Directions:

Choose one question below to answer in response to your

independent novel. Please restate the question in your response, so
it is clear which question you are answering. Your response should
be 12 point font, double spaced, and at least to a page of writing.
1. Describe the main character(s) in the story. What do they look
like, sound like, act like, etc.? What do they learn in this story?
Explain in detail.
Today, I read

Malice, by Gabrielle Lord. The main characters in the story

are all very different. There are three main characters. Their names are Callum,
Winter, and Boges. In earlier books in the series, they solved a riddle to find
Callums inheritance. Callum is tall, skinny, and he has blond shaggy hair. He will
stand up for what is right. Callum works well with other people. He is tough, and
very determined. He was kidnapped multiple times, drowned, buried alive, shot
at, and almost eaten by sharks, but he didnt let that stop him. He kept trying to
find the inheritance, and figured out a few family secrets along the way. Boges is
Cals best friend. They have been friends for many years, and Boges has gotten
Cal out of many tough situations. Boges has brown hair, and he is big. He is also
very good with technology. He can turn bugs (insects) into bugs (spy devices).
Boges can turn any piece of broken technology into something brand new.
Winter is Cals girlfriend. She was a ward of a villain after her parents died in a
car crash. Winter is average height, and she has a light skin tone. She also has
very long, dark brown hair that is always tied up in a fancy hair-do. She also has
a very unique taste in clothing.Winter has come to Cals rescue multiple times,

just like Boges. For example, she saved Cal from drowning in an oil tank. In this
series, every character learns weird things about their families and their past that
they ever would have expected.

2. What is the main problem of the story? If you know it already how was the problem solved? If you dont know yet - how do
you think the problem will be resolved (or will it at all?) Be
specific!
Today I read Hunted by Gabrielle Lord. The main character Cal and his
friends know that something weird is going on at a resort on an island for kids
age 16-18. Kids are disappearing, but then are mysteriously seen again. Earlier,
Cals twin brother Ryan had mysteriously left from his home on the mainland.
With some help, Cal learned that his brother was on this island, but he knew that
something weird was going on there. A girl had come back from the island
different than she had left, and she had nightmares. Back on the island, Cal and
his friends explored the island to try to find out where the missing kids were. The
found that the kids were being kept prisoner, and they also learned that there is a
man locked up on a rock off of the island, because he knew too much. They dont
know how to free these people, and the man capturing the kids is very powerful,
making him a hard force to battle. Cal occasionally switches place with Ryan, to
try to find more information on how to free the imprisoned kids. I think that Cal
and his friends will keep working to find a way to free the kids, and then make
sure that it does not happen again, but I have no idea how they will do this.

3. If you were the author, what would you change about this
story? Why would you change it? Be specific!
Today during class I read An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. I just
started this book, so there is one thing about this book that I would change, but I
might not want to change it once I get farther into the book. From the beginning
of the book, the reader learns about two groups that are fighting each other. One
is the government, and the other is a rebel group that is fighting against the
government. The part that I would change about this story would be making the
characters and the groups more clear. The characters in the book speak of being
loyal to one group, and then on the next page it seems like they are loyal to
another group. I think that this might be because one of the groups has a
nickname, but it is unclear to me who has the nickname and who doesn't.
Another part that is not clear to me is the background of the story, but I think that
this will become clear as the story goes on. Background usually gets pieced
together as the story goes on, so it does not seem weird to me that I do not know
much of the background, but I wish that I knew more. That is what I would
change about An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir based on what I have read
so far.

4. If you could be any character in the story, who would you be?
Why would you like to be that character? Explain in detail.
Today I read The School for Good and Evil: A World Without Princes, by
Soman Chainani. There are many great characters in this story. There are many
Evil characters, and many Good characters. If I could be any of the characters, I

would probably want to be Professor Dovey, originally from the School for Good,
now at the School for Girls. Professor Dovey is a very good teacher, and she
helped her students a lot. She always wanted her students to be the best that they
could be, and she gave students equal chances. In this series, there is a character
named Agatha, who was a witch in her hometown, but when she was taken to the
School for Good and Evil, she was put into the Good school. Agatha did not act or
look like any of the other girls in the school for good. All of the other girls had
perfect posture, and flawless hair. Agatha knew that she wasnt like any of the
other girls, but she still worked hard to find her inner Good, to become the best
Good student that she could be. Professor Dovey saw this in Agatha, when almost
nobody else did. Professor Dovey was able to help all of her students, and make
them more successful. She was also secretly someone who helped others in
another way, which I think is very cool. This is why I would be Professor Dovey if
I could be any character in the School for Good and Evil series.

5. Summarize what you read today. What were the most

important events? What did you learn about the characters?
How did the conflict develop/resolve? Be specific!
Today in class I read Suicide Notes From Beautiful Girls by Lynn
Weingarten. In the part of the book that I read, I met June, Delia and Ryan- a few
of the main characters. The book switches back between a few years ago and
current day. The beginning of the book takes place current day, and that is when
June finds out that Delia is dead. The book then switches back and forth from
current day to times when June and Delia were together. They hadnt been

talking for a year. In the past parts of the book, I learned about Delia. I learned
that she was always a daredevil, and full of trouble. She snuck out, went where
she was not supposed to go, and she drank. Over this time, Delia had formed good
and bad relationships with certain people. Back to present day, June finds out
that Delia was killed in a shed that burned down. The police say that it was
suicide, but June doesnt believe that. She knew that the only thing that Delia was
afraid of was fire. Delia would never go to bonfires, and if someone lit a match,
she would stay far away from them. Junes boyfriend, Ryan, tries to comfort her,
and persuade her that Delia wasnt killed, but it didnt help. June then meets
Delias boyfriend, Jeremiah, who also believes that Delia was killed, and that it
wasnt suicide. Jeremiah and June start to investigate, and they become sure that
Delia was killed, but they have not found any evidence yet.

6. Make a connection to yourself, another text, or to the world.

How is this novel similar to something you have observed in
yourself, another novel, or the world? Explain the connection
in detail.
7. Pretend you could interview one of the characters in the novel.
What questions would you ask that character and why? What
would you hope to learn about the character? Be specific.
8. Would you recommend this novel to a friend? Why or why
not? What, specifically, about the novel made you decide the
way you did?

9. Make a prediction about what will happen next in the story.

What information in the text led you to that prediction?
Explain in detail.
10. Rewrite a section of the novel in a way that you wished it
would happen. Begin by providing a brief description of the
original event, followed by your updated version.
11. Pretend you are turning this novel into a movie. Who would
you cast as your main characters? Why are these actors/people
fitting to play the roles? What specific skills do they bring that
you would need? Explain in detail.
12. Choose one character in the novel and explain why you
would or would not like to have that character as your friend.
Provide examples from the text to support your decision.
13. Choose one character and describe how that characters
actions affect other characters in the story. Does this character
have a positive influence on others, or is this character a
negative influence? Provide examples from the text to support
your decision.
14. Choose an interesting/confusing/important/enjoyable
passage and explain why you chose it. Does it reveal important
information about the characters or plot? Is it really
well-written? Be specific in your explanation!
15. Who tells this story? Is it the best person to tell it? How
would the story be different if told from a different characters
perspective?

16. Pick a scene in which you disagreed with how a character

handled a situation and rewrite it in the way you think it
should have happened.
17. What quality of which character strikes you as a good
characteristic to develop within yourself over the years? Why?
How does the character demonstrate this quality?
18. Your choice: do you have an idea for a different option for a
reader response? Just tell me your idea and get it approved!