Bennett's Book Nook
Leandra Reyes, 1B
Book Nook 2 / Pipe Dreams, a surfers journey with Jason Borte
TOP TEN LIST
1. "I didn't start surfing because I expected it to be my career. It was something I just had a good time doing. But once I started, I couldn't stop...And I couldn't fathom that I would learn to thrive on the waves that scared me senseless."
2. "I've been called a lot of things, but perhaps the most common word to describe me is 'competitive.'"
3. "I guess I was a quick learner, because by 1982, I was winning most of the local Menehune contests."
4. "I want you to meet the Slater brothers, these kids are gonna be the best surfers in the world one day."
5. "If you told me back then at the Surfside Playhouse that the places in those movies would one day seem like home to me, I would have died laughing."
6. "Many of the greatest athletes, artists, and overachievers of any kind come from imperfect families...My something was surfing, but unfortunately in many cases that something is negative."
7. "The ocean was my refuge. Surfing was the one thing that was always there for me; it made me smile."
8. "The only way to prove yourself as a surfer is through commitment"
9. "It's easy to become shortsighted and think you can surf forever, without preparing yourself for the future. If you can't finish school, there probably aren't a lot of things in life you can finish."
10. "I can't lay the blame for my money problems with anyone but myself...but it was a tough way to learn a lesson."
All of these quotes have similarities. They show that no matter what he never gave up. Although, when times were tough, Slater thought he would have never made it big. With his commitment and competitiveness, he was able to take something he just did for fun, and turn it into a career. Yes it was hard, but I'm sure Kelly doesn't regret anything, because it got him where he is today.
THEMATICALLY SPEAKING
The theme that I think is most evident and interesting is when he talks about his childhood. Kelly didn't have an easy life growing up. Although, his parents did everything they could to help them have a great childhood, it wasn't always easy. Growing up, Kelly spent a lot of time in the water, which is always a good thing. While at home his parents would fight a lot, eventually they got a divorce. Even though his childhood wasn't the best when it came to family, it made him who he is today. I'm sure Kelly felt like he had to prove himself to his friends and family, so it made him want to work harder. He wanted to show that even though he came from a poor, low childhood, he could still make something of himself. I think this is very important because he did make something of himself. Now he is able to support not only him, but his family. It may have been a hard life, but there's a reason for everything. If it wasn't for all of that, he may not have been where he is today.
BEST SELLER
"B" SIDE/IMPORTS
Paper Towns by John Green
ALT_NATION
DOWN in the DUMPS
FAB FIVE's FAVs'
1. “My heart is really pounding," I said.
"That's how you know you're having fun," Margo said. ~ This is when Quentin and Margo spent all night pranking all the people that Margo wanted to get revenge on. At first, Quentin wasn't up for it, but he liked Margo so much that he did it anyways. He was scared and nervous all night that his heart would race after any prank they pulled. Margo, being the adventurous person she is, is having the time of her life.
2. “I can almost imagine a happiness without her, the ability to let her go, to feel our roots are connected even if I never see that leaf of grass again.” ~ Towards the middle of the book, Margo disappeared and ran away, but that didn't stop Quentin from looking for her. After a while of what seems like he was getting no where, he started to imaging what life would really be like without her.
3. “The town was paper, but the memories were not.” ~ To me, this quote means that the town which they lived in, was just a beat up broken town that they lived in. It wasn't the town that they loved, or that they would miss, it was all the memories that they had in it. They would hold onto those memories forever. Anything other than that, was just paper.
4. “Nothing ever happens like you imagine it will” ~ Life is full of surprises. For example, Quentin would have never imagined that the love of his life would come knocking on his window in the middle of the night asking him for help. We never know what life may hold. It's one big adventure, and that's the beauty of it all.
5. “Peeing is like a good book in that it is very, very hard to stop once you start.” ~ I thought that this was very humorous. This was when they drove all the way to New York to go find Margo. They didn't have much time and they had to get there as soon as possible. Ben really had to pee, but they couldn't waste time to stop. So, using his resources, he used a beer bottle.
FACE to FACE
1.Q: Margo, why did you run away, leaving everybody worried as to where you were?
A: I ran away because I felt like I needed something more. I wasn't meant to live in that so called paper town. My life wasn't going anywhere out there. I didn't really enjoy going to school, it just wasn't my thing, so I just needed to get away from my old life and start fresh.
2.Q: Margo, did you miss any friends or family while in New York for so long?
A: Yes, I missed my friends more so than my family. I'd have to say I missed Quentin the most. I didn't want to admit it and look weak, but I truly did miss him, a lot. It was extremely hard to let him go.
3.Q: Quentin, why did you keep looking for her, after it seemed like you were never going to find her?
A: Because I really did love her, I wouldn't have been able to go on with my life if I didn't have the satisfaction of knowing I actually tried.
4.Q: Quentin, I'm sure at times you felt like giving up, what gave you the motivation to keep going?
A: Margo would leave these little clues that hinted to where she was at, so that really helped me to want to figure out another puzzle piece. When I really felt like it was over, I would listen to the music she liked, or I would just think about her. It seemed like every time I did that, I got a step closer to her, and then I would discover another clue. So, that's what really kept me going.
5.Q: Quentin, now I know you skipped graduation with some friends to go find Margo, do you regret doing so?
A: Not one bit. When I got there, I expected her to come back with us, and even though she didn't; which kind of sucked, I still don't regret it. I at least wanted to see her one last time, and the fact that I got to do that, gives me a little bit of peace.
6.Q: Margo, what made you want to pick Quentin that night you guys did the pranks?
A: Quentin thought that I just needed him for his van, but I could've easily asked anybody else that had a car to help me. But I picked him, because I wanted to spend time with him, I knew I was leaving the next day, and I wanted to be able to spend my last night with him.
7.Q: Margo, why did you put him through all of that stress and worry, if you knew you were leaving the next day?
A: I didn't want to, but I had to get out of there. It's not the first time I've don't something like this, I have ran away before. Not only did I have to go, but I wanted to see if he'd actually look for me. Every time I disappear, I leave little clues for people, and Quentin was the only one willing to figure them out and find me.
8.Q: Quentin, I remember you saying that you have never missed a day of school, how did you build up the courage to miss a day to drive to somewhere she wasn't even at?
A: It was extremely hard, don't get me wrong, but I was willing to do anything it took do go find her. It was disappointed that she wasn't there, but that didn't mean I was going to stop looking. My goal was to find her, and I was going to accomplish that.
9.Q: Margo, you said that this wasn't the first time you ran away, did you not live in a good home that made you never want to be there?
A: I lived in a nice house, I had stuff. But people think if you have materialistic things that all that maters, but that's not the case. My life my have looked pleasing to people around me, but my family was broken. My parents were not good parents, they made life a living hell.
10.Q: Quentin, what about Margo, made her so special to you? What made you like her more than anyone else?
A: She was life a good book, hard to stop reading. She was such a mystery and it made me want to find out more. Not only was she beautiful, but there was something else about her that made me want to find out more about her.
BEST SELLER/DISCOUNT SHELF
B"B SIDES/IMPORTS
A few opinions of what others think of the book
Inspiring and Intriguing
"It's amazingly well-written, John Green is an amazing author, and I enjoyed it immensely. It has inappropriate moments for sure, but nothing that teenagers or preteens couldn't handle to read. It is heartbreaking, but the literature is great! A book about finding yourself and about knowing others is definitely something kids should be reading."
"I literally loved this book. I believe it to be the best of John Greens offerings, and those books do indeed set a high bar."
"The teens in the book act true to their age, which is on a high school level, so keep that in mind for younger kids. However, I think as a young adult novel it's acceptable for all teens. There's definitely nothing new that your teen shouldn't have heard before. PLUS, it's an amazing book filled with quirk and wit and will really get you thinking. John Green's writing is effortlessly beautiful and the book is perfect."