What's Next?

Since that I'm almost done with my current book Shrimp, I really need to think what is there out there for me to read and actually enjoy? What I plan on reading something that's maybe from the same author or very similar to Rachel Cohn. The writing style of Rachel Cohn is very unique compared to the other books I have read in the past. The book Shrimp is very different from most books in terms of vocabulary, diction, and writing style, I actually really enjoyed this book. Even though I am pretty sure not many books are similar to this one, I'm going to try and find an author with more than four books, that can write just like Rachel Cohn. The author that i'm the most interested to hopefully read would be Nicholas Sparks becuase i have heard great things about his writing style.

Krista Ramsey Post

To briefly summarize this article would be that, she is saying that preschool is essential for a kid to grow and develop. Preschool helps kids grow a better vocabulary and betters them for the future of their schooling.

The line and/ or lines that I think were the best written would be when she says "At an art table, Ashlyn arranges and rearranges handfuls of brightly colored feathers.”I'm going to make a collage of a parrot," she says, cheerfully unaware that collage isn't really a 5-year-old word." This, to me is the best written line because it shows a little 5- year old, using a word such as collage in her vocabulary, when a normal 5-year old would most likely never use this word for a group of things together. Also in this line I noticed low or informal diction, the diction or word choice in this line isn't really elevated at all. The syntax that I noticed would be that the sentence length is very long and doesn’t use much punctuation.

The writing style of Krista Ramsey would be a mixture of long, fact-filled sentences/paragraphs, short but effective sentences, and medium lengthened sentences. Some examples would be when it says “The result?” in her first column, this leaves you thinking, simple but effective. In her second column it says “Probably half the population sees this as a problem and the other half, a blessing.” This sentence isn’t really long or short but it still is effective in proving her point. In the article I found it says “If preschool was optional for your kids, then maybe it's optional for them. But if it was essential for your kids – if you watched it transform their lives and wouldn't have done without it – how can it be denied to children with so few resources, children who need it so desperately?” This is an example of an effective and informational paragraph by Ramsey.

Questions:

1.     How do you put together your columns so that they are effective?

2.     Is writing a column easier or harder than writing something like a book or newspaper article?

3.     How long does it take you to get all your information for a column?

     Hyperlink:

hhttp://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/columnists/krista-ramsey/2014/02/08/krista-our-kids-tell-the-story-of-why-preschool-is-a-must/5328181/

Most Important Line in Chapter 18

At the point of the book that I’m in which is Chapter 18 and the most important line/lines would be “I hadn't thought about it that way. My head might also need a fresh-air breather if that much was swirling around in it at once, but I would never go outdoor camping for head-clearing R&R. I would go to a spa where beautiful bronzed boys wearing togas would bring m poolside fruity drinks with little tiki umbrellas floating inside,” (Cohn 133).  These lines would be the most important for this chapter because this is when she realizes how everything works, and how different people could think of some things. Also that some people just don’t think of the same things the same way you would think them to. This when she learns that sometimes you have to think of things in more than one way, think about what that person would think also.

Vocab in Shrimp

The vocabulary in the book "Shrimp" is unlike some vocabulary you would normally see like when it say "Having Shrimp and his mellow vibe permeating our house is like having Paxil dosed through the central heating ducts" (Cohn 103). In this quote the word permeating, me not knowing what it means, I looked it up and the Google definition was spread throughout (something); pervade. Some other vocabulary would be when it says “I was left with no choice but to exercise my Big Sister prerogative. “SCRAM!” I yelled, and they were outta there” (Cohn 106). Using this quote the word prerogative is unfamiliar to me, so when I looked up the definition and the meaning of prerogative is a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class. The vocabulary of this book can and can’t be elevated or maybe even low, this story has a combination of both. 

Best Thing about Shrimp

The best thing about my book would be the different language when it says "She was not going to mess with the simple freedom either, and did not complain once as we climbed Divisadero Street, a street so steep not even buses will navigate that section of it--and "Diviz" is a major thoroughfare." Just the ways she says it seems different than what a normal book would say. The diction isn't similar to anything I have read before. Another things about this book that makes it good would be the title "Shrimp" by itself contrasting to any other book titles. The book cover is another good thing because it draws you in, the picture of a surf board with the girl standing next to it.

Why I Chose Shrimp?

The reason I chose the book Shrimp by Rachel Cohn would be that this author isn't really popular and she seemed like the time to try a new author. I haven't heard much about this author and might as well see what kind of writing style she has, to see if I will like her books. The title Shrimp also interested be just because it didn't seem like normal title for a book and it seemed like it would be interesting. Another reason I chose this book would be the it seemed different and would differ from the normal books that I would read. Also a reason i chose this book was from the title it gave the impression that the plot, characters, and language would differ from normal everyday book that people would read my age. The front cover of the book also seemed different and it really drew me in to want to read it.

http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/shrimp

About Rachel Cohn

Rachel grew up near DC, and attended Barnard College, Manhattan at the age of 17. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science, thinking she wanted to be a journalist. Instead, she moved to San Francisco - where Gingerbread was set - to work at a law firm and began writing. After moving back to New York City, Gingerbread was published followed by a number of other books, often about a strong, witty female protagonist. Rachel Cohn (born 14 December 1968 in Silver Spring, Maryland) is a young adult fiction author. Her first book, Gingerbread, was published in 2002. Since then she has gone on to write many other successful YA and children's books, and has collaborated on three books with the author David Levithan.
From the time I learned how to read and write I was always trying to create stories. I grew up surrounded by books and by family who were educators – the desire and encouragement to write came readily in my household. When I was a kid, I loved books by Judy Blume, Ellen Conford and E.L. Konigsburg. (I loved Judy Blume’s books so much that I used to actively wish I would get scoliosis so I could be like Deenie.) My favorite books were: Harriet the Spy;Deenie; And This Is Laura; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Anything for A Friend; From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler; and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth. Oh, and anything by Jackie Collins or Sidney Sheldon.