Book #1
Battle of Jericho
By Sharon M. Draper
Reflection:
This book is very interesting. The fact that the story was based on high school students really caught my attention being that I am a high school student also. Even though it is fiction, the story is so surreal and very much realistic. I would recommend that people of any age read this book.
I liked the fact that the book's setting was placed in a modern-day high school and I was able to relate to many of the things that were mentioned in the book. Most high school students want to be popular, get in the best school clubs, and date the hottest girl/guy.
In the book, Jericho and his cousin wanted it all and risked their lives to do so. They joined a group called "Warriors of Distinction" and were hazed and forced to do ridiculous things to be accepted into the club. This was a perfect example of the many things that happen in school that teachers and administrators don't know or realize.
Sharon M. Draper made it clear that she knows exactly what goes on in public schools. The characters in the story were predominantly African Americans but hazing happens to all students of all ages and race. In the author's note in the back of the book, Draper stated that she had witnessed hazing at her high school back in her days. It is terrible how long this act of cruelty has been going on.
The part of the book that made me most uncomfortable was the activities the pledges attended in while being hazed. They had to dig through the garbage in the rain to look a gun. I was on the edge of my seat hoping and wishing no one was going to get hurt or killed. Then, unfortunately, the worst came about at the end of the book but that's for the reader to found out. Anyways, I just didn't think that high school hazing could go so far and outrageous.
Draper also wrote a sequel to the book called "November Blues" which I would also recommend reading because the series is very good and very realistic.
Book #2
Gamer Girl
By Mari Mancusi
Reflection:
This book was nothing like I thought it would be. The book was actually pretty good and it kept me interested the whole time. I thought it was going to be a corny story about some weird girl who watched cartoons about nothing from the way the cover looked. You know what they say though...you can never judge a book by its cover!!
What I liked about the book was that it showed that just by taking a chance with things and just being yourself can help you make new friends but stand out as an individual. I don't think there was anything about the story that I disliked, other than the fact that there was no sequel to the book to tell the reader what happened after the ending.
The setting of the book wasn't unique but the storyline was different. The story was about a girl who moved to New Hampshire after her parents separated and was forced by her mother to go to a new school. She felt uncomfortable, as many new students do, and found comfort in a virtual video game. There, she met this guy, with the username of SirLeo, and they began sharing their current discomforts. At the end, she finds out that SirLeo was actually a boy that went her new school who she had a crush on. I knew that was going to happen but I was still pleased with the ending.
The characters evolved and changed throughout the story when they realized that they were talking to each other over the virtual game. Their feelings for each other started to show but they didn't want their friends to notice because they wanted to stick with the status quo.
The characters do seem to be quite real and believeable because I could see myself in the same situation as they are. Mandy, the main character, moved from her home and had to attend a new school and so did I. However, I was excited and happy that we moved.
There needs to be a sequel to this story...
