Christina probably taught you a bunch of different reading strategies and with so many to choose from, maybe you don't know which one to use. With girlies, there are some strategies that always work... Well, almost always.
Common Issues
In girlies, some VERY common issues include family, friends, and class(popularity). You can generate ideas and themes about those ideas from the book and if you really want to push yourself, try to come up with a general idea from the book with the issue(s).
Relationships
There's always something wrong with at least one relationship in most girlies. Try to figure out which are the bad relationships and which are the good relationships then interpret why they're bad.
Groups/Roles
In most girlies, there's a popular girl at the main character's school and there's the main character who's status is under the "it" girl's. Think about this: "How does this girlie portray popular people?" or "What is _____'s role in the story?"
Changes
Characters are never the same person as they were from the beginning to the end - especially in girlies. The main character always goes through some kind of change; usually a change in thinking or perspective.
Compare and Contrast to Another Girlie
You can always compare and contrast two girlies by connecting their issues and how they're shown. You can also compare and contrast two of the same archetypes(type of person in book, movie, show, etc. For example: evil stepmother, mean girl, annoying brother, overprotective parent, etc.) in the two girlies to see how the two authors represent the group.
I hope this gave you some ideas as to how to fill up your reader's note book with the requirements!
--
Carmen
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Finding Girlies
Sometimes, it is pretty hard to find girlies to read. If you've already read all seven girlies on my list and have already read the three other books I suggested, here are some tips to finding girlies that you won't regret reading:
1) Ask a friend who has a similar reading taste.
Just ask a friend to suggest a girlie she recently read and enjoyed that she thinks you would like too. After, you two can discuss the book as reading partners and see if you can try to get a different perspective of the book.
2) Go around looking for pink books.
Seriously, this really helps. Go to someplace like Barnes and Noble on Warren Street and walk around the young adult section looking for books with pink covers. Pink covers indicate girlie potential. The cover doesn't necessarily need to be pink, just a girlish color. Trust me, this really works.
Hope these two tips will help you fill up your books on deck list!
--
Carmen
1) Ask a friend who has a similar reading taste.
Just ask a friend to suggest a girlie she recently read and enjoyed that she thinks you would like too. After, you two can discuss the book as reading partners and see if you can try to get a different perspective of the book.
2) Go around looking for pink books.
Seriously, this really helps. Go to someplace like Barnes and Noble on Warren Street and walk around the young adult section looking for books with pink covers. Pink covers indicate girlie potential. The cover doesn't necessarily need to be pink, just a girlish color. Trust me, this really works.
Hope these two tips will help you fill up your books on deck list!
--
Carmen
Top Seven Girlies Every Seventh Grade Girl Should Read (Plus Three Other Books You Should Consider)
Don't you love girlies? I'm sure you know what a girlie is. You know, that kind of book where a girl likes a guy but can't get him because she's way out of his league and there's some kind of mean girl in the way? Yeah, that's a girlie. I love them and I'm sure you do too. In seventh grade, you're open to a whole variety of girlies. It may be overwhelming to choose which one to read so here are my absolute favorites:
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Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard
Every girl has their secrets right? Sure they do, but not like Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. They all share a big secret that could land them in jail if someone leaked and they each have their own dirty secret that no one else knows about except for one person, Ali, who just happens to be dead. So who is this "A" person who keeps sending them creepy texts and threatening them with their secrets that no one knows?This books sounds like it's all mystery and not a girlie but believe me, it is. Most of their dirty secrets have to do with stuff that makes a girlie good. Follow the girls as they uncover who this "A" is through the entire Pretty Little Liars series. (Already read it? Watch the show on ABC Family!)
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Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Melissa Sordino starts Merryweather Highschool as a pariah who chooses not to speak rather than tell everyone what really happened that night at the party. She's lost her group of friends and has nobody to tell. This realistic fiction book is filled with family, friendship, and school problems which gives a girlie it's potential. Though Melissa really doesn't speak much at all, you really do learn the power of your voice. If you enjoyed the book, watch the movie starring Twilight's Kirsten Stewart.
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Paisley Hanover Acts Out - Cameron Tuttle
What do you do when you start high school wanting to be the absolute most perfect student so you try out for things like yearbook but you end up making a fool of yourself in front of your school's "it" girl and crush? Well, I wouldn't know but Paisley Hanover would. After getting kicked out of yearbook as a sophmore at Pleasent Hill High School, she gets sent to a club full of weirdos - Drama. But as time passes by, she starts to become friends with these "freaks" and her old friends start to change. She's also stuck between two guys which also gives this girlie a lot of potential. But what she does next to make Pleasant Hill High not so... pleasent. If you've already read this and enjoyed it, I strongly suggest that you read its equally amazing sequel, Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells.
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Huge - Sasha Paley
Wil and Ashley both meet at camp and they cannot be anymore different except for one physical quality; they're both overweight. They both spend the summer together at Wellness Canyon, a fat camp, as partners. Both live two completely different lives and have completely different views about being at WC. Ashley worked hard to get there while Wil was forced to. So as Ashley pushes herself to lose weight and become popular like she's always dreamed of, Wil is doing the exact opposite and is trying to GAIN weight. This book contains a lot of friendship problems as the two struggle to work together and to make this girlie even better, there's a boy that they're both trying to go for. So how exactly do they manage to live with eachother? Read this amazing girlie and enjoy.
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Secrets of Truth and Beauty - Megan Frazer
Dara Cohen used to be the absolute perfect little girl. With her amazing voice, she even landed the spot as Little Miss Maine when she was seven. But then, she got chubby. In high school as a seventeen year old, she doesn't exactly live the life she would have because of her weight but she does have friends. Almost out of nowhere, her friend reveals that she was Little Miss Maine and suddenly, everyone's wondering the exact same thing, "What happened?" and to add to her problems, she lives with her controlling mom who just won't leave her alone. But there's one thing that Dara just can't erase about her family: She has an older sister & her parents tried to leave her out of her life. After her English project was misunderstood, Dara decides to leave and live with her sister whose address she found. When she's with her sister, she realizes where her real family is. To add to the girlie potential this book has, there's also a love interest; too bad he's gay. This book is amazing and shows you how parents can be so judgemental sometimes but also opens up your viewing of what family is.
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Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies - Erin Dionne
Celeste Harris is a thirteen year old who's not the skinniest thing in the world but unlike other overweight girls her age, she doesn't really care; she's comfortable in her sweats and enjoys eating a couple of Oreos when she gets home everyday. But her easy lifestyle stops when her pagaent obsessed aunt signs her up for the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge - a modeling competition for oversized girls. Like any other thirteen year old girl, Celeste is MORTIFIED. She's thinking, "I don't want to win a competition to be prettiest FAT girl!" So what does she decide to do to get out of it? Celeste decides to skinny herself out of it by losing weight and being under the weight minimum. But as she lost weight, she gained character and got to shine. This book is amazing and teaches you that you can do anything you set your mind to; all you need is a little motivation.
Even though I'd love to just read girlies & not read any other type of book, there are three other books all seventh grade girls should read:
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The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
In this dystopian novel, sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 of Panem where North America once stood. The Capitol owns all twelve of the districts and because of the attempted revolution years ago. What happened after that attempt was the removal of District 13 and an annual event called the Hunger Games where they take a child of each gender from each district and they hunt eachother alive. It's a vicious thing the Capitol makes them suffer through. So when Katniss's twelve year old sister Primrose is called to be a part of the Hunger Games, Katniss jumps up to take her place. Throughout the story, you see how Katniss's thoughts change about everyone and the world she lives in. A girlie quality this has is there's sort of a love interest. Does she make through the Hunger Games? Will she be the first to die? Read this intense novel and find out for yourself.
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Chinese Cinderella - Adeline Yen Mah
Growing up wasn't so easy for Adeline. She grew up being unwanted by her family because she caused her mother's death. Things don't get easier when her father remarries and their new stepmother absolutely loathes her and her blood siblings. The only person who accepted her no matter what was her aunt. The only thing that seems to keep little Adeline in is her good grades; her father seems to be pleased when she brings them home. So throughout her life, she struggles to keep up her good grades in hope to finally be accepted by her family. This amazing autobiography tells the tragically true story of Adeline Yen Mah's childhood.
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The Name of this Book is Secret - Pseudonymous Bosch
Seriously, the title of this book is The Name of this Book is Secret. The entire book revolves around one little secret that the anonymous author just couldn't keep. You don't even know the actual names of the characters, the names, Cass and Max-Earnest, are just put there so it's a bit easier to read. When the two adventure seekers meet, they find the Symphony of Sounds and accidentally fall into a mystery surrounding a magician's diary and the search for immortality. Though it sounds like any other mystery you'd pick up off the mystery shelf, it isn't. This book is definitely a page turner & trust me, you won't be able to put it down because of how exciting it gets. Read the entire Secret Series as each book gets more & more intense. The next books are If you're Reading this, it's too Late, This Book is not Good for you, and This isn't What it Looks Like. If you're meticulous enough, you'll notice a pattern or theme in each book. Here's a hint: your 5 senses.
So I hope this blog has helped all you seventh grade girlie lovers find a new favorite book from this list because these have been my absolute favorite this year and they definitely made my reading life a bit more enjoyable. =)
--
Carmen
Every girl has their secrets right? Sure they do, but not like Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. They all share a big secret that could land them in jail if someone leaked and they each have their own dirty secret that no one else knows about except for one person, Ali, who just happens to be dead. So who is this "A" person who keeps sending them creepy texts and threatening them with their secrets that no one knows?This books sounds like it's all mystery and not a girlie but believe me, it is. Most of their dirty secrets have to do with stuff that makes a girlie good. Follow the girls as they uncover who this "A" is through the entire Pretty Little Liars series. (Already read it? Watch the show on ABC Family!)
Melissa Sordino starts Merryweather Highschool as a pariah who chooses not to speak rather than tell everyone what really happened that night at the party. She's lost her group of friends and has nobody to tell. This realistic fiction book is filled with family, friendship, and school problems which gives a girlie it's potential. Though Melissa really doesn't speak much at all, you really do learn the power of your voice. If you enjoyed the book, watch the movie starring Twilight's Kirsten Stewart.
What do you do when you start high school wanting to be the absolute most perfect student so you try out for things like yearbook but you end up making a fool of yourself in front of your school's "it" girl and crush? Well, I wouldn't know but Paisley Hanover would. After getting kicked out of yearbook as a sophmore at Pleasent Hill High School, she gets sent to a club full of weirdos - Drama. But as time passes by, she starts to become friends with these "freaks" and her old friends start to change. She's also stuck between two guys which also gives this girlie a lot of potential. But what she does next to make Pleasant Hill High not so... pleasent. If you've already read this and enjoyed it, I strongly suggest that you read its equally amazing sequel, Paisley Hanover Kisses and Tells.
Wil and Ashley both meet at camp and they cannot be anymore different except for one physical quality; they're both overweight. They both spend the summer together at Wellness Canyon, a fat camp, as partners. Both live two completely different lives and have completely different views about being at WC. Ashley worked hard to get there while Wil was forced to. So as Ashley pushes herself to lose weight and become popular like she's always dreamed of, Wil is doing the exact opposite and is trying to GAIN weight. This book contains a lot of friendship problems as the two struggle to work together and to make this girlie even better, there's a boy that they're both trying to go for. So how exactly do they manage to live with eachother? Read this amazing girlie and enjoy.
Dara Cohen used to be the absolute perfect little girl. With her amazing voice, she even landed the spot as Little Miss Maine when she was seven. But then, she got chubby. In high school as a seventeen year old, she doesn't exactly live the life she would have because of her weight but she does have friends. Almost out of nowhere, her friend reveals that she was Little Miss Maine and suddenly, everyone's wondering the exact same thing, "What happened?" and to add to her problems, she lives with her controlling mom who just won't leave her alone. But there's one thing that Dara just can't erase about her family: She has an older sister & her parents tried to leave her out of her life. After her English project was misunderstood, Dara decides to leave and live with her sister whose address she found. When she's with her sister, she realizes where her real family is. To add to the girlie potential this book has, there's also a love interest; too bad he's gay. This book is amazing and shows you how parents can be so judgemental sometimes but also opens up your viewing of what family is.
Celeste Harris is a thirteen year old who's not the skinniest thing in the world but unlike other overweight girls her age, she doesn't really care; she's comfortable in her sweats and enjoys eating a couple of Oreos when she gets home everyday. But her easy lifestyle stops when her pagaent obsessed aunt signs her up for the HuskyPeach Modeling Challenge - a modeling competition for oversized girls. Like any other thirteen year old girl, Celeste is MORTIFIED. She's thinking, "I don't want to win a competition to be prettiest FAT girl!" So what does she decide to do to get out of it? Celeste decides to skinny herself out of it by losing weight and being under the weight minimum. But as she lost weight, she gained character and got to shine. This book is amazing and teaches you that you can do anything you set your mind to; all you need is a little motivation.
Even though I'd love to just read girlies & not read any other type of book, there are three other books all seventh grade girls should read:
In this dystopian novel, sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 of Panem where North America once stood. The Capitol owns all twelve of the districts and because of the attempted revolution years ago. What happened after that attempt was the removal of District 13 and an annual event called the Hunger Games where they take a child of each gender from each district and they hunt eachother alive. It's a vicious thing the Capitol makes them suffer through. So when Katniss's twelve year old sister Primrose is called to be a part of the Hunger Games, Katniss jumps up to take her place. Throughout the story, you see how Katniss's thoughts change about everyone and the world she lives in. A girlie quality this has is there's sort of a love interest. Does she make through the Hunger Games? Will she be the first to die? Read this intense novel and find out for yourself.
Growing up wasn't so easy for Adeline. She grew up being unwanted by her family because she caused her mother's death. Things don't get easier when her father remarries and their new stepmother absolutely loathes her and her blood siblings. The only person who accepted her no matter what was her aunt. The only thing that seems to keep little Adeline in is her good grades; her father seems to be pleased when she brings them home. So throughout her life, she struggles to keep up her good grades in hope to finally be accepted by her family. This amazing autobiography tells the tragically true story of Adeline Yen Mah's childhood.
Seriously, the title of this book is The Name of this Book is Secret. The entire book revolves around one little secret that the anonymous author just couldn't keep. You don't even know the actual names of the characters, the names, Cass and Max-Earnest, are just put there so it's a bit easier to read. When the two adventure seekers meet, they find the Symphony of Sounds and accidentally fall into a mystery surrounding a magician's diary and the search for immortality. Though it sounds like any other mystery you'd pick up off the mystery shelf, it isn't. This book is definitely a page turner & trust me, you won't be able to put it down because of how exciting it gets. Read the entire Secret Series as each book gets more & more intense. The next books are If you're Reading this, it's too Late, This Book is not Good for you, and This isn't What it Looks Like. If you're meticulous enough, you'll notice a pattern or theme in each book. Here's a hint: your 5 senses.
So I hope this blog has helped all you seventh grade girlie lovers find a new favorite book from this list because these have been my absolute favorite this year and they definitely made my reading life a bit more enjoyable. =)
--
Carmen
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