Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

        I am re-reading the book, Harry Poter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K.Rowling.  In this book Harry is faced with a series of challenges known to the wizarding world as the Tri-Wizard Tornaments.  Competing in these tournaments makes him the youngest wizard ever to take part in these competitions.  There are three in total, and in the third one you have to find a goblet in a gigantic maze.         I think that the tournaments are very acurate in saying that life has challenges, and to get what you want, you have to get through them.  Not that it will be easy because, of course, it won't be.  These challenges are very literal in saying that things will be tough.  I'm wondering if Rowling wanted it to be that way though.
        One reason that she might have wanted it to be literal is to show that things stand in the way of what we want.  And that we don't get handed anything in life, we have to work for it.  This is an important message for her to show because I feel like many kids that read these books are a little younger, or at least when they read it for the first time.  If they don't learn that you have to work for things earlier on in life, then it might be harder for them to learn it later.
        J.K.Rowling might not have ment for that message to be literal.  Making it literal was sort of like handing you the message of the story.  It was easy to figure out, to easy.  I feel like it you had to think to figure out the message, then it would enhance the point of it.  It took me less then a minute to think of the message, if you want us to think, then make us.
        If I ever write a book , a real book, I know that I'm going to try to get kids to think.  After all, most good books make you think.  This book is an exceptoin.

The Diamond of Darkhold *Spoilers are included!

        I just finished reading The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne Duprau.  In this book Lina and Doon venture back into their old underground city called Ember in the hopes of finding supplies to help the Emberites and the people of Sparks make it through the winter.  When they get there Doon is captured by people that have moved into Ember.  Lina manages not to get caught and goes to get help.
        I don't really know what to say about this book, so I'm just going to say that I find it annoying how un-edjucated the people that moved into Ember are.  They are the Trogg family, by the way.  But anyway, they find a big "jewel" and have no clue that it could be more than that.  It has a big metal ring around it! What jewel has that?  None that I know of.
        They are also very inconsiderate of others.  When they first arrived in Ember they  went exploring.  The Troggs soon discovered a river, and beside it... bodies of Emberites that died trying to leave.  And what did they do? They tossed them into the river.  Didn't even bat an eyelash.  I don't mean that they were supposed to have a funeral for them or anything, but I just wish that they would feel a little bit bad about throwing them into the river.
        Those things are just my opinions, but what about the rest of you?  Do you agree?

Harry Potter #3 P.S. There is a spoiler

         I'm reading the book Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.  In this book Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts only to find out that Sirius Black, a prisoner in Azkaban is on the loose, and he wants to find Harry.  Not only that, but dementors are at Hogwarts and now Harry needs to learn how to fight them off.
         One thing that I've noticed in this book is that the dementors always seem to be after Harry.  This is probably because he has some of the worst memories out of all the students there at Hogwarts.  One thing that I would like to know what the dementors represent.  Do they represent all the dark things that we keep hidden in the back of our minds?  I've come to think so.  Dementors are a weapon, used to get us to think about those memories.  Memories that could haunt us forever, causing us to be lifeless thing just floating in a world that we feel we don't belong in turning you into one of them, a dementor, with no emotions, no soul, no life.  I think that is what anyone would beome, with no happy memories.  Without those memories, without happiness in general, what is the point in living?  There really is none.
        If dementors were real people, then they would be the bullies.  The  ones that make you feel bad, that suck all the happiness out of you.  But it's just to make themselves happy, to make them feel better, so that they have more of a soul.  And really, it doesn't work.  All it does is makes them want more people to be sad, for them  to have something to live for.  They just don't realize, that living that way is not worth it.  Anyone like that should try to do something with their lives, to make it worthwhile.  No one should have to live like a dementor, so just be happy and think about those happy memories.  Leave the bad ones in a loked up trunk in your head.

It's Not Easy Being Mean

        I just finished reading the book it's Not Easy Being Mean by Lisi Harrison.  In this book Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, and Claire set off to find a key to unlock a mysterious room on OCD's campus.  Well, except Claire because she's to busy working on an a contract in acting.  The only problem about finding the key is that it's under some boy's bed.  I'm not going to say  what happens so you have to read it to fing out.
        Honestly, having to write about some issues in this book is hard because it is just so shallow!  But looking past all of that, there is something there to think about.  Spoiler coming up soon.  It comes up towards the end of the book, where Massie and her friends are forced to make some sacrifices to get the key after a "loser beyond repair", Layne Abeley, finds the key.  In order to get the key from Layne, Massie has to bargain with her untill she decides to give it up.  I feel like this is saying that you have to lose some to win some.  I know that it's a common cliche, but that is the way to describe it.  But then I started thinking about how if you are happy with what you have and everyone in the school wants to be you, then why not give someone else a chance to shine for a little while?  You've had you're glory days, now why not let someone else steal the spotlight.  Escpecially since that room is a secret and no one is supposed to know about it.  Then nothing would be affected.  at least I don't think it would be.
        But to Massie, knowing that Layne had the key and not her would probably make her... unhappy.  Sh'd probably want that key for herself,  just so it would make her feel better than everyone else.  If I were her, I probably would want the key to.  The only difference is that I might agree to share the room.  Then me and who ever found the key would both be happy.  If I were there, I probably would have suggested that.  Sure, I would've been shot down by tons of comebacks, but at least the thought would be on Massie's mind.
        I wish Massie was a little more considerate of others, but that is just the way she is.  And luckily she doesn't actually exist, at least not in my life.  You've heard what I think, now what about you?

Wintergirls

         I am reading the book Wintergirls by Laurie Anderson.  Thi book tells the story on a girl named Lia that struggles through anorexia.  Then an ex-friend of hers that had bulimia dies.  Cassie, her girl that died, called her 33 times on the night she died.  A fact that Lia just can't live down.
        In this book I've been thinking about innocence.  Lia isn't innocent because of what she does.  Starving herself to look thin.  Always denying the fact that she could die... just like Cassie.  And the thing that doesn't make her innocent is that she knows that doing what she is is dangerous.  She knows what could happen to her, yet she just keeps on doing it.  In fact, Lia has been sent to a rehab twice already.  And she known that if anyone finds out, she is going to go back.
        Another reason that Lia just isn't innocent is that she knows Cassie called her 33 times.  And yet, she didn't pick up.  She heard it, but let it ring, and ring, and ring, and ring.  In this situation she wasn't innocent because she might have been able to help Cassie.  But maybe not.   Now she sits there and wonders why, what could have been so important that she called?  After all, Cassie hadn't spoken to her in months.  So, why did she suddenly start trying to call?  I know the answer, but I won't say.
        I wonder if Lia has a little guilty consience.  I mean, don't we  all?  If there is something that we feel bad about, doesn't it just haunt us?  The little voice in the bag of our head taunts us, making us want to belive that it is all our fault.  But the thing is, that it isn't.  Lia needs to realize this.  That Cassie dieing isn't her fault.  Yes, the anorexia is, but she can change it.
        Everything starts by trying to change something.  Lia needs to put a foot forward, and start walking that direction.

Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison

        The book I am reading right now is called Boys R Us by Lisi Harrison.  This book is one in a series called The Clique.  In the book you will follow the lives of 5 girls that are now ex-best friends after the alpha, or leader, of the group (Massie) disbands the "Pretty Committee".  Their names are Massie, Claire, Dylan, Kristen, and Alicia.  They live in Westchester and do to a school named OCD, where everyone fights to be on top.
        I think that this book tries to teach you that money can't buy everything.  This is a cliche, but the way Lisi shows it is different from any other way I've seen before.  To Massie, Alicia and Dylan, money is everything.  They could get whatever they want with it.  Having Claire and Kristen there, because they are both working class, just enhances the point that you don't need money to be happy.
        This theme about money leads to somethng else.  It shows that you can't buy friends.  Spoiler alert!!  Massie learns that the hard way when she hires 4 actresses to play the roll of friends.  She soon finds out that not even money can buy you what you want, and that you need real friends to be happy.
        While Massie is off fighting her own battles with her new employee friends, Claire is torn in between her friends and her alpha (Massie).  True friends are always connecterd by a past,  the present, or the future.  The old Pretty Committee girls are connected by all 3.  They had a past, Claire and their minds are the presents, and by the way the 5 girls miss the old days that they were all friends, I am 99.9% that they will be back together soon.  But hey, maybe things won't get better.  As I continue reading the book, things might change.

How does the Text Make You Think About Justice? Harry Potter

the book Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix makes me think about how all throughout the book, justice is not served.  But the thing is, in the end it is so I am not really sure if it is or isn't.  For example, in the beginning Harry had to use magic to fight of some demontors that were attacking him and his cousin.  Harry was then expelled from Hogwarts for using underage magic outside of the school, then he was sentanced to court.  Here justice was not served because he used it for defensive purposes.  If he hadn't used magic Harry and Dursley would have both gotten their sould sucked out of them.  Honestly, I don't think Harry should have been punished.  Then at the court case the head of the ministry didn't believe Harry and thought he was making up lies.  I think that this is another case of injustice because just because Conelius wasn't there doesn't mean it wasn't true.  Then Dumbledore shows up and pressures Cornelius to release all charges against Harry, so in the end justice was served.  But justice wasn't served with out difficulty.

In this book I think that is the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet (a newspaper) that try to stop justice from occuring.  They do this by lying about Harry, dumbledore, and anyone else that needs some type of justice to be served.  These lies change the way people think causes less and less people to believe and trust Harry and Dumbledore.  The only way to really stop this from happening is by shutting the ministry an the prophet down.  Unfortunatly, this isn't possible.  And in the world too, sometimes it is just impossible for justice to occur.