Welcome back! I hope you had the summer of your dreams! Did you sleep in? Did you go on a vacation? Did you read any books (besides The Outsiders?) What? Read? Yes! I'd like to get to know you a bit, so in the comments below, tell me about your summer, and what you read. What does your book log look like? Make sure you mention one book, article, or even a menu you read (please tell me you read something else!) Give me a short summary of your favorite piece, whatever it was and tell me if you liked it... or not...
In your second paragraph, tell me your thoughts about your required summer reading, The Ousiders.
Bryan D. Over the summer I slept in, did a lot of swimming and hanging out with friends. I read The Outsiders as soon as I could, and finished it in two days. I got sucked into the book because I had never read anything like it before, it was interesting and full of suspense. Over the summer I also read an interesting article about Curiosity the Mars rover because things about science interest me I liked it.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before I enjoyed reading the outsiders the author did a very good job of making the story sound real and this adds effect because I could picture everything the Author wrote. She also includes a great amount of suspense in the book to keep you wondering what is going to happen next this is why I could not put the book down.
Brian and Carter, I agree with both of you that this book was very hard to put down and was very entertaining
DeleteI agree with Bryan. I could clearly picture everything the author wrote. It made it seem more like a movie than a book because it was so entertaining and impossible to put down.
DeleteI slept in a lot and had a lot of fun playing sports. I hung out with friends alot over the summer, and finished the outsiders on my freetime. I read as much as I could when I wasn't busy with sports or friends.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders seemed like a book purposfully made to keep you reading and relate to your eeveryday life. I loved reading the book and enjoyed thinking about the quistions being asked in the summer homework. It kept me wondering and had me hooked from the first page I read the author used words that anyone could understand and I had no trouble with it.
This summer I stayed up Late and slept in late. I went on vacation to my cabin in Wisconsin. My book log is pretty empty. I did read a lot of menu's though. My favorite piece was when my burger came out.
DeleteThis book was very entertaining because it was based on people just a couple years older than me. I think that I, and many other people can relate to this book because most people don't like to confess that they did something wrong.
I agree with Dustin W. because I think because the book was about kids our age it did engage us more. It is also true that most people are scared and feel bad if they confess something that they did wrong.
DeleteI agree that the book was entertaining and it being based on people around our age and older than us helped me understand the book better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carter because as the book was based on kids around out age it made it easier to understand and picture what was happening. Also, we typically tend to like reading things that we can relate to and we can do that easier if there are kids around our age going through some of the same things that we are right now.
DeleteThis summer I hung out a lot with my friends. We usually went to valleyfair or went swimming in my pool. Softball ended late June an Soccer started about mid August so I was busy with that for a bit of my summer. If I wasn't hanging out with my friends or playing sports I was usually reading. My favorite book that I read this summer was The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks. I liked it because it was realistic fiction and that is typically my favorite kind of books to read. My book log is also fairly full.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading The Outsiders because it kept my attention the entire time. There was never a time where I couldn't understand something and I thought it was perfect for eight graders. The author also described the scenes very well and I could easily picture what was happening.
I agree with Brooke. I also thought that it was perfect for eight graders and that the author described scenes very well.
DeleteI agree with Brooke that that The Outsiders is easy to understand what the characters were feeling. I also agree that the author describes things excelently.
DeleteMackenzie H. This summer I stayed up late at night and slept late into the day. I went up and visited Leech Lake for my vacation, and I went down to Iowa a few times to visit my grandparents and other family members. This summer I read many, many menu's and I started reading the first book in The Pretty Little Liars series. All summer I was busy with softball and volleyball and that had to of been the highlight of my summer.
ReplyDeleteOverall I really liked The Outsiders. I felt that even though I would normally never even think to have picked up that book but it really kept me engaged in it, and made me keep on reading more.
I definitely agree that I wouldn't have picked this book either. I did also feel that it was interesting and made me want to read more of it.
DeleteThis summer, I went to valleyfair, hung out with friends, slept in, and went to Colorado and to my cabin. I read three books this summer.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed The Outsiders. It always had something happening, so I didn't get bored with it. The way the author described things also really made me be able to picture it in my mind.I also thought that it had a good message. My favorite book that I read this summer was Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I thought that it was a very good ending to The Hunger Games series. I'm looking forward to the movie Catching Fire.
I agree with you carleigh the outsiders was easy to picture and had a good message. I really liked the hunger Games too!
DeleteI agree with Carleigh, the author of The Outsiders used really good words to help picture the book in my mind, which made the book easier to understand.
DeleteThis summer I did a lot of camping, reading, and listening to music. I read 27 books this summer, so my book list is very full! My favorite book i read this summer was Nevermore by James Patterson. It is about a group of mutant kids fighting evil scientist, while trying to save the world from the impending apocolyps and the deadly bird flu virus.It's the last book in my favorite book series so i loved it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the Outsiders beacuse it was an easy but attention grabbing book. I think that lots of us 8th graders liked it because the kids like ponyboy are close in age to us, and because it was very intresting. i like how it was descriptive and everything was easy to picture.Although i was very sad when Johnny died. It was a really cool book and i liked it a lot better than the movie.
I agree with you because it was very interesting knowing that they were close to our age and they had to go through that. And it was pretty sad when Johnny died!!!
DeleteThis summer I went to alaska and a couple of camps. I also slept in and stayed up late a lot. I hung out with my friends and went to my cabin too. I did read a couple books over the summer and my book log has a few books on it. My favorite one was The Last Song. I really liked it because it was realistic fiction so it was easier to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI really liked The Outsiders. It was very interesting to read about the characters lifestyle and see ho different it was from mine. They were all very close to our age so it was easy to relate to them. I don't usually read these kinds of books but I really enjoyed it.
Did you also watch the movie version of The Last Song?
DeleteI agree that it was easier to relate because the character were around our age, and it was a suprise to me too that I liked the book so much because although I read realistic fiction, nothing like this.
DeleteOver the summer I hung out with my friends a lot. We went to Valleyfair, slept over at each other's houses and went swimming. I did spend time with my family though. I also did read a lot and filled up my book log plus another sheet. My favorite books to read were by Sarah Dessen. She is a very talented writer so I enjoy her books a lot.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders was a pretty good book. What made it good was that I could actually picture it in my head like it was a movie. I really enjoyed that I could relate to them by not wanting to tell someone something that could get me in trouble. I also really liked the name choice, especially Sodapop! :)
*Also, my name is not capitalized only because it wouldn't let me type my name in and apparently I didn't capitalize my name when I made my google account. I'm really sorry!!!
I agree you really could picture it in your head, (And I like the creative name choices too.)
DeleteThis summer I went to my cabin and spent time with my friends. We went to Valley Fair and hung out at each other's house. I also went to South Dakota in August with my family. I read a couple books this summer. My favorite was The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen. I really liked this book because it was very easy to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the Outsiders. It really kept my attention and I could relate to the characters in the book since they were almost the same age as us. I could also imagine what was going on in the book well in my head. I would totally recommend this book to anyone.
I agree with you, it was really easy to picture what was going on in the book in your head!
DeleteThis summer I spent a lot of my time on the lake and went tubing with my friends. I also went to Valleyfair and took dance classes at my studio. I read the second book in the Maze Runner Trilogy by James Dashner and I am currently reading the third one. James is one of my favorite authors. I had a lot of fun this summer!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading The Outsiders. I thought that the characters were very unique and the author made it feel like you knew them. It was easy to connect to the characters and to follow along with the plot. I ususally read books that fall under the same genre and I really liked it!
Hi Angelia! I completely agree with your analysis of the book. I agree in the fact that the character were so relatable; yet different from us. I loved reading your post! Bye:)
DeleteHi Mrs. McDermott! This summer many days I slept in but, I did wake up early a few days out of the blue!! Weird right? This summer I didn't take a vacation! But, last year I took a family road trip to the Black Hills! I got to see Mount Rushmore it was so awesome! :) I read Speak by: Laurie Halse Andersen. It was a fantastic read and really opened my eyes to Young Adult Literature! My "Book Log" is somewhat empty (Yikes!) Speak is about a girl named Melinda a freshman starting high school, the book alludes to something that happened to Melinda over the summer but you don't really know what... yet. But, whatever Melinda did got her pushed down the "High School Food Chain" to the bottom. Even her best friends are abandoning her! Later in the book you find out... READ THE BOOK TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders was a book I just could not put down!!! When I read it I started at 9PM and finished at 3AM!! This book was so amazing because it was about self-discovery not just in the book, but about yourself! While reading this exciting novel I began to reflect on how I felt on the journey of this book! It was just mind blowing how well the author captured emotions.
See You Tomorrow!
Emma
Hey Emma! I agree the book was hard to put down!! I also thought that the author captured the emotions that the people were feeling, so then you could really relate and understand what they were going through.
DeleteThis summer was relaxing. I did a lot of small but fun things. I made a bench for our front yard. I also went to Ely and Grand Marais, Minnesota. While we were in Grand Marais, we went on a sailboat in Lake Superior. We went to a Twins game and went on my Grandpa’s fishing boat. I went swimming in the lake.
ReplyDeleteOther than the Outsiders, I finished three other books. My favorite was The Lost Hero. It is about three teenagers who travel America to help save the world. Jason lost his memory and has flying and lightning powers. Leo is great with building and machines, and he has fire power. Piper has the ability to convince people easily to do what she wants them to do. They fight giants and evil dead people.
The Outsiders is a great book. It helps that the characters are our age. It has a lot of suspense and kept me reading. The book also has a great message that can still apply to our time even though it was written in the mid-1900’s. It is a great book for our age to read.
I agree with you that it is very suspenseful and keeps you into the book- you want to know what will happen next!
DeleteI had a fun-packed summer. I hung out with lots of my friends and went to Valley Fair too. My family had fun at my cabin in Wisconsin. There, we like to swim, tube and boat. I read a couple of good books this summer. My favorite is Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen. The main character was around my age, so it made the book very easy to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI really love the Outsiders. I didn't think I was going to like it, but once I started reading it, I couldn't stop! I even cried while reading it. It made me realize how fortunate I am.
I agree! The descriptions really made me imagine their situations. We never really think of how lucky we are most of the time, or how different our lives would be if we were in different circumstances.
DeleteHi Camille and Grace! I agree with both of you. The book made me realize how fortunate I was to have a roof over my head, and parents that care about me a lot. I agree too with you Camille about how we don't think about how much we have. It's like that one song
Delete"Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know how much you got till' it's gone". Sorry that was kind of random but I thought it was on topic ha ha :).
Over the summer I went camping several times in our family's trailer. We had a lot of fun! I also went to Valley Fair a few times with my brothers or my friends. I slept in until my little sister finally got bored and came to get me, which was usually around ten a.m. I read some, all though not as much as I usually do. My book log is almost full. The best thing I read all summer (besides The Outsiders) was Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I finished in two days. I found myself sucked in because it made think about what might happen to the human race a few decades into the future. In the book parents can opt to have their child "unwound" which basically means that they're taken apart body part by body part. It was very interesting but at the same time made me so sad to think that parent's thought that it was actually okay to do that to anyone much less their own children.
ReplyDeleteI found The Outsiders very interesting and it kept my attention. I literally could not put it down. I finished it in two days. While I found it relatable because the characters were so close in age, I also found it unrelatable due to the fact that typically kids our age, at least in our community, aren't so brutally harrassed for anything. Despite that, I thought The Outsiders was very well written and I would definitely recommend it to a friend or even my parents.
Hi Mimi,
DeleteWhen you said it was unrelatable I don't get what you really meant. Where the setting took place (and this book's year was set before our time), times were really tough for some people. If you had also read the about the author, she explained that the gangs (not the events) were real, so what I am stating that even though we don't get this type of harassment doesn't mean it has never happened to others
Hey Casey,
DeleteI realize that but to me personally I couldn't relate to it from that aspect of the story line. I have never been that brutally harassed in my life so it made it hard for me to relate to what the characters were going through at that time.
My summer was quite eventful. Suprisingly instaed of staying home I actually got to go places. For example my cousins moved to Michigan (i miss them), so my family drove to visit them. But let me say 8 hours to Chicago in a car with 2 sisters crammed in the back with you is anything but comfortable. I got to visit
ReplyDeleteChicago for the first time though, and I thought it was amazing. I got to try Gino's famous deep dish pizza, it was amazing. I also got to go on a 15 story high ferris wheel. I read quite a few books over the summer. I think my favorite was Runaway by Meg Cabot. I just loved reading it and it kept me reading from suspense throughout the whole book.
My opinion on The Outsiders is, I really enjoyed it. Although I had read the book in 6th grade (my older sister was in 8th and had read it at the time), but now I feel as if I had a deeper understanding and comprehension of what was happening. I also watched the moovie after I had read it (Matt Dillon as Dally was my favorite actor), and I think they potrayed the book well.
i agree! i read it a few years ago, i didn't quite grasp the plot until i re-read it now. I've never seen the movie but dally is definitely my favorite character.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had a great summer! I went to a lot of camps and went to my cabin in northern Minnesota over the fourth of July. I also started Cross Country Running this summer with my friend Amy. I read many books over the summer,my favorite one being Smiles To Go by Jerry Spinelli it was a very fun book to read.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I went to Mexico at the end of June, went to my cabin a couple times and hung out with friends a lot! This summer I read a couple of books by Jenny Han. I've never have heard of this author but I just grabbed one of her books because I needed something to read on the plane ride. I actually enjoyed the book. The first one I ready by her was We'll Always Have Summer. It's a realistic fiction book what is easy to relate to and has a good story.
ReplyDeleteWhen my sister was in 8th grade she enjoyed The Outsider, so I hoped I would too. Even though The Outsiders is a book that I usually don't go for, I really enjoyed it! I liked how it gave a good really gave a good story about how you have to stay strong even when it's hard.
I agree with allie because the outsiders isn't really something I would go for either.
DeleteMaddie larson
I had a very good summer. I inner-tubed down Apple River and camped out on the other at the end. The next day we drove to Taylors Falls and went hiking. Finally we canoed down the St. Croix River and camped out on an island which was a lot of fun. We also went to Chicago later in the summer and stayed with my uncle. All the food we had there was very,very good but my favorite had to be the deep dish pizza.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the Outsiders because I never knew what was coming next. The characters were very diverse and similar to each other in their own way so that kept everything interesting. It had a good mix of suspense, drama, and action to keep me reading. It was overall a very good book.
I agree with Dylan. The fact that the characters were so different, yet so the same to each other, gave the book a new feeling. The action, as Dylan mentioned, really grabbed me when I came across the 'murder' part of the story.
DeleteI agree with Dylan. The book was full of surprises and there was a very good mix of personalities that made it extremely interesting. They were all so different but their close brother-like relationships were so similar. Also as Dylan said, there was a ton of suspense, drama, and action which I love!
DeleteWe stayed close to home for most of the summer, but I had so much fun hanging out with all my friends. For my younger sister's birthday, we went to Wisconsin Dells and visited my cousins. During the long car trip there and back, I had a chance to put all my unread books to good use. One of the books I read was Divergent by Veronica Roth. It's about a girl named Beatrice who lives in a society where each citizen is organized into a "faction" and when she discovers she doesn't belong to any of them, she learns how corrupt the system is and chooses to fight against it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, The Outsiders was a little hard to get into for me, at the beginning. I wasn't really a fan of huge descriptions, but these sort of grew on me. They painted a really clear picture of what was going on. The suspense kept me flipping pages, and I couldn't put it down. I thought it was a great book for our age group.
Hi Camille! I agree with you that it was a little hard to get into, and that it was very descriptive. I also think that it was a perfect book for our age group and really made you think of how good we have it nowadays.
DeleteI agree Dustin the fact that they were about are age did make it much more interesting. I could connect to some of ther decisions and feeling and see why they made the decisions some of them did
ReplyDeleteThis summer I went to camp in Amery, Wisconsin. At camp I went tubing down the apple river, rock climbing, and canoeing. This summer I read The Outsiders, Along for the Ride and started Heaven is for Real. My favorite piece this summer would be The outsiders because I hadn't read anything like it.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts at first about The Oustsiders was that it was hard to get into. But once I got into it I enjoyed it. I thought that the book was at your level that we could understand it.
Maddie Larson
(Got it to work thanks to Dad)
ReplyDeleteThis summer was fairly uneventful. Most of the time I was either swimming, hanging with my friends, or sitting on my bed playing video games on my laptop. My summer wasn't entirely filled with reading, but I did re-read the book Gone, by Michael Grant. Its a VERY good book and I highly reccommend it to anyone.
The Outsiders was a very unique and interesting book to read. The fact that they used a new type of character not commonly used, the 'greasers' gave the book a fresh, different feeling. I can't relate to the book much, being the honest, trustable person I am. However, I can relate to the part of hiding the crime, such as taking another cookie after I was told not too.
This summer I didn't do much that was too exciting, I went on a family trip to the Wisconsin Dells in the middle of July. Other than that I really just slept a lot and hung out with friends, and sadly i got really sick in the beginning of August that was kind of a bummer! This summer I read The Outsiders, of course, a bunch of Teen Vogue magazines, and I read a little short stories in my free time. My favorite piece was The Outsiders.
ReplyDeleteI really didn't expect to like The Outsiders that much, but I ended up really enjoying it. It was interesting to read something that was set in a very different year where many things are different. I think that it's not too hard to comprehend, but gives you a lot to think about.
For most it the summer I was in Illinois with my dad's side of he family. I've been going there every summer since I was eight years old. Usually my cousin and I go to the same summer camp but this year I went to a different camp. I also went to an away camp in wisconson for a week where we did a lot of outdoor activities. also hung out with firends and enjoyed sleeping in on the weekends and when camp was over.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Outsiders. Nothing was left out in the book, everything was explained in detail. Not just detail in imagry but also in emotion. It touched down on how gangs really were and havent changed much. Fist fights may turn into fights using only guns but it's still all the same. Two groups that their rank in society determinds their superiorty. Usually books with so much discription aren't the best but Outsiders just flowed and kept me turning pages.
My summer was jam packed full of boating, hanging out with friends, and dance! In July I went to dance nationals in the Wisconsin Dells and I had an amazing time having fun in the water parks and performing on stage. I also spent a lot of time with family at the cabin and with my friends at Valleyfair. I also went to camp, which was an incredible experience that I will remember forever.
ReplyDeleteI finished one book other than the Outsiders this summer. I finished Shiver which was a pretty good book but I am currently reading Divergent which is phenomenal. I've actually read a lot of it on my dock, it's my favorite spot to read because it is just so relaxing to just soak up the sun and dive into your book by the lake.
The Outsiders was an awesome book in my opinion. Certain parts definitely made me cringe, bit my nails, and almost cry. The book was written in a way that was very easy for me to understand, so that let me enjoy the book so much better. There were certain characters that I could relate to and I found it very interesting to see the decisions they made. I loved the plot and how each detail of the book was explained.
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ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. M! Sorry the blog wasn’t working for me so I tried to get it in A.S.A.P today. This summer was a lot of fun. I went to Florida, a concert, and just enjoyed sleeping in and hanging out with my friends. I read a couple of books this summer and I think that my log is looking pretty full:). I did read The Lying Game this summer and I loved that. It's about a girl (who actually has a long lost twin sister) who has to fill in for her twin sister (she got killed) thanks to the mysterious person who killed her. All in the while her dead twin sister has to watch. Sorry I’m not good at explaining...
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders was great! I at first had my doubts about it since it’s not always a book I would read but after Ponyboy, and Johnny ran away I was hooked. I actually finished it in a day! It was a very good "coming of age" book and I enjoyed it a ton. It left me thinking and relating to how we still have these issues with gangs, violence, and bullying, still today. But all in all I enjoyed the book.:)
i slept in a lot, spent time with friends, family and a ton of puppies! I'm friends with a golden retriever breeder, her name is Roz. she brings me and my family along to play with her puppies. i vacationed in water-town, South Dakota to visit family, as well as visited my grandparents in Ashly, North Dakota. i read a bunch this summer, to the point I'm not sure how many books i finished, i typically read fantasy, futuristic, or realistic fiction. i love to read!
ReplyDeletei adored outsiders, it was a change to my common genres. i definitely had my suspicions about the book. turns out i was totally wrong! the book was so captivating, i fell in love with the characters (ponyboy, dallas and sodapop). the plot was amazing! i finished it in about three hours. when i was done with it, i was left pondering what i would have done if i were in their shoes.