Personal Review
"The Kite Rider" by Geraldine McCaughrean was a very uplifiting story bringing on the emotions of hope luck spirituality
The story was set in ancient China, and revolved around a young boy named Haoyou Gou. It starts with his dad Gou Pei showing Haoyou arround his sea ship before it sets off on its voyage around the world. Right before his eyes, the ship's first mate manhandles Gou Pei and throws him back onto a sack of rice. But Haoyou Gou is unable to tell his mother about the fall because his way is blocked by a crowd of people looking at the captain testing the wind for the voyage. The entire ship's future is depended on this one test, done by a huge kite.
But the biggest excitement was yet to come, the captain of Chabi was going to 'test the wind', checking the omens for a prosperous voyage.
Haoyou decided that his mother should know about the fall. As he turned to run, he found his way blocked by the enormous stomachs of the merchants to judge the omens for themselves. The prosperity of the entire voyage depended on how well the 'wind-tester' behaved If it flew badly, they would use a rival ship. To test the wind, the sailors use a huge kite. The kite was being carried along the deck by seven or eight sailors. Attached to the kite was a man. A cloth had been wrapped around his head. As the man twisted, struggling to break free, the cloth slipped down and Haoyou caught a glimpse of the mans face. The man was Gou Pei, Haoyou's father. Haoyou tried to stop them but his voice was a whisper against the chatter of the merchants and the waves of the sea. Haoyou did not know whether to run to his mother or carry on trying to stop the sailors. Haoyou wanted to look away from the terribleness but he couldn't. Haoyou watched his father get pulled and thrashed around in the air. As Pei was pulled down, everyone was staring, to see if Pei was alive or not but Haoyou knew that his father was dead, for he had seen his father go up into the clouds with a soul and come back down without one. After all that, Qing'an, Pei's wife, is being forced, by Haoyou's great-uncle Bo, to marry Di Chou, the very man who sent her husband to death. To save her, Haoyou must follow his father into the sky, ride a kite among the clouds and the spirits of the dead. Haoyou is a kite-maker and knows better than most how to ride the winds and survive. Then, the Jade Circus offers Haoyou a chance to escape from his enemies and travel throughout the Empire, and maybe even perform before the great Kublai Khan himself. Can Haoyou break the ties of duty which bind him? Is the circus master leading Haoyou into even greater danger?
"Night Road" by Kristin Hannah was a very emotional book that pulled on readers' heartstrings and emotions. I was very impressed at how Hannah was able to vividly depict her scenes to let me feel as if I was inside the book, acting out the scenes with the characters. This book always had me on the edge of my seat and enthralled in the words written on the page. It was very hard to put down this book, with all of its hidden plot twists that always had me entertained.
The story's main plot points involve 3 young teenagers; Mia Zach and Lexi. Lexi, a foster child moves in with her aunt in her house at Washington. During her freshman year of high school, Lexi and the outcast Mia quickly become best friends. Mia and Zach and twins and share everything together, including Lexi when Zach falls in love and dates her. Mia is shy and introverted while Zach on the other hand is outgoing and a popular football star. All three of these young teenagers are always under the close watch of June, the twins' mother who scrutinizes their every move making her seem too much of an overprotected parented. It came as surprising twist to this happy family for me, when all of a sudden the three get into a car accident. After a party where drinking was involved, the three teenagers clamber in the car on the ride home. Lexi makes the decision to drink and drive, a decision that destroys the lives of everyone she holds close. At first, I thought this was a book with a hidden message inside for teenagers to not drink and drive. After reading the next few chapters, I was able to see the consequences of their decision to drink and drive. Mia is killed in this car crashed, and Lexi ends up going to jail, Zach loses the opportunity to go to his dream college to take care of his depressed mother. All of them lose faith in life, after losing everything in their life that they thought was perfect. The last plot twist that shocked me, was when Lexi becomes pregnant with Zach's baby while in jail. This is unexpected because everyone is still not over the fact that Mia has dies. It was also very interesting for me to read how the Farraday family deals with the new child that Lexi has given to them. After getting out of jail, Lexi tries desperately to see her daughter. The story is tied up loosely but nicely as Jude comes to realize the horror she has done to destruct her family, letting Lexi and Zach rekindle their romance and their daughter.
It was a complete roller coaster ride throughout the entire journey of this novel. I went through all stages of emotions while reading this book ( happiness, heartbreak, sadness, despair, love) and I felt completely involved in these characters lives and the actions they made. The main three characters have so much depth made into their characterization, that it was impossible for me to not get attached to them. While reading this book, it made me think of different life lessons that I could take away from the text. I learned that we are all human and we all tend to make so many mistakes it takes a lot to own up to them and realize what we have done wrong in the past in order for the problem to not show up again. My heart felt for Lexi when she was forced to give her baby away in jail and once again when the child's grandparents wouldn't let her see her own child. The first half of the novel is filled with joy and happiness strongly constricting with the second half of the novel which is very dark and depressing. All stereotypes of teenagers and overprotective moms which were clearly displayed in the first part of the book are stripped away to see their raw emotions when Mia dies. We see the true and deep sorrow that all characters have to come face to face with. The resulting tragedies following her death keep unfolding and pyramiding on top of each other making their problems worse and worse. The only thing I would've changed about this book was its pace, it starts out very slow and anticlimactic but quickly leads into fast paced drama and action after the climax of the car accident. Overall, I would rate this book very high and memorable out of all books I have every read. This story is one of the most emotional forcing you to complete reading it, it is one that you cannot put down giving you a tsunami of emotions until the very last page
The story was set in ancient China, and revolved around a young boy named Haoyou Gou. It starts with his dad Gou Pei showing Haoyou arround his sea ship before it sets off on its voyage around the world. Right before his eyes, the ship's first mate manhandles Gou Pei and throws him back onto a sack of rice. But Haoyou Gou is unable to tell his mother about the fall because his way is blocked by a crowd of people looking at the captain testing the wind for the voyage. The entire ship's future is depended on this one test, done by a huge kite.
But the biggest excitement was yet to come, the captain of Chabi was going to 'test the wind', checking the omens for a prosperous voyage.
Haoyou decided that his mother should know about the fall. As he turned to run, he found his way blocked by the enormous stomachs of the merchants to judge the omens for themselves. The prosperity of the entire voyage depended on how well the 'wind-tester' behaved If it flew badly, they would use a rival ship. To test the wind, the sailors use a huge kite. The kite was being carried along the deck by seven or eight sailors. Attached to the kite was a man. A cloth had been wrapped around his head. As the man twisted, struggling to break free, the cloth slipped down and Haoyou caught a glimpse of the mans face. The man was Gou Pei, Haoyou's father. Haoyou tried to stop them but his voice was a whisper against the chatter of the merchants and the waves of the sea. Haoyou did not know whether to run to his mother or carry on trying to stop the sailors. Haoyou wanted to look away from the terribleness but he couldn't. Haoyou watched his father get pulled and thrashed around in the air. As Pei was pulled down, everyone was staring, to see if Pei was alive or not but Haoyou knew that his father was dead, for he had seen his father go up into the clouds with a soul and come back down without one. After all that, Qing'an, Pei's wife, is being forced, by Haoyou's great-uncle Bo, to marry Di Chou, the very man who sent her husband to death. To save her, Haoyou must follow his father into the sky, ride a kite among the clouds and the spirits of the dead. Haoyou is a kite-maker and knows better than most how to ride the winds and survive. Then, the Jade Circus offers Haoyou a chance to escape from his enemies and travel throughout the Empire, and maybe even perform before the great Kublai Khan himself. Can Haoyou break the ties of duty which bind him? Is the circus master leading Haoyou into even greater danger?
"Night Road" by Kristin Hannah was a very emotional book that pulled on readers' heartstrings and emotions. I was very impressed at how Hannah was able to vividly depict her scenes to let me feel as if I was inside the book, acting out the scenes with the characters. This book always had me on the edge of my seat and enthralled in the words written on the page. It was very hard to put down this book, with all of its hidden plot twists that always had me entertained.
The story's main plot points involve 3 young teenagers; Mia Zach and Lexi. Lexi, a foster child moves in with her aunt in her house at Washington. During her freshman year of high school, Lexi and the outcast Mia quickly become best friends. Mia and Zach and twins and share everything together, including Lexi when Zach falls in love and dates her. Mia is shy and introverted while Zach on the other hand is outgoing and a popular football star. All three of these young teenagers are always under the close watch of June, the twins' mother who scrutinizes their every move making her seem too much of an overprotected parented. It came as surprising twist to this happy family for me, when all of a sudden the three get into a car accident. After a party where drinking was involved, the three teenagers clamber in the car on the ride home. Lexi makes the decision to drink and drive, a decision that destroys the lives of everyone she holds close. At first, I thought this was a book with a hidden message inside for teenagers to not drink and drive. After reading the next few chapters, I was able to see the consequences of their decision to drink and drive. Mia is killed in this car crashed, and Lexi ends up going to jail, Zach loses the opportunity to go to his dream college to take care of his depressed mother. All of them lose faith in life, after losing everything in their life that they thought was perfect. The last plot twist that shocked me, was when Lexi becomes pregnant with Zach's baby while in jail. This is unexpected because everyone is still not over the fact that Mia has dies. It was also very interesting for me to read how the Farraday family deals with the new child that Lexi has given to them. After getting out of jail, Lexi tries desperately to see her daughter. The story is tied up loosely but nicely as Jude comes to realize the horror she has done to destruct her family, letting Lexi and Zach rekindle their romance and their daughter.
It was a complete roller coaster ride throughout the entire journey of this novel. I went through all stages of emotions while reading this book ( happiness, heartbreak, sadness, despair, love) and I felt completely involved in these characters lives and the actions they made. The main three characters have so much depth made into their characterization, that it was impossible for me to not get attached to them. While reading this book, it made me think of different life lessons that I could take away from the text. I learned that we are all human and we all tend to make so many mistakes it takes a lot to own up to them and realize what we have done wrong in the past in order for the problem to not show up again. My heart felt for Lexi when she was forced to give her baby away in jail and once again when the child's grandparents wouldn't let her see her own child. The first half of the novel is filled with joy and happiness strongly constricting with the second half of the novel which is very dark and depressing. All stereotypes of teenagers and overprotective moms which were clearly displayed in the first part of the book are stripped away to see their raw emotions when Mia dies. We see the true and deep sorrow that all characters have to come face to face with. The resulting tragedies following her death keep unfolding and pyramiding on top of each other making their problems worse and worse. The only thing I would've changed about this book was its pace, it starts out very slow and anticlimactic but quickly leads into fast paced drama and action after the climax of the car accident. Overall, I would rate this book very high and memorable out of all books I have every read. This story is one of the most emotional forcing you to complete reading it, it is one that you cannot put down giving you a tsunami of emotions until the very last page
Important Quotes
1)"Maybe time didn't heal wounds exactly, but it gave you a kind of armor, or a new perspective. A new way to remember with a smile instead of a sob." (143)
Explanation- I choose this quote because it is very important which readers can translate to their own lives. We all go through our own triumphs and tribunes in our lives, it is a given part that we all must deal with. After time, most usually look back on our wounds and regrets with a clearer mind and realize what we should've or could've done in the same situation.
2)“Even as she listened to murmurs of support, she heard the relief in other people’s voices, the immense gratitude that it wasn’t their child who had died. She heard I’m so sorry until she despised those words as she had never despised anything in her life, and she discovered an anger in her soul that was new.” (189)
Explanation- After her daughter Mia dies, Jude becomes very depressed and isolates herself away from her family. Visitors to the Faraday all say their apologies, but they themselves do not know how it is to experience losing a child. This quote is the start to when Jude becomes very depressed. Usually you would depend and rely on the support of others to help you get through in your times of need. In this situation, she isolates herself away to just becoming angry at life.
3) “It isn’t about being at the same school or the same town or even the same room. It’s about being together. Love is a choice you make.” (206)
Explanation- This quote said by Lexi to Zach is very inspiring for all readers to a take a message away from. This quote truly shows the importance that love can have on someones life. Love can impact people in ways they never knew possible. It is human nature for all people to crave love and always long for it, which Lexi clearly shows. All people want love in their life, it is a choice on whether or not they go out and seek for love.
Explanation- I choose this quote because it is very important which readers can translate to their own lives. We all go through our own triumphs and tribunes in our lives, it is a given part that we all must deal with. After time, most usually look back on our wounds and regrets with a clearer mind and realize what we should've or could've done in the same situation.
2)“Even as she listened to murmurs of support, she heard the relief in other people’s voices, the immense gratitude that it wasn’t their child who had died. She heard I’m so sorry until she despised those words as she had never despised anything in her life, and she discovered an anger in her soul that was new.” (189)
Explanation- After her daughter Mia dies, Jude becomes very depressed and isolates herself away from her family. Visitors to the Faraday all say their apologies, but they themselves do not know how it is to experience losing a child. This quote is the start to when Jude becomes very depressed. Usually you would depend and rely on the support of others to help you get through in your times of need. In this situation, she isolates herself away to just becoming angry at life.
3) “It isn’t about being at the same school or the same town or even the same room. It’s about being together. Love is a choice you make.” (206)
Explanation- This quote said by Lexi to Zach is very inspiring for all readers to a take a message away from. This quote truly shows the importance that love can have on someones life. Love can impact people in ways they never knew possible. It is human nature for all people to crave love and always long for it, which Lexi clearly shows. All people want love in their life, it is a choice on whether or not they go out and seek for love.
About the Author
Kristin Hannah was born in September 1960 in Southern California. When Kristin was eight years old, her family moved everything to Western Washington where they now called home. The setting for Night Road is also in Western Washington making it have a personal connection to the author itself.
After working in an advertising agency, Kristin decided to go to law school. In her final year of law school, Hannah's mother was in the hospital struggling to fight with cancer. On her death bed, her mother clearly told her that, "You're going to be a writer." This insight from her mother quickly prompted Kristin to write her first novel which was a cliche historical romance. She got married and continued practicing Law. Soon after, Kristin got pregnant and was put on bed rest for five months. With nothing to do in in bed, she decided to begin writing. Rejection after rejection for her novels just prompted her to work harder. Finally in 1990, she got the call from a publishing agency that she had been waiting for. From that point on, her life has been constantly filled with reading and writing.
Information taken from her website: kristinhannah.com
After working in an advertising agency, Kristin decided to go to law school. In her final year of law school, Hannah's mother was in the hospital struggling to fight with cancer. On her death bed, her mother clearly told her that, "You're going to be a writer." This insight from her mother quickly prompted Kristin to write her first novel which was a cliche historical romance. She got married and continued practicing Law. Soon after, Kristin got pregnant and was put on bed rest for five months. With nothing to do in in bed, she decided to begin writing. Rejection after rejection for her novels just prompted her to work harder. Finally in 1990, she got the call from a publishing agency that she had been waiting for. From that point on, her life has been constantly filled with reading and writing.
Information taken from her website: kristinhannah.com