Compare and Contrast: The Sky Is Everywhere and Cut

     The two books that I will be comparing and contrasting are The Sky Is Everywhere and Cut. I read both books this quarter.

     The similarity I wanted to point out was how they both involve some type of conflict with a sibling. In TSIE, Lennie's sister Bailey past away. In the book, it says, "The morning of the day Bailey died, she woke me up by putting her finger in my ear. I hated when she did this. She then started trying on shirts, asking me: Which do you like better, the green or the blue? The blue. You didn't even look up Lennie. Okay, the green. Really, I don't care what shirt you wear. Then I rolled over in bed and fell back asleep. I found out later that she wore the blue, and those were the last words I ever spoke to her." This shows how Lennie had a hard time losing her. It also taught me something very important, and that is that we should all be careful about what we say, because that may be the last time we may be able to say to that person, or it could be our last day. I've learned to try to treat each day like its my last, and I like how this book makes readers realize that. 

     In Cut, Callie has a younger brother. She would self harm because she thought it was her fault for her brother becoming ill, which brings conflict in the story. In the book, it says, "It was my fault that Sam is sick." This shows how she thought it was her fault. It also made me realize something, and that is to not blame yourself for everything. I've learned to not blame myself for taking up space in the world, because we are all human and make mistakes, and we all learn from our mistakes and our past. I believe both books allowed me to realize something I've never realized before, and opened my mind to other people's ideas. 

       The difference in these books are the main conflicts of the story. In TSIE, the story is about Lennie and two boys. One makes her forget things, and one helps her through them. So, this book is mainly about romance. But, Cut was about a problem that Callie faced, which was self harm. It didn't talk about romance anywhere in the book, and it was mainly about Callie fighting to end her self harming. 

The Sky Is Everywhere

     The book I have been reading is The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I chose this book because I've heard many great things about this author and the books she has written. 

     The book begins with letting us know about the main character's problem, which is the death of her sister. In the book, it says, "The morning of the day Bailey died..." This shows her problem and allows us to get to know the character a bit better, and to understand the pain she may go through. 

    Something else the book introduces us to is another problem Lennie (the main character) has. In the book it says, "It's not just because my sister Bailey died four years ago, or because my mother hasn't contacted me in sixteen years, or even because suddenly all I think about is love." This confused me since this was almost in the beginning of the book, and I wasn't sure what it meant, or what it was trying to indicate for the future. I wonder if she she thinks love is the only option when alone. 

     I like this book so far because it involves conflict with Lennie and two boys named Joe and Toby. I like when there is conflict like this because I expect one to be together, but you never really know what could happen. I'm excited to read more of it. 

William Shakespeare: Playwright & Poet

      For ELA, we have been doing a project based on someone, and I picked William Shakespeare. I picked him since it fascinated me how he made so many poems and plays. It must have been a lot of dedication, and I wanted to find out how his life was.

       The book I picked was William Shakespeare: Playwright and Poet by Pamela Holl Nettleton. This book explained his early life and his success. Something that surprised me when I read this is that he left school because his father did not have enough money. In the book, it says, "By the time William was about 13, his father was struggling to make enough money for his family." This shows how even though life was hard, he was still dedicated to his work. This surprised me since I thought you needed a good education to be good at writing, but it showed me that as long as you are dedicated, you can succeed. 

     I also wanted to know what inspired him to write. On page 30, it says, "They read the great literary classics and studied Aesop's Fables. As an older student, William probably read classical writers such as Cicero, Virgil, and Ovid. William's love of these classics shows up years later in many of the plots of plays he wrote as an adult." This shows how he built interest in school. I liked learning about who inspired him, and I'd like to know why these writers attracted him since he wrote similar plots about them.