Entry 4-August 14th

 

 

               The biggest reason why I chose this book is the fact that it has won four awards. The awards are the Printz Award, Stonewall Book Award, Pura Belpre Award, and the Lambda Literacy Award.

 

 

               The cover of the book brought my attention because of the artwork around the title of the book. It grabbed my attention that the pictures around the title are all different. That made me curious to read more.

 

 

               I made many connections while I was reading. Mostly, there were text-self connections than any other connection type. The connections I made were about my life, but nothing too personal. For example, Aristotle and I were both in the hospital for awhile before.

 

 

               I would recommend this book to someone who is curious about life and the world in general. The book talks a lot about the way life is sometimes and how to solve life problems. Also, in the book, it talks about differences like racism and culture. In my opinion, this book is very personal because of Aristotle's feelings. He is very curious about the world and his family. He learns a lot from his family about his family's problems and wants to know more about it.

 

  

Entry 3- August 14

 

 

             In the book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the section that hooks the reader is when Aristotle and Dante meet each other.

 

 

              Aristotle met Dante at the pool and Dante gave Aristotle swim lessons. They always talked about their lives and anything that was going through their mind. This sudden event made both of their lives change drastically. They started to hang out at each other's house and mostly talked about different things. However, they were surprised by the fact that both were totally different from one another.

 

 

              This section of the book hooks the potential reader because the mood and tone of the book changes wanting the reader to continue throughout the book. As you begin the book, the mood is lonely. This is because Aristotle says his life is boring and miserable. After Aristotle meets Dante, the mood changes to grateful. They are happy to be with each other, but they may not always be happy.

 

 



              The tone throughout the book in the beginning was depressing. The author used negative words to describe how the person was feeling. Then after Aristotle and Dante met, the tone changed to excitement. They would always laugh and have fun and bring smiles to each other's faces. 

Entry 2- July 6th

 

 

 

              In the beginning, I believe that the complexity of Aristotle is that he wants to have friends. Evidence from the book that supports my thesis is the quote, "I got along ok. I had school friends. Sort of. I wasn't wildly popular. How could I be?..." (Saenz 23). After him meeting Dante, Aristotle has been respectable. Aristotle has been pleased of Dante and he would never trade a friend like him for anything.

 

             Overall, the complexity of Aristotle's mom is that she wants the best for her son. Evidence from the book that supports my thesis is the quote, "There were days when I wished I had it in me to rebel against my mother's rules (Saenz 69). After what has happened to Aristotle's older brother, she doesn't want the same thing to happen to him. So sometimes Aristotle agitated that he can't do things that he is wants to do.

 

              A theme in the book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, is loneliness. Aristotle felt lonely because he had no friends and he mostly stayed inside during the summer or went to the pool by himself. This theme sets a negative tone throughout the book because it only talks about the main character and how his gruesome life has affected him as a teenager. He also is lonely because none of his parents and siblings are there for him which makes him more isolated.

               Another theme for the book is character. Aristotle has had times where his character has came to a destruction or when it enlarges. When his character is dwindling, he is usually thinking about his family or a dramatic time in his life. 'When I was a boy, I used to wake up thinking that the world was ending' (Saenz 73). When his character enlarges, he is with Dante having fun or just talking about life. "That really made me smile" (Saenz 21).

               The structure of this text is different than many texts I have read. I would compare this book's structure to Hunger Games because of the layout and how it has been constructed. Each novel are broken into parts or different events. Each part has chapters based on the event. This book also contains a mountain leading to the climax and declining to the resolution.



Entry One- July 5th

 

 

           In the book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the main characters are Aristotle and Dante. They have became friends even though their personalities and attitudes are incomparable. But, they both show a strong bond of friendship towards each other.

 

           The setting of this book is in their home town. Usually, Aristotle and Dante hang out at each others houses or at their community pool. The book first started at the community pool where Aristotle and Dante first met. This situation made their friendship start and develop.

 

            The conflict in the novel is Aristotle's experience with life. He has always carried a negative attitude because of his family. His dad travels because he is at war, his twin sisters left to starts their lives, and his brother is in jail. He always said he didn't want any friends, but Dante has changed Aristotle as a person.

 

            As I have been reading, I predict at the end of the book that Aristotle and Dante will become the best of friends. I think both bring out the best in each person which makes their bond so strong. I also think their differences help them become friends. They are learning about each other's lives, but also learning about how they compare and contrast.

 

            Some examples of questions that I had while reading were

•     How are Dante and Aristotle best friends when they have little in common?
• As I was reading I thought that each other's differences help them create a better friendship.
•    How will Aristotle learn more about his family?
• I think Aristotle will have to find that on his own because his parents don't talk about his brother. I believe they don't want the same things to happen to Aristotle.

 

             While I was reading, I made two text-self connections. My first connection I made was to Aristotle. We both did not know how to swim so we took swimming lessons and learned from our instructors. The second connection I made was to Aristotle's dad. Both of our dad's travel around the world to do their job.

 

 



Life is about trying new things. Also, by doing things that are outside if your comfort zone. Lyssa in the book, The More I See, rode a horse for the first time because Cody taught her. You never know until you try. Doing something new gives you a new experience that can change your life. Lyssa thought it was fun, but in the long-run, she would never do it again. Lyssa and Cody have many similarities. Cody is blind and Lyssa used to be blind. So Lyssa is like Cody's role model. I believe Cody has a crush on Lyssa even though Lyssa has a boyfriend.

People have feelings for others even if they are bad or good. Sometimes, our feelings change. Cody's feelings, in my opinion has changed. I think he is starting to want Lyssa to teach him how he can be successful with no eyesight. Also, I believe at the end of the book, Cody will be happy and he won't carry the burden of jealousy.

Lyssa did fall in the pool which is why Otis, the dog, was barking and whining. Cody started to learn what it was like to have Otis by his side. Lyssa left leaving Cody a bad attitude, but Cody tried to follow her.

What would you do if you had no eyesight? How would you feel? Cody in the book The More I See is still having those questions running through his head. Although, Lyssa is still not giving up yet. She has beem hired to teach Cody for a reason so she will not quit until she reaches that goal.

Cody on the otherhand wants Lyssa to leave and to never come back. He has some strong feelings about how he feels on losing his eyesight. But he doesn't know the light that is shining at him for  new future.

I left off where Cody was yelling at Lyssa because he couldn't find her. He was left with Otis, the dog, and I think he was worried. He heared splashes in the pool, but when he called Lyssa name, she wouldn't reply.

I believe that Lyssa wanted to pretend she was gone/missing to get Cody to use Otis. Maybe Cody would use Otis so Otis could lead him to where Lyssa may be.