Weekend Homework

Be sure to do your independent reading over the weekend (a half hour each night, or the equivalent).  I plan to finish Gamer Girl, which has been superb by the way, and start John Green's Paper Towns.  Have a great weekend.  -Mr. Lang  

Homework/Essay Due Date

Just a quick homework reminder.  Remember to read every day/night for at least thirty minutes.  Also, essay final copies will be due next Friday, March 6th.  The first draft of the essay should be submitted by this Friday 2/27 (tomorrow).  

Since you've logged on to the site, please take a minute to read Jay Hebert's review of Walter Dean Myers's Monster.  Congrats to Jay for being the first writer to publish a book review on The iBlog.  More student publications will be announced soon.  -Mr. Lang

Book Review

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

What would you do if you were on trial for murder at the age of sixteen? What would be going through your head knowing that after only sixteen years you could be going to prison for life? This is exactly what Steve Harmon faces in Walter Dean Myers's novel Monster.

Steve is a sixteen year-old black male. He is a good student and claims to be an overall good kid, although he allegedly gets dragged into a robbery that takes a turn for the worse. Steve winds up having to spend days on end in the courtroom. Myers writes about his story of defending himself. Several witnesses claim Steve was the lookout for an armed robbery that left a store clerk dead. He was to remain outside and warn the others if someone showed up. Later on in the courtroom proceedings, he denies his involvement. Steve carries around his notebook and writes down the events that go on in the courtroom and sometimes in his own cell.

Myers does a good job of writing the novel. It is set up in a movie-like format. Myers makes it sound very real the way he uses words like "cut to," "fade in," and "fade out" to add to the play format. Other parts of the book are made to sound like they are taken directly from Steve's notebook, which includes Steve's thoughts about every situation he goes through. Steve's lawyer's name is Kathy O'Brien. I think that one of the best things about Monster is how Myers describes the relationship between Harmon and O'Brien. Steve's attitude toward her in the beginning of the book changes substantially at the end, and the developments will keep you reading.

I thought this was one of the best books I've read all year. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes this kind of fictional drama. Myers knows how to keep readers attracted to his books. I know that I couldn't get my eyes to look away, and I'm sure any reader would enjoy Monster just as much as I did. I advise everyone to give it a try.

-Jay Hebert

More to come...

We have finally come up with the new name.  Way to go Quentin.  You thought up a winner.  For some reason though, the title has to be in all caps, so I used a hyphen.  It's too bad we can't have that slick lower case "i" as in the iPod.  Oh, well.  Jay Hebert's review of Walter Dean Myers's Monster has been accepted for publication and should be online tomorrow.  In addition, I'll be posting my review of the novel Feed, which I previously published on another blog.  See you all tomorrow.  So far Gamer Girl has been a winner.  I hope the books you're reading are equally good.  Read, read, read.  -Mr. Lang

Poetry

Congratulations to Blake Gautreau and Tyler Belden for being the first published writers on the site.  I hear echoes of Williams in both of these poems.

The Window Tree

by Blake Gautreau

   Outside my seventh

grade

   Window stands a 

dead

   Grey tree with

leaves

   Sprinkled around its 

base.

The Old Bench

by Tyler Belden

Covered in moss by the woods

A bird's nest on the side

It's breaking on the legs and I don't 

know how long it will last

I love that bench.

My dad has fixed it but it keeps

Rotting

as the seasons pass.

New Blog Name

We have narrowed it down to seven finalists.  I reserve the right to add another if I think of something suitable.  I threw in the bonus picture of Jabba.  For some reason the word "blog" reminds me of him.  Here's the list of potential names for the blog:

iBlog

Blog-o-rama

The Almighty Blog

Blogs and Noble

Blogzilla

The Serial Blogger

Blogomania

From 5th Period!!!

What should we name this blog?  Some suggestions so far: The Serial Blogger, Glob Stop, Fog Blog...Bookwire, Lang's Lounge, Bookbluster...let me know if you have other suggestions.

Mr. Lang is currently reading...

Ah, geez.  Doesn't it look like a girly book?  Won't people make fun of me if they see this book in my hands?  Bah!  I learned a long time ago that it is more than okay to cross gender lines when it comes to reading.  The storyline just sounded too good to pass up here.  I will let you  know more as I read.  -Mr. Lang

Breaking News

I managed to purchase some new books for the reading lounge over the February vacation.  I have listed them below.  Notice that I used italics to indicate the titles since novels qualify as longer works (underlining is also acceptable).  How many of you remember how to indicate the title of a poem or short story?  What about a movie?  Let me know when you see me in class.  You just might win a prize.  :)

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

Inexcusable, by Chris Lynch

Gamer Girl, by Mari Mancusi

The Road of the Dead, by Kevin Brooks

Paper Towns, by John Green

Suicide Notes, by Michael Thomas Ford (I tried this one over break and was hugely disappointed.)

Freaky Green Eyes, by Joyce Carol Oates

I also picked up another copy of Todd Strasser's amazing novel Boot Camp.  Obviously, some of these books will need to be read by me before they are available.  -Mr. Lang