Monday, February 24, 2014

The best blog that i posted that represents good analysis of a developing theme is the post from Novermber 26, a Tuesday.  This blog meets the standards of the rubric because it includes a good supporting quote from the story, the quote supporting the fact that something is wrong with the clock trees and it could spell disaster for Fillory and the castle.  Also, the quote is used to thouroughly describe what is wrong with the clock tree, as the trees are not usually 100 feet tall for example or 15 yards around.  The blog then ends with a question for the readers: "Do you think this is an omen of what is to come later, or do you think it is just there for show?"  This lets the reader interact more thouroughly with their comments, instead of just having them say what their opinion of the book is.  Lastly, the post gives the reader a very good idea of what happens in the book, although some details may have been left out.

A goal i have reading wise for next trimester is that i will read more books and read books from different genres instead of only reading from one or two genres.  Then, a goal i have for writing next trimester is to write things like papers or projects with better grammar and words that are on a higher level of thinking.  So, some things i could improve on in reading are reading more books and trying to read at least a little bit every night.  Also, i could try to improve on digesting the information that i read so i could understand it more.  Lastly, some things i could improve on in my writing is actually studying grammar and words more so i can build on my writing abilities.

http://andrewfreadingblog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-01-13T05:24:00-08:00&max-results=7

Monday, February 10, 2014

A lot has happened in the book since the last post i did.  First of all, they actually got back to Fillory.  How they did it is very weird though.  They were still in the boy's room, but they had gotten drunk off of tonic and other alcoholic drinks.  And as they were sitting around a board game, Quentin was sitting against the back of the boy's bed, also drunk.  And as his vision began to blur, he started to hear seagulls.  He told Josh to stop, but Josh wasn't making any noises.  So as Quentin's vision returned to normal, he saw that he and his friends were on the boy's bed, but they were in the middle of the ocean.  They were back in Fillory, and Quentin was happy.

So, they were all sitting there.  Then, Quentin saw a ship swiftly approaching them.  It was the small ship that he had repaired earlier in the book.  But it was now piloted by Eliot, the high king of Fillory.  Quentin and Juliet were only king and queen, not high king or queen.  So as Eliot took them aboard, he began to explain what had happened since Quentin and Juliet had dissappeared.  First of all, the time in Fillory had passed a year and a day, even thought Quentin and Juliet were only gone for 3 earth days.  This is because Fillory and Earth run on different time streams, so time runs differently in both worlds.  But, then Eliot gets to the important part.  They aren't going back to the castle.  they are searching for the seven magical keys of Fillory.  Eliot was given this quest by the special animals of Fillory, the seeing hare being one of a few.  They had said it was important for Eliot to gather all the keys, as they thought that Fillory was breaking apart.  So now, Quentin has to help Eliot gather all the keys, or else Fillory, and possibly them, will be destroyed.

Monday, February 3, 2014

After the last post, the story has moved on a little bit.  After Quentin and his friends go upstairs, they do end up finding the clock.  But they don't think it will work.  So Quentin tries to go through the clock, but nothing happens.  Suddenly, a voice behind them says "You're doing it wrong, you know."  When they turn their heads, they discover that a little boy had said that.  After talking to him, they realize that their actual chances of getting back to Fillory are very slim.  This is because the boy says that he has tried multiple things to get to Fillory, not just the clock.  He also says the clock needs to get going, but he has tried that too, and it didn't work.  He also reveals that his parents had bought the house from the children of Fiona Chatwin.  And that the boy and his parents are distantly related to Plover.

So Quentin ends up playing with the boy, who just talks about random things.  They also play some board games and sing some songs.  The boy also took them on a tour of the grounds, which made them very bored.  But when they had finished with the Find Fillory game, they all sat in the boys room.  They needed to think about what they would do next, as they now knew that their chances of returning were getting slimmer and slimmer.

The Magician King is still a very great book. The plot is amazing, and the story moves at a pretty fast pace with surprises in every chapter. So after Quentin got out of the water, he and his friends went back to Josh's house to think. When they thought about what the dragon had said, Quentin realized that the dragon meant that the original entrance to Fillory was still open. This entrance was when the first Chatwin child entered the grandfather clock in Plover's house. So, realizing this, Josh made a portal to Cornwall, which was where Plover's house was. After they went through the portal, they looked at a map to find Plover's house.

Quentin and his friends had found Plover's house. But it wasn't just a house. It was more like a mansion. The house was huge, and they never knew that Plover had that much money. So now they have to get into the house.  The only problem is that the owners of the house, who are actually related to Plover, are throwing a party.  But, having the ability to use magic, Quentin and his friends easily sneak into the party and aren't noticed by anyone.  Then after a while, they go upstairs to find the grandfather clock that the dragon had hinted towards.

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Magician King is still a really good book for a narrative.  From the last post, they said that they would have to talk to the dragon, and that Quentin would do the talking.  Needless to say, Quentin wasn't excited about this.  But he knew he would have to if he wanted to get back to Fillory, which he did.  So, they have to stand on a bridge with a steak and jump in at midnight if they want to talk to the dragon.  Then at midnight, Quentin jumps into the canal, and Poppy also follows in the hopes that she will also talk to the dragon.  At first, nothing happens when they get into the water.  But after about a minute, the dragon drags Quentin under water.

At first, Quentin can't breathe.  But then the dragon casts a spell that lets him breathe under water.  Naturally, the canal bottom is filthy and littered with trash.  But the dragon that lives there also collects new, old, important, and famous artifacts, magic or not.  As they talk however, Quentin learns from the dragon that they can't use the button to get back to Fillory, as each entrance can only be used once.  But as they finish, the dragon tells Quentin that the first doorway is still open.  But before Quentin can ask what this means, the spell ends and Quentin must swim to the surface of the canal.
I am still reading the Magician King for my novel.  Quite a bit has happened in the book since my last post.  For one thing, Julia and Quentin caught up with Josh about everything that has happened sionce they parted ways in the previous book.  Then, Josh explains how he got the money to get the mansion that he now lives in.  Sadly, Quentin is not pleased by what he hears.  Josh had gotten the money from selling a magic button that could take them to Fillory.  He also had sold it to a guy, who works for a dragon that lives in the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy.  Which happens to be where they are right now.

So, Quentin is not happy that they have to get the button back from the dragon, as nobody has really ever talked or seen a dragon.  Josh had called in a friend to help them, and her name is Poppy.  She apparently knows a lot about dragons, and practically everything thats been written in a book.  So, with her help, they determine that they will have to talk to the dragon.

Monday, January 13, 2014

I am still reading the Magician King as my personal reading book.  I have read a couple new chapters in the book, and things have gotten very interesting.  First, Quentin and Julia did arrive on Earth when Quentin turned the magic key in the air.  Then, while they went their seperate ways, Quentin began to wonder how he and Julia would get back to Fillory.  However, later in the story, they meet up again, and Julia takes Quentin to a house that secretly teaches people magic, and they then use a series of portals to go to Richmond, Virginia because Julia needs to talk to somebody.  So then they take another portal that takes them to Venice, Italy.

When they arrive in Venice, they go to a mansion that Julia's friend have given the address of.  So when they get there, they have to use magic to prove themeselves, so when Quentin breaks a window with magic, they are allowed to enter the mansion.  When they enter, they have to wait for a little bit before they can meet the master of the house.  But when they meet the owner of the mansion, they get a big surprise.  The owner happens to be their old friend from Brakebills, Josh.  So now, they have to involve Josh in their journey back to Fillory, as Quentin and Julia believe Josh could greatly help them get back to Fillory.