Natalia's Book Journal

Theme of Book - 6th Entry

2005-05-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

I think the theme of this book is stand up for what you believe in. You shouldn't let others make important decisions for you. If you never question anything, you will lose your voice. You won't get to have an opinion and no longer be your own individual. The theme proved that freedom is an oppertunity to be unique, and when it is taken away the world can seem unfair.

Kayla is now on the run from the police and the government. She is afraid that the government will force her to get a tattoo, and the police will charge her for her mother's death. She escapes into the Andes Mounatins, and finds a group of people who are hidding from the government as well. They all feel that the tattoo will take away their identity. The government has a hard time finding Kayla, and while they are looking for her, she realizes that running away from her problems won't solve anything. She decides to go back home, and use the freedom that she has left.

5th Entry- Compare and Contrast of Character

2005-05-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

If I were to compare myself to one character in this novel it would be Kayla. In a way I am like Kayla because she follows her instincts. If she believes something isn't right, she is willing to take a chance to make it right. It doesn't matter to her if she is an outcast or not. However, I am not like Kayla because she doesn't like to show her emotions. When her father died she kept her feelings bottled up inside. If my parents were to die, I would be hysterical. Also, at one point in this story she ran away from her problems. I feel that running away from your problems doesn't solve anything.
So far, Kayla's life has been pretty rough. She didn't get accepted to art school, her father commited suicide, and her best friend was forced to move away. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. One night she came home to find her mother passed out on the couch. When her mother woke up, she started to act crazy. She tried to burn off her tattoo, which led to a house fire. Luckily Kayla made it out alive, but her mother wasn't so lucky. She died in the fire. When the cops arrived they noticed that Kayla didn't have a tattoo, and thought that Kayla tried to kill her mom. Now she has no parents, and is being accused of killing her mother. She knows deep down that she didn't do anything wrong, and feels her only option to stay free is to run away.

Setting of Novel - 4th Entry

2005-04-28T10:08:00.000-07:00

The setting of this novel takes place in the Andes Mountains in 2025. This setting is important because Kayla escapes to the mountains to hide from the government, so she doesn't have to get the bar code tattoo. It is a place where she can be her own individual and have freedom.
Things have been pretty rough for Kayla in the last couple of weeks. She is now without a father figure, and her mother is becomming a crazy drunk. Her friend Amber keeps pressuring her to get the tattoo. After a few days she finally gives in to getting the tattoo, but she gets this queasy feeling in her stomach. At the last minute, she changes her mind. For some strange reason, Kayla knew something bad was going to happen. About five minutes after she left the tattoo store, there was a shooting.

Flat Character in Novel - 3rd Entry

2005-04-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

A flat character in this novel is Joseph Reed, Kayla's father. Joseph is very quiet and doesn't like to talk. Toward the beginning of the novel Joseph commits suicide.

Kayla's eighteenth birday is comming up, and she is feeling pressured into getting the bar code tattoo. She feels that the government isn't telling the people everything that comes along with the tattoo. At home her father starts to act strange. He thinks that the bar code tattoo is ruining his life, but he won't tell Kayla why. Kayla decides to join a club at school that is against the tattoo. As a result, people start to treat her different, and her principal even threatened to expell her. To make matters worse, Kayla arrives home from school to find out that her father has commited suicide.

Protagonist In Novel

2005-04-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

The protagonist in this story is a seventeen year old girl named Kayla Reed. She is average height, has blue eyes, and looks a lot like her father. When Kayla was younger she was very active and enthusiastic, but lately Kayla has been upset. Kayla loves to draw and is planning to attend an art college. She is in her senior year of high school.

So far, I have learned that Kayla is a senior at her high school and is planning to attend art school. However, Kayla soon finds out that she somehow is not qualified for her art scholarship. She thinks her life is over, and now she doesn't have any idea of what to do with her life. This novel takes place in the year 2025. There have been many new technology breakthroughs and the coolest thing to do now is get the bar code tattoo when you turn 18. The government says that the bar code will make your life easier. You will be able to pay for anything by just scanning your tattoo.

The Bar Code Tattoo- 1st Entry

2005-04-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

Title of Novel: The Bar Code Tattoo
Author: Suzanne Weyn
Number of Pages: 252
Publisher and Copyright: Texy Copyright 2004 by Suzzane Weyn; Published by Scholastic Inc.
Why did you select this novel?: I selected this novel because on the back cover it stated that "the bar code tattoo" would become your identy. It sounded interesting that a tattoo could become your way of identification.
What clues did you get about the novel from the cover design and the blurbs on the book jacket?: The cover of the book showed a picture of a young girl with a bar code tattooed on her right forearm. She was standing in the middle of a mysterious forest with a lost look on her face. I think that there will be issues of freedom and control of your identity in this book.

Ninth Day

2005-03-29T09:56:00.000-08:00

The main character in this novel is Archibald Lee Caswell. In the beginning of the novel Archie is a follower, and doesn't really think for himself. He can be immature and always causes mischief. Throughout the story, he develops into a mature, independent thinker who finds his true self.
This novel tells a story of a young teen trying to find himself in the world. Before Archie's grandfather dies he tells his grandson that he is a saint. Archie spends most of the novel trying to understand what his grandfather truely meant.
The novel takes place in a small hick town, and it adds to how Archie is stuck in a place where he can't find his true identity. Another inportant place in this novel is New York. Archie comes to New York, where he is able to explore and truely understand what his grandfather meant. I would estimate that this novel takes place somewhere around the 1960's.
The climax of the novel is when Archie is found in New York. He had run away to find out more about himself, and soon realized that he belonged back where he grew up all along. His grandmother who was in the hospital at the time, sent Clyde, a family friend, to go and find Archie.
I believe the author wrote this book to help other teens realize that finding out who you truely are can be difficult and frustrating at times. The author wanted her audience to know that they are not alone, and everone goes through this time in thier lives.
I would rate this novel at about a four. This a book you would read if you were into adventure. The book can be intense at times, but there are some parts that don't quite get your adrenaline going.

Scene from another characters point of view

2005-03-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

This is a scene where Archibald is talking on the phone with his best friend Armory. Armory has just moved away, and it will be told from Armory's point of view. "Hey Archie, how is hickville doing? I am so glad we moved! I finally got out of that dumpy, little town. There is so much to do here. I have made a ton of new friends, and even got myself a girlfriend. Life must be pretty boring for you. By the way, what is all this talk about being a saint? Are you crazy? You are anything but a saint. Remember all the times we pissed off your grandpa? We did everything we could to make his life stressful. Well, that's all really could do in that town. We would just spend our days trying to find some type of mischief to get into. Those were some great memories though. But I better get going, it's almost time for dinner. Maybe you can come visit me sometime. I guess I will talk to you later. Bye! "

Setting of Novel

2005-02-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

This novel takes place in a small hick town up in the mountains. It is a dull town with little or nothing to do. Many people are farmers and work hard to earn a living. The author explains the sense of place by describing the landforms of Archibald's farm. The author talks about high mountains, low valleys, green plains, and dusty fields. It can be warm and sunny, or it can be cold and rainy. A significant place in this novel is Caswell's Family Mountain. On this mountain, Archibald feels a deep connection with the earth. He feels as if nature comes alive and talks to him.

Quotations

2005-02-17T09:53:00.000-08:00

"Young man, you are a saint!" Found on page 14
This quotation is significant to the story because it deals with the theme of the book. This quotation was the last thing that Archibald's grandfather ever said. Throughout this story, Archibald is trying to interpret what his grandfather was trying to say. Archibald is now trying to live life like a saint. He has given up eating meat, doesn't watch television, and trys to spend all of his time out on the sacred Caswll Mountain.

"You have been called Archibald. Do you dare refuse the call?" Found on page 55
This quotation is significant to the story because it deals with how Archibald has changed throughout the story. After his grandfather's death, he felt "haunted" by his grandfather's last remarks. Later on, Archibald started to believe that his grandfather meant exactly what he said, that he was truely a saint. After Archibald met Clare his life changed even more. He started to give up personal possesions and things that he used to enjoy. He also started to second guess himself of how he had interpreted things. He didn't truely believe he was a "saint" anymore.

Character Analysis

2005-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Clare Simpson is an interesting character I have read about so far. Clare is the daughter of Mr.Simpson, a fortune teller Archie goes to. Clare has just moved from North Carolina to live with her dad. When Archie was introduced to Clare he felt like he had seen her before. He soon realized that Clare was the mysterious girl at his grandpa's funeral. Before Archie knew it, Clare had invited herself out to his farm the next day. For some strange reason Archie felt a weird connection with Clare. The next day, Archie took Clare to his "special" Caswell family mountain. Archie didn't even know why he took Clare there, but he felt a force inside telling him to. As they climbed the mountain, Clare told Archie that she knew all about his visions, and the mysterious pain just above his bellybutton. Archie couldn't believe Clare knew about his strange visions, and especially about the pain above his bellybutton. He knew that he hadn't told anybody, not even Armory. Clare told Archie that ever since she was little she knew that they would be together. She told him she had visions too, and that destiny brought them together. It was now there destiny to give up everything and become "saints" together.

Summary for first 30 Pages of When We Were Saints

2005-02-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

In the book When We Were Saints, Archie and his best friend Armory Mitchel have built a still in his grandparents basement. Archibald Lee Castwell is a tall, skinny boy and has no other sibilings. When Archie was little his mother and father died because their house collapsed on top of them. He then went to live with his grandparents, who have raised him practically his whole life. Archie and Armory live in a small hick town, so they always try to find ways to cause mischief. Archie was always causing problems for his grandfather, who was considered the towns "prophet", and when Archie built the still, it was the last straw. When Silas, Archie's grandfather, found out about the still, he was so furious he fell over and thought he was having a heart attack. It turned out that his grandfather didn't have a heart attack, but instead his kidneys were failing to work properly. His grandfather was unable to live much longer, and spent his last days on a death bed. Before Silas died, he made one last remark that is now haunting Archie. He looked at Archie, poked him in the stomach and told him he was a saint. Archie is now trying to figure out what his grandfather meant by his last words.

When We Were Saints

2005-01-27T10:26:00.000-08:00

Title:When We Were Saints
Author: Han Nolan
Pages:291
Published By: Harcourt,Inc Copyright 2003
I picked this novel because it looked mysterious and on the cover it had a picture of a hand with blood dripping from a wound. It looked like it had an intense story line.
I think the book will be about struggles and pain because of the cover. The back jacket of the book implied that it would be intense and jaw dropping.