Twisted

Happy New Year! And Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

I am a few days behind. The Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl last Thursday night, so it is a good time to be from Kansas! Of course, I stayed up and watched the game and then I was tired the next day. I don't think that I was the only one though.

I am still trying to get back into the swing of school after the Christmas vacation. One of my New Year resolutions is to blog more often. We'll have to see how that goes; it doesn't look too promising. I don't know what happened to the vacation time. I thought that I would have lots of time to read, but somehow that didn't happen. I guess that there were too many friends and family members to see because I only read one book over the break.

The book was a really good one. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson was a really good read! I loved Speak and also enjoyed Prom which are also by her, so I knew that I would enjoy it. I liked the twisted pencil on the front cover of the book which is what made me pick it up to begin with. (Yes, I judge books by their covers.) Anyway I don't know why, but I expected it to be a fun read like Prom instead of being thought-provoking like Speak. However, this book really made me think and it was a great combination of funny and sad. Tyler Miller was socially invisible before he spray-painted the school and became "dangerous." As he describes himself, "I was a zit on the butt of the student body." But the physical labor he does for his community service with the school custodians and his summer job working for a landscaper transform him from a wimpy junior to a strong, ripped senior. Suddenly the girl of his dreams sees him and his new muscles in a new light and his social life has hope. When naked pictures of Brittany are posted on the Internet, the police and the school come after Tyler. When there seems to be no justice for Tyler, he considers many possible escapes including running away and suicide. Although the book doesn't have a "happily-ever-after" ending, Tyler perseveres and shows strong moral integrity. This book is sad and funny and hopeful!