8th Grade Summer Reading Blog

Hunter Linton “You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be.” This quote is important because he knew he wanted to be something and he vowed to stay out of trouble but even though he made mistakes he fixed them so he could continue on his “run” towards success. One of the many mistakes that he had to fix was Stealing the Track Shoes from the store. This is why I find this quote important in the book Ghost by Jason Reynolds.

Dante Ceppetelli “When you stop playing your game you’ve already lost." pg.93 This quote is perfect for the people that get down on themselves and think they already lost. But the game isn’t over until you here the final buzzer. I play with people who get all down on themselves and it ’ s like they just want to go home. People should really look at this quote and think about of you want to win you don’t give up. One person giving up on a team can cause the whole team to get down on themselves. Never give up and play as are has you can until you know that the game is over. Even if you do loose there is always another day to beat the team you lost to.

Sam St Laurent “When you stop playing your game, you’ve already lost." pg. 93 I believe this quote is important because it’s a message to keep going and not give up on what you’re doing. When you're on a team like this character and you give up, it sends a message to everyone you're working with that you don't give it your all or try hard enough. Almost as if you’ve lost your chance. The quote is implying that one should not give up before they are finished.

Ben Sousa “You the golden boy, you got the ticket." pg.229.  This is a turning point in the story were the main character Bully has to finally face his fears.  Bully has got the winning lottery ticket in his possessions which puts a real target on his back.  In this scene Bully has to face his fears of losing lottery to the one person he despises most Janks, who collects tax money from poor people including Bully.  Bully learns the life lesson actions speak louder than words he starts off pleading for Janks not to steal his lottery ticket, then he decides to take action rather than plead for mercy.  So he takes out Janks and runs away for him.  In my opinion this is the turning point for Bully when he finally sees himself as an equal to others, and that he is a human being too.  

Victoria Dusharm “I didn't need to transform after all. My name is Harriet Manners and I am a geek. And maybe that's not so bad after all.” I found this quote important and empowering, because it shows huge character development. At the beginning of the book, and throughout the book, Harriet Manners is a geek, and is bullied because of it. At one point, someone graffities her school bag, writing “geek” in big, red sharpie, and it really upsets Harriet to be labeled like that. She wonders if it’s such a bad thing, and it really affects her self esteem. She feels that becoming a model will “transform” her, and maybe raise her rank in the social hierarchy. I think this quote was important because it shows her finally accepting herself and realizing she doesn't need to change herself, that she's okay the way she is. 

Joshua Nicols  "Josh, better an hour too soon than a minute too late." p.128 This quote stuck with me because I had never heard a quote quite like this before.  This quote happened after Josh and his parents got pulled over and he made it to his six o’clock game at 6:01 .  His coach made him sit for the first half of his game.  At first I thought it was too big of a punishment, but then it made more sense.  His coach didn’t care why he was late, just that he was late.  He made an example of him to the whole team. That’s why it was so memorable to me.

Connor Perreault "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."  I like this quote because the book, W e Are All Made of Molecules, has a lot of people who do bad things but people don't do anything about it because they are to afraid to speak up and endanger themselves.

Calvin Colbath “From far and wide came whispers, rumors, threats and facts which mixed together, made for the typically confusing brew that governments called intelligence." pg.39 I think this quote is important because in the early and mid 1900’s the nazi regime gave the people of all countries around the world fear that they would be a target of Hitler's nazi’s. Why I think this quote is important is because everyone became so in fear for their lives that rumors spread from people either to scare or the rumors were spread from the government. The Nazis were so powerful because they spread these rumors which in other words became whispers, threats, to destroy people's lives and all this built up gave the Nazis power because their power is fear. And this describes how it was difficult to beat the nazis. They also kind of brainwashed some people in order to again gain more power.

Gabriella Gorton ”Toward him, and to whatever came next.” pg.449 I think this quote is important because she’s leaning toward someone and she’s also leaning toward what’s next to come in her life and preparing for it. Another important reason is the she’s leaning toward someone and she’s convincing herself to do things on her own. One more reason is She’s leaning toward someone and she’s ready move on in the world by herself.

Jacob Lyczak On page 115 in the book Ghost is a line that I feel is inspirational ,heart warming and an advancing quote to most humans. "You're one of the worlds greatest" , a line that makes all humans feel great. When you feel sad, or beat, or in the case of this book stress on that fact of  no mistakes, hearing this simple line can make you feel accomplished.Make you want to go further,push harder, work faster towards your goal. This quote makes me feel as if I could do anything with a little hard work and elbow grease. I also know this quote doesn't just make me feel this way, it makes everyone feel better.I feel as this quote is memorable to athletic players,students, and even kids looking into jobs for the future.This line will always have people striving to push further,want something more than ever, and  work harder every day to achieve their goal- Be the greatest.Overall this book was inspiring and showed me how lucky I am sometimes, and that just like...

Harley Rawski “All I know is that they haven’t forgotten me, or else i wouldn’t be here tonight , like this.” pg.202 This quote is memorable because it shows the the value of family and friends and shows that even after death that family and friends will love and remember you, and they will carry on your memory as long as they live. So that even after you die you will live on in the memory and hearts of family and friend, so you never completely die.

Trevor Borges  "He had never thought money could do that." pg.122 I think this sentence should be remembered as a quote because money isn't the key to life. The key to life is friends and family. They help you, encourage you, and keep you on your feet. Money doesn't buy happiness everybody says because its true, money just buys you stuff to keep you alive and what you need.

Jayson Blaisdell “When you stop playing the game, you've already lost.” pg.93 What I think the narrator is trying to say is that if you give up halfway through, it's not worth trying. From playing basketball, I can not only closely relate to this quote, but this book. You need to put in your full effort for the entire game. If you do not plan on playing the game from start to finish, you will lose. In other words, it doesn't matter if you put forward all you've got for the first half of the game if you give up in the third quarter.  

Jayme Hogan “When you stop playing your game you have already lost." pg.93 The quote is memorable because when you stop playing your game you have already lost because you aren’t as good as before. It is also memorable because when you stop playing your game for a specific amount of time you lose your skills and talent for that game. You may not win every time and that’s ok too.

Maia Scopel “ The answer was there, somewhere, I just had to adjust my eyes to see it properly.” I think this quote is very important and memorable because it really describes how Emily was interpreting at things. Sometimes in life when you are trying to figure a problem or just how to do something you have to look at it in different ways and in the book Emily is only looking at it in one way. If she looks at it in a different way then she will see things that maybe she didn't see before.

Hunter Bartlett ""I'm sorry,' I stated, and in that moment realized sometimes a real apology can go a long way."  Page 164 I think this quote is important or memorable because, giving a real apology can make the person your saying sorry to feel better knowing your giving something meaningful. If you do something wrong and try and fix it just by doing the right thing with out caring or giving it any thought then the person your trying to fix things with won't feel like your trying and that you just want to get things over with. So I think this quote is important or memorable because giving meaning can make I big difference. 

Adam Lee  "Still They Resisted." This quote is important because it tells the moral of the story in just three words. It tells you to never give up. Throughout the entire book the odds are constantly not in favor of the protagonists. Even when they are given opportunities to leave and not risk anything, they stay and don't give up.

Brady Flanagan "You can't run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be." I find this quote important for multiple reasons, One reason is that through out the rest of this book the character acts in a more mature way.  He returns the shoes that he stole from the store, became better at school, and changed the way he thought about everyone else. It also made me think differently because even though I don't run I still thought this quote is very true and it makes me think.

Ellie Wolthuis "The people she attracted were drawn to the same thing everyone else was; our glowing skin, dreamy eyes, and air of secrecy. But this boy? He seemed to see more than that. He sees me not just as a mysterious beauty, but as a girl he wanted to know." pp. 52-53 I loved this quote because in the story, you really fall in love with the characters and feel bad when someone falls for just just superficial stuff like their looks. So when the main character finds someone who likes her for more than her looks, the reader can tell how special that must have made her feel.

Brianna McInnes “But if you give them a tiny bit of yourself... you will never be lacking in spirits to call your friends.” p.188-189 I believe this quote is important to the book because some of the characters that have to do with it. One character being the little sister Maya who suffers from a disease that affects her breathing greatly, and spirits who take a bit of a human's air to be seen. I believe that this quote is basically saying that you need to give a little to receive something in return. It may not cost a lot, maybe nothing but you will always have somebody/something to always lean on making this quote a key part of the book.

Morgan Koskela “Nothing worth doing is easy, especially not in the beginning. But I’m not about to give up.” -pg. 159 In the book, Since You’ve Been Gone, a quote that is important is “Nothing worth doing is easy, especially not in the beginning. But I’m not about to give up.” That quote is significant because it’s a reminder to keep trying even when things get hard, especially in the beginning because you’ve just begun.  

Johanna Keravich “Basketball Rule #10 A loss is inevitable, Like snow in the winter. True champions learn to dance through the storm.” I think the meaning of this quote is that, in life, you will always experience some sort of loss, whether it be a pet, family member, friend, or an object, and while it does take time to grieve and get over it.  Strong people learn how to deal with their loss and get through the difficult times.

Lucas Bisson "That's a fine dog, Annabelle." p.98 This is memorable because it is a time when Annabelle is spending time with her grandfather, which she will remember for a long time when she gets older. Also, it's not all the time that Annabelle will hear her grandfather joking around. 

Claire Atkinson "I was born this way." p.70 You can look at this quote from different perspectives because, but the way I looked at it was that it's saying, don't change for someone else's happiness but for yours, and that you should love yourself and be proud of what/who you are. 

Matteson Haines "I don't think you have to do something so big to be brave. And it's the little things that are harder anyway." p.323 Emily, the main character, says this to her friend Frank. Emily was always saying that Sloane was the brave one, that with Sloane she wasn't brave, but with her she was. For a long time, she was lost without Sloane there to back her up if she messed up, she said in the book that she was like her safety net. This seems to be the turning point in the book where she finally realizes that she is brave, not Sloane, sneak into a bar with fake id's brave, but her own kind of brave. At this point, she stops hanging onto the hope that Sloane will arrive any minute, when she stops calling Sloane's voicemail and still talking like she's there. Instead, she begins to call her own friends, and sort of comes to terms that Sloane wasn't there. I believe this is where she begins to gain confidence in herself and move on f...

Jacob Cook "Halfway up the northern wall of the valley, they were long past exhaustion. Pure will and fear of capture drove their bodies now." p.176 I think this quote is very important especially during World War 2 where people who lived in Nazi Europe lived in fear of being taken away from their families. Then, soldiers being sent over there could be exhausted to the point where they couldn't even walk. But they kept going through will and fear because they knew it was best. 

Madeline Merrill "Toby had never really said why he carried all those heavy guns and had for years and years. But I knew. Toby carried those guns because they were heavy. I just didn't know why he had suddenly decided to lighten his load." p.247 I think this quote is important because it explains a lot about all the terrible things Toby has gone through and how they damaged him. Now that he has met this family, he is starting to forgive himself for the things that he did. He forgives himself by taking some of the weight off his shoulders which is resembled by the gun.

Morgan Veno “In a well- ordered universe.” p.449 This is common dialogue throughout the book. When I saw the dialogue i thought it would be the perfect quote for this assignment. This is because it was a perfect way to describe the book. Emily lost her best friend, during which was supposed to be the greatest summer of their lives. She disappears leaving behind nothing but a list of things for Emily to do. But, “in a well ordered universe,” Sloane, Emily’s best friend, would have never left. They would have had the perfect summer. As it turned out, Emily’s summer ended up into a well ordered universe that she never would have expected. She made new friends and discovered a whole new part of herself, and that was thanks to Sloane. In conclusion, this quote is important because grasps the whole concept of the story into just a few words.

Brynna Keenan “I guess it's not hard to feel good when you're surrounded by so much life.”   I think that quote is important because It's basically stating that life is good if you don't think about things too hard and that there's so many opportunities in this world. I also believe that all of those things are true.

Ethan Buchanan “He had never thought money could do that. Make things more completed, maybe even worse." p.122 The reasons I have chosen these sentences as a  notable quote worth repeating is; just because you have  money doesn’t mean you will necessarily be happy with  life. Having good health and a loving, caring family and  friends should be more important than having loads of  money and expensive things. As the saying goes; money  can’t buy happiness.

Aidan Whalen "In this game of life, your family is the court and the ball is is your head. No matter how good you are, no matter how good you get, always leave your heart on the court."  I chose this quote because there are some disputes between the Bell family which includes Jordan Bell (JB), Josh Bell (Filthy), their mom who is also the principal at their school, and their dad, Chuck Bell, who is a retired professional basketball player. They have multiple arguments, but in the end, they all get along and still love each other. The biggest altercation that the family had was mostly between Jordan and Josh. The thing that caused the dispute was when Josh thought Jordan was hogging the ball in their basketball game, so when Jordan wanted the ball, Josh threw it at him hard, and it hit him and almost broke his nose. The result of that was Josh and Jordan did not talk to each other for a long time. 

Jack Jerome   “Circle over the north sea.” I believe that this is important because when the Americans and the British were going to bomb Vermok, the facility where the Germans were assembling nuclear bombs. They had gotten to the facility to fast and were supposed to be dropping twenty minutes later, so the captain said circle over the north sea so the workers would be in the basement at lunch for less civilian casualties. This is why I believe this quote important.

Gracie Gagne  "Turning up on time is so keen." p.186 This quote is important because if you are showing up to a job, sports, or a meeting, you want to show up early to show a good first impression. You want to show that you actually want to be there and not show up right on time or late because you don't care or you don't want to do it. It shows that you shouldn't be there. 

Gracie Gallagher  "I wished I could explain how a full life cut short was better than an empty life that dragged on." p.15 This quote is important to the book because it shows how the sirens have very vacant lives that are extended by 100 lengthy years. The main character, Kahlen, was pulled from 1800's shipwreck to become a siren. Her entire family passed away when the boat sank, leaving Kahlen with no one to mourn or miss her. On the other hand, many people on the ships the sirens sank had friends and/or family to be brokenhearted over their loss. 

Aislinn Doherty "Nothing worth doing is easy, especially not in the beginning." p.159 I found my quote important and memorable because it's about not giving up just because something is hard. Perseverance is very important for everyday life. If people just gave up when something was hard, we would go nowhere in life.  

Bryce Harmon "You better recognize greatness when you hear it." p.6 I think this quote is going to be important or memorable because in  this case, the dad is talking about a musician and how he worked hard to  be famous and the best at the piano. So the quote is saying people  work hard to be recognized when someone is talking about them.

Alethea Sheridan "But don't do it for me, do it for yourself." p. 176 I feel this sentence would make a good quote because it shows that someone cares enough to show someone else that life is not just about taking care of others, but taking care of yourself too, and you need to enjoy the life you were given. In the book it shows that Maya cared enough to help Cat realize that she needs to make her life great and that there are many other times for her to take care of Maya, so that one night she could live a little and have some fun. 

Ava  Fitzgerald “But, if you give them a tiny bit of yourself...you will never be lacking in spirits to call your friends." p.188-189 I chose this quote because in the story Catrina's younger sister, Maya, has a breathing and digestion disorder called Cystic Fibrosis and because of this disease, it has caused their family to move to another location. This relates/is important to my quote because even though Maya has this issue, she still looks on the positive side of things and she stays cheerful and exuberant. So, giving a little bit of yourself to others and being kind will never upset your peers insides. Only kill them with kindness.

Abbey Skipper " I never doubted your ability to love, but what mortal could truly love a girl who he knew for so little time?" p.305 I find this quote to be important or memorable because, (putting aside the fact that it's a mythical creature and human) love doesn't really know limits. As a total sap that low key believes in love at first sight, I think those feelings are undoubtedly relevant and shouldn't need to be suppressed or hidden; whether it be out of fear, embarrassment, internal anger, etc. It's excruciatingly easy to build a strong bond with someone over a limited period of time - and just as easy to develop feelings for them too.