Choice Book Report 4 Themes: The Wild Girls

There were several themes that I found in the book The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.

The main theme that I really noticed in this book was being who you want to be. I think that Fox portrays this theme the most out of all the other characters. She wanted to be the Queen of the Foxes, so she was. Another example of this theme was when Joan and Fox are sharing their first-place story in front of a huge story. Their short story was called “The Wild Girls”, and it pretty much was the story of their adventures in the forests. They were the wild girls. However, they didn’t feel like the wild girls in their nice new outfits. So they took some makeup and put some war paint on their faces while they read their story. This shows that Joan and Fox were being who they wanted to be. They wanted to be Wild Girls.

Another theme that I found in this novel was you are never too old to use your imagination. The two main characters, once again Joan and Fox, portrayed this theme the most. Even though these girls were in middle school, every single day they used their wonderful imagination. They went on crazy adventures and lived each day to the fullest by doing so. I think that Joan is the one that ended up figuring this out, and Fox kind of knew it all along. Another character that portrayed this theme was Verla Volante. Verla is a writer and she uses her broad imagination every single day when she teaches her writing class.

The last theme I will mention that I found is, don’t judge a book by its cover. Fox’s dad, Gus, portrayed this theme the best. Gus looks like a big, scary biker guy. But really, he might as well be the nicest man you have ever met. At first, Joan does judge him in a way, and she is afraid. Her mother reacts the same way. Gus isn’t always well-kept looking, and his house is quite messy. But, he does mean well. After Joan and her mother got to know Gus, they realized that he is really a nice guy.

This book had a lot of themes, but these three are the ones that really spoke to me. Thanks for reading! J

Choice Book Report 4 Main Characters

I read The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy. The main characters in this book are Joan and Sarah, who prefers to be called “Fox”. Joan is the new girl that moves into the house that is nearby to Fox’s. Fox is a free spirited girl and she likes to go on adventures. These characters are very different at the beginning of the book, but towards the end, they become similar.

       I would describe Joan as smart, independent, and angry most of the time. Joan is angry because her family had to move from Connecticut to California for her father’s job. Also, Joan’s mom and dad don’t get along for most of the time, and they fight a lot. Joan gets angry when they argue, and she usually goes off on her own to get away from it. Joan is also very kind and friendly. When she first met Fox, she wasn’t rude at all, even though Fox seemed exotic and weird to Joan.  She was friendly and tried to become friends. Which, eventually they did. I think that Joan is also very observant. She likes to think. She studies people and tries to figure out what makes them tick. Joan writes everything down in her notebook, even if it seems useless to her at the time. Joan is a very interesting character.

       The other main character in this novel is Sarah, also known as “Fox”.  Fox is my favorite character. She is so different compared to the others, and she likes being “weird”. Fox is very independent, and she spends most of her days outside in the forest that her house is in. I would also describe Fox as imaginative. She likes to go on “life risking” adventures in the woods with Joan, and she’s never bored. Every day there is a new game that they play. Fox is imaginative because she thinks up very creative stories, and she loves to write. Fox is very strong, mentally. When she was a little girl, her mother left and never came back. Fox stayed strong and didn’t let that bring her down. She still made everything positive and did her best to love life. I think that Fox is a very inspirational character.

       These two characters are very different, and they both have their own conflicts in their lives. But, they are best friends and are almost like sisters.

Choice Book Report 3 Point Of View: Distant Waves

            The point of view in this book was in Jane’s perspective. Jane is the main character, and she kind of narrates the story in her head through her emotions and feelings.

            I think that it was important for this novel to be in Jane’s point of view because she doesn’t think much or talk much about herself. If it had been in Mimi’s point of view for example, it would have been all about Mimi and wouldn’t have captured the characteristics and descriptions of the other characters. Jane is also very curious about things, and she is very smart and watchful to point out important things that take an important part in the story. I really liked this novel from Jane’s perspective.

The part when the earthquake occurs was really intriguing when it was in Jane’s point of view. I think that it was really interesting and touching, in a way. I was able to understand Jane’s thoughts and feelings as the earthquake happened. For example, when Mimi grabbed onto Jane and held her close to protect her, Jane expressed that she felt safer when she was near Mimi. Jane also explained her feelings when her family was around Tesla, who is an inventor, and he was the one that caused the earthquake. Tesla seemed like a father figure to her, and she felt really safe around him. He was very kind and cared about her family.

Another event that made Jane’s point of important was when she first met Thad. It seemed like Jane was in love with Thad when she first laid eyes on him. It is really sweet how Jane feels so close to Thad, and how it is in her perspective makes it very intriguing. I liked this part because Jane isn’t used to people giving her attention and worrying about what she wants. But Thad really cared for Jane and made her feel important.

The last event that I thought really made Jane’s point of view important, was when the Titanic is sinking. Jane wasn’t worrying about saving herself. She was only worried about saving the lives of her sisters. When this whole event was happening, Jane’s feelings and emotions really made this part exciting to read. I think that if this part was told from a different character’s point of view, it wouldn’t have been as interesting, and it wouldn’t have captured the love that Jane has for her family members.

I really liked that this book was told from Jane’s point of view. Jane is my favorite character, and I think that she ties the whole story together. 

Choice Book Report 3 Main Characters

I read Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn. There were several characters in this book, but I think the main characters would be Jane and Mimi Oneida. Jane is the second oldest in her family, and she is very independent, smart, and confident. Mimi is the oldest child, and I would describe her as adventurous, witty, and she can sometimes be conceited.

Jane was my favorite character in this book. She is kind to everyone, and she is very independent. You see, Jane’s mother is some type of a spiritual guide. She can talk to spirits that are still on Earth, and that is what she does for a living. She gets paid to talk to ghosts. Jane grew up in a very strange environment, because everywhere and everyone in her town is a psychic or medium. Jane learned to become independent, and she spent most of her free time reading and writing. Jane also didn’t really care what other people thought of her, and she was very confident in herself. She is also very brave. For example, Amelie was sleep walking, and she walked right into the ocean. Jane ran out to get her without even thinking about it, and she could have died, too, while trying to save her sister. Fortunately, Amelie was saved, thanks to Jane. Another time when Jane was brave, was when she needed to get onto the Titanic to warn Mimi and Blythe that they should get off, for it was going to sink. There could have been several possibilities that she and two of her sisters would get in trouble for sneaking on the ship, but Jane knew that she had to try to save her other family members.

Mimi is in a class of her own. She is very unique, but sometimes she can seem conceited. However, she is very kind and cares very much for her family. One part of the book when Mimi was kind was when there was an earthquake by the train station. She grabbed on to Jane when it happened, and made sure that she was safe. An event in the book when Mimi seemed conceited was when she first met Ninette.  Jane was annoyed with her because she was only thinking of herself.

I think that Jane and Mimi were very different characters. They each have their own characteristics, and they have almost nothing in common. However, they get along very well, and they are very close as sisters. Thanks for reading! J

Choice Book Report 2 Conflict: The Thief Lord

         I found a lot of conflict in this book. One of the main conflicts I found was when Prosper and Bo have to hide from Victor Getz. Everything was going smoothly until Victor showed up and started spying on the boys. I think that this is both an internal and external conflict. It is an internal conflict because Prosper has to worry about getting caught. He starts to regret running away. He begins to argue with himself about the whole issue. It is an external conflict because all of the other kids that Prosper and Bo stay with have to be careful too. They can't even be out of hiding. If Victor catches the boys, the other kids will be caught too. Some obstacles that Prosper and the others face is when Victor is following them around everywhere. They solve these obstacles from Victor by playing tricks on him. Prosper and Bo change their hair to confuse him, and eventually one of the kids they stay with actually captures Victor. I probably would not have captured him if I were in this situation. I think I would have tried to move out of the city and gone to a different place to hide if I were Bo and Prosper. However, I don't think that the way Prosper handled the conflict fit the type of person he is. This conflict is resolved when Victor Getz gives the children his word that he won't tell anyone about their hiding place.

         Another conflict that I noticed in my book was when Bo and Prosper's aunt comes and takes Bo. I think that this is an external conflict. It is an external conflict because Prosper can't stop his aunt from taking Bo with her. She has total custody of the children. The main obstacle that Prosper had to face was when he couldn't take Bo away from his aunt. He followed them around for an entire day, but he couldn't come up with a plan to get Bo back. This makes Prosper very frustrated and depressed. I think that I would do the same thing if I were in Prosper's shoes. He was very loyal and did his best to try and save his little brother. I think that the way Prosper handled this conflict definitely fit with the type of person he is. This conflict was resolved when their aunt decided that she didn't like Bo after all because he was too wild and obnoxious, so she gave him back to his brother.

This book was filled with conflict, and fortunately most of it was resolved.

Choice Book Report 2 Main Characters

  For my second choice book report I read The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. One of the main characters was Prosper. He is twelve years old. I pictured Prosper as a tall boy with short dark brown hair, and bright blue eyes.

Prosper is a very independent person. He likes to be by himself a lot, and he doesn't really trust anyone else. He is also independent because he doesn't rely on other people, especially adults, to help him or do work for him. Prosper is also very brave. He is brave because he ran away to an entirely different country with his younger brother to escape their cruel aunt and uncle. He and his younger brother, Bo, lived by themselves in Italy, which is the country they ran away to. This makes Prosper very brave. I think that Prosper is also very loyal to Bo. He could have just left his younger brother by himself with his aunt and uncle, but he didn't. Prosper stuck with his little brother and made sure that he was safe and healthy. This also makes Prosper kind. I would also describe him as cunning. Prosper came up with a plan to escape his cruel and awful relatives. He also came up with a plan to get to the strange island with Scipio. This makes him cunning.

Another main character in this story is Victor Getz. Victor is the detective that was hired to find Prosper and Bo. Victor is said to be the best detective in Venice. I would also describe him as independent, like Prosper. He is independent because he lives all by himself with his two tortoises. He doesn't really like interacting with people either. Victor seems like he is very lonely. Victor is also trustworthy. Even when he did find Bo and Prosper, he didn't tell their aunt and uncle because he knew how mean they were. Victor actually helped the boys stay away from their uncle and aunt. He didn't tell anyone about where Bo and Prosper were staying. This makes him trustworthy. Victor played a big part in this adventure. He could have turned Bo and Prosper into their relatives, but he didn't. I think that Victor could have made the story completely different than how it ended.
I really liked this book. ENJOY! :)

Choice Book Report Recommendation

        I read Charlie St. Cloud for my first choice book report. It is by Ben Sherwood. I really liked this book. The author really captivates you when he describes the story. I thought the plot was absolutely phenomenal. I liked how every couple chapters the author would switch to the other main character and tell the story as they were living it. It made the book much more exciting. I also liked how the book kind of had a surprise ending. It wasn't expecting and the author did a really good job of not letting us on to figure it out right away. My favorite part of the book was when Charlie plays catch with Sam. It made me really sad, but I loved how Charlie was so kind and how he kept his promise to his little brother for so many years. Sam seemed so happy to be with his brother. It made me think about how much families really care for each other no matter what happens to them. Another part I liked was when Tess went off on her trip around the world on sailboat. She was so confident that she could do it. She was worry-free and didn't have a care in the world. Although things didn't turn out very well, she was very brave and didn't give up on herself. Tess always kept hope that she would survive the treacherous waves. It made even me believe that she could do it. She was very manipulating to the reader.

        I would most definitely recommend this book. I would recommend it to people that like very sad books with happy endings. This book also has some romance in it, so if you don't like books about romance, I wouldn't recommend this to you. This novel reminded me of The Last Song, and Dear John. I thought that the plots and characters of these books were sort of similar. I think that if you enjoyed those books, you would like this book. During this novel, I really thought about families that have gone through what Charlie and Sam went through. It made me appreciate life more. Ben Sherwood will get your attention, and keep it until the end of this novel. Be prepared for an unexpected twist, and several happy/sad moments. I really enjoyed this book and I hope you will too. Thanks for reading!! :)

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