Jaslyn+Clark

I have finished __House Rules__ and it was PHENOMENAL!!! I soooooo recommend it! If you've never read anything by Jodi Picoult, you should, she's AWESOME!! The end was something I had a little bit of a hunch about, but it was still nothing out right in the open that they had previously covered. It was great! :) Now I'm reading __The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven__ by Kevin and Alex Malarkey. I had previously read __Heaven is For Real__ which is also a story about a boy's trip to Heaven and back, so I decided to read this one as well.  __CHARACTERS:__ Kevin is Alex's dad, he is the one who's driving when they get into the accident that sends Alex into a coma. Kevin really comes face to face with his faith during this time and is exposed to the true wonders of God's healing grace during this trying period of his life. Alex, is the the little boy who is injured. When he's out of a coma, he tells of his experiences in heaven during the time of his coma. The story is told from the points of view of Kevin and Alex, it's really neat! I don't know a whole lot about Alex yet, because where I'm at, Alex is still in a coma, but the book still recounts his experiences in Heaven, so it gets a little confusing. Beth is Alex's mom. Her and her husband face difficult times in their marriage while they try to balance their life while their oldest son is in a coma in the hospital and they have three younger children who they feel their attention has been taken away from. They don't talk a whole lot about Beth, but she plays a vital role in the story. William is Kevin's dad. He is traveling when the accident occurs, but comes home as soon as possible. William plays an important role in the story because he is extremely important to Kevin. In the part that I was reading last night, Kevin talks about the importance of his father's advice in his life, especially during this situation. __SUMMARY:__ The book is about a little boy, Alex, who is critically injured when he's in a car accident with his dad, Kevin. Alex spends months in a coma. While the doctor's continue to tell his parents that they don't think he'll make it, Kevin and Beth, along with the people who continue to pray for Alex, believe that God will heal their son. When Alex comes out of his coma, he recounts his experiences in Heaven with God. It is a remarkable story that really made me think a little more thoroughly about my faith and what happens after death, or in this case, when you're faced with death. __DISSCUSSION OF CLASSMATES' READING:__ I read Danielle's blog on __Tomorrow__ by Graham Swift. It sounds really interesting, just her summaries kind of pulled me in. I definitely think I will need to read it sometime. I think the part that gets me most about her blog is how the mother is keeping a secret. I'd be curious to find out what it is, and I think that something as mysterious as that really adds to the suspense of a book. She said that it's written in WWII times and I normally don't read books like that, but I think it would be interesting. __WIKI REFLECTIONS:__ I've enjoyed our classes Wikispaces about because it gives me a chance to reflect on my reading. It also gives me a chance to see what the other people in my class are reading.
 * May 20, 2011**

I am nearing the last couple chapters of __House Rules__ and let me tell you, it is INTENSE!!! Ah! I can't wait to get to the end and FINALLY know what really happened! The suspense is almost killing me :) The biggest "drama" right now is that Emma and Oliver (Jacob's mom and his lawyer, crazy, I know!) spent the night together. That next morning when Emma got home, her ex-husband, Henry, was there! It was super shocking! (I know I told you that in my last blog.) But anyways, they went to Jacob's trial, all five of them and things got a little weird when they got home and Oliver told Emma he wanted to "go over her testimony with her" and ended up kissing her. Needless to say, Jacob saw the whole thing and flipped!! The rest I'm going to leave a mystery because I don't want to give the whole thing away :) If you've never read anything by Jodi Picoult, I definitely recommend you read something by her! I would start with __My Sister's Keeper__ because it's my favorite :) But read the book before you see the movie, it's better :)
 * April 29, 2011**

I am reading __House Rules__ by Jodi Picoult. I have almost finished the book and it has gotten really good! Picoult is constantly leaving you with suspense as to how it will turn out. I read quite a few chapters since my last blog, though I am not sure how many pages exactly. Where I'm at in the book now, there are still in the middle of Jacob's trial. Jacob reveals a little insight to you, but not to everyone else as to what went on, but it only leaves you with more questions. I've been sitting on the edge of my seat this entire time. There is a turn of events where the focus shifts from Jacob's trial to Emma, Jacob's mom, and Oliver's, Jacob's lawyer, budding romance. It takes an even bigger shift when Jacob's father, Henry, shows up to accompany them to the trial; a man who has not been in their lives since Jacob was diagnosed with Asperger's. Not only do I now have questions about the trial outcome, I'm wondering what will happen with Emma and Oliver. As I near the end of the book, I've started to predict my own ending to it, but then I read the next page and it all changes. Picoult's suspense is what makes it so hard to put down.
 * April 18, 2011**

I'm reading __House Rules__ by Jodi Picoult. I'm not sure how much I've read this week, but I didn't read as much as I normally do because this week must have been "Load on the Homework and Tests". I had LOTS of tests and EVEN MORE homework!! It was crazy! So not as much, but still some. Two quotes I like from this book are by Jacob and his mother, Emma. "I never imagined that at the time that Henry (Jacob's father) wouldn't be able to love anything other than me--not even a baby he'd made. I never imagined that all that passion between us would pool beneath the tangled threads of Jacob's genetic code, waiting for just the perfect storm to dig in its roots, to burst and blossom into autism." -Emma Hunt I really like this quote because it kind of tells the story of everything Emma's been through in a nut shell. When they found out Jacob had autism, their world fell apart; their lives changed. In the midst of all this, Henry, Jacob's father, deserted them when they needed him most and now has a new family. "There's a lot about Jess I won't forget. Like the way her fingernails were painted with sparkly purple polish that day. And how she hated barbecue sauce. How she laughed, it wasn't a tiny, delicate thing but a sound that came from her belly. So much time is spent with people superficially. You remember all the fun you had but nothing specific. I'll never forget anything about her." -Jacob Hunt I like this quote because it brings out a side of Jacob that you don't see very often, his sentimental side. I like how he describes Jess and especially the part at the end: "So much time is spent with people superficially. You remember all the fun you had but nothing specific." It's little things like these that make me think that there isn't a way that Jacob could have killed Jess if he felt this way about her. It's little things like these that make it so hard to put this book down, they constantly leave you guessing as to what really happened when Jess was killed. It's captivating. You are left to put the pieces together until Picoult reveals what really did happen. I love this book, the characters, the story line. It's really interesting. It makes you realize how lucky you are and how easy it is to overlook simple details.
 * April 1, 2011**

About halfway through third quarter I started the book __House Rules__ by Jodi Picoult. I got this book from my mother for Christmas. I asked for this book because it is by my favorite author, Jodi Picoult. I have yet to find a book written by her that I don't like. Like I've said in previous blogs, it is about a boy, Jacob Hung, who is eighteen-years-old and has Asperger's syndrome. Jacob struggles with day to day life like making eye contact, having his foods touch, being near the color orange, being touched, etc. Jacob's family is shoved into a world of questions when Jacob becomes the main suspect in the murder of his social skills tutor, Jess Ogilvy. I'm getting towards the end of the book and they're in the middle of Jacob's trial. His behavior because of his Asperger's looks like guilt, but certain things Jacob says makes it seem like there's more to the story than what you may think. There are a thousand questions running through my mind as I read this: //Did Jacob really do it? Or was it Mark, Jess's boyfriend? Could Jacob's brother, Theo, have something to do with it? What will happen to Jacob if he's convicted? He can't go back to jail.. Will Jacob's dad try to help? What really happened to Jess?// Jodi Picoult writes with a suspense that keeps you reading until the very last word.
 * March 23, 2011**

*Jacob Hunt is the protagonist in the book __House Rules__ by Jodi Picoult. He has Asperger's syndrome which is a form of Autism where he has to follow a strict schedule such as they eat yellow food on Monday's, green food on Tuesday's, etc. and he has to watch Crimebuster's at 4:30 every day. He struggles with social skills and has an obsession with crime scene analysis. Jacob has a tutor who is a high school student who meets with him once a week to work on his social skills. *Emma Hunt is Jacob's mother. She was married to the boys' father, but when things got tough with Jacob, he left them behind. Emma struggles every day to balance Jacob and his needs, along with his very strict schedule, with her other son and what he needs. Emma, whether she realizes it or not, seems to favor Jacob, not necessarily because she loves him more, but because he "needs" her more, even as an 18-year-old. *Theo Hunt is Jacob's younger brother. Theo gets lost in the mix of Jacob's strict schedule and daily needs. Theo finds himself breaking into people houses visualizing that he lives there. He finds himself as an outcast when people don't give him a chance and he automatically becomes "the weird boy's brother". Theo loves his brother, he really does, but he does find himself thinking What would life be like without Jacob? *Jess Ogilvy is Jacob's tutor. She has a boyfriend that makes you think he's abusive. Her dad is a senator, and she has a soft spot when it comes to people with disabilities like Jacob. Jess is a kind and caring person who understands Jacob's needs and his need to be on a strict schedule all the time, 24/7. Jess is Jacob's one and only friend.
 * March 8, 2011 (March 4th Blog) **
 * __ Characters: __**

It begins by introducing you to Jacob and exposing you to his daily needs. You learn about Theo and how each character feels involving Jacob's life. When Jess, Jacob's tutor is found dead, the world is turned upside down. Jess's boyfriend is the suspect and then the tables are turned and the spotlight is on Jacob. Does Jacob understand what's going on? Does he know if he did it or not? Nobody knows, all they know is that a blanket that belongs to Jacob was found at the scene of the crime. Picoult leaves you guessing from the very beginning of the book as to if Jacob is truly capable of murder or did something just go terribly wrong?
 * __ Plot: __**

My rating for this book right now is like a 4-4.5. I really like it so far and it just keeps getting better. I love how Picoult gives you the different points of view of each character and how the suspense is drawn out. You are constantly left guessing.
 * __ Rating: __**

I think the next book I want to read is Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. Danielle blogged about it and it sounds really good! Plus, it's by my favorite author who I found out is also Danielle's favorite author!! I love many things about Jodi Picoult's books, just like how the book I am reading right now is by her. I cannot wait to read another book by her and Tenth Circle sounds so interesting!! Danielle did a great job describing/summarizing it and I can't wait to read it!

Since I finished Heaven is for Real, I am now reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favorite authors! She writes not in chapters but in points of view. Instead of changing to a new chapter, she changes to a different character, so I guess it's kind of like chapters. Reading the story from different points of view is helpful because you get more than one insight as to what's going on; it offers more feeling and emotion. This book is about an eighteen year old boy, Jacob, who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of Autism. At the climax of the book, Jacob's mentor, Jess, goes missing and ends up dead, her boyfriend is the suspect, but Jacob's mother, Emma, thinks Jacob might be the one responsible. House Rules tells the story of a boy who can't make eye contact, doesn't like to touch other people or have people touch him, a boy who can remember things like a human dictionary, can't feel other people's feelings, has to stick to a strict schedule, and is obsessed with crime scene analysis. Emma is struggling to find out if her son could really be a killer or if she is just overanalyzing the situation? I really recommend reading this book. I have really liked it so far! I'm curious right now, because I'm not even halfway through the book yet and Jacob is already in for questioning by the police. I'm predicting that this isn't going to end smoothly, that there has to be something more to the case than just "Jacob killed Jess", because there's way too much book left for it to be that simple. To read a summary by the you can visit: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-house-rules-by-jodi/.
 * February 18, 2011 **

I have finished reading Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. It was an amazing book! It had a captivating way of pulling you in the entire time you read. It was about a little boy who went in for an emergency appendectomy and came back telling his parents of his trip to Heaven and back. My favorite part of the book was when Colton described Jesus to his dad. Colton was constantly telling his dad how beautiful Jesus's eyes were. Every time they saw a picture of Jesus, Colton's parents would ask, "Is this what he looks like?" And Colton would always tell them whatever was wrong with that specific picture. One day, after Todd had told people about his son's miraculous story, someone sent him a link to a news broadcast about a little girl who lived in a third world country, was raised in an atheist home, and told her mother stories about Heaven. She was an artist who drew and painted pictures of the things she had seen. At the end of the broadcast, they showed a picture of this girl's interpretation of Jesus. Todd immediately called Colton downstairs to see it. Colton was awestruck; he couldn't speak. This was the perfect picture. This was the Jesus Colton had seen. In the book, they included a picture of her painting and it was truly beautiful, unlike what others make Him out to look like. There weren't really any parts that I didn't like. At the beginning, it was kind of hard to follow, but other than that, it was really good! To read another review about Heaven is for Real, you can visit: http://www.meanoldlibraryteacher.net/2011/02/heaven-is-for-real-by-todd-burpo-with.html or http://www.mykidsaremyworld.com/2011/01/heaven-is-for-real-book-review.html
 * February 10, 2011 **

I am reading Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo. It is based on a true story. I had seen it in a bookstore while Christmas shopping with my mom. It stood out to me because I had recently been talking about Heaven with my cousin after we lost our grandma and her brother. It's a story about Colton Burpo, who is about three years old when he acquires Appendicitis and has to have an emergency appendectomy. A while after surgery, Colton is talking to his dad, who is a pastor, and recalls his trip to Heaven and back, describing things he would never know if he hadn't actually gone to Heaven and back. His father, Todd, is constantly trying to unravel this mystery of Colton's trip when he says he did so many things while he was only gone for three minutes and how he went to Heaven if the doctor's report never says he "died". While Colton's parents are taken away by his answers to their open-ended questions, they slowly begin to unravel his story of his trip to Heaven and back. I really like this book so far. I think it's even more interesting that it's based on a true story rather than someone making all of it up. I also love how matter-of-fact Colton is in the book. When he answers his father's questions he says it without having to think twice, he just answers it like he would answer a question like what he had for breakfast this morning. Todd references the bible a lot to compare with what Colton tells him, so not only does it tell you what Colton is saying, but it gives you proof of what the bible says. It's a fairly easy read, it has short paragraphs, and what this little boy tells you about his "trip to Heaven and back" just makes you want to keep reading all the more.
 * January 27, 2011 **

Today I have successfully created a Wiki account. I also joined this Wiki page, and have learned to blog.
 * January 13, 2011 **