Lock and Key

In the book, Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen, Ruby, and 18 year old girl, moves to a different town with her sister and brother in law because her mother abandoned her. She has to move into a completely different house, goes to a new school and has no friends in the area. She basically refreshed her life. Ruby struggles with this because she feel like an outcast. Later on in the book, she overcomes this anxiety and makes new friends. 

Family. This is a hard topic for Ruby to talk about. Her mother never cared for her and left her and her father was never in the picture. It seems to Ruby that everyone in the school has a "perfect family". A mother, father, sister and a brother. Ruby is currently living with her sister, Cora, and her husband, Jamie. This is why she feels like a misfit. On page 361, Ruby is at school and her teacher makes her and the rest of the class do an activity. The activity is supposed to be social and to learn new things about people. You pick a piece of paper out of an envelope that says one word and you have to talk about it. Ruby picks out a piece of paper that says "Family" on it. This makes her feel very uncomfortable and discluded. 

Although, at the end of the book, Ruby makes new friends and can even talk about her feeling with them. This helps Ruby become a more social person and more comfortable and suited with her new place she can call home. 

To conclude, Ruby started out as a shy, new girl in town but later she becomes apart of it. 

The Moon and More

Lots of people can't wait to settle down in a relationship, although they don't expect that most of the time it's not such an easy ride, there are going to be bumps in the road at some times. Sometimes you might be pressured to be someone else you're not or you might be tempted to cheat. In the story, The Moon and More, by Sarah Dessen, Emaline has to face a complicated and sudden break up with her boyfriend of three years, Luke. Right after the break up, she ends up with a writer from New York, Theo. Emaline also has to get used to dating Theo, who is smarter and more serious than Luke, who is relaxed and fun. Throughout the book, Emaline discovers a new perspective and tries out different things. Teens can relate to this book because whether it's a friendly or romantic, we all face confusing and complicated relationships.

In the beginning of the story, Emaline has been noticing that she and Luke have been distant. Shortly after, Like cheats on Emaline and they break up. This shows the reader how a relationship can go from “perfect” to nonexistent in a small amount of time. This also shows Emaline that even people that you're the closest to can end up changing. Even though Emaline is heartbroken, the situation helps her and the reader realize that it's easiest to move on. For instance, Emaline states “Sometimes I think of Luke and my heart feels heavy. Although, I find it easier to try to move on…” (98) My trying to move on, it shows the reader that rather than sobbing about the fact that you have broken up, it's easier to move on and think positively.

At the end of the story, the book shows the reader that the solution to a break up is to focus on more important things. For example, in the story when Luke and Emaline broke up, Emaline started to focus more on her family. Emaline had a more complex family than some people. Emaline’s mother had her when she was only eighteen years old. Emaline’s birth father left her when her mom when she was only a baby. Now, her birth father are coming to visit with her half brother and her mother is happily married to a different man. She decided to think about the people in her life that have always been there for her and to spend more time with them. On page 294, Emaline explains to her friend; “‘...my father and I can talk about what happened.’” This shows how now Emaline can do important things like resolving a problem instead of worrying about being in a relationship.

In conclusion, The Moon and More shows the reader how  relationships and breakups are, for the most part, stressful and difficult. Although, you can make light out of situations. I wish that teens who have never been in a situation like Emaline's read The Moon and More because that connect to Emaline and what she was going through. I also hope people who have never been in a relationship before read the book because it can show the reader what to expect.

Me as a Reader

    Hi my name is Piper and I enjoy reading. The only thing is, I don't read a lot. I'm usually really busy and don't really have time. When I do have time, I like to go on my bed with a blanket and read my current book that I'm reading. I especially like to read on a rainy day or at the beach because I find it relaxing. My favorite books to read are realistic Fiction because I find that it can be relatable or can have an interesting plot.  Although, I do like to try different genres. I really like some sci-fi books like the hunger games, divergent and miss peregrines home for peculiar children. I think that sci-fi is a cool way to predict what's going to happen in a couple years even though it can sometimes be alarming. 

My favorite type of reading is articles, mainly from magazines. I like how they're short but sweet. Articles are normally very interesting because in order to write an article it has to be exciting or people won't read it. I like the kind of articles that are are only 1-2 paragraphs because it's not overwhelming. 

I'm not one of those bookworms who you see reading at lunch or who begs their parents to let them stay up to read, but I really do like a good book.