Post 7: Book 4 Reflection

Four Reasons Why Jason is a Hero

                Jason Grace is someone everyone looks up to and most people want to be him. He is good looking, popular, funny, and…he’s a demigod. He’s not just a normal demigod (yes, those do exist…in the book anyway), he has been to the Roman and Greek demigod camps, he is a son of Jupiter (AKA Zeus), and he is/was (it’s very complicated) praetor of the First Legion. Jason has many qualities to him, both demigod and human, that make him a hero.

   1.       He Will do Anything to Save His Friends

In The Blood of Olympus, Jason risks his life to save his friend, Percy Jackson. Jason could have left Percy to die, but he stuck around and helped fight. “Percy dropped Riptide. He gasped, crawling at his throat. The giant threw his weighted net and Percy collapsed to the floor, hopelessly entangled as the poison thickened around him. ‘Let him go!’ Jason’s voice cracked with panic,” (264). In this scenario, Jason could have left Percy behind and saved himself, but instead he risked his life to save Percy and fought the giant.

   2.       He Stands Up for What he Believes In

Jason is a man of his words and he is willing to use up his time to help ease tension between people, gods, demigods, and who knows what else. To please Kympoleia (a minor goddess) Jason says, “I’ll make sure none of the gods are forgotten at either camp. Maybe they’ll get temples, or cabins, or at least shrines…I’ll go back and forth between the camps until the job is done,” (270). Jason believes that he could ease tension is the “godly” world so he sees to it to try to make everyone happy, even minor gods who no one else ever thinks of.

   3.       He is Willing to Do What it Takes to Survive (when he sees his mom)

In The Blood of Olympus we see Jason struggle with a decision to do with his mother (demigods and the human parent always have interesting relationships). Jason struggled to come to terms with his decision, “Jason tried not to close his eyes. Every time he did, he saw his mom’s spirit disintegrating. ‘It wasn’t her,’ he said. ‘At least, no part of her I could save. There was no other choice.’ Annabeth took a shaky breath. ‘No other right choice…” (40). Jason did the right thing to let his mom go so that he could survive, even though he misses his mom a lot.

   4.       He is Sympathetic to Others Needs

Sometimes in books you will see a hero that only tries to save himself and the world (or city, or town), without trying to help the people involved or without any help from other. But Jason is a hero who will try to save everyone he can, even if it means he is risking his life in an unnecessary way. One way we see this in Jason is, “They needed to leave. Jason was running out of air…but Percy was still woozy from the poison, so they sat on the edge of the ruined golden dome for a few minutes to let Percy catch his breath…” (273). Even though Jason could have left Percy himself or could have dragged Percy with him, he waited until Percy was recovered.

                These traits are important aspects of being a hero. Jason is seen a “good” hero, he does all the right things, even when it is hard. These aspects show that even though he is a demigod, he still has the feelings of a human. These traits could be carried over to the actual world. People could see that anyone could be a hero if they make the right choices and are willing to do what it takes. 

Reading Wishlist

These are all books I want to read, but for my next book, I want to read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Book Talk Presentation

Book 2 Trailer

Book 3 Listicle

Five Reasons Why Abby Puts Up a Wall

Abby Abernathy is your normal college freshman, except that she has a gambler as a father, she played poker with professionals starting when she was 13, and by the end of freshman year…she’s married. She didn't jump into her marriage though; it took heartbreaks and allowing someone she didn't know into her life, mind, and heart. To understand the ball of fire that is Abby, you have to know her background and why she has a solid wall built around her that only a few can penetrate.

1.       Her Father Blames Her

Abby’s father was a gambler, and he was winning, until Abby’s 13^th birthday. On her 13^th birthday her father’s luck changed for the worse. He started losing money, causing him to drink. Starting on her 13^th birthday and continuing to the present, she is now 19, her father blames her for the turn in his luck. He believes that she took everything away from him.  Abby’s father, Mick, yells about Abby, “‘If it weren't for her, I woulda had my own money. You took everything from me, Abby. I have nothin’ ’” (261). This quotes exposes that Mick blames Abby for his bad luck, making Abby put up a wall of defenses around her. She thinks that is she won’t let people in, then they can’t hurt her.

2.       She Used to be a Gambler

Because her dad believes that she took his luck away, Abby herself started playing poker to make money for her father and for herself. She was forced to play professionals and to win all the money she could to try to keep her dad happy. Abby talks to her father, “Mick’s eyes were suddenly animated. ‘You can double that in a weekend…’” (260). This quote shows that Abby used to be an extreme gambler, a popular gambler. Abby wants to stay away from gambling but this quotes tells the readers that Abby could make, and used to make, a lot of money off of gambling, so she tries to hide it.

3.       She Doesn't Want Anyone to Know Her Past

She moved away from her home to have a fresh start, but she is constantly worrying someone will figure out that she is “Lucky Thirteen,” the name she was given because her luck picked up on her 13^th birthday.  At Travis’s dads house Abby says, “‘That was the nickname the papers gave me. And the story wasn’t exactly accurate.’ I said, fidgeting,” (233). This quote demonstrates that Abby tries to push away the past and tries to keep the attention away from what she used to do.

4.       She is Afraid of Who She Was

Abby doesn't want to be “Lucky Thirteen” anymore, in fact she doesn't even want people, including her boyfriend (later husband), to know her father’s name. She is scared of her past: the gambling, drinking, and fake ID’s. She doesn't want to go to Vegas to win money that she knows she could live off of. Abby later apologizes to Travis when he finds out about who her father is, “‘I’m sorry I didn't tell you, but it’s not something I talk about,’” (235). This quite reveals that Abby keeps things to herself, even from the most important people in her life, because she doesn't want to be the same person she used to be.

5.       She Doesn't Want to Drag Anyone Down With Her

Abby thinks that if she slips up and breaks the “perfect” girl way, that she will slip back into her gambling and drinking lifestyle. She is afraid that is she does she will be the weight that drowns everyone that is close to her. She separates herself from things that could potentially be a setback in what she is trying to make herself. She pushes people away to make sure that she doesn't hurt anyone with her old ways. In Vegas Abby says to Travis, “‘I don’t want you there, Trav….If I’m going to win fourteen thousand dollars in one weekend, I have to concentrate. I don’t like who I’m going to be while I’m at those tables, and I don’t want you to see it, okay?’” (262). This shows that Abby tries to cover up her “rebellious” side, in order to keep the people she loves out of trouble.

This is important because it shows that some people are not who they seem and may have something to hide, but it also shows that you can get to know someone if you wait patiently. Some people need to separate themselves from their home and that is their decision, and people should respect it.

Post #5: Truth in a Memoir

Books that are considered non-fiction need to be completely nonfiction in the authors mind. A nonfiction book needs to be factual. Laila Lalami says, “Naturally, in the process of writing, there are things that you remember differently than other people.” If the author recalls a certain event one way, but another author recalls that same event in a different way they can both be nonfiction. People experience things differently, but that shouldn't make how they feel fiction.  Books that are written to be called nonfiction need to have a strong factual evidence of what happened along with the author’s way of interpreting that event.

Half-truths are not okay when telling a story. A half-truth book changes from nonfiction to fiction with each lie. A memoir is not truly a memoir unless the events actually happened to the writer. Seth Greenland says, “And a memoir if it’s not…if it has things in it that are made up…I’m not sure it’s a novel…you could make the argument that it’s a novel, but it’s certainly not a memoir.” If the truth is stretched, if scenes are made up, or if choices are differing from what actually happened it should be considered a realistic fiction novel, rather than a memoir. There is room for error in places such as dialogue because no one is going to be able to remember the exact words said in a situation that happened 5 years ago, 5 months ago, or even 5 weeks ago. Dialogue can be falsified as long as the conversation did take place and the gist matches what the real life conversation was about.

We do need lines between fiction and nonfiction. One way a reader can classify themselves is as a fiction or nonfiction reader, without the genre lines readers would have a harder time finding what they want to read. I like to read dystopian and realistic fiction novels, but if I didn't have those labels it would be much harder to find books that are similar to books that I have read in the past. Also, the genre of the book is its purpose. If the genre is taken away so is the books main purpose, this is why books need to be classified into genres.  

Post #4: Adapting Book 2

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower makes the most sense as a movie. It is not long enough to make a TV show out of, but a good length and a good plot that would work well for a movie. If it were to be made into a TV show it would probably show Charlie as he goes through high school, but almost all of it would have to be made up because the book ends after his freshman year.
2. A scene that would have to be kept in the movie is when Charlie sits with Sam and Patrick at the football games. This scene would have to be in the movie because it is the beginning of Charlie's friendship with Sam and Patrick. It shows how kind Patrick and Sam are to Charlie even though they don't know him. Without the football game scene the rest of the book would be very different because instead of Charlie having new friends and meeting new people he would be alone and the book would be very different and would probably be boring. Another scene that would be needed in the movie is when Charlie gets high. This scene is important for comic relief in the otherwise more dramatic and serious book. It also shows how Charlie is growing over time and some of his character development. An important scene that would need to be portrayed in the movie would be when Charlie kisses Sam even though he is dating Mary Elizabeth. This takes place when Patrick dares Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. This scene is important because it shows how Charlie is in love with Sam and how after he does this many things change for him.  After this happens Charlie's friends don't talk to him for awhile and he starts to smoke a lot of pot.
3. A scene that would need to be taken out is when Charlie is just sitting at the mall watching people. This scene would not be in the movie because it is not that important to the overall story, it would just take away time from the overall movie if it was in the movie. Also, the movie would not need to show when Charlie buys pot from Bob because there is not much in that scene except for the exchange of money and pot.
4. Some of the things that Charlie see's and hears would not be able to be in the film because it would not remain PG-13; the film would need to be PG-13 or else it would lose a lot of the audience for it.
5. The character's would have to be played by young adults who have experience with acting. The actors would need to be semi-popular to create more of a fan base for the book/movie. The actor that plays Charlie would need to be able to take on a tough role.
6. The songs referenced in the book should be used because that is a big part of how Charlie feels. Music is also important to Sam and Patrick, so their favorite songs should be used too. Also, strong instrumental songs should be used in the movie to explain how Charlie feels happy and sad at the same time, and how there are many different moods throughout the book.
7. The movie would need to capture how Charlie is writing letters to his "friend" that he does not actually know. This would need to be portrayed because it is the unique writing style of Stephen Chbosky and is how Charlie's story is told in the book.

Post 3: Book 1 Project

Want to know how Clay was feeling when he was walking the streets of Crestmont? How about when he was sitting at Rosie’s Diner? Do you want to see the real size model of the party (you know which one I’m talking about)? Now you can. Come visit the actual size model of Crestmont Town and take a reality tour of every place you would want to see.

In the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Clay Jensen receives thirteen tapes. These tapes are from narrated by a dead girl. A dead girl that killed herself just two weeks ago. She created two sets of 13 reasons why she killed herself on tapes, each reason is a person. The tapes go from one person to the next, in order of the tapes. It is Clay Jensen’s turn to hear the tapes. Clay listens to the majority of the tapes in a Walkman and travels around the town listening to them. He visits some of the places starred on the map Hannah gave him before she killed herself. You have probably wondered how that would feel. To hear the reasons someone killed themselves… and you are one of them. No one has ever experienced that and now you can. In Thirteen Reasons Why it says, “They swap flashlight for wrench and, at that moment, I grab for the Walkman.” In the reality tour you will start at Clay’s house, receive a map of the town, and listen to the first tape, you will then walk to Tony’s house and get a yellow Walkman for the Mustang.   You will then continue your walk through Crestmont town listening to the tapes. You will be able to walk the streets of the town as you want. You can visit Monet’s, listed at E-7 on the map, and listen to the third tape where Hannah talks about Jessica Davis being one reason for her killing herself. At Monet’s you can order what you want: hot chocolate like Hannah or you can be like Clay and order coffee because he is cheap. It’s up to you. You can go to Rosie’s Diner because as the book says, “Everyone goes to Rosie’s.” You can see the cool, quirky place that is described in the book. Be sure to not go alone.  This connects you to reason 6, or cassette 3, side B. Unlike Clay, you can revisit the house where the party is at. You will be able to walk through the town how you please. The scene of the accident will be there. You can see where Clay and Hannah worked together even though it isn’t a big part in the book. The reality tour allows you to see, visit, and experience what you want to. You can follow Clay’s example and, “… I crumple it up, crushing the map…” There is no rule that says you have to do it as Clay does, you don’t have to do it as Hannah says the places in the tapes, and you can do what you want to get the experience that you want. Every three months there will be a day where Jay Asher will come and sign your copies of the book.

Thirteen Reasons Why is geared toward a young adult and probably mainly girl audience. This tour will allow more people to understand what the book is about and that anyone can read it. The tour will be advertised and will gain popularity for the book in that way and because of the Jay Asher appearances. Also, this will help the book by people understanding better how Clay feels and it may compel more people to buy the book. Fans of the book will be able to feel connected to Clay’s world and will be able to see the big and small places/events of the book. Fans will be able to stay connected with the book because people at the tour will also have read the book and so people can meet each other there. Fans will stay connected with the author because of the visits made by Jay Asher. This will give everyone a chance to understand the book better.

Post 2: What is a Book?

A book is a journey. Every book has a personality: a different way of communicating what it believes, how it feels, and what it likes. Book are like movies – each showing a new and different life.

Some people believe that books should become all electronic, that the idea of the book is what matters, not the form what it comes in. But some believe the opposite – that all books should be tangible, that the way the book feels is important. I believe both.  Joe Meno says, “… what I’ve come to acknowledge or slowly accept is that the idea of the book is more important than the actual form it takes…” But on the other hand Nancy Jo Sales says, “There’s something about that physicality of a book, the way it looks and feels and even smells…” Both people are writers and I believe that both are right. The idea of the book is very important, but so is the ability to physically turn the page of a book. Sure that the characters of a book will be portrayed the same either way, but when you are reading a book electronically you lose the feel of how a book is made and you miss how much effort is put into the book. Don’t you want the smell of that old or new book? Don’t you want to hear the sound of a page turning?  

Books are needed; you need to create the image of that character you are obsessed with not be shown what he or she is supposed to look like. Books give you the power to create images of what is happening not just staring at a screen. Using imagery when reading helps your brain (mental stimulation), but when you stare at a screen watching a movie you don’t use your brain as much. It is really exercising your brain when reading vs. just sitting and taking everything in as you would do if you were watching a movie.

Books help stimulate our brains, increase our vocabulary, reduce stress, expand our knowledge, improve our memory, give us tranquility, and learn better writing skills. Books help us with all these things without us even realizing. Movies and TV shows can’t give us all the benefits that use the brain like a book can.

We need books to take an adventure, to help our brains, and for the feel of the book. 

Why I Read

Why do I read? Here is my simple explanation: Reading to escape my mundane destiny.

I read to take an adventure, to experience things out of this world, to be a new self, and to find a new reality.

When I read I want to be taken to a new place: to a place where I can forget the real world, to a place that is different, to a place that makes me think differently, and to a place that puts the world into a different perspective.

When I read The Fault in Our Stars(for the first time) it took me less than twenty-four hours. I was taken to an alternate universe. This universe was sarcastic, witty, smart, and awful. It had many characters staring life-altering experiences in the face. It showed me how amazing life could be even when there are terrible circumstances. It reminded me that I could be in way worse situations and that I should make the most out of everyday.

Books are something to be thankful for, to be happy that they are not censored by the government, and we should be grateful that we can read whatever we want(unless our parents say no).

I read because it gives me an escape, make me happy, and make me who I am.

The Yule Ball...

If you have read the fourth Harry Potter book or even seen the movie you know ALL about the Yule Ball. I loved this chapter a lot. I learned some interesting things from it.
     1. Hagrid told Madame Maxine he is part giant and she said that she wasn't, like that could be true, considering they are both like skyscrapers. (I imagine my self craning my neck to see his face)
     2. Professor Snape and Professor Karkaroff are on a first name basis and are discussing something that scares Karkaroff and that Snape says he will cover for him if he leaves (hmmm, very sneaky).
     3. Seems that Ron likes Hermione, but we already knew that ;)
     4. Cedric gave Harry a weird hint about that egg for the second task (sitting in the bathtub? Really?)
     5. Hermione was going to the ball with Viktor Krum...thats weird right?

Overall, I think this chapter was great, it had some very interesting plot lines and it makes me wonder what Snape and Karkaroff are hiding (probably something in their secret dungeon...jk). I think the best thing about the forth Harry Potter book is all the detail that J.K. Rowling puts into the book.

Now some more about Harry, because that is what we(more like just me) are really interested in. Lets take a look at Harry's personality. "Harry didn't say anything. He liked being back on speaking terms with Ron too much to speak his mind right now - but he somehow thought that Hermione had gotten the point much better than Ron had" (Rowling 432). In this quote Ron and Hermione are fighting over he going to the dance with Krum. Harry stays out of the argument and waits until it is over. This quote really shows Harry's personality. The way he is loyal to his friends and how he is kind enough to take the high road, even though he believes that Hermione was right. I think I should take the high road more often. Anyone with me?!

...cricket noises...

Never mind then. Happy Reading!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I'm about 1/2 way done with this very long book, but who's complaining? Not me, this book is amazing. It is my favorite book so far, and it has a lot of suspense in it. I find this book very intriguing, the things that J.K. Rowling comes up with is amazing. I would never beable to up with this kind of stuff.

I think that one of J.K. Rowling's strengths is her ability to create imagery when conflict arises in the text. Since some things that happen in Harry Potter could never really happen in real life I though it would be hard to picture what is really happening, but since J.K. Rowling is such an amazing author I can picture exactly what is happening even at times when their is a complicated conflict(tongue twister) happening. "And then she reared, spreading her great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane-and Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disapperared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by her clawed frount legs-he had taken his hands off his Firebolt-he had seized the golden egg-"(Rowling 356). When Harry is trying to get around a dragon, yes a dragon, it would be very eay to picture any number of things that could count as a dragon. Then you read this and you can picture exactly what the wings and front legs would look like, giving a perfect example of imagery during a conflict. It is also easy to picture what the dragon's reaction would look like. I picyure it as kind of confused and looking around for Harry as he dived for the golden egg. I think it is awesome how great detail J/K. Rolwing goes into even when it would be easy to let the reader picture the kind of dragon they want.

This is the dragon scene from the movie. I find it different than that of the book. In the book Harry taunts the dragon to fly, but in the movie the dragon goes after him right away. Also, in the book Harry knows that he is going to summon his firebolt when he gets into the dragon ring, but in the movie he doesn't realize when he is going to do until Hermione yells at him. There are other differences too, but those are the main ones. Even thought the book and movie are different I think that they both are fantastic.

Have you read the book and seen the movie? What differences did you notice?

It was my favorite Harry Potter movie, I wonder what the book will be like...

I'm about 100 pages in on the 4th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was my favorite movie so I wonder if it will be my favorite book too. 

This is the sysnopsis of the book form amazon:
Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

Draco Malfoy(aka Malfoy) is a minor character in the book, and he is also Harry's enemy. Malfoy helps evolve the plot because he is always against Harry, Ron, and Hermione forcing them to work harder to achieve their goals. Malfoy also tries to get Harry in trouble which often results in some sort of punishment for Harry and his friends.

If Malfoy was a bigger character in the book the plot would change because it would have to include more of what Malfoy does and how he is evil, because we all know he is. The plot would also change because instead of the good guy(Harry and his friends) always winning the bad guy(Malfoy) might win and actually change how the story goes.

Harry Potter and the Prisioner of Azkaban(Again)

This is my third blog post on this book, which is bad because that means I have been reading it for awhile (11 days to be exact).  I don't really know what to write about since it anymore. I guess I could say that the best thing about the book is the detail and wizardry, but I also think that the worst thing about the book is the wizardry (that's only if I had to choose a bad thing).

The detail that J.K. Rowling uses is amazing, it gives you a clear picture of what is going on even when it is stuff that could never happen in real life, such as: a flying car, a moving picture, a talking picture, flying on a broomstick, and (my favorite) playing Quidditch.  These things are all impossible, but with J.K. Rowling descriptions it feels like it is really happening to you or right next to you.  Also, the wizardy in the books is really cool. I think it would be really hard to come up with the different spells, demons, and wild creatures that J.K. Rowling comes up with. The wizardy allows you to imagine wild things that you know you wish would happen to you.

I would say that if anything is bad it would be all the wizardy because it makes it hard to relate to the book.  It's not like I can say, "Yeah! I remeber the time I caught the golden snitch!" Also, most of Harry's expierences deal with magic so it's practically impossible to find a text-to-world connection. Even though the book is not as relatable as some other books it is still really good. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Ron, Hermione, and Harry deal with the situation of the dementor's and Sirius Black differently.  Ron is scared of the dementor's and of Sirius Black, he wants nothing to do with them and wants to stay as far away from them as possible. Hermione just wants everyone to be safe. Hermione says, "'Because I though-and Professor McGongall agrees with me-that the broom was probably sent to Harry by Sirius Black!'" (Rowling 232). This is said by Hermione when she tells Professor McGongall about Harry's new broom resulting in Professor McGongall taking Harry's broom to make sure it isn't jinxed.

Harry takes the situation very differently, he wants to prepare for the situation. Also, Harry is not afraid of Sirius, but is scared of the dementor's.  It says, "'Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand-' 'I do!' said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. 'I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!'" (Rowling 239). Harry feels very strongly about preparing and being ready to defend himself unlike Ron and Hermione.  He also wants to do it for his team which is very generous thing to do. No one else is taking lessons in defending themselves so this is a very different approach then many other people.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In chapter 5 of the third Harry Potter book, Harry and his friends are attacked by a dementor. When attacked Harry is the only one that has a major affect from the dementor. Harry asks Ron and Hermione what happens and then says, "'But didn't any of you-fall off you seats?' said Harry awkwardly. 'No,' said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again....Harry didn't understand. He felt weak and shivery, as though he were recovering from a bad bout of flu; he also felt the beginnings of shame. Why had he goen to pieces like that, when no one else had?" (J.K. Rowling, 86).

I think this is the most important quite because it shows Harry's weakness to the dementors, and I don't think that will be the end of them. I think that Harry will have to face dementors and overcome what has happened to him, and that the dementors will play a bigger part in the story than they have so far.  The plot has started devolpign from that lien because there are dementors out side of Hogwarts and the nurse at Hogwarts is worried about it.  Also, the dementors come from Azkaban where Sirius Black has escaped and people believe he is after Harry.

Harry Potter

I have just started the Harry Potter series over winter break, which is crazy considering how long they have been out and how popular they are.  I now know what everyone is talking about when they say how amazing Harry Potter is. After finishing the first one I am obviously going to read the second one. I already have number 2, 3, 4.

J.K. Rowling built suspense by giving little details that add up to very interesting ideas and possibilities. She also puts twists and turns into the books by making you think someone did something when really it was someone else. In the first book she makes you believe that Professor Snape is trying to hurt Harry and steal the Sorcerer's Stone when really it was Professor Quirell who seemed innocent until the end of the book. The way suspense is built in the Harry Potter books works very well because you always want to find out more.

If your someone who hasn't read the books like me you should start reading them right away, they are as great as everyone says!

Along For The Ride-the end

After reading Along For The Ride I would like to describe how the main character, Auden, changed throughout the book. A little bit of info about Auden is that she just graduated high school and her parents got divorced when she was 16.  Before her parents got divorced they would fight after Auden went to bed and fell asleep so she got used to staying up very late and almost never sleeping. So two years later Auden still never sleeps at night and only focuses on schoolwork.  Auden was so focused on studies that she never hung out with her friends (they weren't really friends just people from her school) and never went to prom or homecoming. When Auden goes to her dad's for the summer many things change about her, mainly because of Eli.

"Maybe in the world of girls, this was supposed to be a turning point. When we saw beyond our initial differences, realized we had something in common after all, and became true friends. But that was a place I didn't know well, had never lived in, and had no interest in discovering, even as a tourist. So I took the checkbook, nodded, and walked out the door, leaving them-as I had so many other groups-to say whatever they would about me once I was gone."(Dessen, 56).  This is a great quote of how Auden had nothing to do with friendships and how she didn't want anything to do with them.  She was just someone who didn't put herself out there and really didn't want to. In the beginning of the quote Auden thinks that she really doesn't know much about the "girl world" for she didn't do that kind of stuff, later in the book this changes very much.

"Then I stood on my tip-toes, bring my lips to his....I smiled at him as I stepped back,then up on my pedals again....'So you don't want me to take you,' he said. 'No,' I replied. 'But I'll meet you there.'" (Dessen, 377).  This is a few pages before the end of the book, and when Eli asks her if she wants a ride he is talking about the fake prom night that is happening for the Summer Bash.  The pedals are pedals of a bike which is a big symbol in the book, and is in the title too.  You can see how Auden changed from being a very independent person to a more extroverted person, and it was mainly because of Eli.  To see what happens between Eli and Auden and how Auden changed so much read the book, its a great read.