry this is late, I posted my reading reflection on Friday, but it didn’t show up. So this was the only time I could retype it and post it.

    This week I am reading Dreamer by Cathy Hapka. Right now in the book there are 3 main characters, Cale Crane, Ben Crane, and Sonya. Cale Crane is a little girl with short and some what curly hair, she has blue eyes, and is passionate about horses. Cale seems to be in school, and is probably around 11 years old. Cale lives on a horse farm, but there hasn’t been horses there for years. She is kind of shy, loves to learn (mostly about horses and horse racing), happy, kind, caring, and over all a kid! Her farther Ben Crane, trains top Thoroughbreds for other people, and recently got fired from his job. Mr. Crane has brown hair, blue eyes, and is around 40 years old. Ben is kind, caring, outgoing, calm, and he rarely raises his voice, as Cale said in one of the chapters. Ben is married to Lilly/ Mrs. Crane. Mrs. Crane is not mentioned a lot, except in the first chapter. And then there is Sonya. Sonya is a chestnut Thoroughbred filly, she is a race horse, and is worth $750.000. Her sire is Dreamcatcher (he won the Dubai World Cup in 96, won seven of eleven graded stakes, and over three million dollars). Sonya loves Twizzlers well…… candy in general. She is a relatively happy horse. Sonya’s show name is Sonador, which stand for dreamer in Spanish. Sonya’s last race didn’t go as planed, she had an accident, and has a spiral fracture of her cannon bone on her front right leg. Because of this Sonya may never race again, let alone walk! Because of this accident the previous owner didn’t want her any more so he sold her to Ben. If I could save any character in this book, I would probably want to save Sonya, because then she wouldn’t be in so much pain. Dreamer so far is amazing! The author wrote this book perfectly, everything that she wrote was like I was there, I felt what the characters felt. I am exited to finish the rest of the book, and I hope I can read more of her books.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      No worries, Alison, thanks for posting! The details from your reflection have made me think of several questions:
      – Could you ever see yourself purchasing a horse for $750 000?
      – If you have trained an amazing horse, would you ever sell it?
      – How difficult is it to see horses severely injured?
      – When dealing with injured animals, why is putting them down an acceptable option when the injury is significant?

      Quick Fix:
      – Use ‘excited’ rather than ‘exited’ in your final sentence.

      • Alison says:

        Hi Mr. Bell
        Sorry this is late, I posted my reading reflection on Friday, but it didn’t show up. So this was the only time I could retype it and post it.

        This week I am reading Dreamer by Cathy Hapka. Right now in the book there are 3 main characters, Cale Crane, Ben Crane, and Sonya. Cale Crane is a little girl with short and some what curly hair, she has blue eyes, and is passionate about horses. Cale seems to be in school, and is probably around 11 years old. Cale lives on a horse farm, but there hasn’t been horses there for years. She is kind of shy, loves to learn (mostly about horses and horse racing), happy, kind, caring, and over all a kid! Her farther Ben Crane, trains top Thoroughbreds for other people, and recently got fired from his job. Mr. Crane has brown hair, blue eyes, and is around 40 years old. Ben is kind, caring, outgoing, calm, and he rarely raises his voice, as Cale said in one of the chapters. Ben is married to Lilly/ Mrs. Crane. Mrs. Crane is not mentioned a lot, except in the first chapter. And then there is Sonya. Sonya is a chestnut Thoroughbred filly, she is a race horse, and is worth $750.000. Her sire is Dreamcatcher (he won the Dubai World Cup in 96, won seven of eleven graded stakes, and over three million dollars). Sonya loves Twizzlers well…… candy in general. She is a relatively happy horse. Sonya’s show name is Sonador, which stand for dreamer in Spanish. Sonya’s last race didn’t go as planed, she had an accident, and has a spiral fracture of her cannon bone on her front right leg. Because of this Sonya may never race again, let alone walk! Because of this accident the previous owner didn’t want her any more so he sold her to Ben. If I could save any character in this book, I would probably want to save Sonya, because then she wouldn’t be in so much pain. Dreamer so far is amazing! The author wrote this book perfectly, everything that she wrote was like I was there, I felt what the characters felt. I am excited to finish the rest of the book, and I hope I can read more of her books.

  91. marrie says:

    This weekend, I read a non fiction instructional manual about hair dye when I died my bangs red, it was very interesting, i learned that if you don’t wear plastic gloves when you dye your hair your hands end up matching your hair. it is not a fun experience.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Marrie. Did you learn the outcome from reading the instructions ahead of time, or was it after the fact? What are some other interesting pieces of information you discovered? If you were the writer of the instructions, how would you improve it so that others don’t have the ‘hands on’ experience you did?

      Your reflections in November are expected to show your best writing skills of the term. Please add some more details.

      • marrie says:

        I read the instructional manual before, but me being me considering the fact that there was no gloves in the box, i didn’t use any. i also found out that hair dye does in fact stain bath tubs, and it takes a long time to get a red stained bath tub to look like no one was murdered while taking a shower. And if i were the writer i would recommend to whoever puts things in the box to include plastic gloves, along with a scrubber for the bath tub. But other then that the manual was simple and easy to understand.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          It looks like the learning experience will last…longer than the bathtub colour I hope!

          Quick Fix:
          – I is always a capital letter.

  92. Savi says:

    Hello! This week I read a quick silly comic that I found in the class library called Bigfoot Boy, The Unkindness Of Ravens. By J. Torres and Faith Erin Hicks. I have not read any of the other books in the series, but I sure would like to! In this book there is a boy named Rufus. He has a very powerful totem that he found in a tree. The word to unleash the power is “SASQUATCH” After you say the magic word, you turn into a bear thingy (I’m not really sure, but the picture looks like a red bear,). Rufus also had a spirit animal that was a squirrel named Sidney. Rufus goes to his grandma’s house where there is a girl named Penny. Penny knows about Rufus’s totem.

    PART 1!!! (Not finished,)
    To be continued.
    I am hoping that it is clear that I’m going to finish this this week! 😀

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Great start Savi – I look forward to the conclusion of your post!

    • Savi says:

      Hi! I tried posting on Friday, but for some odd reason it didn’t post. This is my continued reflection:
      Rufus goes into the neverending woods to try and find Penny, unfortunately it isn’t exactly working out. So, he pulls out his magic totem! “SASQUATCH! SASQUATCH!” Rufus enthusiastically yells. And as quick as jet, he turned into the red bear. Little does Rufus know that he is being watched by malicious Ravens. “Woah did you see that? We so need to tell the others!” Said the vile Ravens. And as fast as a strike of lightning, the Ravens fled. Eventually Rufus finds Penny. They have a quick chat and next thing they know, a conspiracy of Ravens dive into the picture and attack Rufus. Fortunately, Rufus saves himself, and the Ravens fly away. The next day, the Ravens come and strike him again, this time they actually succeed in stealing the magic totem. “Hey! Get back here!” Yells Sydney, dashing toward the Ravens and striking at them. They fight, and fight, with no end in sight. (See what I did there 😀 ). Until… The Ravens snatch the totem and fly away. Rufus loses his powers, and now he cannot talk to Sydney. By the time he reached his grandmothers home, it was time for him to go. 🙁 He cynically looks out of the window, nothing he can do but sit in the back seat of his dad’s car.
      I can relate to him because sometimes I leave stuff at my cousins house in Vancouver, and we’re already on the highway and I know I’ll never get the things that I forgot back. It’s as depressing as dropping your delicious ice cream on the floor. 😀 You know that feeling that you get when you crack the screen on your phone? And you know your wife and/or mom are going to be very dissapointed in you? Yeah, that’s the feeling Rufus probably had. One thing he could’ve done was keep the totem hidden in a safe place when he knows he won’t need it, he also could’ve looked around to make sure no one was watching, not everyone has a magic totem! In my opinion, he should’ve told his dad what happened so that he could have more time to get his precious totem back. Also, I wrote this from the top of my mind, I don’t have the book with me at the moment. So, if I get some details wrong or if I miss something, forgive me! Until next time! 🙂

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks, Savi, your reflection does a great job helping the reader show empathy (and possibly sympathy) – well done! Your writing style is filled with fantastic word choices (enthusiastically, cynically, snatch).

        Quick Fix:
        – the house belonging to my cousins = my cousins’ house (several cousins) OR my cousin’s house (one cousin)

  93. Jordyn says:

    Sorry For the late postings

    The book By the Shores of Silver Lake written by Garth Williams which I am still currently is still reading is still a fantastic book. But this time I am going to do something different, I am going to tell you my likes and my dislikes, so first I am going to tell my dislikes starting with the part when Laura gets blind. When the author told us that Laura was now blind, all he said was ” Laura is now blind ” it kind of bothered me because he did not tell us when or why she got blind. Another thing I disliked was that the author must of wrote the book so fast that he forgot some word in the middle of the sentence for example, here’s a sentence from the book ” for dinner we are Potatos roast beef and corn. Do you notice that the word having is missing, I saw that sentence in the book I’m reading so there are a few sentences like that but evrybody makes mistakes. But this book is still a fantastic book for a million reasons but I can’t share them all, I am going to share two of my favourite ones (to be continued)

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Great start, Jordyn! How would a reason help you cope with Laura’s blindness? I wonder if the author forgot words on purpose to give the reader a sense of how a character spoke?

      Quick Fix:
      – Notice how often the phrase ‘I am going to…’ appears in your second sentence. A possible change is: “This time, I am going to do something different by sharing my likes and dislikes. First, I did not enjoy how the author…”

  94. jordyn says:

    part 2

    This is still a fantastic book because for many reasons but sadly I can’t share them all, so I’m going to share my favorites starting with the part when the author uses amazing words like, encouraging, spectacular and confident. Those words to me are real words. I also enjoy the part when the author uses words that were from back then like…. “hey all you fellas” that sentence reminds me of back then for the cowboys, because in these days there are not very many cowboys compared to back then, so I think its very sweet of the author to do that. So that is my reflection for the week, hope you did not get bored while reading part 1 and part 2.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      There was nothing boring about your post, Jordyn! Great words are something I enjoy too. The next step is to use them in your work and conversations.

      Quick Fix:
      – it + is = it’s (it’s very sweet…)

  95. Jordyn says:

    The book I am still currently reading which is called By the Shores of Silver lake written by Garth Williams is a different book but still a wonderful book. So this time I am going to tell why I love this book so much, the reason why I love this book so much is because it’s different, it’s not like other books, it’s and oldy but a goody. I like that it’s different because to me these days books are all the same but this is different, and was written along time ago, it’s also a movie with episodes, it’s called Little House On the Praire. There fantastic seasons and episodes but the books are better. Another reason why I enjoy this book is because its heart touching in some parts. The part whenever one of the daughters sits on her fathers knee was always heart touching because it reminds me how much I love my dad, so those parts are very peaceful to read….. Thanks reading.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Great connection, Jordyn! It’s amazing how often readers prefer the book over the show/movie. Why do you think that is the case?

      Quick Fix:
      – The word ‘different’ appears several times in your post. Try to find synonyms for the word (click here for some ideas).
      – “There are fantastic seasons…” (use ‘They’re’)
      – it + is = it’s (it’s heart touching)

  96. Alison says:

    This week I am reading Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. This reading reflection I am going to write it bit differently, instead of reading the book then reflecting, I’m going to reflect then read the book. Please tell me if you want me to reflect on the book, like I’ve done so far. So as I look at the cover of the book, I see a fish bowl and a fish jumping out of it. I’m thinking based on the title of the book and the cover that the fish is jumping out of the bowl because it is blown out of its mind. On the back of the book, it says. Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school-but NO ONE knows it. Most people-her teachers and doctors included-don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and what she knows…but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind-that is, until she discovers something that allows her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice… But not everybody around her is ready to hear it. What I am getting from that is, there’s a eleven year old girl, named Melody. She is in a wheelchair, and can’t move, or talk, and she has a photographic memory. When I was reading the back I was thinking to myself, wow this girl can’t do anything, I fell so sorry for her. I am very eager to find out what is going to help her speak, and maybe why the picture on the cover is a fish.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Predicting is a great way to reflect, Alison! That said, you needn’t write all of the details from the back cover. I suspect that the story will share the things that she can do. What do you think some of those ideas are? Think back to your experiences as an eleven year old…

      Quick Fix:
      – “I fell…” and “I feel…” have different meanings; because both have proper spelling, the computer doesn’t show an error.

      • Alison says:

        This week I am reading Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper. This reading reflection I am going to write it bit differently, instead of reading the book then reflecting, I’m going to reflect then read the book. Please tell me if you want me to reflect on the book, like I’ve done so far. So as I look at the cover of the book, I see a fish bowl and a fish jumping out of it. I’m thinking based on the title of the book and the cover that the fish is jumping out of the bowl because it is blown out of its mind. On the back of the book, it says. Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there’s no delete button. She’s the smartest kid in her whole school-but NO ONE knows it. Most people-her teachers and doctors included-don’t think she’s capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and what she knows…but she can’t, because Melody can’t talk. She can’t walk. She can’t write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind-that is, until she discovers something that allows her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice… But not everybody around her is ready to hear it. What I am getting from that is, there’s a eleven year old girl, named Melody. She is in a wheelchair, and can’t move, or talk, and she has a photographic memory. When I was reading the back I was thinking to myself, wow this girl can’t do anything, I feel so sorry for her. I am very eager to find out what is going to help her speak, and maybe why the picture on the cover is a fish. Somethings that I think is going to happen in this book is, some people are going to tease her, but she will prove them wrong, when she discovers the thing that will help hear speak. One of the strengths I think she has is having a photographic memory, because when she learns something she will never forget it, so that makes her pretty smart, probably smarter then all over the kids in her whole school.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for your post, Alison. In your opinion, are the smartest people the ones that know the most information or the ones that know how to connect with people (‘book smarts’ vs ‘street smarts’).

        • Savi says:

          Hey Alison! I was just scrolling through the blog, and reading some reflections. I really like the fact that you are trying something different (reflecting before you read the book), maybe I will try this technique sometime in the future. You really made me want to read Out Of My Mind, and hopefully I will! Talk to you later! 🙂

  97. Copter. says:

    Last week i read a Manga called Naruto its about a guy named Sasori, hes an Akatsuki the terrorist organization that wants to summon the 10 tail and destroy the world. Anyways Sasori is evil, I don’t know why hes so evil but I think part of the reason that hes evil is because when he was little his parents were killed by Sutuko Hatake and I guess he was “Sad.” If my parents were murdered when I was little I would also be sad. I could show some sympathy for Sasori.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      It’s great to see you reflect about Sasori’s evil nature – well done, Copter! Why do you think people want to ‘take over the world’?

  98. Isabella says:

    I’m still reading Harry Potter, and A LOT has happened!
    Harry headed up to Divination class after practising hexes and charms. It was hot from the fire Professor Trelawny always had on. As she went on about the solar system, Harry fell into a daze……..”Hand me my wand…Wormtail! Ahhhh… much better. I’m much stronger now! You will not be fed to Nagini……..Harry Potter instead!!! Bring me Harry…..Harry” “Harry….Harry….HARRY!!!” He awakened with a jolt of pain come from his scar. He asked permission to head to Dumbledoor’s office to say what happened. When he arrived, Dumbledoor was no where to be found. Harry waited by looking at all the fascinating things in Dumbledoor’s office: The sorting hat that told Harry he was in Griffyndoor, a phoenix that had burned away (died) when Harry was in his second year, the Gryffindoor sword Harry had pulled out of the sorting hat also in his second year, etc. He came across a bowl with smoke and leaned in………..He was suddenly in a court room where no one could see or hear him, because he was in a memory. The first case was Karkaroff, he was in Azkaban (Wizard jail) because he was working for Voldemort (the darkest wizard of all), but wanted to work for the Ministry of Magic. The second case was Ludo Bagman, who was accused of passing information to Voldemort through the Ministry. The third case was Mr. Crouch’s son, also accused of passing information to Voldemort. But, Mr. Crouch sent him away with the Death Eater, saying he was no son of his………… Harry came out of the memory and was pleasantly surprised by Dumbledoor. He had a great talk about his scar, where Dumbledoor was (with the Ministry), and what Harry saw in the bowl. All of which he saw was true, and also learned that Neville’s (Harry’s friend) parent’s were hurt by Voldemort, and can’t recognize Neville. Harry lay awake at night wondering what’s going to happen………
    I think the person that’s getting stronger is Voldemort, and he want’s to kill Harry. I can connect to Harry when he came out of the memory and Dumbledoor didn’t get mad at him, because I was caught eating candy on Halloween, but Mum didn’t get mad because we agreed that she could have a piece of my candy too! I wonder if Harry’s ever going to worry about the competition rather than Voldemort.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Isabella. Would any of the activities and classes offered at Hogwarts be useful at Marion Schilling? What’s your opinion about boarding schools?

      • Isabella says:

        I would love to go to a boarding school because I would be able to learn about foreign countries in a more efficient way. Also, I would have lots of friends that teach me what they do for hobbies (make dream catchers, go fishing, teach me a dance, etc.).
        Herbology, Divination, and Care of Creatures would be fun to learn at Marion Schilling because we could grow plants in the classroom, tell our future, have one class pet to take care of.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          You share good points, Isabella. That said, are there any reasons you would not like to go to boarding school? For example, would you be homesick?

  99. kionna says:

    I have a new book it is the kill order part of the maze runner series the author is James Dashner these books are interesting what is it about Before wicked was formed, before the glade was was built, before Thomas entered the maze, sun flares hit the earth killing most of the population . Mark and Trina were there when it happened . They survived but now a virus is spreading . A virus that fills humans with murderous they’re convinced that there’s a way to save those who are left if they can stay alive . Because in this new devastated world every life has a price and to some you’re worth more dead than alive.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for the details from your new book, Kionna. What most interests you about this series?

      Quick Fix:
      – Be sure to capitalize the words in a title or series: The Kill Order; Maze Runner.

  100. Max says:

    In this reading reflection I would like to reflect on the book I just started called, the Rescue of Belle and Sundance. I haven’t read much so there is not much to reflect on but I can definitely predict where it is going. This is a story about two horses who are stuck up on a mountain, called Mount. Renshaw, but they are not in a horse heaven with grazing and water and company to play with, no, they are in the dead of winter. There is a small mare (Female) named Belle and a larger gelding (male) named Sundance. They are stuck on a mountain called mount. Renshaw with a skeleton that looked 3 sizes two big for their body’s. There hip bones and ribs showing clearly, as they gnawed each others tails of for a desperate source of protein. They were once in an alpine mountain with plush green grass, and flowers, as well as each other for company. They also had unlimited water and when play called, they played! As you can tell yes I haven’t read much of the story yet but I can predict where it is going. I think someone will come and see Belle and Sundance but think they are just wild and leave them. I think that will be the big problem in this story is everyone will think the horses are wild. From what I read at the start of the book the thing you read to see if you like the book before you buy it. It said “ It will back to back leave you laughing and crying” but reading it, even in the title you can tell it says the “Rescue” so I don’t think either of them will die. I think eventually someone will come and look at the horses, in the thing you read at the start it also said, they had to choose between “Shoot them, or feed them.” But once again it said the “RESCUE” of Belle and Sundance so they will probably feed them. I also can’t give a summary on how the book is written because, I have read like one page, but I can tell you it is the first book in a long time that has has pictures! Sorry this was a short reading reflection, It was all the details I could squeeze out of one page.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Max, you’ve done well to squeeze many thoughts into your reflection – well done! Can you relate to going from a great situation to the complete opposite? What advice would you give when times are tough?

      Quick Fix:
      – 3 sizes too big (not two)
      – the hip bones belonging to them = their hip bones

    • Max says:

      I am still reading the book called the Rescue of Belle and Sundance, by Birgit Stutz. Since last time, I was right! The horses have not died, yet. In the chapters I have read It talked about the spring summer and fall the horses had. It all started with a horseback rider named Ken Allen. He lived in the small town of Mcbride, (where the story takes place) and he was taking his two pack horses ( Belle and Sundance) along with one more horse to go cross Mt. Renshaw. In case you Don’t know a pack horse is the bottom of the line breed of horse, There bad at everything but they use them cause all they have to know is how to follow the horse in front of them. Anyway, Ken was an amature horseback rider, well he wasn’t an amature, he was actually a very good rider, he just made a very amature mistake. On Kens way up the mountain there were plenty of snags to talk about, but one was proven to be fatal. He broke through the dense trees which is normally associated with a good thing, but in this case he broke through and and seen a giant river of bog (mud). There is a handbook that a local man from Mcbride wrote, everyone that rides horses has read that book, however Ken forgot one very, very important rule, “when approaching or near bog let you horse navigate it’s own way through” well, he didn’t do that. This is exactly what I feel all the time, I am a very good skier, yet sometimes I make very beginner mistakes, however this doesn’t mean I am a beginner skier, like speeding through a “slow” zone or forgetting to turn before a tree, yet this does not make me a beginner. Ken decided to try to ride his horses right through the bog, but you guessed it, he got stuck. When he was interviewed over the phone he claimed it was like “pulling four sticks out of thick mud. Now eventually Ken and his horses did make it out of the bog but then what happens in many many canadian mountains, it started to storm, and stormed very hard. Now let me stop you right there, and lean further back on your seat you may be hanging off pretty far. This is the point in the story where everything starts, this is the point where you WILL start alternately laughing cheering and crying. When I was reading this book I was thinking that this was near the end, well I would be thinking that if I couldn’t physically see how much book was left. Anyway this is when everything seems to really start. Ken made the fatal decision to abandon his camping gear and equipment and flee home with his one horse, and yes he left Belle and Sundance behind. He figured that after a day or two the horses would come down the mountain in a day or two and a local would find them and report them. However he didn’t realise that horses are smart creatures, they most likely LOVED the fact that they were free and they could graze and play and drink. Plus they also probably connected coming back down the mountain with going through that nasty nasty bog again. So they hung out up on that mountain for weeks and you would think that Ken would come and get the horses, I mean they are very valuable animals. And of course a few of the hikers new that as well. Someone said “if someone leaves a few beautiful horses up here it is finders keepers!” so he tried to come take the horses but on the way up, you guessed it stormed and they had to turn around. Just after that another storm struck on Belle and Sundance, but this time it was a blizzard, a snowstorm. This storm was so intense that all of the fall grass was gone, that’s right, there was nothing to eat. Ken finally came up after many many months of suffering, this time he had come with a snowmobile. He had brought up alfalfa cubes and hay as well as 10 litres of gatorade, Ken thought this would refill the horses electrolytes. After a long day Ken finally found bella and sundance and they were just short of dead. they were SO hungry. Ken making another amature mistake lost all the hay on the ride up and he tried to give the horses gatorade but they wouldn’t eat it, I mean it was gatorade. but the horses did eat the alfalfa cubes. After that Ken had to go home and said farewell to the horses, forever. And to make matters worse on Ken’s drive back into Mcbride he got in a total car wreck. This is all I have read on this book so far and I can connect to many things that happened saying farewell to a horse I haven’t done but saying farewell to something I have. If I were the horses I would be thinking, that Ken is, let’s say not nice, I would be conserving my energy as much as I could and looking out for my companion horse. What is sad is that there are some humans out there that are just like these horses, trapped somewhere and starving. If I was Ken I would be thinking, I need to get some food in there to feed these horses. There are snowmobilers that go on Mt. Renshaw every day and I would send some hay up with them then take the horses out in the spring. I also have a connection to Ken, like I mentioned at the start, I am a good skier, however I do make mistakes, LOTS of mistakes. In this story I am hoping that the horses have a winter like last year, all the snow melted. I also predict that some search and rescue team is going to go out looking for a snowmobiler and find the 2 horses. The chapter title was “handgun or hay” so someone is going to need to decide to kill the horses or save them. I like this story because it is written a lot better than FOUND (the last book I read) plus it has a lot more connections to this story plus it is about something I enjoy, Horses

      • Max says:

        I am still reading the book called the Rescue of Belle and Sundance, by Birgit Stutz, but her name comes up in the reflection so I will be calling her bridget, it is easier for you to pronounce. Since last time I thought that this story took place in europe or something but it turns out it takes place in Mcbride witch is 4 hours away from this school. Anyway, since last time a crew of 10 people heard about the horses there first day they were all meeting at the base of mount renshaw. Bridgit couldn’t come because there was no room on the snowmobiles going up. everyone there bridget new and one person named mark she instructed what to look for on the horse diarrhea is bad and you shall only feed them one flake of hay each. so all the snowmobilers went up most of them were familiar with horses, once they got up the the renshaw warming cabin they started looking for the horses. one hour later or so they found them. And they looked so close to dead. they had brought a gun up just in case they couldn’t save the horses, or it was too hard. the answer was it was too hard, but the rescuers saw a glimmer in the hoses eyes saying they didn’t want to die they wanted to live, so they choose to save the horses. The first thing they realised is that the horses snowy pen was filled with their own feces, so they had to make a new pen. After a few hours all of the crew dug a new area for the horses to live. this was not easy in 7 feet of snow and only avalanche shovels. after they did that they had to dig a trench for the horses to walk over to there new pen, they call it a pen because the snow is higher than most horse pens. After that they all agreed on a good time to show up every day to the bottom parking lot of mount renshaw, they decided on 10:00. that gives them an hour to get up and because it is winter the sun sets at three so they should leave then and get down by four. That gives them 4 hours to work. The next day the crew came up on their powerful snow machines all of the people had brought hay for the horses. The night before bridget had emailed the gang and they decided to not feed the horses alfalfa cubes cause that is way too rich for a weak horse. On the mountain the next day they brainstormed many ideas to get the horses of of the mountain, the one they settled for was the hardest but most effective. They would dig a trench all the way down the mountain, an extremely hard task. They had to make it 6 feet deep so the horses wouldn’t fall through the snow even though they are skinny they still weigh 700 pounds each. They also had to make it 3 feet wide so the horses would fit in the trench. After about ten days worth of digging the trench Mark called Bridget and said they had room for her on his sled. So bridget came up. That day and the next few bridget came up and helped dig the trench, one of the days an SPCA veterinarian from kamloops came up and an SPCA constable from Prince George came up. As you can tell I am trying to make my reading reflection a little bit shorter this time, I just have so much to say in the other ones. This book is great, for me if I didn’t live so close I wouldn’t know what Kamloops is and Prince George, It doesn’t even mention that Kamloops and Prince George are cities. I have connection to digging a TON with tiny shovels and not having room on a snowmobile for me. I have been trying to make these shorter and trust me it will be next time.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for you detail post. You are correct to assume you needn’t retell so many details, but that’s not a big deal. Instead, use the time to deepen you reflection. For example compare your most challenging events (snow or otherwise) to the challenging circumstances they were facing. You alluded briefly to tiny shovels and not enough room on a snowmobile…what’s the rest of the story – it sounds interesting!

          Quick Fix:
          – The first day belonging to them = their first day.
          – Birgit knew everyone… (not new)

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Great writing, Max – your reflection was enjoyable to read! You make an apt connection about skilled people making amateur mistakes; the humbling nature of these mistakes is great to reset egos (getting too big for one’s britches would be a good horseman’s equivalent). Do horses actually drink Gatorade? It’s nice to see this book got to a point where you were faced with numerous incidents and emotions.

        Quick Fix:
        – Ken’s way up the mountain… (the way belonging to Ken)

  101. Alison says:

    This week I am reading Hunter by Eric Walters. I have seen so many people read and recommend Eric Walters books, so I decided to try reading some of them. And so far I really, really like them, the book so far is so detailed and it feels like I am there! I will definitely be reading more of his books. So so far in the book there is a cat named Hunter, he is all back except for a white marking on his forehead. He lives in a Junk yard, with his family, four kittens and wife Mittens. There are many other cats and cat family’s in the junk yard. There is also King the leader of the colony, he is the biggest and best fighter of all the cats, but Hunter is the next best hunter. Hunter has to take King one of his kills every so often, so he doesn’t kick him out of the junk yard. None of the cats like King, so Hunter has a plan he is going to wait in tell the right moment, to fight King and become the leader of the colony. Or wait tell King is a little bit older. Because of this I am thinking there is going to be a cat fight soon, and surprisingly I am exited. I don’t like cat fights, because the cats get hurt, but I have a feeling this cat fight is going to be exiting. And I’m thinking Hunter is going to win, because he will take care of the colony way better. I am very exited to read this book and find out what happens.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alison, it’s nice to hear you’ve found a new series to try based on the recommendations from others! How will Hunter do a better job leading the colony? What traits do you see in Hunter that make you think Hunter will be a great leader?

      Quick Fix:
      – use ‘until’ rather than ’till’ (or wait until King is a little bit older…)
      – one family; many families (Use an apostrophe to show possession -> the family’s cat was orange and red)
      – exit/exited (He looked for the exit sign and excited the room.)
      – excite/excited (Her book would excite the reader; surprisingly, she was excited.)

      • Alison says:

        This week I am reading Hunter by Eric Walters. I have seen so many people read and recommend Eric Walters books, so I decided to try reading some of them. And so far I really, really like them, the book so far is so detailed and it feels like I am there! I will definitely be reading more of his books. So so far in the book there is a cat named Hunter, he is all back except for a white marking on his forehead. He lives in a Junk yard, with his family, four kittens and wife Mittens. There are many other cats and cat families in the junk yard. There is also King the leader of the colony, he is the biggest and best fighter of all the cats, but Hunter is the next best hunter. Hunter has to take King one of his kills every so often, so he doesn’t kick him out of the junk yard. None of the cats like King, so Hunter has a plan he is going to wait in tell the right moment, to fight King and become the leader of the colony. Or wait until King is a little bit older. Because of this I am thinking there is going to be a cat fight soon, and surprisingly I am excited I don’t like cat fights, because the cats get hurt, but I have a feeling this cat fight is going to be exciting . And I’m thinking Hunter is going to win, because he will probably do a way better job of leading the colony. Also Hunter wouldn’t let the colony starve and eat all the food for himself. He would make sure all the cats in the colony get food, and then he would eat. Not like King, King eats first, then eats other cats food, then the other cats get to eat. Also because, Hunter will make sure all the cats are safe. And if there would be any danger or something threading the colony, he would attack the threat. Some traits that Hunter has to me, that would make a perfect colony leader is, he loves to hunt, so none of the cats of the colony would starve. Also because he is very protective of his family so I feel the colony would be safe. I am very exited to read this book and find out what happens.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for your post, Alison. Do you think animals have the ability to be ‘polite’ like the way you think Hunter would behave or are manners only found in humans?

          Quick Fix:
          – exit…exited
          – excite…excited

          • Alison says:

            This week I am reading Hunter by Eric Walters. I have seen so many people read and recommend Eric Walters books, so I decided to try reading some of them. And so far I really, really like them, the book so far is so detailed and it feels like I am there! I will definitely be reading more of his books. So so far in the book there is a cat named Hunter, he is all back except for a white marking on his forehead. He lives in a Junk yard, with his family, four kittens and wife Mittens. There are many other cats and cat families in the junk yard. There is also King the leader of the colony, he is the biggest and best fighter of all the cats, but Hunter is the next best hunter. Hunter has to take King one of his kills every so often, so he doesn’t kick him out of the junk yard. None of the cats like King, so Hunter has a plan he is going to wait in tell the right moment, to fight King and become the leader of the colony. Or wait until King is a little bit older. Because of this I am thinking there is going to be a cat fight soon, and surprisingly I am excited I don’t like cat fights, because the cats get hurt, but I have a feeling this cat fight is going to be exciting . And I’m thinking Hunter is going to win, because he will probably do a way better job of leading the colony. Also Hunter wouldn’t let the colony starve and eat all the food for himself. He would make sure all the cats in the colony get food, and then he would eat. Not like King, King eats first, then eats other cats food, then the other cats get to eat. Also because, Hunter will make sure all the cats are safe. And if there would be any danger or something threading the colony, he would attack the threat. Some traits that Hunter has to me, that would make a perfect colony leader is, he loves to hunt, so none of the cats of the colony would starve. Also because he is very protective of his family so I feel the colony would be safe. I am very excited to read this book and find out what happens.

            And yes I do think animals have the ability of being polite.

  102. marrie says:

    I am now reading Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, even though I’ve read many other fictional vampire books, I’ve never read twilight before. It’s really interesting, and in comparison to all the others I have read its very different, a girl named Isabella(AKA Bella) Swan seems to attract trouble no matter where she go’s, even the small town of forks where she moved. she moved there to live with charlie, her father, when she starts school, she meets Edward Cullen, a guy who is quite mysterious, never appears to eat, hardly talks to anybody, never shows up to school on sunny days, stays with the same squad all the time, and all of them are pale as the moon. Edward has turned down many girls in the school, and blocks everyone out, this does little to stop Bella though, she does some snooping, and find some things out about Edward, and no matter what he does to stop her, she finds out a deep secret, Edward is not just strange, he is not at all a human, he is a vampire, and even though Bella knows shes wrong, she begins to fall deeply and hopelessly love with him. overall, Twilight is a pretty amazing book so far, and i would recommend it to people who are interested in vampires.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post, Marrie. You mentioned that this story is different than other vampire books – tell us more.

      Quick Fix:
      – You’ve got many ideas crammed into a few sentences. Rather than use several commas, break your ideas into shorter, clearer sentences.
      – Replace go’s with goes: attract trouble no matter where she goes

  103. Kai says:

    I am reading a new book called GUARDIANS of the GALAXY, it is about a boy named Peter he gets kidnap by aliens when he was 12. 20 years later he is order to steal this orb by these junkies who steal every thing and when he steals it these grunts come and attack him and he runs away and too his space ship and fly’s away, There was evil lord who heard about the stealing of the orb so he sent an assassin to kill him but the assassin is going to betray and so she tracks Peter down. That’s where I stopped In think the assassin will kill him and take the orb for her self

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Kai. You included some useful details from the story, but need to do more on the reflection aspect. Tell us more why you think the assassin will kill him and take the orb for herself.

      Quick Fix:
      – flies away (not fly’s away)

  104. liam says:

    hi Mr. Bell I am look for my good book for the reading reflections I have been looking for my book so I can finish it so that’s why haven’t put that many reading reflections on the blog

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Hi Liam. You don’t have to finish a book to write a reading reflection. Each week, share some of the details from your book (retell), then make some connections or predictions (reflect). You have silent reading time on a daily basis and visit the library weekly, so use your time wisely. Let me know if you would like some help.

  105. Jordyn says:

    The book I am now reading is called Ice Drift written by Theodore Taylor. The reason why I decided to change to a different book is because I lost my imagination for that book, I never connected with it, I tried to but it was not for me. Like I said the book I am reading is called Ice Drift and it is a fantastic book. This book is about two kids named Kunu and Jamka and they are taking a Jouerny to a village to see there parents, but while they were traveling they get lost and are trying to find the village but are having a hard time. Some struggles that I hear that’s happening so far is that they have to find food, the food that they eat are seals because they live out in the Arctic. Another thing that they struggle with is that they have to try and fight off Polar Bears to survive. So the reason why I chose this book is because I love books with adventures and journeys in it and this book has both if those things in it, so it is a perfect match for me. I think I’m going to have a reflection with this book because some of they characters are just like some people I know there all so funny and creative, and the people I know are funny and creative so while I’m reading this book I’m going to be picturing my friends and family and I love doing that. This book reminds me of an old story that I read along time ago, I can’t remember the title, but I know that this book is completely alike to the one I read. The one I read along time ago was about a family who had to travel to a city on foot because they had to get out of that town from people who was going to murder them so they brought things that they could bring and took off. So I think that Ice Drift and the book I read along time ago are completely alike. I can’t wait till I hear all about Kunu’s and Jamka’s adventures… That’s my rasing reflection for number seven

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Jordyn. You’ve written a nice blend of story details and personal connections – well done. Take a moment to read your last sentence aloud – what word would you change?

      Quick Fix:
      – the parents belonging to them = their parents
      – polar bears are a common noun and do not need capitalization
      – ‘a long’ is different than ‘along’ (A long time ago, I read a book. It was about a girl walking along the beach…)
      – use ‘until’ instead of ’till’ (I can’t wait until I hear…)

  106. Jordyn says:

    Oh my goodness I did not even see that, sorry about that…. Thanks Mr Bell

  107. Copter. says:

    I think he want to take over the world because hes mad and iu guess he wants to get revenge.

  108. Copter. says:

    Today i read a book called travel travel team. Its about a small guy named Danny walker and he wants to join the Basketball team. But he didn’t make it because he was short. I think that its mean to kick people out of the team because they are short. I think Danny should of made the team because he is a good passer. I would feel really ashamed if I didn’t make the team.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Copter. As we discussed in class, add more depth to your reflections by including reasoning (why is it mean…why you would feel ashamed…).

  109. Noah says:

    My book is I Funny by James Patterson. The main character is Jamie Grimm. Jamie had an unfortunate accident when he was younger, that not only killed his family but put him in a wheel chair. Now he lives in Long Beach, NY. It is about his journey to become the world’s funniest kid comic. I don’t know how he does it; going up in front of all those people and trying to make them laugh, I could never in a million years do what he did.

  110. Kyle says:

    I’am reading the book called “Binge” by Tyler Oakley. I got this book yesterday and so far it is pretty good but also intresting at the same time. So far what I have read it that he is mostly talking about his life and how he became a famous youtuber. There is one thing that shocked me, that when he got older and famous his dad left him and his mom, sister, brother because he didnt want to be apart of a famous family. There is a connection I made with the book is that when I get older I want to become a famous youtuber and also have another real job. There isnt alot to explain because I just started to read it and so far it is a really good book. I definitely recommed it for some people.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Kyle. The detail you shared about the dad leaving him is intriguing – what were the concerns he had about having a famous son?

      Your connection to becoming a YouTuber is terrific. What do you know about YouTubers? Do you think it will be easy to become famous? What concept/idea will you bring to YouTube that makes you famous?

      Quick Fix:
      – I am or I’m (not I’am)
      – did not = didn’t
      – is not = isn’t

      • Kyle says:

        I have always wanted to become successful on YouTube because, they make good money and I always wanted to be in something that involves film, and I like to film too. Those are some things I know about Youtubers they are supposed to make you laugh and enjoy the content and the type of videos they are posting. I already have a YouTube account but I don’t know what to post but when I’m older I might get a GoPro and film videos about photography. OK now back to the book, The dad left the family because he didn’t want to be apart of a family that had a famous person because he didn’t want camera’s everywhere surrounding him. To become famous on YouTube you have to post good content and videos that people will enjoy. All people are different of what video they like and content.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for your thoughts, Kyle. I sometimes wonder if a ‘one hit wonder’ can make a living on YouTube. Is getting millions or billions of hits enough, or do you have to do more?

          Quick Fix:
          – use an apostrophe to show possession: Where is the camera’s case?
          – Do not use an apostrophe to make something plural: He didn’t want cameras everywhere…

          • Kyle says:

            Well To get millions of hits on YouTube you have to make good quality videos and videos that will make people enjoy them and maybe put your friends in videos so you guys can work together on them. And when I said he didn’t want camera’s everywhere he didn’t want the news and people interviewing the dad and because he didn’t want to live with a sun that liked boys not girls. And so far right now in the same book I’m on page 156 and so far it is getting really interesting and cool. He is now mostly talking about how he became famous and YouTube and how he started. It was pretty interesting one part of how he became famous is because of this stupid video that people liked just to make fun of him and share it.

  111. marrie says:

    Because i could not sleep last night, at all, i decided to read, i finished reading twilight, and it was interesting, Bella ends up being chased by a tracker, basically a tracker travels town to town, he finds a person who would be difficult to catch and drink blood from, he ends up in forks and targets Bella, knowing Edward would do pretty much anything to protect her, along with his family, they travel to three different towns, trying to throw the tracker off their trail, but he finds her anyways, he tricked Bella when she called her mother, saying that he was holding her hostage, and that Bella has to go and meet him or else he will kill her, and Bella being Bella, she does it, which seems incredibly ridiculous, but Bella loves her mother, but the kick is that he knows that her mom is in Florida, and when she gets there he bites her, and then tries to kill her to finish his meal, but Edward and the others find her in time, they kick the trackers butt, and Edward sucks the vampire venom out of her wound, and also at some point she fell out of a two story high building, and she almost dies, she ends up knocked out in the hospital for like, three days, and when she wakes up she is connected to a whole bunch of wires and tubes, and yeah thats about all i can really remember, and i cannot really make any connections because i live a life without any vampires, werewolves, or people tracking me trying to kill me and suck my blood so… yeah thats it

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for the detailed post, Marrie; you’ve shared many events from your reading. Though your comment about living without vampires is accurate, some ideas to make connections are:
      – How would you handle being in a hostage scenario?
      – How do you protect people? Why?
      – Where would you like to travel?
      – What are other incredibly ridiculous things that can compare to Bella’s actions?

      Quick Fix:
      – Write sentences that do not run on. Please see me if you’d like some help.
      – I is always a capital letter.

  112. jordyn says:

    The book I am still currently reading is called Ice Drift written by Theodore Taylor. So in my last reading reflection I told you that I am so exited to read this book and I’m even more exited because it has gotten even better. So right now I am at the part when Jamka and Kunu are in the middle of know where and they keep running in to bears, I can’t believe that they are still alive, it shocks me. One way that they survive is because of there loyal dog Alika. There dog is trained to fight off bears and protect there master which is Jamka and Kunu, but right now Alika is hurt badly and Jamka and Kunu don’t know what to do. So that is part I am at right now and I’m very anxious and exited to see what happens to them. In this book every two chapters are different because in one chapter it talks about Jamka and Kunu, and in the other chapter it talks about there parents, and right now Jamka and Kunu’s parents are deeply concerned about them because they were supposed to be at the village in two days but it has been four days, so I think that every parent would be worried about there child if they were alone and did not get there on time, well if I were a parent I would be worried. Another part I want to mention is that Jamka and Kunu always talk about polar bear Nanuk, so I am assuming that means a name for a polar bear, what do you think?……. That is my reading reflection for the week

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post, Jordyn! How does the concern parents have for their children compare to the concern children have for their parents?

      Quick Fix:
      – exit…exited
      – excite…excited
      – their (belongs to them)
      – they’re (they are)
      – there (not here)

  113. Copter. says:

    Corrections:
    Today I read a book called Travel Team. Its an Amazing story about a short kid who loves to play basketball. Anyways he decided to join the Basketball team at St. Patricks. He did the basketball team tryout and he didnt make it unfortunately, The couch said that he was too small and too short to join. I think the coach is being predjudic. Patricke and shouldn’t coach basketball. Cause I know alot of amazing basketball players in my school. For example. Bryce is small but he good at passing and shooting. So personally I think even if hes small he should be allowed to join the team.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for adding more details to your post, Copter. It sounds like a difficult situation that many schools face when offering team sports. Let’s say our basketball team had 25 players (including you) wanting to play – would you want all of them on the team? Is there a point where teams should have tryouts and some players will not be part of the team?

      Quick Fix:
      – it is = it’s (It’s an amazing story…)
      – did not = didn’t (He didn’t make the team…)
      – being prejudiced
      – he is = he’s (Even if he’s small…)

  114. COLBY says:

    My book is MIDDLE SCHOOL: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill by James Patterson, who is also the author of the hilarious series I FUNNY. In this book (the fourth in the series) the main character Rafe. K* is going to a summer camp called Camp Wannamorra where it is pretty much like school crossed with summer camp. This book reminds me of when I went to a summer camp on big shuswap called Sunnybrae. It didn’t have bullies like the other camp, and it had a bunch of activities. Also it served the most delicious food you’ve ever had! Im glad my parents didn’t sign me up for a camp like Camp Wannamorra. Back to the book. Rafe’s cabins name is the Muskrat Hut. It sounds kind of cool in my opinion. Rafe’s bunkmates are pretty cool, but there are some nicknames i’m not a fan of like tunz, and booger eater. Of course there is a camp bully/show off. His name is Doolin, and he secretly smokes with the rest of cabin, secretly in the forest at night. I really liked this book because it reminded me of when I went to Sunnybrae during the summer.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Colby. You are developing a nice voice to your writing with a smooth combination of details and reflections. The next step is to deepen your connections. Some examples include:
      – Why aren’t you a fan of the nicknames? If you were the author what nicknames would be better?
      – What were the most memorable menu items at Sunnybrae?
      – How do you react and handle things when your parents expect you to do something you are not keen on doing?

      Quick Fix:
      – Capitalize proper nouns. (Shuswap Lake, Tunz, Booger Eater…)

  115. Liesl says:

    Reading Reflection #7
    I am currently reading The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, who tells the story of the monstrous atrocities that occurred during the true beginning of World War Two. The Rape of Nanking has been obscured by the public eye for centuries, no one knew the horrors or the struggles that the Chinese were forced to face or the merciless Japanese army that burned and wreaked havoc over unsuspecting Chinese towns and cities. The reason for this obscurity was the silence of the victims of this horrible travesty, you hear quite often about the Holocaust and how the Jews were brutally murdered by the Germans but that’s only because the Jews were quite wealthy at the time and were very vocal about what happened to them. The Chinese on the other hand were filled with shame of what happened and were very corrupt so they ignored and refused to discuss about the rape of their country. This historical hiccup is commonly referred to as the forgotten holocaust of World War Two. Without books like Chang’s The Rape of Nanking would have forever been curtained by the dense fog of shame and regret; both Japanese and Chinese have completely erased the topic of The Rape of Nanking from school textbooks, museums and unlike most World War Two battles it wasn’t commemorated by films or documentaries. It’s blurry as to what all the Japanese’s motives were when they were attacking China but there are many confirmations that after seeing the vast land that North American countries possessed and their level population they became furious since they were a steadily increasing populace in a very compact country, this sparked the talk of a war against china. As the Japanese invaded China they soon realized that the Chinese outnumbered them 10-1 marines this was a very favourable stat for the Chinese, it symbolized that they could’ve and would’ve won the war if not for the menacing Japanese. Promised safety was all it took for the Chinese soldiers to surrender as captives, bearing their flag they laid down their arms to the Japanese and mistakenly allowed them to be lead down to the Yangtze River’s edge. Being told that they needed to cross the river to a scab of an island in the middle they awaited crossing by the river’s edge, hands bound and no witnesses beyond the Japanese guards awaiting their own order it grew darker. All of a sudden the Japanese got their order and open fired on the oblivious Chinese soldiers. Gurgling noises filled the air along with the thumps of bodies as they hit the sand, the startled Chinese tried to flee but stumbled over the fallen soldiers that littered the sand. Some Japanese later tell of the regret they felt afterwards but most retell their disgust after seeing the dishonor in the Chinese as they willingly gave up themselves and others remember relishing the thought of killing these dishonorable men that would rather surrender than sacrifice themselves for their country. For me the holocaust used to be the worst travesty and inhuman part of history but after learning about what the Japanese did to not only the Chinese but the Americans as well my perspective has changed drastically. The Germans burned, gassed, shot and stabbed the Jews but the Japanese bayoneted, decapitated, succumbed to cannibalism and gruesomely mangled with the bodies of not only the dead but living captives as well. Yet most people still only talk about the Holocaust of the Jews and the Germans when meanwhile the torturous methods of the Japanese go far beyond the lines of humanity, crossing the border of insanity and delicately hinting at barbarous. The abominations of both of these countries is unacceptable and will scar their lands forever with a ragged cut that will pierce through the very heart and soul of the country. The Japanese completely ignore what they have done and the Chinese refuse to ask for retribution from the Japanese when I believe the best thing for both countries would be to come to terms about what happened. People of the new generations should know what took place in the beginning of World War Two, it should be a story passed down through generations, one that will never be forgotten. If everyone is aware it prevents such awful things from happening again, possibly saving many lives and letting the Japanese and the Chinese finally accept what happened.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Your superbly written post gives many pauses for thought – well done, Liesl! Why do you suppose a desire to erase these events from history exists? Are some acts too atrocious to be worth remembering and learning from? History is represented and remembered by many perspectives. It seems like the author has done a remarkable job writing this book to allow you to share a vivid account of events that happened long ago. Given the recent acts of terror in Paris coupled with the amount of recording devices in society, I am curious how these events will be portrayed. Are words in books more powerful image makers than the actual images?

      You’ve added many rich descriptive words in your writing, and it’s a treat to read. I loved the phrase, “curtained by the dense fog of shame and regret” – terrific!

      • liesl says:

        Hello Mr.Bell,
        These events were obscured by the public eye not only because they were an abomination of the human integrity but also because the shame that the Japanese and Chinese both felt would have been immense. Yes, what they did was atrocious but the after realization of what just happened begins to sink in so it appears worse now than it did during the real devastation and many witnesses and victims don’t want to be ostracized so even though it hurts they refuse to talk about it. Regarding your other question about Paris the news has been flying around social media and has roused many speeches and government meetings so I think this will be remembered maybe not for a long time but it will be remembered. I think it’s sad though and shows the true oblivion of the world when we care so much about Paris but Lebanon was attacked just the same way and no one knows about it.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          It certainly is interesting to see how media (mainstream and social) choose to report/discuss events. I suspect in Canada it may have something to do with our historical ties to France.

    • Colby says:

      That’s a weird name for a book, but there a lot of weird titles out there. Besides that it sounds interesting.

    • liesl says:

      I have just finished the Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang and am awed by the bravery that filters through the cracks of the Sino-Japanese war, through all the bad and the evil there was good and heroic, bold and selfless and caring and determined. These heroes were just ordinary people who lived normal lives and had normal families, that all changed when the war started though. The inexorable Japanese army was overwhelming the Chinese people who were tortured greatly and to no end, they suffered unbelievably but the valor and courage that many citizens obtained was immense and penetrated the vast Japanese shield of mercilessness bit by bit. Many foreigners saw the struggles of the Chinese and decided to do something; they decided to create safety zones. These zones were to be protected by the bonds between the Japanese army and the Germans, dutch and Americans, each foreigner would bare an armband to depict their nationality and their importance. Just displaying this armband would send a group of malicious soldiers torturing a Chinese man scattering irritably away out of fear for their superiors would drastically punish them, this became a very helpful tool when many Chinese filled the safety zones. The safety zones were set up at universities, hospitals or big schools, these zones were cornered off so that the Chinese citizens would have a relatively safe place to go that the Japanese couldn’t bombard or take captives from. This didn’t stop the Japanese from bombing attempts, raids or diversions to get the foreigner out of the way so they could seize hold of a group of poor citizens though. These foreigners would end up waking up in the night to the beckoning yells of the Chinese who were trying to be smuggled out of the safety zone or were being cruelly abused, this would cause the foreigners most of them who had never held a gun or got into a fight to barrel out of their house with only a flashlight and protect the victims from the heavily armed and trained Japanese. Luckily most foreigners weren’t killed but many were shot at or abused and with nothing to protect themselves with they sometimes did end up getting seriously injured. The heroism in conflicts like these has caused me to conjure up a very perplexing question regarding the way heroes are currently portrayed in movies and if it’s right or wrong. We’ve all seen or heard about them: Spiderman with his web shooting ability, Hulk with his furious and uncontrollable temper and size or Superman and his ability to fly but looking at true heroes they’re nothing alike except fro the common virtue of selflessness. Many war heroes die each day sacrificing their lives for their buddies’ or our country and those are the true heroes not the ones who wear tights and capes, so why is that the way they’re displayed? Do the superpowers empower children to feel like doing a good deed is the equivalent to having superpowers or do they make the children feel like since they don’t have superpowers they can’t contribute to society in a progressing way? Like I said this was a very perplexing question but after a long time pondering it I came to the conclusion that there’s no right or wrong answer, no black or white decision and no yes or no it simply is all an opinionated answer. My own answer to this riddle of a question is that I think it’s great that kids have movies like these that they enjoy but as long as they know that true heroes don’t read off a script or have their hair and makeup styled that’s all that matters. They should know true heroes wear everyday clothes and look like you or me, some hold guns and helmets while others sneak through the shadows molding in and out of the darkness and others may not know it but they’re a hero to someone around the world.

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Agreed. There is no single answer to the question you posed. People looking for heroes or villains in history or present day will find them because that’s what they seek. Superheroes entertain and their stories require a protagonist and an antagonist to create tension forcing the reader or viewer to choose a side. Does there need to be conflict to have heroism? Selflessness to serve others is heroic and needn’t require tragedy for it to exist.

        What’s next on the reading list? You continue to share well written, thought provoking reflections, and they are a treat to read – well done!

        • Liesl says:

          Hello Mr.Bell,
          I do not believe that heroism can only be found where there is conflict, I believe that just being generally nice to someone who is having a bad day shows a very heroic act in itself and that heroes are generally all around you they’re just not recognized because they didn’t to something drastic or incredible to most people. Sometimes the most heroic people are the ones who themselves don’t know it. Regarding your second question about my next book I have decided to finally begin on the journey through the Battle books and am currently reading the Eye of Odin which to my disappointment has turned out to be quite boring and doesn’t even come close to the level of intensity and brilliance of the former books that I have been reading.

          • Mr. Bell says:

            Thanks for your thoughts, Liesl. Sorry to hear the first Battle books isn’t a classic for you, but I look forward to the day when you publish something that future elementary school book battlers will read and love. 😉

  116. Isabella says:

    “Since Harry and Cedric are tied for first, they will enter this 20ft high maze first. After 2 minutes, Krum will enter, then Fleur. Inside the maze, there are obstacles such as dangerous plants, fierce creatures, and nasty curses. The Triwizard cup is located in the centre of the maze. A champion must grab this item to win the third task! Equipped with only your wands? Ready……..Set………..GO!!!” Harry and Cedric ran as though their life depended on it. They reached a fork in the road, so he went left, and Cedric went right. Harry kept on running when a gold glittery mist stood in front of him. Harry had never seen anything like it. He couldn’t go back or else he’ll lose time, so the only solution was to run through it. He suddenly realized he was upside down! There was no time to think of a spell, so instead of running through it again, he took a step and fell on his head. Luckily, he fell on the opposite side of the mist. BANG! Krum had entered the race. Harry slowed down to a trot and remembered he had his wand. He put his wand on the ground and muttered “Point me.” The wand directed him to the cup. BANG! All the champions were now racing. He suddenly heard Fleur yelp with pain. “One champion down!” Then, a blast ended skrewt (animal that shoots poison) came across Harry, and Cedric appeared too. However, it did not move. It looked as if it were dead. So, Harry and Cedric hopped over it when a blast of poison was shot at Cedric. He could not move for it was too painful. Harry lifted this 18 year old boy and carried him around the corner. Then Harry saw it: the Triwizard cup! He lurched toward it and grabbed the handle with Cedric on his back. He realized he wasn’t touching the ground anymore. Then out of nowhere, he was in a graveyard. A strange man had grabbed hold of Harry and took him to a cauldron. He took a body shaped figure out of his cloak and placed in the cauldron without even look ing at it, for he was staring at Harry. Then, to Harry disgust, took a dagger and chopped his hand off. He then moved towards Harry, stabbed him in the arm, caught the blood in a container, and dumped it in the cauldron. It started to bubble, and a larger figure emerged from it. It was Lord Voldemort (the most powerful dark wizard that killed both of Harry’s parents). “We meet again!” he hissed. “Why, you may not know this, but for 13 long years I’ve wanted to kill you and your family for being the one’s who destroyed my powers when you were born. I’ve already done your parents, and tonight it’s going to be you!” He pulled out his wand, shot, and made Harry twitch in pain. Then when was done, they both yelled “AVADA KADAVRA!” The most deadly spell was being shot at each other when the two spells met in the middle and created a ball of light. The light split into lines, which looked a lot like a spider web all over the graveyard. Voldemort was distracted by the light and Harry tried even more to fight! He had defeated him only for a couple of minutes. In that time though, he noticed Cedric. Harry listened to his heartbeat. Cedic Diggory was dead. Before he could say goodbye, Harry fought Voldemort once again. The light remained the same, and Harry once again, defeated Lord Voldemort. When nothing was left but his wand, Harry saw the spirit of Cedric float out. “Take my body back to my parents, OK?” Harry was sure to do this. He grabbed Cedric and the cup, and transported back to Hogwarts.
    (Sorry this reflection sounded rushed. I was busy on Friday)
    I think that Voldemort is defeated for good because in previous duels, a ball of light has never come out of two wands. Also, Cedric parents are probably heart broken to hear that their child is dead! I would be so sad, and guilty if my child had gone to school and died. I still have two chapters left, and in them I think that everyone will go home and Harry will be back at his horrid Uncle’s house. But, they will treat Harry better because he saved the world from being taken over by Voldemort.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your detailed retelling of events, Isabella – it doesn’t read like you rushed it! In your next post, try to add more depth to your connections and reactions (you can shorten your retelling of event if you’d like).

      For example, you can elaborate on:
      – the feeling of heartbreak and how to deal with it
      – family members we like/dislike and the reasons why
      – events that change our opinions about people/issues

  117. Savi says:

    Hello! This week I am reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Long Haul, by Jeff Kinley. I have read endless books by Jeff, he really is an astonishing author. I enjoy reading his books because, he wrote the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and as you could probably tell, I fancy reading graphic novels. Now without further adieu, let’s get started! Greg Heffley has a lot of plans for this summer, but little does he know that his mom, Susan Heffley, had plans of her own. In her opinion, the Heffley family needs more “family time” but with a dad that’s always working, a young son that is very irritating at times, and another dull, yet wild, son, things might be a little difficult. Sadly for the rest of the Heffley family, Susan gets 90% of her ideas come from a aggravating magazine called “Family Frolic”

    To be continued! 🙂

    • Mr. Bell says:

      I’m looking forward to what the conclusion brings…

      Quick Fix:
      – there is no need for a comma after because in the sentence, “I enjoy reading his books because he wrote the series…and as you know…”
      – Use ‘ado’ rather than ‘adieu’ in the phrase ‘without further ado’ (adieu means goodbye)

    • Savi says:

      Continued reflection:
      Not everything works out like it said in the magazine, you would think Susan would’ve realized that by now. But out of no where, she says: “Pack your bags, We’re going on a road trip!” And off they went. Unfortunately for Greg, Rodrick was smart enough to plan ahead and made him sit in the back. You might be saying, “Sitting in the back isn’t so bad.” And you’re right, but the Heffley family has tons of stuff stuffed back there, so you’d basically be playing a giant game of Jenga the whole trip. Be careful where you sit because you never know when everything’s going to tumble all over you. Well, what else can I say, the road trip continues and eventually it gets dark. The Heffley family stops at a motel. Since nothing ever goes perfectly for the Heffley family, they chose one of the motels on the lower end of the spectrum. The lobby smelled like mildew, and the carpet was covered in weird stains. Let’s just say that Greg didn’t exactly get a great sleep that night. Unfortunately, he had to sleep in the closet, and int he middle of the night he was awaken by some kind of ruckus going on outside. He got up and saw 3 kids who somehow got a hold of the cleaning cart and were ramming into the wall. He gave them a piece of mind and the youngest kid burst into tears leading to another problem on its own. The kid ran into his room and came out with his clearly confused father, and note; the father was in his UNDERWEAR. 😀 Greg sprinted back into his motel room and tried falling asleep, before he knew it the sun had risen and Manny (His little brother), and Susan were already awake and ready to roll.So the day goes on and the Heffley family decides to a “amusing” country fair. Coincidentally, the “Beardo” family (Greg called them that because the dad was quite hairy :D) also decided to go to the country fair. Greg almost runs smack into the entire Beardo family, thankfully he was able to duck for cover just in time. The next day they go to a water park, and that’s when the TRUE commotion starts. Who would’ve known, the Beardo family went to the water park as well!
      This is part 1 because it’s too long so I’m going to finish it later! 🙂

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for the start, Savi!

        • Savi says:

          Part 2:
          The Heffley family buy tickets and put their belongings into a locker. Susan, Frank (Greg’s dad), and Manny stay back, while Rodrick and Greg go and explore Soak Central. Eventually Greg ditches Rodrick for the other awesome water slides. While in the line, Greg got into some beef with a rather odd couple and unfortunately for Greg, they had to go down the water slide together. He’d had enough of the water after that so he made his way back to the lounge chair. To his surprise, the lounge chair was gone and all his stuff was lying in a pile on the ground. Greg found his family at the snack bar getting lunch, he told them what had happened with the lounge chair and they set out for a quest to find it. They split up and sure enough, Greg happened to come across the “Beardo” family resting upon their lounge chair. I mean, what are the odds of running into the exact same people again and again. Greg didn’t want to make it into a huge deal and just went back to his family and stated that he had absolutely no luck finding the chair. So they decided the head back but, of course, no one had the key to the locker. Note; the locker had Franks wallet, their phones, and much more in it. They approached an employee and told him that they couldn’t find the key, he needed the locker number and sure enough no one remembered. After a while of concentrating and trying to remember, Greg could clearly see it in his mind. 929. He told the employee and they headed straight for locker #929. They opened it and to their misfortune. the locker was empty. Greg figured that some had stolen their stuff, the Beardo’s. When they stole the lounge chair they must have stolen the key too, right? Wrong, but Greg didn’t know that. By the time they get to the lounge chair the Beardo’s were gone. The only good news in the situation was that Frank had the keys to the van. By now, The Heffley’s had given up, they made their way back home. They were coming up on the motel they stayed in the first week, Greg noticed something insane; the Beardo family’s van! They sneaked into the Beardo family’s room and started their own little investigation. None of their belonging were in there so they left. They successfully make it home in one piece. While Greg was looking through his clothes, he found the key. The key to locker 292! He can either fess up to his parents and suffer the consequences, plant the key in Rodrick’s pile of laundry and let him take the blame, OR he can flush the key down the toilet and pretend nothing even happened. It’s a hard choice but, we’ll leave that up to him. 🙂
          This book reminds me of a roller coaster. It’s exciting, nerve wracking, and completely insane! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller. I can somewhat relate to the Heffley family. This summer my cousins, aunt, and I went to a pool and, no one had change for a locker. Being the prepared person I am, I brought some change just in case. We put our belongings in the locker and we closed it. I forget to take my shoes off so I open the locker and put my shoes in. I had to pay again to use the locker ( I had no change left over,). So if I needed change after, I wouldn’t have any due to my stupidity. If my family were in the same situation as the Heffley family, it would be a whole new story. I can imagine how frustrated they were, this book is intense! The perfect example of a road trip gone wrong, yet a fantastic story to tell to your grandchildren! 😀

  118. Copter says:

    Today I read a book called Travel team. I am on chapter 10 and so far its a pretty good book. Danny didn’t make the team so His dad decided to coach basketball, now they just need to get at least 8 members to play. If I was Dannie’s daddy I would make a Website (Join Our Team!).

  119. Liam says:

    i started a new book called the sea of monsters they went to a field of metal bulls the bull started to attack them they flighted back at them the bulls weren’t so happy so the hit one of the fighters he got knocked out

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for beginning this post Liam, I look forward to reading the rest of it when you post more details and connections about this week’s reading.

  120. Alison says:

    This week I am reading a book called, The Best Horse by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. This book is about a girl named Windy, she has a beautiful sorrel Quarter Horse gelding named, Kickapoo. Wendy wants to be a barrel racer, but her mom doesn’t want her to be. Wendy has know idea why. All she knows is her mom used to be a barrel racer. Wendy’s mom never told her that though, her friend did. When Wendy told her mom she knows her secret, she was shocked. Wendy’s mom brought out some photo albums of her barrel racing. She used to be the best of the best! Wendy found out that there was a rodeo coming up. But when she asked her mom if she could enter, she said no. I am thinking that something happened to Wendy’s mom that she did want Wendy to have to go though. I have made so many connections in this book so far, like Wendy wanting to be a barrel racer. Or the frustration of learning and practicing the barrels. I am very excited to find out what happens next and if Wendy get to go in the rodeo.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Alison, it’s great to see your writing skills gain strength with every post – well done! What do you suppose happened to Wendy’s mom?

      One other possible connection to discuss is when a parent tells a child ‘no’. Can you relate? How did Wendy handling being told no? Would you react in a similar fashion?

      • Alison says:

        This week I am reading a book called, The Best Horse by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. This book is about a girl named Windy, she has a beautiful sorrel Quarter Horse gelding named, Kickapoo. Wendy wants to be a barrel racer, but her mom doesn’t want her to be. Wendy has know idea why. All she knows is her mom used to be a barrel racer. Wendy’s mom never told her that though, her friend did. When Wendy told her mom she knows her secret, she was shocked. Wendy’s mom brought out some photo albums of her barrel racing. She used to be the best of the best! Wendy found out that there was a rodeo coming up. But when she asked her mom if she could enter, she said no. Wendy couldn’t believe it her mom was a barrel racer, why did she say no. Wendy was so upset she made a plan, to show her mom that she said the wrong answer and it should be yes, I could see myself doing this. I am thinking that something happened to Wendy’s mom like she got injured, disappointed, or something happened to her horse, etc. that she did want Wendy to have to go though. I have made so many connections in this book so far, like Wendy wanting to be a barrel racer. Or the frustration of learning and practicing the barrels. I am very excited to find out what happens next and if Wendy get to go in the rodeo.

        • Mr. Bell says:

          Thanks for sharing your story, Alison! Would this book be enjoyable for someone who doesn’t ride horses?

          Quick Fix:
          – no (none, no one) “Wendy has no idea…)

          • Alison says:

            This week I am reading a book called, The Best Horse by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. This book is about a girl named Windy, she has a beautiful sorrel Quarter Horse gelding named, Kickapoo. Wendy wants to be a barrel racer, but her mom doesn’t want her to be. Wendy has no idea why. All she knows is her mom used to be a barrel racer. Wendy’s mom never told her that though, her friend did. When Wendy told her mom she knows her secret, she was shocked. Wendy’s mom brought out some photo albums of her barrel racing. She used to be the best of the best! Wendy found out that there was a rodeo coming up. But when she asked her mom if she could enter, she said no. Wendy couldn’t believe it her mom was a barrel racer, why did she say no. Wendy was so upset she made a plan, to show her mom that she said the wrong answer and it should be yes, I could see myself doing this. I am thinking that something happened to Wendy’s mom like she got injured, disappointed, or something happened to her horse, etc. that she did want Wendy to have to go though. I have made so many connections in this book so far, like Wendy wanting to be a barrel racer. Or the frustration of learning and practicing the barrels. I am very excited to find out what happens next and if Wendy get to go in the rodeo.

  121. Colby says:

    My book this week is BONE: Out from Boneville Tribute Edition by Jeff Smith, which is pretty much the same as the regular version, but what’s different is it has acknowledgments and pictures in the in the back of the book, as well as artwork and a new poem made by the author and inspired comics. This book is about the main character Fone Bone also accompanied by his two cousins* escaping Boneville, their home town from an angry mob that is mad at Phoney Bone for messing up their president campaign. They eventually escape only to find themselves in a huge desert where the TRUE adventure begins. My favorite character is Smiley Bone, because he always looks on the bright side of things, hence the term “Smiley”. I also like him because he has that happy and naive type of personality. I would recommend this book to Savi because she is a big fan of the BONE series like me.

    *Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Well said, Colby, you’ve shared many details from your reading and some connections too! Add depth to your thoughts by providing examples: what situation did Smiley look on the bright side? Then, you can go deeper by comparing your sense of optimism/pessimism to Smiley’s. Anther enriching idea is to explain what you enjoy in happy and naive personalities.

    • Savi says:

      First time I’ve been mentioned in someone else’s reading reflection! Definitely will read this book sometime soon!

  122. Liam says:

    I continued reading the sea of monsters his friend got turned in to a cyclops by metal bull so they went to a healer he said i cant do any thing so they continued there journey.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      It’s good to see your continuing with your book, Liam. Now, to improve this reflection, add a connection related to the event you mentioned. For example, explain what it feels like when someone can’t help you?

      Quick Fix:
      – book titles are capitalized: The Sea of Monsters
      – I is always a capital letter

  123. alyssa says:

    I’m reading a book called Dark Lord a human boy returning to his rightful place in the dark land’s. The boy always got the dark lord’s name wrong so it called him Dirk Loyd and the dark lord will get mad at him and say that’s not my name my name is Dark Lord. The boy fell done somewhere and it took forever to hit the ground and the boy woke up the a strange place and he coughed and spat out a glob of black mucus. And after he woke up and he saw something the something came closer to him and he said what are you? I’m the Dark Lord the master of the legions of dread.

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for sharing some of the details from your book, Alyssa. The next step is to add some type of connection. For example, have you mistaken someone’s name before? You can also share your opinion of the book so far and explain what you like/dislike with reasons.

  124. jordyn says:

    ( number 9 )

    So I have now just finished the book Ice Drift written by Theodore Taylor. This book is the best book I have ever read, I have completely connected with it. So my last reading reflection I told you that Jamka and Alika were now on a ice drift and slowly moving away from there village Nunatuk and they have been stuck on there for 7 month’s, on the the third month there mother Maja got way to worried about them because they were suppose to be back in two weeks but it has been 3 months so I think that every mother in the world would also be worried in that situation. Now the mother has decided to go out and find them by her self, everybody tried to stop her but she kept saying” nothing is going to stop me from finding my kids” then she was off. After two weeks she still didn’t even know where they were, but she just kept on going on and on and on. After the two months she had been looking, she decided to give up and then went home. When she got there she felt so ashamed for giving up on her children. ( To be continued )

    • Mr. Bell says:

      It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed this book and put it on the top of your list of best books ever, Jordyn! I look forward to reading the continuation of your post when it’s ready. Including a quotation in your quotation is a great idea too! In the meantime, there are a few fixes to look at below. The main improvement is to recognize when a word sounds correct, but has the wrong meaning based on spelling.

      Also, here’s a link to explain how to format a quotation properly.

      Quick Fix:
      – way too worried (use too to say ‘very’ or ‘extremely’)
      – their mother (the mother belonging to them)
      – 7 months (a plural noun has no need for an apostrophe; it’s not a contraction or showing possession)
      – herself (one word)
      – they were supposed to be back

  125. Isabella says:

    I’m so happy I finally finished my book!
    Harry was rushed to the ground of Hogwarts with the Triwizard cup still clutched tightly in his hand. He didn’t let go, scared something might happen if he did. In a blurry sort of way, he saw Dumbledoor rush to him. He looked around and realized he was just outside of the maze. He gaze at him as if he were art. Professor Moody (Defences against the Dark Arts teacher) had come as well. ” I’ll take Harry.” “No.” said Dumbledoor quietly. “But-” “Stay here.” Moody ignored Dumbledoor and took Harry. Harry knew this was wrong, and tried to go back, but Moody was half carrying him. They soon entered the castle. Everything was still blurry. CLUNK!! CLUNK!! Harry knew that they were heading up they marble staircase. They came to a stop. Harry assumed they were in Moody’s office. “Here, take this.” mumbled Moody. Harry felt a glass get pushed to him. He took a sip, and his vision came back. “So the Death Eaters (Voldemort’s servants) came back?” asked Moody. “Did he forgive the scum that betrayed him and fled?” “What?” Harry asked. Moody raised his wand at Harry’s neck. “For the last time, did he forgive the person that fled to hiding when I fired the Dark Mark?” Harry thought. The Dark Mark!?! Only servants of Voldemort can fire his signal. “You’re a death eater!” Harry shouted. And out of nowhere, a blast of light shot through the window. It was Dumbledoor! Moody was shot and hit the ground paralysed. n Harry and Dumbledoor then had a HUGE discussion over the Dark Mark and Moody. “I was watching the whole thing.” Dumbledoor said calmly. “Now let’s see who Moody really is.” He cast a spell at Moody that made him
    I’m not finished!

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for the start, Isabella!

    • Isabella says:

      …..that made him transform. He oddly looked a lot like Mr. Crouch. “I am Crouch’s son: Barty.” He started to say. “I am a Death Eater.” Long story short, he was working for Voldemort because he and him had a lot in common. When the Dark Mark appeared, he stayed at Hogwarts so nobody suspected him. He also desired to make Voldemort proud. “And now, since Voldemort failed to kill you, I shall! I will be the most valued Death Eater he has ever known! I will soon rule the world with Voldemort and kill anyone that get’s in our way!” He tried to cast a spell, but before anything, Dumbledoor paralised him once more. He noticed a treasure chest in the back of the room. There was seven locks on it, and to Harry, it would be impossible to open. But, to his surprise, Dumbledoordoor broke every lock with one charm. At the bottom of the chest lay a man, skinny and cold. It was a peg-less Moody! Dumbledoor pulled him out and rushed him to the hospital wing. Harry followed and was pulled into a bed. Everyone left and Harry fell asleep.
      The next week he packed his bags and headed down to the Great Hall (“cafeteria”) and met with Ron and Hermione. Dumbledoor announced the house winner: Gryffindor! They also did a prayer to Cedric. When they finished breakfast, they started down to the train to go home. Before Harry got on, Fleur and Krum came to thank him for saving her little sister and always being a good friend.
      On the ride home, they talked about heading to Ron’s house for the summer and how much fun it would be to threaten Dudley (Harry’s cousin) with spells.
      This chapter reminded me of when my parents woke me up at 6:00am to go to the hospital for my sick sister. Everything was blurry and I wasn’t sure what was going on. The next book is called Order of the Pheonix, and I think it’ going to be about Dumbledoor’s pet Pheonix: Fawks. They will go on another adventure but only Fawks will be able to keep going. Also, I would love to go to my friends house for the summer instead of going to a mean Uncle that makes you do all the work because it would be so much more fun and less tiring. Hope to read the next book soon!!

      • Mr. Bell says:

        Thanks for the follow up to your post, Isabella. Are you planning to get right to reading the next book or are your going to take a break and read something else? You’ve done a great job retelling many details from the book. For your next post, try to invest more time in your reflection part of your writing and less on the retelling. This post starts some insightful connections, but does not go into great depths. For example, you could talk about the fun things you would do at your friend’s house – probably not threatening others with spells but something fun and mischievous just the same?

        Quick Fix:
        – the house belonging to my friend = my friend’s house (use an apostrophe to show possession)

  126. kailen says:

    I am reading SPIDERWICK by Simon & Schuster. It’s about two twins and an older sister, when there father left them and so they had to move out. The mother asked her grandma to borrow her old house. One of the twins hear scratching in the wall so at night he grabs a broom and smashes the to find a dumbwaiter which leads to a secret library where he finds a book about fairies and brings it back to his brother but he doesn’t be leave him. That’s where I stop my reflection is the brother will be walking around the house and hear the scratching, The thing in the wall will pop out and scare him. Then he will go running to his brother and say “I sat it”

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for you post, Kai, you’ve shared a few details from the story, but your reflection needs more depth to it. For example, you could predict how the twins felt when they had to move out. Similarly, you could add your reactions and connections to noises in the night, or what it would be like to find a secret room in a house.

      Quick Fix:
      – their father (use ‘their’ to show something belongs to them)
      – one of the twins heard (or hears)
      – believe (not be leave)

    • kailen says:

      I am reading SPIDERWICK by Simon & Schuster. It’s about two twins and an older sister, when there father left them and so they had to move out. The mother asked her grandma to borrow her old house. One of the twins hear scratching in the wall so at night he grabs a broom and smashes the wal to find a dumbwaiter which leads to a secret library where he finds a book about fairies and brings it back to his brother but he doesn’t be leave him. That’s where I stopped, my reflection is the brother will be walking around the house and hear the scratching, then the thing in the wall will pop out and scare him. Then he will go running to his brother and say “I saw it”

      • kailen says:

        I am still reading SPIDERWICK, So my prediction was wrong what append was the brother how found the book [Jared] found out what it actually was it is a “Brownie” when it’s mad it turns in to a “Bogut” like the Hulk. He shows his brother the picture and surprisingly he be leaves him. When he broke the that he destroyed his nest so they take down one of the bird houses and makes it a tiny little home. Jared goes up the dumbwaiter and places it on a table. A week later they go back up the dumbwaiter and the come to see the bed is messy and there’s crumbs in it. Then they hear a little voice and the turn around and the see the brownie and they all scream and go down the dumbwaiter. That’s where I stopped, my reflection is that the kids will come to their senses and talk to the brownie and they’ll learn about the book.

  127. Madison says:

    I am reading another minecraft book called Master The Mods the unofficial guide. This book I have had for while now and thought that it would be a great book to do a reading reflection about, so that is why I’m righting about it. I really like this book because you get to see what kind of mods people have made, but some of my favourites are DecoCraft by ProfMobius RazzleberryFox Noppes and the DecoCraft team, The Twilight Forest by Benimatic, and my all time favourite is Mr. Crayfish Furniture Mod by
    Mr. Crayfish. It is my favourite because I love that it adds a bunch of items like chairs, couches, tables, ovens, toilets, showers, and so much more plus I have seen a bunch of YouTubers that have done mod reviews on it and it looks really awesome. But I can’t get any of the mod until I get Minecraft on the computer. I like that for every mod it gives you a bunch of info for every mod, like it shows you who it’s by, what the mods is about, and it shows you some images and a few other things. If I was a mod creater I would make a mod that adds animals or a mod that adds random items that you can use. If I was the creator of the book I would try to add a few more modes and explain a bit more on how many items each mod adds. I think that this book could be by the same person that made the other Minecraft book that I made some reading reflections about called The Big Book Of Building, Mod & Circuits the unofficial guide because some of the things are the same and they are both a unofficial guide. If I made a book about Minecraft mods I would make it about some of the mods that I really like that I have seen Minecraft reviews on by some of my favourite YouTubers like, DanTDM, Ssundee, ThinkNoodles and CaptinSparkles and it would show you how to download mods, and what I think about the mods. For my next reading reflection I hope that I can do it on this book but if not I sill what to read this book because I really like it and think that it is super cool and interesting, plus has a bunch of cool information on all of the mods in the book. 🙂

    • Mr. Bell says:

      Thanks for your post, Madison, you’ve done well to combine details from the book and your own ideas and opinions. Do you find that these guides are often present the same information with only a few differences between the books in the series?

      Quick Fix:
      – writing (righting means to fix something that is wrong)

  128. Noah says:

    My book is Everest by “No author identified”, in it you decided what to do it is one of those adventure novels where it lets you control the story, basically you go on this trip to Mount Everest and go through all these choices if you chose wrong you either or you don’t achieve the ultimate success. The ultimate success was if you climb to the top of Everest and make it down safely without anyone dying or getting seriously hurt. (hint: if you have to choice between apple pie or dal bhat chose dal bhat)

  129. Savi says:

    Hello! I was exploring Google Drive, and I came across Google Forms! I decided to make a “Quest” , I’m not sure if it’s going to work or not. (Just for fun, do not take too seriously) And I’m still learning so if you don’t get a response then you know I haven’t figured it out yet. Here’s the link: http://goo.gl/forms/xRXN48pTxJ

  130. Kionnawells says:

    Today I took out the book called Mailda Ilove this alot book I have’t read this sense like grade four. so I Found it and thught way not read it well eny wase.when Mailda is about a little girl named Matilda who was born in a family who did not care about her a lot . And when her brother went to school dad went sell bad cars for Unfare prises and mom went play bingo Matilda stayed home alone .she was like three and she would cook her self pancakes and walk a lone to the library every day then when she was like six she finally went to school. she was a so smart just from reading books I remember when I was around seven I would read books a lot but then. when my mom bought me a iPod that’s when every thing changed I got addicted to music and stuff so books are not my one of my favourite things to do eny more being series.

  131. Savi says:

    Part 1:

    Hello! Last week (and continued on to this week) I read Speechless, by Jennifer Mook-Sang. In this book there is a boy named Joe, most people call him Jelly because his initials are J.A.M, his best friend’s name is Parker, there is also a girl named Sam, and a girl named Victoria. There is an annual school speech competition on the topic of your choice. There has never been an actual prize for the competition, but this year there’s a catch. There is a prize, and that one prize is fantastic! The prize is a tablet, completed with the coolest accessories and a game controller. Parker and his family always help out at the local food bank. Parker has to go out of town for hockey, Sam asks Jelly to help her out. It’s almost Thanksgiving, the food bank is going to be extremely busy. Jelly agrees to help out. On Saturday morning Sam and Mrs. Brown (Parker & Sam’s mom) pick up Jelly from his house and make their way down to the food bank. Jelly actually quite enjoys it there so he helps out every week.

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