Brennans author study Gordon Korman

I chose Gordan Korman because I read one of his books already and I thought it was really good. He is a fan of "The Great Gatsby" and he wrote a book kind of similar to it but a modern day version of Gatsby. I saw that he has written books on sports which I like especially about football. The way that he writes stories its smart almost like you have to read between the lines at times.

I would like to know his opinion on "The Great Gatsby." He usually involves football in some of his books makes me kind of wonder if he ever truly played because the way he tells his stories in detail. My question I would ask is, "Who was the eyes of god in Jake Reinvented suppose to portray?" Another question I would ask if he would make another book like Jake Reinvented? 

Carley's Author Study on Cassandra Clare

I selected Cassandra Clare for a few reasons. One because I love her stories, they're so exciting to read.  Especially when Clary is first introduced to the world of Shadowhunters.  She's confused about why only she can see them. She's afraid because she just watched them kill the boy who let her into the club. Then she's unsure of herself when she watches the boy turn to dust, how does she explain that? Clary puts on a brave face in the end and when she realizes one of the Shadowhunters is following her a few days later she doesn't hesitate to confront him. I love this part as well because Jace gets introduced and Clary isn't portrayed as a damsel in distress. Most girls go running and look like lunatics screaming about someone no one else can see. Clary goes up to him and demands answers, not even worried that he might just kill her like the boy at the club.


The second reason is because The Mortal Instrument series was supposed to be a trilogy, but she continued to write more. That's the main reason I want to know more about this author. When an Author says it’s going to be a three book series, that's what it is. They don't continue with the same story, usually they start another story or a spinoff of the old one. I want to know why she continued The Mortal Instrument books. Did she feel the story wasn't complete? Did she just love the characters so much she wasn't ready to let it end? Did she think she left a lot of holes in the plot that needed to be filled? I do not know but I hope to find out.

Frank's Author Study

Detective Michael Bennett, he is the main character In Tick Tock by James Patterson.  He is a smart, strong, and brave individual he’ll do anything to protect his family.  He also takes his job serious because in one of the cases he was working on he almost lost his life. He is always determined to solve the case he is in no matter what it is. He has 7 adopted kids because his wife couldn’t have any babies and his wife passed away.  It was hard for him at first but he had to move on and now he is a ladies man and he can’t decide what girl he wants to to date either Emily or Mary.  Other than that he’s a good character to write about than the other in the story because others are the bad guys.

He connects to me because i want to be in Law Enforcement. That’s the only thing i could think of describing him to me, but his significance is important because he is the main character in the story and the story reveals around him.  Without him i don’t know how the story will start out if he wasn’t apart of it.

Justin Cox's Author Study on Martin Dugard and Bill O'Reilly

Justin’s Author Study #2

            I picked John F. Kennedy from my author study book as a character who has caught my attention. This character is in the book called Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot. In this book the authors give a great depiction of how they want President Kennedy to be portrayed. They describe him as a tall, young, handsome man who is a caring family man, and a great leader.  With the election over and Kennedy already sworn in as President of the Unites States, you begin to see another side of JFK. He begins to become more serious around his family. Before John would go out in the lawn and play with his dogs, and his young child. But now as he has started dealing with stress and the political issues in the 1960’s JFK has become a more mature man, rather than the young playful one, he was months before the election.

            This brings JFK to life in this book. You never get inside of his head and know what he is thinking. Which I believe is a good thing. Not knowing his personal thoughts give him another distinction as a character. I believe it makes him more significant to the storyline and how the events happened in real life. It makes you feel as if you are there in the oval office with President Kennedy listing to the conversations he is having with his cabinet members. In the end Martin Dugard and Bill O’Reilly give a great depiction of who and what John F. Kennedy is.

Tyrus Rankin Author Study on Rick Riordan

Tyrus Rankin


The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan


The character that really caught my attention in this book is a boy named Carter. His physical traits are that he is an African American male and I picture him as a kind of skinny kid from how he acts and all of the things that I read. Some other personality traits that he has are that he is shy and really timid. He doesn't like to be outgoing and do different things. He likes to just follow all rules that are set for him and keep that routine.


I think he is significant and really connects to me because he gets my attention the most. He is supposed to be one of the main characters who is saving the world and he seems shy and weak to me. How is he supposed to save the world like that? He is starting to go through some changes now that he has to save the world and his Dad like he is being a lot more adventurous than normal. He is also changing because he is starting to become more of a risk taker.

Taylor Colton's author study


I picked Dan Brown because I have read some of his books before and they really pull me into the story. I hardly ever read any books but when I skimmed the first couple pages of Angels and Demons I was pulled in right away. I am interested in finding out why Dan Brown wrights what he wrights. If he is especially interested in the genre of mystery and suspense or if it is related to something either himself or someone he knows experienced. I am also interested in what goes through his mind when he wrights.

Ryan Tilneys Author study blog

I chose the author James Patterson. I chose this author because his books can really draw me in. I have a hard time getting into what I'm reading, but this style of writing draws me in.  Also I like what he writes about, it's very action suspense.


I'm interested in knowing how James knows so much about the police force. If he was ever a member of the force or has family on the force. I also wonder how long it takes to find out the information on his topics, in this case kid napping's.  I also ponder the fact the he could pull some of  his story ideas from the media, and other times I wonder if his sick mind flows on the page with a darkness darker then the ink itself in which he writes.

Hannah May's Author Study on John Green

Last year Mrs. Boor and several of my friends recommended The Fault in Our Stars for me to read. I knew how popular of a book it was and how many of my friends loved it, but I didn't really think it would be a book for me. I'm very picky in finding books that I like, but I have loved John Green ever since I picked up The Fault in Our Stars last year. Even though it was an emotional story, it was one that many people can relate to. Everyone will fall in love one day and everyone will lose someone they love at one point or another in their life. These are things that can't be controlled. They're just a part of life. In reading The Fault in Our Stars and beginning Looking for Alaska, I believe that Green tries to relate his characters in books to real life people and things that happen in life.

I've noticed so far that I believe his main focus is to have a teen audience. In both books, his main characters are teenagers faced with the everyday struggles of the average high school student. I would like to know why his main focus is teenagers. And more specifically, teenage girls. So far, Looking for Alaska seems to focus on the struggles of a teenage boy who is faced with trying to fit in at a new school where he chose to go because he wanted to be away from his parents. Like most teenagers, he is faced with peer pressure to do things like smoke, drink and have sex. All of these are things that teenagers either have done or been pressured into doing at some point. Green's books are easy to relate to and fun to read.

I didn't pick the book because the author I was not very familiar with the author but the title of the book caught my attention. I thought of a few questions I would like to ask this author. One of the questions is does this book reflect her life its a very interesting story so I would be very interested in seeing if parts of this reflect her life. Another question would be why did things happen exactly the way they did in the story what made her make these things happen. Lastly where did the topic come from was it just a thought that came to mind were some of the events things that really happened? I am curious to find out if the book reflect her life.

Max Shyda author study on Veronica Roth

I originally decided to read Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’ because I had heard other students had enjoyed the book and I thought I would as well. Before beginning the book I had also enjoyed seeing the movie. The book holds my attention really well with constant conflict and action to keep it exciting. What also keeps the book interesting is that much of the social conflict is relatable which keeps me engaged. Once I finished the first book in the trilogy I completed the second book in two days and I am on to the third.

I do not have many curiosities about the author. I do however think that the struggles that are battled in the books may relate to her life. She uses a lot of descriptive detail when describing negative feelings and there is always a heavy presence of this in the text.

I picked Nicholas Sparks because I've seen many of his movies and they were all very good and I wanted to see if his books were like the movies. I want to know more about Nicholas Sparks. A lot of his books and movies were based off of love scenes and I always wondered if they were based off his past or if he just liked writing about love stories. He's a really good author and the way he writes and makes his movies makes me wonder where he gets all these ideas from. The way Nicholas Sparks writes really keeps my attention because he is so detailed with everything. I want to continue to read more of his books and see if the writes the same as he did in the ones I've read so far.

John R.'s Thoughts on James Patterson

I chose to read books by James Patterson for my author study reading assignment because I started reading Private by. him last year.  Due to lack of time I never got to finish reading the novel, although I really enjoyed the mystery genre in which he writes and how he develops the plot with every chapter being in a different point of view.  In one chapter you can read of the murderer going about in their daily life, preparing to commit the crime, and then committing the murder in detail from inception to execution, while in the next chapter you can read of the detectives investigating the crime.  I thought this was interesting because I do not believe I have never read a book written in this style where you are aware the events that have unfolded but the protagonist is still struggling to understand what occurred, while the antagonist is trying to keep it all a secret.  I think it is a very interesting plot.

I am interested in discovering how James Patterson got his start as an author and his process for developing characters in his novel.  I am curious to discover if the author models any of his characters such as Jack Morgan off of traits and ideas that he personally possesses or that he wishes he could possess. I would be interested in discovering if James Patterson is also a good at putting the pieces of the puzzle together in his own life and if he is as big of a hot shot ladies man he attempts to portray.

Mahak's Author Study on Cassandra Clare

For my author study, I chose the author Cassandra Clare. I chose this author because I previously read her books and thought they were really well written. Something I would like to know is why she write about the topic that she does. The first book I read by her was really well written as well as being detailed. When reading these books, I can imagine the whole story in my head.

Michael Dinger's Author Study on James Frey

I selected James Frey because I have read a few of his books in the best and I am very familiar with his work. His books are always very interesting and keep your attention. So far I have read five of his books and I am excited for him to publish more. I am very interested to know how he came up with the idea for the series. I would also like to know how long it took him to become successful in the writing field.

When I was in 10^th grade I read his first three books in the  I am number four series then at that point none of the other ones were published yet. This year I have read the fourth and fifth book in the series and I am hooked and can’t wait for him to finish the sixth book. I really wonder how he came up with the idea for all these books because the idea of the book is so original. I also wonder about his life because sometimes writers use there experiences in life to create a story or a book, or the characters are influenced by people they have met in their lives

 

 

Ciara G. Author Study on Ellen Hopskins

I chose Ellen Hopkins for my person for the author study, I have heard a lot about her stories and I was always really interested in wanting to read her books so I finally chose to read one of her books. I honestly love her style of writing because it keeps my attention and it never gets boring and I want to keep reading. On page 97 said “hot flush, raging blush, quick- start ignition. See how much I need you? Ice flash, instant crash, voices outside the door. No! Don’t stop now!” this just caught my attention and I didn’t want to stop reading it leaves you thinking what is next. Also on page 105 “I got up, headed for the door, hoping Adam would try to stop me. But lust is stronger than love. And monster lust is unconquerable.” That sentence made me read more because I wanted to know did he run after her or did he just not care.

I would like to know why Ellen chose to right like the way she does in her books. I feel as though it holds my attention more the way she has it written because it’s not like I’m just reading an average book it pulls you in when you have to read it the way she writes it. I would like to know what made her want to write this book about crank. I am glad I chose her as an author because these books do not bore me.

Svetlana E's Author Study on Paolo Bacigalupi

I chose this author for the author study because he writes about some strange things. One of the strange things in both of my books that I am reading  is a guy named Tool. Tool is part human and part animal; he is a genetically altered human. He has the DNA of several animals. And each book contains kids that are having troubled lives, and somehow one way or another Tool is there. One thing that I find interesting about this author and his writing is that in both of his books he has a character named Tool, and I feel like Tool somehow is a main character even if he doesn’t talk much about him. The two books that I am reading are called The Drowned Cities and Ship Breaker.

The author tends to write about things that actually could happen, but at the same time are fiction. What I mean by that is in the book “Ship Breaker” there is a kid named Nailer; he and his crew break down old ships that are no longer working. Nailer went deep into the ship to find some things but slips and falls. He tries to swim, but it was difficult because he fell in several gallons of oil. He calls out for help, but no one hears him. Later on a crew member finds him, but won’t help him. Later on he manages to get out, and everyone starts to call him Lucky Boy. There are other things that should have ether killed him or close to it, but somehow he keeps on being “Lucky”. And later on in the book you get to see Tool. Tool is described the same way as in the book The Drowned Cities. He is depicted as a beast; he has sharp animal like teeth, a small muzzle, his eyes depict that of an animal, he has long nails, and he growls and snarls like an animal.

Kaitlyn Mensch's author study on John Green

John Green

I was interested in reading this author because I heard a lot about him.  I usually like to be different and not read what everyone else is reading but I thought I would give it a try.  Looking for Alaska is the first book I read by John Green.  I saw The Fault in Our Stars and I wasn’t really that impressed.  People say that I should read the book but after knowing the main theme I don’t think I would enjoy the book. Something I like about Looking for Alaska is that the beginning of the story is intriguing because it explains a lot about the main characters, and the life they have at their school.  About half way through the book it slightly changes and the main characters are trying to solve a mystery. 

I like how this author writes straight forward and easy to understand. I would like to know if all of his books are somehow relevant to his life.  I know so far that Looking for Alaska is relevant to John Green’s life because he attended a boarding school like the main characters in this book. I am curious to know if the rest of his books have a small similarity like this one or maybe something bigger.  I would also like to know if John Green purposely chooses the main characters of his books to be everyday people, most being introverts.  I like how John green does this because it makes the story more relatable.  

Sam Sa.'s thoughts on Nicholas Sparks

I selected Jodi Picoult for my Author Study book because a lot of people have suggested her to me, and plus she wrote My Sister's Keeper which I thought was a fantastic movie, and I thought that I would finally read the book. I'm interested in knowing if why she wrote this book was because she might have known someone who died or maybe her own family member had to go through this, and she wrote this book in honor of her. I like books that I can't put down and that I'm so focused on and she is an author that does that for me.

I like books that are a true story, and books that usually relate to health and this book is both, and Jodi Picoult has a way with her words that made the book interesting from the first paragraph. From this book and my next book, I hope to learn about her life a little. Maybe when I read another book by her I'll see some sort of connection between her books.

Branden W. Author Study on Charles Frazier

               I selected Charles Frazier because I started reading his book Cold Mountain last year. The book got my attention write away when I started reading it. I really liked the time period the story takes place in and the style that Frazier wrote in was very interesting for me to read. I did not finish the book last year once school ended. I found it again this year and I wanted to finish it so I just am re-reading it. I learned that Cold Mountain was Frazier's first book he ever wrote and that got me interested in doing the author study on him. I figured that if his first book is as good as it is, his later books have to be as good or better. That is why I choose him to learn more about him.
             Now that I chose to learn about him, I want to know what kind of other books he writes. Cold Mountain is about the Civil War so I want to learn what other books he wrote and what time periods they take place in. I also want to learn about why he chose to write about the civil war and if he prefers writing about history; rather than modern day books. One thing that led to my curiosity about learning more was his cool writing style and how he talks about specific little details that many other authors ignore in their writing. Frazier is also very good at creating imagery such as this example, "At the first gesture of morning, flies began stirring. Inman's eyes and the long wound at his neck drew them, and the sounds of their wings and the touch of their feet were soon more potent than a yardful of roosters in rousing a man to wake." That is the first sentence of the book cold mountain and that imagery got me more interest and hooked me to keep reading that is why I want to learn more about Frazier's and the books he wrote.

Tarah L's author study on Mitch Albom

Mitch Albom captured my attention in an unconventional manner. I’ve had the book Tuesday’s With Morrie on the bookshelf at home for years. I attempted to read the story in early middle school but didn’t quit understand what was going on. It wasn’t until years later, after having to read 5 People You Meet in Heaven in an English class, that I decided to give the book a second try. After reading 5 People You Meet in Heaven and beginning Tuesday’s with Morrie I was deeply intrigued by not only the way Mitch Albom writes, but the development of his characters and the importance of what they have to say.

            Mitch Albom writes about the changes and developments his characters go throughout and the importance of things that they usually don’t realize without the help of others. In 5 People You Meet in Heaven the main character Eddie doesn’t realize the significance of many people and places in his life until it is over. In “Tuesdays with Morrie” the main character Mitch doesn’t acknowledge the importance of life and life’s lessons until after his meetings with Morrie. Both of these books make me wonder if Mitch himself went through a life altering time that made him want to begin writing. Although I have yet to finish Tuesdays with Morrie the book has already risen questions of life, life’s true meaning, and whether or not it’s even important to know the answer to any those questions. Mitch Albom has a brilliant way of making his readers feel both happiness and sorrow from his books, and an even more brilliant way of teaching us to except and appreciate both.

Samantha Sh. Author Study on Jodi Picoult

                This author is recommended by many people, so I figured I would see what her books are like.  I gave it a try and currently am almost finished with one of her books called Mercy.  This book really keeps you interested by telling the reader what each person is thinking and having a couple different issues happening at the same time.  There is really never a dull moment because once something dies down the author switches to another issue happening and then will eventually go back.  I am really enjoying this book so far and I am looking forward to reading more from her.

 I am interested in knowing why she wrote her book the way she did, with switching back and forth to different issues.  The book has so many ideas going on that I wonder how she came up with them.  Do they relate to something that happened in her life?  Did she just think up all of it on her own?  Did this happen to someone she knows?  I really want to know how she thought of the story line, because the story line really does make you think.  So many questions on how she came up with such an interesting book.

Anouk O Author Study on Cassandra Clare

The reason I chose Cassandra Clare for my author study is because I was already reading the Mortal Instruments series. I started reading the series after I saw the movie the Mortal Instruments. I really liked the storyline, because it is not a typical storyline. It is about shadow hunters that are trying to kill all the demons in the world. The only thing is that humans can’t seem them. You can only see them when you are a shadow hunter yourself. There is a lot of action in the book, and that is what keeps me interested in the storyline. A lot of different things happen, and there is never a boring moment in the storyline. Also, I really liked Clare’s writing, because she describes her characters in detail. You know a lot about how the characters look, how they feel, and how they live. I think it is more fun to read a book when you know a lot about the characters, because you can imagine them in your own head. 

            The questions I have right now are: why did Clare choose to write the series the Mortal Instruments? How did she come up with the storyline? How did she come up with the characters? I always wonder how authors can come up with their story lines and what is going on in their head. I really look up to authors, because they can just come up with a story and put that on paper. I would like to learn if it’s maybe something that happened in the author’s life that they come up with the stories, or if they just have a big imagination. The other thing I am wondering right now is: what is going to happen in the series? I am reading the third book right now, and I have two more books to go. So much is happening in every book that I am just wondering what is going to happen in the next two books.