Banned Books Week Vlog 9/9/14

The Goosebumps Series

Book List Challenge 9/2/14

1. Wonder by R.J Palacio

I read this book very recently this year. This book taught me one thing; and that is to never judge someone by how they look. In the book, it stated that everybody judged this one boy just because he had special needs and they thought he looked different. I know that he felt really bad because almost the whole school was against him. From reading this, I learned not to judge a book (or a person) by the cover.





    2. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

When I read this book, I was probably still in elementary school. But, I still remember what the moral was. What I learned from this book is that you only appreciate what you had when you don't have it anymore. *SPOILER ALERT*A boy had an apple tree and he would always climb it. As he got older, he didn't appreciate it and he used it for other things. This book was very sad because the boy didn't realize it until he was a lot older.

 3. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk Middle School by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Madeline Clapps, Valerie Howlett.

This book has many life lessons in it. It teaches kids about friendship, love, respect, and more. I think this book is important for everyone to read because it has stories everyone should hear about. It is also very interesting. So, this book taught me a lot of different life lessons.                                                                                                                                             

 4. Divergent by Veronica Roth

From reading Divergent, I know that the lesson is that everyone has a different side to them. People aren't going to make the same kind of decision when they are faced with a different situation. They are usually going to come up with an answer to a problem differently then what they would usually do when they are in danger.



5. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

*SPOILER ALERT* This book's lesson is that if you fight with someone because of your problems, they are going to fight back. In this point, it was Katniss and the government. Killing President Snow wasn't going to solve all her problems. If she wanted to help the children from the districts, she could help with building schools, hospitals, and houses. So, that's what impacted me from these books.


6. Helen Keller by Stewart and Polly Anne Graff

Helen Keller (the book) has many life lessons/morals. One is that you should focus on the positive side of things. Another thing is that you should have a vision of what you want to do with your life. Even though Helen was blind and deaf, didn't mean she couldn't learn to do things like everyone else. She  said that nothing is impossible. This is what I discovered from reading this book.





7. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O' Dell

When I read this book, I was in 5th grade, so I still remember most of the lesson. This book was important to me when I read it because the lesson taught that sometimes, you have to figure things out on your own. Karana learned overtime how to work independently. Also, she got better at a lot of different skills; like hunting for example.


8. Oh The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Suess

This book, I read many times. I really enjoy these short books and each one has a lesson in it. This one influenced me because it teaches, if you are having a difficulty in your life, for example; loneliness or fear, you are able to take it on with a straight face and get over it easily. It basically shows that people can face their fears or something hard in their life with a positive attitude.




9. Matilda by Roald Dahl

I read this book and watched the movie and I saw that it was about how Matilda felt alone because her parents mistreated or neglected her. Until she met Mrs. Honey, her teacher. I think that Matilda the book teaches people that read it that even if things get bad, life all sort itself out. This book educates people on how to be independent.




10. The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

This was always my all - time favorite book and movie series. I've read it over and over and I know that in this book, Bella has a lot of bad luck. She is always getting hurt while making bad decisions. This book series lets people know that not everything is always going to be perfect.

About the Author 8/26/14

My name is Giovanna Garza and I am 12 years old. I'm in 7th grade and my favorite subject is reading. I like to read fantasy and science fiction. For example, some of my top books that I've read are, The Twilight Series, The Hunger Games Series, and The Divergent Series. Some of my favorite movies are the same as my favorite book series because they are both books and movies. 

I want to read The Vampire Diaries Series and The Pretty Little Liars Series. I actually just found out that they have book series. I found out because I watch both of the shows on Netflix. That's one thing I like to do in my free time. I like to watch Netflix and watch Youtube videos. 

Some of my favorite youtubers are Lily (Superwoman), Coleen (mirandasings), and more. I also like to go on Instagram. When I go somewhere or eat something cool, I have to take a picture of it and post the picture. Another thing I like to do is bake and cook. I am very good at doing both because when I was little, my mom taught me a lot about cooking and we used to bake a lot.

I also like to shop a lot. I prefer going to the mall then separate stores because that way, I could stay in the same place at once. I've been to a lot of different malls. My favorite mall that I've been to is Mall of America in Missouri.  Some of my favorite stores are Forever 21, Hollister, Wet Seal, Charlotte Russe, Pink, and Journeys. 

When I am bored, I like to listen to music. I actually listen to music everyday. I like a lot of different genres. Some songs I love are ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ by The Arctic Monkeys, ‘All About That Bass’ by Meghan Trainor, and ‘Eyes On Fire’ by The Blue Foundation. I listen to these on my spotify account. 

I have over 100 songs on my spotify! I always make sure to have my earbuds when I go somewhere because if I don’t have them, I cant’t listen to music. I especially need them on road trips! 

My favorite places to eat are Panera, Bakers’s Square, The Cheese Factory, Taco Bell, and Starbucks. The best thing I’ve had in Panera is a chipotle sandwich and an iced coffee; that is my top thing I pick when I go there. Baker’s Square is known for their pies, but, I always order only the food there because I don’t really like pie. But, I love their tomato soup. I love everything at The Cheesecake Factory because there food is really good and cheesecake is my favorite dessert.

My favorite fast food is hard shell tacos so I love going to Taco Bell. Lastly, Starbucks is my favorite place to get coffee/drinks. I can’t wait for the fall Drinks! 

Some interesting facts about me are that I have 1 sister that is 15 and a mixed breed named Daisy. My favorite color is pink. I love to have pink and white things in my room; for example, flowers. My four favorite brands are Ugg, North Face, Chanel, and Moschino. One thing that I want to buy is a teddy bear Moschino phone case. That’s a little bit about me.