Cailey Hibl's Blog

Recently I have just started reading the book The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett.  Although I have not gotten very far into the book, I have learned a few things about the main charater, Brigid Howley.  She is a young girl, the age of 11, seeking refuge with her family and estranged grandparents.  She lives with her family in Pennsylvania during the time of the underground mine fires.  Brigid and her family are no strangers to tragedy as they all believe that they have a family curse which was laid upon them by a priest who was actually a part of the Molly Maguires.  So far, I have learned that the family consists of Brigid, her mother, father, brother and her auntie.  The last thing that I read in my book was when Brigid explained how her auntie was taken away from her.  Since they are living in the times of the mine fires, they are always having to watch out for the ground caving in below them due to explosions underground.  In the back corner of their backyard, there stood a shed that with each explosion tilted more and more to the left.  After an explosion that happened while they were preparing dinner, auntie said she was going to check on the shed.  When she didn't return Brigid got worried and walked outside, only to find that she couldn't see anything because the fog had grown so thick.  As she continued to call her name with no response, she walked towards the back of the yard where she found a huge hole in the ground with the shed shattered to pieces below.  The only thing she could think of was that it was her fault her auntie had died because right before she went outside she had told her the secret of the curse... that the family curse wasn't out in the world, but it lived inside each one of them.

I have recently just started reading the book Just One Day by Gayle Forman.The main character of the book meets a guy who says he will take her to Paris. She does not know him very well but she agrees to go with him anyways. Although I haven't got very far into the book, I have read a little bit about their journey. The man she goes with gets her a ticket for the train, and they head that way. He offers to get her some breakfast when they first get on the train, but he doesn't return for another 20 minutes. As he walked away, she noticed some girls that got up and followed him so she started to wonder if he had ditched her to go hang out with those girls. However when he came back, he had explained that they wouldn't open up the stand until the train had left the station and when he went to order, he didn't know what she wanted so he had ordered her a bunch of things. This eased her mind as he sat down and gave her everything he had bought for her. This was the last part that I read in the book and I plan on continuing to find out what happens.

I have recently started reading the book Where She Went by Gayle Forman. In this book, Adam Wilde is searching for Mia Hall, his former high school girlfriend who was involved in a tragic car accident 3 years prior which killed her mom, dad, and younger brother. After she was released from intensive care, Mia was sent to rehab where she stayed for a couple of weeks. Adam went to visit her every day, and after she was released, he stayed at her grandmothers house with her. He thought that everything was going smoothly, but then Mia left for college. She had been accepted to Julliard where she would go to play her cello. Mia was very good at what she did, and it gave her a sense of relaxation. When she would get frustrated, she would go play and it would immediately calm her down. After she left, Mia lost all contact with Adam. She told him that she would call him as soon as she got there, but he never heard from her. He panicked and called her, but there was no answer. One call after another and she never picked up or returned his calls, so he finally gave up. Three years later, Adam is a growing musician, with a great new album which he just produced and currently on tour for. He also has a new girlfriend, even though he still thinks about Mia every day. One night when Adam is out exploring in the city of New York, he runs across a poster advertising a performance that night featuring Mia Hall. Adam then gets his tickets, and as he sits down, he see's Mia. She looks more happy than ever up on the stage. Afterwards, Adam is called into the back where Mia's dressing room is, and then left alone with her after not seeing her for three years. A million questions run through his mind as he shakes her hand but he forces himself to hold them back and make small talk. A few minutes later, Mia takes him around the city on a subway. Once they reach their destination, they get off and they find that they are on a bridge over-looking the river. As their conversation progresses, Adam blurts out the question he has had in the back of his mind since she left..why? With this, Mia explains everything and this is where I left off in my reading.

In Just One Year, I have so far gotten about half way through the book. I have found out many different traits about the main character, and I've found out about many different things that have happened in the past. For example, I have found out that the main character is very smart, he has a tendency of lying to people, and he is in love with a girl that he has just met. At an earlier time, he met this girl that he immediately fell in love with. However, the relationship came to an abrupt end when he got in a fight with some guys over her. He does not know her name so he calls her Lulu. As of now, he is still searching for her. When he gets out of the hospital he has nowhere to go so he goes over to a friends house to visit and ends up staying with them. However, when asked when he got back into town, he lies and says a while ago even though he had just gotten there a few days prior. This also leads to him telling them a lie about why he came back, but his friends think nothing of it. He then proceeds to tell them about Lulu and they are now helping him search for her.

As of yesterday, I have started reading the book Just One Year by Gayle Forman. So far, I have only gotten 9 pages into the book so I don't know much about the story. However, what I have taken away from it so far is that the main character has gotten in a fight with someone and has been put in the hospital with life threatening injuries. When she wakes up, the doctors ask her basic questions along the lines of, "Do you know where you are?" and "Do you know what year it is?" She is also told that when they found her, they also found her bag with all of her belongings scattered around on the ground. She goes through her wallet and finds that some of her money is missing, along with her identity card. As she sits and listens to the doctor, she all of a sudden pukes and gets it all over her shirt and the nurse cleans it up. The nurse finishes and realizes that she missed a spot and she wipes over the cover of the watch on the patients wrist and tells her what a nice watch it is. She then realizes the watch is not hers, and that's where I left off. So far, I don't know what to think about the book. I don't feel like I have gotten far enough into the reading to understand what the book is about.

As I have read farther into Gayle Forman's "If I Stay," I have noticed more things about the characters. Mia cares very deeply for her little brother and when she finds out that he too has died along with both of her parents, she is more heart broken than ever. She now has the decision of waking up a foster child without her brother to help support. She has also seen her grandparents and a new nurse has taken over her unit. This particular nurse happens to be a family friend and is the one who lets her relatives in to see her. Adam and Kim have tried everything to come see her, but until the new nurse took over, they could not get in. However, neither of them have been in the see Mia yet. This book makes me feel sad but also happy. It saddens me to think that Mia will not only probably wake up different, but also that she will be a foster child. However it makes me happy that she has her grandparents still and that Adam and Kim are still supportive of her through it all. She also has other family and friends to stand by her side. Mia is a very strong girl and although I have not read far enough to find out, I think she will come out on top of the situation.

In the book "If I Stay," Gaylee Forman does a very good job at creating a visual image for the reader. As you read, it's as if you are right there along side of the main character. She describes things as very in detail, and it makes you think a lot about how the main character is feeling throughout the story. Personally, this book makes me feel very sad but happy at the same time. She switches from scenes of Mia in the hospital, to scenes of her having flash backs with her boyfriend Adam, her best friend Kim, and her family. Since the last blog of this book, I have gotten much farther into the reading. Although things haven't really progressed, I have learned a lot more about Mia, Adam and her family. Mia is a girl in love with playing the cello, music and Adam. She is very reserved and doesn't talk to many people. When she attends events with her rocker boyfriend Adam, she tends to stay backstage and watch not talking to anyone. Except for one occasion, on Halloween night, when she gets to the front of the mosh pit. Adam is a boy in love with his band and Mia. Adam travels a lot while Mia is in school, and lately he hasn't been around. However, in the event of her accident, Kim has contacted Adam who has come to the hospital to see her. This is the last thing I have read so far.

I am currently reading a book called "If I Stay." The author of the book is Gayle Forman.  The main character in this book is a girl by the name of Mia Hall. She is a high school student in love with playing the cello. In this book, Mia gets into a fatal car wreck that kills both of her parents on impact, and puts her and her younger brother in a coma. I haven't gotten very far into the book, but from what I have read so far, I find that it is very well written. I am excited to read further into the book and find out what happens to Mia and her younger brother.