My Seventeenth Summer

My seventeenth summer is a book about a girl who is spending her summer pretty much doing her work when she meets a boy. the boy makes an effort to reach out to her and be friends. They end up kind of being on opposite ends of life, but actually having a lot in common. He's more popular and she's more focused on her work and family. I've just started reading it so i don't know much about it, but this is what i've learned so far.

I think one of the main messages is that if you do your work you will get rewarded. For example, almost every other girl is out on dates or at parties while she is home working, and she gets the boy that everyone wants. The other girls are working to get noticed by him, while she's working for herself, she gets noticed by him. If you work hard something good will come out of it. Two things good come out of it in this case. She gets a good friends, and she discovers herself. Instead of focusing on following everyone else, she is developing her own character. You never know who will like you for you, but it's better to make your own path then follow in everyone else's footsteps.

Another lesson is about being judgemental. Don't judge others by your past experiences. I'm barely into the book and theres already multiple examples of this.Like when they are on their first date, and he is talking about how pretty certain things are,   and she says something like, i didn't think boys noticed those things. First of all she is putting a label on him, even though it's true that he's a boy, she's making it seem like he's the type of person that acts like how she thinks boys are. At least she was open to the possibility that she could be wrong and she changed her opinion.

The most important lessons I've learned so far are that you need to focus on yourself more then what others are doing or what you think others want you to do. It's important for you to develop your character before you start doing things for others. And also that it's important to not be so set in your way of thinkings, always be open to changing it if you realize your wrong. You will be a much stronger person with both of these characteristics.

peace,love,and baby ducks

In the book "Peace,Love, and Baby Ducks" by Lauren Myracle, the main character Carly and her sister Anna experience their first year being together at high school. Carly is older, and Anna is just starting. They struggle from the beginning, but make it to the end. they have many issues with friends, new and old, family, boys, school, and themselves. They both change a lot, for the better and the worse.

Carly changes more than she thinks. She forms new opinions of her old friends, and her sister and her friends. And whether or not she realize it, they change the way she acts/thinks/feels. She also changes her opinion on her close friend, Rodger, who has had a crush on her for years. She finally accepts that and considers his feelings. She grows up a lot. she positively changes in a lot of ways because of mistakes. I think she becomes more accepting and less judgmental. She's all about not judging people for their appearance and other people's opinions, yet she judges the people who do. Or more the people that she thinks do. Anna also changes, aside form growing up. For the worse, she lets school shape her personality. She lets others influence her. For the better, she decides to turn that around before it got harder. She stops caring so much about the wrong things, and puts more effort and focus on the things that do, for her own good. IN the end they're their for each other and family/friends, which is all that matters.

Being at the same school was a challenge, because no matter what they do, they get compared, and they compare each other.They also judge each other. Carly starts grouping anna with the kinds of people she dislikes, which almost makes anna more like them. And Anna does the same, though the people she dislikes is the opposite of Carly. And they're both their own people,theyre different. Anna is better at some things, and carly is better at others. But their peers don't see that that does't make the other one better. and it puts a lot of pressure on them, and that hurts their relationship.

I think they also realize the root of their problem. Its them. They think it's their friends and family causing them to hurt each other. though they are involved, the girls decide to involve them. They realize that they need to stop blaming everyone else for their problems, and look at what they can change about themselves to make it better. they use the other people to hurt each other and express their feelings. For example, Anna kisses the guy Carly likes. I mean, that matters, but the real problem is what Anna was feeling that made her do that. Anna just did that to hurt Carly. The real problem is why she hurt her.

This book really just made me think about how people are only as good or bad as you make them out to be. It's other people's choice how they want to think about someone, and it's yours about how you want to. And you are only how you want to be. It's nobody else choice about who you are. Its your choice if you want to let what they say and think change you, but you're the one in charge. with that, if you don't like something in your life, change what your doing to make it better, don't worry about what others are doing. And i think thats what Carly is pretty much trying to do, and teach everybody, Just be yourself, don't worryy about the people who are there to tear you down.