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.