In the book Just Listen by Sarah Dessen the main character, Annabel. Annabel seems to be dealing with an external and internal conflict. Her best friend just stopped talking to her after about 6 years. And her sister had an extreme eating disorder. On the inside Annabel is dealing with what happened the night her and her best friend, Sophie, stopped being friends. Annabel has so much going on in her life she can't even admit that she was raped.
    "But Whitney didn't eat. Not that night, which she slept straight through, not stirring each time my mother came in with a tray." When Annabel says this I can imagine her being worried. I would be worried if someone I knew wasn't eating. I mean who wouldn't? Annabel must feel trapped. Like her family would be disappointed in her if she told them if she was raped. So she has to hold back her emotions. So that she doesn't make her family more broken then it already is.
     Annabel has so much going on that she can't come clean about what happened the night when she stopped being friends with Sophie, that she was raped. I can't relate to this at all. None of this has ever happened to me or a friend. Which is a good thing. But there is people who one of these things has happened to them. I don't know how they would react but it is a big deal. And people should not keep that big a secret from family.

The Road Trip of a lifetime

    In the book How to be Bad by Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mylnowski, and E. Lockhart one character, Vicks learns how to open up and except her feelings. In the beginning she seems all bottled up and thinks it's bad and weird to show how a person feels. She thinks that people who show how they feel are needy. At the end of the story she learns that its okay to tell someone how you honestly feel about them or about something. Vicks is a person who is very protective of her feelings.
    Vicks has a boyfriend who is at college and suddenly stops contacting her. She gets a text once in awhile but thats it. Vicks says that she doesn't care but deep down she really does. When she says "I know she's sad that I didn't tell her right off about what's been going on with Brady since he left for the U." I think that Vicks doesn't want to be judged by the way she is feeling. With everything going on she thinks that if she asked for help then she would sound needy. And she would hate that. It's so personal to her she can't even tell her own best friend. At the end of the book she says "Yeah, but what I mean is, why didn't you call me at all, ever, since you left home?" In this scene Vicks finally opens up to Brady, her boyfriend. It seems that she feels relieved that she is getting all of this out. She learned during the road trip that its okay to except your feelings. Every person has feelings and it's okay to show them once in awhile.
  Vicks has a problem representing her feelings but at the end she leads that she can trust others with her feelings. This change teaches me about life because I think it teaches a person that it's fine to have feelings.That it's okay to show a persons feelings. But it also teaches me that a person doesn't need to know everything that is going on in their life. That a person shouldn't push them to tell them what's going on.

Is learning how to ride a bike nessessary for a child?

  In the book Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen the main character Auden had no childhood a "normal" child would have. She never played with toys hung out with friends or even learned how to ride a bike. And you would think that every child knows how to ride a bike. Auden spent her childhood workin, studying, doing homework to impress her parents. Auden trys to impress her parents throughout the book.
 One reason I think this is because her mom is never paying attention to her. She's always studying and talking about grades in front of her mom. But her mom never really praises her. At least you never see that in the book. And the only reason Auden did not have a "normal" childhood was because she was trying to get her mom's attention by doing amazing in school. A regular parent what be congraulating their child. But her mom is just so up in her own world she can't even notice that her daughter gave up on her chlidhood just to have some affection from her mom.
  My parents have always congratulated me from doing well in school. I don't think a child should try to impress their parents. It's wrong. The parents should realize they have a kid and notice them and not be so worried with work or something else that their kid feels left out of their parent-child relationship.

"Tell me a story." "A story? What about?" "Something happy."

In the book The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen has a great connection with Peeta Mellark. She does have a connection with Gale but they're best friends. Best friends should not go out. In my oppinion I believe that Katniss Everdeen should end up with Peeta Mellark instead of Gale. They were in a life or death situation together when only one tribute was supposed to survive. They BOTH survived. They stick together threw thick and thin.
 One reason I believe that they should end up together is because that they stick together through thick and thin. For example on page 374, THE LAST PAGE OF THE BOOK, Katniss says "I take his hand, holding it tightly, perparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go." To me, right there, somes up how much she loves Peeta. She doesn't want to lose Peeta. He's THAT important to her. Another example is on page 268-274 Katniss tells Peeta a story. A story that is so risky it could risk her own life. That right there shows trust.
 I think that this relates to everyday life because everyone deserves someone like Peeta. It doesn't matter if thats chessey or whatever its true. Peeta excepts Katniss for who she really is. Even when she seems nasty. Like when she pushes her emotions away when she knew she had feelings for Peeta. But pushed them away. Peeta still loved her. And that's why they should end up together.

Whats worse...Killing a tribute you love? Falling for a tribute thats ill? Or being killed because of falling for a tribute?

 Katniss is afraid of loving someone. All throughout the beginning of the book she thinks that Peeta is just messing with her. Which in fact is true (but she finds that out after the interview). In the beginning I thought that she was afraid of getting close to someone. All throughout the book she seems to push people away. For example I feel like the mom tries to be kind and sweet to Katniss, and Katniss is just like "No. Get away from me." Another example is whenever Peeta tries to help her win over sponsors she yells at him to leave or get away.
 I also think that Katniss is afraid of losing someone she loves again. After her father died she didn't have anyone. For example the mom went super depressed on everyone and wouldn't leave her bed. Leaving Katniss at age 12 to take care of the mom and Prim, her little sister. At the age of 12 Katniss only knew a tiny bit of how to hunt. So she took it upon her to do whatever it was she needed to do so she and her sister didn't get sent to foster care.
 The last reason I think Katniss is afraid of loving someone is because it may show weakness to others. And Katniss is one of those people who lived in a dark time once and now will never cry in public, never show emotion. With being in the hunger games and all she doesn't want the career tributes to think she's weak. And if she shows emotion, of loving Peeta, she puts her and Peeta in a tough situation losing one another or dying because one another.

The Hunger Games

 I just started the book The Hunger Games and Katniss (the main character) seems like a person who keeps to herself.  I think this because in the beginning I feel like she doesn't try to be nice to anyone. For example in the very very beginning she isn't very nice to the cat. In real life I don't think that this really matters but I think that this cat represents a symbol that something deep will happen later in the book.
 I think that this cat resembles another character that she will not get along with. She seems like the character who wouldn't give anyone a chance. For example when she actually starts participating in the Hunger Games she is going to need to use strategy and befriend her component. 
 I also think that she is going to need a lot of support from her family. In a competition like this everyone needs as much support as they can get. Even if another character isn't the nicest of them all. Everyone deserves an equal chance.