The Taming of The Shrew by William Shakespeare

Title: The Taming of the Shrew (Sparknotes No Fear Shakespeare copy)


Author: William Shakespeare

Pages: 249

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Characters

• Petruchio- Antonio’s son, resident of Verona, intent on finding a rich wife no matter her disposure, Katherine's dowry is a want, but her cleverness and "shrewishness" seem to thrill him

• Lucentio- professed romantic lead of the play, conventional, well-off, came to Padua to pursue his education, academic goals fall to pieces when he sees Bianca, single-mindedly pursues her.

• Katherine- "shrew", Katherine lashes out at Hortensio and Gremio, clever, strong-willed, vivacious, vibrant, an attractive contrast to her sister Bianca

• Bianca- Baptista’s younger daughter, object of Lucentio's affection, name means 'white,' and indeed she is rather colorless compared to her vivacious sister, Katherine.

• Baptista- wealthy gentleman of Padua, father of Katherine and Bianca, outspokenly prefers his more well-behaved daughter, has no qualms about referring to Katherine as "the veriest shrew of all."

• Tranio- Lucentio's principal attendant,Lucentio's identity in order to help him win Bianca's heart, and by doing so suggests that all that separates a master from his servant is language and dress.

• Hortensio- Bianca's suitors, pompous, foolish, gives up on Bianca, marries a wealthy widow.

• Gremio- old, foolish, suitor of Bianca, ends up with nothing

• Grumio- Petruchio's servant, speaks his mind, playfully twists words around, clearly a servant, Petruchio and Katherine beat and ridicule him ruthlessly

• Vincentio- Lucentio's wealthy father.

• Biondello- Lucentio's servant

• Widow- quickly courted and wed by Hortensio, rich

• Curtis- Petruchio's servant.

• Pedant- From Mantua, Lucentio/ Tranio tricks him into believing that all Mantuans are condemned to die, and he disguises himself as Vincentio

• Tailor- Insulted by Petruchio.

• Haberdasher- Insulted by Petruchio.

• Nathaniel, Philip, Joseph, Nicholas, Peter- Petruchio’s servants, insulted by Petruchio

• Christopher Sly- A drunken tinker, who is made to think he is a lord.

• Lord- Passes by Sly and decides dress him up as a lord

Favorite Part:

I enjoyed the scene when Katherine tells Bianca and the widow about the obligation they have to their husbands. She is acting obediently towards Petruchio in the end, after her torture of not sleeping nor eating. Her explanation was long, "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,

And for thy maintenance commits his body

To painful labor both by sea and land,

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst though liest warm at home, secure and safe,

And craves no other tribute at thy hands

But love, fair looks, and true obedience-

Too little payment for so great a debt.

Such duty as the subject owes the prince,

Even such a woman oweth to her husband;

And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,

And not obedient to his honest will,

What is she but a foul contending rebel

And graceless traitor to her loving lord?

I am ashamed that women are so simple

To offer war where they should kneel for peace,

Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway

When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.”

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Title: The Missing: Book 1 Found


Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pages: 314

Genre: Science Fiction

Characters:

α Angela DuPre- Sky Trails Air airport pass personnel, meets kid at library thirteen years after, disappears behind a tree(time warp) , on Witnesses list

α Monique- Sky Trails Air airport pass personnel, holds higher standing than Angela, on Witnesses list, enjoyed hanging up on Chip and Katherine

α Jonah Skidmore- Main character, adopted, 13, 7th grader, good at basketball, on Survivors list

α Chip Winston- Jonah’s friend, adopted(just found out), 13, 7th grader, on Survivors list

α Katherine Skidmore- Jonah’s non-adopted sister, 12, 6th grader

α Mom Skidmore- Jonah’s adoptive mother, Katherine’s real mother

α Dad Skidmore- Jonah’s adoptive father, Katherine’s real father

α Mr. John Reardon- FBI agent, knows about Jonah and Chip, pushy, rude, insensitive, name is on a sticky note in Mr. Winston’s files

α Molly- Katherine’s friend, kisses Jonah and Katherine’s cell phone at Rachel’s sleepover

α Rachel- friend of Molly and Katherine, has a sleepover Katherine went to

α Daniella McCarthy- girl who is on the survivors list, only one not living in Liston, Clarksville, or Upper Tyson in Ohio; instead she lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, now moving to Robin’s Egg Lane in Ohio

α Marcus Gladstone- kid on bus tapping the seat with his fingers

α Owen Rogers- kid on the bus doing math homework from the previous day

α Queen Jackson- discussing the unworthiness of some boy with Nila

α Nila Holcomb- listening to Queen

α Sarah Puchini- adopted girl, on Survivors list

α Andrea Crowell- adopted girl, on Survivors list

α Haley Rivers- adopted girl, on Survivors list

α Michael Kostoff- adopted boy, on Survivors list

α Josh Hart- adopted boy, on Survivors list

α Rusty Devorall- adopted boy, on Survivors list

α Anthony Solbers- adopted boy, on Survivors list

α Librarian- thought that Jonah was a good actor, semi-believer or Jonah’s story

α Grant Hodge- county supervisor in charge of child services

α JB- janitor boy who gave them Witnesses and Survivors lists

α E- the enemy that is against JB ,Chip, and Jonah (Gary Payne)

α Dalton(last name unknown)-adopted, on Survivors list

α Ming Reynolds-adopted girl

α Carol Malveux- other child services person

α Gavin Danes- adopted girl, on Survivors list

α Maria Cutler- adopted girl, on Survivors list

α Alex- adopted boy, on Survivors list, calm during a crisis

α Emily- adopted girl, on Survivors list, calm during a crisis

α Curtis Rathbone- CEO, Interchronological Rescue

Setting

α Time: 21st century and 15th century

α Where: Liston and Clarksville, Ohio

Personal Reflection:

α Overall, this book was very good…. One of the best science fiction I’ve ever read. Haddix had rounded characters, likable ones, even the villains. I enjoy the fact that Jonah was going through troubles his parents didn’t understand. Katherine was different than the average younger sibling. Every preteen and teen seemed to be having their own identity crises.

Key Plot Elements:

α Time travel

α Saving people of the past

α Friendship

α Trust

MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Characters:

Main Characters:

*        Maximum(Max) Ride – leader of the flock(of bird kids), caring, strong, determined, 14, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA

*        Fang- flock’s second in command, only one who canquiet, attentive, calm, 14, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA

*        Iggy(Ig)- blind, flock’s best at hearing, 14, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA, best in the flock at cooking

*        Nudge-  African-American, talkative, curly haired, 11, part of the flock, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA

*        The Gasman(Gazzy)- young, only real sibling is Angel, 8, flock member, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA

*        Angel- youngest(6) in the flock, Gazzy’s sibling, can hear thoughts, can also send thoughts, taken by and rescued from evil mad scientists, has 98% human DNA and 2% avian(bird) DNA

 Medial Characters:

*        Jeb Batchelder- caretaker of “the flock” two years before, now evil, scientist

*        Erasers- mutant humans who morph into wolves, like flying human hybrids as a snack, hard to pick out in a crowd, live an average of 7 years

*        Ari- Jeb’s son, Eraser, 7, hates Max

*        The Voice- a voice in Max’s head, tells her what to do trivially

Less Important Characters:

*        Dr. Martinez- veterinarian, takes care of Max for two days after high school boys  shoot her, Max’s ideal mom, functions as a mom, later revealed to be Max’s biological mother

*        Ella Martinez- Dr. Martinez’s daughter, girl high school boys were really out to shoot, girl Max saves, treats Max like a sister, later revealed to be Max’s half sister

*        Total- a dog- human hybrid Angel finds at the Institute

Least Important Characters:

*        New York street vendors- some were Erasers

*        Computer nerd in subway tunnel- despises Max, thinks Max is controlling his computer with her head

*        Other mutants- Max and the flock save these other mutated souls from the Institute

Setting:

*        House in the woods, who knows where

*        Cliff overlooking Lake Mead

*        California, in an evil institution called The School

*        New York City

*        New York, at another evil institution The Institute

Plot:

*        Max and her mutant friends are expected to save the world

My Favorite Part:

My favorite part is the part where they are in New York and battle Ari’s Eraser friends. Ari’s attack began while the flock was sleeping on the beach. Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were up in the air out of fighting range by the time Ari spoke. Ari attacked Max, but Fang protectively attacked Ari so Max could escape. Two menacing Erasers attacked Max, but she beat the heck out of them. Ari pummeled Fang and pained him deeply, angering Max. Max screamed furiously about Fang and Ari quarreling. After Ari has done torturous things, he smacks Fangs head against a rock. Jeb then walks into the picture, stops Ari and tells Max to play the game, the game only gene-altered kids like her can play. Once the Erasers and Jeb are gone, Max has Angel get water for Fang. Fang speaks some then closes his eyes, his face and body covered in bruises, blood, and gashes. While Angel gets water, Max unexpectedly kisses Fangs lips, glad Iggy is blind and Angel is attending to the water, Nudge and Gazzy stare at her.                                                                                                                                              

Supernatural Skills

·         Angel- reading people’s thoughts, sending thoughts to others, controlling people’s thoughts breath under water, can predict things from the future

·         Max: Hears a 'Voice' in her head, can super-fast with her awesome wings

·         Fang: Can blend in/disappear into the background

·         Iggy: Can see things against a white background

·         Nudge: Can read traces people have left behind, magnetic

·         Gazzy: Has the ability to knock out people with a fart

The Shadow Theives by Anne Ursa;Cronus Chronicles

The Shadow Theives by Anne Ursa;Cronus Chronicles is about Greek gods once gainwith a modern twist. The heros are Charlotte Mielswetski, a fierce red haired eighth grade girl with anger problems; Charlotte's cousin Zachary(Zee) Miller who moves in with the Mielswetskis after shadow were being stolen from children around him in England; and Bartholomew, Charlotte's adopted cat who is revealed to be Zee's deceased grandmother revived and in a different form. Charlotte, Zee, and Bartholomew must descend down into the Underworld ruled by Hades, battle Philonecron(a descendant of Hades), and rescue the shadows of the kids. A good read for any age.

The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith

I've read up to The Fury in this series. The main character, Elena Gilbert dies and becomes a vampire, then truly dies. Her close friends; Matt Honeycutt, Meredith Sules, Bonnie McCullough, Stefan Salvatore, Damon Salvatore, and Alaric Saltzman help her hide her being a vampire. Old friends become enemies, forcing Elena to react quickly. Vampires do die in the sunlight. Brothers,Stefan and Damon Salvatore are both vampires transformed by thought to be dead vampire named Kathrine, who is reveled as the enemy. Twilight is more original in some ways. Contains kissing.

The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid

Egyptian fun created by Rick Riordan. Carter and Sadie Kane are the two main characters. Again, gods, animals, humans and godlings are all characters of the story. Magic is a major part of the story. Riordan is supposedly releasing the second book this coming spring. My favorite part was probobly when the cat,Muffin, turns into the Egyptian goddess, Bast. It's my favorite part because Bast protects them through out the rest of the book. Which are you more excited for, TYhe Lost Hero or the next Kane Chronicles?

Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

After two and a half years of resistance, I actually read the books. I'd gotten it for Christmas 2009 and didn't want to read it. When I began I couldn't put it down. I can relate to Bella, a clumsy, smart 17 year old. The Cullen coven takes interest in her, not as food, but as family. The Quileute wolves also befriend her, and Jacob Black falls for Bella,who still loves Edward Cullen. For people who like romance and action. My favorite character is Alice Cullen , because she is hilarious, friendly, and protective.