The Sky is Everywhere

      Im currently reading the book The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.  It's about a girl named Lennie and her life after her sister died.  But now she has a crush on her sister's old boyfriend, Toby.  A boy who helps her remember Bailey, who helps her make Bailey's death a little more bearable.  And she also has a crush on the new kid in band class, Joe.  This boy helps her forget.  He makes her not feel any grief, just happiness.  So which boy should she choose. The one who helps her remember, or the one.
        If she chooses Toby, then she will remember her sister more.  She will be with someone who knew her sister well.  Some one who Lennie could laugh at Bailey's memory with.  He could help her deal with her greif.  But what would Bailey say if she was looking down on them from heaven or something?  If Lennie and Toby start dating, then won't she feel guilty?  She sort of stole her sister's boyfriend.  But then, there is always Joe.
        If Lennie chooses Joe, then she will be able to forget.  After all, hanging on to a memory for too long can be un-healthy.  Joe makes her happy, she is always happy and laughing when she is around him.  That's good for her.  She needs to be cheered up.  Joe will play the clarinet with her.  Have her listen to the music. Calm her down.  That is something she needs sometimes.
        But I also wonder if liking these two boys just fills up a hole in her heart.  A hole where Bailey used to be, because she wasn't interested in Toby and a bunch of other boys until the funeral.  Sorrt of like when I'm bored and I just start eating.  I fill up the hole that I caused by not doing something by eating half a box of cereal.  Honestly I just think that she is trying to fill that hole with boys.  And I don't think it's going to work for very long.

Dial L for Loser and the rest of The Clique books

       In the book Dial L for Loser, Massie, Alicia, and Claire go to Hollywood to audition for a part in the movie and (spoiler alert) Claire gets the part.  So Alicia and Massie get a job on a famous talk show instead and try to get Claire's life to be miserable.  For example, they take a video of Claire kissing someone for the movie and send it to her boyfriend, and they planted lots of medications and did a segment on it in the talk show.  In the end, they are all friends again and Claire and her boyfriend are back together.
        In this blog post I kind of want to focus on what Lisi Harrison is trying to tell people, in this book, and all the others.  And what I think she is trying to tell us is that anyone can make it to the top.  Look at Claire.  When she first came to Westchester, she was nothing, a loser, the bottom of the middle school food chain.  But she made it to the top.  She fought for herself, she wouldn't stay at the bottom.  It shows that anyone, if they have any determination , can become a somebody.  Don't sit in the sidelines.  Do something.  You can do it.  And don't stop fighting.  Claire did it, so why can't everyone else?  They could if they have enough determination and will power.  And everyone does have enough, they just have to use it.
        I also think that Lisi is trying to say that you don't need money or to be an alpha to be happy.  Look at Kristen and Claire.  Neither one of them have a lot of money, but they are still happy.  You don't need all these fancy and expensive clothes to be happy.  Sure, they are nice to have, but you don't need them.  You can be happy without them.  And you don't need to be an alpha.  You don't need to have people try to follow your every move, or want to be you.  All you really need to be happy is your family and friends and what you already have.  And yes I know, we all take those things for granted.
        We should all try to appreciate the things that we have more and realize that we don't need all these things to be happy.  And If you are stuck on the bottom, don't be afraid to fight your way to the top.  Doing these things can get you far.  Claire is a great example of that.